It's strangely comforting to be amongst your people.
Don't ask me if I believe in God. But one thing's for sure, I'm a Jew.
I grew up in the Connecticut suburbs, surrounded by members of the tribe, but once I went off to college in Vermont I realized I was the other. A member of a minority. Often derided and scorned with no knowledge of my identity.
They say there's a war on Christmas. That assumes we Jews and non-believers have that much power. Then again, I got an e-mail today referencing the greedy Jews who run the record business. Everybody hates the Jews. Maybe not you, but when you look for a scapegoat, we're it. And to a great degree, we hide. We don't want to take what you've got, challenge your beliefs, we just want to live in peace.
Don't confuse Judaism with Israel. Don't ask me to endorse the settlements on the West Bank. Just know that the goal of those complaining is to have Israel decimated, they want it to cease to exist. And that's just scary. Do Jews do wrong things? Of course. Is Israel perfect? Of course not. Have the Palestinians sometimes gotten the short end of the stick? You bet. But when they want your entire race decimated, when they killed six million of your brethren, you push back.
But not vocally, not that often.
I went to the menorah lighting on a lark. To see who else would be there. The truth is Hanukkah or Chanukah or Hanukah is a minor holiday, but to satiate the little boys and girls envious of their Christian brethren, it's been built up. I don't need to light the menorah, I don't need to eat latkes, however delicious they might be, especially with applesauce, but in a country dominated by Christian culture I was intrigued what would go on, right in the heart of Vail, by the covered bridge.
There were nearly a hundred people there. Probably not every Jew in the valley, but more than I expected. Why did they come? I was not sure. But I looked around and I felt warmth, I felt friendship, I felt like I belonged.
We all want to belong. We all want to be a member of the group. But right now our country is divided, not only on political terms, but religious ones too. Yes, terrorism is an important issue, but once we start branding people based on their beliefs we're on a wrong road to a country that America never was, at least not in my era.
There was the community leader, who said in previous years on certain nights he was the only one in attendance, to light the menorah.
There were the little kids, one of whom flipped the switch to turn on the electric light.
There was the woman with the guitar. Music is an important part of modern Judaism. And it's not all dirges, it's often upbeat. They sang a new Hanukkah song that was only distantly familiar, making me feel less included, but then I saw some people talking in the back and I knew I was in the right place. Jews like to talk, to interrupt, to converse. We want to know what you think and we want to tell you what we do. It bonds us together.
And I was familiar with the prayer.
But I was most familiar with the people in attendance. We shared the dreary days of religious education. Baking challah in first grade. Attempting to learn Hebrew. Going to Bar and Bat Mitzvah parties, that's where we learned to dance, we had our first girl and boyfriends at summer camp, we grew up in different places but there was a shared experience, and it made me feel warm inside to realize this.
So as the rest of the world celebrates the birth of their savior...
I will raise a glass, I will smile, I will go along.
But I will not feel included.
Yet tonight by the creek I was. All comers were.
I don't know why we hate each other so much. I don't know why certain people believe they have the answers. I don't know why society has become so coarse, with the haves battling the have-nots.
But I do know at the end of the day we're just people, here for a very short time. And what makes us feel best is to be part of a community.
Choose yours. Just be sure to join. To belong. Because people will surprise you. When you're down and out they'll lend a hand. They'll listen to you.
At least my tribe does.
But I know yours does too.
Happy Hanukkah.
And Merry Christmas.
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Saturday 24 December 2016
Friday 23 December 2016
Why Is Hip-Hop So Big?
I don't know.
In case you missed the memo, hip-hop is exploding on streaming services, it's even bigger than it is in the sales world, demonstrating true demand, because people are actually listening. Why?
I can only speculate.
The first thing that comes to mind is culture. The white world is bankrupt, with its lame TV competition shows, believing if you're lily-white you're desirable when the truth is when you flaunt convention, break rules, people cling to you, which begs the question why all these white hip-hop fans voted for Trump, which they did, then again, Trump is hip-hop, as in he doesn't believe in political correctness and marches to the beat of his own drummer and believes the law is there to be manipulated and challenged.
But no hip-hop act will play the inauguration. Kid Rock and Ted Nugent are lining up, paragons of the past, do you see them anywhere on the Spotify Top 50, nowhere close, and you'll probably get a couple of country acts too, brain dead singers of others' songs who oftentimes are racist underneath it all, then again, some of the biggest country acts rap, isn't that confounding, hell, Florida Georgia Line made massive hits integrating the urban sound, even Luke Bryan does it too, what's up?
Well, there's been decades worth of investment, akin to the Republicans taking over the government, right wingers planted seeds back in the Carter era, whereas rock believes it should survive because it's entitled to, just like the Democrats. We went from "The Message" to Ice-T to Diddy to Jay Z to Drake, you could take a college course on the history of hip-hop, and they probably give one!
So there's something to grab on to, as opposed to the derivative dreck featured on Active Rock. Hell, you can have ten hits in that format and still not be able to sell out arenas. As for Non-Comm/Triple-A, these are the same people who voted for Hillary, holier-than-thou elites who believe they're entitled to rule but don't.
Not that the hip-hoppers supported the Donald, forget Kanye, he's insane, but the rest of the rappers... Hell, Killer Mike came out for Bernie, he spoke more truth on Bill Maher than I saw all season. But African-Americans have been screwed from time immemorial, hell, Hillary just thought they'd show up and vote for her, she barely invested in them, and no one likes to be ignored.
The hip-hoppers come from the I don't give an F world, and the only reason I didn't spell out the word is the white spam filters will make it so most of my audience won't see this missive, but the rappers feel free to utilize the speech of the street, and that's not only in the inner city, you hear that language everywhere, even D.C., but no one will admit it, proving there's more honesty in hip-hop than elsewhere.
And hip-hoppers know you're on your own. That you can't rely on the government or the industry to get ahead. While the Trumpers are decrying them as takers, hip-hoppers take nothing for granted, they know you've got to fight for your piece of the pie, the big piece of chicken, you've got to self-promote and intimidate and these lessons have spread to social media, where do you think "polite society" learned it?
As for selling out to corporations... Knowing they can never run the corporation, they're satisfied to rip it off. Knowing these fat cats want some of their audience, which the rappers make them pay dearly for.
And hip-hop is inclusive. Everybody can try to rap, and many do. Whereas in the white world we tell you you cannot play. And sure, the odds of success are long, but someone new is winning all the time, keeping new players in the game.
And hip-hop knows the world is corrupt, rather than bitch that their cheese was taken away, never mind moved, they constantly put out mixtapes, giving their wares away, knowing attention is everything and you can make bank elsewhere, furthermore, if you're not top of mind constantly, you're forgotten. Adele puts out an album and goes on a world tour, I dare you to sing two songs from "25," she's the queen of the white media, with hosannas everywhere, and Drake puts out new music all the time and although he gets some ink he's not relying on it to advance his career, he's in control of his own narrative on social media. Hip-hoppers don't abhor the establishment media, they just know you can't rely on it.
And even though to the casual user it all sounds the same, innovation is revered in hip-hop, a new sound, a new rapper, the scene is fluid and constantly reinventing itself, whereas in the white world the corporate masters are busy propping up the same old acts. Egomaniacs like Garth Brooks who believes in maximizing revenue while keeping his music from streaming services and playing to old farts who go to bed at nine o'clock, hell, he does shows in the afternoon, did anything exciting ever happen in the afternoon?
And there's cross-pollination, the whites criticize the multiple writers, the guest rappers, but that's just evidence of a community, a cohesiveness, a big tent that the naysayers are not inside of.
And then there's the danger, the jail terms of too many of these acts, who are willing to pay the price for their lifestyle. While whites are coloring inside the lines, trying to get a gig with the man so they can save up for retirement, these hip-hop acts act like there's literally no tomorrow and delayed gratification is for suckers, that resonates if you're on the bottom, and it resonates if you're on the top too, because you're sick of being told what to do.
And then there's the truth. The rappers are saying what's on their mind, in a world where so few do, where all messages are filtered and homogenized. Do you get the appeal?
Not that I'm an expert, far from it, but I can see that hip-hop is the anti, and no other musical format has a chance unless it embraces some of the hip-hop ethos.
We didn't know country was that big until SoundScan, when we saw the true sales.
We now know hip-hop has not only survived, but burgeoned, that it rules. Long after not only Diddy, but Russell Simmons. It's self-regenerating, maybe because when you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose.
African-Americans, put down from time immemorial, are unafraid of a system that has screwed them since day one, they're willing to put up the middle finger, at least the rappers, and this resonates more than ever in a world where the middle class is disappearing and so many are challenged.
As for Bill Cosby, who told African-Americans to sit up straight and fly right...
He turned out to have more skeletons in his closet than those he accused.
So who are you going to believe?
There's power in hip-hop. And Bruce Springsteen will not keep Donald Trump in check, but a bunch of people his audience abhors just might.
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In case you missed the memo, hip-hop is exploding on streaming services, it's even bigger than it is in the sales world, demonstrating true demand, because people are actually listening. Why?
I can only speculate.
The first thing that comes to mind is culture. The white world is bankrupt, with its lame TV competition shows, believing if you're lily-white you're desirable when the truth is when you flaunt convention, break rules, people cling to you, which begs the question why all these white hip-hop fans voted for Trump, which they did, then again, Trump is hip-hop, as in he doesn't believe in political correctness and marches to the beat of his own drummer and believes the law is there to be manipulated and challenged.
But no hip-hop act will play the inauguration. Kid Rock and Ted Nugent are lining up, paragons of the past, do you see them anywhere on the Spotify Top 50, nowhere close, and you'll probably get a couple of country acts too, brain dead singers of others' songs who oftentimes are racist underneath it all, then again, some of the biggest country acts rap, isn't that confounding, hell, Florida Georgia Line made massive hits integrating the urban sound, even Luke Bryan does it too, what's up?
Well, there's been decades worth of investment, akin to the Republicans taking over the government, right wingers planted seeds back in the Carter era, whereas rock believes it should survive because it's entitled to, just like the Democrats. We went from "The Message" to Ice-T to Diddy to Jay Z to Drake, you could take a college course on the history of hip-hop, and they probably give one!
So there's something to grab on to, as opposed to the derivative dreck featured on Active Rock. Hell, you can have ten hits in that format and still not be able to sell out arenas. As for Non-Comm/Triple-A, these are the same people who voted for Hillary, holier-than-thou elites who believe they're entitled to rule but don't.
Not that the hip-hoppers supported the Donald, forget Kanye, he's insane, but the rest of the rappers... Hell, Killer Mike came out for Bernie, he spoke more truth on Bill Maher than I saw all season. But African-Americans have been screwed from time immemorial, hell, Hillary just thought they'd show up and vote for her, she barely invested in them, and no one likes to be ignored.
The hip-hoppers come from the I don't give an F world, and the only reason I didn't spell out the word is the white spam filters will make it so most of my audience won't see this missive, but the rappers feel free to utilize the speech of the street, and that's not only in the inner city, you hear that language everywhere, even D.C., but no one will admit it, proving there's more honesty in hip-hop than elsewhere.
And hip-hoppers know you're on your own. That you can't rely on the government or the industry to get ahead. While the Trumpers are decrying them as takers, hip-hoppers take nothing for granted, they know you've got to fight for your piece of the pie, the big piece of chicken, you've got to self-promote and intimidate and these lessons have spread to social media, where do you think "polite society" learned it?
As for selling out to corporations... Knowing they can never run the corporation, they're satisfied to rip it off. Knowing these fat cats want some of their audience, which the rappers make them pay dearly for.
And hip-hop is inclusive. Everybody can try to rap, and many do. Whereas in the white world we tell you you cannot play. And sure, the odds of success are long, but someone new is winning all the time, keeping new players in the game.
And hip-hop knows the world is corrupt, rather than bitch that their cheese was taken away, never mind moved, they constantly put out mixtapes, giving their wares away, knowing attention is everything and you can make bank elsewhere, furthermore, if you're not top of mind constantly, you're forgotten. Adele puts out an album and goes on a world tour, I dare you to sing two songs from "25," she's the queen of the white media, with hosannas everywhere, and Drake puts out new music all the time and although he gets some ink he's not relying on it to advance his career, he's in control of his own narrative on social media. Hip-hoppers don't abhor the establishment media, they just know you can't rely on it.
And even though to the casual user it all sounds the same, innovation is revered in hip-hop, a new sound, a new rapper, the scene is fluid and constantly reinventing itself, whereas in the white world the corporate masters are busy propping up the same old acts. Egomaniacs like Garth Brooks who believes in maximizing revenue while keeping his music from streaming services and playing to old farts who go to bed at nine o'clock, hell, he does shows in the afternoon, did anything exciting ever happen in the afternoon?
And there's cross-pollination, the whites criticize the multiple writers, the guest rappers, but that's just evidence of a community, a cohesiveness, a big tent that the naysayers are not inside of.
And then there's the danger, the jail terms of too many of these acts, who are willing to pay the price for their lifestyle. While whites are coloring inside the lines, trying to get a gig with the man so they can save up for retirement, these hip-hop acts act like there's literally no tomorrow and delayed gratification is for suckers, that resonates if you're on the bottom, and it resonates if you're on the top too, because you're sick of being told what to do.
And then there's the truth. The rappers are saying what's on their mind, in a world where so few do, where all messages are filtered and homogenized. Do you get the appeal?
Not that I'm an expert, far from it, but I can see that hip-hop is the anti, and no other musical format has a chance unless it embraces some of the hip-hop ethos.
We didn't know country was that big until SoundScan, when we saw the true sales.
We now know hip-hop has not only survived, but burgeoned, that it rules. Long after not only Diddy, but Russell Simmons. It's self-regenerating, maybe because when you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose.
African-Americans, put down from time immemorial, are unafraid of a system that has screwed them since day one, they're willing to put up the middle finger, at least the rappers, and this resonates more than ever in a world where the middle class is disappearing and so many are challenged.
As for Bill Cosby, who told African-Americans to sit up straight and fly right...
He turned out to have more skeletons in his closet than those he accused.
So who are you going to believe?
There's power in hip-hop. And Bruce Springsteen will not keep Donald Trump in check, but a bunch of people his audience abhors just might.
--
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Thursday 22 December 2016
Mailbag
From: Tim Palmer
Subject: Hall of Fame...Pearl Jam TEN
Pearl Jam in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Great you mentioned Pearl Jam?s TEN.
I had been away in Los Angeles for many months producing 'Neverland' the
first 'rock' signing to the newly formed Interscope records.
Before I left to return to London, my home at that point, I received a
demo tape from Michael Goldstone. It was his latest signing to Epic
Records. They were a band formed out of the ashes of the great Mother Love
Bone which I had mixed for him. The members of Pearl Jam had liked what I
had done for Mother Love Bone, so they were interested in me mixing their
new band, then called "Mookie Blaylock". The demo tape sounded really
good, it was clearly 'Alternative' but at the same time hinted at a more
classic rock sound, one example being Mike's classic rock guitar solos.
Eddie's vocals were unique and the band sounded very fresh to me. They really
had a great selection of songs.
As I had mixed Mother Love Bone without ever meeting any of the band, a
meeting was set up between the members and myself. We ended up going to
watch a Lakers game. It was a fun night and we all got along well and
agreed that I should mix one song to make absolutely sure it was all going
to sound right. I mixed the song 'Once' in Los Angeles at the great A&M
studios and everybody seemed happy, so the album mix was a go. Around this
time the band changed their name, so I was actually about to mix the debut
album by 'Pearl Jam'.
My only issue was that I did not want to be in LA any longer, I needed to
get back to London. We agreed to mix the album at one of my favorite UK
residential studios called RIDGE FARM.
Ridge farm was about 30 miles outside of London in the Surrey countryside,
a recording studio converted from a 17th-century mediaeval farmhouse. It
had a great big NEVE console in the control room which was situated high
up in the barn. As it was 'residential' the band could all stay, and we
could all eat dinner together each evening. I lived close by, so I could
drive to the studio each day. Ridge Farm was a fabulous place with great
staff and cooks, a pool, and a tennis court, it had famously hosted
sessions with Queen, Thin Lizzy, Roxy Music and I had recorded the first
album by The Mission there.
The band flew to the UK that June and we began finishing the record
together. There were some vocal parts to finish, and a few guitar overdubs
to get done, including the big outro solo for the song 'Alive' which Mike
nailed in one take. I remember the sessions being very low pressure, there
was no great weight of expectation on our shoulders, and A&R man Michael
Goldstone was back in LA! (He came over for the last couple of days). I
mixed a song each day and took it home each night to check on my home
stereo. As I drove in each morning I had the chance to do a 'car check'
and make any final revisions before the band arrived in the control room.
Pearl Jam's TEN album is an interesting album as even though it is often
seen as one of the cornerstone 'Grunge' albums it is not a particularly
'Grungy' sounding record. Most of that is due to the time period of when
we worked on the record. We never discussed the idea of the record being
mixed dry, or stripped back. The 'Seattle Sound? hadn't really made it to
the mainstream yet, remember 'Ten' was released before Nivana's
'Nevermind'. The big rock records of that year were Skid Row, Metallica,
Tesla, Van Halen and Extreme.
Instead of feeling pressured to make a dry, grunge-sounding album, I felt
free to just do what felt right for each song. Reverb, delays and
backwards reverbs were all still de rigueur at that time, so I did not
feel constrained . On 'Ten? I used the reverb and delays to add to the
depth of the sound: the EMT plates at Ridge Farm were fantastic and at
that time, I really enjoyed moving from a fairly ambient sound straight
into a very dry sound‹especially on drums and vocals.
As we were stuck in the middle of the countryside, getting equipment was
very slow. I wanted to add some small percussion parts to a couple of
tracks but didn't want to wait around for them to be delivered. So I just
used what was in the pantry rather than waiting; hence my credit for
'pepper shaker and fire extinguisher'.
Pearl Jam suffered a setback after completing TEN, when Dave Krusen left
the band to check into rehab. I think his contribution to the record was
substantial, and often overlooked. The groove on those tracks was superb.
We finished the record in about 2 weeks. Michael 'Goldie? Goldstone came
over for the last few days and he was happy. We just needed to get a great
sequence. Time was booked to put the record together at a mastering room
in London, but the band were late for their flights so didn?t attend that
session. I sat and just made the cross fades at the start of the album
that seemed right to me and hoped they liked them !
It?s funny looking back. I remember telling the band that the song BLACK
was way too long and I tried to edit the end section down. Luckily Eddie
Vedder stood strong and we left it alone. It?s now a fan favorite and
clearly I was wrong !
The band did reach out to me to work on the follow up, but I was
Producing Tears for Fears at the time and I just couldn?t walk away. The rest is history.
I?m so pleased they have been inducted into the R&R Hall of fame. They
deserve it. They have stuck to their guns, never sold out, and stayed away from the whole celeb and Gossip' scene.
Smart guys,
Happy Holidays Bob
Tim Palmer
ATX
www.facebook.com/timpalmermixer
www.timpalmer.com
timpalmermixer on Twitter and Instagram.
___________________________________________
Subject: Re: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Playlist
Bob how does Pearl Jam get into the HOF and leave Dave Abbruzzese out? He was there almost from the beginning and was the engine that took the band from the van to the stadium.
Over 30 million in sales on those first 3 records ( yes Ab didn't play on Ten but that's him on the live Evenflow video that MTV played to death and him on almost every concert from day one of Tens release).
He was even a big part of the bands look and style with the boots, shorts and thermals.
A band can't screw a guy over like that with out it coming back.
I know Dave well and I know he isn't easy but the work is the work!
Him not getting in with his band only brings more negativity to the Hall. Dave Abbruzzese has a huge global Pearl Jam fan base and people are sick about this.
I hope the band does the right thing and gets this sorted.
Stevie Salas
___________________________________________
From: Andrew Oldham
Subject: Re: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Playlist
just exciting to know that the move nearly/sorta got i to the RNRHoF. you, dear bob, being yankfull, have no idea of the impact the move , via their music, the group in total < trevor burton; bev bevan; "ace" kefford; ; carl wayne; roy wood; rik price; jeff lynne ; manager tony secunda and producer denny cordell, had on the UK in '66. for the public they were a breath of hostile and welcome air, for those of of us already in, or on, the game the move were a wake up call.
not unlike the kinks with their first single in august of ' 64. but they had whimsical and sloppy management and a record company that were happier with petula clark , so , apart from the forever songs, never made it to the james cagney rooftops.
the move were the real thing - and had the army to deliver. the records and the band were crackin' . they shook our world.
the wonderful jeff lynne and ELO were made by america.
check out the Salvo move anthology 1966-1972 ; it will bring waterberries to your eyes and ears.
abrazo, ALO
___________________________________________
From: Peter Paterno
Subject: RE: Not A Hit In America
They're all pikers: Joel Adams has almost 250,000,000 streams for Please Don't Go and hasn't been played, as far as I can tell from Mediabase, one time on US radio.
___________________________________________
From: Jack Williamson
Subject: Re: Not A Hit In America
Another key example of this is Gavin James who played with LP in France this week and his track
"Nervous (The Ooh Song)"
https://open.spotify.com/track/5FoYSQF0IaVwS6M9mlk6C4?utm_source=phplist5678&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Mailbag
He is at 56M streams on Spotify yet the video isn't at a million on YouTube.
It has hit multi-platinum in several countries across Europe but has yet to break in the Top 4 major markets US, Germany, UK and Japan (who are now slowly warming to streaming)
He went from 200 capacity gig to 12,000 capacity in one year in Ireland (his home country)
Spotify breaks records, radio sustains records.
Radio is now the last on board with tracks these days, they have lost their power to break a track.
So much talent out there like Gavin, LP, James Hersey and more, who no longer rely on radio to break a record or the key markets to radiate success internationally.
___________________________________________
Subject: RE: Whipping Post
Bob,
My brother Twiggs Lyndon, who died in a skydiving accident in 1979, was the original road manager of the Allman Brothers Band. He had previously been on the road with Little Richard (when Jimi Hendrix was a member of the band), Percy Sledge, and Arthur Conley. He did a Stax/Volt tour of Europe with Otis Redding, Sam and Dave and Booker T. He accompanied Otis' wife Zelma and Otis' father to Madison Wisconsin when they got the news that Otis' plane had gone down.
I wanted to point out that Chris Stapleton in performing "Whipping Post" sang the original lyrics that Gregg had written and which were recorded by the ABB: "Sometimes I feel like I've been tied to the whipping post, tied to the whipping post, tied to the whipping post, sometimes I feel like I'm dying." Several years after it was recorded, at Twiggs' suggestion, Gregg changed the lyrics to "Sometimes I feel like I've been tied to the whipping post, chained and bound,...." Twiggs proposed this as a tribute to Otis Redding who had a hit single named, "Chained and Bound" and Gregg has been singing it this way ever since. For the last 30 years whenever I've heard Gregg sing Whipping Post the phrase "Chained and Bound" has always reminded me of my brother and the great Otis Redding.
Last week I was in Macon and stopped by to see Zelma and their daughter Karla. I shared this bit of trivia with them and of course they were delighted to hear of this tribute.
Love your Posts,
John Lyndon
___________________________________________
Subject: Re: The Cold
I have a story too. I had just moved from San Diego to Seattle Washington, and I have never lived anywhere with snow or winter. There's no real winter in San Diego. I was 15, and I was exploring the dense woods in the back of our house. I went for what seemed forever and came upon a stunning clearing with a small pond that was frozen over. It had a makeshift wooden diving board over it, and I got on that and lowered myself onto the ice. Crack! I fell in and it was freezing cold. I thought it was all over for me. I managed to grab the makeshift diving board and pulled myself up. My clothes were soaking wet. Then I heard dogs and a man shouting carrying a shotgun. I wasn't used to guns or anything like this. He came over to me, and I told him I was from Cali, and that I was exploring. He was very rude and told me this was his land and to go back where I came from. I went back into the woods and got to my home, and ran into my bedroom to get out of the wet clothes. I spent an hour by the fire getting warm. I was afraid to tell my dad what happened, so I never did. I feared my parents more than drowning or freezing to death.
Warm regards,
Scott Finnell
Subject: Hall of Fame...Pearl Jam TEN
Pearl Jam in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Great you mentioned Pearl Jam?s TEN.
I had been away in Los Angeles for many months producing 'Neverland' the
first 'rock' signing to the newly formed Interscope records.
Before I left to return to London, my home at that point, I received a
demo tape from Michael Goldstone. It was his latest signing to Epic
Records. They were a band formed out of the ashes of the great Mother Love
Bone which I had mixed for him. The members of Pearl Jam had liked what I
had done for Mother Love Bone, so they were interested in me mixing their
new band, then called "Mookie Blaylock". The demo tape sounded really
good, it was clearly 'Alternative' but at the same time hinted at a more
classic rock sound, one example being Mike's classic rock guitar solos.
Eddie's vocals were unique and the band sounded very fresh to me. They really
had a great selection of songs.
As I had mixed Mother Love Bone without ever meeting any of the band, a
meeting was set up between the members and myself. We ended up going to
watch a Lakers game. It was a fun night and we all got along well and
agreed that I should mix one song to make absolutely sure it was all going
to sound right. I mixed the song 'Once' in Los Angeles at the great A&M
studios and everybody seemed happy, so the album mix was a go. Around this
time the band changed their name, so I was actually about to mix the debut
album by 'Pearl Jam'.
My only issue was that I did not want to be in LA any longer, I needed to
get back to London. We agreed to mix the album at one of my favorite UK
residential studios called RIDGE FARM.
Ridge farm was about 30 miles outside of London in the Surrey countryside,
a recording studio converted from a 17th-century mediaeval farmhouse. It
had a great big NEVE console in the control room which was situated high
up in the barn. As it was 'residential' the band could all stay, and we
could all eat dinner together each evening. I lived close by, so I could
drive to the studio each day. Ridge Farm was a fabulous place with great
staff and cooks, a pool, and a tennis court, it had famously hosted
sessions with Queen, Thin Lizzy, Roxy Music and I had recorded the first
album by The Mission there.
The band flew to the UK that June and we began finishing the record
together. There were some vocal parts to finish, and a few guitar overdubs
to get done, including the big outro solo for the song 'Alive' which Mike
nailed in one take. I remember the sessions being very low pressure, there
was no great weight of expectation on our shoulders, and A&R man Michael
Goldstone was back in LA! (He came over for the last couple of days). I
mixed a song each day and took it home each night to check on my home
stereo. As I drove in each morning I had the chance to do a 'car check'
and make any final revisions before the band arrived in the control room.
Pearl Jam's TEN album is an interesting album as even though it is often
seen as one of the cornerstone 'Grunge' albums it is not a particularly
'Grungy' sounding record. Most of that is due to the time period of when
we worked on the record. We never discussed the idea of the record being
mixed dry, or stripped back. The 'Seattle Sound? hadn't really made it to
the mainstream yet, remember 'Ten' was released before Nivana's
'Nevermind'. The big rock records of that year were Skid Row, Metallica,
Tesla, Van Halen and Extreme.
Instead of feeling pressured to make a dry, grunge-sounding album, I felt
free to just do what felt right for each song. Reverb, delays and
backwards reverbs were all still de rigueur at that time, so I did not
feel constrained . On 'Ten? I used the reverb and delays to add to the
depth of the sound: the EMT plates at Ridge Farm were fantastic and at
that time, I really enjoyed moving from a fairly ambient sound straight
into a very dry sound‹especially on drums and vocals.
As we were stuck in the middle of the countryside, getting equipment was
very slow. I wanted to add some small percussion parts to a couple of
tracks but didn't want to wait around for them to be delivered. So I just
used what was in the pantry rather than waiting; hence my credit for
'pepper shaker and fire extinguisher'.
Pearl Jam suffered a setback after completing TEN, when Dave Krusen left
the band to check into rehab. I think his contribution to the record was
substantial, and often overlooked. The groove on those tracks was superb.
We finished the record in about 2 weeks. Michael 'Goldie? Goldstone came
over for the last few days and he was happy. We just needed to get a great
sequence. Time was booked to put the record together at a mastering room
in London, but the band were late for their flights so didn?t attend that
session. I sat and just made the cross fades at the start of the album
that seemed right to me and hoped they liked them !
It?s funny looking back. I remember telling the band that the song BLACK
was way too long and I tried to edit the end section down. Luckily Eddie
Vedder stood strong and we left it alone. It?s now a fan favorite and
clearly I was wrong !
The band did reach out to me to work on the follow up, but I was
Producing Tears for Fears at the time and I just couldn?t walk away. The rest is history.
I?m so pleased they have been inducted into the R&R Hall of fame. They
deserve it. They have stuck to their guns, never sold out, and stayed away from the whole celeb and Gossip' scene.
Smart guys,
Happy Holidays Bob
Tim Palmer
ATX
www.facebook.com/timpalmermixer
www.timpalmer.com
timpalmermixer on Twitter and Instagram.
___________________________________________
Subject: Re: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Playlist
Bob how does Pearl Jam get into the HOF and leave Dave Abbruzzese out? He was there almost from the beginning and was the engine that took the band from the van to the stadium.
Over 30 million in sales on those first 3 records ( yes Ab didn't play on Ten but that's him on the live Evenflow video that MTV played to death and him on almost every concert from day one of Tens release).
He was even a big part of the bands look and style with the boots, shorts and thermals.
A band can't screw a guy over like that with out it coming back.
I know Dave well and I know he isn't easy but the work is the work!
Him not getting in with his band only brings more negativity to the Hall. Dave Abbruzzese has a huge global Pearl Jam fan base and people are sick about this.
I hope the band does the right thing and gets this sorted.
Stevie Salas
___________________________________________
From: Andrew Oldham
Subject: Re: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Playlist
just exciting to know that the move nearly/sorta got i to the RNRHoF. you, dear bob, being yankfull, have no idea of the impact the move , via their music, the group in total < trevor burton; bev bevan; "ace" kefford; ; carl wayne; roy wood; rik price; jeff lynne ; manager tony secunda and producer denny cordell, had on the UK in '66. for the public they were a breath of hostile and welcome air, for those of of us already in, or on, the game the move were a wake up call.
not unlike the kinks with their first single in august of ' 64. but they had whimsical and sloppy management and a record company that were happier with petula clark , so , apart from the forever songs, never made it to the james cagney rooftops.
the move were the real thing - and had the army to deliver. the records and the band were crackin' . they shook our world.
the wonderful jeff lynne and ELO were made by america.
check out the Salvo move anthology 1966-1972 ; it will bring waterberries to your eyes and ears.
abrazo, ALO
___________________________________________
From: Peter Paterno
Subject: RE: Not A Hit In America
They're all pikers: Joel Adams has almost 250,000,000 streams for Please Don't Go and hasn't been played, as far as I can tell from Mediabase, one time on US radio.
___________________________________________
From: Jack Williamson
Subject: Re: Not A Hit In America
Another key example of this is Gavin James who played with LP in France this week and his track
"Nervous (The Ooh Song)"
https://open.spotify.com/track/5FoYSQF0IaVwS6M9mlk6C4?utm_source=phplist5678&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Mailbag
He is at 56M streams on Spotify yet the video isn't at a million on YouTube.
It has hit multi-platinum in several countries across Europe but has yet to break in the Top 4 major markets US, Germany, UK and Japan (who are now slowly warming to streaming)
He went from 200 capacity gig to 12,000 capacity in one year in Ireland (his home country)
Spotify breaks records, radio sustains records.
Radio is now the last on board with tracks these days, they have lost their power to break a track.
So much talent out there like Gavin, LP, James Hersey and more, who no longer rely on radio to break a record or the key markets to radiate success internationally.
___________________________________________
Subject: RE: Whipping Post
Bob,
My brother Twiggs Lyndon, who died in a skydiving accident in 1979, was the original road manager of the Allman Brothers Band. He had previously been on the road with Little Richard (when Jimi Hendrix was a member of the band), Percy Sledge, and Arthur Conley. He did a Stax/Volt tour of Europe with Otis Redding, Sam and Dave and Booker T. He accompanied Otis' wife Zelma and Otis' father to Madison Wisconsin when they got the news that Otis' plane had gone down.
I wanted to point out that Chris Stapleton in performing "Whipping Post" sang the original lyrics that Gregg had written and which were recorded by the ABB: "Sometimes I feel like I've been tied to the whipping post, tied to the whipping post, tied to the whipping post, sometimes I feel like I'm dying." Several years after it was recorded, at Twiggs' suggestion, Gregg changed the lyrics to "Sometimes I feel like I've been tied to the whipping post, chained and bound,...." Twiggs proposed this as a tribute to Otis Redding who had a hit single named, "Chained and Bound" and Gregg has been singing it this way ever since. For the last 30 years whenever I've heard Gregg sing Whipping Post the phrase "Chained and Bound" has always reminded me of my brother and the great Otis Redding.
Last week I was in Macon and stopped by to see Zelma and their daughter Karla. I shared this bit of trivia with them and of course they were delighted to hear of this tribute.
Love your Posts,
John Lyndon
___________________________________________
Subject: Re: The Cold
I have a story too. I had just moved from San Diego to Seattle Washington, and I have never lived anywhere with snow or winter. There's no real winter in San Diego. I was 15, and I was exploring the dense woods in the back of our house. I went for what seemed forever and came upon a stunning clearing with a small pond that was frozen over. It had a makeshift wooden diving board over it, and I got on that and lowered myself onto the ice. Crack! I fell in and it was freezing cold. I thought it was all over for me. I managed to grab the makeshift diving board and pulled myself up. My clothes were soaking wet. Then I heard dogs and a man shouting carrying a shotgun. I wasn't used to guns or anything like this. He came over to me, and I told him I was from Cali, and that I was exploring. He was very rude and told me this was his land and to go back where I came from. I went back into the woods and got to my home, and ran into my bedroom to get out of the wet clothes. I spent an hour by the fire getting warm. I was afraid to tell my dad what happened, so I never did. I feared my parents more than drowning or freezing to death.
Warm regards,
Scott Finnell
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WABC's All American Survey for Week of 21 December 1965
http://spoti.fi/2hidF7b
1. "Turn! Turn! Turn!"
The Byrds
It began in the spring with "Mr. Tambourine Man." Out of nowhere, folk rock was born. A melding of what once was before the Beatles to that which came thereafter, no wonder Dylan went electric, he had no choice, he not busy being born is busy dying.
But the lyrics for this number came from Ecclesiastes, that was the word that spread throughout school, before there was a Wikipedia, when everything was word of mouth. Back when religion was dying, when "Time" asked whether God was dead, before it all flipped back in the next decade and our whole country took a right turn, remember when it was the musicians who were atheists, imagine the Grammys without everybody thanking God, these players believed in themselves, and credit Jim/Roger McGuinn for creating his own unique guitar sound, you immediately knew it was the Byrds.
2. "A Taste Of Honey"
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
From "Whipped Cream & Other Delights"! We had this album at home, did you?
It was my first exposure to Herb, when he had his first hit, "The Lonely Bull," my transistor was mostly used for baseball games. Not that I bought no singles, but it wasn't until the Beatles broke that I became glued, it was the AOL of its day, remember 1995, when the masses went out and bought computers just so they could play online, it was just like that!
But in those days before Spotify it was a while before I heard the first hit, but at this late date I prefer "The Lonely Bull" to "A Taste Of Honey," which I know by heart because it was right there, on the chart, in between...
3. "We Can Work It Out"
The Beatles
One of Paul McCartney's best Beatle vocals. There were other records on the radio, but you bonded with the lads from Liverpool immediately, it was something about the vocals, as if they were just across the street testifying and you couldn't help but pay attention.
Furthermore, the b-side was "Day Tripper," whew!
4. "The Sound of Silence"
Simon & Garfunkel
We laughed at his name, we didn't think it was real, this was in the era of bands adopting monikers for effect.
Talk about a winter song... Dark and introspective... We loved it, but we had no idea Paul Simon was a genius who would only get bigger, did I ever tell you I saw the duo open for Soupy Sales at Fairfield U? This was after the hits, but before "The Graduate"...
5. "Let's Hang On!"
The Four Seasons
It was over.
I was a huge Four Seasons fan. My favorite was "Dawn (Go Away)," but at this point the act was running on fumes, this was a hit, but it did not have the gravitas of what came before, true, they survived the British Invasion, but not for long, kinda sad, I remembered "Rag Doll" from the year before, this was a lighthearted trifle compared to that masterpiece.
6. "Over and Over"
The Dave Clark Five
By this point we knew they were not the new Beatles, yet this was a smash featuring Dave's drums but the key to the act was the ultra-cool, very talented Mike Smith, who has been lost to the sands of time, not helped by Mr. Clark's refusal to license his music, why?
YouTube: http://bit.ly/2heIAQc
7. "I Hear A Symphony"
The Supremes
At this point they were a chart staple, this features an intimate vocal, it was a righteous smash but I still prefer "Come See About Me," but at this point they could do no wrong, we expected them to have hits forever, but then Diana Ross went solo, how many lead singers leave to greater success, we believe in the act, we have an investment, it was THE SUPREMES!
8. "I Got You (I Feel Good)"
James Brown & his Famous Flames
This was long before Eddie Murphy made fun of him, before James got arrested and went to jail, this was when he was the king of black radio and most white people were ignorant as to his talent. This was the apotheosis, undeniable in every way, only in hindsight can we see how talented the man was, sometimes you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone...
9. "Don't Think Twice (It's Alright)"
The Wonder Who?
Did I know this was the Four Seasons?
I don't think so!
Never underestimate the power of a great song, even if this arrangement stripped the composition of most of its meaning.
10. "England Swings"
Roger Miller
We were UK crazy, it's hard to imagine today's America being infatuated with another nation this much, to the point where a country star testified about it, but Roger Miller did way back when in '65. Still, my favorite number from this genre is "Next Plane To London" by the Rose Garden, with the airport announcement and everything.
11. "I Can Never Go Home Anymore"
The Shangri-Las
At first I didn't remember this, but then...
The Shangri-Las got stuck in their own device, the teen angst backwater, this was one of their last gasps, they were close to done.
12. "Ebb Tide"
The Righteous Brothers
This was the kind of drivel that drove me nuts as I waited for the British Invasion hits on the radio, I've come to like the Righteous Brothers, which I did not back then, but this was a cheap shot, a cover of an old number, an old fogey trip to way back when that I did not need.
13. "Fever"
The McCoys
Rick Derringer was only eighteen, this was a new generation of musicians, who cared that this was a classic song, we were indoctrinated by "Hang On Sloopy" and we were glad to have more.
14. "As Tears Go By"
The Rolling Stones
This was a surprise, we expected the Stones to be dark and grungy, but this was sweet and meaningful demonstrating range we were not prepared for, this was a complete surprise after "Satisfaction" and "Get Off My Cloud," it made the boys presentable to those turned off previously.
Furthermore, by this point we all had our guitars and this was one of the few songs that could be easily picked out and played, and we did.
15. "She's Just My Style"
Gary Lewis & the Playboys
One of the great non-Beach Boys Beach Boys songs, the apotheosis of Gary Lewis's career, the song was cowritten by Leon Russell, along with Al Capps, Snuff Garrett and Mr. Lewis himself, I loved this so much I bought the album, and tried to buy a shirt like the band wore on the cover.
16. "A Must To Avoid"
Herman's Hermits
They were supposed to be done by this point, right?
No.
The magic is in the way Herman spits out the words. This P.F. Soan/Steve Barri song is a tear, only eclipsed by its follow-up, "Listen People."
17. "It's My Life
The Animals
Vastly underrated, Eric Burdon needs his victory lap, a small man with a deep voice who sang the lyrics like they were the most important thing in the world, he made the songs his own, and never underestimate the bass work by Chas Chandler.
18. "Hang On Sloopy"
The Ramsey Lewis Trio
Back when jazz cats were still cool and rather than sample a record you just remade it in your own style.
19. "Make The World Go Away"
Eddy Arnold
We'd wince and push the button, not believing they were playing this dreck on our station, did fans of this stuff actually tune in to Top Forty, and one of the great things about Top Forty was they played mostly the Top Ten or Fifteen, so you rarely had to hear this, thank god.
20. "The Men In My Little Girl's Life"
Mike Douglas
Ditto.
21. "1-2-3"
Len Barry
I loved it then and I love it now, it's like Barry is a carnival barker who we cannot resist, when selling a song meant more than belting.
24. "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore"
The Young Rascals
The beginning of the American renaissance. The British Invasion was fading and the Americans were coming on strong and this was the great east coast hope, the Young Rascals, their initial single which was undeniable, the fact that this band is hiding in plain sight and not getting its deserved accolades is criminal.
47. "Flowers On The Wall"
The Statler Brothers
Lord only knows why this track is included in the online chart, which skips from #21 to #24 and then goes to this. In theory I should despise this song, this was back before country was rock and roll, when it was music made for the south before Nixon established his strategy and brought attention to what was going on down there, before that we just ignored it, but not this track, which is genius in that you hear it and you get it and every time it came on you could not turn it off, if for no other reason than you wanted to sing "Captain KANGAROO"!
Don't tell me I've got nothin' to do.
http://www.musicradio77.com/Surveys/1965/surveydec2165.html
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1. "Turn! Turn! Turn!"
The Byrds
It began in the spring with "Mr. Tambourine Man." Out of nowhere, folk rock was born. A melding of what once was before the Beatles to that which came thereafter, no wonder Dylan went electric, he had no choice, he not busy being born is busy dying.
But the lyrics for this number came from Ecclesiastes, that was the word that spread throughout school, before there was a Wikipedia, when everything was word of mouth. Back when religion was dying, when "Time" asked whether God was dead, before it all flipped back in the next decade and our whole country took a right turn, remember when it was the musicians who were atheists, imagine the Grammys without everybody thanking God, these players believed in themselves, and credit Jim/Roger McGuinn for creating his own unique guitar sound, you immediately knew it was the Byrds.
2. "A Taste Of Honey"
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
From "Whipped Cream & Other Delights"! We had this album at home, did you?
It was my first exposure to Herb, when he had his first hit, "The Lonely Bull," my transistor was mostly used for baseball games. Not that I bought no singles, but it wasn't until the Beatles broke that I became glued, it was the AOL of its day, remember 1995, when the masses went out and bought computers just so they could play online, it was just like that!
But in those days before Spotify it was a while before I heard the first hit, but at this late date I prefer "The Lonely Bull" to "A Taste Of Honey," which I know by heart because it was right there, on the chart, in between...
3. "We Can Work It Out"
The Beatles
One of Paul McCartney's best Beatle vocals. There were other records on the radio, but you bonded with the lads from Liverpool immediately, it was something about the vocals, as if they were just across the street testifying and you couldn't help but pay attention.
Furthermore, the b-side was "Day Tripper," whew!
4. "The Sound of Silence"
Simon & Garfunkel
We laughed at his name, we didn't think it was real, this was in the era of bands adopting monikers for effect.
Talk about a winter song... Dark and introspective... We loved it, but we had no idea Paul Simon was a genius who would only get bigger, did I ever tell you I saw the duo open for Soupy Sales at Fairfield U? This was after the hits, but before "The Graduate"...
5. "Let's Hang On!"
The Four Seasons
It was over.
I was a huge Four Seasons fan. My favorite was "Dawn (Go Away)," but at this point the act was running on fumes, this was a hit, but it did not have the gravitas of what came before, true, they survived the British Invasion, but not for long, kinda sad, I remembered "Rag Doll" from the year before, this was a lighthearted trifle compared to that masterpiece.
6. "Over and Over"
The Dave Clark Five
By this point we knew they were not the new Beatles, yet this was a smash featuring Dave's drums but the key to the act was the ultra-cool, very talented Mike Smith, who has been lost to the sands of time, not helped by Mr. Clark's refusal to license his music, why?
YouTube: http://bit.ly/2heIAQc
7. "I Hear A Symphony"
The Supremes
At this point they were a chart staple, this features an intimate vocal, it was a righteous smash but I still prefer "Come See About Me," but at this point they could do no wrong, we expected them to have hits forever, but then Diana Ross went solo, how many lead singers leave to greater success, we believe in the act, we have an investment, it was THE SUPREMES!
8. "I Got You (I Feel Good)"
James Brown & his Famous Flames
This was long before Eddie Murphy made fun of him, before James got arrested and went to jail, this was when he was the king of black radio and most white people were ignorant as to his talent. This was the apotheosis, undeniable in every way, only in hindsight can we see how talented the man was, sometimes you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone...
9. "Don't Think Twice (It's Alright)"
The Wonder Who?
Did I know this was the Four Seasons?
I don't think so!
Never underestimate the power of a great song, even if this arrangement stripped the composition of most of its meaning.
10. "England Swings"
Roger Miller
We were UK crazy, it's hard to imagine today's America being infatuated with another nation this much, to the point where a country star testified about it, but Roger Miller did way back when in '65. Still, my favorite number from this genre is "Next Plane To London" by the Rose Garden, with the airport announcement and everything.
11. "I Can Never Go Home Anymore"
The Shangri-Las
At first I didn't remember this, but then...
The Shangri-Las got stuck in their own device, the teen angst backwater, this was one of their last gasps, they were close to done.
12. "Ebb Tide"
The Righteous Brothers
This was the kind of drivel that drove me nuts as I waited for the British Invasion hits on the radio, I've come to like the Righteous Brothers, which I did not back then, but this was a cheap shot, a cover of an old number, an old fogey trip to way back when that I did not need.
13. "Fever"
The McCoys
Rick Derringer was only eighteen, this was a new generation of musicians, who cared that this was a classic song, we were indoctrinated by "Hang On Sloopy" and we were glad to have more.
14. "As Tears Go By"
The Rolling Stones
This was a surprise, we expected the Stones to be dark and grungy, but this was sweet and meaningful demonstrating range we were not prepared for, this was a complete surprise after "Satisfaction" and "Get Off My Cloud," it made the boys presentable to those turned off previously.
Furthermore, by this point we all had our guitars and this was one of the few songs that could be easily picked out and played, and we did.
15. "She's Just My Style"
Gary Lewis & the Playboys
One of the great non-Beach Boys Beach Boys songs, the apotheosis of Gary Lewis's career, the song was cowritten by Leon Russell, along with Al Capps, Snuff Garrett and Mr. Lewis himself, I loved this so much I bought the album, and tried to buy a shirt like the band wore on the cover.
16. "A Must To Avoid"
Herman's Hermits
They were supposed to be done by this point, right?
No.
The magic is in the way Herman spits out the words. This P.F. Soan/Steve Barri song is a tear, only eclipsed by its follow-up, "Listen People."
17. "It's My Life
The Animals
Vastly underrated, Eric Burdon needs his victory lap, a small man with a deep voice who sang the lyrics like they were the most important thing in the world, he made the songs his own, and never underestimate the bass work by Chas Chandler.
18. "Hang On Sloopy"
The Ramsey Lewis Trio
Back when jazz cats were still cool and rather than sample a record you just remade it in your own style.
19. "Make The World Go Away"
Eddy Arnold
We'd wince and push the button, not believing they were playing this dreck on our station, did fans of this stuff actually tune in to Top Forty, and one of the great things about Top Forty was they played mostly the Top Ten or Fifteen, so you rarely had to hear this, thank god.
20. "The Men In My Little Girl's Life"
Mike Douglas
Ditto.
21. "1-2-3"
Len Barry
I loved it then and I love it now, it's like Barry is a carnival barker who we cannot resist, when selling a song meant more than belting.
24. "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore"
The Young Rascals
The beginning of the American renaissance. The British Invasion was fading and the Americans were coming on strong and this was the great east coast hope, the Young Rascals, their initial single which was undeniable, the fact that this band is hiding in plain sight and not getting its deserved accolades is criminal.
47. "Flowers On The Wall"
The Statler Brothers
Lord only knows why this track is included in the online chart, which skips from #21 to #24 and then goes to this. In theory I should despise this song, this was back before country was rock and roll, when it was music made for the south before Nixon established his strategy and brought attention to what was going on down there, before that we just ignored it, but not this track, which is genius in that you hear it and you get it and every time it came on you could not turn it off, if for no other reason than you wanted to sing "Captain KANGAROO"!
Don't tell me I've got nothin' to do.
http://www.musicradio77.com/Surveys/1965/surveydec2165.html
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Wednesday 21 December 2016
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Playlist
http://spoti.fi/2ihBHeC
"Autobahn"
Kraftwerk
More influential than any of the bands enshrined this year, the R&RHOF is a worthless organization with no credibility but it does allow us to have these discussions, keeping the legacy of old acts alive.
Now when "Autobahn" hit the airwaves back in '75 there was nothing else remotely like it, there were few successful German acts in the U.S., the track was seen as a one hit wonder novelty, which got airplay all over FM, which ruled the era, the fact that they could play this is astounding in retrospect, especially through the lens of today, when little radio risk is taken.
Let's start with the fact that it's 22 plus minutes long, not a negative way back when, but the magic was in how hypnotic it was, if only something so revolutionary could be released today.
"Computer Love"
Kraftwerk
This is the album that closed me, back in '81, the hit was "Pocket Calculator," but this is the magical, infectious track. The LP came in two versions, "Computerwelt," with German lyrics, and the Americanized "Computer World."
I went to see the show at the Santa Monica Civic and it was one of the most innovative I've ever seen, with the showroom dummies and...
Nobody pushes the edge like this anymore. But back then we embraced the new and quirky, the innovative and outrageous, and despite sounding like nothing else Kraftwerk was considered part of the canon, everywhere but the R&RHOF, where you've got wankers with special interests, guys who never got laid who are still wearing their hair long trying to extend their influence when the truth is we stopped listening to these self-appointed know-it-alls a long time ago, about the same time "Rolling Stone" lost all relevance.
The truth is without Kraftwerk there's no EDM. And the electronic sound is not only the bass-heavy thumping you hear at festivals, it's all over the pop chart, to exclude Kraftwerk from the R&RHOF is CRIMINAL!
"Every Little Thing"
Yes
They made prog-rock safe for America.
And if you pooh-pooh this, I feel sorry for you, is there anything wrong with being able to play your instrument, demonstrate your virtuosity, test limits?
Genesis came after. A great band, but Yes was the one that forged the way.
This is from their initial LP, "The Yes Album," which I discovered on a drive back from Vermont on 8-track in my dentist's car. In case you're unfamiliar with the track, it's my favorite Beatles song of all time, but this time reworked...
Listen for the "Day Tripper" riff, exalt in Jon Anderson's vocal, get hooked by the changes...
"Yours Is No Disgrace"
Yes
The second LP, "Time And A Word," had zero impact, you couldn't even find it on the shelf, but the story was different with the third LP, the one that gained traction and began the juggernaut, this is the opening cut, it starts on a tear and then takes you to hyperspace.
"Roundabout"
Yes
Yes, I can barely listen to it anymore either. But you've got to picture it... An almost unknown band with a sound that lived on FM if it got airplay at all crossed over to AM radio and dominated, talk about a success story!
"Heart Of The Sunrise"
Yes
I saw the "Fragile" tour, at UVM in Burlington. It was positively astounding. Remember when you were just thrilled to be inside the building, before if you weren't up close and personal you didn't even want to go? We sat in the bleachers, and this song was the highlight, Rick Wakeman was a showman, a star in his own right, remember when you went to the show for the music? I DO!
"It Can Happen"
Yes
"90125" is a masterpiece. Yes, there I said it. The band got too far out there, I liked "Close To The Edge," "Tales From Topographic Oceans" was too indulgent, thereafter the band sometimes stumbled upon greatness, but there was too much filler and then...
They reconstituted the act and melded pop with prog-rock and the result was so hooky, so infectious, you couldn't stop playing the album.
"Owner Of A Lonely Heart" was the hit, but this is the best cut. If you want to go deeper, also listen to "Leave It" and "Changes."
This is not music made for earbuds, this is music made for the big rig, with the lights off, cranked to 11... TRY IT!
P.S. The fact that they waited until the Fish was dead to induct the band is a faux pas nonpareil. The guy who kept the act together, who carried the flame, is not around to see the band get its just due. Makes me sick.
"Message From The Country"
The Move
And we thought the genius was Roy Wood.
You only have to hear this track once to be infected. It's got all of Jeff Lynne's magic, all in one cut. The riff, the melodicism, the hook...
And it's not on Spotify.
Listen on YouTube:
http://bit.ly/1Od3SWO
"Do Ya"
The Move
Have you ever heard the original? It's far superior to the ELO remake.
Once again, not on Spotify...
http://bit.ly/2h3WCko
"10538 Overture"
Electric Light Orchestra
This is the track that broke them, it did not get airplay everywhere, but a ton more than the Move.
Jeff Lynne was almost completely unknown in the U.S., ELO was just seen as a side project, but it got traction.
"Showdown"
Electric Light Orchestra"
And then, suddenly, this was all over the airwaves, you could not escape it, it was impossible to dislike, but I never loved it, and then...
"Can't Get It Out Of My Head"
Electric Light Orchestra
"Eldorado"'s been completely forgotten. Released in the second half of 1974, it was playable through and through, and it was this initial track that sealed the deal, I've got a weakness for majesty and I fell for this immediately.
"Free Fallin'"
Tom Petty
Tom was in a fading band on MCA with a deal so rich Irving Azoff hoped they never put out another album. Tom was working on this solo LP no one was waiting for for years. And then...
"Free Fallin'" didn't sound quite like anything that came before, but it had the ELO majesty and the hookiness of said band and the gravitas of Tom Petty.
A TOUR-DE-FORCE!
Credit Jeff Lynne.
"Wheel In The Sky"
Journey
For a long time, my favorite track by them.
It was 1978, AOR ruled, and Journey segued from a Santana-offshoot, a home for players, into a hit machine. They fit right in, we did not know they were a beacon for a younger generation, ready to dominate the next decade.
"Lights"
Journey
Soft, but not cynical. This was long before the spandex-clad hair-bands did power ballads to get MTV airplay. This was just a ballad by rockers, but it was majestic and meaningful, long before the band was seen as the wimpy favorite of women, when men could admit they liked soft, soulful stuff.
"Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"
Journey
Now it was a year later, '79, and the band was serving notice they were something different, not leather-clad rockers who occasionally went soft, but a whole new thing. Then again, AOR was getting long in the tooth, soon to be supplanted by punk, new wave and MTV.
"Stone In Love"
Journey
I'm gonna skip 1980's "Departure," with "Any Way You Want It," a certified hit, a calling card for a lesser band, but I dare say a tad too formulaic for me, in sound, if not changes. But this...
That guitar. Come on, try and deny that riff. And to have a singer who can actually sing, WHEW!
"Who's Crying Now"
Journey
A personal favorite. It's haunting, and I'm a fool for that sound.
This is track three on 1981's "Escape," track two is "Stone In Love," and the opening cut of this trifecta is...
"Don't Stop Believin'"
Journey
This is not radically different from the election of Donald Trump, as in the media completely missed the public's love for this cut, the people on the R&RHOF committee pooh-poohed this band until...
David Chase included this track in the finale of "The Sopranos," the greatest TV drama of all time.
And then everybody realized...
"Don't Stop Believin'" is the essence of the American Dream. We keep on keepin' on, we keep on thinking things will work out, we don't stop believin', this is us!
Credit Journey for embodying all this in song.
And if you'd asked me a decade back I would have denied that Journey belonged in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but if you include Kiss and Cheap Trick and Joan Jett... Are we really gonna eliminate a band that's bigger with more hits and more cultural impact?
No way.
"California Love"
2Pac
His peak, created with Dr. Dre, this is part of what made white people love hip-hop, you could not deny the sound.
"Ambitionz Az A Ridah"
2Pac
He was a rock star, as in he didn't care what anybody else thought, he had to speak his truth and live life his way. The fact he lost his life in the rap wars is criminal, what was that all about, after all isn't it only music, but that was back when it was more than that, when it was the voice of the street, when a record gave you more truth than the newspaper, 2Pac was part of it.
"Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns"
Mother Love Bone
If Andrew Wood had lived, maybe it would be Mother Love Bone being inducted.
This is everything we love about rock, not made for the airwaves, just made to satisfy the makers, and in the process satisfying us all.
If you don't know this...
Put on the headphones, turn out the lights and go on an aural trip.
"Alive"
Pearl Jam
It's hard to like Eddie Vedder, a talented man who created a myth about being a nobody from nowhere when the truth he was one of the most popular kids in school.
But there's no denying that "Ten" is an achievement. Epic Records did an incredible job of breaking this act.
"Even Flow"
Pearl Jam
It's heavy but accessible.
"Jeremy"
Pearl Jam
The piece-de-resistance, with a legendary video, this track defines the era.
But the act was never really able to follow up "Ten," not in any truly memorable way, one that penetrated beyond the core. But the band soldiered on, and then they were the only ones left standing, and ended up the great white hope of the white boy Gen-X'ers. They did everything right, supported all the right causes, fought Ticketmaster, but Vedder IS smug and although the rest of the band is lovable the catalog is not, shoot me, I don't care.
"Don't Think Twice It's All Right"
Joan Baez
She was pre-rock, and I'm not sure she was an influence, other than as an inspiration to women, illustrating they could play and win just like the boys.
It was a completely different era, folk music ruled, what you stood for was key, musicians were not rich, they were artists, and so was Baez, possibly the most famous exponent of the scene. She was the figurehead, but she was plowed under by rock until...
"Joe Hill"
Joan Baez
Woodstock. Joan was on the album and in the movie. She talked about her husband in prison, she sang this protest song and it had an impact, but it was a different era, when the youth were frustrated and were more about righting wrongs than getting theirs. Oh, how times have changed.
Subsequent to this, Joan became a caricature of herself. She got a divorce, she sang about Dylan, but...
Before the rock era she was an icon. Talk to those over 65 and they'll testify, how she was on every college student's turntable, how she was the most desirable...
But if we're inducting women into the R&RHOF fame... Where's Mary, along with Peter and Paul? And Cyndi Lauper, who certainly went her own way and was a beacon and had more hits than many inductees. And Exene Cervenka and her band X, who carried the punk torch in Los Angeles. And while we're at it, how about Kate Bush, who was a limit-tester as opposed to a follower?
And if Cheap Trick and Kiss are in, SHOULDN'T PAT BENATAR???
It's not on Spotify: http://bit.ly/1f5Zhpv
"Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)"
Chic
The voters still hate disco, they're truly racist, don't doubt me, they just wish Steve Dahl and his army had prevailed, when the truth is the disco beat has permeated the music scene ever since, ever heard Prince's masterpiece "Dirty Mind"?
They hate white suits, pooh-pooh "Saturday Night Fever," deny the fact that disco was a big tent that included all those usually left out, can't they see the value of the act in retrospect?
It started here.
"Everybody Dance"
Chic
A new sound back then, but one that is still played today, just like "Don't Stop Believin'." From the same initial album, back in '77.
"Le Freak"
Chic
It's nearly impossible to craft an instant classic that grabs you from the very first note, a lot of the acts inside the Hall have never done this, but Chic did, "Le Freak" animates wallflowers, you cannot hear it and not move your body, and that's an accomplishment!
"Good Times"
Chic
Ditto on this.
And the R&RHOF gives Nile Rodgers a second-rate honor instead of inducting his breakthrough act, putting him in a category with Ringo, who's already inside with the Beatles, and the E Street Band?? Come on, that induction is a travesty, old boys in a back room giving payback, how about the Spiders From Mars or the Revolution or the Experience or the Attractions? The E Street Band was support, Nile Rodgers outclasses and outperforms them on every level, as a writer, producer and an innovator, never mind a player, if I was Nile I wouldn't bother to show up, the perpetrators of this travesty must be revealed, sun must shine upon them, how many guys vote, how old are they?
But that's the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an inane institution riddled with political agendas that is oftentimes completely out of touch. Sure, it's hard to judge art, but what are we doing here, giving honors to those who test limits or those who have commercial success, the inductees are all over the place!
The best we can do is shame those who run this organization.
Assuming we care at all.
Because the truth is the music survives. And those excluding the worthy only wish they could create one hit song, pluck it out of thin air on pure inspiration.
But they can't.
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"Autobahn"
Kraftwerk
More influential than any of the bands enshrined this year, the R&RHOF is a worthless organization with no credibility but it does allow us to have these discussions, keeping the legacy of old acts alive.
Now when "Autobahn" hit the airwaves back in '75 there was nothing else remotely like it, there were few successful German acts in the U.S., the track was seen as a one hit wonder novelty, which got airplay all over FM, which ruled the era, the fact that they could play this is astounding in retrospect, especially through the lens of today, when little radio risk is taken.
Let's start with the fact that it's 22 plus minutes long, not a negative way back when, but the magic was in how hypnotic it was, if only something so revolutionary could be released today.
"Computer Love"
Kraftwerk
This is the album that closed me, back in '81, the hit was "Pocket Calculator," but this is the magical, infectious track. The LP came in two versions, "Computerwelt," with German lyrics, and the Americanized "Computer World."
I went to see the show at the Santa Monica Civic and it was one of the most innovative I've ever seen, with the showroom dummies and...
Nobody pushes the edge like this anymore. But back then we embraced the new and quirky, the innovative and outrageous, and despite sounding like nothing else Kraftwerk was considered part of the canon, everywhere but the R&RHOF, where you've got wankers with special interests, guys who never got laid who are still wearing their hair long trying to extend their influence when the truth is we stopped listening to these self-appointed know-it-alls a long time ago, about the same time "Rolling Stone" lost all relevance.
The truth is without Kraftwerk there's no EDM. And the electronic sound is not only the bass-heavy thumping you hear at festivals, it's all over the pop chart, to exclude Kraftwerk from the R&RHOF is CRIMINAL!
"Every Little Thing"
Yes
They made prog-rock safe for America.
And if you pooh-pooh this, I feel sorry for you, is there anything wrong with being able to play your instrument, demonstrate your virtuosity, test limits?
Genesis came after. A great band, but Yes was the one that forged the way.
This is from their initial LP, "The Yes Album," which I discovered on a drive back from Vermont on 8-track in my dentist's car. In case you're unfamiliar with the track, it's my favorite Beatles song of all time, but this time reworked...
Listen for the "Day Tripper" riff, exalt in Jon Anderson's vocal, get hooked by the changes...
"Yours Is No Disgrace"
Yes
The second LP, "Time And A Word," had zero impact, you couldn't even find it on the shelf, but the story was different with the third LP, the one that gained traction and began the juggernaut, this is the opening cut, it starts on a tear and then takes you to hyperspace.
"Roundabout"
Yes
Yes, I can barely listen to it anymore either. But you've got to picture it... An almost unknown band with a sound that lived on FM if it got airplay at all crossed over to AM radio and dominated, talk about a success story!
"Heart Of The Sunrise"
Yes
I saw the "Fragile" tour, at UVM in Burlington. It was positively astounding. Remember when you were just thrilled to be inside the building, before if you weren't up close and personal you didn't even want to go? We sat in the bleachers, and this song was the highlight, Rick Wakeman was a showman, a star in his own right, remember when you went to the show for the music? I DO!
"It Can Happen"
Yes
"90125" is a masterpiece. Yes, there I said it. The band got too far out there, I liked "Close To The Edge," "Tales From Topographic Oceans" was too indulgent, thereafter the band sometimes stumbled upon greatness, but there was too much filler and then...
They reconstituted the act and melded pop with prog-rock and the result was so hooky, so infectious, you couldn't stop playing the album.
"Owner Of A Lonely Heart" was the hit, but this is the best cut. If you want to go deeper, also listen to "Leave It" and "Changes."
This is not music made for earbuds, this is music made for the big rig, with the lights off, cranked to 11... TRY IT!
P.S. The fact that they waited until the Fish was dead to induct the band is a faux pas nonpareil. The guy who kept the act together, who carried the flame, is not around to see the band get its just due. Makes me sick.
"Message From The Country"
The Move
And we thought the genius was Roy Wood.
You only have to hear this track once to be infected. It's got all of Jeff Lynne's magic, all in one cut. The riff, the melodicism, the hook...
And it's not on Spotify.
Listen on YouTube:
http://bit.ly/1Od3SWO
"Do Ya"
The Move
Have you ever heard the original? It's far superior to the ELO remake.
Once again, not on Spotify...
http://bit.ly/2h3WCko
"10538 Overture"
Electric Light Orchestra
This is the track that broke them, it did not get airplay everywhere, but a ton more than the Move.
Jeff Lynne was almost completely unknown in the U.S., ELO was just seen as a side project, but it got traction.
"Showdown"
Electric Light Orchestra"
And then, suddenly, this was all over the airwaves, you could not escape it, it was impossible to dislike, but I never loved it, and then...
"Can't Get It Out Of My Head"
Electric Light Orchestra
"Eldorado"'s been completely forgotten. Released in the second half of 1974, it was playable through and through, and it was this initial track that sealed the deal, I've got a weakness for majesty and I fell for this immediately.
"Free Fallin'"
Tom Petty
Tom was in a fading band on MCA with a deal so rich Irving Azoff hoped they never put out another album. Tom was working on this solo LP no one was waiting for for years. And then...
"Free Fallin'" didn't sound quite like anything that came before, but it had the ELO majesty and the hookiness of said band and the gravitas of Tom Petty.
A TOUR-DE-FORCE!
Credit Jeff Lynne.
"Wheel In The Sky"
Journey
For a long time, my favorite track by them.
It was 1978, AOR ruled, and Journey segued from a Santana-offshoot, a home for players, into a hit machine. They fit right in, we did not know they were a beacon for a younger generation, ready to dominate the next decade.
"Lights"
Journey
Soft, but not cynical. This was long before the spandex-clad hair-bands did power ballads to get MTV airplay. This was just a ballad by rockers, but it was majestic and meaningful, long before the band was seen as the wimpy favorite of women, when men could admit they liked soft, soulful stuff.
"Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"
Journey
Now it was a year later, '79, and the band was serving notice they were something different, not leather-clad rockers who occasionally went soft, but a whole new thing. Then again, AOR was getting long in the tooth, soon to be supplanted by punk, new wave and MTV.
"Stone In Love"
Journey
I'm gonna skip 1980's "Departure," with "Any Way You Want It," a certified hit, a calling card for a lesser band, but I dare say a tad too formulaic for me, in sound, if not changes. But this...
That guitar. Come on, try and deny that riff. And to have a singer who can actually sing, WHEW!
"Who's Crying Now"
Journey
A personal favorite. It's haunting, and I'm a fool for that sound.
This is track three on 1981's "Escape," track two is "Stone In Love," and the opening cut of this trifecta is...
"Don't Stop Believin'"
Journey
This is not radically different from the election of Donald Trump, as in the media completely missed the public's love for this cut, the people on the R&RHOF committee pooh-poohed this band until...
David Chase included this track in the finale of "The Sopranos," the greatest TV drama of all time.
And then everybody realized...
"Don't Stop Believin'" is the essence of the American Dream. We keep on keepin' on, we keep on thinking things will work out, we don't stop believin', this is us!
Credit Journey for embodying all this in song.
And if you'd asked me a decade back I would have denied that Journey belonged in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but if you include Kiss and Cheap Trick and Joan Jett... Are we really gonna eliminate a band that's bigger with more hits and more cultural impact?
No way.
"California Love"
2Pac
His peak, created with Dr. Dre, this is part of what made white people love hip-hop, you could not deny the sound.
"Ambitionz Az A Ridah"
2Pac
He was a rock star, as in he didn't care what anybody else thought, he had to speak his truth and live life his way. The fact he lost his life in the rap wars is criminal, what was that all about, after all isn't it only music, but that was back when it was more than that, when it was the voice of the street, when a record gave you more truth than the newspaper, 2Pac was part of it.
"Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns"
Mother Love Bone
If Andrew Wood had lived, maybe it would be Mother Love Bone being inducted.
This is everything we love about rock, not made for the airwaves, just made to satisfy the makers, and in the process satisfying us all.
If you don't know this...
Put on the headphones, turn out the lights and go on an aural trip.
"Alive"
Pearl Jam
It's hard to like Eddie Vedder, a talented man who created a myth about being a nobody from nowhere when the truth he was one of the most popular kids in school.
But there's no denying that "Ten" is an achievement. Epic Records did an incredible job of breaking this act.
"Even Flow"
Pearl Jam
It's heavy but accessible.
"Jeremy"
Pearl Jam
The piece-de-resistance, with a legendary video, this track defines the era.
But the act was never really able to follow up "Ten," not in any truly memorable way, one that penetrated beyond the core. But the band soldiered on, and then they were the only ones left standing, and ended up the great white hope of the white boy Gen-X'ers. They did everything right, supported all the right causes, fought Ticketmaster, but Vedder IS smug and although the rest of the band is lovable the catalog is not, shoot me, I don't care.
"Don't Think Twice It's All Right"
Joan Baez
She was pre-rock, and I'm not sure she was an influence, other than as an inspiration to women, illustrating they could play and win just like the boys.
It was a completely different era, folk music ruled, what you stood for was key, musicians were not rich, they were artists, and so was Baez, possibly the most famous exponent of the scene. She was the figurehead, but she was plowed under by rock until...
"Joe Hill"
Joan Baez
Woodstock. Joan was on the album and in the movie. She talked about her husband in prison, she sang this protest song and it had an impact, but it was a different era, when the youth were frustrated and were more about righting wrongs than getting theirs. Oh, how times have changed.
Subsequent to this, Joan became a caricature of herself. She got a divorce, she sang about Dylan, but...
Before the rock era she was an icon. Talk to those over 65 and they'll testify, how she was on every college student's turntable, how she was the most desirable...
But if we're inducting women into the R&RHOF fame... Where's Mary, along with Peter and Paul? And Cyndi Lauper, who certainly went her own way and was a beacon and had more hits than many inductees. And Exene Cervenka and her band X, who carried the punk torch in Los Angeles. And while we're at it, how about Kate Bush, who was a limit-tester as opposed to a follower?
And if Cheap Trick and Kiss are in, SHOULDN'T PAT BENATAR???
It's not on Spotify: http://bit.ly/1f5Zhpv
"Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)"
Chic
The voters still hate disco, they're truly racist, don't doubt me, they just wish Steve Dahl and his army had prevailed, when the truth is the disco beat has permeated the music scene ever since, ever heard Prince's masterpiece "Dirty Mind"?
They hate white suits, pooh-pooh "Saturday Night Fever," deny the fact that disco was a big tent that included all those usually left out, can't they see the value of the act in retrospect?
It started here.
"Everybody Dance"
Chic
A new sound back then, but one that is still played today, just like "Don't Stop Believin'." From the same initial album, back in '77.
"Le Freak"
Chic
It's nearly impossible to craft an instant classic that grabs you from the very first note, a lot of the acts inside the Hall have never done this, but Chic did, "Le Freak" animates wallflowers, you cannot hear it and not move your body, and that's an accomplishment!
"Good Times"
Chic
Ditto on this.
And the R&RHOF gives Nile Rodgers a second-rate honor instead of inducting his breakthrough act, putting him in a category with Ringo, who's already inside with the Beatles, and the E Street Band?? Come on, that induction is a travesty, old boys in a back room giving payback, how about the Spiders From Mars or the Revolution or the Experience or the Attractions? The E Street Band was support, Nile Rodgers outclasses and outperforms them on every level, as a writer, producer and an innovator, never mind a player, if I was Nile I wouldn't bother to show up, the perpetrators of this travesty must be revealed, sun must shine upon them, how many guys vote, how old are they?
But that's the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an inane institution riddled with political agendas that is oftentimes completely out of touch. Sure, it's hard to judge art, but what are we doing here, giving honors to those who test limits or those who have commercial success, the inductees are all over the place!
The best we can do is shame those who run this organization.
Assuming we care at all.
Because the truth is the music survives. And those excluding the worthy only wish they could create one hit song, pluck it out of thin air on pure inspiration.
But they can't.
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Monday 19 December 2016
Not A Hit In America
http://spoti.fi/2hNC69G
"Miss You"
James Hersey
Hang in there, through the one minute mark. Before that the song is good, but it doesn't grab you. But then the electronic sounds go wild, your mind is set free and you feel good all over, the way you do when you're alone in the middle of a field, feeling how great it is to be alive and needing no one to confirm this sensation.
Hersey is from Vienna, Austria, and the truth is there's been almost no radio play anywhere, but despite that, as of this writing "Miss You" has got 46,273,109 streams on Spotify. An official video went up on YouTube on October 20, 2016, but it only has 438,793 views, could it be that despite all the carping by the international recording organizations YouTube is already in the rearview mirror? Could it be that YouTube is just for the casual fan, of a young age, and that the true music zealots are on Spotify? (As for the Spotify/Apple Music debate, I refer you to the following article that details how Apple Music's adoption rate trails Spotify's: "Why Apple Has a Steep Hill to Climb in the Streaming Music Business" - http://bit.ly/2h5LKHB)
Now I don't see this fitting in on Top Forty radio, and that's the problem, ever since MTV we've had a Top Forty mind-set. It's just that Top Forty has gotten narrower and narrower. The huge stream rate of "Miss You" illustrates the public is hungry for something beyond the fare being delivered to them over the airwaves.
We have an international business, a veritable global village, it's astounding that tracks stop at national borders. You'd think if something worked one place it would work elsewhere, after all we've got the same phones, the same clothes...
Spotify is breaking records, via its playlists. But we still need further curation, of gems like this.
Put this on at your holiday party and watch heads turn. It's subtle, but it works. The more you play it, the more you play it.
And for those without Spotify subscriptions (which I can't understand, since they're free, although I have sympathy if you live in one of the few markets where the service has not launched, and once again, I have no ownership interest in Spotify, get paid in no way, it's just that it's a dream come true, it killed piracy, it put all the music in one place for one low price and it allows us to share it, as I'm doing here) this is the YouTube link:
http://bit.ly/2gaDEtN
"Lost On You"
LP
This has 30,721,426 plays on Spotify. But unlike "Miss You," it's had a ton of radio action, of course, outside the United States. It came out over a year ago, November 20, 2015 to be exact, and has already reached number one in fourteen countries, but in the U.S...crickets.
It doesn't sound anything like what's presently on U.S. Top Forty radio, and that's a good thing, its magic! Remember in the heyday of Top Forty, back in the sixties, when it was just the best of the best and it all sounded different? This is more akin to "Winchester Cathedral" than anything by the Weeknd, not that LP comes from a foreign country, she's written for everyone from Rihanna to Joe Walsh, but most people still don't know her, showing how hard it is to get traction these days.
There's a disconnect between the makers and the consumers, and the middlemen are at fault, they're so far up each others asses, thinking that only certain stuff will work, that they don't give elixirs like this a chance. Remember when they'd play a record and it would light up the phones? Well, radio's done doing that job, it's not like we're all paying attention to the same stations, but if people only heard "Lost On You," it would be embraced.
YouTube links:
http://bit.ly/28Z3Q8v (with 58,240,705 views, the reverse of the situation with "Miss You" above, who knows!)
And you might be interested in this live take (with 30,118,262 views and it's stiff in America?): http://bit.ly/1SOUnRj
Actually, this live take is a career-defining moment, it's just that the tastemakers did not get the memo, used to be a performance like this on Letterman minted stars overnight, but that was before late night became a cesspool of hijinks and feel good moments as opposed to evidencing any authenticity. Usually the live take pales in comparison to the studio version, but this is the same, yet different, be sure to hang in there 'til 3:39 when LP starts to wail, you'll immediately forget the TV competition shows and your vision of what talent is will be re-centered. (And this video was posted on January 12, 2016, almost a year ago...)
"Shine"
Mondo Cozmo
Ironically, this reminds me of Collective Soul's "Shine," not because it's a rip-off, but because it's ANTHEMIC!
You've got to hang in there, until he hits the chorus.
"Shine" has been in the marketplace since September 16, 2016, and it's no better now than it was then, but buzz is beginning, sometimes when nothing happens it's not because you got it wrong, but because most people haven't heard it.
"Shine" only has 968,864 streams on Spotify. But it's just one push away from getting traction. And that push will not be on alternative radio stations, which have played it a bit, those are backwaters that don't matter, tracks are broken on Spotify, statistics say so, just ask BuzzAngle.
What kind of ridiculous world do we live in where you have to start a song in some minor format to prove to Top Forty that it's worthy? That's like trying to convince grandparents to like it before you can feed it to babies, like seeing if it sells at a local shop in Peoria before you can put it in Wal-Mart in the metropolis, boy do we have a screwed-up system.
I'm not saying that "Shine" is an instant hit, but I am saying that most people who might like it aren't hearing it.
(Meanwhile, Mondo Cozmo just dropped a new track "Higher," last Friday, proving that you can't wait for everybody to catch up, you've got to keep on producing, feeding the muse, testing limits, satiating those who are paying attention, the old stuff is hiding in plain sight for the johnny-come-latelies, "Higher" is more electronic but it's definitely the same guy, it chugs along, you listen to these two cuts and you become a fan, and isn't that what we're trying to do, get people to stick to acts, and the easiest way to do this is to be unique, to write the stuff yourself, or with your own little group, as opposed to the song doctors du jour, whose music all sounds similar and whose efforts don't rub off on acts, they're just one stiff single away from disappearing, but Mondo Cozmo...it doesn't sound like everything else, it's got rough edges that hook you, that intrigue you, that make you eager to hear more as the sounds satiate you along the way...)
YouTube links:
"Shine": http://bit.ly/2ekr0pR
"Higher": http://bit.ly/2hkOMUh
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"Miss You"
James Hersey
Hang in there, through the one minute mark. Before that the song is good, but it doesn't grab you. But then the electronic sounds go wild, your mind is set free and you feel good all over, the way you do when you're alone in the middle of a field, feeling how great it is to be alive and needing no one to confirm this sensation.
Hersey is from Vienna, Austria, and the truth is there's been almost no radio play anywhere, but despite that, as of this writing "Miss You" has got 46,273,109 streams on Spotify. An official video went up on YouTube on October 20, 2016, but it only has 438,793 views, could it be that despite all the carping by the international recording organizations YouTube is already in the rearview mirror? Could it be that YouTube is just for the casual fan, of a young age, and that the true music zealots are on Spotify? (As for the Spotify/Apple Music debate, I refer you to the following article that details how Apple Music's adoption rate trails Spotify's: "Why Apple Has a Steep Hill to Climb in the Streaming Music Business" - http://bit.ly/2h5LKHB)
Now I don't see this fitting in on Top Forty radio, and that's the problem, ever since MTV we've had a Top Forty mind-set. It's just that Top Forty has gotten narrower and narrower. The huge stream rate of "Miss You" illustrates the public is hungry for something beyond the fare being delivered to them over the airwaves.
We have an international business, a veritable global village, it's astounding that tracks stop at national borders. You'd think if something worked one place it would work elsewhere, after all we've got the same phones, the same clothes...
Spotify is breaking records, via its playlists. But we still need further curation, of gems like this.
Put this on at your holiday party and watch heads turn. It's subtle, but it works. The more you play it, the more you play it.
And for those without Spotify subscriptions (which I can't understand, since they're free, although I have sympathy if you live in one of the few markets where the service has not launched, and once again, I have no ownership interest in Spotify, get paid in no way, it's just that it's a dream come true, it killed piracy, it put all the music in one place for one low price and it allows us to share it, as I'm doing here) this is the YouTube link:
http://bit.ly/2gaDEtN
"Lost On You"
LP
This has 30,721,426 plays on Spotify. But unlike "Miss You," it's had a ton of radio action, of course, outside the United States. It came out over a year ago, November 20, 2015 to be exact, and has already reached number one in fourteen countries, but in the U.S...crickets.
It doesn't sound anything like what's presently on U.S. Top Forty radio, and that's a good thing, its magic! Remember in the heyday of Top Forty, back in the sixties, when it was just the best of the best and it all sounded different? This is more akin to "Winchester Cathedral" than anything by the Weeknd, not that LP comes from a foreign country, she's written for everyone from Rihanna to Joe Walsh, but most people still don't know her, showing how hard it is to get traction these days.
There's a disconnect between the makers and the consumers, and the middlemen are at fault, they're so far up each others asses, thinking that only certain stuff will work, that they don't give elixirs like this a chance. Remember when they'd play a record and it would light up the phones? Well, radio's done doing that job, it's not like we're all paying attention to the same stations, but if people only heard "Lost On You," it would be embraced.
YouTube links:
http://bit.ly/28Z3Q8v (with 58,240,705 views, the reverse of the situation with "Miss You" above, who knows!)
And you might be interested in this live take (with 30,118,262 views and it's stiff in America?): http://bit.ly/1SOUnRj
Actually, this live take is a career-defining moment, it's just that the tastemakers did not get the memo, used to be a performance like this on Letterman minted stars overnight, but that was before late night became a cesspool of hijinks and feel good moments as opposed to evidencing any authenticity. Usually the live take pales in comparison to the studio version, but this is the same, yet different, be sure to hang in there 'til 3:39 when LP starts to wail, you'll immediately forget the TV competition shows and your vision of what talent is will be re-centered. (And this video was posted on January 12, 2016, almost a year ago...)
"Shine"
Mondo Cozmo
Ironically, this reminds me of Collective Soul's "Shine," not because it's a rip-off, but because it's ANTHEMIC!
You've got to hang in there, until he hits the chorus.
"Shine" has been in the marketplace since September 16, 2016, and it's no better now than it was then, but buzz is beginning, sometimes when nothing happens it's not because you got it wrong, but because most people haven't heard it.
"Shine" only has 968,864 streams on Spotify. But it's just one push away from getting traction. And that push will not be on alternative radio stations, which have played it a bit, those are backwaters that don't matter, tracks are broken on Spotify, statistics say so, just ask BuzzAngle.
What kind of ridiculous world do we live in where you have to start a song in some minor format to prove to Top Forty that it's worthy? That's like trying to convince grandparents to like it before you can feed it to babies, like seeing if it sells at a local shop in Peoria before you can put it in Wal-Mart in the metropolis, boy do we have a screwed-up system.
I'm not saying that "Shine" is an instant hit, but I am saying that most people who might like it aren't hearing it.
(Meanwhile, Mondo Cozmo just dropped a new track "Higher," last Friday, proving that you can't wait for everybody to catch up, you've got to keep on producing, feeding the muse, testing limits, satiating those who are paying attention, the old stuff is hiding in plain sight for the johnny-come-latelies, "Higher" is more electronic but it's definitely the same guy, it chugs along, you listen to these two cuts and you become a fan, and isn't that what we're trying to do, get people to stick to acts, and the easiest way to do this is to be unique, to write the stuff yourself, or with your own little group, as opposed to the song doctors du jour, whose music all sounds similar and whose efforts don't rub off on acts, they're just one stiff single away from disappearing, but Mondo Cozmo...it doesn't sound like everything else, it's got rough edges that hook you, that intrigue you, that make you eager to hear more as the sounds satiate you along the way...)
YouTube links:
"Shine": http://bit.ly/2ekr0pR
"Higher": http://bit.ly/2hkOMUh
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Authenticity
Snapchat is banking on it.
For the past fifteen years we've heard that kids don't care about selling out, that tying up with corporations is a badge of honor.
But Evan Spiegel thinks different.
Turns out Snapchat's value may not be dependent upon a technological breakthrough, but a philosophical one.
Snapchat is anti-influencer, anti-celebrity and anti-metric. In other words, the company is saying everything we know is wrong.
For years we've been hearing about nobodies triumphing on social media. Gaining a slew of followers and then selling them stuff. It's the new American Dream.
And then there's the quantification game, played not only by said influencers and celebrities, but you at home. That's right, how many followers have you got?
Snapchat won't tell you.
It's positively un-American I say!
We've been hearing for years that bands are brands. But there are few terms more diametrically opposed to art. Art should be ever-changing, testing limits, pissing people off, elating them. Art is amorphous, brands are stagnant.
Your identity used to be evidenced by your art.
Now you build your identity online and your art is a small part of your endeavor. Maybe the key kernel, but really just a way to get rich.
Snapchat wants to get rich too. But it does not want to play the typical social network advertising game. For those of you scoring at home, you know that ad rates keep dropping. Which is why you see more link-bait. They've got to entice you to click through. But you end up pissed off, and the ads are ineffective, so the price keeps dropping, it's an endless circling down the drain.
But not on Snapchat. On Snapchat ad rates are sky high. Because the service doesn't allow this detritus to enter its platform.
Hollywood, that purveyor of junk? If you watch their movies you can see the product placements.
There are no product placements on Snapchat. A few slip through, but Snapchat does its best to eliminate them. Because they ruin the experience.
How can one startup get the experience so right when the rest of entertainment gets it so wrong? Not only the web, with its fake news and link-bait, but movie theatres with their ads and the music industry with its opaque ticketing...
Snapchat is jetting us back to the past.
If you're not playing the metrics game, if there's no ranking of followers, you must create the art for art's sake. There's no gaming the system. There's no point. Snapchat is where you go to connect, where celebrities are just like regular people, where if what they've got to say is worthwhile people will pay attention, otherwise not.
So Snapchat is about trust and innovation. Key elements in the entertainment business of yore, but long gone today.
And being famous for nothing? Snapchat puts a crimp in that too. Because all those people are doing it to sell, and you can't sell on Snapchat.
This is a revolution folks. This is the undoing of everything we've known for decades.
In the music business it's all about sponsorship.
But there's no sponsorship on Snapchat, celebs cannot tie in with corporations to make bucks. Of course, Snapchat makes bucks, the service has sponsors, but this is the way it used to be. Sure, you're playing Staples Center, but do you have an alcohol logo on stage with you, one that you've been paid to display?
Evan Spiegel is banking on authenticity selling.
Authenticity... Are you speaking from the gut or saying what's expedient? Are you willing to take a stand on the issues of the day? Do you have rough edges that thrill some and piss off others, as opposed to being a wishy-washy wimp?
In the classic rock era acts testified.
Today all we've got is crickets. The artists are too afraid. Of not only pissing off fans, but corporations.
And that's just plain wrong.
People know what's real and what's fake. And you might be able to fool some of them some of the time, but never all of them all of the time.
But that's the paradigm the entertainment business is banking on. Let's just do the same old thing with the usual suspects and tie in with every corporation known to man and we'll be richer and the public will be none the wiser.
Absolutely wrong.
Could be that Evan Spiegel and his team revolutionize art/creativity the same way Shawn Fanning revolutionized distribution. We've been ripe for disruption. Hell, we haven't had a new sound in music this century. The record labels are looking for insurance. No one's willing to take a risk. And the primary risk should be with the art.
What if it was about the music as opposed to the clothing line? What if as a result of Snapchat's policy sponsorship completely disappeared from music?
Snapchat is banking on it. That authenticity emerges victorious. And so far, the service is winning. Youngsters have flocked from other social networks to Snapchat, its valuation is through the roof, because it's not all fake image and sales pitches, nincompoops on Instagram trying to sell us their lifestyle.
So once again, the techies, the outsiders, are willing to do what none of the usual suspects is willing to. Snapchat is willing to leave all the celebrity/influencer crap by the wayside to deliver a better experience. The Beats paradigm of selling crappy headphones by getting sports stars to wear them? That may be left in the dust. Because right now Snapchat is winning, by playing a game none of their competitors will.
Success always comes from taking a risk, by doing what's in your gut as opposed to what others tell you to do.
Sponsorship is the enemy. Selling out is a travesty. Art and commerce do intersect, but for years commerce has swallowed art.
That might not be the future if Snapchat has its way.
"Snapchat Plays Hard to Get With Celebrities and Influencers": http://nyti.ms/2i32HCx?utm_source=phplist5674&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Authenticity
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For the past fifteen years we've heard that kids don't care about selling out, that tying up with corporations is a badge of honor.
But Evan Spiegel thinks different.
Turns out Snapchat's value may not be dependent upon a technological breakthrough, but a philosophical one.
Snapchat is anti-influencer, anti-celebrity and anti-metric. In other words, the company is saying everything we know is wrong.
For years we've been hearing about nobodies triumphing on social media. Gaining a slew of followers and then selling them stuff. It's the new American Dream.
And then there's the quantification game, played not only by said influencers and celebrities, but you at home. That's right, how many followers have you got?
Snapchat won't tell you.
It's positively un-American I say!
We've been hearing for years that bands are brands. But there are few terms more diametrically opposed to art. Art should be ever-changing, testing limits, pissing people off, elating them. Art is amorphous, brands are stagnant.
Your identity used to be evidenced by your art.
Now you build your identity online and your art is a small part of your endeavor. Maybe the key kernel, but really just a way to get rich.
Snapchat wants to get rich too. But it does not want to play the typical social network advertising game. For those of you scoring at home, you know that ad rates keep dropping. Which is why you see more link-bait. They've got to entice you to click through. But you end up pissed off, and the ads are ineffective, so the price keeps dropping, it's an endless circling down the drain.
But not on Snapchat. On Snapchat ad rates are sky high. Because the service doesn't allow this detritus to enter its platform.
Hollywood, that purveyor of junk? If you watch their movies you can see the product placements.
There are no product placements on Snapchat. A few slip through, but Snapchat does its best to eliminate them. Because they ruin the experience.
How can one startup get the experience so right when the rest of entertainment gets it so wrong? Not only the web, with its fake news and link-bait, but movie theatres with their ads and the music industry with its opaque ticketing...
Snapchat is jetting us back to the past.
If you're not playing the metrics game, if there's no ranking of followers, you must create the art for art's sake. There's no gaming the system. There's no point. Snapchat is where you go to connect, where celebrities are just like regular people, where if what they've got to say is worthwhile people will pay attention, otherwise not.
So Snapchat is about trust and innovation. Key elements in the entertainment business of yore, but long gone today.
And being famous for nothing? Snapchat puts a crimp in that too. Because all those people are doing it to sell, and you can't sell on Snapchat.
This is a revolution folks. This is the undoing of everything we've known for decades.
In the music business it's all about sponsorship.
But there's no sponsorship on Snapchat, celebs cannot tie in with corporations to make bucks. Of course, Snapchat makes bucks, the service has sponsors, but this is the way it used to be. Sure, you're playing Staples Center, but do you have an alcohol logo on stage with you, one that you've been paid to display?
Evan Spiegel is banking on authenticity selling.
Authenticity... Are you speaking from the gut or saying what's expedient? Are you willing to take a stand on the issues of the day? Do you have rough edges that thrill some and piss off others, as opposed to being a wishy-washy wimp?
In the classic rock era acts testified.
Today all we've got is crickets. The artists are too afraid. Of not only pissing off fans, but corporations.
And that's just plain wrong.
People know what's real and what's fake. And you might be able to fool some of them some of the time, but never all of them all of the time.
But that's the paradigm the entertainment business is banking on. Let's just do the same old thing with the usual suspects and tie in with every corporation known to man and we'll be richer and the public will be none the wiser.
Absolutely wrong.
Could be that Evan Spiegel and his team revolutionize art/creativity the same way Shawn Fanning revolutionized distribution. We've been ripe for disruption. Hell, we haven't had a new sound in music this century. The record labels are looking for insurance. No one's willing to take a risk. And the primary risk should be with the art.
What if it was about the music as opposed to the clothing line? What if as a result of Snapchat's policy sponsorship completely disappeared from music?
Snapchat is banking on it. That authenticity emerges victorious. And so far, the service is winning. Youngsters have flocked from other social networks to Snapchat, its valuation is through the roof, because it's not all fake image and sales pitches, nincompoops on Instagram trying to sell us their lifestyle.
So once again, the techies, the outsiders, are willing to do what none of the usual suspects is willing to. Snapchat is willing to leave all the celebrity/influencer crap by the wayside to deliver a better experience. The Beats paradigm of selling crappy headphones by getting sports stars to wear them? That may be left in the dust. Because right now Snapchat is winning, by playing a game none of their competitors will.
Success always comes from taking a risk, by doing what's in your gut as opposed to what others tell you to do.
Sponsorship is the enemy. Selling out is a travesty. Art and commerce do intersect, but for years commerce has swallowed art.
That might not be the future if Snapchat has its way.
"Snapchat Plays Hard to Get With Celebrities and Influencers": http://nyti.ms/2i32HCx?utm_source=phplist5674&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Authenticity
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