Who knows why David Lee Roth left Van Halen?
Somehow, back then, Dave seemed to think he was bigger than the group, he STILL believes he's bigger than the group!
And the EP seemed like a lark, with the covers of "California Girls" and "Just A Gigolo" and their incessantly aired cheeky videos.
But then he had to do originals, he had to do an album, and if you don't think "Eat 'Em and Smile" is a disappointment...you never heard anything before. "Yankee Rose"? Imitation Van Halen, without the special sauce. And the follow-up, "Skyscraper," was even worse, despite the continued inclusion of all star players like Steve Vai and Billy Sheehan, who left the band shortly thereafter. Like I said, Dave's hard to get along with, his ego can barely be contained by the room. But an even bigger problem with this incarnation was...lack of songwriting chops. Oh, Dave's great with words, but someone's got to write the melodies and riffs, and as great a player as Steve Vai is...writing is not his forte. But having said all that, I love, love, LOVE "Just Like Paradise"!
Huh?
Oh, believe me, by this point I'd given up on Dave, my allegiance was to Eddie. And after hearing "Yankee Rose," there was no way I was going to buy the LP. But then suddenly this video appeared on MTV of Dave mountain climbing and prancing and posturing on stage with his band and I was hooked!
Not that it had anything to do with the video, that was just extra sauce. You see the song, "Just Like Paradise," is the essence of rock and roll.
Oh, talk about energy and attitude, say you've got to strip it down, it's got to be punk, but the greats are much more than that, they've got enthusiasm, they blast you beyond the humdrum to the very best night of your life. You remember that? Vividly, I'm sure. The essence of being alive... "Just Like Paradise" SOUNDS LIKE THAT!
That's what we're looking for every night...
"This must be just like living in paradise
And I don't want to go home!"
Oh, it starts with quiet thunder, and then Vai provides lightning, and you get an instrumental rendering of the chorus and Dave starts to sing...
And I'd quote the words, but you know them, they're typical Dave, girls, cars and...
Then you get the pre-chorus.
"Girl, we've been meant for this
Since we were born
No problems now (the coast is clear)
It's just the calm before the storm"
It's like cresting the roller coaster peak, it's the moment of ecstasy before you come, and then...it's pure release!
"This must be just like living in paradise
And I don't want to go home!"
Come on, throw off your inhibitions, embrace your memories, your fantasies, COME ALIVE!
That's what MTV was...alive, even in the middle of the night, but mostly in the afternoon, when you saw Dave hanging on that mountain...you told yourself...I WANT ME SOME OF THAT!
Yes, we all want to embrace life, live it to its limits, and when rock is done right, it inspires us to do so.
And at this point, you might think Dave is a joke, and he's over the top in the video: http://bit.ly/T9iXfM But he's winking at the camera all the while, if you're living in the midwest you're ready to line up backstage for your opportunity. As for the guys...this music makes you feel powerful, it emboldens you to take a chance!
And there's every cliche but the kitchen sink in this video. All the posing, all the jumping, all the stuff you can't get away with today...but this was the original hedonistic era, when sex was still free and everybody had not gone to rehab for cocaine. Come on, if you don't smile when they walk the deck, swaggering at 3:50 in the clip, you're not alive. It's Bon Jovi, but with roots and a sense of humor.
And MTV was so powerful that "Just Like Paradise" went to number six on the pop chart, that's how infectious it was.
And I've not only never burned out on it, it still inspires me to this day.
And what more could you ask for from rock and roll!
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/12KfWVP
Previous Rhinofy playlists: http://www.rhinofy.com/lefsetz
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Saturday 3 August 2013
Friday 2 August 2013
The Nate Silver Kerfuffle
Who?
You know, the nerd in the "New York Times" who called the election, trumping all the bloviating blowhards on television who think a fact is something you make up.
So you just don't care.
But you should.
Because Nate Silver is a superstar. He's the model for tomorrow's musical acts, but you just don't know it yet.
Unlike today's adolescents dominating the YouTube, SoundScan story, Silver wasn't born yesterday, as in he's got a history. Not only is he educated, he did stuff before the "Times," which signed him and where he ended up so successful he pissed everybody off.
Jealousy... That's the heart of the baby boomer story. And now Gen X'ers, who are finally pushing fifty, too. They created the world and they believe they own it, but they don't.
Now if the "New York Times" had a television network... Then it might have had a chance to keep Silver. But the paper couldn't compete with the ABC/ESPN duality. As for print? Who needs it, when you've got the web? Yes, Silver holds on to his FiveThirtyEight.com domain, he's the star, not the paper.
And this goes against everything we've learned in mass media for eons. This is the oldster's worst nightmare. Because suddenly, talent is doing it for itself.
This is the story of Arcade Fire. Personally, I don't love their music, but enough people do. Same deal with Nate Silver. Not everybody knows his name, but enough do. That's the goal. To amass your audience and triumph.
That's what you could never do before. Build and own your audience. You were dependent upon middlemen. This is what is wrong with the major label model of today, they take all your money and give you very little in return, telling you that without radio and their relationships at retail, you just can't succeed. But if Nate Silver can succeed without the "Times," can't you?
Now let's start at the beginning. Not everybody is as talented as Nate Silver. Yes, I know you hate that, you were taught by your parents that you were great and if you just believed in yourself you would succeed, but this is categorically untrue.
And as stated earlier, success is dependent upon education and hard work, something that's abhorred in Snookiville. Today's wannabe musicians can make great YouTube videos and social network and spam you to death, but they rarely make great music.
And Nate Silver has confidence. This is something that's been evidenced by great musicians from John Lennon to Elton John to... They weren't blowhards, telling us they were great, it's just that they weren't all humble and touchy-feely, they radiated an inner strength we were drawn to, as opposed to a modern "musician" who drapes himself in diamonds and then declares bankruptcy.
And you always start off far from the radar screen. That's what today's wannabe musicians don't get. Recognition comes LAST! Be happy to play the gig most people don't go to, that's where you hone your chops.
And ask for more. This is what people hate about the Eagles, their confidence and their demands, their desire to do it their way. People would rather drag you down into the hole they're in, they want you to apologize and make like you're just like them. But I'm certainly not a statistics whiz like Nate Silver and I doubt you are either.
Nate didn't want to be pigeonholed, he did not want to be limited to the niche the "Times" gave him. This is no different from an act telling the label they don't want to cowrite, they don't want advice, they just want to do it their way. But unlike today's musicians, Nate Silver was willing to walk.
Now granted, Nate Silver did not go totally independent, unlike the delusional Andrew Sullivan, who believed by tapping his audience for cash he'd grow instead of being marginalized. In other words, there's no harm in selling your wares to the highest bidder...as long as it is done on your terms, not theirs.
So where does this leave us?
On the cusp of new superstars. All the oldsters were built by the old system, yes, even Radiohead, certainly Coldplay and Dave Matthews, they benefited from MTV and VH1 and radio airplay when it truly meant something. As for today's YouTube stars... Justin Bieber is self-destructing before our very eyes. It's a much more riveting performance than his music. But soon we'll have more Arcade Fires, and some of them will have mass appeal. Tom Petty's lyric about the label not hearing a single will make about as much sense to the younger generation as the skips on a vinyl record. Huh?
Talent is finally king.
Because distribution is free.
But in order to truly be king you have to believe in yourself and play by your own rules.
Disruption is continuing in the music sphere. Because the old game continues to wane. SoundScan numbers tank and are almost completely irrelevant, one wonders why Jay Z even cares.
Wanna ensnare a superstar?
Offer him exposure in all venues.
Cut him a great deal.
And know that he's boss.
If you're not kissing the ass of talent, if you're not giving it all it wants and deserves, you're destined for the scrapheap.
P.S. Silver graduated from the University of Chicago, where you can't take business courses and internships don't give you credit. It's a hard-assed experience most would shy away from, even if they could get in.
"Nate Silver Went Against the Grain for Some at The Times": http://nyti.ms/13ZekhH
"QUEST FOR SILVER: How ESPN/ABC stole Nate Silver from The New York Times -- Young data guru promised Oscars role; may expand franchise to education, economics, weather": http://politi.co/12Zd0UG
"Nate Silver - Renowned Statistician, Author and Founder of FiveThirtyEight - Joins ESPN in Multi-Faceted Role, Will Also Contribute Regularly to ABC News Platforms": http://bit.ly/161hb5k
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You know, the nerd in the "New York Times" who called the election, trumping all the bloviating blowhards on television who think a fact is something you make up.
So you just don't care.
But you should.
Because Nate Silver is a superstar. He's the model for tomorrow's musical acts, but you just don't know it yet.
Unlike today's adolescents dominating the YouTube, SoundScan story, Silver wasn't born yesterday, as in he's got a history. Not only is he educated, he did stuff before the "Times," which signed him and where he ended up so successful he pissed everybody off.
Jealousy... That's the heart of the baby boomer story. And now Gen X'ers, who are finally pushing fifty, too. They created the world and they believe they own it, but they don't.
Now if the "New York Times" had a television network... Then it might have had a chance to keep Silver. But the paper couldn't compete with the ABC/ESPN duality. As for print? Who needs it, when you've got the web? Yes, Silver holds on to his FiveThirtyEight.com domain, he's the star, not the paper.
And this goes against everything we've learned in mass media for eons. This is the oldster's worst nightmare. Because suddenly, talent is doing it for itself.
This is the story of Arcade Fire. Personally, I don't love their music, but enough people do. Same deal with Nate Silver. Not everybody knows his name, but enough do. That's the goal. To amass your audience and triumph.
That's what you could never do before. Build and own your audience. You were dependent upon middlemen. This is what is wrong with the major label model of today, they take all your money and give you very little in return, telling you that without radio and their relationships at retail, you just can't succeed. But if Nate Silver can succeed without the "Times," can't you?
Now let's start at the beginning. Not everybody is as talented as Nate Silver. Yes, I know you hate that, you were taught by your parents that you were great and if you just believed in yourself you would succeed, but this is categorically untrue.
And as stated earlier, success is dependent upon education and hard work, something that's abhorred in Snookiville. Today's wannabe musicians can make great YouTube videos and social network and spam you to death, but they rarely make great music.
And Nate Silver has confidence. This is something that's been evidenced by great musicians from John Lennon to Elton John to... They weren't blowhards, telling us they were great, it's just that they weren't all humble and touchy-feely, they radiated an inner strength we were drawn to, as opposed to a modern "musician" who drapes himself in diamonds and then declares bankruptcy.
And you always start off far from the radar screen. That's what today's wannabe musicians don't get. Recognition comes LAST! Be happy to play the gig most people don't go to, that's where you hone your chops.
And ask for more. This is what people hate about the Eagles, their confidence and their demands, their desire to do it their way. People would rather drag you down into the hole they're in, they want you to apologize and make like you're just like them. But I'm certainly not a statistics whiz like Nate Silver and I doubt you are either.
Nate didn't want to be pigeonholed, he did not want to be limited to the niche the "Times" gave him. This is no different from an act telling the label they don't want to cowrite, they don't want advice, they just want to do it their way. But unlike today's musicians, Nate Silver was willing to walk.
Now granted, Nate Silver did not go totally independent, unlike the delusional Andrew Sullivan, who believed by tapping his audience for cash he'd grow instead of being marginalized. In other words, there's no harm in selling your wares to the highest bidder...as long as it is done on your terms, not theirs.
So where does this leave us?
On the cusp of new superstars. All the oldsters were built by the old system, yes, even Radiohead, certainly Coldplay and Dave Matthews, they benefited from MTV and VH1 and radio airplay when it truly meant something. As for today's YouTube stars... Justin Bieber is self-destructing before our very eyes. It's a much more riveting performance than his music. But soon we'll have more Arcade Fires, and some of them will have mass appeal. Tom Petty's lyric about the label not hearing a single will make about as much sense to the younger generation as the skips on a vinyl record. Huh?
Talent is finally king.
Because distribution is free.
But in order to truly be king you have to believe in yourself and play by your own rules.
Disruption is continuing in the music sphere. Because the old game continues to wane. SoundScan numbers tank and are almost completely irrelevant, one wonders why Jay Z even cares.
Wanna ensnare a superstar?
Offer him exposure in all venues.
Cut him a great deal.
And know that he's boss.
If you're not kissing the ass of talent, if you're not giving it all it wants and deserves, you're destined for the scrapheap.
P.S. Silver graduated from the University of Chicago, where you can't take business courses and internships don't give you credit. It's a hard-assed experience most would shy away from, even if they could get in.
"Nate Silver Went Against the Grain for Some at The Times": http://nyti.ms/13ZekhH
"QUEST FOR SILVER: How ESPN/ABC stole Nate Silver from The New York Times -- Young data guru promised Oscars role; may expand franchise to education, economics, weather": http://politi.co/12Zd0UG
"Nate Silver - Renowned Statistician, Author and Founder of FiveThirtyEight - Joins ESPN in Multi-Faceted Role, Will Also Contribute Regularly to ABC News Platforms": http://bit.ly/161hb5k
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Rhinofy-A Night At The Opera
We were not prepared for it.
I bought the initial album, with the pinkish purple cover, based on a review in "Rolling Stone." You could tell by the enthusiasm and the description that this was something you wanted to check out. And from the very first note it was enrapturing. That's the power of "Keep Yourself Alive."
Right, now it seems obvious. But it was anything but in '73. I never heard "Keep Yourself Alive" on the radio, it was kind of like Yes with the first three albums, they were for fans only.
And then came "Queen II." Also with no synths. Oh, how amazing is Brian May. And it wasn't quite as good as the debut, but it got even less traction, it was like it didn't even come out, and I figured Queen was another one of those bands I knew by heart who were destined to disappear. And then came "Sheer Heart Attack." "Killer Queen" was all over the radio, like the band always belonged there. And at this late date, you can see that "Killer Queen" foreshadowed what was coming, but those who bought the album heard cuts like "Stone Cold Crazy," which also got airplay, which were closer to what had come before as opposed to what was in the pipeline. Queen was another hard rocking band with impeccable chops, very British, very interesting, but they were still making music tied to their roots. And then came "A Night At The Opera."
At this late date the album is overshadowed by the enduring success of "Bohemian Rhapsody," but the breakthroughs were on the first side, with "You're My Best Friend" and "'39."
It was not like today. In the midseventies you could like singer-songwriters as well as hard rock. A true music fan had broad tastes. So when you were expecting bombast and heard "You're My Best Friend" a smile crossed your face...how'd they come up with this combination of west coast and UK? Soft with harmonies was positively SoCal, but previously Queen had been more about assault than subtlety...but the band was not afraid to experiment, saw no need to repeat itself, "You're My Best Friend"...sounds like the joy of said, that one person you can count on, but it's not only the vocal and the harmonies but the pure instrumental sound, it was an aural concoction that accelerated to its conclusion and begged to be played again when this was difficult, when we lived in the vinyl era and the needle segued into the next cut.
Which was even quieter, something more similar to the Band than anything Queen had done previously, the aforementioned "'39." Unlike today's in-your-face music, "'39" was reflective, a whole story, with a jaunty chorus... It'd be like Angus Young suddenly cut an English folk song!
But those two cuts were just the most obvious. Before them on the first side was..."I'm In Love With My Car." Which was typically Queen heavy, but in a newfangled way. It was slow where everything previously had been fast. Not sung by Freddie Mercury, but drummer Roger Taylor, who wrote it!
"I'm in love with my car, got a feel for my automobile"
We all felt it, but we never heard it put so emphatically, not by the Beach Boys or Jan & Dean. This was an English sensibility, with all the joy of pride in your machine. With harmonies to boot!
And what was dramatic was that none of these three songs sounded remotely alike. Once upon a time a band could be more than one thing, and the audience rewarded them for it.
Then there's the baroque "Love Of My Life" on side two. You've got to understand, Queen was a heavy band! But now they were quiet and meaningful, and to listen to this alone in your bedroom on headphones brought in to question your masculinity not a whit. Boys are romantic, and Freddie Mercury gave us permission to be.
The only track on the album that sounded close to what came before was the opener, "Death On Two Legs." It was like the band jettisoned a few stages and rocketed into hyperspace, years before "Star Wars" was released.
And when we initially heard "Bohemian Rhapsody" we didn't think all time rock classic but innovative ear-pleasing cut.
And there wasn't a single other band doing anything like this in the marketplace. Nobody was Queen-like.
And the audience could have rejected "A Night At The Opera."
But no, when something is this good, people can't help but embrace it, the way all the musos acknowledged how great a guitar player Eddie Van Halen was when they heard his band's debut.
And if they had no base the album still would have succeeded. But with some airplay from "Sheer Heart Attack" and relentless quality touring, making diehard fans on the road, the audience was primed for what they didn't expect, with "A Night At The Opera" Queen became superstars overnight.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/12xq2bA
Previous Rhinofy playlists: http://www.rhinofy.com/lefsetz
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I bought the initial album, with the pinkish purple cover, based on a review in "Rolling Stone." You could tell by the enthusiasm and the description that this was something you wanted to check out. And from the very first note it was enrapturing. That's the power of "Keep Yourself Alive."
Right, now it seems obvious. But it was anything but in '73. I never heard "Keep Yourself Alive" on the radio, it was kind of like Yes with the first three albums, they were for fans only.
And then came "Queen II." Also with no synths. Oh, how amazing is Brian May. And it wasn't quite as good as the debut, but it got even less traction, it was like it didn't even come out, and I figured Queen was another one of those bands I knew by heart who were destined to disappear. And then came "Sheer Heart Attack." "Killer Queen" was all over the radio, like the band always belonged there. And at this late date, you can see that "Killer Queen" foreshadowed what was coming, but those who bought the album heard cuts like "Stone Cold Crazy," which also got airplay, which were closer to what had come before as opposed to what was in the pipeline. Queen was another hard rocking band with impeccable chops, very British, very interesting, but they were still making music tied to their roots. And then came "A Night At The Opera."
At this late date the album is overshadowed by the enduring success of "Bohemian Rhapsody," but the breakthroughs were on the first side, with "You're My Best Friend" and "'39."
It was not like today. In the midseventies you could like singer-songwriters as well as hard rock. A true music fan had broad tastes. So when you were expecting bombast and heard "You're My Best Friend" a smile crossed your face...how'd they come up with this combination of west coast and UK? Soft with harmonies was positively SoCal, but previously Queen had been more about assault than subtlety...but the band was not afraid to experiment, saw no need to repeat itself, "You're My Best Friend"...sounds like the joy of said, that one person you can count on, but it's not only the vocal and the harmonies but the pure instrumental sound, it was an aural concoction that accelerated to its conclusion and begged to be played again when this was difficult, when we lived in the vinyl era and the needle segued into the next cut.
Which was even quieter, something more similar to the Band than anything Queen had done previously, the aforementioned "'39." Unlike today's in-your-face music, "'39" was reflective, a whole story, with a jaunty chorus... It'd be like Angus Young suddenly cut an English folk song!
But those two cuts were just the most obvious. Before them on the first side was..."I'm In Love With My Car." Which was typically Queen heavy, but in a newfangled way. It was slow where everything previously had been fast. Not sung by Freddie Mercury, but drummer Roger Taylor, who wrote it!
"I'm in love with my car, got a feel for my automobile"
We all felt it, but we never heard it put so emphatically, not by the Beach Boys or Jan & Dean. This was an English sensibility, with all the joy of pride in your machine. With harmonies to boot!
And what was dramatic was that none of these three songs sounded remotely alike. Once upon a time a band could be more than one thing, and the audience rewarded them for it.
Then there's the baroque "Love Of My Life" on side two. You've got to understand, Queen was a heavy band! But now they were quiet and meaningful, and to listen to this alone in your bedroom on headphones brought in to question your masculinity not a whit. Boys are romantic, and Freddie Mercury gave us permission to be.
The only track on the album that sounded close to what came before was the opener, "Death On Two Legs." It was like the band jettisoned a few stages and rocketed into hyperspace, years before "Star Wars" was released.
And when we initially heard "Bohemian Rhapsody" we didn't think all time rock classic but innovative ear-pleasing cut.
And there wasn't a single other band doing anything like this in the marketplace. Nobody was Queen-like.
And the audience could have rejected "A Night At The Opera."
But no, when something is this good, people can't help but embrace it, the way all the musos acknowledged how great a guitar player Eddie Van Halen was when they heard his band's debut.
And if they had no base the album still would have succeeded. But with some airplay from "Sheer Heart Attack" and relentless quality touring, making diehard fans on the road, the audience was primed for what they didn't expect, with "A Night At The Opera" Queen became superstars overnight.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/12xq2bA
Previous Rhinofy playlists: http://www.rhinofy.com/lefsetz
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
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If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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