Observer may refer to person who is observing. More specialised meanings follow.

Computer science and information theory[link]

In information theory, any system which receives information from an object.

A state observer in control theory, a system that models a real system in order to provide an estimate of its internal state

Observer pattern, a design pattern used in computer programming

ObserverNMS (software), a network management software package

Fiction[link]

Observer (Mystery Science Theater 3000), aka Brain Guy

Observers, non-linear beings in the television show ''Fringe''

Music[link]

"Observer", a song by Gary Numan on his album The Pleasure Principle

"The Observer", a track from The Flaming Lips' 1999 album ''The Soft Bulletin''

Physics[link]

Observer (physics)

Observer (special relativity), a notion from the special relativity theory

Observer (general relativity)

Observer (quantum physics)

Politics and diplomacy[link]

Observer status, granted by an organization to a non-member, allowing the non-member limited ability to participate in the organization's activities

An election observer, one who assists in election monitoring

Publications[link]

''The Observer'', a UK Sunday newspaper

''The Texas Observer'', an American political magazine

A Sri Lankan Sunday and evening newspaper

The Observer (disambiguation), various newspapers

Other[link]

A game official used in some competitions of Ultimate

The Observer personality type

Air observer, an aircrew member of a (usually military) aircraft

See also[link]

Observer effect (disambiguation)

cs:Pozorovatel de:Beobachter fr:Observateur lb:Observateur ja:オブザーバー ru:Observer sv:Observatör

name	Niney the Observer
background	solo_singer
birth name	George Boswell
born	1951
origin	Montego Bay, Jamaica
genre	Reggae
occupation	Producer
notable instruments	}}

Winston Holness, better known as Niney the Observer (born George Boswell, 1951, Montego Bay), is a Jamaican record producer and singer who was a key figure in the creation of many classic reggae recordings dating from the 1970s and early 1980s.

Biography[link]

Holness gained his nickname "Niney" after losing a thumb in a workshop accident. In the latter half of the 1960s he worked as an engineer at KG records, where he began producing. His first release was his own composition "Come on Baby" issued on his Destroyer label. He moved on to work with Bunny Lee in 1967, then for Lynford Anderson's studio, then working for Joe Gibbs as chief sound engineer, replacing his friend Lee "Scratch" Perry. While working for Gibbs he produced Dennis Alcapone and Lizzy's "Mr. Brown", and played a major role in launching the career of Dennis Brown. After leaving Gibbs' setup, his first major success as a producer was "Blood & Fire" in December 1970, initially released in a pressing of 200 on his Destroyer label, but reissued the following year on his Observer label, and going on to sell over 30,000 copies in Jamaica. Inspired by Perry's nickname of "The Upsetter", Holness adopted "The Observer", using the name for his new Observer label, and the name of his house band, The Observers (actually the Soul Syndicate). Several singles followed, some reusing the "Blood & Fire" rhythm, including Big Youth's "Fire Bunn".

In the early 1970s, Holness became one of Jamaica's most sought after producers, with the likes of Dennis Brown, Delroy Wilson, The Heptones, Johnny Clarke, Slim Smith, Jacob Miller, Junior Delgado, and Freddie McGregor all using his services. He also continued to record himself, on collaborations with Dennis Alcapone, Max Romeo, and Lee Perry. By the mid-1970s, he was also working with Ken Boothe, Junior Byles, Gregory Isaacs, Horace Andy, I-Roy, and Dillinger. The late 1970s saw him still very active as a producer, but his output in the early 1980s was significantly less after relocating to France. He re-emerged in 1982 with the ''Ital Dub Observer Style'' album, and returned to Kingston in 1983, taking on the role of house producer for the Hitbound label at Channel One Studios. In this capacity he was one of the first to work with Beenie Man, and also produced Third World and Sugar Minott. In the mid-1980s, he relocated to New York, returning to Kingston again in 1988, and working with Yami Bolo, Frankie Paul, Andrew Tosh, and Junior Byles. He began an association with Heartbeat Records, working on reissues of much of his back catalogue, as well as new recordings. He continued to produce new material through the 1990s.

See also[link]

List of Jamaican record producers

References[link]

External links[link]

[ Biography] at Allmusic website

Niney the Observer interview April 2009

Article

United Reggae

WMC: article

Category:Living people Category:Jamaican reggae musicians Category:Jamaican record producers Category:1951 births Category:People from Montego Bay Category:Trojan Records artists

fr:Niney it:Niney The Observer

name	Soul Syndicate
background	group_or_band
origin	Kingston, Jamaica
genre	Reggae
years active	early 1970s – present
past members	Earl "Chinna" SmithCarlton "Santa" DavisGeorge "Fully" FullwoodTony ChinBernard "Touter" HarveyKeith SterlingLeroy "Horsemouth" WallaceCleon DouglasEarl LindoTyrone Downie
notable instruments	}}

Soul Syndicate, originally called the Rhythm Raiders, were one of the top reggae session bands in Jamaica from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s.

History[link]

In the first half of the 1970s the band from the Greenwich Farm area of Kingston recorded for producers such as Keith Hudson, Winston Holness (under the pseudonym The Observers), Duke Reid and others on some of the most popular and influential recordings of the era. Core members of the band were guitarist Earl "Chinna" Smith, drummer Carlton "Santa" Davis, bassist and founder of Soul Syndicate George "Fully" Fullwood, rhythm guitarist Tony Chin and keyboard player Bernard "Touter" Harvey, later with Keith Sterling on keyboards. Other members at various times included drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, guitarist Cleon Douglas, and keyboard players Earl Lindo and Tyrone Downie. Freddie McGregor was at one time the band's featured vocalist. The nucleus of the band also recorded under the name The Agrovators for Bunny Lee. As well as playing on countless releases backing some of Jamaica's top vocalists, including Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs, they also released several albums credited to the band. Harvey later became a member of The Wailers Band.

The Soul Syndicate's "Stalag 17" and "Taxi" bass lines, was among many bass lines created by George "Fully" Fullwood ,a instrumental, featuring Ansell Collins on organ, was much-versioned, providing the basis for hits over the two decades that followed for Big Youth, Horace Andy, Augustus Pablo, Frankie Paul, General Echo, Tenor Saw and others.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

''Harvest Uptown, Famine Downtown'' (1977) London/Soul Syndicate

''Moodie In Dub Vol 1'' (1978) Moodie Music (Black Slate & The Soul Syndicate)

''Was, Is, & Always'' (1980) High Times/Epiphany

''Roots Radics Meet Soul Syndicate In Dub'' (198?) Razor Sounds (with Roots Radics)

''Friends and Family'' (1996) Epiphany

;Compilations:

''Freedom Sounds In Dub'' (1996) Blood & Fire (King Tubby & The Soul Syndicate)

''Dub Classics'' (2006) Jamaican Recordings

DVD[link]

''Word, Sound and Power'' (2008), MVD

Notes[link]

References[link]

Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides, ISBN 1-84353-329-4

Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9

Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6

External links[link]

Legendary Jamaican bassist Fully Fullwood web site

Legendary Jamaican roots reggae guitarist Tony Chin,member of Soul Syndicate,Big Mountain,the Fully Fullwood Band;and more.

Legendary Jamaican drummer Carlton "Santa" Davis web site

Soul Syndicate at Roots Archives

Category:Jamaican reggae musical groups

name	Tubeway Army
background	group_or_band
origin	London, England
genre	Punk rock, post-punk, new wave, electronic
years active	1976–1979
label	Beggars Banquet
website
past members	Gary NumanPaul GardinerJess LidyardBob SimmondsBarry BennSean BurkeChris PayneBilly CurrieCedric SharpleyTrevor Grant }}

Tubeway Army were a London-based punk rock and new wave band led by lead singer Gary Numan. They were the first band of the post-punk era to have a synthesizer-based hit, with their single ''Are 'Friends' Electric?'' and its parent album ''Replicas'' both topping the UK Album Chart in mid-1979. Are 'Friends' Electric? was also the only single released by Tubeway Army to be a hit single thus making the band technically a one hit wonder however the success of Gary Numan often overshadows the band and therefore leaving them exempt from most lists.

Line-up[link]

The only constant members were:

Gary Numan (also known as "Valerian"; birth name Gary Anthony James Webb) – vocals, guitar, keyboards/synthesizers

Paul Gardiner (also known as "Scarlett") – bass guitar, occasional backing vocals

Other musicians included:

Jess Lidyard (also known as "Rael"; Webb's uncle) – drums (part-time 1976, and 1978/1979, including "That's Too Bad" single, ''Tubeway Army'' and ''Replicas'' sessions)

Bob Simmonds – drums (late-1977/early-1978)

Barry Benn – drums (mid-1978, including "Bombers" single)

Sean Burke – guitar (mid-1978, including "Bombers" single)

Chris Payne – synthesizers (1979 ''Old Grey Whistle Test'' and ''Top of the Pops'' performances)

Billy Currie (of Ultravox) – synthesizers (1979 ''Old Grey Whistle Test'' and ''Top of the Pops'' performances)

Cedric Sharpley – drums (1979 ''Old Grey Whistle Test'' and ''Top of the Pops'' performances)

Trevor Grant – guitar (1979 ''Old Grey Whistle Test'' and ''Top of the Pops'' performances)

Numan was the driving force of the band, writing the material and producing the recordings. Subsequent albums were issued under his own name once the album ''Replicas'' became successful. Gardiner, Sharpley, and Payne continued as his backing band for some years. Gardiner died from a drug overdose in February 1984. Numan's personal tribute to his former cohort was the song "A Child with the Ghost", on the album ''Berserker'' (1984).

Ced Sharpley born Cedric Sharpley, 31 December 1952; died from a heart attack on 13 March 2012.

History[link]

Aged 19 years, Gary Webb had fronted London band Mean Street in 1976 (their song "Bunch of Stiffs" appeared on the ''Live at the Vortex'' compilation, and was the B-side of the ''Vortex'' 7"). Leaving this band acrimoniously, he auditioned as lead guitarist for another band called The Lasers, where he met bass-player Paul Gardiner. The pair left The Lasers soon after and formed Tubeway Army, initially with Webb's uncle Jess Lidyard on drums. Webb rechristened himself "Valerian", Gardiner "Scarlett" and Lidyard "Rael".

Webb was a prolific song-writer and ambitious for commercial success. The band began playing gigs on the punk scene in London and managed to secure a record deal with the independent Beggars Banquet label. They released two guitar-heavy, punk-style singles in the first half of 1978 ("That's Too Bad"/"Oh! Didn't I Say", and "Bombers"/"Blue Eyes"/"OD Receiver"). These failed to chart.

Soon afterwards, the ''Tubeway Army'' album was released on blue vinyl, at which point Webb adopted the name "Gary Numan". Allegedly, Numan actually took his new pseudonym from a local Yellow Pages where a plumber called "Arthur Neumann" was listed, the singer abandoning the German spelling, to become Numan. Whilst still largely guitar/bass/drums-based, the album saw his first tentative use of the Minimoog synthesizer, which he had come across by accident in the recording studio during the album sessions. Lyrically the record touched on dystopian and sci-fi themes similar to those employed by authors such as Philip K. Dick, of whom Numan was a fan (the opening lines of the song "Listen to the Sirens" are a direct lift from the title of Dick's book ''Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said''). Whilst the album's modest initial pressing (which included a large batch of warped editions) sold out, it did not enter the album charts at that time, and no singles were lifted from it. By this time Tubeway Army had decided to abandon live shows – Numan was unhappy with pub-venue gigs on the often violent London punk scene (the only known recording of a Tubeway Army concert – a London show from February 1978 – was released as a bootleg album in the early 1980s. It was later officially included under the title ''Living Ornaments '78'' as bonus tracks on the 1998 CD re-release of the ''Tubeway Army'' album).

Following swiftly on in early 1979, excited by the possibilities of synthesizers, Numan took Tubeway Army back into the studio to record a follow-up album, ''Replicas''. The result was more synth and science fiction orientated than the last album. The first single from the album, the bleak, slow-paced keyboard-driven song "Down in the Park", failed to chart. However, the next single, "Are 'Friends' Electric?" was more successful. A special picture-disc helped boost sales but what particularly grabbed the British public's imagination was Tubeway Army's appearance on the BBC show ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'', followed soon after by a slot on ''Top of the Pops''. The band appeared all dressed in black and near-motionless, Numan in particular giving a performance often referred to as being "like an android" (a style that was later reported to have been a means of covering stage nerves but which then became his trademark). The single climbed steadily to stay at number one in the UK charts for 4 weeks, with ''Replicas'' following suit in the album charts. With Tubeway Army still avoiding live shows, Numan recruited some additional musicians to make these television appearances (see above).

Numan became the first synth-based artist in Britain to break through into major commercial success. At this point, he dropped the Tubeway Army name and subsequent releases were made under the artist name Gary Numan.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Year	Details	Peak chart positions					! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"
		1978	align="left"	*Released: 14 November 1978	Beggars Banquet">Music recording sales certification
! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"
1978	align="left"	*Released: 14 November 1978	Beggars Banquet	14	—	—	—
1979	align="left"	*Released: April 1979	Atco Records>Atco	1	8	37	124		British Phonographic Industry>UK: Gold
19841	align="left"	*Released: October 1984	*Label: Beggars Banquet	29	—	—	—

¹ The demos were recorded in 1978 but not released until 1984. Beggars Banquet have re-released and re-mastered these recordings numerous times. Current CD editions supplement the original album tracks with all single A- and B-sides, 12" bonus tracks, studio out-takes, and recovered bootleg live material.

Singles[link]

Year	Single	Peak chart positions						Album
		! width="25"	! width="25"	! width="25"	! width="25"	! width="25"	! width="25"
		—	—	—	—	—	—
align="left"	—	—	—	—	—	—
		198	—	—	—	—	—
	1	12	23	3	9	8	UK: Gold

References[link]

Further reading[link]

Goodwin, Paul (2004) ''Electric Pioneer: An Armchair Guide To Gary Numan''

[[Category:British New Wave musical groups">Music recording sales certification Album ! width="25" ! width="25" ! width="25" ! width="25" ! width="25" ! width="25" — — — — — — align="left" — — — — — — 198 — — — — — 1 12 23 3 9 8 UK: Gold

References[link]

Further reading[link]

Goodwin, Paul (2004) ''Electric Pioneer: An Armchair Guide To Gary Numan''

[[Category:British New Wave musical groups Category:English punk rock groups Category:Musical groups established in 1976 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1979 Category:Musical groups from London

es:Tubeway Army fr:Tubeway Army (groupe) nl:Tubeway Army pt:Tubeway Army ru:Tubeway Army sv:Tubeway Army

name	Andreas Vollenweider
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth date	October 04, 1953
Birth place	Zürich, Switzerland
genre	World, Classical, Jazz, New Age
label	Edel RecordsKin-Kou MusicContent RecordsCBS RecordsColumbia/CBS RecordsSony Classical/SME RecordsSBK/EMI Records
website	http://www.vollenweider.com
notable instruments	Pedal harp }}

Andreas Vollenweider (born 4 October 1953) is a Swiss musician. His music has been categorized as World Music, Jazz, New Age and even Classical; two of his albums were number 1 on the Billboard charts simultaneously in the categories Classical, Jazz, Pop and Crossover for more than 11 weeks. His primary instrument is an electrically modified harp of his own design, but he also plays a wide variety of instruments from around the world, including the Chinese guzheng. His albums feature many musicians performing his compositions with him, ranging from simple solos to suites for orchestra and soloists. His music is mostly instrumental but he has occasionally forayed into vocal music as well.

His past collaborators include Bobby McFerrin, Carly Simon, Djivan Gasparyan, Eliza Gilkyson, Luciano Pavarotti, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Carlos Núñez, Ray Anderson, and Milton Nascimento.

Politically, Andreas Vollenweider is an outspoken pacifist and follower of the principles of non-violent conflict management of Mohandas Gandhi. On his website he features quotes from Gandhi (among others), and in an effort to spread awareness of the American war in Iraq, he has also posted a ticker reflecting the current number of casualties in the conflict, both American and Iraqi.

Biography[link]

Early Life and Career[link]

Vollenweider was born on 4 October 1953 in Zürich as the son of Hans Vollenweider, a composer and organist. Acquainted with many instruments and an autodidact, Andreas Vollenweider discovered the harp in 1975. This instrument – notably his self-modified electro-acoustic harp, would define the signature sound on all of his music albums. During this time Vollenweider also started composing for film, theater and TV.

''Eine Art Suite in XIII Teilen'', was his first album, released in Switzerland in 1979. Pieces of this album were performed at a concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1981. This first concert preceded the release of Vollenweider's second album, ''Behind the Garden - Behind the Wall - Under the Tree'', which was released worldwide in autumn of the same year.

His next album, ''Caverna Magica'', was released in 1982. The single ''Pace Verde'' ("Green Peace") was cut from ''Caverna Magica'' and released in 1983 as a tribute to environmental and peace movements. In the same year, he received an Edison Award in Amsterdam, Netherlands, for the ''Caverna Magica'' album.

Mid-1980s and Early 90s[link]

The album ''White Winds'' was released in 1984 and was listed in three US charts. A US tour soon followed in 1985, including performances at the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC), New York's Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall, and the Universal Amphitheatre (Los Angeles). ''Down To The Moon'' (1986), his fourth full-length album, received a Grammy Award. Vollenweider toured again in Europe, Japan, Canada and the US, and Australia.

His fifth album, ''Dancing With The Lion'' (1989), marked a change in the way Vollenweider produced his music. His previous albums featured a more or less fixed set of musicians, while ''Dancing With The Lion'' incorporated numerous guest appearances of musicians from all musical styles. For this album Vollenweider himself directed and produced two music videos, for which he was also heavily involved in writing the storylines, the choreography, and the design of sets and costumes. The album was followed by ''Book of Roses'', released in 1991, which has a more symphonic sound than can be heard on the previous albums.

He received a World Music Award in Monaco in 1992 and performed at a benefit show for the child victims of the Chernobyl disaster on Moscow's Red Square.

Mid- to Late-90s[link]

The album ''Eolian Minstrel'', released in 1994 marked another change in musical direction for Vollenweider. Previous albums had been largely instrumental, sometimes including wordless solo and chorus lyrics. On ''Eolian Minstrel'' most of the songs feature lyrics written by Vollenweider and sung by Carly Simon and Eliza Gilkyson. Although the next album with a heavy focus on vocals would not appear until almost 11 years after the release of ''Eolian Minstrel'', lyrics would remain an important part of Vollenweider's music.

The period of 1994 to 1997 was marked with a series of concerts, notably with ''Pavarotti and Friends'' in Modena, Italy, and at remarkable locations, including a concert at 2500 meters in Bruneck in the Southern Alps with Zucchero and in a volcanic cave at the Festival Musica Visual on Lanzarote.

1998 saw the release of ''Kryptos'', a largely symphonic album featuring guest musicians from all over the world. During the summer of the same year, he worked on his next symphonic project. ''Wolkenstein'', which he calls a "symphonic mind movie", was first performed to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the canton of Zürich in 1998.

The 1999 ''Cosmopoly'' is a return to a more "world music" oriented sound and included guest appearances of Carly Simon, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, singer and poet Milton Nascimento, Bobby McFerrin, duduk player Djivan Gasparyan and trombonist Ray Anderson. A ''Cosmopoly'' tour followed, featuring many of the aforementioned musicians appearing as special guests.

2000 and Beyond[link]

Vollenweider's "symphonic novel" ''Tales of Kira Kutan'' premiered at the Warsaw Film Music Festival in 2002. In the same year he composed and performed the music for the play ''Socrates — Dawn of Civilization'' with Rod Steiger as Socrates.

From 2002 to the present Vollenweider has been busy with performing his music at various festivals and releasing multiple compilation albums and DVDs. His second major foray into vocal work came with ''VOX'' in 2005, featuring Vollenweider himself on most of the vocals. ''Midnight Clear'' was released in 2006, followed by his most recent full-length album, ''A I R'', released in 2009.

Discography[link]

''Eine Art Suite in XIII Teilen'' (1979)

''Behind the Garden - Behind the Wall - Under the Tree (album)'' (1981)

''Caverna Magica'' (1983)

''Pace Verde'' (single for Greenpeace, 1983)

''White Winds (Seeker's Journey)'' (1984)

''Down to the Moon'' (1986)

''Dancing with the Lion'' (1989)

''Traumgarten'' (collaboration with his father, organist Hans Vollenweider, 1990)

''The Trilogy'' (compilation of ''Behind the Gardens'', ''Caverna Magica'', ''White Winds'' and ''Pace Verde'', with selections from ''Eine Art Suite'', 1990)

''Book of Roses'' (1991)

''Eolian Minstrel'' (1993)

''Andreas Vollenweider & Friends - Live 1982-1994'' (1994)

''Kryptos'' (1997)

''NANS N 50 - 50 '' (1998)

''Cosmopoly'' (1999)

''Vox'' (CD + DVD, 2004)

''The Essential Andreas Vollenweider'' (compilation, 2005)

''The Storyteller'' (compilation, 2005)

''Magic Harp'' (compilation, CD + DVD, 2005)

''The Magical Journeys of Andreas Vollenweider'' (soundtrack for the DVD ''The Magical Journeys of Andreas Vollenweider'', 2006)

''Midnight Clear'' (2006, featuring Carly Simon)

''A I R'' (2009, featuring Xavier Naidoo)

References and footnotes[link]

Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:People from the canton of Zurich Category:Swiss harpists Category:Guzheng players Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Columbia Records artists Category:SBK Records artists Category:Swiss composers Category:Swiss singers Category:Swiss musicians

als:Andreas Vollenweider da:Andreas Vollenweider de:Andreas Vollenweider es:Andreas Vollenweider fr:Andreas Vollenweider he:אנדראס וולנוויידר it:Andreas Vollenweider ja:アンドレアス・フォーレンヴァイダー nl:Andreas Vollenweider no:Andreas Vollenweider pl:Andreas Vollenweider ru:Фолленвайдер, Андреас sr:Андреас Фоленвајдер sv:Andreas Vollenweider