Tha t Wa s The Ye a r... 1995 Atlantis, Iceman & Goldeneye

AFTER A SIX-YEAR GAP a new James Bond movie Golden Eye is released with Pierce Brosnan in the lead roll. Philip Pullman’s novel Northern Lights (aka The Golden Compass) is published and the Independent newspaper starts The Diary Of Bridget Jones column. THE IBANEZ ICEMAN RANGE BURSTS into existence and features a striking new design. Part reverse body and part upside down Rickenbacker this bound black beauty is a real sight to behold. With four guitars and a bass to choose from there’s a lot on offer but the looks and thick meaty sounds will appeal mainly to the heavy metal brigade. The hard-tailed IC300 features twin humbuckers and great rock sounds. AS A ROCKET IS LAUNCHED from the space exploration centre in Norway it is briefly thought to be an incoming attack on Russia. The Atlantis space shuttle docks with the Russian Mir Space Station for the first time; all contact is lost between NASA and the Pioneer 11 probe; Southeast Asia is treated to a total solar eclipse; and the Star Trek Voyager series is launched on American TV. FENDER’S NEW 63 TUBE REVERB UNIT brings back some vintage tone and style to the company’s ever expanding range. Bound in ivory Tolex and featuring a front covered in speaker grille cloth this cool reverb unit not only looks the part but also brings back that nostalgic sound that’s so associated with the early 60s. It’s a classic spring reverb design with controls for Dwell, Mixer and Tone plus a choice of three different grille colours to match your Fender rig. SIZEWELL B NUCLEAR POWER STATION starts supplying energy to the National Grid; the BBC begins regular Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) transmission; and a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurs near Kobe in Japan, wreaking havoc and destruction over a wide area. FOLLOWING THE IRA AND LOYALIST ceasefires last year British soldiers no longer patrol the streets of Belfast; the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visit Northern Ireland; the Queen also returns to Cape Town in South Africa for the first time in almost 50 years; the Queen Mother has a hip replacement operation; and Britain celebrates the 50th anniversary of VE Day. YAMAHA INTRODUCES A NEW JAZZ GUITAR into its range, the AEX 1500. This archtopped hollowbody features twin f-holes and an ornate tailpiece. But the single, neck-mounted pickup and surface controls are deceptive for this has a secret weapon; the bridge is fitted with a piezo pickup and the controls for this are mounded on the upperside of the body in electro-acoustic fashion, thus providing a much wider range of sounds without losing the classic simplicity of cello-style design.