The 80's was a time when the ultra-modern sounds of electronica dominated the charts, when the likes of Gary Newman and Ultravox were creating new genres unique to themselves. It coincided with the burgeoning digital age: new technology was infiltrating the recording studio, synthesisers replaced guitars and the MTV pop video became a cinematic event (i.e. Michael Jackson - Thriller). It was a time when boy bands and girl groups ruled the world, and here are a few that took this decade by storm:

• Duran Duran: This boy band came to personify the clean-cut image of pop which was huge at the time, with their pastel coloured suits, flannel shirts and boyish good looks. They were a band that any generation could admire musically, with whimsical love-songs about longing and lyrics about far-away lands and escapism, such as Rio. They churned out a number of hit singles, with 14 of their releases having charted in the Top 10, including “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Girls on Film”. The bands popularity was centred around the songwriting ability of Simon Le Bon who could write song lyrics that read like poetry, and when he sang over the ethereal music created by John Taylor and Nick Rhodes, it was magic.

• Spandau Ballet: These New Romantics were always competing for top spot against Duran Duran in their pomp, and this level of competition was highly lucrative for both bands who sold millions of albums as a result. Spandau Ballet were heavily influenced by the Rolling Stones and the Kinks in their early days, but this changed when an electronic signature started to impact their work and they showed the influence of Kraftwerk more and more. Between 1980 and 1990, these London lads had ten singles and four albums which featured in the top 10 of the respective pop charts.

Only music historians and obsessive fans of classic rock will know the cultural significance of this famed London gig venue, as the birthplace of The Rolling Stones. Sadly the venue does not serve its original purpose anymore and has changed its name more times than the artist formerly known as Prince, but it still attracts fans from all over the world as a site of spiritual pilgrimage for music lovers, much like John Lennon's house on Menlove Avenue.

Alex Korner played here regularly in its 60's heyday with his band Blues Incorporated alongside Cyril Davies. These two names were highly influential in the early Blues scene and were helpful in introducing many talented musicians together. Many of the future greats of British rock music came out to watch and even perform with the band, such as Charlie Watts, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Long John Baldry, Graham Bond, Danny Thompson and Dick Heckstall-Smith.

The sound also attracted much younger followers, and of these there were some very notable future stars, some of whom occasionally performed with the group, including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Geoff Bradford, Rod Stewart, John Mayall and Jimmy Page.

Later in the 60's, the venue became Tabby's, a disco of sorts which was often frequented by the hip students and youth coming out of Ealing Art College. In later years the famous dance hall became known as Club Azur, and then altered again to its current moniker The Red Room.

Elvis Presley is an icon without comparison today, pure and simple. His face is arguably the most recognisable in the world of any 20th century musician, and after his death came to be known as the “King of Popular Music”. Looking back at his discography, there are so many hits that have become stock phrases in the currency of music writing. Everybody knows or has heard of the likes of “Hound Dog” and “Return to Sender”, which shows that the music he made back in the 50's and 60's is still fresh and relevant today. But one song in particular captured the publics imagination.

Heartbreak Hotel was the track that catapulted Elvis into the public eye, having been released in January 1956 it went straight in the charts at the number 1 spot. The song was first performed for an RCA concert in Nashville on January 10, 1956, which Elvis played with his band The Blue Moon Boys to great critical acclaim.

The song was the audio equivalent to a love potion, sending girls into raptures with the smooth sound, moody lyrics and swinging hips of his performance. The classic tune was originally written by songwriting masterminds, Tommy Durden and Mae Boren Axton, who were inspired to pen the song after reading about a heartbroken man who committed suicide from his hotel window in the middle of the night after his love left him. The song came as part of Elvis' self-titled debut album which was a sensation as soon as it hit the press, clocking up a massive ten weeks at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Album chart.

The guitar is one of the most popular instruments in the world and millions of youngsters across the world gravitate toward it, wanting to follow in the footsteps of their heroes. Now a lot is written about rock guitarists, who have been blessed with an individual style and ability to move people with their solos, such Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmy Page.

While all of these may hog the limelight, the real masters of the guitar lay elsewhere, the classically trained masters of the Spanish guitar. Here are list of some of the best classical guitarists ever:

1. Andres Segovia. The father of the classical guitar, the man who will forever be remembered for his unbelievable virtuosity, his expressive performances and phrasings, and his thick black spectacles. Segovia studied Flamenco guitar in Grenada and had held his first performance at the tender age of 15, in 1909. The Spanish master was pivotal in helping develop the guitar as a legitimate concert instrument.

2. John Williams. Born in Australia in 1941, John Williams spent most of his early life in the UK, and calls himself a Londoner. He attended master classes with Segovia from the age of 11, as well as honing his skills in Italy and the Royal College of Music in London from 1956. He is best known for his technical brilliance and ability to communicate a complexity of tones and colours on his instrument. He started playing concerts as of November 1958 when he performed at Wigmore Hall in London, and has since played all over the world, from New York to Shanghai.

One of Liverpool's greatest living sons returned to his spiritual home for a show that brought together his old and new songs in abundance. The state of the art ECHO arena played host to this special occasions and fans were treated to an amazing visual show, along with hit after hit. So often with these megastars, who frankly grow tired of playing the same songs year after year, they leave out the numbers that made them famous in the first place, much to the dismay of the real fans.

Well Paul McCartney is a crowd pleaser, and played a string of hits from his best solo work, along with all the biggest recordings from The Beatles and Wings. The 10,000 capacity venue which stands on the former King's Dock, was packed to the rafters for this homecoming show.

But this is not the first time Paul McCartney has graced his homeland, he has played a gig of monumental significance to the people of Liverpool before. Back in 2008 Paul McCartney played the historic football stadium, Anfield, to mark the 2008 Capital of Culture year. He received rave reviews then, and nothing much has changed during the intermittent years, as the spritely pensioner sent the ECHO arena into raptures.

It was an emotionally occasion, bringing Fathers and sons together for a mutual love of The Beatles that is ingrained for all those born and bred on Merseyside. But there was an international feel to the concert as well, as tourists and out-of-towners filled the pauses with foreign dialects and accents, having travelled far and wide to see Macca in his home city. Possibly for the last time. It all added to the sense of occasion and was wonderful to behold.

The backing band are a well-oiled machine, tempering the effervescent Paul McCartney as he swings here and there on stage, through the likes of Penny Lane, Eleanor Rigby, The Long And Winding Road. But the song that got everyone on their feet was the timeless track and perhaps the greatest sing-along tune of all time, Hey Jude.

Panic! At the Disco is a band with an interesting background, and this is certainly a new page in their history book. The band lost two members last year, leaving just frontman Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith to pick up the band in their original direction. It's a good job that they play about twenty musical instruments between them, then.

Vices & Virtues is the band's first album since the split, but it retains what we've come to expect from Panic!. The somewhat poppy somewhat psychedelic sound has endured, as has the lyrical style which manages to be complex as well as catchy. “There's nothing wrong with just a taste/Of what you paid for,” declares Urie during lead single The Ballad of the Mona Lisa. It's a fantastic little phrase which will stick in your head for days after you first hear it. The chorus is equally catchy, and although Urie doesn't quite measure up to the band's previous lyricist, it's still a great effort.

Highlighted tracks include the light pop ballad Ready to Go (Get Out of my Mind) which features a fairly breezy feel and atmosphere. The folk-influenced Sarah Smiles is also brilliant, with a fantastic light tone which will have you clapping along. It comes at exactly the right time after the musically-heavy The Calendar, which is equally easy to listen and sing along to.

Ricky Martin's October concert, coming on the eve of a new Guatemalan election has him caught in the candidate's campaigns. Manuel Baldizón, one of the countries favourite candidates, has been apparently boasting that he would ¨turn Ricky Martin straight¨ as part of his presidential campaign. Whether he has a plan for that has yet to be seen. But the fact that even one of the country's top candidates is using Ricky Martin's spotlight as a promotional campaign for Guatemala's largely conservative population is hardly shocking considering the outstanding fame of the Puerto Rican singer.

While still remaining wildly popular with Latin audiences, Ricky Martin's fame mostly took off after he started singing in English. His most popular songs include “Livin' la Vida Loca"¨, "She Bangs" and "She's All I Ever Had". Later on, in 2003, Ricky Martin went back to singing in Spanish, his “roots”, and the language he had missed and found emotional inspiration in. He, with the exception of his MTV Unplugged world tour, has taken a break from the music industry to focus on his personal life.

His major controversies have been his “coming out of the closet” in 2010, support of same-sex marriages and his disapproval of President George W. Bush in 2001 even after performing at the President's inauguration ball.

If you haven’t heard about the Spanish rock favorites; Maná, where have you been? The band had an amazing concert in Dallas in July last year.

They opened the show with their most popular number, Lluvia al Corazón. But, all in all, the first part of the concert was not very exciting, as the band played new songs that were quite slow. Most of the Maná’s songs need to be listened to more than once in order for you to enjoy them. However, as soon as they went into their previous hits the audience responded enthusiastically.

This band is not very mobile on the stage. Therefore, the performance at Dallas was all about the vocals. Alex Gonzalez is the only member of the band who moves around on the stage and gives you, a visual act. It is an enjoyable experience watching him. On the other hand, the bassist and the guitarist just stand there and play their instruments.

The high point of the show came when the winner of a competition was introduced. Adal Benitez is an amateur musician who won the local prize. He played guitar for the Maná’s hit song, Me Vale and he rocked the show with his endless energy.

The concert became more exiting when Alex was left by his band for a solo performance. The rotating mechanical drums added to the beauty of his show. A fortunate girl was called up on the stage by the band and Fher sang Se Me Olvidó Otra Vez. Once the lady left the platform, the band sang some more of their hits.

The introduction of the new reference book for music laws has been introduced in South Africa. This is no doubt a very positive step for the prosperity of music. This book provides detailed information on the Music Law and Music contract regulations.

The book has been written by Nick Matzukis and is titled as ‘South African Music Law and Contracts’. This is a small and complete guide for the musicians who are interested in continuing their music career in South Africa. It is a great guide for amateur musicians who can learn strategies through which to negotiate the best contracts. This book tells us about the procedures that can be followed in order to make money, through music, in South Africa.

The book provides an overview of the music industry, all around the world. It discusses the most common issues of music copyright and royalty streams in great detail. If you have been waiting for such a source that can guide you through your music-related problems, ‘South African Music Law and Contracts’ could be the perfect match. All the legal principals regarding the South African music industry are clarified by the writer. This volume tells you about everything that you must know, before entering the business of music.

New Yorkers were disappointed at the end of last year due to Hurricane Irene interference in their lives. All the concerts on New Year’s Eve in the city were canceled due to bad weather conditions. People were forced to wait for their favourite stars to perform in their city. All the shows that were planned in the area were either delayed or cancelled, due to the expected Hurricane Irena.

The Hurricane was expected to affect places like Virginia and South Carolina and then all the way up to the eastern boundary of Canada. The Governor of New York declared a state of emergency, throughout the entire area. The transit system of the city was completely suspended for some time. All these circumstances had a negative impact on the concerts and gigs that were to be held in the city. Most of the organisers managed to delay the shows.

The Caravan events of Dave Matthews Band were expected to be held at the Governors Island. However, they were postponed by the organisers. This was a major disappointment for all the fans that were waiting for the concert for a very long time. All the tickets were already distributed. MTV News confirmed the delay of the concert. The show was then held in late August. The Roots and Gogol Bordello were going to perform in New York, but their show was also delayed due to the climatic conditions.