THE past year, 2011, has been dominated by splits, reunions, tragic high-profile deaths, and the explosion of dance music into mainstream pop.
From the downright bizarre (an assassination attempt on Joss Stone) to the painfully annoying (Rebecca Black the YouTube phenomenon) the past 12 months have been as busy in the music world as in politics and the media.
Etta James fell foul of a hoax death plot on Twitter, David Bowie retired, then Kanye West fell off-stage in Norway. Far, far worse were the stage collapses at Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium, and the Indiana State Fair where tragically five people died in each incident.
The fire at the PIAS warehouse in Enfield, during the August riots in London, was equally devastating for the 100 independent music distributors who use the warehouse and even affected bigger bands, such as the Arctic Monkeys.
It was also the year of ludicrous collaborations - not least Jack White teaming up with eminent fancy dress lovers the Insane Clown Posse, aging thrash merchants Metallica collaborated with Lou Reed, and pop queen Rihanna joining Coldplay for a track on what has to be the oddest named album of the year, ‘Mylo Xyloto’.
Speaking of Rihanna, she has been everywhere this year (not least in an Irish field wearing very little clothing). She had a smash hit number one single with Calvin Harris ‘We Found Love’ and entered the Top 10 no less than six times.
David Guetta was shortly behind with five entries, with numerous artists cropping up three times throughout the year, including Adele, Chris Brown, Ed Sheeran, Example, Jessie J, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rizzle Kicks and the Wanted.
Popular emos My Chemical Romance were rocked by the news that their drummer had been stealing from them, and promptly booted him out of the band, although that’s nothing to Coheed and Cambria finding out one band member planned to blow up a pharmacy.
The Foo Fighters dominated the Milton Keynes Bowl for two days over the summer when they were joined on stage by rock stalwarts Alice Cooper and Queen drummer Roger Taylor.
PJ Harvey scooped the Mercury Music Prize ahead of favourite Adele, whose album ‘21’ has come to be the soundtrack of the year, with music shops banning people from practising ‘Someone Like You’ on the piano, much like Led Zeppelin and ‘Stairway To Heaven’.
After staggering chart success in America and sell-out gigs around the world, poor old Adele underwent throat surgery in the latter half of 2011.
The Smashing Pumpkins, Ash, Ben Folds Five, the Stone Roses, Evanescence, New Found Glory, Limp Bizkit, Korn... the list of those who have made a comeback is endless. Kasabian had a number one album with ‘Velociraptor!’ as did Red Hot Chili Peppers with ‘I’m With You’.
There has also been a mass celebration of all things nineties, with several seminal albums celebrating their 20 year anniversaries. The one which made the most noise (both now and back then) is Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’, which was much talked about in the popular press, and perhaps introduced Nirvana to an entirely new generation of 21st century fans.
Blink-182 were forced to postpone their autumn tour as their comeback album ‘Neighbourhoods’ was not ready in time, while Paul McCartney remarried, Beyoncé announced her pregnancy and Dr Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson.
Muse put on the stand-out show of Reading Festival, REM split after 31 years in the business, Oasis severed their ties in a typically acrimonious fashion, and the Black Eyed Peas went on hiatus (amid tumbleweeds).
Then of course there was an event which will not have shocked some, but which tore the heart out of the British music scene. There were very few musicians and artists who did not pay tribute to someone they called a friend, and who died in a way which many of them had come close to. This was of course Amy Winehouse, who died like so many other rock stars at the age of 27, on July 23 this year.
Coupled with the death of Steve Jobs, the man who brought the world iTunes and revolutionised the music industry, the world is forever changed at the end of 2011. Who will know what Winehouse and Jobs could each have achieved, given time? We are only left to wonder, and look to 2012.