It's impossible to gain the public's attention. And when you've got it you want to hold it as long as possible. This is the genius of video games. Could take weeks to get to the end, maybe months, and some go on forever! The hardest part is getting people to partake, then you've got to keep them as long as you can.
For a while there it was believed that releasing a track every week or month was a good plan. But assuming you've got traction to begin with, assuming you make music that many people will cotton to, that's no longer a good way to do it. This does not mean you can't drop a track here or there, especially if it's a collaboration, but you need to save up all your stuff for one big drop when you can gain as much attention as possible, and then KEEP IT!
The new Morgan Wallen album "I'm the Problem" has thirty seven songs. It lasts for an hour and fifty seven minutes. You may not be interested at all. And unlike in the old days, if you don't care, you not only do not have to partake, you won't even be exposed to it! Top Forty radio? Who's listening to that? This is not 1973 and Charlie Rich's "Most Beautiful Girl" crossing over from country to Top Forty, such that listeners who loved rock find themselves not only listening, but knowing every word...today you don't listen to anything you don't want to!
I was at a dinner party with boomers and they started talking about TV commercials. I had no idea what they were talking about, I hadn't seen a single one, I no longer watch television in a linear fashion, but what I want when I want. And yes, there are ad-supported tiers on streaming services, but most people pay to avoid the spots.
But my point is if you don't want to see it, if you don't want to hear it, you don't have to!
If you're a subscriber to SiriusXM and you hear what you don't like you can find a bunch of channels in the same genre, never mind scores in other genres. And if you're listening on Spotify, et al, the world is yours.
So, once again, it doesn't matter if you don't like Morgan Wallen, a ton of people do, to the point where he's having his own festival, Sand in My Boots, down in Alabama, a state you might never have been to, not even been close to, at this very moment. How many other acts do you know who can headline their own festival?
Yes, Morgan Wallen is the biggest recording artist in America, but he's still competing against not only the new, but the old, the greatest hits of all time available at a fingertip's click.
So if you drive a wedge into public consciousness...you try to take as much air out of the room as possible.
Furthermore, Wallen is playing today's country music which is like the rock of yore. Modern rock, Active Rock, is a marginal world, the word on the street is rock is dead when in truth it's just morphed into country.
So you labor over your twelve tracks and release them to crickets and...
Once again, attention comes first, fans come first, which is why major labels will only sign acts that have proven their mettle, have the data to show it. Doesn't matter how good you are anymore, but whether you have an audience!
And the question becomes whether you can grow that audience to something that resembles ubiquity. Which is why the majors tend to only be interested in hip-hop and pop, because they have the most market share. You can have diehard fans as a jam band, does anybody have more hard core fans than Phish? But how many more people want to listen to Phish?
So either you're pouring out material, doing gigs, active on social media to gain an audience and build a career or...
You've got a career and how do you monetize it and make it even bigger?
The rappers started putting out double CDs/long albums decades ago. Drake puts out a mixtape. But the traditional white audience saw that as anathema, IT'S TOO MUCH MUSIC!
Not to fans. Fans can't get enough music. They want more and more!
Furthermore, these long albums are review-proof. They're just too long and too dense to be adequately assessed by snapshot, which is how most reviewers do their work. They listen to an album for a day, maybe a few more, and render an opinion. Morgan Wallen FANS may be discovering new tunes SIX MONTHS FROM NOW! It took decades for the public, even most reviewers, to catch up with "Exile on Main Street," now considered to be a masterpiece, and that was a double album with only eighteen songs that last an hour and seven minutes. How long is it going to take for people to digest, never mind assess, "I'm the Problem"?
We live in a world of winners and losers. And the winners take up ever more airspace/mindspace. You need to take all that you can, because there are too many other distractions/options. After listening to ten tracks for a week or two listeners are on to something else!
This is one of the reasons that Taylor Swift's remake albums are successful. In theory, they shouldn't be, they're note by note recreations of already existing material. But the public wants MORE!
But there is such a thing as overexposure. How do you manage your career such that people don't get sick of you?
First. beware of celebratory press. If it's not moving the needle in terms of audience, increasing it and bonding people to you, forgo it. If there's a story, it must have some nougat, something interesting, we are sick of pronouncements of record setting grosses/streams/sales. Even the most jaded person knows the numbers are manipulated and there's a limit to how much self-attention, self-burnishing, LOOK AT ME press someone can get without alienating the public.
But Wallen only puts out an album every couple of years. And it's got enough tracks that they carry the audience through until the next one! Used to be an act put out an album, hard core fans devoured it, and then they were subjected to dripped-out singles from it for years, with record companies and acts trying to reach the casual/normally disinterested fan. No, today you satiate the hard core and forget about the penumbra. If the hard core can't spread the word for you you're doing something wrong, better go back to the drawing board. You deliver the goods to the audience and then they are in control of your fate. BUT GIVE THEM ENOUGH TO WORK WITH!
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Saturday, 17 May 2025
Trump/Springsteen/Swift
You don't bite back. That's rule number one of the internet. How come the oldsters don't know this?
Because they didn't grow up online.
It's not only Trump, but Gayle King... The dirty little secret is most people don't know most things. We no longer live in a concentrated world. Rather we live in a land of infinity, and if you're surprised by the record that's number one, having not only never heard it, but never heard OF IT, you know this.
But readers hate when I rag on old people.
Everybody can do everything. It's not only the left that are woke. Disillusion and orthodoxy rule the old. Just because you smoked marijuana and grew your hair long that does not mean you're hip today.
And the dirty little secret is NEITHER ARE THE YOUNG!
For a while there was this canard that if your computer was broken a young 'un could fix it. Turned out they didn't know how it worked either. However, computers and smartphones and tablets have improved to the point where they're nearly idiot-proof. Tap away, the device will survive, this is not the nineties where one false move will brick your computer.
So Trump thinks it's still 2016 and his act is new. But that was ten years ago. The left was surprised that he used social media and profanity. But all these years later, it's de rigueur.. Did you see that Bill Maher clip of Democrats employing curse words?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t560SJVHeM
The world changes and you must change with it.
And the truth is Bruce Springsteen was ubiquitous and powerful in the eighties, but now although not marginal, like all old acts he cannot reach the Spotify Top 50, even worse, despite all the clamoring about high prices and platinum ticketing, he does not go clean everywhere in America. Want to see Bruce? Wait until the last minute and show up at the building, you should have no problem buying a ticket. However this is not the case in Europe, in Europe Springsteen is huge, A GOD!
So Bruce ranks out (talk about aged verbiage) Trump at the start of his tour in England and unless you follow music news closely, you're unaware of it. Or even if you see the headline, do you even read the story? I forwarded the video and boomers were completely unaware.
But then Trump barks back.
And no one on his team has the balls, never mind the intelligence, to tell him to cool it.
Now more people know about Springsteen's rant. And why is he attacking Swift? Her tour is over and she's been quiet, letting the land lie fallow so that people will come back next time, unlike Beyoncé.
You have to be able to take a punch.
And you must know who to attack.
Assuming someone cares, people know that Bruce is a Democrat. Trump is not earning points with his acolytes. He's just looking cringey to those who are on Bruce's side.
As for Swift... She's not as big as the press makes her out to be, no one is, but she probably has more hard core fans than Trump himself. And she's been silent. You've got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.
It'd be one thing if Trump were surrounded by smart people. But that was his first term. Now he's got a "Real World" star and someone with a worm in his brain who moments before was a Democrat, and Tulsi Gabbard...whose side is she on anyway? If you think these people are willing to risk their jobs by speaking truth to power, then you think the members of Congress are more interested in doing what is right than keeping their gigs.
As for the Boss... Notice he didn't respond. He's been here before, with the aforementioned ticketing fracas. You can't win against the public, it just can't be done. And denial doesn't work either. Yeah right, Oasis had no idea of the ticket prices in the U.K. They were only doing it for the money! Don't undercut people's fantasy, they want to believe, don't reveal that you have no clothes.
As for Swift... She used to bite back right away, but people turned against her. That's another feature of the modern era, forgetfulness. Don't you remember when everybody was against Swift? She changed her tune. Her skin is not as thin. But she does say something eventually. And Trump better beware.
Oh don't tell me that Swift couldn't get Harris elected. NO ONE could have gotten Harris elected! We had to hear for eons that Biden was in tip-top shape, if you said he was old and out of it you were delusional. And now the Tapper book comes out and what is delineated is what those with eyes and ears knew eons ago...THE MAN WAS COMPROMISED!
And you wonder why people have no faith in the parties, never mind the system.
The Democrats are in disarray, deservedly so. And although a few of them, like Pritzker and Murphy, never mind AOC, are hip to the new reality and fighting back with intensity, the rest are silent, in truth afraid of losing their gigs. They think it's business as usual. But we haven't had that spirit here in years!
So the public is unmoored from the government. Elon Musk thinks he knows what people want, that he's in touch with the hoi polloi, and he finds out otherwise. Notice how you haven't heard Elon's name recently? He thought he was winning, but he was losing. Teslas stopped selling and the value of the stock which he borrows against to live tanked. That's the power of the public.
Taking the temperature of the public is a job. But today, the only way you can win is by spending tons of time online. Whereas the old paradigm was to make phone calls and go to lunch, try to get inside information via your relationships. If you do this today you're out of the loop!
The oldsters excoriate the internet and social media and the youngsters live on it.
Kind of like privacy... If I read one more story about the information we're coughing up online... YOUNG PEOPLE DON'T CARE! We can debate whether they should, but they don't. As for scraping your info from the net... It's essentially impossible, it's a full time job and you can't win. As for those who believe that by not being online they're victorious... They don't know that all their info is out there anyway. I can find out your age, where you live, even pictures of your domicile in map apps.
You've got to get your head out of the sand.
As for the knee-jerk Trump supporters... They're just as bad as the knee-jerk Biden supporters. As for those who still believe in Harris...even the Democratic pols are backing away from her, saying she never would have been the candidate if there was a primary. But if you say that Harris is toxic, that she's inauthentic, that she didn't lose because of racism and sexism, you're beaten down by a left that refuses to face the truth, or lives in a bubble as bad as the right and thinks they know better when they know little.
If only people would wake up to the fact that as much as they know, more than ever in history, they know less than the total.
You're online, getting information. But it's a fraction of the information out there.
As for the big swinging dicks... The brass at Warner Bros. Discovery changed the name from HBO MAX to MAX because they believed that lowbrows would be turned off by the HBO moniker, as if the lowbrows don't all want to drive Ferraris and wear LV and Prada. And the dirty little secret is ALMOST NOBOODY WAS WATCHING THE DISCOVERY CONTENT! All those lowbrow shows on MAX, the reality crap, turns out people don't want to stream them. I've got no belief in Zaslav and his cronies, but at least they were smart enough to realize they were wrong and switch the name back to HBO.
So Putin is not dumb. Nor is Orbán. Putin is manipulative. If he's losing public confidence he'll manufacture a war as a distraction. These men are one step ahead of their detractors, they rule with an iron fist. In order to maintain power as a dictator you must be intelligent and playing the three dimensional chess that acolytes say Trump does, but I'd be stunned if he could play the one-dimensional game.
Now Trump is smart enough to know that you win by controlling the courts. And after that comes the military. And if you have both of them under your thumb you can breathe a sigh of relief, but not forever, the landscape is continually changing.
This is the path that Trump is on. Hell, ignoring court orders and having a military parade? Never mind the chilling of action and speech. But will he be able to execute, maintain power?
I wouldn't bet against him, but if he keeps evidencing this level of insanity, he's going to make those who are not dyed-in-the-wool MAGA question their belief in him.
You want people on your side. When you attack Springsteen and Swift what are you achieving? You're just showing how small you are.
The public is not with him on this.
I'd expect further faux pas in the future.
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Because they didn't grow up online.
It's not only Trump, but Gayle King... The dirty little secret is most people don't know most things. We no longer live in a concentrated world. Rather we live in a land of infinity, and if you're surprised by the record that's number one, having not only never heard it, but never heard OF IT, you know this.
But readers hate when I rag on old people.
Everybody can do everything. It's not only the left that are woke. Disillusion and orthodoxy rule the old. Just because you smoked marijuana and grew your hair long that does not mean you're hip today.
And the dirty little secret is NEITHER ARE THE YOUNG!
For a while there was this canard that if your computer was broken a young 'un could fix it. Turned out they didn't know how it worked either. However, computers and smartphones and tablets have improved to the point where they're nearly idiot-proof. Tap away, the device will survive, this is not the nineties where one false move will brick your computer.
So Trump thinks it's still 2016 and his act is new. But that was ten years ago. The left was surprised that he used social media and profanity. But all these years later, it's de rigueur.. Did you see that Bill Maher clip of Democrats employing curse words?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t560SJVHeM
The world changes and you must change with it.
And the truth is Bruce Springsteen was ubiquitous and powerful in the eighties, but now although not marginal, like all old acts he cannot reach the Spotify Top 50, even worse, despite all the clamoring about high prices and platinum ticketing, he does not go clean everywhere in America. Want to see Bruce? Wait until the last minute and show up at the building, you should have no problem buying a ticket. However this is not the case in Europe, in Europe Springsteen is huge, A GOD!
So Bruce ranks out (talk about aged verbiage) Trump at the start of his tour in England and unless you follow music news closely, you're unaware of it. Or even if you see the headline, do you even read the story? I forwarded the video and boomers were completely unaware.
But then Trump barks back.
And no one on his team has the balls, never mind the intelligence, to tell him to cool it.
Now more people know about Springsteen's rant. And why is he attacking Swift? Her tour is over and she's been quiet, letting the land lie fallow so that people will come back next time, unlike Beyoncé.
You have to be able to take a punch.
And you must know who to attack.
Assuming someone cares, people know that Bruce is a Democrat. Trump is not earning points with his acolytes. He's just looking cringey to those who are on Bruce's side.
As for Swift... She's not as big as the press makes her out to be, no one is, but she probably has more hard core fans than Trump himself. And she's been silent. You've got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.
It'd be one thing if Trump were surrounded by smart people. But that was his first term. Now he's got a "Real World" star and someone with a worm in his brain who moments before was a Democrat, and Tulsi Gabbard...whose side is she on anyway? If you think these people are willing to risk their jobs by speaking truth to power, then you think the members of Congress are more interested in doing what is right than keeping their gigs.
As for the Boss... Notice he didn't respond. He's been here before, with the aforementioned ticketing fracas. You can't win against the public, it just can't be done. And denial doesn't work either. Yeah right, Oasis had no idea of the ticket prices in the U.K. They were only doing it for the money! Don't undercut people's fantasy, they want to believe, don't reveal that you have no clothes.
As for Swift... She used to bite back right away, but people turned against her. That's another feature of the modern era, forgetfulness. Don't you remember when everybody was against Swift? She changed her tune. Her skin is not as thin. But she does say something eventually. And Trump better beware.
Oh don't tell me that Swift couldn't get Harris elected. NO ONE could have gotten Harris elected! We had to hear for eons that Biden was in tip-top shape, if you said he was old and out of it you were delusional. And now the Tapper book comes out and what is delineated is what those with eyes and ears knew eons ago...THE MAN WAS COMPROMISED!
And you wonder why people have no faith in the parties, never mind the system.
The Democrats are in disarray, deservedly so. And although a few of them, like Pritzker and Murphy, never mind AOC, are hip to the new reality and fighting back with intensity, the rest are silent, in truth afraid of losing their gigs. They think it's business as usual. But we haven't had that spirit here in years!
So the public is unmoored from the government. Elon Musk thinks he knows what people want, that he's in touch with the hoi polloi, and he finds out otherwise. Notice how you haven't heard Elon's name recently? He thought he was winning, but he was losing. Teslas stopped selling and the value of the stock which he borrows against to live tanked. That's the power of the public.
Taking the temperature of the public is a job. But today, the only way you can win is by spending tons of time online. Whereas the old paradigm was to make phone calls and go to lunch, try to get inside information via your relationships. If you do this today you're out of the loop!
The oldsters excoriate the internet and social media and the youngsters live on it.
Kind of like privacy... If I read one more story about the information we're coughing up online... YOUNG PEOPLE DON'T CARE! We can debate whether they should, but they don't. As for scraping your info from the net... It's essentially impossible, it's a full time job and you can't win. As for those who believe that by not being online they're victorious... They don't know that all their info is out there anyway. I can find out your age, where you live, even pictures of your domicile in map apps.
You've got to get your head out of the sand.
As for the knee-jerk Trump supporters... They're just as bad as the knee-jerk Biden supporters. As for those who still believe in Harris...even the Democratic pols are backing away from her, saying she never would have been the candidate if there was a primary. But if you say that Harris is toxic, that she's inauthentic, that she didn't lose because of racism and sexism, you're beaten down by a left that refuses to face the truth, or lives in a bubble as bad as the right and thinks they know better when they know little.
If only people would wake up to the fact that as much as they know, more than ever in history, they know less than the total.
You're online, getting information. But it's a fraction of the information out there.
As for the big swinging dicks... The brass at Warner Bros. Discovery changed the name from HBO MAX to MAX because they believed that lowbrows would be turned off by the HBO moniker, as if the lowbrows don't all want to drive Ferraris and wear LV and Prada. And the dirty little secret is ALMOST NOBOODY WAS WATCHING THE DISCOVERY CONTENT! All those lowbrow shows on MAX, the reality crap, turns out people don't want to stream them. I've got no belief in Zaslav and his cronies, but at least they were smart enough to realize they were wrong and switch the name back to HBO.
So Putin is not dumb. Nor is Orbán. Putin is manipulative. If he's losing public confidence he'll manufacture a war as a distraction. These men are one step ahead of their detractors, they rule with an iron fist. In order to maintain power as a dictator you must be intelligent and playing the three dimensional chess that acolytes say Trump does, but I'd be stunned if he could play the one-dimensional game.
Now Trump is smart enough to know that you win by controlling the courts. And after that comes the military. And if you have both of them under your thumb you can breathe a sigh of relief, but not forever, the landscape is continually changing.
This is the path that Trump is on. Hell, ignoring court orders and having a military parade? Never mind the chilling of action and speech. But will he be able to execute, maintain power?
I wouldn't bet against him, but if he keeps evidencing this level of insanity, he's going to make those who are not dyed-in-the-wool MAGA question their belief in him.
You want people on your side. When you attack Springsteen and Swift what are you achieving? You're just showing how small you are.
The public is not with him on this.
I'd expect further faux pas in the future.
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Friday, 16 May 2025
WABC-July 10, 1973-SiriusXM This Week
Tune in Saturday May 17th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
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Re-Garland Jeffreys
Hi Bob,
A couple of pertinent comments/corrections on Garland Jeffreys. First off, scores of people still around can verify that waaay back in the 1970's yours truly was 100% responsible for bringing him to A&M. Had been a fan since his only Atlantic lp years before. with a great track, "She Didn't Lie." The original single of "Wild In The Streets" came later. FYI, it was actually a legit hit 45 in a few markets, particularly Cleveland and Boston. Also, it received major airplay on fm album rock radio throughout the northeast! Between his Atlantic & A&M signings, Arista released a weak 7 inch single by Garland, "The Disco Kid." And it deservedly bombed. Song was an insult to his artistic integrity!
Garland's A&M debut, "Ghost Writer" had some good original songs like "35mm Dream" and "Spanish Town."
Both garnered much AOR play. "Wild..." had never been in an album and was actually then unavailable. I conspired with Garland (who owned the master) that we HAD to get it on his lp. Jerry Moss did not want this 'old song' used and initially rejected it. Finally, Garland had to reshuffle all the tracks (including "Wild") when he presented his 'final mix' in a 'one on one' meeting with Moss. Jerry gave the whole thing a yes. as he ok'd the mix. After that, Garland mentioned that "Wild" was in there! Moss smirked realizing he had been had and allowed it to happen!
BTW, without the benefit of anything near a hit single, this album did initially sell over 100,000 units. Having "Wild on the album made it sell! Song later became an anthem.
Also, as you wrote, the two later A&M releases did not do anything. Yet, this great performing talent was able to then record three albums with the giant Epic label. Throughout his A&M and Epic tenure, he toured Europe; where he became a major live draw in France, Germany and elsewhere. Yes, his 'star' actually did rise in Western Europe far more than here. Soooo Garland did indeed achieve success and was able to enjoy it!
I look forward to seeing the documentary about him.
Stay well Bob.
Ron Farber
__________________________________________
Garland was not easily categorized and that's what made him so special. As an African-American and Puerto Rican, Garland would blend rock and roll, reggae, blues, and soul. I admired Garland's cross genre music from the first time I heard his Atlantic album and the song "Ballad Of Me" in 1973. Years later I signed Garland to Epic following his 2 A&M albums including "Ghostwriter", a classic album IMO with not only "Wild In the Streets" (which is licensed for synch regularly) but "I May Not Be Your Kind", "New York Skyline" and "35 Millimeter Dreams". "Matador" on the followup "American Boy and Girl" was indeed a hit across Europe. The first album we made for Epic, "Escape Artist", became the best selling album of his career and was named by Time Magazine as one of the top albums of 1981. The album was produced by Garland and Bob Clearmountain and the musicians included members of the E Street Band, the Wailers and the Rumour, as well as guitarists G.E. Smith, Chuck Hammer and Adrian Belew. A rocking cover of "96 Tears" went top 5 at album radio and charted pop as did the followup single R.O.C.K Rock. His live shows were universally acclaimed and we cut a great live album in NY and Paris and a much mellower album "Guts For Love" before I left to become head of A&R at PolyGram. After a break from recording Garland returned on RCA with a brave and controversial album entitled "Don't Call Me Buckwheat" which was a powerful statement about race relations in America which RCA naturally had difficulty promoting. Of his more recent albums his 2011 album "The King of In Between" is an undiscovered gem (https://open.spotify.com/album/4x5N46AlPoxpKL7ruYQA8e) and also the title of the excellent documentary.
I can honestly say that Garland is one of my favorite artists I ever worked with and his amazing wife and manager Claire Jeffreys along with daughter Savannah made this documentary to preserve Garland's legacy as he is suffering from severe Alzheimers.
Dick Wingate
__________________________________________
Hi Bob - I wrote & produced a few songs with Garland for a woefully under-heard album called "Wildlife Dictionary" in the mid-nineties.
We became very close friends, though time, & life, gradually led us different directions.
I have such love for that man. Just a pure artist & soul who knows what he wants to hear & is joyful as a newbie when he hears it. It was a blast creating with Garland.
He was also a pretty damn savvy investor and introduced me to some great stocks and mutual funds; he even gifted me Warren Buffet's biography when I had my first kid - it wouldn't surprise me at all if his investment choices supported him just fine during any fallow periods in this confounding business.
Here's one of the tracks we did together. I've always loved it
"Boys & Girls"
https://youtu.be/TfZ7DDVdchU
Really excited to check this doc out.
Peter Zizzo
__________________________________________
Thanks for the heads up on the Garland Jeffreys doco.
We were thrilled when Garland agreed to take part in our live music trivia TV show RocKwiz when he was on tour here in Australia back in 2014. He was so generous and the sweetest guy to work with.
Inspired by your story, I've gone back into our archive and uploaded some of the show to YouTube.
Hopefully you'll find time to check it out.
Thanks for the enormous wisdom and insight you impart with each Lefsetz Letter.
Cheers
Peter Bain-Hogg
"Wild In The Streets - Garland Jeffreys (inc intro and interview)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vauLKlnL-cs
(Note: Garland starts performing just after 1:00 in this clip, if you were ever a fan you want to watch this.)
__________________________________________
Saw Garland Jeffreys in 1980 at the Dutch Pinkpop festival.
Line up included Raymond van het Groenewoud, Joe Jackson band , J Geils Band, Van Halen, The Jam was the closer. *Google is your friend…
Jeffreys has the 10.00 am opening slot. He left it all out there. For my money by far the best act on that day…
Yet….. stayed a cult figure in Holland. Saw him years later in NYC, again very good. You are right, his recorded output didn't match his live performances. Too bad.
I will check out the doc.
To be continued,
Sjaak Blaauw
__________________________________________
"R.O.C.K." should have been a hit. WXRT in Chicago played the heck out of it (they still play it from time to time). Back then I just assumed it was as well known in other parts of the country.
You can't tell me rock stations not playing black artists didn't have something to do with that. If it was done by Springsteen, Seger or Cougar everyone would have heard it..
https://youtu.be/bdqq1qg2kkM?si=457KmFpqO6ZfbX4y
Pete Kuehl
__________________________________________
In the early 80's, I lived in Vail. We wore his music out. Obsessed with Modern Lovers. But it was a blip for sure.
Vicki Whicker
__________________________________________
Haven't yet seen the documentary yet but I last saw Garland Jeffries and band play a great set at the Town Crier cafe in Beacon, NY in January 2019. Aside from some humorous kvetching about having to travel 90 minutes north of NYC to work (we're on the Hudson River in Dutchess County) Garland Jeffries showed that the spirit of "R.O.C.K." Is still strong and vital in an aging talent and his likewise aging fans. Actually, it was a quite diverse and very enthusiastic audience. As you observe, success in Music is a fickle business, but Mr Jeffries definitely made his mark.
Anthony Napoli
Beacon, NY
__________________________________________
So nice to see you recognize Garland, his Guts For Love album was so
overlooked, the title track along with Surrender, Fidelity, Rebel Love, Real
Man etc. make up a really great album.
Bob Herman
__________________________________________
I don't know if the movie specifically mentions the Circle Jerks cover of "Wild in the Streets." But talk about a solid source of mailbox money! That song is one of the most played hardcore punk songs and has been in many movies, commercials, etc. At a glance their main studio version has 17 million+ streams.
Trashy Ashell
__________________________________________
I think about this a lot - he was on a pretty parallel line with Springsteen coming from my middle of no where end of Brooklyn. 22 stops.
What about the racism?
Hard work. Opportunity. And a little bit of luck.
What if Garland Jeffreys was a white performer? Maybe that more than anything is something you can focus on from here with your writing.
Thank you,
Jerry Jaworski
__________________________________________
Garland should have moved to Montreal, where Matador was a huge hit in the early 80s thanks to constant airplay by CHOM. He might have been able to nurture and build a real career before moving home again, like Heart or Neko Case and others.
Leila Marshy in Montreal
__________________________________________
As a club promoter back in the 80's I was pitched Garland several times. There was plenty of product in the record stores and nice displays as you entered Streetside Records. Everyone was doing their job. I never booked him. No radio ,which ruled back then. I don't even remember college radio paying attention. Not uncommon in those days.
Also- Incident on 57th is one of the most underrated songs written by Springsteen. Love that record!
Richard King
__________________________________________
Saw him open for U2 in 1981 at the Warfield in SF. One of the few great soul men not from the 60's.
Keith Goldstein
__________________________________________
I LOVE his two Epic albums, "Escape Artist" and "Guts For Love". There are some really great songs on both. Again, nothing great enough to break through, but really pleasant listens.
Marc Reiter
__________________________________________
I'm so glad to see you writing about Garland. He may not have had the hits but he was an artist in the truest sense of the word. As one of the many donors of this film, I'm looking forward to seeing it. "Escape Artist" from 1981, was the album that drew me in and I felt should have been the breakthrough he needed. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Fast forward to 2011. I'm watching Letterman one night and Garland performs his new single, "Coney Island Winter." Wow, I was blown away, as he sounded better than ever. If you have not seen it, check it out and you will totally see how Garland never lost that passion, even at almost 70 years of age.
Rich Ulloa / Y&T Music
"TV Live - Garland Jeffreys- 'Coney Island Winter' (Letterman 2011)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erXv_plrS00
__________________________________________
"Ghost Writer" came out in January '77 when I was living in San Francisco and I couldn't get it off my turntable. He was getting airplay on KSAN and seemed ready to break big in indie rock and radio scene of the day. For me, the addictive track was the gut punchy, reggae rhythm and career-long, autobiographical social commentary of "l May Not Be Your Kind." Then I caught 4 straight sets at the Boarding Room. Solid, but compared to the frenzy ignited by Bruce or Graham Parker & The Rumour sets of that era, the live shows were good but not great. He didn't have a band that could push him over the top. The sincerity and craft, his authenticity, intelligence and integrity always came through, but live, lacked the ferocity, the reckless abandon of a mass appeal act. Throughout my 45-year run as a community radio dj in Tampa, I cherry-picked brilliant tracks from every LP thereafter "Revolution of the Mind,"
https://open.spotify.com/track/1HIwwiyTc321MaPo1f3vcF?si=BbNnFaBYSoK9KHtBYrm3LA
which closes 2013's "Truth Serum" is a particular favorite. It serves as a fitting coda to a notable and under-appreciated career. Will always love me some Garland Jeffreys. I donated to the film's production and look forward to seeing it. Regardless of popularity, he is the real deal.
Cameron Dilley
Chicago
__________________________________________
Garland was definitely "big" in New York.
Not "Madison Square Garden big" but when he played the Bottom Line, you went and were guaranteed a great show.
Like Willy DeVille, who was bigger in France than America, he had a devout following here. He was a New York Experience and influential in his way.
Can't remember exactly how, but I got the gig designing Garland's 2011 The King of In Between cd.
I had never met him but I dealt with Garland and his wife Claire and they couldn't have been nicer.
There's a lot of space between the measure of Springsteen's and Garland Jeffrey's careers but Garland is no also-ran.
William Nollman
__________________________________________
Thanks for sharing this – had no idea this doc existed and will certainly be watching.
I saw Garland Jeffreys play at Village Underground in 2001… I was new to the music business, freshly secured a job as Michael Krumper's assistant at Artemis Records. I attended the show as a blind favor to Danny Goldberg. I was eager to do anything I could for the label.
The show was packed and I sat at a table with other industry folk, including James Taylor's longtime manager. There was a clear reverence for Garland Jeffreys in the room, which candidly confused the s*it out of me. I remember hearing the song "Spanish Town" that night and being floored, not in a good way, by the lyrics about rice and beans and sucking on chili dogs… I just didn't get it. At the time I hadn't been trained in A&R and I didn't have any context for what I heard. I walked out of the show stymied that Garland had fans. The vocal wasn't great, the songs were very thin, and the storytelling felt inappropriately grand. Maybe now, 24 years later, I can grow my understanding.
This morning I relistened to "Spanish Town" – it's a f*cking 7 minute-plus odyssey with sour cream vocals and a meandering narrative. Chorus arrives a hundred seconds in. Hot damn. It's the type of coloring-outside-the-lines we crave from artists… and it does connect to me, now that I've suffered, lived, had kids, been divorced, etc etc etc.
Thank you again –
Jason Spiewak
__________________________________________
Years ago, I went to see Garland Jeffreys at the Continental Club in Austin during SXSW and approached him after the show to see if I could convince him to come to Halifax to play my Halifax Urban Folk Festival. To my astonishment, he said yes, and we flew him up, put a band of local musicians together for him, and he nailed his headlining show, actually standing on a table during the first song! He was a fantastically engaging performer with a ton of stories to tell and the audience ate it up.
I was originally drawn to Garland when I was working at Canada's largest record store (A&A Records on Yonge St.) after reading an article in the Village Voice wondering who the next Bob Dylan would be. That list included Bruce Springsteen, Elliott Murphy, Willie Nile and Garland Jeffreys. Over the course of the festival's life (now in its 16th year), I've also managed to bring in Elliott and Willie, but no Springsteen for obvious reasons. They were all wonderful people and even though, as you say, the hits eluded them, their catalogue of songs were more than worthy of attention. Garland even came over to my house after his show to regale us all with stories involving his many famous friends.
Just for fun, if you feel like checking it out, here's a great video from his rehearsal during his visit - I think you'll like it…
"Garland Jeffreys - Waiting For The Man (Live Acoustic)":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyEyCAjrJxk
Mike Campbell
__________________________________________
Having managed a record store in the late 70s... Garland was a critic's darling, and nothing more.
Bob Davis
__________________________________________
I've known Garland Jeffreys since his Atlantic days, when I was a kid of about 14 and saw him open for my old friend Tom Waits at the Main Point in Bryn Mawr, PA, yes the same club that was known for helping break the many careers of folks like Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne (who played a week of free shows there in 1976 to help keep the club alive), Bonnie Raitt, all the great seventies artists that are still with us today.
Upon graduating 12th grade, Ghostwriter hit the stores, I bought it the summer of 77 along with Girl Happy by Elvis at Korvettes in Springfield, PA…..one of the greatest record stores of all time, ask anyone…..
I heard the acoustic versions of some of these songs over the years in performance, but the production was pretty glossy, and albeit not a huge album, I would hear it on the radio in Philly thanks to guys like Ed Sciaky, Gene Shay and Michael Tearson at WMMR. There is a lot of great music on there, maybe not "The Pretender" or "Born To Run" but it was in the groove, and he played many of those tunes for years in shows. The title track, Rough and Ready and of course Wild In The Streets…..opened doors the artist.
Fast forward, Escape Artist on Epic, a more new wave/reggae venture, and probably his most played album thanks to 96 Tears and R-O-C-K. Great album, probably my favorite……He toured with The Rumour those days and it was an amazing show if you got a chance to see it. When I began Friday Music ions ago, we had a Manfred Mann CD that included the track Mystery Kids which was from this GJ album.
1991…..I start a new gig in national promotion at RCA. I am in NYC and there is this import from RCA Germany on the desk by Garland called Don't Call Me Buckwheat. I got all excited, here's my old friend with a new RCA BMG album and I championed to get its release in the USA. It happened. I reunited with GJ and we went on the road for about 2 weeks across the country getting the album set up. I found this tune called Hail Hail Rock N Roll and brought it to radio, Top 40 radio at that……Garland and I locked in about 20 Top 40 stations commitments on the track, which was a good amount of radio in those days for a "new artist" the programmers loved the guy, many meeting him for the first time, many in their early twenties……as he told road stories, the story line behind the new album which was about race, but also the dream about bringing together the people as he noted in several of the songs. It's a profound work, there are videos on YT of him singing it with Lou Reed overseas to a huge crowd.
I saw him do his final show in NYC at the City Winery a couple of years ago, it was a tribute show with a lot of the NYC new wave, punk and artists community at the gig, he sang on a few things, but mainly watched from the side of the stage with a huge smile on his face as David Johanssen, Suzanne Vega, Chuck Prophett, and many other nice artists honored the man.
He did everything you could possibly do. He had an impact on me, and I am sure anyone he worked with over the years.
God Bless,
Joe Reagoso
Friday Music
__________________________________________
Thanks for the alert Bob.
I'm looking forward to watching this if or when it gets to an online option or if by some chance a local showing of the doc in a theatre.
I'm one of the dedicated minority of GJ fans who bought all the albums over all the years and all the labels, recognizing both then and now that he was not for everybody and that he was not going to break through as a mainstream success. He was the embodiment of what Christgau called "semi-popular."
My particular favorite GJ moments are actually on the 4 song vinyl EP "Escapades" that came packaged with the original vinyl LP of the "Escape Artist" release. Those four songs feature (for me) the most brilliant synthesis of his reggae obsessions, genuine pain for the baked-in racism endemic to America now and then, and simply catchy melodies that kept it all both moving and listenable.
Even as a dedicated fan I could not get into his duet concerts that he did in the NYC area with his guitar pal (don't remember that dude's name).
When he was making another career push with an extended performance on Mountain Stage quite a while ago now, he was burning with anger and racial obsession, it colored his comments to the audience and did no favors for the ability of listeners to appreciate the set.
Garland probably said it best in one of his song titles: "I May Not Be Your Kind."
That was (and still is) certainly true enough.
jimeddy
Ann Arbor MI
__________________________________________
Bob, thanks for previewing for us the Garland Jeffreys doc.
Your post took me back to a Jeffreys album that I came to treasure. It was his 1992 release Don't Call Me Buckwheat which was on RCA, and it came out almost ten years after his previous one. The whole album deals with racial inequality and self-worth, and the track that I have to revisit regularly—because it's so relevant and insightful—is "Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll." Jeffreys ROCKS on this. He's more than singing here; he's spewing out choruses of rightful indignation. And the song's midpoint-to close is a simple yet absolutely arresting reference to the white appropriation of black music; it is handled elegantly, and is doubly effective because of how Jeffreys arranged for the music to fuel the message--and vice versa. For me, this is one of those rush-up-the-spine moments that music can bring! Thanks, Bob.
Lance Jones
__________________________________________
Garland was interesting and good back in the day. I always thought he sounded too much like the Band, that he was trying too hard to emulate them. This is not a bad thing to shoot for, but I never thought the songs were transcendent.
But I'm happy that he's comfortable and Content, how many people can say that?
Rik Shafer
__________________________________________
Musical tastes are highly subjective and it would be a dull, bland world if we all liked and disliked the same songs, albums, bands, solo artists, authors, painters, etc. So, while you may regard Garland Jeffreys as an also-ran who was never good enough to break through commercially -- and the world at large, sadly, has no idea who he is -- Jeffreys' best music continues to resonate with me decades after I first heard it.
You describe Jeffreys' "Ghost Writer" album as "listenable." I regard it as a gem, from start to finish. It's a classic life-on-the- streets-and-boroughs of New York album, vividly told, that spoke loudly to me in 1977 and to this day, even though (at the time) I'd only spent half a day in New York, years earlier as a 7-year-old tourist. "Ghost Writer's" mesmerizing title track and "I May Not Be Your Kind" are, to my ears, two of the finest reggae songs by any non-Jamaican artist. And "Ghost Writer" is still the only song I know that name-checks Shakespeare, Charlie Chaplin and Al Jolson, alongside references to Ludlow Street and Barrow Street, in a way that makes perfect sense. Unfortunately for Jeffreys, reggae had yet to be embraced by a broad American audience in 1977, the year his "Ghost Writer" album was released.
As for rock songs, "Ghost Writer" boasts not only "Wild in the Streets" but the equally memorable "Lift Me Up" and "Rough & Ready," the latter of which both Graham Parker and Jeffreys' old college pal, Lou Reed, would surely have been happy to claim as their own. The album-closing "Spanish Town's" gripping tale of a Hispanic immigrant family struggling to overcome poverty, racism and cultural stereotypes is beautifully sung and, sadly, more resonant today than it was in 1977. Fast forward 25 years and Jeffreys' superb 1992 album, "Don't Call Me Buckwheat," addresses the realities of being a mixed-race American with grit, grace, pain and tenderness. Given its subject matter, the album's failure to sell would likely have been a fait accompli in any decade, before or after
Jeffreys' most recent album, 2017's "14 Steps to Harlem" is as solid and engaging work as any, much better- known rock veteran in their seventies has made to date. That Jeffreys has never broken through to stardom does not diminish the continued high quality of his work. Perhaps he best summed up his fate in the second-to-last verse in "Ghost Writer, sining: "I've been writing down these old stories now / For 'bout 18 years or so / People are startin' to call me a genius / I gotta' tell 'em no, no, no, no." For some of us, the response remains: yes, yes, yes, yes,
Best wishes,
George Varga
__________________________________________
I gave it a good shot, and several of my bandmates went pretty far up the ladder. Turned 30, finally fell in love, went back to school so I could make some money. And I did, and that funded my ability to play where and when I wanted to, and with whom (to a point, but the universe of excellent players is far greater than the universe of successful musicians, and I seldom lacked for a challenge).
Now, at 76, I look around at my colleagues who put all their eggs in that basket, still gigging at $150/night, enduring the grind of the road, wondering how long their bodies will hold out, and hoping to die before they get old, and I have no regrets.
Best regards,
Darryl Mattison
__________________________________________
I so look forward to this documentary.
I'm a longtime GJ fan. His story is so compelling and should resonate in the modern era even more deeply than throughout his career.
I turn your attention to "Don't Call Me Buckwheat". One of my favorite records of the 90's.
If it came out today, I suspect it would be massive and the back story would have gone viral. It's that good and that compelling.
A true artist. A substantial body of work. An overused phrase, but he was ahead of his time.
Thanks for giving him some coverage.
Thanks for your work.
Best,
Vince Spiziri
__________________________________________
I was the production manager at one of his shows around 2019 in Essex, VT. Guy was the nicest ever, I was admittedly not super familiar with the material, my promoter was an old school Jersey guy, a friend of mine, but like Max Weinberg and a few other Jersey acts before him, the show drew less than 100 people in a 500 cap theater. The fans that were there were enthused, kind of, I don't know, a seemingly sad booking that was underwhelming to say the least. Again, Garland was the nicest to work with.
Chris Friday
A couple of pertinent comments/corrections on Garland Jeffreys. First off, scores of people still around can verify that waaay back in the 1970's yours truly was 100% responsible for bringing him to A&M. Had been a fan since his only Atlantic lp years before. with a great track, "She Didn't Lie." The original single of "Wild In The Streets" came later. FYI, it was actually a legit hit 45 in a few markets, particularly Cleveland and Boston. Also, it received major airplay on fm album rock radio throughout the northeast! Between his Atlantic & A&M signings, Arista released a weak 7 inch single by Garland, "The Disco Kid." And it deservedly bombed. Song was an insult to his artistic integrity!
Garland's A&M debut, "Ghost Writer" had some good original songs like "35mm Dream" and "Spanish Town."
Both garnered much AOR play. "Wild..." had never been in an album and was actually then unavailable. I conspired with Garland (who owned the master) that we HAD to get it on his lp. Jerry Moss did not want this 'old song' used and initially rejected it. Finally, Garland had to reshuffle all the tracks (including "Wild") when he presented his 'final mix' in a 'one on one' meeting with Moss. Jerry gave the whole thing a yes. as he ok'd the mix. After that, Garland mentioned that "Wild" was in there! Moss smirked realizing he had been had and allowed it to happen!
BTW, without the benefit of anything near a hit single, this album did initially sell over 100,000 units. Having "Wild on the album made it sell! Song later became an anthem.
Also, as you wrote, the two later A&M releases did not do anything. Yet, this great performing talent was able to then record three albums with the giant Epic label. Throughout his A&M and Epic tenure, he toured Europe; where he became a major live draw in France, Germany and elsewhere. Yes, his 'star' actually did rise in Western Europe far more than here. Soooo Garland did indeed achieve success and was able to enjoy it!
I look forward to seeing the documentary about him.
Stay well Bob.
Ron Farber
__________________________________________
Garland was not easily categorized and that's what made him so special. As an African-American and Puerto Rican, Garland would blend rock and roll, reggae, blues, and soul. I admired Garland's cross genre music from the first time I heard his Atlantic album and the song "Ballad Of Me" in 1973. Years later I signed Garland to Epic following his 2 A&M albums including "Ghostwriter", a classic album IMO with not only "Wild In the Streets" (which is licensed for synch regularly) but "I May Not Be Your Kind", "New York Skyline" and "35 Millimeter Dreams". "Matador" on the followup "American Boy and Girl" was indeed a hit across Europe. The first album we made for Epic, "Escape Artist", became the best selling album of his career and was named by Time Magazine as one of the top albums of 1981. The album was produced by Garland and Bob Clearmountain and the musicians included members of the E Street Band, the Wailers and the Rumour, as well as guitarists G.E. Smith, Chuck Hammer and Adrian Belew. A rocking cover of "96 Tears" went top 5 at album radio and charted pop as did the followup single R.O.C.K Rock. His live shows were universally acclaimed and we cut a great live album in NY and Paris and a much mellower album "Guts For Love" before I left to become head of A&R at PolyGram. After a break from recording Garland returned on RCA with a brave and controversial album entitled "Don't Call Me Buckwheat" which was a powerful statement about race relations in America which RCA naturally had difficulty promoting. Of his more recent albums his 2011 album "The King of In Between" is an undiscovered gem (https://open.spotify.com/album/4x5N46AlPoxpKL7ruYQA8e) and also the title of the excellent documentary.
I can honestly say that Garland is one of my favorite artists I ever worked with and his amazing wife and manager Claire Jeffreys along with daughter Savannah made this documentary to preserve Garland's legacy as he is suffering from severe Alzheimers.
Dick Wingate
__________________________________________
Hi Bob - I wrote & produced a few songs with Garland for a woefully under-heard album called "Wildlife Dictionary" in the mid-nineties.
We became very close friends, though time, & life, gradually led us different directions.
I have such love for that man. Just a pure artist & soul who knows what he wants to hear & is joyful as a newbie when he hears it. It was a blast creating with Garland.
He was also a pretty damn savvy investor and introduced me to some great stocks and mutual funds; he even gifted me Warren Buffet's biography when I had my first kid - it wouldn't surprise me at all if his investment choices supported him just fine during any fallow periods in this confounding business.
Here's one of the tracks we did together. I've always loved it
"Boys & Girls"
https://youtu.be/TfZ7DDVdchU
Really excited to check this doc out.
Peter Zizzo
__________________________________________
Thanks for the heads up on the Garland Jeffreys doco.
We were thrilled when Garland agreed to take part in our live music trivia TV show RocKwiz when he was on tour here in Australia back in 2014. He was so generous and the sweetest guy to work with.
Inspired by your story, I've gone back into our archive and uploaded some of the show to YouTube.
Hopefully you'll find time to check it out.
Thanks for the enormous wisdom and insight you impart with each Lefsetz Letter.
Cheers
Peter Bain-Hogg
"Wild In The Streets - Garland Jeffreys (inc intro and interview)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vauLKlnL-cs
(Note: Garland starts performing just after 1:00 in this clip, if you were ever a fan you want to watch this.)
__________________________________________
Saw Garland Jeffreys in 1980 at the Dutch Pinkpop festival.
Line up included Raymond van het Groenewoud, Joe Jackson band , J Geils Band, Van Halen, The Jam was the closer. *Google is your friend…
Jeffreys has the 10.00 am opening slot. He left it all out there. For my money by far the best act on that day…
Yet….. stayed a cult figure in Holland. Saw him years later in NYC, again very good. You are right, his recorded output didn't match his live performances. Too bad.
I will check out the doc.
To be continued,
Sjaak Blaauw
__________________________________________
"R.O.C.K." should have been a hit. WXRT in Chicago played the heck out of it (they still play it from time to time). Back then I just assumed it was as well known in other parts of the country.
You can't tell me rock stations not playing black artists didn't have something to do with that. If it was done by Springsteen, Seger or Cougar everyone would have heard it..
https://youtu.be/bdqq1qg2kkM?si=457KmFpqO6ZfbX4y
Pete Kuehl
__________________________________________
In the early 80's, I lived in Vail. We wore his music out. Obsessed with Modern Lovers. But it was a blip for sure.
Vicki Whicker
__________________________________________
Haven't yet seen the documentary yet but I last saw Garland Jeffries and band play a great set at the Town Crier cafe in Beacon, NY in January 2019. Aside from some humorous kvetching about having to travel 90 minutes north of NYC to work (we're on the Hudson River in Dutchess County) Garland Jeffries showed that the spirit of "R.O.C.K." Is still strong and vital in an aging talent and his likewise aging fans. Actually, it was a quite diverse and very enthusiastic audience. As you observe, success in Music is a fickle business, but Mr Jeffries definitely made his mark.
Anthony Napoli
Beacon, NY
__________________________________________
So nice to see you recognize Garland, his Guts For Love album was so
overlooked, the title track along with Surrender, Fidelity, Rebel Love, Real
Man etc. make up a really great album.
Bob Herman
__________________________________________
I don't know if the movie specifically mentions the Circle Jerks cover of "Wild in the Streets." But talk about a solid source of mailbox money! That song is one of the most played hardcore punk songs and has been in many movies, commercials, etc. At a glance their main studio version has 17 million+ streams.
Trashy Ashell
__________________________________________
I think about this a lot - he was on a pretty parallel line with Springsteen coming from my middle of no where end of Brooklyn. 22 stops.
What about the racism?
Hard work. Opportunity. And a little bit of luck.
What if Garland Jeffreys was a white performer? Maybe that more than anything is something you can focus on from here with your writing.
Thank you,
Jerry Jaworski
__________________________________________
Garland should have moved to Montreal, where Matador was a huge hit in the early 80s thanks to constant airplay by CHOM. He might have been able to nurture and build a real career before moving home again, like Heart or Neko Case and others.
Leila Marshy in Montreal
__________________________________________
As a club promoter back in the 80's I was pitched Garland several times. There was plenty of product in the record stores and nice displays as you entered Streetside Records. Everyone was doing their job. I never booked him. No radio ,which ruled back then. I don't even remember college radio paying attention. Not uncommon in those days.
Also- Incident on 57th is one of the most underrated songs written by Springsteen. Love that record!
Richard King
__________________________________________
Saw him open for U2 in 1981 at the Warfield in SF. One of the few great soul men not from the 60's.
Keith Goldstein
__________________________________________
I LOVE his two Epic albums, "Escape Artist" and "Guts For Love". There are some really great songs on both. Again, nothing great enough to break through, but really pleasant listens.
Marc Reiter
__________________________________________
I'm so glad to see you writing about Garland. He may not have had the hits but he was an artist in the truest sense of the word. As one of the many donors of this film, I'm looking forward to seeing it. "Escape Artist" from 1981, was the album that drew me in and I felt should have been the breakthrough he needed. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Fast forward to 2011. I'm watching Letterman one night and Garland performs his new single, "Coney Island Winter." Wow, I was blown away, as he sounded better than ever. If you have not seen it, check it out and you will totally see how Garland never lost that passion, even at almost 70 years of age.
Rich Ulloa / Y&T Music
"TV Live - Garland Jeffreys- 'Coney Island Winter' (Letterman 2011)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erXv_plrS00
__________________________________________
"Ghost Writer" came out in January '77 when I was living in San Francisco and I couldn't get it off my turntable. He was getting airplay on KSAN and seemed ready to break big in indie rock and radio scene of the day. For me, the addictive track was the gut punchy, reggae rhythm and career-long, autobiographical social commentary of "l May Not Be Your Kind." Then I caught 4 straight sets at the Boarding Room. Solid, but compared to the frenzy ignited by Bruce or Graham Parker & The Rumour sets of that era, the live shows were good but not great. He didn't have a band that could push him over the top. The sincerity and craft, his authenticity, intelligence and integrity always came through, but live, lacked the ferocity, the reckless abandon of a mass appeal act. Throughout my 45-year run as a community radio dj in Tampa, I cherry-picked brilliant tracks from every LP thereafter "Revolution of the Mind,"
https://open.spotify.com/track/1HIwwiyTc321MaPo1f3vcF?si=BbNnFaBYSoK9KHtBYrm3LA
which closes 2013's "Truth Serum" is a particular favorite. It serves as a fitting coda to a notable and under-appreciated career. Will always love me some Garland Jeffreys. I donated to the film's production and look forward to seeing it. Regardless of popularity, he is the real deal.
Cameron Dilley
Chicago
__________________________________________
Garland was definitely "big" in New York.
Not "Madison Square Garden big" but when he played the Bottom Line, you went and were guaranteed a great show.
Like Willy DeVille, who was bigger in France than America, he had a devout following here. He was a New York Experience and influential in his way.
Can't remember exactly how, but I got the gig designing Garland's 2011 The King of In Between cd.
I had never met him but I dealt with Garland and his wife Claire and they couldn't have been nicer.
There's a lot of space between the measure of Springsteen's and Garland Jeffrey's careers but Garland is no also-ran.
William Nollman
__________________________________________
Thanks for sharing this – had no idea this doc existed and will certainly be watching.
I saw Garland Jeffreys play at Village Underground in 2001… I was new to the music business, freshly secured a job as Michael Krumper's assistant at Artemis Records. I attended the show as a blind favor to Danny Goldberg. I was eager to do anything I could for the label.
The show was packed and I sat at a table with other industry folk, including James Taylor's longtime manager. There was a clear reverence for Garland Jeffreys in the room, which candidly confused the s*it out of me. I remember hearing the song "Spanish Town" that night and being floored, not in a good way, by the lyrics about rice and beans and sucking on chili dogs… I just didn't get it. At the time I hadn't been trained in A&R and I didn't have any context for what I heard. I walked out of the show stymied that Garland had fans. The vocal wasn't great, the songs were very thin, and the storytelling felt inappropriately grand. Maybe now, 24 years later, I can grow my understanding.
This morning I relistened to "Spanish Town" – it's a f*cking 7 minute-plus odyssey with sour cream vocals and a meandering narrative. Chorus arrives a hundred seconds in. Hot damn. It's the type of coloring-outside-the-lines we crave from artists… and it does connect to me, now that I've suffered, lived, had kids, been divorced, etc etc etc.
Thank you again –
Jason Spiewak
__________________________________________
Years ago, I went to see Garland Jeffreys at the Continental Club in Austin during SXSW and approached him after the show to see if I could convince him to come to Halifax to play my Halifax Urban Folk Festival. To my astonishment, he said yes, and we flew him up, put a band of local musicians together for him, and he nailed his headlining show, actually standing on a table during the first song! He was a fantastically engaging performer with a ton of stories to tell and the audience ate it up.
I was originally drawn to Garland when I was working at Canada's largest record store (A&A Records on Yonge St.) after reading an article in the Village Voice wondering who the next Bob Dylan would be. That list included Bruce Springsteen, Elliott Murphy, Willie Nile and Garland Jeffreys. Over the course of the festival's life (now in its 16th year), I've also managed to bring in Elliott and Willie, but no Springsteen for obvious reasons. They were all wonderful people and even though, as you say, the hits eluded them, their catalogue of songs were more than worthy of attention. Garland even came over to my house after his show to regale us all with stories involving his many famous friends.
Just for fun, if you feel like checking it out, here's a great video from his rehearsal during his visit - I think you'll like it…
"Garland Jeffreys - Waiting For The Man (Live Acoustic)":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyEyCAjrJxk
Mike Campbell
__________________________________________
Having managed a record store in the late 70s... Garland was a critic's darling, and nothing more.
Bob Davis
__________________________________________
I've known Garland Jeffreys since his Atlantic days, when I was a kid of about 14 and saw him open for my old friend Tom Waits at the Main Point in Bryn Mawr, PA, yes the same club that was known for helping break the many careers of folks like Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne (who played a week of free shows there in 1976 to help keep the club alive), Bonnie Raitt, all the great seventies artists that are still with us today.
Upon graduating 12th grade, Ghostwriter hit the stores, I bought it the summer of 77 along with Girl Happy by Elvis at Korvettes in Springfield, PA…..one of the greatest record stores of all time, ask anyone…..
I heard the acoustic versions of some of these songs over the years in performance, but the production was pretty glossy, and albeit not a huge album, I would hear it on the radio in Philly thanks to guys like Ed Sciaky, Gene Shay and Michael Tearson at WMMR. There is a lot of great music on there, maybe not "The Pretender" or "Born To Run" but it was in the groove, and he played many of those tunes for years in shows. The title track, Rough and Ready and of course Wild In The Streets…..opened doors the artist.
Fast forward, Escape Artist on Epic, a more new wave/reggae venture, and probably his most played album thanks to 96 Tears and R-O-C-K. Great album, probably my favorite……He toured with The Rumour those days and it was an amazing show if you got a chance to see it. When I began Friday Music ions ago, we had a Manfred Mann CD that included the track Mystery Kids which was from this GJ album.
1991…..I start a new gig in national promotion at RCA. I am in NYC and there is this import from RCA Germany on the desk by Garland called Don't Call Me Buckwheat. I got all excited, here's my old friend with a new RCA BMG album and I championed to get its release in the USA. It happened. I reunited with GJ and we went on the road for about 2 weeks across the country getting the album set up. I found this tune called Hail Hail Rock N Roll and brought it to radio, Top 40 radio at that……Garland and I locked in about 20 Top 40 stations commitments on the track, which was a good amount of radio in those days for a "new artist" the programmers loved the guy, many meeting him for the first time, many in their early twenties……as he told road stories, the story line behind the new album which was about race, but also the dream about bringing together the people as he noted in several of the songs. It's a profound work, there are videos on YT of him singing it with Lou Reed overseas to a huge crowd.
I saw him do his final show in NYC at the City Winery a couple of years ago, it was a tribute show with a lot of the NYC new wave, punk and artists community at the gig, he sang on a few things, but mainly watched from the side of the stage with a huge smile on his face as David Johanssen, Suzanne Vega, Chuck Prophett, and many other nice artists honored the man.
He did everything you could possibly do. He had an impact on me, and I am sure anyone he worked with over the years.
God Bless,
Joe Reagoso
Friday Music
__________________________________________
Thanks for the alert Bob.
I'm looking forward to watching this if or when it gets to an online option or if by some chance a local showing of the doc in a theatre.
I'm one of the dedicated minority of GJ fans who bought all the albums over all the years and all the labels, recognizing both then and now that he was not for everybody and that he was not going to break through as a mainstream success. He was the embodiment of what Christgau called "semi-popular."
My particular favorite GJ moments are actually on the 4 song vinyl EP "Escapades" that came packaged with the original vinyl LP of the "Escape Artist" release. Those four songs feature (for me) the most brilliant synthesis of his reggae obsessions, genuine pain for the baked-in racism endemic to America now and then, and simply catchy melodies that kept it all both moving and listenable.
Even as a dedicated fan I could not get into his duet concerts that he did in the NYC area with his guitar pal (don't remember that dude's name).
When he was making another career push with an extended performance on Mountain Stage quite a while ago now, he was burning with anger and racial obsession, it colored his comments to the audience and did no favors for the ability of listeners to appreciate the set.
Garland probably said it best in one of his song titles: "I May Not Be Your Kind."
That was (and still is) certainly true enough.
jimeddy
Ann Arbor MI
__________________________________________
Bob, thanks for previewing for us the Garland Jeffreys doc.
Your post took me back to a Jeffreys album that I came to treasure. It was his 1992 release Don't Call Me Buckwheat which was on RCA, and it came out almost ten years after his previous one. The whole album deals with racial inequality and self-worth, and the track that I have to revisit regularly—because it's so relevant and insightful—is "Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll." Jeffreys ROCKS on this. He's more than singing here; he's spewing out choruses of rightful indignation. And the song's midpoint-to close is a simple yet absolutely arresting reference to the white appropriation of black music; it is handled elegantly, and is doubly effective because of how Jeffreys arranged for the music to fuel the message--and vice versa. For me, this is one of those rush-up-the-spine moments that music can bring! Thanks, Bob.
Lance Jones
__________________________________________
Garland was interesting and good back in the day. I always thought he sounded too much like the Band, that he was trying too hard to emulate them. This is not a bad thing to shoot for, but I never thought the songs were transcendent.
But I'm happy that he's comfortable and Content, how many people can say that?
Rik Shafer
__________________________________________
Musical tastes are highly subjective and it would be a dull, bland world if we all liked and disliked the same songs, albums, bands, solo artists, authors, painters, etc. So, while you may regard Garland Jeffreys as an also-ran who was never good enough to break through commercially -- and the world at large, sadly, has no idea who he is -- Jeffreys' best music continues to resonate with me decades after I first heard it.
You describe Jeffreys' "Ghost Writer" album as "listenable." I regard it as a gem, from start to finish. It's a classic life-on-the- streets-and-boroughs of New York album, vividly told, that spoke loudly to me in 1977 and to this day, even though (at the time) I'd only spent half a day in New York, years earlier as a 7-year-old tourist. "Ghost Writer's" mesmerizing title track and "I May Not Be Your Kind" are, to my ears, two of the finest reggae songs by any non-Jamaican artist. And "Ghost Writer" is still the only song I know that name-checks Shakespeare, Charlie Chaplin and Al Jolson, alongside references to Ludlow Street and Barrow Street, in a way that makes perfect sense. Unfortunately for Jeffreys, reggae had yet to be embraced by a broad American audience in 1977, the year his "Ghost Writer" album was released.
As for rock songs, "Ghost Writer" boasts not only "Wild in the Streets" but the equally memorable "Lift Me Up" and "Rough & Ready," the latter of which both Graham Parker and Jeffreys' old college pal, Lou Reed, would surely have been happy to claim as their own. The album-closing "Spanish Town's" gripping tale of a Hispanic immigrant family struggling to overcome poverty, racism and cultural stereotypes is beautifully sung and, sadly, more resonant today than it was in 1977. Fast forward 25 years and Jeffreys' superb 1992 album, "Don't Call Me Buckwheat," addresses the realities of being a mixed-race American with grit, grace, pain and tenderness. Given its subject matter, the album's failure to sell would likely have been a fait accompli in any decade, before or after
Jeffreys' most recent album, 2017's "14 Steps to Harlem" is as solid and engaging work as any, much better- known rock veteran in their seventies has made to date. That Jeffreys has never broken through to stardom does not diminish the continued high quality of his work. Perhaps he best summed up his fate in the second-to-last verse in "Ghost Writer, sining: "I've been writing down these old stories now / For 'bout 18 years or so / People are startin' to call me a genius / I gotta' tell 'em no, no, no, no." For some of us, the response remains: yes, yes, yes, yes,
Best wishes,
George Varga
__________________________________________
I gave it a good shot, and several of my bandmates went pretty far up the ladder. Turned 30, finally fell in love, went back to school so I could make some money. And I did, and that funded my ability to play where and when I wanted to, and with whom (to a point, but the universe of excellent players is far greater than the universe of successful musicians, and I seldom lacked for a challenge).
Now, at 76, I look around at my colleagues who put all their eggs in that basket, still gigging at $150/night, enduring the grind of the road, wondering how long their bodies will hold out, and hoping to die before they get old, and I have no regrets.
Best regards,
Darryl Mattison
__________________________________________
I so look forward to this documentary.
I'm a longtime GJ fan. His story is so compelling and should resonate in the modern era even more deeply than throughout his career.
I turn your attention to "Don't Call Me Buckwheat". One of my favorite records of the 90's.
If it came out today, I suspect it would be massive and the back story would have gone viral. It's that good and that compelling.
A true artist. A substantial body of work. An overused phrase, but he was ahead of his time.
Thanks for giving him some coverage.
Thanks for your work.
Best,
Vince Spiziri
__________________________________________
I was the production manager at one of his shows around 2019 in Essex, VT. Guy was the nicest ever, I was admittedly not super familiar with the material, my promoter was an old school Jersey guy, a friend of mine, but like Max Weinberg and a few other Jersey acts before him, the show drew less than 100 people in a 500 cap theater. The fans that were there were enthused, kind of, I don't know, a seemingly sad booking that was underwhelming to say the least. Again, Garland was the nicest to work with.
Chris Friday
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Thursday, 15 May 2025
Mike Love-This Week's Podcast
He's keeping the summer alive and is about to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame...you'll definitely learn some stuff you don't know!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mike-love/id1316200737?i=1000708570397
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0p1lPocNmzMTSyoIg3PNye?si=nXYD29UDRAOt2UhZ7TEueg
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/mike-love-275744873/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/8eb46db6-86b7-4034-8a5d-bc3966ffe1f1/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-mike-love
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mike-love/id1316200737?i=1000708570397
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0p1lPocNmzMTSyoIg3PNye?si=nXYD29UDRAOt2UhZ7TEueg
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/mike-love-275744873/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/8eb46db6-86b7-4034-8a5d-bc3966ffe1f1/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-mike-love
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Wednesday, 14 May 2025
The Garland Jeffreys Documentary
"The King of In Between": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hepRCtfJAkc
1
How did this guy stay alive? How did he pay the bills?
That's what I was thinking watching this movie.
Then...
This stuff is always pure hagiography. The worst was that Bee Gees documentary that said in the sixties they were as big as the Beatles. I lived through that era and that's laughable, the brothers Gibb had a number of hits, but so did a bunch of other acts. There were not rabid Bee Gees fans showing fainting at gigs, but if you pay for your own movie, you get to tell the tale you want to. Oftentimes leaving out the negative. It was clear sailing and...
For a minute there, I got caught up in the reality distortion field. I asked myself whether I'd missed it, whether Garland was bigger than I perceived. But nah, that's just the way the story is spun.
However, I was completely surprised when they told the truth at the end, that Garland had mellowed, was happy where he was at, proud of his work and doing house concerts for his fans.
That's the truth. Or was, before Garland retired from the road, after all he's now 81.
Now it used to be completely different, you were no one if you didn't have a record deal. And if you did...you were a god.
You've got to remember, unless you were living in New York and Los Angeles and actually bumped into these people, you were caught up in the hype. The magazine articles, the advertisements. The one for Garland's A&M debut said it contained the legendary "Wild in the Streets." Legendary WHERE? But reading the rag you thought it was happening somewhere and you just missed it. Everybody was not so cynical. There was no access, you were always trying to get inside, never realizing that inside wasn't so special.
It's a business. Jerry Moss signs Garland and ultimately drops him. If you don't make the company money, they don't need you.
And it was completely different from today, when acts make most of their money on the road.
Timing counts, and if Garland Jeffreys came out today he'd be bigger than he was back then. He wouldn't get the same press attention, but people could listen to his songs online, spread the word and then he could cement the deal live. And today the road can keep you alive, especially if you're better than the average bear.
Which Garland Jeffreys definitely was.
But he wasn't good enough.
"Greetings from Asbury Park" got a lot of press but stiffed upon release. Sure, ultimately Manfred Mann had a hit with "Blinded by the Light," but radio airplay was nonexistent and the record sounded just like the hype, another folk singer in the mold of Bob Dylan. I purchased the LP and loved "Spirit in the Night" and liked "Growin' Up," and based on that I purchased the follow-up, "The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle." And suddenly there was a BAND! I went back to "Greetings" and realized the band was there, but turned way, way down. It was all about the second side, "Incident on 57th Street" segueing into "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)," which sped up and became intense and was even self-referential, talking about the record company giving Bruce a big advance, and based on this I went to see the band at the Bottom Line, a year before "Born to Run," months before Jon Landau said he'd seen the future of rock and roll.
I'd already seen it. And was energized and spread the word.
So it was that second record (but let's not forget "Kitty's Back" on side one either), the live shows and Landau's endorsement that sealed the deal. To a great degree it was luck. Then again, if you saw the live show, it was undeniable.
But almost all the acts DIDN'T break. They might have had a good song, or were good but not great live or didn't get the promotion they deserved, but it's a crapshoot. I give props to those who give up. If you're putting bread on the table, if you're doing it on a lark, that's cool. But if you're forty and married with a family and you still think you're going to have a hit...it's sad and delusional.
Because the ugly truth is the public didn't want you, and will never want you. It's different for every act, but usually the hit just isn't there and never will be.
2
I bought "Ghost Writer." I liked "Wild in the Streets," the attitude, the groove, the lyrics, but the bottom line is it was never going to be a radio hit. The sound was a bit thin. It just didn't have that je ne sais quoi. As for the rest of the album, it was listenable, and I listened to it, but it didn't have that one track I had to listen to over and over again.
But I went to see Jeffreys at the Roxy. He gave it his all, he was a very good performer, but the material was not up to his performance.
And it never was.
So this documentary starts off starf*cking, with testimonials from the household names Garland knows/hung out with. He went to Syracuse with Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson endorses him. The Boss. Other less well known people.
And then the story begins.
Is there an issue of racism?
ABSOLUTELY!
But a hit is undeniable, and Garland didn't have one.
I bought the follow-up album, "American Boy & Girl," it was solid, but not the kind of record that called out to be played.
And then I stopped.
And Garland started to fall off the radar screen. The eighties came along with MTV and wiped out so many acts. Sure, Garland was authentic, but he was not the only one. Do you know "American Gothic" by David Ackles, produced by Bernie Taupin? Takes a while to get into, it was out of sync with the times, but it was cinematic and ultimately Ackles taught musical theatre at USC. I mean you have to pay the bills somehow.
Jeffreys was bigger than Ackles, but where's the money? (As Dan Hicks so famously asked.) The film talks about "Matador" being a hit in Europe, and Garland speaks about the mailbox money it generated. Is this how he's survived all these years? Maybe I'm out of the loop. But I just checked Spotify and "Matador" only has 7,999,815 streams, and that doesn't pay the rent. And in the physical era, good luck finding a store that stocked Jeffreys' records. As for airplay money... Were they really playing this track so much over the decades?
No, it's a positive spin.
Not that Garland is not likable. But a friend talks about him being angry, and how people don't want to deal with angry people. This is kinda true, or you need a buffer between the act and the business people. They want the music to be angry and powerful, but not you, how does that work?
It usually doesn't. But when it comes down to business, people want it to be easy, or easier, if you're a troublemaker they're usually out.
So Jeffreys loses his A&M deal. And that's his fourth label, Arista didn't even release any music, and that's a good run, but Jeffreys is done. Until he ultimately gets deals at Epic and RCA.
More than one outfit gave Garland Jeffreys a chance, and no one could break him.
Add up all the reasons why, and it always comes down to the music. Jeffreys says the label didn't promote "Matador" in America... But all those record companies? They gave Garland a good shot, and it never worked.
3
So sans commercial success how do we judge someone's career?
Well, in many cases we don't, because we just don't care. Sometimes acts are unjustly passed over, even though they're truly great, but dem's the breaks. And like I said above, the less than stars get much bigger breaks today. The indie share of the pie keeps growing on Spotify.
But people want a return to the old days.
But how good were they?
The labels kept Garland Jeffreys alive, but when they were done he was years older without much at all. No way to contact the fans he did have. There was no social media.
But this is where the film takes a turn. Garland is thrilled with his family. Happy able to just continue to make and perform music.
They're dropping like flies. Jerry Moss is gone. Soon not only will Jeffreys be gone, but those who lived through his career.
It ultimately becomes meaningless, everything is plowed under.
So what is life about?
Well, if it's about leaving a legacy, trying to force people to remember you, that doesn't work and it's creepy.
But ultimately this documentary doesn't do that, and I was very surprised. I stopped thinking about how the bills were paid and was more intrigued by Garland's acceptance of his career. Proud of his output, thrilled to play to the fans that do care and...
He's not the only one.
But Garland came closer than most. And he was an original. And he went through all the steps, even had a band that played the Fillmore East.
But he ended up an also-ran.
However, according to the movie, he's happy with that.
If only we all were.
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1
How did this guy stay alive? How did he pay the bills?
That's what I was thinking watching this movie.
Then...
This stuff is always pure hagiography. The worst was that Bee Gees documentary that said in the sixties they were as big as the Beatles. I lived through that era and that's laughable, the brothers Gibb had a number of hits, but so did a bunch of other acts. There were not rabid Bee Gees fans showing fainting at gigs, but if you pay for your own movie, you get to tell the tale you want to. Oftentimes leaving out the negative. It was clear sailing and...
For a minute there, I got caught up in the reality distortion field. I asked myself whether I'd missed it, whether Garland was bigger than I perceived. But nah, that's just the way the story is spun.
However, I was completely surprised when they told the truth at the end, that Garland had mellowed, was happy where he was at, proud of his work and doing house concerts for his fans.
That's the truth. Or was, before Garland retired from the road, after all he's now 81.
Now it used to be completely different, you were no one if you didn't have a record deal. And if you did...you were a god.
You've got to remember, unless you were living in New York and Los Angeles and actually bumped into these people, you were caught up in the hype. The magazine articles, the advertisements. The one for Garland's A&M debut said it contained the legendary "Wild in the Streets." Legendary WHERE? But reading the rag you thought it was happening somewhere and you just missed it. Everybody was not so cynical. There was no access, you were always trying to get inside, never realizing that inside wasn't so special.
It's a business. Jerry Moss signs Garland and ultimately drops him. If you don't make the company money, they don't need you.
And it was completely different from today, when acts make most of their money on the road.
Timing counts, and if Garland Jeffreys came out today he'd be bigger than he was back then. He wouldn't get the same press attention, but people could listen to his songs online, spread the word and then he could cement the deal live. And today the road can keep you alive, especially if you're better than the average bear.
Which Garland Jeffreys definitely was.
But he wasn't good enough.
"Greetings from Asbury Park" got a lot of press but stiffed upon release. Sure, ultimately Manfred Mann had a hit with "Blinded by the Light," but radio airplay was nonexistent and the record sounded just like the hype, another folk singer in the mold of Bob Dylan. I purchased the LP and loved "Spirit in the Night" and liked "Growin' Up," and based on that I purchased the follow-up, "The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle." And suddenly there was a BAND! I went back to "Greetings" and realized the band was there, but turned way, way down. It was all about the second side, "Incident on 57th Street" segueing into "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)," which sped up and became intense and was even self-referential, talking about the record company giving Bruce a big advance, and based on this I went to see the band at the Bottom Line, a year before "Born to Run," months before Jon Landau said he'd seen the future of rock and roll.
I'd already seen it. And was energized and spread the word.
So it was that second record (but let's not forget "Kitty's Back" on side one either), the live shows and Landau's endorsement that sealed the deal. To a great degree it was luck. Then again, if you saw the live show, it was undeniable.
But almost all the acts DIDN'T break. They might have had a good song, or were good but not great live or didn't get the promotion they deserved, but it's a crapshoot. I give props to those who give up. If you're putting bread on the table, if you're doing it on a lark, that's cool. But if you're forty and married with a family and you still think you're going to have a hit...it's sad and delusional.
Because the ugly truth is the public didn't want you, and will never want you. It's different for every act, but usually the hit just isn't there and never will be.
2
I bought "Ghost Writer." I liked "Wild in the Streets," the attitude, the groove, the lyrics, but the bottom line is it was never going to be a radio hit. The sound was a bit thin. It just didn't have that je ne sais quoi. As for the rest of the album, it was listenable, and I listened to it, but it didn't have that one track I had to listen to over and over again.
But I went to see Jeffreys at the Roxy. He gave it his all, he was a very good performer, but the material was not up to his performance.
And it never was.
So this documentary starts off starf*cking, with testimonials from the household names Garland knows/hung out with. He went to Syracuse with Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson endorses him. The Boss. Other less well known people.
And then the story begins.
Is there an issue of racism?
ABSOLUTELY!
But a hit is undeniable, and Garland didn't have one.
I bought the follow-up album, "American Boy & Girl," it was solid, but not the kind of record that called out to be played.
And then I stopped.
And Garland started to fall off the radar screen. The eighties came along with MTV and wiped out so many acts. Sure, Garland was authentic, but he was not the only one. Do you know "American Gothic" by David Ackles, produced by Bernie Taupin? Takes a while to get into, it was out of sync with the times, but it was cinematic and ultimately Ackles taught musical theatre at USC. I mean you have to pay the bills somehow.
Jeffreys was bigger than Ackles, but where's the money? (As Dan Hicks so famously asked.) The film talks about "Matador" being a hit in Europe, and Garland speaks about the mailbox money it generated. Is this how he's survived all these years? Maybe I'm out of the loop. But I just checked Spotify and "Matador" only has 7,999,815 streams, and that doesn't pay the rent. And in the physical era, good luck finding a store that stocked Jeffreys' records. As for airplay money... Were they really playing this track so much over the decades?
No, it's a positive spin.
Not that Garland is not likable. But a friend talks about him being angry, and how people don't want to deal with angry people. This is kinda true, or you need a buffer between the act and the business people. They want the music to be angry and powerful, but not you, how does that work?
It usually doesn't. But when it comes down to business, people want it to be easy, or easier, if you're a troublemaker they're usually out.
So Jeffreys loses his A&M deal. And that's his fourth label, Arista didn't even release any music, and that's a good run, but Jeffreys is done. Until he ultimately gets deals at Epic and RCA.
More than one outfit gave Garland Jeffreys a chance, and no one could break him.
Add up all the reasons why, and it always comes down to the music. Jeffreys says the label didn't promote "Matador" in America... But all those record companies? They gave Garland a good shot, and it never worked.
3
So sans commercial success how do we judge someone's career?
Well, in many cases we don't, because we just don't care. Sometimes acts are unjustly passed over, even though they're truly great, but dem's the breaks. And like I said above, the less than stars get much bigger breaks today. The indie share of the pie keeps growing on Spotify.
But people want a return to the old days.
But how good were they?
The labels kept Garland Jeffreys alive, but when they were done he was years older without much at all. No way to contact the fans he did have. There was no social media.
But this is where the film takes a turn. Garland is thrilled with his family. Happy able to just continue to make and perform music.
They're dropping like flies. Jerry Moss is gone. Soon not only will Jeffreys be gone, but those who lived through his career.
It ultimately becomes meaningless, everything is plowed under.
So what is life about?
Well, if it's about leaving a legacy, trying to force people to remember you, that doesn't work and it's creepy.
But ultimately this documentary doesn't do that, and I was very surprised. I stopped thinking about how the bills were paid and was more intrigued by Garland's acceptance of his career. Proud of his output, thrilled to play to the fans that do care and...
He's not the only one.
But Garland came closer than most. And he was an original. And he went through all the steps, even had a band that played the Fillmore East.
But he ended up an also-ran.
However, according to the movie, he's happy with that.
If only we all were.
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Tuesday, 13 May 2025
The Zombies Documentary
"Hung Up on a Dream": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JctjMqtsFsU
What do you do after the band breaks up?
The records may be rich and famous, but you may be broke.
That was my second favorite part of this documentary. The band expires and Colin Blunstone has to get a straight job. He's working in an insurance office and everybody knows who he is, after all, he's been on television, but now he's a working stiff just like them, it's cognitive dissonance.
As for drummer Hugh Grundy... He eventually gets a job as an A&R guy at CBS Records, but then loses that job and becomes...a driver?
Paul Atkinson helped get him that gig. That was the word on the street back in the pre-internet days, that guy with the glasses, the record executive who seemed serious and self-confident, he was in the ZOMBIES! Not quite as hard to square as Colin Blunstone working in an insurance office, but at least he had a job.
As for Rod Argent and Chris White?
They wrote the songs that made the whole world go wow, so they were all right. The money is always in the publishing, never forget it.
If there's any bad vibes amongst the group they're absent from this documentary, which is a relatively straightforward tale of the Zombies' rise, fall and reascension. This film is a document for posterity, in case anybody wonders who the Zombies were. If you're a fan, if you were a muso, if you were ANYBODY back in the sixties you know much of this story, however this film was not made on the cheap, there's some great footage.
As for my favorite part of the flick...
Well, it's made up of two parts, the Murray the K Christmas show at the Brooklyn Fox and Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars.
As for Murray the K... You see him on stage, and it brings back all the memories, of a day when the deejay was cool. You had no idea how most of them looked. As for the shows...if only you could be there!
As for the Caravan of Stars... I actually saw that 1965 tour at Atlantic City's Steel Pier. Peter and Gordon were the headliners. Alas, the Zombies were not on that date.
But on that tour... They rode around in a bus. a traditional Greyhound-style bus, you know, with two by two seating. And one night they slept in a hotel and on the other...THEY SLEPT IN THE BUS! No, not a coffin bunk like today's touring machines, but sitting up!
Touring was hard back then.
And when it was over, the Zombies never had any cash. They ultimately learned they were being ripped-off, fired their manager and never had another hit until after they broke up. The manager counts. And they're a lot more honest today than they used to be.
The business has always been populated by hustlers, you're always getting ripped-off, to this day. However, back then the modern business was being formed, now it's institutionalized. A promoter stiffed them on a gig, to their face he told the Zombies he wasn't going to pay them, and he didn't. This does not happen with Live Nation!
As for that Dick Clark tour... The story is just as you've heard it, all the bands singing along on the ride. And when they ask the Zombies to participate, they sing an a cappella version of the Beatles' "If I Fell" and earn applause. And I'm sitting there thinking about this and then I realize I can sing every word to "If I Fell" right now, and it's sixty years later!
They gloss over the writing of "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No." Rod Argent just went home and wrote them. But really, how did this happen? Two iconic numbers, just when you're starting out? Rod talks a bit about the inspiration for the lyrics, but still...he's wet behind the ears, where does this come from?
And everybody has a band, kind of like everybody is a social media influencer today/
"I Love You" is not mentioned, which was a big hit for People! in the U.S., and to be honest I never knew it was a Zombies song until I heard it on XM in the early days of that service. After all, I hadn't bought the albums. And if you didn't buy the albums, you usually didn't know, there was nowhere else to hear this stuff
And there really isn't that much to say about the Zombies, they weren't around that long. The movie is halfway through and they've broken up. Now what?
But they do go into Argent, they follow up everybody's career thereafter and...
It's very hard to survive as a musician. Especially if you never wrote the songs. Everybody may know your name but that does not put food on the table. And Paul Atkinson left the band because he got married, imagine that happening today!
As for record labels, not only did they used to be glamorous, they used to shuffle the deck every few years and good luck surviving, especially if you were an A&R person. Which is what happened to Hugh Grundy. But today, the labels are mausoleums whose halls are filled with the same damn people, even worse, we don't care who they are. We know the guys who run the big three, but that's about it. all the action is in touring, or outside the system completely, individuals cooking up stuff in their bedrooms.
Yes, it used to be different. And if you want to know how it was, "Hung Up on a Dream" will tell you.
But so many of these stories do not have happy endings, there is no Al Kooper rescuing "Time of the Season" after the band's demise, there is no future money, only bad feelings and broken friendships. As for people remembering your name... Up until the Zombies renaissance in the twenty first century only the hard core knew who Colin Blunstone was, after all he never had another hit in America. If you were a dedicated student you knew he had albums in England, but that as might as well have been Venus.
But other than Paul, they're all still here, surviving.
However, since the making of this documentary Rod Argent had a stroke and has retired from the road, which may go on forever but you may not be on it.
The business is forever, you are not. If you're lucky, the records do. Really, the Zombies had two, "She's Not There" and "Time of the Season." At this late date the latter gets all the mentions, but if you were dedicated to the radio in the winter of 64-65 not only do you know "She's Not There," it's got an indelible place in your heart because of the sound...dark and meaningful, evidence of the British Invasion, which was not all upbeat and sunny. These records were not here today and gone tomorrow, they were forever, they touched our SOULS!
--
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--
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-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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What do you do after the band breaks up?
The records may be rich and famous, but you may be broke.
That was my second favorite part of this documentary. The band expires and Colin Blunstone has to get a straight job. He's working in an insurance office and everybody knows who he is, after all, he's been on television, but now he's a working stiff just like them, it's cognitive dissonance.
As for drummer Hugh Grundy... He eventually gets a job as an A&R guy at CBS Records, but then loses that job and becomes...a driver?
Paul Atkinson helped get him that gig. That was the word on the street back in the pre-internet days, that guy with the glasses, the record executive who seemed serious and self-confident, he was in the ZOMBIES! Not quite as hard to square as Colin Blunstone working in an insurance office, but at least he had a job.
As for Rod Argent and Chris White?
They wrote the songs that made the whole world go wow, so they were all right. The money is always in the publishing, never forget it.
If there's any bad vibes amongst the group they're absent from this documentary, which is a relatively straightforward tale of the Zombies' rise, fall and reascension. This film is a document for posterity, in case anybody wonders who the Zombies were. If you're a fan, if you were a muso, if you were ANYBODY back in the sixties you know much of this story, however this film was not made on the cheap, there's some great footage.
As for my favorite part of the flick...
Well, it's made up of two parts, the Murray the K Christmas show at the Brooklyn Fox and Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars.
As for Murray the K... You see him on stage, and it brings back all the memories, of a day when the deejay was cool. You had no idea how most of them looked. As for the shows...if only you could be there!
As for the Caravan of Stars... I actually saw that 1965 tour at Atlantic City's Steel Pier. Peter and Gordon were the headliners. Alas, the Zombies were not on that date.
But on that tour... They rode around in a bus. a traditional Greyhound-style bus, you know, with two by two seating. And one night they slept in a hotel and on the other...THEY SLEPT IN THE BUS! No, not a coffin bunk like today's touring machines, but sitting up!
Touring was hard back then.
And when it was over, the Zombies never had any cash. They ultimately learned they were being ripped-off, fired their manager and never had another hit until after they broke up. The manager counts. And they're a lot more honest today than they used to be.
The business has always been populated by hustlers, you're always getting ripped-off, to this day. However, back then the modern business was being formed, now it's institutionalized. A promoter stiffed them on a gig, to their face he told the Zombies he wasn't going to pay them, and he didn't. This does not happen with Live Nation!
As for that Dick Clark tour... The story is just as you've heard it, all the bands singing along on the ride. And when they ask the Zombies to participate, they sing an a cappella version of the Beatles' "If I Fell" and earn applause. And I'm sitting there thinking about this and then I realize I can sing every word to "If I Fell" right now, and it's sixty years later!
They gloss over the writing of "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No." Rod Argent just went home and wrote them. But really, how did this happen? Two iconic numbers, just when you're starting out? Rod talks a bit about the inspiration for the lyrics, but still...he's wet behind the ears, where does this come from?
And everybody has a band, kind of like everybody is a social media influencer today/
"I Love You" is not mentioned, which was a big hit for People! in the U.S., and to be honest I never knew it was a Zombies song until I heard it on XM in the early days of that service. After all, I hadn't bought the albums. And if you didn't buy the albums, you usually didn't know, there was nowhere else to hear this stuff
And there really isn't that much to say about the Zombies, they weren't around that long. The movie is halfway through and they've broken up. Now what?
But they do go into Argent, they follow up everybody's career thereafter and...
It's very hard to survive as a musician. Especially if you never wrote the songs. Everybody may know your name but that does not put food on the table. And Paul Atkinson left the band because he got married, imagine that happening today!
As for record labels, not only did they used to be glamorous, they used to shuffle the deck every few years and good luck surviving, especially if you were an A&R person. Which is what happened to Hugh Grundy. But today, the labels are mausoleums whose halls are filled with the same damn people, even worse, we don't care who they are. We know the guys who run the big three, but that's about it. all the action is in touring, or outside the system completely, individuals cooking up stuff in their bedrooms.
Yes, it used to be different. And if you want to know how it was, "Hung Up on a Dream" will tell you.
But so many of these stories do not have happy endings, there is no Al Kooper rescuing "Time of the Season" after the band's demise, there is no future money, only bad feelings and broken friendships. As for people remembering your name... Up until the Zombies renaissance in the twenty first century only the hard core knew who Colin Blunstone was, after all he never had another hit in America. If you were a dedicated student you knew he had albums in England, but that as might as well have been Venus.
But other than Paul, they're all still here, surviving.
However, since the making of this documentary Rod Argent had a stroke and has retired from the road, which may go on forever but you may not be on it.
The business is forever, you are not. If you're lucky, the records do. Really, the Zombies had two, "She's Not There" and "Time of the Season." At this late date the latter gets all the mentions, but if you were dedicated to the radio in the winter of 64-65 not only do you know "She's Not There," it's got an indelible place in your heart because of the sound...dark and meaningful, evidence of the British Invasion, which was not all upbeat and sunny. These records were not here today and gone tomorrow, they were forever, they touched our SOULS!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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Reformed
MAX trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMqGLjgBtbs
This is a slight series, but it will warm your heart.
What we've got here is a female rabbi who is not accepted by her father, that's not the gig he envisioned for her and he won't let her forget it, he slights her on a regular basis. Which is kind of weird, because he's a psychotherapist and you'd think he'd be more enlightened.
As for the rabbi, Léa, she's played by Elsa Guedj, who is not classically beautiful but over the length of the series you fall in love with her. Because she thinks, has emotions and desires, but does not carry the weight of the world upon her shoulders.
What I mean is she does have to give members of the congregation advice, but too many people today have chips on their shoulders, believing they're somehow disadvantaged and if things were just a bit different, they'd be rich and successful.
So what we've got here is a family of divorce. The mother is never seen. As for the brother? He's a good-natured doofus who we ultimately find out sells real estate. but seems to be most interested in a good time. But ultimately we find out he is not a doofus, and the sibling relationship between him and his sister...there is common knowledge and shared intimacies, yet the frustrations is very real. These are the people we know, our family members. And sometimes they drive us nuts, but they're bedrock, we can interact with them and they know who we are.
But then there's the driver of the new synagogue who used to be an observant Jew who no longer talks to his siblings who live in Israel because that's no longer how he practices.
Every episode presents a dilemma. And the viewer doesn't have a ready answer to the problem. And neither does Léa At first she believes she must, but ultimately she listens to the story, rolls with the changes and comes up with some advice, which later she might contradict.
Each one of these characters you've met in real life. Whether it be the kid who doesn't want a bar mitzvah or the parent who doesn't want their kid circumcised or the one who keeps their private life hidden for no understandable reason.
There are no gunfights. There is a death, then again, that's what happens in life, it's natural.
And everything that happens in the series is natural.
And you don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's rye bread, and you don't have to be Jewish to like "Reformed," but if you are, you'll laugh and smile during the seder scene.
So not every episodes resolves. But you get caught up in the rhythm.
And "Reformed" is not a huge commitment, eight episodes about a half hour each.
And I don't know if you'll hear about it from anyone but me. I heard about it from the "New York Times," but then I did research to confirm its quality before I dove in.
"Reformed" is not a masterpiece, it's a slice of life, and last I checked, that's what we're all doing, living life, so I know you can relate.
P.S. MAX is the worst app known to man. Zaslav gets paid tens of millions of dollars, if only he put some of it into tech. For some reason, about halfway through "Reformed," the subtitles switched to Cyrillic, maybe Greek, who knows. And no matter how much you mess with the settings you can't fix it. Although sometimes, after the opening credits, which play after the opening scene, the subtitles switch back to English. The only fix I found was to exit the episode and start again, after checking that your settings were correct, i.e. French audio, English closed captions, not that this always worked.
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This is a slight series, but it will warm your heart.
What we've got here is a female rabbi who is not accepted by her father, that's not the gig he envisioned for her and he won't let her forget it, he slights her on a regular basis. Which is kind of weird, because he's a psychotherapist and you'd think he'd be more enlightened.
As for the rabbi, Léa, she's played by Elsa Guedj, who is not classically beautiful but over the length of the series you fall in love with her. Because she thinks, has emotions and desires, but does not carry the weight of the world upon her shoulders.
What I mean is she does have to give members of the congregation advice, but too many people today have chips on their shoulders, believing they're somehow disadvantaged and if things were just a bit different, they'd be rich and successful.
So what we've got here is a family of divorce. The mother is never seen. As for the brother? He's a good-natured doofus who we ultimately find out sells real estate. but seems to be most interested in a good time. But ultimately we find out he is not a doofus, and the sibling relationship between him and his sister...there is common knowledge and shared intimacies, yet the frustrations is very real. These are the people we know, our family members. And sometimes they drive us nuts, but they're bedrock, we can interact with them and they know who we are.
But then there's the driver of the new synagogue who used to be an observant Jew who no longer talks to his siblings who live in Israel because that's no longer how he practices.
Every episode presents a dilemma. And the viewer doesn't have a ready answer to the problem. And neither does Léa At first she believes she must, but ultimately she listens to the story, rolls with the changes and comes up with some advice, which later she might contradict.
Each one of these characters you've met in real life. Whether it be the kid who doesn't want a bar mitzvah or the parent who doesn't want their kid circumcised or the one who keeps their private life hidden for no understandable reason.
There are no gunfights. There is a death, then again, that's what happens in life, it's natural.
And everything that happens in the series is natural.
And you don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's rye bread, and you don't have to be Jewish to like "Reformed," but if you are, you'll laugh and smile during the seder scene.
So not every episodes resolves. But you get caught up in the rhythm.
And "Reformed" is not a huge commitment, eight episodes about a half hour each.
And I don't know if you'll hear about it from anyone but me. I heard about it from the "New York Times," but then I did research to confirm its quality before I dove in.
"Reformed" is not a masterpiece, it's a slice of life, and last I checked, that's what we're all doing, living life, so I know you can relate.
P.S. MAX is the worst app known to man. Zaslav gets paid tens of millions of dollars, if only he put some of it into tech. For some reason, about halfway through "Reformed," the subtitles switched to Cyrillic, maybe Greek, who knows. And no matter how much you mess with the settings you can't fix it. Although sometimes, after the opening credits, which play after the opening scene, the subtitles switch back to English. The only fix I found was to exit the episode and start again, after checking that your settings were correct, i.e. French audio, English closed captions, not that this always worked.
--
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--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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Monday, 12 May 2025
"Move" Mailbag
I hadn't heard of this song but being a former mainstream club DJ I thought why not click the link.
It took me all of 7 seconds to go damn this is really good. Another 7 seconds and if I was still playing mainstream venues I would've started playing the s*** out of this at my gigs.
People hearing this and not giving it it's due is kind of like the people that heard Master KG and Nomcebo's Jerusalema which was released in late 2019 and went on to chart all over the world and has just under 450,000 streams.
https://open.spotify.com/track/2MlOUXmcofMackX3bxfSwi?si=4svCjWxVTuW1X2NA_CU7RQ
I find it funny that the whole camp of musicians/writers that will say these songs are simplistic drivel are the same people that can't write a song that gets a quarter of these streaming numbers!
My advice to them:
If it's so easy, you do it!
Regards,
Anik Townsend
___________________________________________
Hey Bob
Also --
I represent producer/DJ Stryv and wanted to share this story with you about the origins of 'Move':
"Stryv on His Global Hit 'Move' & What Comes Next: 'I Was Like, This Is So Special — Just Trust Me, This Is Crazy' - Billboard's Dance Rookie of the Month for February 2025, Stryv was born in Pakistan, raised in New York, and clocked a dance smash in 2024 with his Adam Port and Malachiii collab 'Move.-"
https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/stryv-move-keinemusik-dance-rookie-of-the-month-1235911856/
Megan Dembowski
___________________________________________
"Get Lucky (feat. Pharell Williams and Nile Rodgers"
https://open.spotify.com/track/69kOkLUCkxIZYexIgSG8rq?si=ce374727b0ee4ce1
Eric Bazilian
___________________________________________
This is what I call "haircut music." You know, the mindless salon sounds.
Also, no substance and shallow.
So, really?
Jon Meyers
___________________________________________
The "Move" track reminds me a lot of what is coming out of South Africa lately.
Check out "Isaka (6 am) by CIZZA and see what I mean https://open.spotify.com/track/7c5uGV9Rys18JP2570ykTu?si=88d2ec778f4f4f48
Dave Richards
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Hey Bob If you like Move you should also check out "I adore you" by Hugel
Danny Whittle
IMS Co Founder
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I think I know why you like it....
It's the changes to "Get Lucky", but a fraction of the groove.
Jason Steidman
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Seems to me that the point of the article was that there really IS an exciting new music revolution out there. But when I hear Move I hear something old, old, old. Fine if it's a hit but don't try to use it to convince me that pop music nowadays is much more than recycling. That's not the same thing as saying there aren't enjoyable tracks for dancing or listening, or talented artists. But one can't use it to argue that we aren't in a decadent period. (Referencing Gioia's and Kornhaber's articles.)
Tom Moore
Fairfax VA
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Great article Bob.
The effective simplicity of 'Move' would drive the naysayers mad.They are way too clever to dream of something like this.
Your fan,
Dalmau Box
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Daft Punk and Pharrell should sue. "Move" is just "Get Lucky" up a whole step.
Jeff Eyrich
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'And a lot of dance music is...just that, made to dance, not much
more. It fades into the woodwork'
In all honesty Bob; The f*ck do you know about dance music..
Christiaan Macdonald
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On your recommendation I listened to Move.
Bob, are you alright?
Steven Casper
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I've been reading you for decades, and nothing has made me happier than seeing Adam Port in your headline.
I've been lucky enough to watch Adam, his brothers, &Me, and Rampa (the Keinemusik crew) go from local Berlin DJs to the global players they are today. In the 2010s, I spent many summers in Berlin, where the publication I co-founded was based. While I worked from the New York office, much of what was happening in culture was centered in Berlin—and being there during those summers was something special.
Adam and Keinemusik were part of a circle of friends I was welcomed into. I credit Berlin during that time for allowing businesses like mine to thrive, and for creating the space for growth and exploration in dance music that set Adam, KM, and others on their way to massive success.
Jeff Carvalho
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Great write up, Bob. Refreshing to hear some dance takes from you!
I would just add that Keinemusik played Sahara, which you could argue is one of the main stages now, just after charli xcx on Saturday night at Coachella. One of the other members is infamously dating Naomi Campbell and while they are very famous here, they are near legendary status across the pond and all around.
All the best
Bryan Alexander
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Agreed! As a dance music aficionado, this post made me think of this track by Omar, remixed by Henrik Schwartz. Vocals by Stevie Wonder, so this was an unreleased gem for a long time, but now cleared for everywhere it looks like:
"Feeling You - Henrik Schwarz Mix"
https://open.spotify.com/track/5gmCiGDFUbp3TK5JBAuOny?si=b248692c74eb4246
Don Sizzle
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Keinemusik is boring AF… Charli was the moment at Coachella… I would imagine Keinemusik plays better in the background of various events/stores/bars than the much more interesting and engaging parts of Brat… Charli has 2X the listeners of Keinemusik regardless of their one "hit".
Drew Massey
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A big shout out to you as i probably wouldn't get a chance to get around to listening to this track for another 6 months. Thanks Bob
Donald Kasen
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Nice sounding track. I listen to a lot of tunes on the Spotify Chillout playlist that have this vibe. Not a fan of the damn auto tune......
Mike from Mission
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This is a rehash of "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk.
Or did you miss that one?
George Kahn
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I've been reading your newsletter for over 10 years and this is the first time you really covered dance music and its meteoric rise.
I am one of the co-founders of GOSPËL (voted #1 nightclub in the USA in Ibiza last summer) which had a big rise in popularity mostly because of the rise of electronic dance music. I also teach at Harvard Business School. In my opinion the dance genre is what hip-hop was in the 90s and it will keep rising in the years to come.
Thanks for covering this, I think it's important and you what you say is true!
All the best,
Juriël Zeligman
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Adam Port's reedy thin vocal & crap monotonous melody do nothing for me. Not a hit Bob. You've nailed a lot, but not this lame attempt. I would however love to see you dancing to it - Post a video please? I hear it, it ain't a hit. Sounds so old school to me and lyrically leaves me cold.
Best,
David Glenn Middleworth
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"Girl, I really like the way you move"
https://genius.com/Adam-port-stryv-keinemusik-orso-duo-and-malachiii-move-lyrics
Then again so many of the classic rock tracks of yore...the lyrics were not much deeper, then again, it was all about the RIFF!
The Kinks had THE riff; their lyric might not be deeper, but it was sharper: "Girl, you really got me now . . ."
Steve Hurlburt
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Spurred on by your enthusiasm, I just listened to MOVE. Awful. Still looking for the hook. Bring on A.I., it can't be any worse. I'd rather listen to "today's" country music.
Best,
David Leonard
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Agreed- another example from this Dutch duo-
"Because You Move Me"
https://open.spotify.com/track/05GvwwTLLID738BbKN1ze0?si=dffe5b15ca954e65
Michael Wijnen
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Excited for you to dig into dance music more Bob. Lot of great House music for you to explore. Check out Kryptogram when you have a chance — he will be a star.
Timmy Haehl
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Not to mention that I heard the instrumental of this song all over social media for a long time as the background to posts and photos. I just never knew what it was or who made it.
I'd love to see a study on how social media affected its popularity.
Wendy Day
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Well, he just picked up five more streams. I listened. Intently. I see the streams. I just don't hear this as a one listen smash.
Coop
RICK COOPER MUSIC
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No idea how you got hooked on this or anyone else for that matter. There is no hook. It's reggaeton's slightly less annoying brother. Then again the immense number of streams for lots of the top songs suggest dumbed-down and hook-less is the way to go. People want background noise. You want a hook? Listen (again) to the Elton John/Brandi Carlile track "Who Believes in Angels." Yeah, I know it didn't do much for you. All I know is I hit play on that track driving my daughter and two other chatty 10 year old's home from school and they stopped talking and listened. That is what a hit does even if it's not a hit by today's standards. You can't ignore it when it confronted.
Matt Jacobs
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For those in the know Bob, Move but one of many songs in this subgenre that has seen its day. Those in the know have already moved on. Still, though, a tasty track.
Ed Shapiro
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Dear Bob,
Truly one of the most grabbing first listens since the wonderful "Wake Me Up" by
AVIICI.
Thanks.
Dennis Brent
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Sorry, Bob. I don't give a crap this song has millions of streams all around the world. It's a sad state of the world. It's sad, lazy, boring drivel. It steals from those who stole from Marvin Gaye. It's not music it's MUZAK! I've spent the last few weeks listening to Andrew Hickey's History of Rock & Roll in 500 Songs. And it gives me hope that someday someone will break through this drivel and give us Train Kept A Rollin' or Brown Eyed Handsome Man or Drugstore Rock & Roll! I get it, we're living in this lowest common denominator world and it's part all the time. Just wished we weren't.
David George
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It's a hit ! I'm 71 and I just added to my playlist now
Victor Stent
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I don't doubt that this is popular, but this sounds like a mobile phone commercial, and not a good one. And this is coming from a huge electronic music fan. This is dreck, no build or release, just an innocuous beat fronted by what sounds like AI-generated and auto-tuned vocals without a discernible hook. If you want some real riffs in your dance music, put on some Leftfield, Chemical Brothers, or The Prodigy.
D.C. Hannay
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I hope you weren't just referring to me in your commentary. I suppose not. I get the vibe for the dance,the pulsating rhythm is infectious for people in general but the autotune that goes with it is not enjoyable. When the average age of stress.ers streaming new music this is what they want. As far as people I don't really care what they think. Like Zappa and most genius"s I make my art for me and hopefully others like it. It is just in today's over saturated social media world it is almost impossible to get any traction
Paul Donsanto
P.S. Hey maybe you did use my critique as your springboard for your criticism. I understand that the people listening to music on the streaming platforms now are younger then The Boomers and Generation X.I should mention NEW music mainly. I not only can play as well as anyone on the planet but have written some pretty catchable tunes. Most of them not yet streaming. I do have about 12 up there now. Some more commercial than others but a plethora of diversity. I understand that the Times They Are a Changing but there should be more than one set of algorithms ,one for the masses ,the other one for the Minority. If any of the bands and genius's of the past were to get traction today it would be almost impossible for them to make it in today"s over populated ,mindless landscape. Can you say Beethoven,Hendrix,The Stones to name a few. I do enjoy your writing and like that you pull no punches. I have Frank Zappa's mental approach,I don't give a rats f*ck about what others think.I know I got something worthwhile. #theguitarmasterdisaste
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No, Bob.
It's not bad because it's popular.
It's bad because it's a facile, mundane steaming pile.
Philbillie
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Hi Bob , does this remind you of the Veldt by Deadmaus ?
John Kieselhorst
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Hey Bob - Have been reading your letters for years. My artist Stryv released "Move" with Adam Port last June. Thanks for the write-up. Would love to add some color some time and chat if you are open to it. Appreciate your letter this week more than ever before!
--
Regards,
Nicholas Parasram
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Great track, thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Just want to point out that I hear multiple elements of the afrobeats movement that has been slowly infiltrating popular music (in a good way) in Move.
Haven't seen you write much about Burna Boy, Tems, Davido, or some of the other African names making international waves, curious if the chatter I see about these artists ever makes it your way, or if I just live in a bubble?
Thanks
Russel Kreitman
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This sound was pioneered in South Africa and is known as Afro House, Move also has elements of Amapiano, another South African dance genre.
Check out these genre playlists on Spotify if you want more of the vibe, a personal current fave is Famax by Raffa Guido - medicine music to heal the ailments of this hectic world.
Oliver Moira
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Hi, I listened.
That which you call??'the riff' is just literally the chords from Daft Punk's 'Get lucky'.
Another stolen track, not cool in my book.
Edward Verhaeghe
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Once again Bob, you're wise beyond your years!
These days of our lives will be "the good old days", fifty years from now.
Why are so many paddling upstream, when it's much more effective to chart your course while "going with the flow"??
Marshall Block from Detroit.
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Of course I have real curiosity so I went and checked out "Move".. I agree with most of what you're saying but living here in Europe now and seeing what is on the tube, there is a channel called "Fashion TV" and to me it really is a fascinating channel because if you really wanna hear what's happening in EDM put on that channel and you'll see all the biggest fashion models in the world modeling for all the biggest designers and what keeps the flow going is the music behind the videos that they shoot with all of these famous models.. and 90% of the music I would say is EDM.. and I would say a lot of it to me if being in this business for 50 years and I hope that my ear still works.. It's very creative and has got something to it.
I could definitely see Move being a track that definitely would be behind a fashion brand with the right video and how it would definitely work.. if anybody that questions EDM music well it's just like everything else.. there are some that really make it great and there is some that is really lousy…. Just like every other form of music…Now when I wanna hear something that gets me buzzing in EDM, I definitely turn on the fashion channel and it's all there by all these different artists backing up very creative visuals with dance music… and I would say that's where a lot of these people are wearing the clothes and creating the vibe… in the clubs.. I would say that nothing like wearing the most in fashion at a great club in Ibiza and showing yourself off while you're dancing to "Move"
Peace,Jason
Jason Miles
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The New York Times article took a global perspective and argued that there are new and interesting styles of music percolating around the world. I find that exciting and I'd enjoy sampling it. But I'm almost 72 and don't go to clubs and in any case a lot of dance music is for dancing, not listening. I sent the article to my 28-year old son who lives in London and does go out to clubs and to hear live music. He sends me musical recommendations occasionally. I didn't think "Move" exemplified the sort of exciting fusions that the author described. Whether a hit or not is beside the point if what we are talking about is something really new in music. That should be subject to analysis, not mere popularity. I really liked the fusion soundtrack to the Thai White Lotus, which for some crazy reason I can't find on Qobuz. But sometimes soundtracks that work in a show aren't for listening either.
Tom Moore
Fairfax VA
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I love your insights around the Adam Port track and, even more, your thoughts about the negative pushback that you've received from readers.
Music to Trump and back to music.
As a lowish level artist and - albeit British - follower of US politics, it all connects for me.
I can even stomach the 'NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU THINK!' I've always liked your tough medicine. Please keep doing what you're doing; it's meaningful and valued.
Jake Williams / Rex The Dog
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You're unpacking a lot of hate on people who don't share your opinion here.
I get it, you love the track. To others, it's MEH! They (we) just don't find it as amaze-balls as you do.
To me, it's a long intro that never takes off. Pound me with hooks, THEN it's a hit.
Bob Davis
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100% Bob.
It blows my mind that there are so many bands/artists that can now do 30 dates in Europe, 30 dates in America, 30 dates in Asia playing to 3000 people a night and you'll never hear about them in mainstream media.
'Officially', they're unheard of BUT they're grossing over $100K a night 90/100 nights a tour.
It may not be big time but with merch on top it's sustainable and these guys are living the dream.
They're not the least bit bothered they're under the mainstream media's radar and why would they be.
Sau Marcus
P.S 'Move' is a banger
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Can you not hear the Pharrell "Happy" or whatever that song was underneath the riff that's why it's so catchy if you think it's catchy which I do not thank you so
NOAH K LESSER
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Good lord Bob, it's a #3 with cheese. Deep dive into this genre, nothing to see here, he just got lucky.
Billy Chapin
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It's a transient trifle, that is nonetheless a goes-down-easy, hits-the-hips groove ideal for today's disco dance floor. Soon forgotten, but will end up on one of those Dance Hits of the 2020's compilations. You may have oversold it, Bob, but you are correct.
Cameron Dilley
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Yeah, well I get the reasoning as to why this is a hit, but quite frankly I've heard way more catchy and exciting, similar but original, not manufactured to a formula, songs by original Goan and Punjabi artists playing on the speakers at my local award winning Goan curry restaurant, compared to those this sounds muted, repetitive in a bad way and manufactured, like so many concocted dance 'hits'. In this particular case, I reckon 500,000,000 listeners can be wrong!
TonyB from down under
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As a professional songwriter, I feel like I'm a very tough critic and fair judge of music. A lot of traditional folks don't understand EDM because it's not guitars, drums and riffs. It's based on a vibe. Do I like this song? No. But I get why it got popular. It's a simpler fan base. They don't need country music breakups and elaborate storytelling. They want a good beat, a catchy lyric or melody and room to dance.
Danny "Jay" Jacobson
Nashville, TN
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I enjoy your opinions -- and your willingness to take the heat on them!
Reading your comments and listening to "Move" has me putting it in the same category as William's "Happy" or "Gangham Style" -- infectious, but unlikely to be studied in graduate programs in musicology.
Keep on making us think...
Michael Alston
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It's good but I can see more clearly why this one was successful – same stream count.
"Because You Move Me"
https://open.spotify.com/track/05GvwwTLLID738BbKN1ze0?si=a373f98f5c414581
Michael McCarty
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Thank you for taking the time to do a post mortem on the responses to Move. I am in the hater category and you are right, no one cares!
To your point, I CAN see why it's a hit given where the music world is at this point in time. Hooks still matter but it's more about vibe. Maybe along the lines of music that accompanies an experience versus music that IS the experience. My perspective is more a matter of, I don't WANT it to be a hit because I WANT "Who Believes in Angels" to be a hit. But it's not, and that's the way it it. The public is indeed the gatekeeper and we are witnessing the shift in what a hit sounds like when record labels don't control the narrative. Take care. ~Matt
Matt Jacobs
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I played the track, and liked it. 63 male life long music lover of mostly guitar based melodic blues rock.
I let it play on to see what the algs introduced me to...we'll see...
What, are you never going to try a new recipe, restaurant, book, movie, ski run ever again? You'll like some and some not, but the point is trying.
Steve Hopkins
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I always appreciate your take. And can't argue with streams.
But here's the thing you don't answer - what are artists supposed to glean from this? Repeating three chords and MORE GODDAMNED AUTO TUNE will get you a hit?
Comparing this with, say, "Somebody I Used To Know" or "Blinding Lights", there is nothing to it. I would never want to listen to this again, and even though I don't listen to pop, those two songs had something to grab onto.
In this tune, there's no songwriting, no rise and fall, no drama. It's the flavor of the week but it's utterly forgettable. Nobody will play this in a year, even six months.
Daryl Shawn
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Sounds great but it seems to use the exact same chord sequence as "Get Lucky," which is already embedded in all our brands.
David Vawter
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Nah. Sounds like all the other pushbutton pop. I'll stick to John Cale.
Bob Anthony
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Great groove. I LOVE it! Dance on, Bob!
ELF
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I listened to the song.
I was always one who could appreciate a well-constructed dance track even though I have five left feet. But I think you are dividing the population by old and young erroneously. Anyone of any age could tap their foot to Move. When people, especially those in some way affiliated with the arts, listen to a pop song, they strive to relate to the artistry therein. I think Move is difficult for many to appreciate because it is so synthetic, so computer generated, it contains near zero humanity. I think it is more difficult to appreciate the artistry in a machine-made recording. Once you are two shots of tequila and a beer into your evening and focused on some version of social interactivity, Move gets the job done, at least for this very brief moment in time. Big deal.
Micah Sheveloff
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Check out Echolocation!!
A San Diego trio that is up and coming!
Josh Gruenberg
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Obvious copied "Get Lucky" entire chord structure.
Lindsey C. Spight
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'Move' is right in the hyper-pop formula soup. 4 chords that just cycle and outline a "riff" in the voicing. Perhaps more importantly, it's also hypnotic and immersive -consider the drenched 'deep mix' placement of the vocals. And, the lyrics are, ahem, "naughty."..that, I'd suggest, being the key word in the lyric. All of which points to the idea that this track is perhaps less about dancing and more about sex, on repeat, which might help explain the play count.
Chris Desmond
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It's a hit all right. Daft Punk made it, what 10 years ago? 20? I miss Nile Rodgers' guitar track, though
Joe Henderson
Yonkers NY
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Please explain how this song is innovative!
The reason you are hearing from musicians (who you disdain) is that the song is awful music and the lyrics are embarrassing.
peter grant
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Move is just a re-write of of Get Lucky
Dale Janus
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Familiar set of chords. Immediately hear Daft Punk Get Lucky. Only more vocal adjustments.
Cate Cahill
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Your strident defense of this song and calling it art of neglects to take into account that it is a very basic song which is not a criticism but a fact. The hooks, for me, were weak. Everybody has different taste let them vent. Just because you like it means one thing only…you like it. A broader discussion is your assertion that this song is art. I guess you could call anything that a person or a machine creates art. But by the same token most art sucks.
D. Mark MacGillvray
Sotheby's International Realty
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No sour grapes here, not even any judgment as to whether it's a good song. Just sharing the observation that it's the same chords as Daft Punk's Get Lucky, up a whole step and a little faster. Could its big appeal be about how familiar it sounds to another song that was a big hit?
-Marcus Ryle
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I've always loved this clip from Stephen Carpenter of the Deftones discussing simple vs complex in terms of music and popularity. I pulled 60 seconds of the interview from the Ernie Ball YouTube interview. https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxWrwjfgphathgNpKCmzddueEMRd6LQ7Dx?si=zuC3q0sQ8PGAqhVB
Jim Blaney
Nashville
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I am a bit confused about why you utilizing "Move" as the vehicle for your thinking. I entirely admit that I know nothing about how to make a hit song, wright one, do it sufficient justice in the recording in production, and certainly not in the marketing of such.
However, I do know something about craft in all of these previously mentioned aspects of the music industry, despite never myself having written or fielded any work that drew any distinction itself at all.
Well, if I nothing inherently wrong with "Move" , and it certainly falls within many of the current paradigm's such as Downtempo, easily digestible, repeatable, catchphrases "girl you want to party" "listen to your body" is great for Saturday night dancefloor, but it fails on many other levels. It has no outstanding hook, nor are any of the sounds and ideas used in the composition either new, or new in juxtaposition. It certainly is a hit of the moment, but they did not hit it out of the ballpark, like, for example, last decades "Uptown Funk", which had some of the same issues as "Move" yet managed to be catchy and ladened with hooks vocal and instrumental.
My two cents
Jesse Walkershaw
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I don't think you get it. I totally understand it and I don't care. It's drivel.
You're an intellect. You know music.
Music is extremely subjective, more so now than ever!
My business hat screams lowest common denominator for the masses. This is what they wanted us to listen to in the 1950s when rock and roll was still being played for adults in backwoods gin houses and on the chitlin' circuit. Then rock and roll had an identity and the Beatles and the Kennedys opened a whole new world. People started thinking. Suddenly, the latte 60s and early 70s had singer/songwriters with intelligent lyrics and songs that spoke right to our hearts and the man wanted to shut us down. Then the rock and roll was at its height in the 80s with the big ROCK bands. The end of the 80s became a quagmire of derivative stuff all over and then Seattle broke it open. Hip Hop also did that. EDM (generalization) has had a niche since the… I'd say 80s (I loved it then, love it now)… but it wasn't until the raves brought in the masses like a Timothy Leary dance party. Check in and tune the f*ck out!
Show me your positive feedback, please! I'm not harping on Spotify. I love Spotify and YouTube music. It's how I make money and am able to listen to a zillion tracks of music!
I had my moment and had a blast. I toured North America. Had my music on TV and in Films. I got to play guitar for a legend for a couple years performing on Letterman and Leno. I've done everything I've wanted and now my focus has turned. I still make music, but it's a whole different ball of wax.
"Move" is sh*te. That's all I have to say.
Thanks.
David George
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I kind of get your get your overall point with the Move missives. I think. Don't complain, understand the audience, and make music that appeals to more people. Sounds like good advice.
I don't know if using a dance track to make that point, though, was the best example.
In dance, if a track gets hot in clubs for period of time, it can stream big numbers. Dance producers/DJs tend to over-index in streams compared to their popularity with the general public.
You have dance artists like Tinlicker and Nicky Romero with individual tracks that have 500 million streams on Spotify. And relatively new DJs like John Summit whose tracks regularly surpass 100M streams.
This doesn't really happen in other "niche" genres.
I'm not a big fan of Active Rock, but I'm not sure why you constantly use that genre as one not to emulate. It's pretty small in the music world, but those acts tend to over-index in ticket sales. Ask Danny Wimmer how he's done promoting Active Rock festivals in the last decade or so. Also, I don't think too many of those acts wear leather jackets—or any kind of leather clothing—anymore.
I think your usual advice for artists to try to write songs with hooks and melodies sung by a great voice probably makes the most sense to the general musician who is writing you to complain.
But they could also cultivate a persona and immerse themselves in a culture and have tremendous success without ever having a "hit." There are so many scenes that embrace artists if they focus on serving those audiences. From jam band to jazz, darkwave to hyperpop, if an artist finds a niche and does it well, they can make a solid living from music—maybe even a great one.
Seth Keller
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It doesn't matter who the artist is or what the medium; art, food, writing, music, architecture, film, wine are about creation as you say and they elicit an emotional response, or not. That doesn't make each effort inherently brilliant or crap. We used to make fun of Rolling Stone album reviews, right?. For good reason, we aren't all moved by the same thing. Art is as subjective as anything can be. Word of mouth from your posse is about all most people want to know about.
RE Louie Louie, a great garage song, some people still didn't care for it and that's okay. I didn't find Move all that interesting (its not Jackson Pollock or a Campbells Soup Can). A nice beat, but there was nothing there that stood out to me or made me want to hear it again. It's not groundbreaking but it's okay if you like it. MMMBop was a simple ditty but I loved it and will turn it up anytime its on.
In the wine business, I used to tell people, its' not important if you don't like a particular wine, what's important is to find one you like. It makes no difference what someone else thinks. You could like one costing $20 and dislike one that costs $100. So what. It's way there is more than one kind of everything.
The really committed musicians don't seem to care what people are looking for, they are following their own instincts.
John Brodey
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be contrarian than to work on oneself...Turns out that enlisting oneself to be the biggest fan of the realest version of oneself is really, really hard esp. when the aggregate of most of us is a combination of low self esteem and entitlement. There's a reason why we can't be the center of all things as the aggregate of which, as we find out quickly, is void of joy even to the most enlightened which is why it is so important that we choose carefully esp. those first few steps else we get off track...and right quick. This is where Galloway steps in as he's spot on talent v. passion. But alas the allure of delusion is far too strong and we are much too weak as most of us lack discipline due in large to the overinflated sense of our personal brands, as sold to us by social media, brands that never materialized, manifested into clay that then could be shaped into a sense of self worth. What's left? Lashing out. Hence, the degree of castigation towards the flavor of the day as that flavor is a reminder of our shortcomings.
Marty Winsch
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You're still meaningless. I sour whenever you try to equate your bologna with art. It's not. It's never moved me emotionally. You're a mindscribe and that's another word for "critic". Fine you've got a readership but how many dumbfuxks open their email and read it for ten minutes which is the average time it takes you to make a point about something else. Your skis your musical taste your expensive medical care. Doesn't move hearts dear bob. You fiddle with minds and love the bite back. Otherwise you'd have. No reason to write cause you don't create anything new. You comment…
Ian McCrudden
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We whine and preen. You dial it in. That's why, agree or not, we read you, Bob.
Cameron Dilley
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Bob I usually agree with you but on this one I just don't hear it. Song doesn't grab me or make me want to even hear it again. If I was on the dance floor pumped up on stimulants maybe. I just drove from southwest Michigan to Detroit last week to see Fontaines DC which absolutely floored me with how good the band was! That's music I can listen to over and over again! I can't wait until they hit Chicago (I couldn't attend Chicago gig only a hour away compared to Detroit over 2.5 hours) again to give them whatever they want for the ticket! It was that good!
David Wolnik
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I'll be honest, I don't hear a riff and there's nothing that would make we want to return after two listens. There's no hook, it's not bad but it's def not great. The vocal is not original either. I mean, who isn't doing this type of vocal, it's all over hip hop tunes these days.
I can't agree with you here.
Adam Franklin
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Bob, I presume you're talking about Adam Port's track? I finally searched it out on Spotify.. Well, guess what? I LIKE IT..haha...and I'll tell ya why. It's simple and SHORT. I like simple production values..I've been recording for 50 years and if there's one thing I've learned is that people only hear a melody and a beat..Everything else is just icing on a cake. I'm not a fan of autotune but when it's done right it adds to the atmosphere especially in that genre i.e. EDM etc. My first hit record in Toronto was written when I was sixteen. I considered it a throw away.. Three chord wonder. It wasn't until I was about 23 when I entered it in the Q-107 Homegrown contest in Toronto in 1980..A four track demo we recorded in one afternoon in a studio I'd never seen or heard of. We went up against bands with sixteen track recordings...No one was more surprised than me when we were included on the same vinyl record of twelve original songs by various bands in T.O. culminating in sold out shows at the El Mocambo. (Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Todd Rundgren) And the rest is history. It certainly put Me on the map. Hell, I had to put a new version of the band together just to do that one off show..I had broken up the band six months earlier to come off the road to be with my wife and newborn daughter...Funny how things go...;You just never know! Keep up the good work!
Randy Dawson
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What's most important is that YOU like it. F*ck everyone else!
Dan Millen
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This is the banana and duct tape all over again.
Insert standard arguments for/against.
Jer Gervasi
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and this is where I unsubscribe. It's been fun Bob, Goodbye.
-max lee
It took me all of 7 seconds to go damn this is really good. Another 7 seconds and if I was still playing mainstream venues I would've started playing the s*** out of this at my gigs.
People hearing this and not giving it it's due is kind of like the people that heard Master KG and Nomcebo's Jerusalema which was released in late 2019 and went on to chart all over the world and has just under 450,000 streams.
https://open.spotify.com/track/2MlOUXmcofMackX3bxfSwi?si=4svCjWxVTuW1X2NA_CU7RQ
I find it funny that the whole camp of musicians/writers that will say these songs are simplistic drivel are the same people that can't write a song that gets a quarter of these streaming numbers!
My advice to them:
If it's so easy, you do it!
Regards,
Anik Townsend
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Hey Bob
Also --
I represent producer/DJ Stryv and wanted to share this story with you about the origins of 'Move':
"Stryv on His Global Hit 'Move' & What Comes Next: 'I Was Like, This Is So Special — Just Trust Me, This Is Crazy' - Billboard's Dance Rookie of the Month for February 2025, Stryv was born in Pakistan, raised in New York, and clocked a dance smash in 2024 with his Adam Port and Malachiii collab 'Move.-"
https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/stryv-move-keinemusik-dance-rookie-of-the-month-1235911856/
Megan Dembowski
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"Get Lucky (feat. Pharell Williams and Nile Rodgers"
https://open.spotify.com/track/69kOkLUCkxIZYexIgSG8rq?si=ce374727b0ee4ce1
Eric Bazilian
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This is what I call "haircut music." You know, the mindless salon sounds.
Also, no substance and shallow.
So, really?
Jon Meyers
___________________________________________
The "Move" track reminds me a lot of what is coming out of South Africa lately.
Check out "Isaka (6 am) by CIZZA and see what I mean https://open.spotify.com/track/7c5uGV9Rys18JP2570ykTu?si=88d2ec778f4f4f48
Dave Richards
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Hey Bob If you like Move you should also check out "I adore you" by Hugel
Danny Whittle
IMS Co Founder
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I think I know why you like it....
It's the changes to "Get Lucky", but a fraction of the groove.
Jason Steidman
___________________________________________
Seems to me that the point of the article was that there really IS an exciting new music revolution out there. But when I hear Move I hear something old, old, old. Fine if it's a hit but don't try to use it to convince me that pop music nowadays is much more than recycling. That's not the same thing as saying there aren't enjoyable tracks for dancing or listening, or talented artists. But one can't use it to argue that we aren't in a decadent period. (Referencing Gioia's and Kornhaber's articles.)
Tom Moore
Fairfax VA
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Great article Bob.
The effective simplicity of 'Move' would drive the naysayers mad.They are way too clever to dream of something like this.
Your fan,
Dalmau Box
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Daft Punk and Pharrell should sue. "Move" is just "Get Lucky" up a whole step.
Jeff Eyrich
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'And a lot of dance music is...just that, made to dance, not much
more. It fades into the woodwork'
In all honesty Bob; The f*ck do you know about dance music..
Christiaan Macdonald
___________________________________________
On your recommendation I listened to Move.
Bob, are you alright?
Steven Casper
___________________________________________
I've been reading you for decades, and nothing has made me happier than seeing Adam Port in your headline.
I've been lucky enough to watch Adam, his brothers, &Me, and Rampa (the Keinemusik crew) go from local Berlin DJs to the global players they are today. In the 2010s, I spent many summers in Berlin, where the publication I co-founded was based. While I worked from the New York office, much of what was happening in culture was centered in Berlin—and being there during those summers was something special.
Adam and Keinemusik were part of a circle of friends I was welcomed into. I credit Berlin during that time for allowing businesses like mine to thrive, and for creating the space for growth and exploration in dance music that set Adam, KM, and others on their way to massive success.
Jeff Carvalho
___________________________________________
Great write up, Bob. Refreshing to hear some dance takes from you!
I would just add that Keinemusik played Sahara, which you could argue is one of the main stages now, just after charli xcx on Saturday night at Coachella. One of the other members is infamously dating Naomi Campbell and while they are very famous here, they are near legendary status across the pond and all around.
All the best
Bryan Alexander
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Agreed! As a dance music aficionado, this post made me think of this track by Omar, remixed by Henrik Schwartz. Vocals by Stevie Wonder, so this was an unreleased gem for a long time, but now cleared for everywhere it looks like:
"Feeling You - Henrik Schwarz Mix"
https://open.spotify.com/track/5gmCiGDFUbp3TK5JBAuOny?si=b248692c74eb4246
Don Sizzle
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Keinemusik is boring AF… Charli was the moment at Coachella… I would imagine Keinemusik plays better in the background of various events/stores/bars than the much more interesting and engaging parts of Brat… Charli has 2X the listeners of Keinemusik regardless of their one "hit".
Drew Massey
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A big shout out to you as i probably wouldn't get a chance to get around to listening to this track for another 6 months. Thanks Bob
Donald Kasen
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Nice sounding track. I listen to a lot of tunes on the Spotify Chillout playlist that have this vibe. Not a fan of the damn auto tune......
Mike from Mission
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This is a rehash of "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk.
Or did you miss that one?
George Kahn
___________________________________________
I've been reading your newsletter for over 10 years and this is the first time you really covered dance music and its meteoric rise.
I am one of the co-founders of GOSPËL (voted #1 nightclub in the USA in Ibiza last summer) which had a big rise in popularity mostly because of the rise of electronic dance music. I also teach at Harvard Business School. In my opinion the dance genre is what hip-hop was in the 90s and it will keep rising in the years to come.
Thanks for covering this, I think it's important and you what you say is true!
All the best,
Juriël Zeligman
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Adam Port's reedy thin vocal & crap monotonous melody do nothing for me. Not a hit Bob. You've nailed a lot, but not this lame attempt. I would however love to see you dancing to it - Post a video please? I hear it, it ain't a hit. Sounds so old school to me and lyrically leaves me cold.
Best,
David Glenn Middleworth
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"Girl, I really like the way you move"
https://genius.com/Adam-port-stryv-keinemusik-orso-duo-and-malachiii-move-lyrics
Then again so many of the classic rock tracks of yore...the lyrics were not much deeper, then again, it was all about the RIFF!
The Kinks had THE riff; their lyric might not be deeper, but it was sharper: "Girl, you really got me now . . ."
Steve Hurlburt
___________________________________________
Spurred on by your enthusiasm, I just listened to MOVE. Awful. Still looking for the hook. Bring on A.I., it can't be any worse. I'd rather listen to "today's" country music.
Best,
David Leonard
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Agreed- another example from this Dutch duo-
"Because You Move Me"
https://open.spotify.com/track/05GvwwTLLID738BbKN1ze0?si=dffe5b15ca954e65
Michael Wijnen
___________________________________________
Excited for you to dig into dance music more Bob. Lot of great House music for you to explore. Check out Kryptogram when you have a chance — he will be a star.
Timmy Haehl
___________________________________________
Not to mention that I heard the instrumental of this song all over social media for a long time as the background to posts and photos. I just never knew what it was or who made it.
I'd love to see a study on how social media affected its popularity.
Wendy Day
___________________________________________
Well, he just picked up five more streams. I listened. Intently. I see the streams. I just don't hear this as a one listen smash.
Coop
RICK COOPER MUSIC
___________________________________________
No idea how you got hooked on this or anyone else for that matter. There is no hook. It's reggaeton's slightly less annoying brother. Then again the immense number of streams for lots of the top songs suggest dumbed-down and hook-less is the way to go. People want background noise. You want a hook? Listen (again) to the Elton John/Brandi Carlile track "Who Believes in Angels." Yeah, I know it didn't do much for you. All I know is I hit play on that track driving my daughter and two other chatty 10 year old's home from school and they stopped talking and listened. That is what a hit does even if it's not a hit by today's standards. You can't ignore it when it confronted.
Matt Jacobs
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For those in the know Bob, Move but one of many songs in this subgenre that has seen its day. Those in the know have already moved on. Still, though, a tasty track.
Ed Shapiro
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Dear Bob,
Truly one of the most grabbing first listens since the wonderful "Wake Me Up" by
AVIICI.
Thanks.
Dennis Brent
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Sorry, Bob. I don't give a crap this song has millions of streams all around the world. It's a sad state of the world. It's sad, lazy, boring drivel. It steals from those who stole from Marvin Gaye. It's not music it's MUZAK! I've spent the last few weeks listening to Andrew Hickey's History of Rock & Roll in 500 Songs. And it gives me hope that someday someone will break through this drivel and give us Train Kept A Rollin' or Brown Eyed Handsome Man or Drugstore Rock & Roll! I get it, we're living in this lowest common denominator world and it's part all the time. Just wished we weren't.
David George
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It's a hit ! I'm 71 and I just added to my playlist now
Victor Stent
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I don't doubt that this is popular, but this sounds like a mobile phone commercial, and not a good one. And this is coming from a huge electronic music fan. This is dreck, no build or release, just an innocuous beat fronted by what sounds like AI-generated and auto-tuned vocals without a discernible hook. If you want some real riffs in your dance music, put on some Leftfield, Chemical Brothers, or The Prodigy.
D.C. Hannay
___________________________________________
I hope you weren't just referring to me in your commentary. I suppose not. I get the vibe for the dance,the pulsating rhythm is infectious for people in general but the autotune that goes with it is not enjoyable. When the average age of stress.ers streaming new music this is what they want. As far as people I don't really care what they think. Like Zappa and most genius"s I make my art for me and hopefully others like it. It is just in today's over saturated social media world it is almost impossible to get any traction
Paul Donsanto
P.S. Hey maybe you did use my critique as your springboard for your criticism. I understand that the people listening to music on the streaming platforms now are younger then The Boomers and Generation X.I should mention NEW music mainly. I not only can play as well as anyone on the planet but have written some pretty catchable tunes. Most of them not yet streaming. I do have about 12 up there now. Some more commercial than others but a plethora of diversity. I understand that the Times They Are a Changing but there should be more than one set of algorithms ,one for the masses ,the other one for the Minority. If any of the bands and genius's of the past were to get traction today it would be almost impossible for them to make it in today"s over populated ,mindless landscape. Can you say Beethoven,Hendrix,The Stones to name a few. I do enjoy your writing and like that you pull no punches. I have Frank Zappa's mental approach,I don't give a rats f*ck about what others think.I know I got something worthwhile. #theguitarmasterdisaste
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No, Bob.
It's not bad because it's popular.
It's bad because it's a facile, mundane steaming pile.
Philbillie
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Hi Bob , does this remind you of the Veldt by Deadmaus ?
John Kieselhorst
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Hey Bob - Have been reading your letters for years. My artist Stryv released "Move" with Adam Port last June. Thanks for the write-up. Would love to add some color some time and chat if you are open to it. Appreciate your letter this week more than ever before!
--
Regards,
Nicholas Parasram
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Great track, thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Just want to point out that I hear multiple elements of the afrobeats movement that has been slowly infiltrating popular music (in a good way) in Move.
Haven't seen you write much about Burna Boy, Tems, Davido, or some of the other African names making international waves, curious if the chatter I see about these artists ever makes it your way, or if I just live in a bubble?
Thanks
Russel Kreitman
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This sound was pioneered in South Africa and is known as Afro House, Move also has elements of Amapiano, another South African dance genre.
Check out these genre playlists on Spotify if you want more of the vibe, a personal current fave is Famax by Raffa Guido - medicine music to heal the ailments of this hectic world.
Oliver Moira
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Hi, I listened.
That which you call??'the riff' is just literally the chords from Daft Punk's 'Get lucky'.
Another stolen track, not cool in my book.
Edward Verhaeghe
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Once again Bob, you're wise beyond your years!
These days of our lives will be "the good old days", fifty years from now.
Why are so many paddling upstream, when it's much more effective to chart your course while "going with the flow"??
Marshall Block from Detroit.
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Of course I have real curiosity so I went and checked out "Move".. I agree with most of what you're saying but living here in Europe now and seeing what is on the tube, there is a channel called "Fashion TV" and to me it really is a fascinating channel because if you really wanna hear what's happening in EDM put on that channel and you'll see all the biggest fashion models in the world modeling for all the biggest designers and what keeps the flow going is the music behind the videos that they shoot with all of these famous models.. and 90% of the music I would say is EDM.. and I would say a lot of it to me if being in this business for 50 years and I hope that my ear still works.. It's very creative and has got something to it.
I could definitely see Move being a track that definitely would be behind a fashion brand with the right video and how it would definitely work.. if anybody that questions EDM music well it's just like everything else.. there are some that really make it great and there is some that is really lousy…. Just like every other form of music…Now when I wanna hear something that gets me buzzing in EDM, I definitely turn on the fashion channel and it's all there by all these different artists backing up very creative visuals with dance music… and I would say that's where a lot of these people are wearing the clothes and creating the vibe… in the clubs.. I would say that nothing like wearing the most in fashion at a great club in Ibiza and showing yourself off while you're dancing to "Move"
Peace,Jason
Jason Miles
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The New York Times article took a global perspective and argued that there are new and interesting styles of music percolating around the world. I find that exciting and I'd enjoy sampling it. But I'm almost 72 and don't go to clubs and in any case a lot of dance music is for dancing, not listening. I sent the article to my 28-year old son who lives in London and does go out to clubs and to hear live music. He sends me musical recommendations occasionally. I didn't think "Move" exemplified the sort of exciting fusions that the author described. Whether a hit or not is beside the point if what we are talking about is something really new in music. That should be subject to analysis, not mere popularity. I really liked the fusion soundtrack to the Thai White Lotus, which for some crazy reason I can't find on Qobuz. But sometimes soundtracks that work in a show aren't for listening either.
Tom Moore
Fairfax VA
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I love your insights around the Adam Port track and, even more, your thoughts about the negative pushback that you've received from readers.
Music to Trump and back to music.
As a lowish level artist and - albeit British - follower of US politics, it all connects for me.
I can even stomach the 'NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU THINK!' I've always liked your tough medicine. Please keep doing what you're doing; it's meaningful and valued.
Jake Williams / Rex The Dog
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You're unpacking a lot of hate on people who don't share your opinion here.
I get it, you love the track. To others, it's MEH! They (we) just don't find it as amaze-balls as you do.
To me, it's a long intro that never takes off. Pound me with hooks, THEN it's a hit.
Bob Davis
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100% Bob.
It blows my mind that there are so many bands/artists that can now do 30 dates in Europe, 30 dates in America, 30 dates in Asia playing to 3000 people a night and you'll never hear about them in mainstream media.
'Officially', they're unheard of BUT they're grossing over $100K a night 90/100 nights a tour.
It may not be big time but with merch on top it's sustainable and these guys are living the dream.
They're not the least bit bothered they're under the mainstream media's radar and why would they be.
Sau Marcus
P.S 'Move' is a banger
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Can you not hear the Pharrell "Happy" or whatever that song was underneath the riff that's why it's so catchy if you think it's catchy which I do not thank you so
NOAH K LESSER
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Good lord Bob, it's a #3 with cheese. Deep dive into this genre, nothing to see here, he just got lucky.
Billy Chapin
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It's a transient trifle, that is nonetheless a goes-down-easy, hits-the-hips groove ideal for today's disco dance floor. Soon forgotten, but will end up on one of those Dance Hits of the 2020's compilations. You may have oversold it, Bob, but you are correct.
Cameron Dilley
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Yeah, well I get the reasoning as to why this is a hit, but quite frankly I've heard way more catchy and exciting, similar but original, not manufactured to a formula, songs by original Goan and Punjabi artists playing on the speakers at my local award winning Goan curry restaurant, compared to those this sounds muted, repetitive in a bad way and manufactured, like so many concocted dance 'hits'. In this particular case, I reckon 500,000,000 listeners can be wrong!
TonyB from down under
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As a professional songwriter, I feel like I'm a very tough critic and fair judge of music. A lot of traditional folks don't understand EDM because it's not guitars, drums and riffs. It's based on a vibe. Do I like this song? No. But I get why it got popular. It's a simpler fan base. They don't need country music breakups and elaborate storytelling. They want a good beat, a catchy lyric or melody and room to dance.
Danny "Jay" Jacobson
Nashville, TN
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I enjoy your opinions -- and your willingness to take the heat on them!
Reading your comments and listening to "Move" has me putting it in the same category as William's "Happy" or "Gangham Style" -- infectious, but unlikely to be studied in graduate programs in musicology.
Keep on making us think...
Michael Alston
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It's good but I can see more clearly why this one was successful – same stream count.
"Because You Move Me"
https://open.spotify.com/track/05GvwwTLLID738BbKN1ze0?si=a373f98f5c414581
Michael McCarty
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Thank you for taking the time to do a post mortem on the responses to Move. I am in the hater category and you are right, no one cares!
To your point, I CAN see why it's a hit given where the music world is at this point in time. Hooks still matter but it's more about vibe. Maybe along the lines of music that accompanies an experience versus music that IS the experience. My perspective is more a matter of, I don't WANT it to be a hit because I WANT "Who Believes in Angels" to be a hit. But it's not, and that's the way it it. The public is indeed the gatekeeper and we are witnessing the shift in what a hit sounds like when record labels don't control the narrative. Take care. ~Matt
Matt Jacobs
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I played the track, and liked it. 63 male life long music lover of mostly guitar based melodic blues rock.
I let it play on to see what the algs introduced me to...we'll see...
What, are you never going to try a new recipe, restaurant, book, movie, ski run ever again? You'll like some and some not, but the point is trying.
Steve Hopkins
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I always appreciate your take. And can't argue with streams.
But here's the thing you don't answer - what are artists supposed to glean from this? Repeating three chords and MORE GODDAMNED AUTO TUNE will get you a hit?
Comparing this with, say, "Somebody I Used To Know" or "Blinding Lights", there is nothing to it. I would never want to listen to this again, and even though I don't listen to pop, those two songs had something to grab onto.
In this tune, there's no songwriting, no rise and fall, no drama. It's the flavor of the week but it's utterly forgettable. Nobody will play this in a year, even six months.
Daryl Shawn
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Sounds great but it seems to use the exact same chord sequence as "Get Lucky," which is already embedded in all our brands.
David Vawter
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Nah. Sounds like all the other pushbutton pop. I'll stick to John Cale.
Bob Anthony
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Great groove. I LOVE it! Dance on, Bob!
ELF
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I listened to the song.
I was always one who could appreciate a well-constructed dance track even though I have five left feet. But I think you are dividing the population by old and young erroneously. Anyone of any age could tap their foot to Move. When people, especially those in some way affiliated with the arts, listen to a pop song, they strive to relate to the artistry therein. I think Move is difficult for many to appreciate because it is so synthetic, so computer generated, it contains near zero humanity. I think it is more difficult to appreciate the artistry in a machine-made recording. Once you are two shots of tequila and a beer into your evening and focused on some version of social interactivity, Move gets the job done, at least for this very brief moment in time. Big deal.
Micah Sheveloff
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Check out Echolocation!!
A San Diego trio that is up and coming!
Josh Gruenberg
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Obvious copied "Get Lucky" entire chord structure.
Lindsey C. Spight
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'Move' is right in the hyper-pop formula soup. 4 chords that just cycle and outline a "riff" in the voicing. Perhaps more importantly, it's also hypnotic and immersive -consider the drenched 'deep mix' placement of the vocals. And, the lyrics are, ahem, "naughty."..that, I'd suggest, being the key word in the lyric. All of which points to the idea that this track is perhaps less about dancing and more about sex, on repeat, which might help explain the play count.
Chris Desmond
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It's a hit all right. Daft Punk made it, what 10 years ago? 20? I miss Nile Rodgers' guitar track, though
Joe Henderson
Yonkers NY
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Please explain how this song is innovative!
The reason you are hearing from musicians (who you disdain) is that the song is awful music and the lyrics are embarrassing.
peter grant
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Move is just a re-write of of Get Lucky
Dale Janus
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Familiar set of chords. Immediately hear Daft Punk Get Lucky. Only more vocal adjustments.
Cate Cahill
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Your strident defense of this song and calling it art of neglects to take into account that it is a very basic song which is not a criticism but a fact. The hooks, for me, were weak. Everybody has different taste let them vent. Just because you like it means one thing only…you like it. A broader discussion is your assertion that this song is art. I guess you could call anything that a person or a machine creates art. But by the same token most art sucks.
D. Mark MacGillvray
Sotheby's International Realty
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No sour grapes here, not even any judgment as to whether it's a good song. Just sharing the observation that it's the same chords as Daft Punk's Get Lucky, up a whole step and a little faster. Could its big appeal be about how familiar it sounds to another song that was a big hit?
-Marcus Ryle
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I've always loved this clip from Stephen Carpenter of the Deftones discussing simple vs complex in terms of music and popularity. I pulled 60 seconds of the interview from the Ernie Ball YouTube interview. https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxWrwjfgphathgNpKCmzddueEMRd6LQ7Dx?si=zuC3q0sQ8PGAqhVB
Jim Blaney
Nashville
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I am a bit confused about why you utilizing "Move" as the vehicle for your thinking. I entirely admit that I know nothing about how to make a hit song, wright one, do it sufficient justice in the recording in production, and certainly not in the marketing of such.
However, I do know something about craft in all of these previously mentioned aspects of the music industry, despite never myself having written or fielded any work that drew any distinction itself at all.
Well, if I nothing inherently wrong with "Move" , and it certainly falls within many of the current paradigm's such as Downtempo, easily digestible, repeatable, catchphrases "girl you want to party" "listen to your body" is great for Saturday night dancefloor, but it fails on many other levels. It has no outstanding hook, nor are any of the sounds and ideas used in the composition either new, or new in juxtaposition. It certainly is a hit of the moment, but they did not hit it out of the ballpark, like, for example, last decades "Uptown Funk", which had some of the same issues as "Move" yet managed to be catchy and ladened with hooks vocal and instrumental.
My two cents
Jesse Walkershaw
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I don't think you get it. I totally understand it and I don't care. It's drivel.
You're an intellect. You know music.
Music is extremely subjective, more so now than ever!
My business hat screams lowest common denominator for the masses. This is what they wanted us to listen to in the 1950s when rock and roll was still being played for adults in backwoods gin houses and on the chitlin' circuit. Then rock and roll had an identity and the Beatles and the Kennedys opened a whole new world. People started thinking. Suddenly, the latte 60s and early 70s had singer/songwriters with intelligent lyrics and songs that spoke right to our hearts and the man wanted to shut us down. Then the rock and roll was at its height in the 80s with the big ROCK bands. The end of the 80s became a quagmire of derivative stuff all over and then Seattle broke it open. Hip Hop also did that. EDM (generalization) has had a niche since the… I'd say 80s (I loved it then, love it now)… but it wasn't until the raves brought in the masses like a Timothy Leary dance party. Check in and tune the f*ck out!
Show me your positive feedback, please! I'm not harping on Spotify. I love Spotify and YouTube music. It's how I make money and am able to listen to a zillion tracks of music!
I had my moment and had a blast. I toured North America. Had my music on TV and in Films. I got to play guitar for a legend for a couple years performing on Letterman and Leno. I've done everything I've wanted and now my focus has turned. I still make music, but it's a whole different ball of wax.
"Move" is sh*te. That's all I have to say.
Thanks.
David George
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I kind of get your get your overall point with the Move missives. I think. Don't complain, understand the audience, and make music that appeals to more people. Sounds like good advice.
I don't know if using a dance track to make that point, though, was the best example.
In dance, if a track gets hot in clubs for period of time, it can stream big numbers. Dance producers/DJs tend to over-index in streams compared to their popularity with the general public.
You have dance artists like Tinlicker and Nicky Romero with individual tracks that have 500 million streams on Spotify. And relatively new DJs like John Summit whose tracks regularly surpass 100M streams.
This doesn't really happen in other "niche" genres.
I'm not a big fan of Active Rock, but I'm not sure why you constantly use that genre as one not to emulate. It's pretty small in the music world, but those acts tend to over-index in ticket sales. Ask Danny Wimmer how he's done promoting Active Rock festivals in the last decade or so. Also, I don't think too many of those acts wear leather jackets—or any kind of leather clothing—anymore.
I think your usual advice for artists to try to write songs with hooks and melodies sung by a great voice probably makes the most sense to the general musician who is writing you to complain.
But they could also cultivate a persona and immerse themselves in a culture and have tremendous success without ever having a "hit." There are so many scenes that embrace artists if they focus on serving those audiences. From jam band to jazz, darkwave to hyperpop, if an artist finds a niche and does it well, they can make a solid living from music—maybe even a great one.
Seth Keller
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It doesn't matter who the artist is or what the medium; art, food, writing, music, architecture, film, wine are about creation as you say and they elicit an emotional response, or not. That doesn't make each effort inherently brilliant or crap. We used to make fun of Rolling Stone album reviews, right?. For good reason, we aren't all moved by the same thing. Art is as subjective as anything can be. Word of mouth from your posse is about all most people want to know about.
RE Louie Louie, a great garage song, some people still didn't care for it and that's okay. I didn't find Move all that interesting (its not Jackson Pollock or a Campbells Soup Can). A nice beat, but there was nothing there that stood out to me or made me want to hear it again. It's not groundbreaking but it's okay if you like it. MMMBop was a simple ditty but I loved it and will turn it up anytime its on.
In the wine business, I used to tell people, its' not important if you don't like a particular wine, what's important is to find one you like. It makes no difference what someone else thinks. You could like one costing $20 and dislike one that costs $100. So what. It's way there is more than one kind of everything.
The really committed musicians don't seem to care what people are looking for, they are following their own instincts.
John Brodey
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be contrarian than to work on oneself...Turns out that enlisting oneself to be the biggest fan of the realest version of oneself is really, really hard esp. when the aggregate of most of us is a combination of low self esteem and entitlement. There's a reason why we can't be the center of all things as the aggregate of which, as we find out quickly, is void of joy even to the most enlightened which is why it is so important that we choose carefully esp. those first few steps else we get off track...and right quick. This is where Galloway steps in as he's spot on talent v. passion. But alas the allure of delusion is far too strong and we are much too weak as most of us lack discipline due in large to the overinflated sense of our personal brands, as sold to us by social media, brands that never materialized, manifested into clay that then could be shaped into a sense of self worth. What's left? Lashing out. Hence, the degree of castigation towards the flavor of the day as that flavor is a reminder of our shortcomings.
Marty Winsch
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You're still meaningless. I sour whenever you try to equate your bologna with art. It's not. It's never moved me emotionally. You're a mindscribe and that's another word for "critic". Fine you've got a readership but how many dumbfuxks open their email and read it for ten minutes which is the average time it takes you to make a point about something else. Your skis your musical taste your expensive medical care. Doesn't move hearts dear bob. You fiddle with minds and love the bite back. Otherwise you'd have. No reason to write cause you don't create anything new. You comment…
Ian McCrudden
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We whine and preen. You dial it in. That's why, agree or not, we read you, Bob.
Cameron Dilley
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Bob I usually agree with you but on this one I just don't hear it. Song doesn't grab me or make me want to even hear it again. If I was on the dance floor pumped up on stimulants maybe. I just drove from southwest Michigan to Detroit last week to see Fontaines DC which absolutely floored me with how good the band was! That's music I can listen to over and over again! I can't wait until they hit Chicago (I couldn't attend Chicago gig only a hour away compared to Detroit over 2.5 hours) again to give them whatever they want for the ticket! It was that good!
David Wolnik
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I'll be honest, I don't hear a riff and there's nothing that would make we want to return after two listens. There's no hook, it's not bad but it's def not great. The vocal is not original either. I mean, who isn't doing this type of vocal, it's all over hip hop tunes these days.
I can't agree with you here.
Adam Franklin
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Bob, I presume you're talking about Adam Port's track? I finally searched it out on Spotify.. Well, guess what? I LIKE IT..haha...and I'll tell ya why. It's simple and SHORT. I like simple production values..I've been recording for 50 years and if there's one thing I've learned is that people only hear a melody and a beat..Everything else is just icing on a cake. I'm not a fan of autotune but when it's done right it adds to the atmosphere especially in that genre i.e. EDM etc. My first hit record in Toronto was written when I was sixteen. I considered it a throw away.. Three chord wonder. It wasn't until I was about 23 when I entered it in the Q-107 Homegrown contest in Toronto in 1980..A four track demo we recorded in one afternoon in a studio I'd never seen or heard of. We went up against bands with sixteen track recordings...No one was more surprised than me when we were included on the same vinyl record of twelve original songs by various bands in T.O. culminating in sold out shows at the El Mocambo. (Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Todd Rundgren) And the rest is history. It certainly put Me on the map. Hell, I had to put a new version of the band together just to do that one off show..I had broken up the band six months earlier to come off the road to be with my wife and newborn daughter...Funny how things go...;You just never know! Keep up the good work!
Randy Dawson
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What's most important is that YOU like it. F*ck everyone else!
Dan Millen
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This is the banana and duct tape all over again.
Insert standard arguments for/against.
Jer Gervasi
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and this is where I unsubscribe. It's been fun Bob, Goodbye.
-max lee
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