And we always thought Ginger Baker would die first.
Clapton might be God, but there was no Cream without Jack Bruce. He was the one who sang most of the songs. If he'd found his Delaney Bramlett maybe he too would be a household name instead of a footnote.
That's right, Eric had his instincts, but it was Delaney who got him to stand out front and sing. Jack was born with this power.
And although he cut "Songs For A Tailor" and did the indelible "Theme For An Imaginary Western" times were changing so fast, Jack moved so slowly, that all the hopes and dreams we had in him were transferred to others.
But we remember the records.
Hipsters had "Fresh Cream." They knew John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers. The cognoscenti picked up on "Disraeli Gears." And then everybody went along for the victory lap on "Goodbye." And during the "Wheels Of Fire" era, Cream was the biggest band in the land.
That's right, not Taylor Swift, needing an executive producer to impart direction and cowrite the songs. We were casting aside the Svengalis, songwriters like Max Martin were struggling. As for Katy Perry and her comic book outfits, at this point musicians wore their street clothes on stage and barely moved, if they looked at the audience at all. Image was nearly irrelevant, it was all about the music.
As for "Sunshine Of Your Love," the riff was written by Jack.
That's right, one of the famous in rock and roll history, up there with "Smoke On The Water." And sure, Eric executed the solo, but Jack sang the words. It bubbled up from nowhere, actually, the first side of "Disraeli Gears," and then it got played on nascent FM underground radio and then it unexpectedly exploded on to AM radio in the summer of '68 and the whole world was revolutionized. Yes, the world changed when "Sunshine Of Your Love" and "Purple Haze" became ubiquitous. "Sunshine Of Your Love" was the "Royals" of its day, but with more impact and made by people who'd been there and done that, who had a wealth of experience in their souls.
And anybody who bought "Disraeli Gears" went back and bought "Fresh Cream" after that...
"Bmm bmm bmm bmm bmm bmm"
Come on, it's in your DNA! Your head is nodding like a beatnik, you can't wait for the whole band to come in, you too want to feel FREE!
And that's what our music did back then. It did not make us part of one big happy family tied in with corporations and featured on the "Today," show, no it was just for us, individuals and the few like-minded people you could find, which was a group that keep growing and growing until the whole world realized its size at "Woodstock."
Cream had a wealth of hits, you didn't buy the albums for the singles, or if you did you were enraptured by what you discovered.
And so many were originals, but there were reworkings of blues numbers like "I'm So Glad," another Jack Bruce vocal.
That's right, Jack wasn't a sideman, he was the FRONTMAN!
And now he's gone.
The great migration has begun. From terra firma to the sky. Our heroes are starting to go. They're fading away. For every eternally youthful legend like Paul McCartney, there's a plethora of doddering oldsters who once tore it up around the world and are now rickety and ready to go.
And we're next.
And the truth is, most of this material is not going to be remembered by later generations. But we're never going to forget it. We grew up to it. It's the elixir in our lives. That's right, classic rock built the modern music business, everything from radio to arena shows and we still go, because we still need the hit.
So, so long Jack Bruce, on one hand you were born too young, before the Internet era, before everybody could know every detail of your life and hold you close to their bosom. That's right, we know very little about Jack Bruce, just a few details, his music speaks for him, and ultimately that's grand.
And so long album radio, where the deejay didn't want to be your friend so much as he wanted to demonstrate how hip he was by playing tracks that stretched boundaries and elated you.
And so long albums themselves, when you didn't need a hit to succeed, but they were so expensive that if you bought one you played it incessantly and knew it by heart.
And so long the dream that every band will reunite and come to your city and you can relive your youth.
That's right, Cream unexpectedly reunited. Played London and New York. But that was it. If you want to see someone, see them now. Chances are so many you'll never get to see. Not only because of discord, but because members are dead.
Who would have thought that could happen?
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Saturday 25 October 2014
Friday 24 October 2014
Why Is John Oliver So Good?
1. He tells a story.
America is built on narrative. Although BuzzFeed has made inroads, it's got no soul and no true fans, because the way you make people bond to you is by going deep, by hooking them and drawing them in like an angler lands a fish. You can't be too aggressive, you can't be one note, you've got to gain people's confidence and tell them a yarn. Which is why some of our favorite songs are story songs, which is why we hunger to learn about our celebrities. We want to know what makes them tick, we want to hear it from their mouths.
2. He's not afraid to go long.
If I hear one more pundit say we live in a short attention span economy! The truth is even though we're beaten over the head with facts and people wanting our attention we truly want to go deep. The same way a one night stand is not as satisfying as a relationship, we want more. When someone tells you to make it shorter think if you can make it better. If you can't, then length is not an issue.
3. He's not worried about looks.
Turns out he's got a huge nose. Not only bad teeth. Our imperfections humanize us and make us lovable. It's your personality that shines. Yes, we live in a looks-based society, but looks will just get you in the door, they won't seal the deal. The truth is you've got to let your freak flag fly, you've got to be yourself, which is hard in a society that is constantly reinforcing you're inadequate.
4. He has an edge.
As does most of the programming on HBO. Where the public pays the bills, not intermediaries. Turns out people know the score, they're not so easily offended, it's the media that trumps up these conflagrations to garner eyeballs. We want people who have opinions. Not everybody is gonna like them but not everybody is gonna like anybody. Your goal is to entice and then bond with those who care. Money has corrupted politics, but so has the likability factor. Everybody's so busy pussy-footing and apologizing for faux errors that they're afraid to be real. And what we're in search of is real.
5. He's not afraid to be outraged.
That's a condition in modern society, we all feel it individually yet we often times feel powerless. We're outraged over incompetence, outraged over stupidity. But whenever we complain we're labeled just that, complainers. We're told everybody's trying their best. Hogwash. When John Oliver gets that zeal in his eye and starts to bitch I start to smile, I say RIGHT ON!
6. He's paid his dues.
He was nobody before he was somebody. Because young 'uns are impressionable, because they buy stuff on impulse, advertisers want to reach them so media features them. Turns out you've got to live a lot to have something to say, and you've got to practice your craft to be any good at it. Sure, you can have Max Martin write your hit, but what is the story then? I'm a two-dimensional good-looking nitwit with a hit on the chart who everybody makes fun of online? Try writing a song. Try singing for a living. Find out if you're any good, and if you are, know that it's a long road before you'll reach mass consciousness.
7. Sacred cows.
No one is left unscathed on Oliver's program. In politically correct America there are so many you can't poke fun at, so many who are off limits. When the truth is some of our most famous and powerful people are heinous. Who's going to stick up for us? Turns out comedians and not many others.
8. Passion.
We're drawn to it. We know Oliver cares. About both his subject matter and his delivery. We want to watch people go for the brass ring. That's part of the appeal of professional sports, watching others do better at what we can only play at.
9. Willing to tackle non-sexy subjects.
Does anybody really care about the fate of Afghan translators? Wouldn't they rather hear about legal dope or how the Senate is up for grabs? But watching Oliver dissect the issue of political asylum in the U.S. for Afghan translators not only is one hooked by the story, one is outraged by our inefficient and duplicitous government. We promise something and then we make it impossible to achieve. Furthermore, the issue of political asylum is bigger than FNU Mohammad, who is featured in this clip. That's right, the personal is political, what looks small is actually big. That which happens to you happens to us all in some fashion. We are truly in it together and have to help each other out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QplQL5eAxlY
10. Not afraid to have guests on who aren't selling something.
We want to hear people who have something to say, not only something to sell. It drives us crazy, the pundits and celebrities always referring to their work or their record as if the only reason they're appearing is because they're in launch week. And that's the only reason they are. Otherwise the programs don't want them. What about someone who just has something to say? Imagine getting a musician to do an interview off album cycle, wouldn't that be a laugh.
CONCLUSION
I've written about John Oliver before. But every time I watch his program I marvel, I can't shut it off, when it's done and I switch to the competition I'm bored and start surfing the web and ultimately turn the set off. What we're searching for in today's society is excellence and honesty and John Oliver delivers this. It's very hard to get someone to pay attention these days, to get someone hooked and coming back. And that's why the above rules are so important, John Oliver has figured it out, you need to too.
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America is built on narrative. Although BuzzFeed has made inroads, it's got no soul and no true fans, because the way you make people bond to you is by going deep, by hooking them and drawing them in like an angler lands a fish. You can't be too aggressive, you can't be one note, you've got to gain people's confidence and tell them a yarn. Which is why some of our favorite songs are story songs, which is why we hunger to learn about our celebrities. We want to know what makes them tick, we want to hear it from their mouths.
2. He's not afraid to go long.
If I hear one more pundit say we live in a short attention span economy! The truth is even though we're beaten over the head with facts and people wanting our attention we truly want to go deep. The same way a one night stand is not as satisfying as a relationship, we want more. When someone tells you to make it shorter think if you can make it better. If you can't, then length is not an issue.
3. He's not worried about looks.
Turns out he's got a huge nose. Not only bad teeth. Our imperfections humanize us and make us lovable. It's your personality that shines. Yes, we live in a looks-based society, but looks will just get you in the door, they won't seal the deal. The truth is you've got to let your freak flag fly, you've got to be yourself, which is hard in a society that is constantly reinforcing you're inadequate.
4. He has an edge.
As does most of the programming on HBO. Where the public pays the bills, not intermediaries. Turns out people know the score, they're not so easily offended, it's the media that trumps up these conflagrations to garner eyeballs. We want people who have opinions. Not everybody is gonna like them but not everybody is gonna like anybody. Your goal is to entice and then bond with those who care. Money has corrupted politics, but so has the likability factor. Everybody's so busy pussy-footing and apologizing for faux errors that they're afraid to be real. And what we're in search of is real.
5. He's not afraid to be outraged.
That's a condition in modern society, we all feel it individually yet we often times feel powerless. We're outraged over incompetence, outraged over stupidity. But whenever we complain we're labeled just that, complainers. We're told everybody's trying their best. Hogwash. When John Oliver gets that zeal in his eye and starts to bitch I start to smile, I say RIGHT ON!
6. He's paid his dues.
He was nobody before he was somebody. Because young 'uns are impressionable, because they buy stuff on impulse, advertisers want to reach them so media features them. Turns out you've got to live a lot to have something to say, and you've got to practice your craft to be any good at it. Sure, you can have Max Martin write your hit, but what is the story then? I'm a two-dimensional good-looking nitwit with a hit on the chart who everybody makes fun of online? Try writing a song. Try singing for a living. Find out if you're any good, and if you are, know that it's a long road before you'll reach mass consciousness.
7. Sacred cows.
No one is left unscathed on Oliver's program. In politically correct America there are so many you can't poke fun at, so many who are off limits. When the truth is some of our most famous and powerful people are heinous. Who's going to stick up for us? Turns out comedians and not many others.
8. Passion.
We're drawn to it. We know Oliver cares. About both his subject matter and his delivery. We want to watch people go for the brass ring. That's part of the appeal of professional sports, watching others do better at what we can only play at.
9. Willing to tackle non-sexy subjects.
Does anybody really care about the fate of Afghan translators? Wouldn't they rather hear about legal dope or how the Senate is up for grabs? But watching Oliver dissect the issue of political asylum in the U.S. for Afghan translators not only is one hooked by the story, one is outraged by our inefficient and duplicitous government. We promise something and then we make it impossible to achieve. Furthermore, the issue of political asylum is bigger than FNU Mohammad, who is featured in this clip. That's right, the personal is political, what looks small is actually big. That which happens to you happens to us all in some fashion. We are truly in it together and have to help each other out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QplQL5eAxlY
10. Not afraid to have guests on who aren't selling something.
We want to hear people who have something to say, not only something to sell. It drives us crazy, the pundits and celebrities always referring to their work or their record as if the only reason they're appearing is because they're in launch week. And that's the only reason they are. Otherwise the programs don't want them. What about someone who just has something to say? Imagine getting a musician to do an interview off album cycle, wouldn't that be a laugh.
CONCLUSION
I've written about John Oliver before. But every time I watch his program I marvel, I can't shut it off, when it's done and I switch to the competition I'm bored and start surfing the web and ultimately turn the set off. What we're searching for in today's society is excellence and honesty and John Oliver delivers this. It's very hard to get someone to pay attention these days, to get someone hooked and coming back. And that's why the above rules are so important, John Oliver has figured it out, you need to too.
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This Week's SoundScan
1. Florida Georgia Line "Anything Goes"
197,000 copies
They're a singles act until proven otherwise. As it should be. Where was it written that fans should fall all over you as soon as you debut? In the old days you sold singles until people believed in you, then they partook of the album, the concept of making them buy the whole LP for one good track might have made financial sense but it never resonated with the consumer and once he got a chance he punted, he went to P2P and then iTunes and then YouTube/Spotify.
You've got to earn your fans. Florida Georgia Line may be all over the airwaves but they're still on their way up. That's the way it used to be, no one was anointed a superstar on their initial work.
2. Jason Alden "Old Boots, New Dirt" 91,000
Pretty good for a second week number.
The first week was 278,000, the third biggest debut of the year, behind Coldplay and Eric Church at 383,000 and 288,000 respectively.
Aldean's been in the marketplace longer, he's got more hard core fans, that's why he sold more the first week than Florida Georgia Line.
3. Bob Seger "Ride Out" 59,000
Has anybody listened to this album, does anybody care?
Where does it live?
Either you're part of the public consciousness or you're irrelevant.
In other words, why spam us with your publicity if we don't care.
We all like Bob, but we're looking for "Night Moves," not a bunch of new tracks that play like "Against The Wind" only poorer. Tarnishes the image, don't you think?
The old classic acts should form their own label and have it run by an arbiter like Scott Borchetta, who's a metal head, by the way. Someone who can tell them what works and what doesn't and then promote what does accordingly. Because unless these tracks make a dent in the world at large, they're destined to sit on the shelves of hard core fans at home, ultimately ignored, and if you think that satisfies the maker, you're not one.
That's right, if you're an alta kacher act you should cut SINGLES!
And please, no more covers and duets albums, you're just embarrassing yourselves.
4. "You+Me" 50,000
Includes Pink. Who sings folk along with relatively unknown Dallas Green.
Credit Alecia for taking a risk, for expanding her boundaries. It appears that some fans are following her, but it turns out others are waiting for the hit, or are unaware its her.
As for a radio format that would embrace the artistic endeavors of our household names, we're still waiting for it. For all the pushback by radio, claiming it's still relevant, it takes almost no risks, it's part of the problem, not the solution.
5. Barbra Streisand "Partners" 40,000
Wanna sell albums? Exist outside the game, appeal to oldsters.
But still, there's no tonnage.
6. Sam Smith "In The Lonely Hour" 37,000
Helped this week appearances on "Fallon" and "Today" this is the album of the year. The hype has been heavy, but that can work when an act is brand new and lives up to it.
As for the arena tour victory lap... Adele wouldn't do that. It's so twenty first century. Get all your money right away before everybody forgets about you and you fade away. Isn't it best to underplay until demand is cemented? Are you really making fans when most people are sitting a thousand feet away, in a drive-by position?
7. The Game "Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf" 33,000
People still care about him, but not as much as Kendrick Lamar. Time passes even the rappers by, people don't care about 50 Cent and they care a bit less about the Game.
A hit single will boost sales of this album, if it happens.
8. Hoodie Allen "People Keep Talking" 30,000
A tireless self-promoter who's figured out the game. Proving if you've got a modicum of talent, you can make it on business sense.
It's on his own label. Still, 30k in a country of 300 million is a drop in the bucket.
9. U2 "Songs Of Innocence" 28,000
It's already over. A classic 2014 album. You ramp up the promotion, everybody talks about you for a week, and then your new album is completely forgotten. You subject your fans to one or two new tracks live, but it's like the record didn't even come out.
Sure, you could get the album for free with iTunes. But Radiohead sold a ton of "In Rainbows" even though it was at name your own price long before.
But this story is nowhere. Because in an overload economy, we only have time for positive news, no one wants to focus on failure, not unless it's gargantuan, not unless it's got train-wreck value, whereas this is just a whimper.
So U2 exposed everybody to their music and found out most people just shrugged. They broke the number one rule of the twenty first century, just give us a hit, we want a single. And for all you people purveying albums out there pay attention, if they don't care about U2, they certainly don't care about you.
So Guy Oseary has done worse than Paul McGuinness. Because Oseary thought it was about deals, McGuinness knew it was always about passion.
And Bono proved that he's lost touch.
And we've learned that the album paradigm has expired.
And that once the publicity engine dies down, you're dead in the water.
CONCLUSIONS
Want to make an impact? Don't worry about publicity, but a hit single.
Streaming is everything, these sales numbers are anemic.
Despite all the hoopla, Gaga and Bennett is already over.
There's a disconnect between consumers and the media machine.
We want good new music. We're not exactly sure where to find it. But when we do, we partake, like with Sam Smith.
But usually partaking consists of a stream.
Don't blame the audience, don't blame the game, blame yourself.
The rules have changed. Abide them.
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197,000 copies
They're a singles act until proven otherwise. As it should be. Where was it written that fans should fall all over you as soon as you debut? In the old days you sold singles until people believed in you, then they partook of the album, the concept of making them buy the whole LP for one good track might have made financial sense but it never resonated with the consumer and once he got a chance he punted, he went to P2P and then iTunes and then YouTube/Spotify.
You've got to earn your fans. Florida Georgia Line may be all over the airwaves but they're still on their way up. That's the way it used to be, no one was anointed a superstar on their initial work.
2. Jason Alden "Old Boots, New Dirt" 91,000
Pretty good for a second week number.
The first week was 278,000, the third biggest debut of the year, behind Coldplay and Eric Church at 383,000 and 288,000 respectively.
Aldean's been in the marketplace longer, he's got more hard core fans, that's why he sold more the first week than Florida Georgia Line.
3. Bob Seger "Ride Out" 59,000
Has anybody listened to this album, does anybody care?
Where does it live?
Either you're part of the public consciousness or you're irrelevant.
In other words, why spam us with your publicity if we don't care.
We all like Bob, but we're looking for "Night Moves," not a bunch of new tracks that play like "Against The Wind" only poorer. Tarnishes the image, don't you think?
The old classic acts should form their own label and have it run by an arbiter like Scott Borchetta, who's a metal head, by the way. Someone who can tell them what works and what doesn't and then promote what does accordingly. Because unless these tracks make a dent in the world at large, they're destined to sit on the shelves of hard core fans at home, ultimately ignored, and if you think that satisfies the maker, you're not one.
That's right, if you're an alta kacher act you should cut SINGLES!
And please, no more covers and duets albums, you're just embarrassing yourselves.
4. "You+Me" 50,000
Includes Pink. Who sings folk along with relatively unknown Dallas Green.
Credit Alecia for taking a risk, for expanding her boundaries. It appears that some fans are following her, but it turns out others are waiting for the hit, or are unaware its her.
As for a radio format that would embrace the artistic endeavors of our household names, we're still waiting for it. For all the pushback by radio, claiming it's still relevant, it takes almost no risks, it's part of the problem, not the solution.
5. Barbra Streisand "Partners" 40,000
Wanna sell albums? Exist outside the game, appeal to oldsters.
But still, there's no tonnage.
6. Sam Smith "In The Lonely Hour" 37,000
Helped this week appearances on "Fallon" and "Today" this is the album of the year. The hype has been heavy, but that can work when an act is brand new and lives up to it.
As for the arena tour victory lap... Adele wouldn't do that. It's so twenty first century. Get all your money right away before everybody forgets about you and you fade away. Isn't it best to underplay until demand is cemented? Are you really making fans when most people are sitting a thousand feet away, in a drive-by position?
7. The Game "Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf" 33,000
People still care about him, but not as much as Kendrick Lamar. Time passes even the rappers by, people don't care about 50 Cent and they care a bit less about the Game.
A hit single will boost sales of this album, if it happens.
8. Hoodie Allen "People Keep Talking" 30,000
A tireless self-promoter who's figured out the game. Proving if you've got a modicum of talent, you can make it on business sense.
It's on his own label. Still, 30k in a country of 300 million is a drop in the bucket.
9. U2 "Songs Of Innocence" 28,000
It's already over. A classic 2014 album. You ramp up the promotion, everybody talks about you for a week, and then your new album is completely forgotten. You subject your fans to one or two new tracks live, but it's like the record didn't even come out.
Sure, you could get the album for free with iTunes. But Radiohead sold a ton of "In Rainbows" even though it was at name your own price long before.
But this story is nowhere. Because in an overload economy, we only have time for positive news, no one wants to focus on failure, not unless it's gargantuan, not unless it's got train-wreck value, whereas this is just a whimper.
So U2 exposed everybody to their music and found out most people just shrugged. They broke the number one rule of the twenty first century, just give us a hit, we want a single. And for all you people purveying albums out there pay attention, if they don't care about U2, they certainly don't care about you.
So Guy Oseary has done worse than Paul McGuinness. Because Oseary thought it was about deals, McGuinness knew it was always about passion.
And Bono proved that he's lost touch.
And we've learned that the album paradigm has expired.
And that once the publicity engine dies down, you're dead in the water.
CONCLUSIONS
Want to make an impact? Don't worry about publicity, but a hit single.
Streaming is everything, these sales numbers are anemic.
Despite all the hoopla, Gaga and Bennett is already over.
There's a disconnect between consumers and the media machine.
We want good new music. We're not exactly sure where to find it. But when we do, we partake, like with Sam Smith.
But usually partaking consists of a stream.
Don't blame the audience, don't blame the game, blame yourself.
The rules have changed. Abide them.
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Rhinofy-Amanda Marshall Primer
Speaking of albums...
What bothers me more than the boo-hoo of those mourning the inability of today's audience to spend time with today's long players, never mind pay for them, is the complete disappearance from public consciousness of albums that are great from start to finish from the past, like Amanda Marshall's debut.
Credit for which must be given to writer and producer David Tyson as well as Ms. Marshall, she's worked with people since, but rarely captured the magic.
Now you might be unaware of Mr. Tyson, but he cowrote and produced Alannah Myles's "Black Velvet," one of the signature tracks of the early nineties. One of my great pleasures was getting a phone call from Ahmet Ertegun after writing that the track was dead in the water. Ahmet, in his inimitable voice, told me to pay attention, that they were going to push the button, and they did.
That's the power of a major label.
And Amanda Marshall's debut was on Epic. And definitely got traction, but at the tail end of grunge, and so often in the marketplace slick is pooh-poohed, that's one of the reasons this album has been forgotten, but it's exceptional and deserving of your attention. Rather than singing the bland hits of the day and jostling for space amongst the competitors on the "Voice," you'd be better off staying home and streaming this album trying to figure out exactly how they did it.
DARK HORSE
Start here. I was enraptured by "Birmingham" first, but this is the best cut on the album, the one that'll hook you.
Just like in the Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider," the groove is akin to the loping gait of a horse. Hell, the keyboard intro alone will enrapture you.
"Indian summer, Abilene
You were new in town I was nineteen"
You're immediately centered, taken to the location even faster than you can get there via Google Earth!
"They called us crazy behind our back
'Romantic fools,' we just let them laugh"
Young love, it's always the same, new to the players, judged by the oldsters.
"May be a long shot
It may get lonely down the line
Love knows no reason
And I won't let 'em make up my mind"
That's it! You and me against the odds!
Meanwhile, Amanda's the anti-Mariah, she's got the pipes, but they're in service to the song, she doesn't overwhelm the track, she fits right in it.
Whew!
BIRMINGHAM
"Virgil Spencer's got a 19 inch Hitachi"
Really? I had to check the lyrics. Is she really singing about the TV made by the perennially second-rate Japanese electronics concern?
I love that, when you utilize popular culture references, not to get paid, but to localize, to center the song in real life.
Yes, there's a whole story here, but most exquisite is Amanda Marshall's voice. She destroys this song without sweating, without trying to demonstrate how great she is to the audience, she's just doing her thing. It's more than impressive, it's endearing.
LAST EXIT TO EDEN
An album track when those used to count, the kind of song you uncovered as the CD was playing that became your favorite.
This is what today's Americana music aspires to be, but does not equal. That's right, second-rate production and a lame voice with heartfelt lyrics is not enough. Advocates of Americana will call "Last Exit To Eden" too slick, I'll say no, it's just professionals with talent doing their jobs.
Sure there are strings, but they are not saccharine. And the intro picking sounds straight off an early seventies country rock record, and lest you forget, that sound ruled! Hell, the Eagles are still doing quite well performing it today.
I've heard better lyrics, but to denigrate them is to miss the point that "Last Exit To Eden" is a marvel, and if you don't think so you're not sitting alone listening to it, you're too worried about what other people think, and that's a sad way to live your life.
LET IT RAIN
The album's opener. Not the best track, but an incredible showcase for Amanda's pipes.
"Let it rain
Let it rain on me"
You'll find yourself nodding your head, singing along. The nature of playing an LP is to start with the initial track, and doing that you will eventually be enraptured by "Let It Rain." Listen to that guitar!
TRUST ME (THIS IS LOVE)
It just SWINGS!
Now I'm not gonna mention any more cuts from this album. Either the above ones hook you or they don't. And if they do, you'll discover what I haven't mentioned in due time.
Assuming you give this album a chance, which you probably will not.
That's the problem with music today. No one's got any time and no one trusts anybody's recommendations. But "Amanda Marshall" is definitely worth checking out.
In the dark ages of the nineties, when music was scarce, I used to play most of what came to my house, that's how I discovered this LP.
In Canada, this album made it. And there was some traction in the States too.
And then Amanda twisted and turned in new directions and never quite equaled her debut, except for her "Tin Cup" track "This Could Take All Night."
So, Amanda Marshall's been forgotten.
And this is unjust.
But I'm less worried about her than you, that you're missing out on this album that will enrich your life. Check it out.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/1sRvxCp
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What bothers me more than the boo-hoo of those mourning the inability of today's audience to spend time with today's long players, never mind pay for them, is the complete disappearance from public consciousness of albums that are great from start to finish from the past, like Amanda Marshall's debut.
Credit for which must be given to writer and producer David Tyson as well as Ms. Marshall, she's worked with people since, but rarely captured the magic.
Now you might be unaware of Mr. Tyson, but he cowrote and produced Alannah Myles's "Black Velvet," one of the signature tracks of the early nineties. One of my great pleasures was getting a phone call from Ahmet Ertegun after writing that the track was dead in the water. Ahmet, in his inimitable voice, told me to pay attention, that they were going to push the button, and they did.
That's the power of a major label.
And Amanda Marshall's debut was on Epic. And definitely got traction, but at the tail end of grunge, and so often in the marketplace slick is pooh-poohed, that's one of the reasons this album has been forgotten, but it's exceptional and deserving of your attention. Rather than singing the bland hits of the day and jostling for space amongst the competitors on the "Voice," you'd be better off staying home and streaming this album trying to figure out exactly how they did it.
DARK HORSE
Start here. I was enraptured by "Birmingham" first, but this is the best cut on the album, the one that'll hook you.
Just like in the Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider," the groove is akin to the loping gait of a horse. Hell, the keyboard intro alone will enrapture you.
"Indian summer, Abilene
You were new in town I was nineteen"
You're immediately centered, taken to the location even faster than you can get there via Google Earth!
"They called us crazy behind our back
'Romantic fools,' we just let them laugh"
Young love, it's always the same, new to the players, judged by the oldsters.
"May be a long shot
It may get lonely down the line
Love knows no reason
And I won't let 'em make up my mind"
That's it! You and me against the odds!
Meanwhile, Amanda's the anti-Mariah, she's got the pipes, but they're in service to the song, she doesn't overwhelm the track, she fits right in it.
Whew!
BIRMINGHAM
"Virgil Spencer's got a 19 inch Hitachi"
Really? I had to check the lyrics. Is she really singing about the TV made by the perennially second-rate Japanese electronics concern?
I love that, when you utilize popular culture references, not to get paid, but to localize, to center the song in real life.
Yes, there's a whole story here, but most exquisite is Amanda Marshall's voice. She destroys this song without sweating, without trying to demonstrate how great she is to the audience, she's just doing her thing. It's more than impressive, it's endearing.
LAST EXIT TO EDEN
An album track when those used to count, the kind of song you uncovered as the CD was playing that became your favorite.
This is what today's Americana music aspires to be, but does not equal. That's right, second-rate production and a lame voice with heartfelt lyrics is not enough. Advocates of Americana will call "Last Exit To Eden" too slick, I'll say no, it's just professionals with talent doing their jobs.
Sure there are strings, but they are not saccharine. And the intro picking sounds straight off an early seventies country rock record, and lest you forget, that sound ruled! Hell, the Eagles are still doing quite well performing it today.
I've heard better lyrics, but to denigrate them is to miss the point that "Last Exit To Eden" is a marvel, and if you don't think so you're not sitting alone listening to it, you're too worried about what other people think, and that's a sad way to live your life.
LET IT RAIN
The album's opener. Not the best track, but an incredible showcase for Amanda's pipes.
"Let it rain
Let it rain on me"
You'll find yourself nodding your head, singing along. The nature of playing an LP is to start with the initial track, and doing that you will eventually be enraptured by "Let It Rain." Listen to that guitar!
TRUST ME (THIS IS LOVE)
It just SWINGS!
Now I'm not gonna mention any more cuts from this album. Either the above ones hook you or they don't. And if they do, you'll discover what I haven't mentioned in due time.
Assuming you give this album a chance, which you probably will not.
That's the problem with music today. No one's got any time and no one trusts anybody's recommendations. But "Amanda Marshall" is definitely worth checking out.
In the dark ages of the nineties, when music was scarce, I used to play most of what came to my house, that's how I discovered this LP.
In Canada, this album made it. And there was some traction in the States too.
And then Amanda twisted and turned in new directions and never quite equaled her debut, except for her "Tin Cup" track "This Could Take All Night."
So, Amanda Marshall's been forgotten.
And this is unjust.
But I'm less worried about her than you, that you're missing out on this album that will enrich your life. Check it out.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/1sRvxCp
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Thursday 23 October 2014
I'm In Love With My Tires
Did you catch the reference? Yup, to one of Queen's album tracks that we know by heart from their greatest album, "A Night At The Opera." "I'm In Love With My Car"...my favorite lyric is "string back gloves in my automolove"...how'd Roger Taylor come up with this stuff?
And I can't get the song out of my head, because I'm truly in love with my tires.
Not my car. I'd love to replace it, but it's paid for. It only does one thing well, drive. It's got no tech, it's noisy, but it's turbocharged and four wheel drive and except for having to push the clutch in and out in traffic jams it's heaven in Los Angeles, where the roads are twisty and turny and you're constantly going up in the mountains and down in the canyons to meet the people in Billy Joel's song.
But the problem with four wheel drive cars is the tires don't last. After 20,000 miles you're taking your life in your hands. And the tires the car came with were an abomination, I will never buy Bridgestones again, they drowned out the radio, never mind lost tread and needed to be replaced at 12,000 miles.
And the Pirellis I shod my machine with after were much better.
But these Michelins are it!
They're so quiet, and so smooth, and the handling is incredible, and like I said, that's all my car's good for.
And getting them was such an ordeal. The discount for the previous set that wore out, the dealer ordering the wrong model, aligning the car and leaving the apparatus attached. But as soon as I got behind the wheel it was heaven, it was nirvana, I know, it sounds stupid, but it's the little things in life that keep you satisfied.
And I'm cruising along thinking about my father, who switched to the French tires back in the sixties, testifying all the while. He bought the branded model, but most people knew them as the Sears tires that had no problem scaling railroad tracks, an iconic commercial when we all still watched them, before everybody had a clicker, never mind cable or Netflix.
And they're more expensive.
But they're worth it.
And there you have the story of life, you get what you pay for. And despite good being good enough, there's such satisfaction in excellence, like someone cared enough to get it right in a world where so many are cutting corners.
And there's so little we can control. Obstacles are around every corner. To be able to get just one little thing right makes me smile.
Pilot Sport A/S 3: http://bit.ly/12keQXD
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And I can't get the song out of my head, because I'm truly in love with my tires.
Not my car. I'd love to replace it, but it's paid for. It only does one thing well, drive. It's got no tech, it's noisy, but it's turbocharged and four wheel drive and except for having to push the clutch in and out in traffic jams it's heaven in Los Angeles, where the roads are twisty and turny and you're constantly going up in the mountains and down in the canyons to meet the people in Billy Joel's song.
But the problem with four wheel drive cars is the tires don't last. After 20,000 miles you're taking your life in your hands. And the tires the car came with were an abomination, I will never buy Bridgestones again, they drowned out the radio, never mind lost tread and needed to be replaced at 12,000 miles.
And the Pirellis I shod my machine with after were much better.
But these Michelins are it!
They're so quiet, and so smooth, and the handling is incredible, and like I said, that's all my car's good for.
And getting them was such an ordeal. The discount for the previous set that wore out, the dealer ordering the wrong model, aligning the car and leaving the apparatus attached. But as soon as I got behind the wheel it was heaven, it was nirvana, I know, it sounds stupid, but it's the little things in life that keep you satisfied.
And I'm cruising along thinking about my father, who switched to the French tires back in the sixties, testifying all the while. He bought the branded model, but most people knew them as the Sears tires that had no problem scaling railroad tracks, an iconic commercial when we all still watched them, before everybody had a clicker, never mind cable or Netflix.
And they're more expensive.
But they're worth it.
And there you have the story of life, you get what you pay for. And despite good being good enough, there's such satisfaction in excellence, like someone cared enough to get it right in a world where so many are cutting corners.
And there's so little we can control. Obstacles are around every corner. To be able to get just one little thing right makes me smile.
Pilot Sport A/S 3: http://bit.ly/12keQXD
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Wednesday 22 October 2014
Execution
1. Ideas are a dime a dozen, execution is everything.
2. We do not live in a pitch economy, almost no one is buying ideas, they're buying companies, they're buying something active that is generating capital.
3. We're all Missourians today, that's right, we all live in the SHOW ME state. We want to see evidence of your success, of the implementation of your idea, we don't just want to hear you talk about it.
4. Ideas are in the air. Many people are working on similar breakthroughs at the same time. While you believe your idea is unique, there's a good chance someone else is aware of it and is trying to achieve the same goal and is working while you sleep.
5. Talk is cheap. That's why it's so hard to get someone of power to converse, never mind go to a meal. A professional can tell in just a few sentences whether you're real. Furthermore, if you create something real these same professionals will be breathing down your neck.
6. Success is hard work and very few want to do the heavy lifting. Because it's boring, because it's challenging, because no one is paying attention, because it might not pay off in the long run anyway.
7. Too many people want others to do the work. They revel in their seats as they pontificate about the great things that can be achieved with their ideas. Why don't they just make the effort themselves? Because they don't have the desire. That's the secret of life, we all follow our desires, our passions, and a mediocre idea with incredible follow-through by someone who cares about it trumps a great idea with lame execution every day of the week.
8. In the tech economy everyone believes it's about the idea. But so many of the successful companies were not innovators so much as combiners of previous technologies with a bit of vision and great execution. Google didn't invent search and Facebook didn't invent social networking and Apple didn't invent the portable music player. In each case someone else had the initial idea. But Google took someone else's idea and employed algorithms to deliver the search results you always wanted but had previously been unable to find. Facebook regulated the marketplace, they created a social home that worked on all media, and found a way to eat Google's lunch by figuring out advertising on mobile. That's right, Facebook survives on advertising, they didn't invent that model, they just refined it. And Apple bought SoundJam to build iTunes and threw FireWire into the pot to create the iPod. So don't keep thinking about coming up with something out of thin air, but utilizing the already extant
blocks to build something new and desirable, in some cases just a better mousetrap. Yes, there is a first mover advantage, but only if the first mover has a great product that he keeps improving, staying ahead of the pack.
9. It's easier to tell someone what to do than to do it yourself.
10. If you want something done right, do it yourself, because rarely does anybody care about it as much as you do.
11. What looks like a bad idea to some is a winner in the hands of another.
12. Opportunities are abundant, but most people are afraid to do the work.
13. If someone is telling you what you could do, you're probably best off ignoring them, because you know better what you should do, and will put in the effort to make it a success.
14. What separates winners from losers is whether they're willing to get their hands dirty. Behind every overnight success is a ton of unseen work.
15. It's easy to judge, it's much harder to do. But don't think your efforts are sans judgments, because someone always has to buy to make you successful, whether it be an intermediary or the public. So if your product/service/music has no traction, there's judgment right there, it's not commercial. Too many people blame someone else for their failures when they should really be blaming themselves.
16. Don't waste people's time with unimportant details, what is important to you may not be important to them. An expert knows what has potential. Your pet project is irrelevant to them if they can't make money with it. Respect others' time and knowledge.
17. Many people don't follow through because they don't want to, not because they're incompetent. While you're busy lamenting you didn't get a return phone call or e-mail, frequently that person is not tanning at the beach but expending effort on what will help him out and make him happy. Want to motivate someone? Think about delivering what they want.
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2. We do not live in a pitch economy, almost no one is buying ideas, they're buying companies, they're buying something active that is generating capital.
3. We're all Missourians today, that's right, we all live in the SHOW ME state. We want to see evidence of your success, of the implementation of your idea, we don't just want to hear you talk about it.
4. Ideas are in the air. Many people are working on similar breakthroughs at the same time. While you believe your idea is unique, there's a good chance someone else is aware of it and is trying to achieve the same goal and is working while you sleep.
5. Talk is cheap. That's why it's so hard to get someone of power to converse, never mind go to a meal. A professional can tell in just a few sentences whether you're real. Furthermore, if you create something real these same professionals will be breathing down your neck.
6. Success is hard work and very few want to do the heavy lifting. Because it's boring, because it's challenging, because no one is paying attention, because it might not pay off in the long run anyway.
7. Too many people want others to do the work. They revel in their seats as they pontificate about the great things that can be achieved with their ideas. Why don't they just make the effort themselves? Because they don't have the desire. That's the secret of life, we all follow our desires, our passions, and a mediocre idea with incredible follow-through by someone who cares about it trumps a great idea with lame execution every day of the week.
8. In the tech economy everyone believes it's about the idea. But so many of the successful companies were not innovators so much as combiners of previous technologies with a bit of vision and great execution. Google didn't invent search and Facebook didn't invent social networking and Apple didn't invent the portable music player. In each case someone else had the initial idea. But Google took someone else's idea and employed algorithms to deliver the search results you always wanted but had previously been unable to find. Facebook regulated the marketplace, they created a social home that worked on all media, and found a way to eat Google's lunch by figuring out advertising on mobile. That's right, Facebook survives on advertising, they didn't invent that model, they just refined it. And Apple bought SoundJam to build iTunes and threw FireWire into the pot to create the iPod. So don't keep thinking about coming up with something out of thin air, but utilizing the already extant
blocks to build something new and desirable, in some cases just a better mousetrap. Yes, there is a first mover advantage, but only if the first mover has a great product that he keeps improving, staying ahead of the pack.
9. It's easier to tell someone what to do than to do it yourself.
10. If you want something done right, do it yourself, because rarely does anybody care about it as much as you do.
11. What looks like a bad idea to some is a winner in the hands of another.
12. Opportunities are abundant, but most people are afraid to do the work.
13. If someone is telling you what you could do, you're probably best off ignoring them, because you know better what you should do, and will put in the effort to make it a success.
14. What separates winners from losers is whether they're willing to get their hands dirty. Behind every overnight success is a ton of unseen work.
15. It's easy to judge, it's much harder to do. But don't think your efforts are sans judgments, because someone always has to buy to make you successful, whether it be an intermediary or the public. So if your product/service/music has no traction, there's judgment right there, it's not commercial. Too many people blame someone else for their failures when they should really be blaming themselves.
16. Don't waste people's time with unimportant details, what is important to you may not be important to them. An expert knows what has potential. Your pet project is irrelevant to them if they can't make money with it. Respect others' time and knowledge.
17. Many people don't follow through because they don't want to, not because they're incompetent. While you're busy lamenting you didn't get a return phone call or e-mail, frequently that person is not tanning at the beach but expending effort on what will help him out and make him happy. Want to motivate someone? Think about delivering what they want.
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Raphael Ravenscroft
He died.
Maybe you weren't alive in 1978 when "Baker Street" filled the airwaves.
Gerry Rafferty was one half of Stealers Wheel which had minor chart impact with "Stuck In The Middle With You" and then came this.
"Winding your way down on Baker Street"
Some songs take you away. They pour out of the stereo and the rest of the world stops, time is made for the magic elixir that comes out of the speakers. You had to buy "City to City" just to hear this.
And "Baker Street" was magical in so many ways. The almost Broadway-esque opening notes, the intimacy of Rafferty's vocal, the poignancy of the lyrics, and Raphael Ravenscroft's sax playing.
Ravenscroft said it was out of tune, that he was paid in the neighborhood of fifty bucks to do it. But it made him a star, because people just needed to get closer to that sound.
"You used to think that it was so easy
You used to say that it was so easy
But you're trying, you're trying now"
That's what Gerry Rafferty was doing. His moment of success was years behind him. That's right, he had a mild hit, its longevity was unknown, this was long before "Stuck In The Middle With You"'s revival in "Reservoir Dogs," he could only soldier on.
And that's what's so frustrating about life, the trying. You keep reaching for the brass ring and it eludes your grasp. Life is ultimately about loneliness, the pursuit of the individual struggle and the failure thereof. Even if you win, it doesn't last.
But most people never get the big victory.
"Another year and then you'd be happy
Just one more year and then you'd be happy
But you're crying, you're crying now"
I've been there, you've been there. Wondering whether you should give up. Lying alone on the living room floor, listening to your favorite tunes drunk on Carolans deep into the night, it's the only thing that gets you high, that keeps you going, the music.
Not everybody is a hero. Not everybody is a legend. Not everybody is forever. Raphael Ravenscroft scored some major credits, he worked with Pink Floyd and Marvin Gaye, America and Robert Plant and Bonnie Tyler too, not that you'd know that if you didn't go to Wikipedia. He was a journeyman. Whose time ran out.
Word is he had a stroke. He never recovered. Another musician gone before his time.
But his song lives on. It's a part of rock and roll history. You may not know his name, but you know his tune.
"Way down the street there's a light in his place
He opens the door, he's got that look on his face
And he asks you where you've been
You tell him who you've seen
And you talk about anything"
Friendship. That's all that matters in this life. If you have just one person who will listen to you, who'll wrestle the concepts with you, you've won.
No one else is listening, no one else cares. But for this space of time, you feel connected, you feel vibrant, you feel alive.
"He's got this dream about buying some land
He's gonna give up the booze and the one night stands
And then he'll settle down
In some quiet little town
And forget about everything"
Gerry Rafferty could not give up the booze. It killed him.
I don't know what caused Raphael Ravenscroft's downfall.
But I do know that at some point you surrender. You realize you want to steer, you want to be in control, but you're not. What do they say, life is for the living?
That's your goal.
Stop bitching that you're being screwed by the system.
And know that great art triumphs. There's never been a song like "Baker Street" before or since. It's different, it's iconic, it's everything we're looking for. And when it was cut Raphael Ravenscroft had no idea it would be a hit, his ticket to immortality.
Because that's the way it always is. Life is not for the planners. It's made for the risk-takers, the ones who are up for a lark.
You can't do it their way, they don't know how they did it anyway.
You've got to do it your way.
Our rock and roll history is made up of a plethora of people. Some who were here forever, some who lit up the stage only momentarily. But when one goes down, we all feel it.
I'm feeling it tonight.
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Maybe you weren't alive in 1978 when "Baker Street" filled the airwaves.
Gerry Rafferty was one half of Stealers Wheel which had minor chart impact with "Stuck In The Middle With You" and then came this.
"Winding your way down on Baker Street"
Some songs take you away. They pour out of the stereo and the rest of the world stops, time is made for the magic elixir that comes out of the speakers. You had to buy "City to City" just to hear this.
And "Baker Street" was magical in so many ways. The almost Broadway-esque opening notes, the intimacy of Rafferty's vocal, the poignancy of the lyrics, and Raphael Ravenscroft's sax playing.
Ravenscroft said it was out of tune, that he was paid in the neighborhood of fifty bucks to do it. But it made him a star, because people just needed to get closer to that sound.
"You used to think that it was so easy
You used to say that it was so easy
But you're trying, you're trying now"
That's what Gerry Rafferty was doing. His moment of success was years behind him. That's right, he had a mild hit, its longevity was unknown, this was long before "Stuck In The Middle With You"'s revival in "Reservoir Dogs," he could only soldier on.
And that's what's so frustrating about life, the trying. You keep reaching for the brass ring and it eludes your grasp. Life is ultimately about loneliness, the pursuit of the individual struggle and the failure thereof. Even if you win, it doesn't last.
But most people never get the big victory.
"Another year and then you'd be happy
Just one more year and then you'd be happy
But you're crying, you're crying now"
I've been there, you've been there. Wondering whether you should give up. Lying alone on the living room floor, listening to your favorite tunes drunk on Carolans deep into the night, it's the only thing that gets you high, that keeps you going, the music.
Not everybody is a hero. Not everybody is a legend. Not everybody is forever. Raphael Ravenscroft scored some major credits, he worked with Pink Floyd and Marvin Gaye, America and Robert Plant and Bonnie Tyler too, not that you'd know that if you didn't go to Wikipedia. He was a journeyman. Whose time ran out.
Word is he had a stroke. He never recovered. Another musician gone before his time.
But his song lives on. It's a part of rock and roll history. You may not know his name, but you know his tune.
"Way down the street there's a light in his place
He opens the door, he's got that look on his face
And he asks you where you've been
You tell him who you've seen
And you talk about anything"
Friendship. That's all that matters in this life. If you have just one person who will listen to you, who'll wrestle the concepts with you, you've won.
No one else is listening, no one else cares. But for this space of time, you feel connected, you feel vibrant, you feel alive.
"He's got this dream about buying some land
He's gonna give up the booze and the one night stands
And then he'll settle down
In some quiet little town
And forget about everything"
Gerry Rafferty could not give up the booze. It killed him.
I don't know what caused Raphael Ravenscroft's downfall.
But I do know that at some point you surrender. You realize you want to steer, you want to be in control, but you're not. What do they say, life is for the living?
That's your goal.
Stop bitching that you're being screwed by the system.
And know that great art triumphs. There's never been a song like "Baker Street" before or since. It's different, it's iconic, it's everything we're looking for. And when it was cut Raphael Ravenscroft had no idea it would be a hit, his ticket to immortality.
Because that's the way it always is. Life is not for the planners. It's made for the risk-takers, the ones who are up for a lark.
You can't do it their way, they don't know how they did it anyway.
You've got to do it your way.
Our rock and roll history is made up of a plethora of people. Some who were here forever, some who lit up the stage only momentarily. But when one goes down, we all feel it.
I'm feeling it tonight.
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Tuesday 21 October 2014
Mailbag
From: Phil Volk
Subject: Your Tribute to Paul Revere
Wow...Bob... Such a great article! I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry, or stand up and cheer. I know this story deserves a standing ovation. Absolutely! You, my friend, really understand what Paul Revere & the Raiders were all about, and you weren't afraid to say that we were "cool" – that our showmanship, our music, our comedy was all very cool to the kids back then. You skillfully let it be known in your article, that the Raiders were the real deal, that we had the "fire power" to take no prisoners. In short, you gave us credit for having the "goods" that justified our fame. It's great when someone, who was an eyewitness, tells the true story about our era, and how much impact we had on the kids in our culture. It wasn't just about the Beatles... Paul Revere And The Raiders – from America – also left a pretty good-sized "footprint" in the musical landscape back in the day, and it wasn't so easy when we were competing with bands like the Stones, the Beatles and the Beach
Boys. We had to carve out our own territory, so Dick Clark's "Where The Action Is" became the daily revolution of our existence. We stayed in touch with the whole nation every day. The kids knew that we were leading the charge against the British Invasion, and they took their cues for the youth movement in America from our TV show. It was the coolest thing happening on TV back then, hands down!
I'm glad Mr. Lefsetz that you recognized and acknowledged the fact that it would have been a pretty barren landscape without our TV show hitting the airwaves 5 days a week. And I repeat: NOTHING about that "ACTION" show was "uncool" or deserving of causing the Raiders to be shunned by the RRHOF. As little Stevie Van Zant said: "It's criminal that the Raiders have been passed over by the RRHOF." Oddly enough, now that Paul is gone, even Rolling Stone magazine writes a stirring tribute to Paul and his Raiders.
Hey - it's about time... it's about time that they start to realize that we "owned it" back then, we had it all – the teen mags couldn't print enough stuff on us – we had a good run for a while as the "monsters of the midway" back in the mid-60's, with our many hit records, over 750 TV performances, and our sell-out concert tours... Hey – Even the Rolling Stones were our opening act in Seattle in 1967. Yeah I know...I'm going on a rant because "media forgetfulness" only gets me upset, because so much of the media gets it wrong, and doesn't really know the true story of Paul Revere and his band of kick-ass rockers. I get pissed off when they get it wrong – when they don't tell the TRUE story of our real impact on the music scene back in the 1960's – and along with that, they don't give us the credit we deserve. Tell me, how much real good media coverage did Paul Revere's passing get? Not nearly enough. Fortunately, Bob Lefsetz got it right... He really nailed it to the wall
for all to see and read... I really appreciate him for that, and it also helps calm me down when the words ring true, and our legacy has a nice beacon of light shining on it like it should be... Paul Revere's passing is truly a very significant even in rock and roll history. It's an end of an era. Paul was one-of-a-kind.
Good journalism is almost spiritual. It should lift you up and shine the light on the TRUTH. Thank you, Mr. Bob Lefsetz! You spoke the truth, and got it right – Good work... For those who knew and loved Paul Revere, may he rest in peace, and may he be remembered as he surely should be: a true icon of rock...
Phil "Fang" Volk – Original Bass Player & Core Member of PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS
_____________________________________
From: Mark Lindsey
Subject: Re: Mailbag
How big were Paul Revere and the Raiders featuring Mark Lindsay back in the day?
My name is Mark Lindsey (I spell it "ey" and he spelled it "ay", Not a week passes by where I am not out traveling or out and about and someone asks me if I was with Paul Revere and the Raiders.
Mark "ey" Lindsey
_____________________________________
Subject: Leonard Lipton -- Re: Rhinofy-Peter, Paul and Mary Primer
Hello, Bob. The music industry may have forgotten Puff's creator Leonard Lipton, but as a physicist and hippie anarchist entrepreneur, he has made an indelible mark upon the world of 3D media, influencing everyone from Steve Jobs to James Cameron.
In the '80s and '90s, Lenny was a revered figure here in the SF Bay Area when he and his Marin County cohorts invented CrystalEyes, the stereoscopic eyeware that became a required accessory at every automotive and aerospace R&D center in the world. Most of us techno-geeks had no idea that Lenny was linked to a certain dragon.
Back then I was a recording industry journalist who had morphed into a digital media evangelist. But as a Jewish kid outta Brooklyn, I went to summer camp in the Berkshires, sang all those songs you cited, and got to see Pete Seeger and Peter, Paul, & Mary perform. Twenty years later, when a colleague convinced me that one of our own 3D CGI pioneers had penned Puff the Magic Dragon, I was blown away. (The Web, much less Google, hadn't been invented yet so you couldn't easily look these things up.)
Here's where Lenny tells the story behind Puff, little Jackie Paper and Honalee: http://lennylipton.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/thank-you-puff-the-magic-dragon/#more-201
Bob: Love your insights, your insults, your introspection. Thanks for taking the time to write it all down.
--Linda Jacobson, Berkeley
_____________________________________
From: Marty Winsch
Subject: Re: The Spotify Payments Fracas
The desire to quantity, monetize everything is a disease. It never existed and never will exist. This desire is a byproduct of ignorance, entitlement, misguided affluence, and a desire to avoid having to put in your 10,000 hours. We are in trouble as a society. I worry about our ability to deep think, problem solve, and how the majority of our best and brightest have headed for "greener" pastures as opposed to staying home within their hearts and fighting for real, productive, sustainable progress. It all makes me very sad.
_____________________________________
From: Michael Aiken
Subject: RE: Sticking Power (BONO)
Why is everybody criticizing U2? Now every musician in America has a right to hand them one of their demos! Anytime, anywhere.
M
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Subject: Your Tribute to Paul Revere
Wow...Bob... Such a great article! I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry, or stand up and cheer. I know this story deserves a standing ovation. Absolutely! You, my friend, really understand what Paul Revere & the Raiders were all about, and you weren't afraid to say that we were "cool" – that our showmanship, our music, our comedy was all very cool to the kids back then. You skillfully let it be known in your article, that the Raiders were the real deal, that we had the "fire power" to take no prisoners. In short, you gave us credit for having the "goods" that justified our fame. It's great when someone, who was an eyewitness, tells the true story about our era, and how much impact we had on the kids in our culture. It wasn't just about the Beatles... Paul Revere And The Raiders – from America – also left a pretty good-sized "footprint" in the musical landscape back in the day, and it wasn't so easy when we were competing with bands like the Stones, the Beatles and the Beach
Boys. We had to carve out our own territory, so Dick Clark's "Where The Action Is" became the daily revolution of our existence. We stayed in touch with the whole nation every day. The kids knew that we were leading the charge against the British Invasion, and they took their cues for the youth movement in America from our TV show. It was the coolest thing happening on TV back then, hands down!
I'm glad Mr. Lefsetz that you recognized and acknowledged the fact that it would have been a pretty barren landscape without our TV show hitting the airwaves 5 days a week. And I repeat: NOTHING about that "ACTION" show was "uncool" or deserving of causing the Raiders to be shunned by the RRHOF. As little Stevie Van Zant said: "It's criminal that the Raiders have been passed over by the RRHOF." Oddly enough, now that Paul is gone, even Rolling Stone magazine writes a stirring tribute to Paul and his Raiders.
Hey - it's about time... it's about time that they start to realize that we "owned it" back then, we had it all – the teen mags couldn't print enough stuff on us – we had a good run for a while as the "monsters of the midway" back in the mid-60's, with our many hit records, over 750 TV performances, and our sell-out concert tours... Hey – Even the Rolling Stones were our opening act in Seattle in 1967. Yeah I know...I'm going on a rant because "media forgetfulness" only gets me upset, because so much of the media gets it wrong, and doesn't really know the true story of Paul Revere and his band of kick-ass rockers. I get pissed off when they get it wrong – when they don't tell the TRUE story of our real impact on the music scene back in the 1960's – and along with that, they don't give us the credit we deserve. Tell me, how much real good media coverage did Paul Revere's passing get? Not nearly enough. Fortunately, Bob Lefsetz got it right... He really nailed it to the wall
for all to see and read... I really appreciate him for that, and it also helps calm me down when the words ring true, and our legacy has a nice beacon of light shining on it like it should be... Paul Revere's passing is truly a very significant even in rock and roll history. It's an end of an era. Paul was one-of-a-kind.
Good journalism is almost spiritual. It should lift you up and shine the light on the TRUTH. Thank you, Mr. Bob Lefsetz! You spoke the truth, and got it right – Good work... For those who knew and loved Paul Revere, may he rest in peace, and may he be remembered as he surely should be: a true icon of rock...
Phil "Fang" Volk – Original Bass Player & Core Member of PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS
_____________________________________
From: Mark Lindsey
Subject: Re: Mailbag
How big were Paul Revere and the Raiders featuring Mark Lindsay back in the day?
My name is Mark Lindsey (I spell it "ey" and he spelled it "ay", Not a week passes by where I am not out traveling or out and about and someone asks me if I was with Paul Revere and the Raiders.
Mark "ey" Lindsey
_____________________________________
Subject: Leonard Lipton -- Re: Rhinofy-Peter, Paul and Mary Primer
Hello, Bob. The music industry may have forgotten Puff's creator Leonard Lipton, but as a physicist and hippie anarchist entrepreneur, he has made an indelible mark upon the world of 3D media, influencing everyone from Steve Jobs to James Cameron.
In the '80s and '90s, Lenny was a revered figure here in the SF Bay Area when he and his Marin County cohorts invented CrystalEyes, the stereoscopic eyeware that became a required accessory at every automotive and aerospace R&D center in the world. Most of us techno-geeks had no idea that Lenny was linked to a certain dragon.
Back then I was a recording industry journalist who had morphed into a digital media evangelist. But as a Jewish kid outta Brooklyn, I went to summer camp in the Berkshires, sang all those songs you cited, and got to see Pete Seeger and Peter, Paul, & Mary perform. Twenty years later, when a colleague convinced me that one of our own 3D CGI pioneers had penned Puff the Magic Dragon, I was blown away. (The Web, much less Google, hadn't been invented yet so you couldn't easily look these things up.)
Here's where Lenny tells the story behind Puff, little Jackie Paper and Honalee: http://lennylipton.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/thank-you-puff-the-magic-dragon/#more-201
Bob: Love your insights, your insults, your introspection. Thanks for taking the time to write it all down.
--Linda Jacobson, Berkeley
_____________________________________
From: Marty Winsch
Subject: Re: The Spotify Payments Fracas
The desire to quantity, monetize everything is a disease. It never existed and never will exist. This desire is a byproduct of ignorance, entitlement, misguided affluence, and a desire to avoid having to put in your 10,000 hours. We are in trouble as a society. I worry about our ability to deep think, problem solve, and how the majority of our best and brightest have headed for "greener" pastures as opposed to staying home within their hearts and fighting for real, productive, sustainable progress. It all makes me very sad.
_____________________________________
From: Michael Aiken
Subject: RE: Sticking Power (BONO)
Why is everybody criticizing U2? Now every musician in America has a right to hand them one of their demos! Anytime, anywhere.
M
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
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You Keep Me Hangin' On
"Let me get over you
THE WAY YOU'VE GOTTEN OVER ME!"
The weather changed. Traditionally summer comes late to SoCal and lasts late, September is the hottest month of the year. But this year October was just as blistering. It was like living in vacationland, everybody in shorts on hot nights, parading down the avenues...and that's right, usually nobody walks in L.A!
But then it suddenly cooled. Which is quite a surprise. I thought we were living through that "Twilight Zone," the one where the Earth is moving closer and closer to the sun. We've got no water, we're dying from the heat, do we all have to get in our cars and drive to the North Pole?
But I've retired the fan. I don't have to immediately open the windows in my house. The sun is at a different angle. Night falls early. And every song on the radio sounds good.
Maybe because this is the time of year I moved to L.A. It's hard to fathom if you live anywhere else, it never really gets cold, the seasons do change, but you can wear a light jacket through Christmas, even though the locals don down.
And the auto a/c is not a necessity. And the sun doesn't forbid an open roof. So I'm driving down the street, pushing the satellite buttons, smiling all the while.
And yesterday I heard "You Keep Me Hangin' On."
For a long time the original was forgotten. The long, slowed-down Vanilla Fudge epic was the rendition of record. But it's funny how the sands of time move. The Fudge have been forgotten, the Supremes live on.
And my favorite Supremes song is "Come See About Me."
And I've got a soft spot in my heart for "Reflections."
And I'll never forget being introduced to the group via "Where Did Our Love Go," which hit the airwaves about the same time as the Shangri-Las "Remember (Walking In The Sand)." I thought they were competing girl groups. Little did I know...
"Set me free why don't you baby
Get out my life why don't you baby
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on"
At age 11 it was a jail metaphor. Sure, I'd just had my first summer camp relationship, but that was all about tingly feelings, I had to get older to know torture. And it's always the same, they always come back, however briefly. It takes all of their gumption to decide to go, they've made up their mind long before they tell you, and then they come back, what's up with that?
"Why do you keep a' comin' around
Playin' with my heart
Why don't you get out of my life
And let me make a new start"
The track starts off with the chorus, always an appealing construct, but then the change to the first verse is purely magical. It's like we've gone from mindless to sincere, declaration to meaning. It's like Diana Ross is stopping the show to ask us, why does he keep engaging in this behavior?
"You say although we broke up
You still gonna be just friends
But how can we still be friends
When seein' you only breaks my heart again"
I don't understand this friends business.
I'm gonna set you straight, when someone says the breakup was mutual, they're lying. Sure, it might have been bad, but someone always wants out first, someone pushes the button, pulls the ripcord. And why is it always this person, the one with the power, who says they want to be friends?
You know my life story, we've exchanged bodily fluids, now you're gonna make like that didn't happen? You can't take back so much, once the rocket blasts into space it falls back to earth, there ain't nothing you can do about it, the relationship is toast, let me try to get it out of my mind, forget it, so I can move on.
"You claim you still care for me
But your heart and soul needs to be free
Now that you've got your freedom
You wanna still hold on to me
You don't want me for yourself
So let me find somebody else"
That's what they always say, they need to be free. If this is true, why do they keep coming back to the ball and chain? If we're so bad, and they tell us so, why do they still want us? And when you're young, you're susceptible to this message, you're confused, you think there's something wrong with you when the truth is your partner is weak. They say they don't want to hurt you, but really they don't want to hurt themselves.
Perspective is so funny. I just heard Richard Harris sing "MacArthur Park" on 60s on 6 and I was reveling in it, and I positively hated the track back when.
And then there's stuff like "You Keep Me Hangin' On" that I thought was a trifle, but turns out to be laden with meaning, it's just that I was a couple of years and a couple of changes behind it.
And that's a great record. Not only one that gives us insight into our lives, but continues to do so as we evolve. The track is static, but as our angle of vision changes, new elements are revealed.
But songs are different from people. Songs stay, people don't. Songs are dependable, people are not. When you find someone you can count on, hold on, then again, do you really want to be free?
That's the world we live in, one made up of those who want to stick and those who don't.
But the truth is we all want to be glued together. It's just tough.
So we listen to records to get us through.
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/1wsYkQe
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1w5tHS4
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THE WAY YOU'VE GOTTEN OVER ME!"
The weather changed. Traditionally summer comes late to SoCal and lasts late, September is the hottest month of the year. But this year October was just as blistering. It was like living in vacationland, everybody in shorts on hot nights, parading down the avenues...and that's right, usually nobody walks in L.A!
But then it suddenly cooled. Which is quite a surprise. I thought we were living through that "Twilight Zone," the one where the Earth is moving closer and closer to the sun. We've got no water, we're dying from the heat, do we all have to get in our cars and drive to the North Pole?
But I've retired the fan. I don't have to immediately open the windows in my house. The sun is at a different angle. Night falls early. And every song on the radio sounds good.
Maybe because this is the time of year I moved to L.A. It's hard to fathom if you live anywhere else, it never really gets cold, the seasons do change, but you can wear a light jacket through Christmas, even though the locals don down.
And the auto a/c is not a necessity. And the sun doesn't forbid an open roof. So I'm driving down the street, pushing the satellite buttons, smiling all the while.
And yesterday I heard "You Keep Me Hangin' On."
For a long time the original was forgotten. The long, slowed-down Vanilla Fudge epic was the rendition of record. But it's funny how the sands of time move. The Fudge have been forgotten, the Supremes live on.
And my favorite Supremes song is "Come See About Me."
And I've got a soft spot in my heart for "Reflections."
And I'll never forget being introduced to the group via "Where Did Our Love Go," which hit the airwaves about the same time as the Shangri-Las "Remember (Walking In The Sand)." I thought they were competing girl groups. Little did I know...
"Set me free why don't you baby
Get out my life why don't you baby
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on"
At age 11 it was a jail metaphor. Sure, I'd just had my first summer camp relationship, but that was all about tingly feelings, I had to get older to know torture. And it's always the same, they always come back, however briefly. It takes all of their gumption to decide to go, they've made up their mind long before they tell you, and then they come back, what's up with that?
"Why do you keep a' comin' around
Playin' with my heart
Why don't you get out of my life
And let me make a new start"
The track starts off with the chorus, always an appealing construct, but then the change to the first verse is purely magical. It's like we've gone from mindless to sincere, declaration to meaning. It's like Diana Ross is stopping the show to ask us, why does he keep engaging in this behavior?
"You say although we broke up
You still gonna be just friends
But how can we still be friends
When seein' you only breaks my heart again"
I don't understand this friends business.
I'm gonna set you straight, when someone says the breakup was mutual, they're lying. Sure, it might have been bad, but someone always wants out first, someone pushes the button, pulls the ripcord. And why is it always this person, the one with the power, who says they want to be friends?
You know my life story, we've exchanged bodily fluids, now you're gonna make like that didn't happen? You can't take back so much, once the rocket blasts into space it falls back to earth, there ain't nothing you can do about it, the relationship is toast, let me try to get it out of my mind, forget it, so I can move on.
"You claim you still care for me
But your heart and soul needs to be free
Now that you've got your freedom
You wanna still hold on to me
You don't want me for yourself
So let me find somebody else"
That's what they always say, they need to be free. If this is true, why do they keep coming back to the ball and chain? If we're so bad, and they tell us so, why do they still want us? And when you're young, you're susceptible to this message, you're confused, you think there's something wrong with you when the truth is your partner is weak. They say they don't want to hurt you, but really they don't want to hurt themselves.
Perspective is so funny. I just heard Richard Harris sing "MacArthur Park" on 60s on 6 and I was reveling in it, and I positively hated the track back when.
And then there's stuff like "You Keep Me Hangin' On" that I thought was a trifle, but turns out to be laden with meaning, it's just that I was a couple of years and a couple of changes behind it.
And that's a great record. Not only one that gives us insight into our lives, but continues to do so as we evolve. The track is static, but as our angle of vision changes, new elements are revealed.
But songs are different from people. Songs stay, people don't. Songs are dependable, people are not. When you find someone you can count on, hold on, then again, do you really want to be free?
That's the world we live in, one made up of those who want to stick and those who don't.
But the truth is we all want to be glued together. It's just tough.
So we listen to records to get us through.
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/1wsYkQe
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1w5tHS4
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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Monday 20 October 2014
My Day At Red Bull
Have brands trumped bands?
I was wondering this as I walked through Red Bull HQ today. With every seat taken, with young hipsters in front of their computer screens, it's everything the music business was before Napster, when those coasting on CD profits, both replacement and buy one overpriced one to hear one hit track (remember Chumbawamba?) were rolling in dough and thought the good times would last forever.
But they didn't.
Used to be the hippest store on the planet was Tower Records.
Now the retail emporium of choice is the Apple Store. They both feature a buzz, both give you the feeling you're at the epicenter of what's happening. But the profit margins on Apple's gear is far superior.
But Apple is selling tools and the labels sold music. What is Red Bull selling?
Energy drinks.
That's the difference between going to Red Bull's offices and the record company's, no one talks about the product. Then again, they kept telling me the consumable was just a gateway to so much cooler stuff, and they're right.
The most impressive thing I saw today? The gaming studio. Sponsored by Nvidia, able to transmit competitions around the world. The "New York Times" has been talking about "League of Legends" for a week, Red Bull entered the space years ago. Because when it comes to popular culture, there's always a first mover advantage. This is what the music industry lacks. We can't even go social at the show. There's no gamification, no points for buying tickets, the music industry is so bottom line it's like a flophouse, with beds and nothing else.
And then there's their television station. Or Media-something. Everything's got a name at Red Bull, not that I can remember it.
But in this case, Red Bull is trying to take over programming. And it did a good job of this at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, where it streamed the performances but not only the performances, they turned it into programming, with hosts and interstitial material, knowing that raw data is neither sexy nor comprehensible, it's what you do with it.
And it takes money to do this, and Red Bull is spending.
That's the dirty little secret of the music business, everyone's tight. You can't get paid what you're owed, never mind get help to promote. Red Bull paid for Skrillex to visualize his show in a loft downtown. Previously, it was only a two-dimensional computer image. But with the company's help, Skrillex could build the props and see what they looked like in real life, because everything's about experimentation, you rarely get it right on the first pass.
And Red Bull is experimenting.
It all comes down to their founder. And I could look up his name, I've forgotten it, but that's just the point. In entertainment, the execs want to be stars, smart businessmen know the product rules. And once this guy noticed action sports heroes using the drink, he signed them up and capitalized on it. Red Bull was in action sports for two decades before they got into music.
That's right, Red Bull is deep into music. They had a first class studio in the back of the building, where they give away time for free. But in return... They feature you in all their programming, in their magazine, they went on to tell me they've got relationships with every club in the world, because they all sell their main product, the energy drink.
And I think it tastes like horse piss. No, I haven't consumed the urine of an equine, but I can't imagine it's much less satisfying. Then again, that's the point, Red Bull is not made for me. It's a club, of young 'uns.
And the company is akin to a cult. The Hotel California. You can come in, but no one leaves. I was stunned that this employee had been there for nine years, another for seven years, before I'd seemingly even heard of the product.
And it makes me wonder, if you're twenty years old today, where do you want to work, at the label or the corporation, Universal or Red Bull?
If you say the label you're a wanker. There's no upward mobility at the label. No risk. Old fart baby boomers have all the control. And the acts are all lower class denizens bending over to get reamed for a few shekels. It's so sad I nearly want no part of it.
But music is the grease in so much of Red Bull's machine. Music is important. It just doesn't trump the brand.
Red Bull doesn't ask for much. It only does deals that benefit both sides. It supports as opposed to dominating. There's not endless signage and branding. It's a twenty first century company. That's right, one that knows consumer relationships are built on trust. And that you're playing a long game.
But I still don't think I could work there. Because there's too much business and too little art. Everyone's pedigreed, this one worked for Microsoft, they're stars in marketing speak. But the soul is in art. But the artists have capitulated.
That's right, I'm here to tell you Red Bull is cooler than almost all music.
Just when I'm down on the company, they load me up with movies that they financed, like the documentary on Shane McConkey, who had more charisma than anybody signed to Sony. They do put their money where their mouth is.
And they kept telling me the goal was to make all their initiatives self-sustaining. Music, gaming, television... To fiddle and fuss and get it right and then dominate. Kind of like Vice in news. But it turns out they're already partners with Vice.
Welcome to the new world, where all the companies speak to each other. Synergy and networking rule.
But they don't in art. Art is singular. Hell, the best work of the best artists doesn't even sound alike. That was the magic of the Beatles, every track was different, we hung on every word. U2 spends five years to imitate themselves badly. The Dr. Luke hit factory resembles well made widgets instead of art. But art requires artists, unique people who are not eager to be members of society, who don't do it to hang out with the tech titans but to express themselves, to speak truth to power.
But those people exited the building when it became cool to do endorsement deals.
And Red Bull's deals are the coolest out there. They ask for little and deliver much. But you're still hooking up with a corporation. It's different for athletes, bodies demonstrate, artists think. You look at the athlete, you see inside the artist.
But who is Rihanna?
Who is Katy Perry?
Is Bono even a musician anymore?
No one's satisfied with being an artist. Because they don't believe there's enough money in it. They don't get that art trumps tech and Red Bull and that's why these entities want to be involved with it.
That's the world we live in.
Yup, about a mile from my house, in a nondescript brick building with no signage, the U.S. headquarters of the world's biggest energy drink are housed. You see you don't have to yell, you don't have to promote yourself when you're doing it right.
And Red Bull is doing it right.
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I was wondering this as I walked through Red Bull HQ today. With every seat taken, with young hipsters in front of their computer screens, it's everything the music business was before Napster, when those coasting on CD profits, both replacement and buy one overpriced one to hear one hit track (remember Chumbawamba?) were rolling in dough and thought the good times would last forever.
But they didn't.
Used to be the hippest store on the planet was Tower Records.
Now the retail emporium of choice is the Apple Store. They both feature a buzz, both give you the feeling you're at the epicenter of what's happening. But the profit margins on Apple's gear is far superior.
But Apple is selling tools and the labels sold music. What is Red Bull selling?
Energy drinks.
That's the difference between going to Red Bull's offices and the record company's, no one talks about the product. Then again, they kept telling me the consumable was just a gateway to so much cooler stuff, and they're right.
The most impressive thing I saw today? The gaming studio. Sponsored by Nvidia, able to transmit competitions around the world. The "New York Times" has been talking about "League of Legends" for a week, Red Bull entered the space years ago. Because when it comes to popular culture, there's always a first mover advantage. This is what the music industry lacks. We can't even go social at the show. There's no gamification, no points for buying tickets, the music industry is so bottom line it's like a flophouse, with beds and nothing else.
And then there's their television station. Or Media-something. Everything's got a name at Red Bull, not that I can remember it.
But in this case, Red Bull is trying to take over programming. And it did a good job of this at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, where it streamed the performances but not only the performances, they turned it into programming, with hosts and interstitial material, knowing that raw data is neither sexy nor comprehensible, it's what you do with it.
And it takes money to do this, and Red Bull is spending.
That's the dirty little secret of the music business, everyone's tight. You can't get paid what you're owed, never mind get help to promote. Red Bull paid for Skrillex to visualize his show in a loft downtown. Previously, it was only a two-dimensional computer image. But with the company's help, Skrillex could build the props and see what they looked like in real life, because everything's about experimentation, you rarely get it right on the first pass.
And Red Bull is experimenting.
It all comes down to their founder. And I could look up his name, I've forgotten it, but that's just the point. In entertainment, the execs want to be stars, smart businessmen know the product rules. And once this guy noticed action sports heroes using the drink, he signed them up and capitalized on it. Red Bull was in action sports for two decades before they got into music.
That's right, Red Bull is deep into music. They had a first class studio in the back of the building, where they give away time for free. But in return... They feature you in all their programming, in their magazine, they went on to tell me they've got relationships with every club in the world, because they all sell their main product, the energy drink.
And I think it tastes like horse piss. No, I haven't consumed the urine of an equine, but I can't imagine it's much less satisfying. Then again, that's the point, Red Bull is not made for me. It's a club, of young 'uns.
And the company is akin to a cult. The Hotel California. You can come in, but no one leaves. I was stunned that this employee had been there for nine years, another for seven years, before I'd seemingly even heard of the product.
And it makes me wonder, if you're twenty years old today, where do you want to work, at the label or the corporation, Universal or Red Bull?
If you say the label you're a wanker. There's no upward mobility at the label. No risk. Old fart baby boomers have all the control. And the acts are all lower class denizens bending over to get reamed for a few shekels. It's so sad I nearly want no part of it.
But music is the grease in so much of Red Bull's machine. Music is important. It just doesn't trump the brand.
Red Bull doesn't ask for much. It only does deals that benefit both sides. It supports as opposed to dominating. There's not endless signage and branding. It's a twenty first century company. That's right, one that knows consumer relationships are built on trust. And that you're playing a long game.
But I still don't think I could work there. Because there's too much business and too little art. Everyone's pedigreed, this one worked for Microsoft, they're stars in marketing speak. But the soul is in art. But the artists have capitulated.
That's right, I'm here to tell you Red Bull is cooler than almost all music.
Just when I'm down on the company, they load me up with movies that they financed, like the documentary on Shane McConkey, who had more charisma than anybody signed to Sony. They do put their money where their mouth is.
And they kept telling me the goal was to make all their initiatives self-sustaining. Music, gaming, television... To fiddle and fuss and get it right and then dominate. Kind of like Vice in news. But it turns out they're already partners with Vice.
Welcome to the new world, where all the companies speak to each other. Synergy and networking rule.
But they don't in art. Art is singular. Hell, the best work of the best artists doesn't even sound alike. That was the magic of the Beatles, every track was different, we hung on every word. U2 spends five years to imitate themselves badly. The Dr. Luke hit factory resembles well made widgets instead of art. But art requires artists, unique people who are not eager to be members of society, who don't do it to hang out with the tech titans but to express themselves, to speak truth to power.
But those people exited the building when it became cool to do endorsement deals.
And Red Bull's deals are the coolest out there. They ask for little and deliver much. But you're still hooking up with a corporation. It's different for athletes, bodies demonstrate, artists think. You look at the athlete, you see inside the artist.
But who is Rihanna?
Who is Katy Perry?
Is Bono even a musician anymore?
No one's satisfied with being an artist. Because they don't believe there's enough money in it. They don't get that art trumps tech and Red Bull and that's why these entities want to be involved with it.
That's the world we live in.
Yup, about a mile from my house, in a nondescript brick building with no signage, the U.S. headquarters of the world's biggest energy drink are housed. You see you don't have to yell, you don't have to promote yourself when you're doing it right.
And Red Bull is doing it right.
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No Platinum Albums
"Not One Artist's Album Has Gone Platinum In 2014": http://onforb.es/1qIa5wr
Is it streaming, albums, the music or all three?
If you're looking for evidence that the sales model is dead, here it is. If you're a marginal band on the road surviving on $20 signed CDs, if you're employing sales shenanigans as publicity to drive concert attendance, I've got no problem with that. But if you're decrying the death of sales as a vast conspiracy of the military industrial complex, I feel sorry for you. Things change. Agitating for a return to the past based on the loss of some beneficial features in the future is futile in a world where we sacrifice the keyboards of our BlackBerries for apps on our Androids and iPhones. Something is always lost in the march of progress. You could lament the disappearance of vent windows in automobiles with the advent of air conditioning but you'd be fighting a losing battle because the exclusion of these small windows saved the manufacturers money and most people didn't miss them, when was the last time you even thought of them?
Most people don't miss owning music. They have faith in the internet. They believe access is like electricity, something you can count on. And if you still believe you need access to stream music I feel sorry for you, you're uneducated.
So the public has spoken, people don't need to own the product. They don't need to show off their wares to others, but they still want to listen.
They just don't want to listen to the album.
If we can't force people to buy long players, if we put them online to be cherry-picked, people are going to. So the album is purely a promotional device, a way to get the antique media to trumpet your name and product and existence in this vast world of ours. But one shot promotion is a fading paradigm itself. It doesn't pay ongoing dividends. In a world where what happened at noon is already forgotten at midnight who cares that you spent years crafting ten songs to bestow upon us. Come on, you've seen the story... This is my very best work, I love my producer, I'm in a good space, you need to listen...
Make me puke.
Turns out you're not selling your brand, that's another bunch of crap, you're selling your music. And unless your music appeals, you're screwed.
And here's where the naysayers go nuclear. All this hogwash about the cost of production, the years of commitment, the odds stacked against them, the entitlement to attention. Where did they learn these untruths? It's like a college graduate believing he's entitled to a 500k a year job just because he graduated, delineating all the while what he studied in school. No, if you want our attention, you've got to earn it, the hard way, by making music we want to hear.
And some of this music is made every year. A lot of it by the usual suspects. Like Max Martin and Dr. Luke. And this makes everybody not working with them crazy. They say these pros make hackneyed tunes undeserving of the airwaves. But these complainers seem unable to construct competitive product.
So as we go forward, more than ever, it depends on the hit.
And it's harder to have a hit than ever before. Because everybody's listening in a different place. Which is another reason why there's no platinum albums. Top Forty may be the dominant radio format, but most people aren't listening to it!
And it turns out country fans have computers, they don't need to buy the product either.
A hit opens doors. It goes viral via public comment. That's right, the public makes the hits. Don't believe me? Sing a song off of Beyonce's latest album. Better yet, sing a Lorde song that's not "Royals." In an era of plenty, we only want the best.
And that sucks if you're an artist who thinks they need forty minutes to make a statement, if you make music that must be listened to forty times to get it. I'll be honest, in the seventies I came to like so much stuff because of radio repetition. I can't all of that stuff was great. But today, no one is subjected to that level of repetition.
So, forget sales, they're history, they're a niche item. They're the past, not the future.
And forget albums too. You're creating a body of work.
But don't think if you release one track a month that's a good strategy. The key is to get a hard core audience that is interested in whatever you do and to feed them on a regular basis and to know this is where it ends unless you deliver something so special they make it go viral. That's right, you'll get more attention putting out an album and taking advantage of the media machine than throwing crap on the wall, but that promotional game is fading. Just like SoundScan numbers in publications are soon to be passe.
And know that music is hard. Those who write hits in five minutes wrote a ton of crap before that. And that writing a song is easy, but writing a great one is hard. And the fact that you like it does not mean everybody else will too.
Meanwhile, radio keeps driving down the niche road. It's still the most powerful way to expose music, it's just less powerful than ever before, and this is never going to change. Because radio hasn't changed, it's got phony personalities and too many commercials and makes you listen to what you don't want to in order to hear what you do in an on demand culture. Just spinning records on radio is death, the same way airing videos on MTV is such.
So, so long platinum records. You were a construct of the classic rock era, when the music was so good everybody clamored to own it. Music was the iPhone of its day.
And so long diamond records, invented during the heyday of MTV when we all watched the same programming and were exposed to the same music. Today infinite choice has made that an impossibility. You either own the distribution channel, like YouTube, or you purvey quality, which attracts a crowd.
And soon, so long gold records. That's right, not even 500,000 people will want to hear your long statement, because they don't have time. It'd be like watching "House of Cards" and finding out there was only one good episode. Who'd want that? Furthermore, music is not episodic, order is unimportant, it's about endlessly repeating certain tracks.
So the game just got harder. That's right, the internet killed the CD cash cow and now even iTunes downloads, it made the history of recorded music free at your fingertips and you're looking for some kind of justice, a way to turn back the hands of time, but that's never gonna happen, that'd be like Commodore rereleasing the Amiga to great acclaim, knocking Apple off its perch, ain't that a laugh.
But this really isn't news. Everything I've said above has been in plain sight for nearly half a decade. So if you're complaining, if you've been caught flat-footed, I feel sorry for you. You're behind the times. In the information age you know nothing. You run your operation on your heart instead of your head.
Then again, if you put your heart in your music we might want to listen to it.
All we want is some truth. From someone who can write, sing and play.
Sounds simple, it's not.
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Is it streaming, albums, the music or all three?
If you're looking for evidence that the sales model is dead, here it is. If you're a marginal band on the road surviving on $20 signed CDs, if you're employing sales shenanigans as publicity to drive concert attendance, I've got no problem with that. But if you're decrying the death of sales as a vast conspiracy of the military industrial complex, I feel sorry for you. Things change. Agitating for a return to the past based on the loss of some beneficial features in the future is futile in a world where we sacrifice the keyboards of our BlackBerries for apps on our Androids and iPhones. Something is always lost in the march of progress. You could lament the disappearance of vent windows in automobiles with the advent of air conditioning but you'd be fighting a losing battle because the exclusion of these small windows saved the manufacturers money and most people didn't miss them, when was the last time you even thought of them?
Most people don't miss owning music. They have faith in the internet. They believe access is like electricity, something you can count on. And if you still believe you need access to stream music I feel sorry for you, you're uneducated.
So the public has spoken, people don't need to own the product. They don't need to show off their wares to others, but they still want to listen.
They just don't want to listen to the album.
If we can't force people to buy long players, if we put them online to be cherry-picked, people are going to. So the album is purely a promotional device, a way to get the antique media to trumpet your name and product and existence in this vast world of ours. But one shot promotion is a fading paradigm itself. It doesn't pay ongoing dividends. In a world where what happened at noon is already forgotten at midnight who cares that you spent years crafting ten songs to bestow upon us. Come on, you've seen the story... This is my very best work, I love my producer, I'm in a good space, you need to listen...
Make me puke.
Turns out you're not selling your brand, that's another bunch of crap, you're selling your music. And unless your music appeals, you're screwed.
And here's where the naysayers go nuclear. All this hogwash about the cost of production, the years of commitment, the odds stacked against them, the entitlement to attention. Where did they learn these untruths? It's like a college graduate believing he's entitled to a 500k a year job just because he graduated, delineating all the while what he studied in school. No, if you want our attention, you've got to earn it, the hard way, by making music we want to hear.
And some of this music is made every year. A lot of it by the usual suspects. Like Max Martin and Dr. Luke. And this makes everybody not working with them crazy. They say these pros make hackneyed tunes undeserving of the airwaves. But these complainers seem unable to construct competitive product.
So as we go forward, more than ever, it depends on the hit.
And it's harder to have a hit than ever before. Because everybody's listening in a different place. Which is another reason why there's no platinum albums. Top Forty may be the dominant radio format, but most people aren't listening to it!
And it turns out country fans have computers, they don't need to buy the product either.
A hit opens doors. It goes viral via public comment. That's right, the public makes the hits. Don't believe me? Sing a song off of Beyonce's latest album. Better yet, sing a Lorde song that's not "Royals." In an era of plenty, we only want the best.
And that sucks if you're an artist who thinks they need forty minutes to make a statement, if you make music that must be listened to forty times to get it. I'll be honest, in the seventies I came to like so much stuff because of radio repetition. I can't all of that stuff was great. But today, no one is subjected to that level of repetition.
So, forget sales, they're history, they're a niche item. They're the past, not the future.
And forget albums too. You're creating a body of work.
But don't think if you release one track a month that's a good strategy. The key is to get a hard core audience that is interested in whatever you do and to feed them on a regular basis and to know this is where it ends unless you deliver something so special they make it go viral. That's right, you'll get more attention putting out an album and taking advantage of the media machine than throwing crap on the wall, but that promotional game is fading. Just like SoundScan numbers in publications are soon to be passe.
And know that music is hard. Those who write hits in five minutes wrote a ton of crap before that. And that writing a song is easy, but writing a great one is hard. And the fact that you like it does not mean everybody else will too.
Meanwhile, radio keeps driving down the niche road. It's still the most powerful way to expose music, it's just less powerful than ever before, and this is never going to change. Because radio hasn't changed, it's got phony personalities and too many commercials and makes you listen to what you don't want to in order to hear what you do in an on demand culture. Just spinning records on radio is death, the same way airing videos on MTV is such.
So, so long platinum records. You were a construct of the classic rock era, when the music was so good everybody clamored to own it. Music was the iPhone of its day.
And so long diamond records, invented during the heyday of MTV when we all watched the same programming and were exposed to the same music. Today infinite choice has made that an impossibility. You either own the distribution channel, like YouTube, or you purvey quality, which attracts a crowd.
And soon, so long gold records. That's right, not even 500,000 people will want to hear your long statement, because they don't have time. It'd be like watching "House of Cards" and finding out there was only one good episode. Who'd want that? Furthermore, music is not episodic, order is unimportant, it's about endlessly repeating certain tracks.
So the game just got harder. That's right, the internet killed the CD cash cow and now even iTunes downloads, it made the history of recorded music free at your fingertips and you're looking for some kind of justice, a way to turn back the hands of time, but that's never gonna happen, that'd be like Commodore rereleasing the Amiga to great acclaim, knocking Apple off its perch, ain't that a laugh.
But this really isn't news. Everything I've said above has been in plain sight for nearly half a decade. So if you're complaining, if you've been caught flat-footed, I feel sorry for you. You're behind the times. In the information age you know nothing. You run your operation on your heart instead of your head.
Then again, if you put your heart in your music we might want to listen to it.
All we want is some truth. From someone who can write, sing and play.
Sounds simple, it's not.
--
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Sunday 19 October 2014
Time
1. They're making no more of it. Doesn't matter whether you're rich or poor, we all abide by the same clock.
2. Stimulation. That's what we all want with our time. We want to be excited, we want to be titillated. We want the jones love gives us, the high of infatuation, the satisfaction of sex. Know that everything you create, that you want the time of others for, has to compete with love and sex.
3. Love. Is primarily between two people. But you can love an object or a concept, it's all about the passion. How do we ignite this passion in others? Some try to second-guess, try to deliver what people want, and there's satisfaction in that, but what we look for most is the unknown, the unexpected, that gets us high the same way we do when we meet new people.
4. Love is frequently at first sight, but not always. So, in order for love to grow you have to be in someone's field of vision and/or experience on a regular basis. How do you achieve this? Well, if you like someone in school you find out their schedule and show up in the cafeteria at the same time. If you like them at work, you volunteer for the same projects, and you hang out in groups that include them when the day is done. If you're purveying nothing necessary, neither food nor water, if you're in the creative field, it's a matter of being in the line of vision on a regular basis, which is why celebrities employ scorched earth publicity campaigns. But these are oftentimes brief, and we know that love is long. And we know that he who throws themselves in front of us is rarely desirable.
5. Used to be stimulation was scarce, now it's plentiful. The information society gives us every book, movie and film at our fingertips, we're overwhelmed, we're constantly looking for trusted guides, filters who tell us what to partake of. The currency in this world is credibility, but credibility requires its own curation, which is anathema to those self-promoting online. So we're overwhelmed with noise, causing us to tune out and retreat to that which has stimulated us in the past.
6. Yields to frustration. With so much to do and so little time that which is not instantly intuitive is cast aside and denigrated. We don't want frustration on our way to usability. Interface designers are king. It doesn't matter what it can do if we can't access it.
7. We don't want to feel alone on the time space continuum. So, if we can bond with you, we've got unlimited time for you. Whether it be lovers, friends or artists. We want to feel attached, we want to feel connected. Which is why you're better off being yourself, with all your rough edges, than blanding yourself down for public consumption. Because it's our rough edges that make us lovable, that hook us. That's right, we live in a Velcro world, we're all loops looking for hooks.
8. Instant gratification has superseded the long hard slog. It's hard to practice your instrument alone in your bedroom because this leaves you disconnected from others. It's easier to social network and connect, for the hit of dopamine.
9. Passion and excitement are contagious. You don't have to implore us to partake, to follow you, all you have to do is be your bubbly self, testifying about your great life, we all want some of that, if we believe you believe, we're gonna check it out. And this is the opposite of the phony society we live in, where everything's fake. Some people have some time for fake, but the truth is honesty rules in today's world. Which is why the government and network television are losing their grip upon society.
10. Going deep increases pleasure. The more time we spend with something the more time we want to spend with it. There's a satisfaction in mastery.
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2. Stimulation. That's what we all want with our time. We want to be excited, we want to be titillated. We want the jones love gives us, the high of infatuation, the satisfaction of sex. Know that everything you create, that you want the time of others for, has to compete with love and sex.
3. Love. Is primarily between two people. But you can love an object or a concept, it's all about the passion. How do we ignite this passion in others? Some try to second-guess, try to deliver what people want, and there's satisfaction in that, but what we look for most is the unknown, the unexpected, that gets us high the same way we do when we meet new people.
4. Love is frequently at first sight, but not always. So, in order for love to grow you have to be in someone's field of vision and/or experience on a regular basis. How do you achieve this? Well, if you like someone in school you find out their schedule and show up in the cafeteria at the same time. If you like them at work, you volunteer for the same projects, and you hang out in groups that include them when the day is done. If you're purveying nothing necessary, neither food nor water, if you're in the creative field, it's a matter of being in the line of vision on a regular basis, which is why celebrities employ scorched earth publicity campaigns. But these are oftentimes brief, and we know that love is long. And we know that he who throws themselves in front of us is rarely desirable.
5. Used to be stimulation was scarce, now it's plentiful. The information society gives us every book, movie and film at our fingertips, we're overwhelmed, we're constantly looking for trusted guides, filters who tell us what to partake of. The currency in this world is credibility, but credibility requires its own curation, which is anathema to those self-promoting online. So we're overwhelmed with noise, causing us to tune out and retreat to that which has stimulated us in the past.
6. Yields to frustration. With so much to do and so little time that which is not instantly intuitive is cast aside and denigrated. We don't want frustration on our way to usability. Interface designers are king. It doesn't matter what it can do if we can't access it.
7. We don't want to feel alone on the time space continuum. So, if we can bond with you, we've got unlimited time for you. Whether it be lovers, friends or artists. We want to feel attached, we want to feel connected. Which is why you're better off being yourself, with all your rough edges, than blanding yourself down for public consumption. Because it's our rough edges that make us lovable, that hook us. That's right, we live in a Velcro world, we're all loops looking for hooks.
8. Instant gratification has superseded the long hard slog. It's hard to practice your instrument alone in your bedroom because this leaves you disconnected from others. It's easier to social network and connect, for the hit of dopamine.
9. Passion and excitement are contagious. You don't have to implore us to partake, to follow you, all you have to do is be your bubbly self, testifying about your great life, we all want some of that, if we believe you believe, we're gonna check it out. And this is the opposite of the phony society we live in, where everything's fake. Some people have some time for fake, but the truth is honesty rules in today's world. Which is why the government and network television are losing their grip upon society.
10. Going deep increases pleasure. The more time we spend with something the more time we want to spend with it. There's a satisfaction in mastery.
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