The High Fidelity

The High Fidelity are a British rock band, formed in 1995 by Sean Dickson, formerly of The Soup Dragons.

History

Dickson started the group when High Times magazine asked him to record a track for a cannabis-themed covers compilation album, Hempilation: Freedom Is NORML. Their debut album, Demonstration (2000). The LP was recorded largely in Dickson's bedroom, with Adrian Barry (bass), Paul Dallaway (guitar) and Ross McFarlane (drums). The album was later augmented with a number of orchestral arrangements recorded in India. Musically, the record comprised experimental dance-pop songs, and was described by The Guardian as "an expertly composed pastiche of psychedelic pop". Their single "Luv Dup" reached #70 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1998. The band recorded a number of sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show, introducing the use of the omnichord, a vintage synthesiser, with which they performed a number of songs including a version of "Silent Night". Peel shared the band's enthusiasm for the instrument, and when they gave him an omnichord as a 60th birthday present it led to Peel co-writing and performing on one of the tracks on the band's second album, 2001's The Omnichord Album. He co-wrote the track 'Pig might fly' about his wife with Sean Dickson for the album, Both albums by The High Fidelity are very critically acclaimed pieces of work .

High fidelity

High fidelity—or hi-fi or hifi—reproduction is a term used by home stereo listeners and home audio enthusiasts to refer to high-quality reproduction of sound to distinguish it from the poorer quality sound produced by inexpensive audio equipment, or the inferior quality of sound reproduction that can be heard in recordings made until the late 1940s. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has minimal amounts of noise and distortion and an accurate frequency response.

History

Bell Laboratories began experimenting with wider-range of recording techniques in the early 1930s. Performances by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra were recorded in 1931 and 1932 using telephone lines between the Academy of Music in Philadelphia and the labs in New Jersey. Some multi-track recordings were made on optical sound film, which led to new advances used primarily by MGM (as early as 1937) and Twentieth Century Fox (as early as 1941). RCA Victor began recording performances by several orchestras on optical sound around 1941, resulting in higher-fidelity masters for 78-rpm discs.

High fidelity (disambiguation)

High fidelity or hi-fi is most commonly a term for the high-quality reproduction of sound or images.

High Fidelity or Hi-Fi may also refer to:

Film and TV

Television

Music

Albums

Songs

Get Happy!! (Elvis Costello album)

The fourth album by Elvis Costello, his third with the Attractions, Get Happy!! is notable for being a dramatic break in tone from Costello's three previous albums, and for being heavily influenced by R&B, ska and soul music. The cover art was intentionally designed to have a "retro" feel, to look like the cover of an old LP with ring wear on both front and back.

It was placed at No. 11 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s.

Background

During the American concert tour for Armed Forces in April 1979, Costello engaged in a drunken argument with Stephen Stills and Bonnie Bramlett in a Columbus, Ohio, Holiday Inn hotel bar, during which he referred to James Brown as a "jive-arsed nigger," then upped the ante by pronouncing Ray Charles a "blind, ignorant nigger." Costello apologised at a New York City press conference a few days later, claiming that he had been drunk and had been attempting to be obnoxious to bring the conversation to a swift conclusion, not anticipating that Bramlett would bring his comments to the press.

The High

The High were an English rock group from Manchester, who were generally regarded as part of the Madchester scene.

History

The band was formed in 1989 by former Turning Blue singer John Matthews, along with former Buzzcocks F.O.C. members Andy Couzens (guitar, also formerly of The Stone Roses and pre-Roses bands The Patrol and Waterfront), Simon Davies (bass), and drummer Chris Goodwin (also formerly of Inspiral Carpets), when Steve Diggle left Buzzcocks F.O.C. to reform the Buzzcocks.

They were signed by London Records and had three minor UK Singles Chart hits in 1990 before breaking into the top 30 in 1991 with a revamped version of their debut single, the Martin Hannett-produced "Box Set Go". The band's debut album, Somewhere Soon, peaked at number 59 in the UK Album Chart.

With the Madchester scene losing favour with the critics, the band's later releases failed to chart, the band splitting up in 1993. John Matthews and Chris Goodwin went on to form the Manchester group 'One Summer' with local musicians Stephen Fitzpatrick (guitar) and Carl Wolstenholme (bass). One Summer worked with Factory Records group A Certain Ratio and recorded a demo for the label before it went into administration.

The High (comics)

The High (John Cumberland) is a fictional character, a superhero in the Wildstorm Universe. He first appears in Stormwatch #46 and was created by Warren Ellis and Tom Raney.

Publication history

The High plays a major part in the Stormwatch story arc "Change or Die." The character was later revived for the series Number of the Beast and would become a key part of the line-wide storyline "World's End".

Fictional character biography

The High came from an alternate reality. He fought as a superhero alongside Jenny Sparks in the 1930s, but became frustrated and left the crime-fighting occupation long before she did. After years detached from society (including a decade spent seated atop a throne of stone in the Rocky Mountains, contemplating his plan) he was left with a somewhat naive apprehension of others, their motives and ability shrinking in the face of his noble plan. He was overly trusting of his cohorts, quick to mistrust anyone who stepped in their way, and eager to force the world to change and be done with it - and he ultimately learned, as Jenny Sparks said, that people only want change on their own terms. His emblem was five arrows in a circle, much like the symbol for recycling - he wore this on his costume's belt and on a t-shirt he wore when out of costume.