Music Industry News: 2021-05-30

Friday, 4 June 2021

Throw It Back

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2S2UcLp

YouTube: https://bit.ly/2T3JTH6

1

This is a hit. Will the label make it one?

You've got to be in the mood to listen to new music. And today I was. And I heard a few very good tracks, but this was the best. And I wanted to write about it but I had a virtual doctor's appointment coming up and I didn't know if I wanted to waste my heat on it, especially in light of the blowback.

Yes, there are times you are ready, and times you are worn out. And usually, when you're fresh it's best. Which is why oftentimes the first take is the best, and the first cut is the deepest, but that was not a hit in its original Cat Stevens incarnation, but I must admit Rod Stewart did a better version, but at this point most people think it's a Sheryl Crow song, but does the younger generation know ANY of these? I wouldn't think so.

So let's first define a hit. Especially in this era. It's something you get instantaneously, that catches your ear, that changes your mood, that you want to hear again.

It's just that simple. Yes, you may play the new work of your favorite act over and over until you get it, but don't delude yourself into thinking non-fans will do this. The skip button is their friend. They don't want to listen to anything they don't like. As for the vaunted "playlist"...don't get too excited. Yes, you'll rack up some streams, maybe even make some dough, but playlists are for passive listeners, and the music business is built on active listeners, people who live for music, who grab on to something and spread the word to everybody, music is up front and center for these people, whereas the playlist people...it's often background, in the office, during a cocktail party, while they're paying bills.

Now not every hit becomes one, now more than ever. You see it needs a push. And a push isn't as easy as it was before. And depending upon the format of your tune, the attack is different, and for some kinds of music there's no attack plan at all, you just make it and play live and hope you gain traction, and most don't.

So hip-hop records start online. Radio is last.

Rock records start on the radio. It's a very small market relatively speaking, new rock, not classic rock, and most of its acts believe streaming is the devil so they're leaving all the opportunities on the table.

Country records start on the radio, but country fans will listen on streaming before rock fans will.

As for pop...you need a push, which is why purveyors of these tracks employ the carpet bomb technique, all the old school stuff like TV, "Ellen," "Kelly Clarkson" and late night, and print, and maybe even a version with a rapper to tie into that market.

So what is "Throw it Back"?

Well, it falls between the cracks, and therefore it may not be worth pushing, the label may choose to manage its bullets, because of opportunity cost. Keith Urban is anathema on hip-hop and pop radio, and Breland is Black, and let's face it, a lot of country radio stations and country fans are racist. Then again, it's almost an easier sell, because outlets may feel they have to play the track to avoid looking racist.

And "Throw it Back" is not your typical twangy track. That's how you make something country today, through the "country" vocal, a stringed instrument like a banjo or violin (well, "Throw it Back" does have that banjo solo), it's all about the toppings, not the essence, it's as far away from Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson as it could be. In other words, it's almost pop. Which means "Throw it Back" might fit. But I'm sure PDs can come up with all kinds of reasons not to play it.

Now there's no doubt in my mind as soon as my audience receives this missive I'll be inundated with the aforementioned blowback, this song SUCKS and they've got a better one!

First and foremost, you have to be dispassionate in picking emphasis tracks, hits. It's not what YOU like, but what the AUDIENCE LIKES! This is a professional job, not everybody can be a program director, even though they think so. Talk to a musical act, it's fascinating, they'll tell you what songs work in concert and which ones don't. And oftentimes it's the ones they almost threw away, that they thought were substandard, that the audience embraces and become hits. Then again, artists are the absolute worst at picking singles. However, if you create an 11 you know. But you're lucky if you create a couple of 11s in your career, if you have one at all, most acts never reach the pinnacle, despite deluding themselves that they have.

And the nature of the internet is either you're sucking up or putting down. Play and you might consider suicide. It's high school, even though you've graduated. But this time it's the revenge of the nerds. Usually the most vocal are the ones who are the loners, without followers, they hide behind their handles, they want payback for all the ridicule they've endured. Yes, on the internet you can put it out there. But will anybody listen?

Music is a game of mass. It's just that simple. If it only appeals to a few...don't quit your day job. If you just want to follow your muse irrelevant of reaction, that's fine, but please stop complaining that you're not making money. Think of conventional business, if a company makes a stiff product, one unsuccessful in the marketplace, it doesn't blame consumers, and it doesn't double-down and market the product ad infinitum, it gives up, creates a new product or goes out of business and the proprietor(s) start all over. This is the so-called "badge of failure" that Silicon Valley adores, it's all about EXPERIENCE! You learn by playing the game. Which of course has us asking why the record companies keep flogging the young and inexperienced. Then again, they're social media giants. And artists and labels have realized social media is the absolute best way to get a record started. But don't think it's organic, I mean it occasionally works that way, but really it's about the relationship between the major label and the social media site itself. Don't feel squeezed out, this is a business lesson. The reason TikTok, et al, want to be involved with the major labels is they have a steady stream of product, there's ongoing business, never mind money for support. You could be the best act in the world, but if you only put out a record every other year, you're worthless to the social media giants, they need a constant flow.

So...

2

"If she get a shot of whiskey she know how to throw it back"

Breland has got a fantastic voice. Earthy and meaningful, with an edge. He doesn't have the BEST voice, his voice has CHARACTER! The aforementioned Rod Stewart epitomizes this, they have a way of connecting with the audience.

"She'd turn up for Elvis Presley told the DJ 'throw it back'"

Elvis Presley? Talk about a cheap shot, his audience is dying off, his memorabilia is dropping in value.

"She look better every Thursday she don't have to throw it back
Shawty got me catching feelings
I just hope she throws it back"

THE LYRICS ARE STUPID!

But this is a world in which Justin Bieber's lyrically inane "Peaches" was a monster number one. Like I said, this is a business, and you have to study it to be successful. Now you can sit it out completely, but you give up your right to complain, those who are deeply involved snub you when you reveal your ignorance. Go to the label and say that Spotify is screwing you, that it's stealing money from you, and chances are they'll close the door on you, knowing you're insane, Spotify is how they make their money, THEY may screw you, but Spotify only takes around 30%.

So "Throw it Back" is not made for intellectual analysis, actually it's best when you're not even paying attention, when you hear it from afar, when you're driving in your car, top down, sunroof open, arm on the windowsill, believing this is the best night of your life as you've got "Throw it Back" at the point of distortion on your car stereo. It's about making you feel good, and getting your body moving, no more. It's fine if you don't buy that paradigm, you can choose not to play, but there's a very good chance "Throw it Back" will not gain traction and then you have to realize why your track does not, you can learn.

So it's not only Breland. It's Keith Urban's vocal too. He seems to be just shy of his limit, almost screaming, fighting to be heard over the music, like a singer in a bar, with ambient noise, clamor.

And there's the instrumentation, the burbling bass under the rap. You may not even hear it if you're not listening for it, but it helps makes the track. And the rap...short and sweet. Might as well give the audience what it is looking for.

And the track is short and sweet itself, barely over three minutes long. And except for the raps it's essentially just one groove repeated over and over and over again, the traditional song structure is...OUT THE WINDOW!

And the magic is in the hook, which is enhanced by the country instrumentation, real instruments atop what otherwise could be seen as a hip-hop track.

And unlike most collaborations Breland and Urban are equal players, getting equal time, both necessary.

And then there's that banjo solo...in other words this track has both hip-hop and country elements.

And only a hater could listen to "Throw it Back" without moving their body. This is the kind of track that gets self-doubting men standing at the bar energized, to ask a woman to dance. He's been observing them all night on the dance floor, feeling separate, but now he finally has the mojo to play and when he's out there moving his body and she throws it back...

I don't know whether "Throw it Back" was an accident or planned like a military attack, but the end result is just...INFECTIOUS!

That's another thing about a hit, change just one little thing and you ruin it and it's not a hit. Come on, compare the "Help Me Ronda" from "Today!" to "Help Me Rhonda" on "Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)," same song, the former dead in the water, the latter a chart-topper. Which is why sometimes the demo becomes the ultimate release, something is captured that can't be replicated. It's not science, it's feel. It's not ones and zeros, that's the internet, but it's music that drives the web and the apps, it's the grease that makes it all work.

"Throw it Back" is not for January, sitting in your dorm room depressed, it's about letting go. You remember letting go, don't you? It's fun, join the club and...

Throw it back!

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Mare Of Easttown

(Note: There are some spoilers below.)

A typical HBO show. As in the cast supersedes the story. Guy Pearce in such a small role?

If you watch television, you know this is the most talked-about show on the flat screen. The second? "Startup." I watched a few "Startups," I plan to binge all thirty, it's very watchable, not quite A level material, but the roles and the actors who play them are so good, and supposedly it gets better, I'm not checking my watch while I watch.

I really dug watching "Mare of Easttown." We burned through all seven episodes in a couple of days. I don't know how the people who watched week by week could handle it. Especially at the end of was it episode five or six, where it freezes on Mare's face. I've got to wait a week to find out what happens? No way. Not that I expect HBO to change, I hope Apple TV+ does, bingeing is the only way to watch television, if you watch linear television, even worse on appointment, you're a baby boomer, because the younger generation doesn't do this, no way. And if you want to make bank, appeal to the younger generation, because they're getting older every day, while the boomers are starting to die off. But to run an outfit like HBO you've had to work your way up the ladder, kissing ass all the way, so the concept of revolution is out the window. Oh wait! John Stankey came in and said they needed more product and then Jason Kilar came along and put all the content on the streaming service and Hollywood WENT NUTS!

The HBO staffers left. Or complained. It was a Tiffany operation, only the best and the brightest. But if you've got a streaming service, you need a hell of a lot more content. So people will subscribe and won't log off. Stankey knew this, the established players did not.

As for Kilar... Word is he handled it poorly, he should have contacted all the players, those above the line, especially those who shared in profits. THEY NEVER EVER WOULD HAVE AGREED! Do you know how long it takes to do a deal in Hollywood? Sometimes the film is in the can before there is paper, and just getting to an agreement can take a year, no problem. So, just like in Silicon Valley, you've got to take action and then deal with the fallout. If it weren't for Napster, we'd have no Spotify. Oh, we'd have something, but established operators only move forward when pushed.

So typically the development process at HBO was interminable. The opposite of Netflix. Netflix gives a go and you shoot. Well, historically anyway. But on HBO, they must insure that the end product is up to their standards. So they make you massage the product until it does. Is it the same since the purchase by AT&T, with more product in the pipeline? I don't know, but the truth is the acting talent is so good in "Mare of Easttown" that it's overwhelming, everybody has chops, you don't see this level of participation on any other outlet.

But it's superior to the story.

Kate Winslet is a local cop, investigating murders. Even worse, the girls are locked up? This is B horror material. I was really wincing.

But then the show got much much better.

Except for one thing... Can someone please explain the pact between the three teenagers? Was it just a red herring, to make you think they were involved in the murder or did I miss something?

Having said all of the above, the ending was fantastic, the execution was as good as the surprise. So I give "Mare" a very high mark, I recommend it. But as much as the foreign shows? No way.

Watch "The Bureau." Slow at first, but the tension will have you squirming in your seat. And everything rings true.

Not quite as much in "Borgen," but close...it feels like you're in the government.

And if you want genre, "Spiral" delivers completely, the best cop show on television.

And if you want gravitas, go with "A French Village," amazing.

So what was the bigger point in "Mare of Easttown"? It was ultimately just about the plot. At first I thought they depicted the perils and prevalence of opioid addiction extremely well, shining a well-needed light, but then that faded away.

But there were excellent personal relationships. As far as the vaunted Jean Smart...I thought she was chewing the scenery at first, but then she got very good.

Speaking of good, Sosie Bacon was completely believable as the mother of Drew. I couldn't stop wondering where I'd seen her, turns out she was in "Narcos: Mexico," when is that coming back?

Julianne Nicholson rang true throughout, a fantastic job as Mare's friend.

Even better was David Denman as Frank Sheehan...he nailed it! Just because you're big and beefy with a beard, that does not mean you're an intense bully. Frank is controlled, almost always soft-spoken, he's a good guy, you'd be surprised how many are out there, despite all the clamor about #MeToo.

God, everybody was good, I haven't seen an American show with this quality of acting...maybe ever. Everybody believable.

But Kate Winslet carried the show.

All the discussion is about the penumbra, ever since her starring role in "Titanic." Is she beautiful enough, is she too heavy... That's an American trope, DO THEY DESERVE TO BE A STAR!

But Winslet is so believable as Mare, you forget all her previous roles. Only at one point, when she was spruced up for dinner with Colin, did she even resemble the star Kate Winslet, here she was just a small town cop, who should have left town and had a better life, but just could not.

As for the psychological elements...

You've seen some of this before, but not recently, not in this depth. Winslet is haunted by the deaths of her father and son, she nearly sleepwalks through life. She never seems to lighten up and be in a good mood, the weight of her issues is always on her shoulders.

And Siobhan! She's afraid to leave town for fear her family will fall apart, I've seen this in my own world.

And Siobhan dumping her contemporary for someone older and more sophisticated...this is how it works, especially when you're young. You think you're in love, bonded at the hip, and then your significant other jilts you unexpectedly.

And for far too many people it's family first. They'll say and do anything to protect their family. As for the duplicity...it's rampant in America today, lying in court is de rigueur, it's no longer anathema.

So on one hand you've got a typical police whodunit, with the false starts and blind alleys.

On another, you've got an incredible depiction of a world that gets almost no coverage in America. In America, you're either a winner or a loser, a billionaire or homeless. But that leaves a lot of people out. Those who are working for a living, getting by, not always thinking about money, who live to eat microwave popcorn and watch TV and go to the local bar and drink.

And everybody knows everybody. This is what I love about the city, it's anonymous. Living in a small burg is far too inhibiting, everybody knows your business, you're labeled, it's oppressive.

And then there's Mare's line about great being overrated. You think you want to do something great, but then people expect you to follow it up. And you've got internal pressure. But is being great what it's all about, or just being enmeshed in the fabric, reaping the rewards of your relationships.

And then there's the fact that Mare is always, well almost always, trying to do the right thing, and as a result it fractures her relationships. Turns out not everyone wants you to be honest and upfront, friends expect special dispensation. Mare is winning at her job, but she keeps losing in life.

Yes, life is depicted extremely well in "Mare of Easttown." The opioids, the family dynamics. It's great television. But is it lasting, meaningful television?

I think of "Happy Valley," the English crime shows... The talent doesn't supersede the story. David Tennant and Olivia Coleman are brilliant in "Broadchurch," but they don't eclipse the story, and the story is more believable than that in "Mare of Easttown."

And if you want psychological, interpersonal/family drama, the first season of "Herrens Veje" exceeds "Mare of Easttown," hands down.

I guess I just lament that everybody raving about "Mare of Easttown" has not partaken of these foreign shows, the English ones don't even require subtitles! (Not that I don't turn them on anyway.)

I watch to be entertained, but I also watch to be transfixed by art, to see people testing the limits. Try Bo Burnham's new Netflix special "Inside" if you want to see someone doing so. I just don't need another TV show, I need THE TV show! Watch "Ramy," or "Master of None," they're dealing with issues of race and there's plenty of humor. If everyone watched them we'd have less racism in this country.

So that's my criticism of "Mare of Easttown," it just didn't shoot high enough. It will never top my list of recommendations. It's another TV show, not art.

And I'm looking for art. Something that affects me, that I think about, that I will never forget. It's hard to achieve, but first you have to shoot for it. "Mare of Easttown" did not, execution was primary, getting the story right. This was not "The Deer Hunter," also set in Pennsylvania, that prevented sleep, but a really good ride. I like rides. But I'd rather read "Anna Karenina" than go to Disneyland. I'd rather listen to Frank Zappa than Olivia Newton-John. I'd rather watch "The Sopranos" than "Magnum, P.I." I want to be transported, I want to be transfixed as you walk the line of experimentation with superiority, never falling off. Like sitting in the audience for "Hamilton." Don't make product, make art. I'd rather see you fail at art than make product. "Mare of Easttown" is ultimately just a genre show, I wish it were more.

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Thursday, 3 June 2021

Brad Stone-This Week's Podcast

Bloomberg's Brad Stone is the expert on Amazon, he's written today's best selling book "Amazon Unbound" and 2013's "The Everything Store." Tune in to hear discussion of Jeff Bezos, the management processes of Amazon, the warehouses, third party sellers, AWS, Prime Video, hardware and more. This is the definitive statement!

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brad-stone/id1316200737?i=1000524064845

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast

https://open.spotify.com/show/3QQChyYncANduSOs72eCbV

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/The-Bob-Lefsetz-Podcast?returnFromLogin=1&

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Wednesday, 2 June 2021

Trump Shuts Down Blog

https://bit.ly/34E1hVp

That's right, after its third day of its month-long run, Trump's blog never exceeded 15,000 hits a day!

That's right, the most famous man IN THE WORLD couldn't go it alone. Proving, in case you wondered, that Mark Zuckerberg is more powerful than the President. Furthermore, just try hiding Zuck's communications on Facebook, it can't be done. Yes, in other words, Mark Zuckerberg has greater reach than anybody on the planet, think about that.

But even more, think about the inability of gaining an audience in today's world. You can build it, but if you think people are going to come, you're almost definitely wrong.

As for Trump himself?

His fame was built in the pre-internet world, and in the twenty first century by network television, which presently gets anemic ratings, everyone having gone to streaming outlets, or having buried themselves in TikTok or YouTube. Trying to make it today?

Be thankful you have an audience at all!

That's one of the reasons the acts of yore can tour to such prodigious numbers. People know who they are, irrelevant of whether they like the music. A number one act today? Olivia Rodrigo...well, chances are unless you're very young you didn't even see her on the Disney Channel, but even more important, most of America HAS NEVER EVER HEARD HER MUSIC! Trump is in the news every damn day, what are the odds some musical act can gain equal mindshare?

As for the youth... Check the numbers on social media. That's where today's stars live. And they don't live for long, providing content each and every day burns you out, but their numbers are stratospheric before they crash. Look at it this way...blogs are passé. The internet ball keeps rolling. Remember LiveJournal? Now it's about Instagram and TikTok, outlets that didn't even exist back then. Will the buck stop there? Probably not. Platforms have power in the twenty first century, but social media outlets are fads, no youngster wants to spend their time on the social media site of their parents, which is why you can't find a youngster on Facebook, only oldsters. And even more interestingly, Amazon may compete with you and force you to sell or go out of business, but it doesn't work that way in social media. The old site imitates the new site's features...unsuccessfully. Instagram Reels? Furthermore, if you want to keep the players happy you've got to pay them. The relationship between TikTok and its stars is very close, TikTok is a manager as well as a distributor, it knows the platform relies less on tech than its talent, keep creators happy and users will continue to flock to the site. This is not YouTube, this is not Google, at arm's length...if you're not reaching out to the "acts" getting views on your site, helping them maintain their profile and make bank, you're going to be superseded, the younger generation is all about ethical treatment, ignore the mores of youngsters at your peril. Another element in the desires/beliefs of Gen-Z? AUTHENTICITY! Fake it and they're out. Credibility is key. And fascinatingly, you can be sponsored on social media and still be authentic, because you're beating the man, you're building your own business. But not in art itself, in art the system is supposed to reward you plenty, and if you're going outside of it to drink at the trough, get more than you deserve, people resent you. Yes, music has more status, more gravitas than social media, not that the purveyors don't do their best to undercut this.

Which brings us back to Olivia Rodrigo. Musically, her album is not a ten. But when it comes to lyrical content? Rodrigo is displaying all the angst of the greats of yore, putting her feelings, holding back nothing, right in the grooves/files, no platitudes whatsoever. Rodrigo is the opposite of the TV singing shows, she knows the essence is more important than the shiny exterior. It's not that Rodrigo is so damn good, but how did we get so far from the garden?

Trump just can't reach people. To get people to gain new habits is the most difficult thing to do. They'll check their texts. Maybe their e-mail. And then they've got their regular sites, and that's it. They're already overwhelmed with data, they just can't handle any more.

Like this fiction that we need a new musical site, that you can create a meaningful business selling/streaming on your own site. THE EX-PRESIDENT CAN'T EVEN DO IT, WHAT CHANCE DO YOU HAVE?

As for streaming sites...we already have too many. It would be better if everyone was on the same platform, it would be easier to gain attention and build stars. But the labels didn't want this because they wanted to be able to play one against another economically. So what we end up with is fearful oldsters at Apple, paying but not listening too much, trusting the Cupertino giant, and stealth Amazon, playing to people who see music as secondary, pricing accordingly, and then the big kahuna, Spotify, which gets all the heat, to a great degree from people not even using it. Music was biggest when we had one site, i.e. MTV, but the labels couldn't stop bitching that the television station was making all the money when they weren't. Well look at things now, MTV is essentially out of the music business and almost no one is watching, yet the labels still own their catalogs, and Universal will go public at a giant number. You see ultimately it's about the long game. But you've got to play the short game with your eyes open.

The hardest thing to do today is build a star. So, the majors just glom on to train-wreck, it's easier, because to build block by block...hell, the executive in charge may not even be there when the act finally breaks through. Sales are so hard, that marketing has eclipsed content. There's a fancy box, but air inside. Which is one of the reasons why a lot of today's "stars" are more famous for the penumbra, their shenanigans, than the music itself.

Don't keep your content from the platform...EMBRACE THE PLATFORM! It's your only way to significantly build your audience. As for remuneration...there are more ways to make more money in the music business than there ever were in history. To bitch about streaming payments is to miss the point. Furthermore, instead of complaining you're not making enough money, take a close look at your streaming numbers, how do you increase them is the question, not how do you get paid more for their anemic number.

It's not like everybody forgot who Trump is. They just didn't have time/want to go to a new site. Furthermore, Trump is the king of the bite-sized, and that's not the blog paradigm, which is extended, no, that's the essence of Twitter. Think about that... The world complains that Twitter is bits and bytes, when the truth is that's a feature, because in a fast-paced world the content is digestible! The other criticism of Twitter? It's a subset of the world, not everybody is on it. DUH! No platform, no media outlet has everybody, NONE! You should be embracing Twitter for its benefits, the core people in any field are participating, you can gain information which will help you in your outlook/career directly from the source!

As for Clubhouse??

Already passé. Have you heard anybody talk about it in the last month? A failed concept. No one wants to sit endlessly on the phone listening to wankers bloviate. They want it fast and furious unless it is worth going on a deep dive, and that's not what Clubhouse provides.

And it's too hard to build your own audience on Clubhouse. And when this is the case, the platform always dies, just like Trump's blog.

At least give the Donald credit for realizing his blog wasn't working. Instead of analyzing the flaws, most people today, especially oldsters, just double-down, believing if they just try harder they'll break through... BUT THEY WON'T! Trump's numbers weren't going up, he saw the writing on the wall. Meanwhile, your numbers aren't going up, on Spotify or YouTube, and you keep blaming the system...ever think it was you? Change or die in today's world.

So if you're starting from zero today don't reinvent the distribution wheel. Go to the platform. BECAUSE DISTRIBUTION IS KING! Didn't matter what Trump was saying on his blog, because NO ONE WAS READING IT!

And know that if your goal is to grow your footprint, your audience, in today's world, it's unbelievably hard. Sure, you can be a flash in the pan, but even that's hard. Rather you've got to pay your dues endlessly, be a lifer. This is what happens when everybody can play, when the barrier to entry is so low, when it's hard to separate the wheat from the chaff, the good from the bad. And never forget it was the OLDSTERS who kept saying no one would make music in the new world, and those who didn't complain, i.e. rappers, went to the PLATFORM known as Soundcloud and gave it away for free to build an audience and then when Spotify broke through they dominated. That's what happens when you adjust to reality.

And the reality is everyone can be known, but almost no one is, at least not by many. So if you want to be known, you must be really great and be where the most people can discover you. And while publicity/advertising can help, it doesn't reach most people and the target audience dismisses it out of hand. As for becoming a brand... The bottom line is it's easier to sell clothing and perfume and alcohol than music. Those are established lines. It's not like anybody is selling topless bathing suits, which were even a failure when Rudi Gernreich tried half a century ago, or a scent that smells like dung...no, the merchandise is very traditional. But hit music usually is not. It's a harder climb, often a Sisyphean task. But a great track lasts forever, great merchandise does not. Proving, once again, it's hard to create and become a star. Unfortunately, even if the music is innovative and great, it's even harder to reach people today. Sorry.

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Tuesday, 1 June 2021

More B.J. Thomas

I was quite friendly with BJ and his brother Jerry those years he lived in Memphis. We both made records with Chips Moman at American studios. We were together a lot.BJ was a sweetheart of a guy. We had more fun than the law allowed and in fact, they wouldn't have allowed it. I have many BJ stories. Nothing but good memories.

Elvis rented the club, The Thunderbird Lounge, where we were the house band for 2 New Years Eves in a row. The third year he rented TJs where Ronnie Milsap (before he became a country artist) played and hired us to play late after our New Years Eve at the Thunderbird.

That first year, BJ wasn't booked and came down and we backed him. I assume Elvis liked us well enough as he hired us 3 years in a row. But who he REALLY liked was BJ. It was obvious. It was one REAL singer showing his like and respect for another REAL singer.

Rest easy BJ

David Fleischman

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Hooked on a feeling gave me a crush on every pretty girl in junior high.

jeffsackstennis

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Bob, BJ crushed it during his Elvis Week 2019 performance with an "earthshaking acapella "Peace in the Valley" in the words of Jon Warehouse.

todaymedia

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Bob, check out BJs cut "Mama" not as well known as the hits but a great sentimental take on the subject

Peter Miller

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Just wanted to mention Billy & Sue, one of his earliest songs & a tale of a soldier's anguish when he receives a Dear John letter from Sue. I was 12 years old & didn't know what a Dear John letter was & thought she'd sent it to the wrong soldier! Still my favorite BJT track. Best, Jeff Hayward/Maine.

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Bob...everything you said about "Hooked on a feeling" was spot on, but you missed one thing. The song was brought into current culture by "Guardians of the Galaxy". Probably a movie that wouldn't appeal to you..

My sixth grade granddaughter know the song (Blue Swede cover) by heart. When she overnights she belts it out in the shower. Not bad for a song I danced to in high school.

Gary Merker

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B.J. Thomas and The Triumphs.

Killer band back in the day!

Peyton Prince

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I was on a trip into Bowling Green , Kentucky and got snowed in..had to stay at a hotel...and B.J. Thomas was performing...I went in for the show...not really expecting much...Damn...B.J Thomas and his band blew my socks off....I was blown away..!!!!

Timo Standing Buffalo Cano

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I was invited to a recording session at Electric Lady as I represented some of the principals, so I speak from a combination of memory and overheard--but not necessarily accurate--comments about the production of B. J. Thomas' Rock & Roll Lullaby. The record was produced by Steve Tyrell, at the time a genuine "go-to" producer (and now a successful second-career nightclub performer). He apparently wanted to hire the Beach Boys to sing the background vocal chorus on the record, but they declined. So Dave Summerville and friends did it for them (and sounded awfully close to their trademark sound). He wanted a Duane Eddy-type low twangy guitar sound on the recording as well, so he hired-----Duane Eddy! Al Gorgoni's electric guitar closed the circle of extraordinary talent and performances. (Oh, and then of course there was B.J. and the remarkable music and lyrics.) As I understand it, this 1972's "single" cost more than $10,000 to produce- -perhaps the most expensive (by far) '45 recorded to that date, resulting in some considerable anguish by Scepter Records (and presumably by Steve as well). Talk about over-budget! But it was and is a masterpiece. All lasting and memorable creations require great vision and talent. This recording had them in abundance. That the record only reached "top 15" surprised me because it will always be among my top 3 for sheer brilliance. Handing off to Steve for how he recalls what went down with this recording almost 50 years ago.

Best

Peter M. Thall

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if this isn't too late for the next "Re", I just wanted to mention that the flip side to BJ's "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" is a great song, penned by Ashford & Simpson and singer Jo Armstead - label credit to "Simspon - Ashford - Armstead"). You can hear the gospel voices, and I want to imagine that those background vocals are by Ashford & Simpson and/or Jo Armstead, themselves, but I can't find the data anywhere to validate that fantasy. -but it's a great pop-friendly song for the time, and back when we listened to our b-sides just as much as our a-sides, it was an enjoyable b-side, and now listening back, has all the [blue-eyed?] soul one would crave in such a track. Not sure if it is on one of his albums...however, I've seen it as a Ronnie Milsap a-side, also on Scepter. I almost posted about it on Instagram the very day we lost BJ, without even knowing about his condition. He's someone I would have liked to have met and seen in concert. Looking back at his discography, we again lost someone that had a part of shaping the sound of that time.

Sam Scozzari

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Thanks for highlighting the career of BJ Thomas. It's a rare thing to know who's singing as soon as you hear the first few notes, and BJ was one of those artists.

He did a great interview with NSAI's Bart Herbison in the local "Tennessean" which ran just this past March. In it, BJ tells how he got to sing "Raindrops" after Ray Stevens turned it down, and how he sang the final "me-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee" somewhat extemporaneously, and why Burt Bacharach went along with it because BJ sang the rest of the song better than anyone else, and how the studio heads and radio programmers hated the song until the public loved it, of course.
https://bjthomas.com/story-behind-the-song-b-j-thomas-raindrops-keep-fallin-on-my-head/

Larry Butler
Nashville

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Thanks for your lovely words about BJ. I've enjoyed reading the remembrances of his music and place in popular music.

BJ had a profound impact on my life. When I was 4, my family and I went to his concert in Illinois. I'd spent countless hours listening to his music, and when he saw me singing along in the audience, he invited me on stage to sing with him. He was larger than life and sounding as fantastic as ever. BJ welcomed me and made me believe that a life in music was not only possible but absolutely natural.

He'll be missed.

https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-sara-niemietz-bj-thomas-20210530-y2lkcdzddfdazop6vztmbhxhy4-story.html

Sara Niemietz

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One of B.J. Thomas' last albums was "The Living Room Sessions" which is a stripped down "unplugged" re-recording of his classic hits. In addition to solo performances, it includes some duets with well known stars such as Vince Gill, Keb Mo and Lyle Lovett, as well as up-and-coming singers.

The problem is you can't find it anywhere! ... not on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music....Amazon only had 4 copies of the physical disc at ridiculous prices.

Was able to find a few videos of songs from the album on YouTube and I think these versions of his songs are fantastic. In particular, the duet with Vince Gill on "I Just Can't Help Believing" is sublime. Check them out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAiidjv3TEU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V35b9ZohXyY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXifrNP6alc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWxknAnBx7w

This album deserves to be heard!

Best Regards,

Phil Stanley
Phuket, Thailand

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My recently passed client of 40+ years, Mac Davis, wrote "In the Ghetto". Of course Elvis made us all lots of $, but Mac mentioned a few times he would have loved to hear B.J. sing it. Two Texas guys who remained humble…..in Mac's repertoire "It's Hard to be Humble" was his laugh at success. B.J. loved that song too!

Jim Morey

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Digital Covid Status Certificates for E.U. Travelers Go Live

https://nyti.ms/3i8plHH

What kind of crazy, fucked-up world do we live in where the countries of the European Union are more advanced than the United States?

One in which the citizens of the States have been fed the b.s. that's it's the greatest country in the world, advanced in all ways, nearly infallible, when that is patently untrue.

In case you missed the memo, and chances are if you lean towards the right side of the spectrum you have, democracy is in peril. That's right, the basic building block, the underpinning of our American government. They said it couldn't happen here and as we've rested on our laurels it's occurring under our very eyes. You wonder how America sat by silently as Germany rounded up Jews and killed 6 million of them? Now you know. Go back to the news reports of yesteryear, it wasn't like concentration camps were unknown, a big surprise, it's just that America chose not to do anything about them and the country at large was shocked, positively shocked I tell you, when the gates fell and they saw what was inside.

We've gotten to the point in America where nothing can be done. Check out legislation in D.C. Mitch McConnell literally said his goal was to completely stop Biden's agenda, just as it was during Obama's tenure. Imagine if you were in a marriage and the other party said that it didn't matter what you had to say, they weren't going to change, their main goal being to wear you out so that when they regained power they could undercut you. How long do you think that marriage would last?

Welcome to the United States.

Where Covid is just a bad flu and if you think you're immune you are. All those people who died? Well, we didn't really land on the moon and if you want to know what is really going on listen to Q, because if you disagree with it it must be false, better to get your news from independent wankers whose only agenda is outrage.

So I guess you read that story about the Florida concert promoter:

"This concert ticket costs $18 — or $1,000 if you're not vaccinated - The promoter says he's offering a discount. The governor's office says he's violating Florida rules." https://wapo.st/3c5LnqM

That's right, it's against the law, AGAINST THE LAW, to ask someone to provide proof of vaccination in Florida. Because, well because...having papers reminds people of the concentration camps of yore? Well, you can't drive without a license, and automobiles are deadly weapons, but soon you'll be able to walk the streets of Texas with your gun proudly displayed without a license: https://nyti.ms/3pcsxUs Westerns passed with the middle of the last century, turns out most people don't want to watch them, but we're on the verge of going back to the wild west on the streets, it's every man for himself in America today...literally! They don't want you to have health insurance, they don't want the government supporting you at all, despite your inability to make ends meet at your low-paying service job, as a matter of fact, your state doesn't want to give you Medicaid money even when the federal government is footing the bill!

Is your head spinning yet?

Yes, all in the name of FREEDOM!

You're hearing about the possibility of inflation. As if this is the number one concern of the rank and file. But the truth is the rank and file have been operating nearly underground for decades, their goal is just to survive, and therefore they drink and drug and are demonized by those raping them and the economy to get rich while the winners continue to pound their chests saying how brilliant they are.

We don't even have a civilized society anymore. And god forbid you're a minority, Black, Asian or Jew...it's open season.

So the European Union stands up to the tech giants.

The European Union makes moves to prevent the collection of personal data by websites.

But in America, we've got Mark Zuckerberg crying that Tim Cook and Apple are stealing his lunch money. I only wish that would happen, as Facebook is a fount of inaccuracy, Facebook has been complicit in undermining democracy, but somehow it can't be stopped, if anything more falsehoods should be able to be spread. Ron DeSantis of Florida is trying that too, passing a law that no one can be banned from social media.

If only everyone were vaccinated I could leave the house, live a normal life. But that can't happen, because someone healthy might have to get jabbed, and you can't invade anybody's body, it's their sacred temple... Let's hear what they have to say when they get sick, they'll cry for every drug and medical procedure known to man. Yes, they're all crybabies under the skin. It's all posturing. But the tail is wagging the dog, elected officials are afraid of alienating them, pissing them off.

So let me ask you, do you feel comfortable going to a concert with no checking of vaccination status? How about Metallica. How about the rest of hard rock, where so many rightward leaning fans attend? The virus knows no political bounds. Even worse, when you don't get vaccinated you allow the further spread of variants, which are ever more transmissible, but don't let science get in the way of feelings.

The social welfare state... I want you to canvass those living in the Scandinavian countries and find someone who is complaining, about free college, free health care and... If you traveled up north to Canada, you'd find the same thing re health care, I know, I've been there, but those protesting loudly never have. Yes, take a trip, see how it's going in the rest of the world, you'll be stunned how in many ways it's better.

As for China... You may fear Tesla, but you really should fear all the Chinese electric car companies. You want your truck, you want gasoline, you think the government is unfairly subsidizing electric cars... Well, keep at it, and be sure that almost all the cars in America will soon be Chinese. China is not afraid of the future, afraid of moving forward. Then again, it's an autocracy. Funny how in America people want authoritarianism to hold back the future, to preserve things just as they are, while the States fall ever further behind.

Give me one good argument why we should not require vaccine passports. You can't.

Then again, you can't allow truth, justice and the American Way to supersede your feelings that if you close your eyes, then click your heels, we can all go back to an era where whites dominated.

Can't be done.

And it wasn't so good back then to begin with.

Watch as the rest of the world pulls ahead of America.

Oh, you can't, because the news source you pay attention to doesn't feature these stories. And furthermore demonizes those which do.

Just because it wasn't invented here that does not mean it's not good, not better. America used to latch on to third party ideas, improve them and make them its own.

Now it just makes the sign of the cross and moves on.

Rust never sleeps. Keep your eyes open. The American way of life is disappearing as I write this, while those responsible for this keep telling us they're all about maintaining the virtues of American life.

Doublespeak.

It's "1984."

Only it's 2021.

We're heading for the big crash. And it won't be economic. What will it take for the rest of us to wake up and agitate like those on the right?

I thought it would be abortion, but now there are states where it's essentially impossible for most people to get one and the left is not rioting in the street.

What is gonna make you realize you're not immune?

When you gonna wake up?

Bob Dylan asked that question forty years ago, unfortunately too many people are falling further asleep, believing it'll all pass, that it's someone else's job to right the wrongs.

Wrong.

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Monday, 31 May 2021

Re-B.J. Thomas

When my wife and visited the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch in Johnson City, TX, in the early 2000s, the tour of the compound ended with a ride back to the Visitor Center while "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" played in the tour bus. The guide said this was Johnson's favorite song and he played it in his yellow Cadillac when he was driving around his spread.

Robert Vellani,
Burlington, NC

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As a singer, BJ Thomas's voice has always been an inspiration to me. I was hired to sing on a session at the old Cherokee Studios on Fairfax, sometime in the late 80s, I think. BJ Thomas was there working in another one of the studio rooms, and came into ours to listen. Since he was hanging out there in the control room, I started chatting with him, and let him know how much his work had meant to me. The discussion got into talking about what he'd been up to lately, and I casually mentioned that I'd seen that he had recently gone through a period of being a gospel artist.

He looked straight ahead and said, "Well, I learned one thing: The only thing more corrupt and full of greed than the record business is the gospel record business."

Gary Stockdale

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Maybe BJ actually had THREE careers?? He went through a public conversion and started making Christian records for Word Inc. out of Waco, TX around 1977. He had a string of nearly ten Contemporary Christian records over the next 6 or 7 years. He toured with Andrae Crouch and others. The story goes that Christians in his audience would boo when he sang his pop hits. And then others would boo when he'd talk about Jesus and sing his CCM hits. I got to him in once in the late '90's in the halls at Warner Bros. Nashville. I was beside myself trying to even speak a word. What a legend. What a loss.

Chris Hauser

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BJ: "Raindrops....", "Hooked..." and "Another Done Somebody Wrong Song". Great Southern Company(me, Ira Sokoloff, Phil Walden, and others) did his merchandise in late '70's/early '80's. He was just starting to do religious songs mostly by then. A nice, gentle man.

Willie Perkins

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Thanks Bob,I worked in a club where every night the DJ would end the night by playing Hooked On a Feeling.I heard it every night.And I never got tired of it.It's a great song,and BJ Thomas nails it.I've been listening to it all weekend in my mind.Stay well Bob.Thanks,Ted Keane

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Good one Bob. I liked his songs and immediately went to Spotify to listen.

Kenneth Williams

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Katherine Ross .... made me wanna be that bicycle....

Andrew Loog Oldham

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B.J.'s nephew is a good friend of mine so I got a chance to meet him a couple times in the past few years. More than just a great performer, he was a genuinely nice human being. He made me feel welcome and apparently asked about me every time he talked to Bobby after that. Condolences to his lovely wife Gloria and their whole family.

Tim Fricke

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Nice job, Bob.
I was in a band that was fortunate to open up for B. J. once back in the lat 70's. He couldn't have been a nicer guy. He came in to our dressing room after we were done and told us we'd done a great job, and chatted with us for a little bit.
A very nice guy indeed.
Bill Scherer

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Reservoir Dogs.!

Both of his iconic songs are eternally etched into our existence via the power of film.

Paul Koidis

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Hey Bob, what a great read and reminded of BJ Thomas and his music. I had such a flash back after reading your post, I guess growing up in Seattle I heard a bunch of BJ on Seattle radio KING Am and KJR both played him a lot. I just wanted to add his version of BeachBoys "Don't worry Baby " and ( Hey Won't you play ) another somebody done somebody wrong song. Were huge records... and they will always put that period in a capsule for me and many.????

Frank Higginbotham

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He was a good man. We had Instagram communication. He was humble, kind and funny. He deserved a lot more than he received.

Lgjg94

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Got to meet BJ Thomas when he was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame years ago. He personified what would become blue-eye soul pop music after the Righteous Brothers.
He told a story of how he was supposed to sing the song "In the Ghetto" which would have made him an even bigger star with its far reaching civil rights message.
But at the last minute the song was pitched to Elvis who needed a career boost badly and the rest is history. RIP BJ
Kenny Lee Lewis

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Bob...check out B.J.'s follow-up to "Feeling," "The Eyes Of A New York Woman"...it's got the "guitar sitar" on it and it's one of the great NYC songs...love it to this day...

Matthew Auerbach

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Actually, the artist briefly known as 'Blue Swede' never disappeared but, rather, stepped seamlessly back into his career as himself, Björn Skifs, in Sweden, where he remains an icon to this day. His version of 'Hooked On A Feeling' was a bit of a joke which, as things did and continue to occasionally do, went inexplicably 'viral'. His Wiki page is only in Swedish, if you're curious here it is, Google Translate works just fine.

https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bj%C3%B6rn_Skifs

Eric Bazilian

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More important than so many others. Forever hooked on a feeling

Randy Lauderdale

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Thank you for this tribute to BJ Thomas.

Some of the things you said really resonate with me and take me back to 1969.

Your observation about polling and quizzing youngsters about movies today, made me think of an experience I had a few weeks back.

I play a ZOOM open mic each week where a 'challenge' gets set for the upcoming week. The challenge was to play a song from a movie. I decided to play 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head' - thinking my audience will be familiar with the song. Age-wise, they range from late 20's up to late 60's. To my surprise, there were people who didn't know the song and didn't know the movie it came from. But they all agreed it was a great song.

I came away happy to know that the song was recognized for its strengths (it transcended the performer!!) but sad that a movie, a scene, a song that I accept as such an emotionally resonant and iconic part of our culture, can mean nothing to people whom I otherwise share a bond with through the weekly playing of live music on ZOOM.

andy jones

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Hey Bobby, yeh i heard the news about B.J. i was on Facebook yesterday and saw a great pic of him... obviously a young foto..forgot how good looking he was..hahah...it's funny how you say we all were so young at the time when all that great music was being recorded...where do you even start right? i was trying to get downtown yesterday and a guy came up behind me on a bike and said randy!....RANDY!...i'm like holy fuck who is it now... he says B.J. Thomas just died... i'm like ya i just heard..don't have a clue who this guy was cause we're all wearing masks up here but he knew who i was.. it's funny how you just don't know sometimes who remembers anything but i guess us oldtimers remembered him.. he had a real good string of hits... and he will be remembered ...All the Best baby... thanks for the tribute to Mister Thomas

Randy Dawson

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I am a bit of a cover act, I do well over 100 songs.
All genres pop, rock, folk, country.

I play 'Rain Drops', and almost aways announce it
as the happiest song ever.

The horn section piece at the end is my favourite
piece of music of all time.

I cover it with vocal da da da das.

I like music from folk to death metal, but that little
song, and that little horn piece just moves me.

At least he went fast.

OK, now I need to figure out Hooked in a key
I can sing.

Cheers

Mitch Nixon

___________________________________

listen to rock and roll lullabye and mighty clouds of joy---two BJ also-ran songs that are simply glorious

such a voice

a wile ago he also release an album done in the bossa nova style---pretty cool stuff

frank

___________________________________

Thank you. I remember the high school party I was at when I heard "hooked on a feeling" for the first time. Fan ever since We lost a good one

John Huie

___________________________________

I've been reading you for years and never commented.

You nailed it with the BJ Thomas piece.

I recall the Scepter 45's

Thanks

Rick Gelok

___________________________________

Man you got me right back in memory lane His music stuck with you like glue. I even remover walking my family's Dog called Snoopy Another sign of those times I'd also sneak a cigarette if it was after Sundown Man you felt like you had it really going on

Thanks for reawakening those memories Bob

Cheers The Sutterman

___________________________________

I'd just like to note that BJ Thomas' first hit, his version of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," is also one of his best and really shows how well he could sing. Also his "I Can't' Help Believing" was his fourth Top Ten single. Not two.

Toby Mamis

___________________________________

As you wrote in your love letter to 1971, I too was born at the perfect time, albeit several years before you. Hooked on a Feeling was pure dynamite with so much character and punch that it almost jumped out of the tinny transistor that I had. Raindrops was pure dreck in comparison, although the Bacharach/David team created that incredible and indelible string of masterpieces otherwise.

As far as earthy, well Katherine Ross and Ali McGraw did it for me as I was transitioning from teen-boy to teen-man. Election night in NY and one of the Independent stations (PIX or WOR) played The Graduate year in and year out for a while - for me!, and if I see it another 10 times it won't be enough. Both that and Goodbye Columbus struck a chord deep within me and I'm not sure that I've ever gotten over how they affected me. And I'll surely never forget how both Ross and McGraw in those roles did that to me as well.

And now, you reminded me to pull up Hooked on a Feeling - the original of course and let it reign o'er me.

Alan

___________________________________

Great tribute to BJ Thomas . . . he could flat-out sing, and had a surprising number of hit singles. The kind of performer who you go to see and find yourself saying "I forgot he did that one" . . .
- Raindrops (of course),
- Hooked On A Feeling (as you nailed spot on), but also
- Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song
- No Love At All
- Rock & Roll Lullaby
- I Just Can't Help Believing
- Everyone Is Out Of Town
- Most Of All
. . . I think he even did the theme to a TV show back in the 80's, and he had quite a run in Contemporary Christian music after dealing with some challenges. Great songs delivered by a terrific singer. It's sobering when the guys who created our lives' soundtracks move on.

Be well Bob and keep up the great work . . . I've been enjoying your musical insights for years now, ever since the late, great, Bud Prager turned me onto your newsletter.

God bless & GOGETEM!

Pat O'Connor

___________________________________

Hey Bob,

great write up about B.J. Thomas .Let me tell you about what a class act he was.

I was blessed to cross paths with him on numerous occasions in various circumstances over the years and he was always professional, humble , kind , and always made time for everyone. It's a dream come true when one of your musical hero's turns out to be a wonderful human. Years ago when I first met him , I told him the story of how in '68 or 69 as a child , my Mom took me to see him in concert at the Univ. of Alabama. It was my first real concert and my little 5 year mind was blown and I knew right then what I wanted to do in life. Play music on stage. I told B.J. of how it was such an inspiration to me and his reply in a serious , straight man face - " I'm so very sorry you ended up in the music business" Then he busted out laughing loudly and gave me a big hug! I melted.. I have a framed photo of that moment and the both of us are cracking up.

Fast forward , years later in August of 2019 my band Sixwire ( who I'm the drummer for ) is the house band for Elvis Week at Graceland , and B.J. was the main guest star performer singing songs that were recorded at American Sound studios ( where "Hooked on a Feeling" and tons of other hits were recorded) He was amazing! All songs were in the original song keys and he sang his ass off, and he could not have been nicer to all of the musicians on stage. A joy to work with.

Sorry for the length , but here's the pay off. My Mom ( and all my fam) was at this show. She is a lifelong , huge fan of B.J.'s and insisted that she come back stage after ward and meet her life long crush and musical hero. I made it happen. Back story, she's 80 years old, has some obvious major health issues going on. B. J. comes over to me and asks "who's this young lady?" and she just lit UP, all goofy and smiling and acting like a total fan girl. He looks at me and just smiles and winks and gave her all the time she wanted and took pics of the 3 of us… and just like that , my Mom thought she was 25 years old and she floated out of the room , and just for a moment , I saw my Mom became the healthy lady she used to be. I could have cried.

So I go visit my parents for Xmas a few months later and she has a framed photo of her and B. J. on her mantle , with ME cropped OUT of the photo!! I knew you loved B.J. Mom, but what the hell?! ( Oldest son, kicked to the curb ….). We still laugh about it, and she was deeply saddened to hear of his passing yesterday..That photo of her and B.J. is one of her prized possessions. B.J. went out of his way to make her feel special, and boy did he do that. He would've laughed his ass off about my Mom's photo cropping skills too, I assure you.

I just wanted to share this with you as I know you'll be flooded with
tons of stories of how wonderful B. J. was. Take care and stay healthy Bob .

Chuck D. Tilley
Nashville

___________________________________

I was thrilled to read your tribute to BJ, and to include Reggie Young as well was really special.
Two of the nicest and most talented people I ever knew.

I first met BJ ,on a Dick Clark American Bandstand tour, many years ago.
Son of a preacher man, a true gentleman, humble, always smiling and caring.
A voice from above.

Met Reggie when I moved to Nashville, another fantastic human being.
Giant of the guitar, and as a man.
Thank you for letting people know of the tremendous contributions that they made to the music we have been listening to all these years.

Best to you and your family,

Felix Cavaliere

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Utopia Avenue

https://amzn.to/3c9gtOp

There are two kinds of people in this world. One believes David Mitchell is the bees knees, the best writer working, and the other makes the sign of the cross and runs away from all his words.

I'm in the latter camp.

Although, there is a third breed...people who have no idea who and what I'm talking about and don't care.

When the "Cloud Atlas" movie was released there was a huge buzz, but a concomitant blowback, from Mitchell fans who felt they did not get it even remotely right.

I did not see "Cloud Atlas." I don't think I'd even heard of David Mitchell. And since the film got mediocre reviews at best, I passed.

But then two people sent me David Mitchell's 2010 book "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet." And I was on the fence, but then Don Henley told me he was reading it so I decided to plow through.

It was my most difficult reading experience of the last decade. No, even longer, do I have to hearken back to 1972, when I had to read "Ulysses"?

And I read "Jacob de Zoet" the same way I read "Ulysses." I just kept on going, I stopped worrying if I understood what was going on. And I'd like to tell you when I was done with the book I was satisfied, but the truth is I was just relieved, and I swore I'd never read another David Mitchell book again, even though people kept recommending them.

But then Andrew weighed in. I'd written about "Opal & Nev" possibly being the best fiction rock book of all time. (Yes, I know about "Daisy Jones & The Six," I read it, liked it and even wrote about it: https://bit.ly/3g29iZt But "Daisy Jones" follows the Fleetwood Mac narrative quite closely, "Opal & Nev" is more original, and chews off more, even though "Daisy Jones" is the easier reading experience.) And he kept bugging me. To the point where I got "Utopia Avenue" from the library. Little did I know Mr. Oldham was in it.

As a matter of fact, almost all of the rock royalty kicking around in the late sixties is in "Utopia Avenue," from both sides of the glass and both sides of the pond, and I don't want to ruin the reading experience, but it's fun when the members of the band Utopia Avenue run into stars, and there are narratives, aligned with truth, as to how these famous names behave.

So at first I was thrilled and surprised by "Utopia Avenue," I couldn't wait to get home from my hike and read the book. But then the second night, I was dazed and confused, it turned into a David Mitchell book, with endless words where you weren't quite sure what was going on, I was ready to give up. But Felice was ahead of me, and she was enjoying it, and she acknowledged at times it was difficult, but that it swung back, so I decided to stay the course and keep reading.

So what we've got here is the formation of a band in 1967.

And it's very different from today. First and foremost there is a band. Today bands are rare, because not only are they hard to keep together, there's the issue of the MONEY! Sure, you're willing to starve for a while, but if you actually hit it you at least want to get rich, at least never have to get a day job again, but that's not how it was for most acts back then, they were doing it for the music, they gave it all up for the music. Elf gave up college, Dean starved, Jasper detoured from his privileged upbringing and...Griff was an anomaly, trained as a jazzer he crossed over into rock.

Levon puts the band together. It's his last chance. He's got some backing and the thought of going back to where he came from is anathema.

So everybody's got a family and everybody's got a backstory.

And unlike in the usual rock novel, the book is just not a string of plot points run together. Sure, there's plenty of plot in "Utopia Avenue," but a lot of it revolves around the band members and their histories and individual dealings. "Utopia Avenue" moves slower than the average rock level, it's not "Behind the Music," an entire act's history shmushed down into an hour, rather it's a deep dive into just a few years. And in those years are a lot of hopes, which are too often dashed, and detours, and excitement and drudgery. Join a band and you can see the world, and I'm not only talking about travel. Just don't plan on getting rich at the end, then again there was a hell of a lot less money in it in the sixties, and never forget, almost no one made it.

So what we've got here is a real writer writing a rock story, and that's very rare. But it is David Mitchell, so he goes off the rails occasionally. Also, if you're familiar with Mitchell, you know his books all reference his others. Yes, the lead guitarist in Utopia Avenue is named...Jasper de Zoet. Furthermore, in this book they tell you how to pronounce it, which is "zoot," I read that whole damn book about his ancestor and kept on getting it wrong!

So Elf's family is middle class. She's the black sheep. She's talented, but her parents want her to go straight. And she's insecure sexually, she doesn't think she's good-looking enough, sexually attractive. Then again, when Utopia Avenue starts to gain traction being a woman in a band you get the spotlight shined upon you, and it's weird, getting attention just because you're a woman, in a world run by men, how do you handle it?

And some of the men are creepy, but oftentimes you don't realize this until it's too late.

Dean comes from a challenging background. His father didn't want him to be a musician either, but his dad takes more drastic action than Elf's.

And Jasper keeps getting called a girl because of his long hair.

And today these issues are completely incomprehensible, but you don't know, in 1967 even growing your hair long was a statement, there was the generation gap, parents were not best friends with their children.

Getting a record deal is the hardest part. Back then if you didn't have one, you couldn't play.

And then there's the money. If you're in music you know the cliché: "It's not about the money...IT'S ABOUT THE MONEY!" If you've got the single, you make more, because of the publishing. And there are three writers in Utopia Avenue, so who goes first? And then the label starts to meddle and you have to make the album on a budget and...

The nuts and bolts, the mechanics, are pretty well delineated here, even the risks of the road. You got paid in cash, because you couldn't trust the promoter's check to be good.

Yes, there's a lot of truth in "Utopia Avenue."

But it's a commitment. It's long, and it's not always an easy read. But in these days where we're confronted with the present all day long, the news which obliterates us, the pain of everyday life, "Utopia Avenue" is a great respite, you can dive into this world and remove yourself from the issues of today, your troubles.

"Utopia Avenue" is 570 pages long. And I couldn't read even 10% per hour. So do the math, you can see how long it took me to read it. I know it's a holiday, but I spent most of Saturday and a good chunk of Sunday finishing it, never mind the hours I put in before.

Which is why there was never much buzz about "Utopia Avenue" in the rock world when it was released last year. Records are short, they require little commitment, and music is not an intellectual business, as a matter of fact if you're highfalutin', you often miss the point.

Then again, back in the sixties, the highfalutin' people were involved, that's just how powerful the music was. If you couldn't play, you wrote. That's how Jon Landau started out. R. Meltzer... The writers weren't as legendary as the players, but they were known.

And when "Utopia Avenue" came out I don't remember universally positive reviews.

Then again, it gets four and a half stars on Amazon, but is that mostly Mitchell fans?

If you're looking for something light, something you read only for the plot, don't even start. But if you're willing to go down the road less taken, where all the rewards lie, you'll get more out of "Utopia Avenue" than almost any fictional book about music, maybe nonfiction too. Will it give you a leg up, teach you lessons, help you get rich? Absolutely not. If for no other reason than the business is completely different today, it's corporatized, the hustlers and sharks of yore are gone...but it was these characters that gave the business its color, they took risks corporate types never will, and they risked on innovation, all the bands sounded different.

And didn't last long.

That's one thing you learn as you age...the peak period for almost all acts is very short, just a handful of years, and then they lose it, or the sound changes, or people tire of them, or all three. They may stick in your mind, but they're also stuck in time, playing their hits forever, assuming they had any.

If you're old enough to remember the sixties, and contrary to the legend, everybody remembers them if they lived through them, this is your era.

If you're younger than that, you'll still recognize most of the names, and you'll also get insight into how it used to be.

On Denmark Street. At the Marquee. In the record bins. Which used to be the most happening places extant. Forget dope, you got high just going into a record store. Mitchell does a good job of capturing that spirit. And more...

P.S. "Utopia Avenue" isn't about making a statement, the words service the story, it's not like there's a stunning aphorism on every page, wisdom laid down. But there are a number of passages I highlighted, I want to drop a few:

"No — you are a star first, therefore you have the hits."

You've either got it or you haven't, either you're dripping charisma or...get a job behind the scenes.

"A person is a thing who leaves."

You're alone in this world. The most committed person dies. It's sad, and lonely, hopefully the music will keep you rooted.

"'If I can play,' says Jasper, 'it's because I practiced in lieu of a living. It's not a method I recommend.'"

BINGO! This is the difference between yesterday and today. Do you want to shut off social media, never mind streaming television, and take ten years to practice your instrument? I don't think so...

"You'll be ripped off, mugged, and shat on, but Utopia Avenue's waiting for yer. Hang on in there."

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll. And that means a lot of false starts, a lot of blind alleys, if you've got it and you persevere you've got a chance, but without perseverance you'll never make it.

"'The best pop songs are art,' says Jasper. 'Making art is already a political act. The artist rejects the dominant version of the world. The artist proposes a new version. A subversion. It's there in the etymology. Tyrants are right to fear art.'"

And there you have it folks, the difference between yesterday and today. And the definition of an artist.

"'And music scares 'em shitless,' says Dean. 'It's the hooks. Once music's in yer, it's in for good. The best music's a kind of thinking. Or a kind o' rethinking. It doesn't follow orders.'"

That's the power of music. And we haven't had that spirit here since...

"'Everyone acts. The trick is to do it well and reap rewards.'"

Yup, even if you're not on stage, if you're working in a record store, everyone is playing a role.

"How stability is illusory. How certainty is ignorance."

This is the hardest part, you can never rest. But as difficult as this is, it's what makes life interesting.

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Master Of None-Season Three

At times this is so slow it's a chore to keep watching. And therefore I don't recommend it. Then again, if you're a fan you've probably already seen it. And if you're not...

But you should be. The first two seasons of "Master of None" are fantastic. But having been caught up in the #Metoo movement, Aziz Ansari has been licking his wounds and therefore it's taken four years for this new season. (As for #Metoo...if you succumb to sex on a date, making the choice yourself, does the person who implores you to do so need to be canceled? I'll let you decide.)

Anyway, Aziz is barely in this season. And when he appears in the first episode, it's a breath of fresh air, a jolt to one's focus, you snap to attention, gladly...but then he's gone.

But it's when Aziz and his girlfriend show up that the greatness begins. You see they start to fight. They're picking at each other. And neither is innocent. And they're doing it front of Denise and Alicia.

You've been there. Or else you've never had a deep relationship. When things get so bad you don't bother hiding them, you can't hold back, you'll fight anywhere. And Aziz/Dev even states maybe they're just staying together because they're afraid to get back out there. There's so much truth here it's a revelation.

But even better is when Aziz's girlfriend retreats to the bathroom with Alicia and confesses...she just didn't think her life would turn out this way, in her thirties she expected success, not loose ends, not knowing where to go next, floundering.

Media is populated with winners. We can debate all day long whether America can handle the truth, but one thing is for sure, they don't often see it on the screen. You're supposed to be optimistic, never lose hope, and furthermore, if you're not a winner you're supposed to feel inferior, and shut up and get out of the way.

You're in training for twenty years, in school, and then you graduate and get a job and maybe even get married and then you wake up...is this where I want to be? Are my goals aligned with my significant other's? Has too much time gone by for me to get on the train and arrive at my destination?

This happens to everybody. But not necessarily at the same time. If you think life can be about a steady ascension, you're not on the ladder. You wake up one day and you ask yourself is this it, and no matter how much money you may have, where do you go next?

So I'm loath to give away plot points, then again, once again, if you don't know them you'll probably never see this. Which is equivalent to Woody Allen's art films, but even more realistic. There are almost no jokes, but there is a lot of personal truth. Does every comedian have an urge to pull down the mask, set aside the laughs and speak existential truth? Maybe so.

So keeping a relationship/marriage on track is one of the hardest things you'll do in life. And the number one criterion for doing so is too often absent. And that's commitment. People always think they can trade up, do better. But live long enough and you find out this is not true. Every relationship is chiaroscuro, with ups and downs, it's about a balance, and if you get so far as to be married, standing up in front of friends and family, you should do your best to make it work...but that is not what happens. Your friends will sympathize with your issues, implore you to leave your partner, and then when you're single they'll find significant others and leave you behind, all alone, lonesome.

And then Denise, after reaching the pinnacle and it not sustaining, speaks of her fear of being ordinary. If you're on the road to a destination, this is what you fear most. Getting married, getting a job, buying a house, having kids and...hopefully some good times, but not much more. Not rich, not on the cover of a magazine, not recognized when you go out... Maybe you never had this dream, but if you did, when it is snuffed it is painful...yes, when you have the realization that you truly are just like everybody else.

And does love ever die? Or does what you have with one person last forever, can you hook back into them as easily as snapping your fingers. And is the exciting one ultimately less compatible than the boring one?

You don't have to watch season one and season two to get and understand season three of "Master of None." People have argued that Denise is not even the same person, although Aziz/Dev is.

One can also argue that the slowness reflects real life. Alicia in the laundromat, staring into space as her clothes spin.

Or Denise staring into the distance...

But then there are the small moments which mean much more than they appear. Like losing your inhibitions and dancing together. No one else can see you, but the mood, the connection, is palpable and memorable.

Season three of "Master of None" is not a huge commitment. There are only five episodes, but with so much else on offer...

Yet if you've reached thirty, and you watch this, it will touch feelings, emotions that have been dormant for too long, or that you thought only you had.

It's easy to say Aziz Ansari should get back to where he belongs, just do comedy, people implore others to stay in their lane constantly, especially if they've had any success, and I would like to see more Aziz comedy, but I would also like to see more Aziz drama, albeit moving a bit faster, because Aziz is dealing with the real issues of life...there's a sensitive soul inside there, as there is in you, not that you'd admit it to anybody.

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Sunday, 30 May 2021

B.J. Thomas

1

1968. Martin, then Bobby. Which ultimately led to Chicago. But it was also the year of "Hair"...which dominated turntables and radio.

Although "Hair" covers and ubiquity slipped into 1969, just like "Hooked on a Feeling" itself.

1969. The moon landing, Woodstock. Nothing gets that kind of ubiquity today, other than politics. One can argue nothing important really happens, but the truth is if it does, there's so much in the channel, and it all goes by so fast, that events just don't get the traction they used to. Even mass shootings have become de rigueur. Yup, you hear someone insane with a chip on their shoulder shot up a bunch of people and by the next day it's not even on the front page.

Where's the glue?

There is none.

But in '68, '69, it was the radio.

Television was a vast wasteland. As for movies...they were just coming into their own, the musicals and the men who greenlit them were fading and the youngsters were coming up. It started with "Bonnie and Clyde" and "The Graduate" in '67, and by '69 we had "Midnight Cowboy" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

Not that "Butch Cassidy" had a deeper cultural meaning, in an era when those were prevalent in cinema, and not that it was an intentional antidote, but it was a film that everybody saw, needed to see, it played in theatres for months and months and it had no mechanical shark or special effects. I can't say I've ever met someone who hasn't seen "Butch Cassidy." Maybe if I polled youngsters...but quizzing youngsters about the films they've seen is no longer a thing, they want to talk about social media stars and oldsters are all about defending their turf and counting their money. It's not only Republicans who want little change, it's the same deal with the wealthy Democrats. Sure, I'll pay a few million more in taxes, just don't make me change my lifestyle, don't make me give up any power.

But the sixties were completely different. No one was that rich, there was a strong middle class, and although we were fighting for truth and justice our culture was really dominated by the arts. You knew who all the stars were, they were famous for actually doing something. And those on the big screen were truly larger than life.

Paul Newman? Legendary, cool not only as Luke.

Robert Redford... Newman boosted him into the stratosphere, everyone knew him and he was not just a two-dimensional good-looking guy.

And then there was Katharine Ross.

It's hard to overstate the power of screen icons on maturing males back then. The generation before had Marilyn Monroe, but for those coming of age in the late sixties and early seventies...our screen dreams were earthier, more real, and what could be better than a beautiful woman who could hold her own with the boys?

And one of the key scenes was when Ross was on front of the bicycle and B.J. Thomas was singing in the background...

"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" was one of the biggest hits of 1969, overplayed, known by heart, but rarely quoted, unlike the legendary line from the movie..."The fall'll probably kill ya!" And it was performed by B.J. Thomas, but it was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David...yes, "Raindrops" was movie music, far from the rock and roll that was permeating the airwaves, dominating and changing the culture.

And by the fall of 1969, most Americans, at least those who cared, were now aware of FM rock, after all, "Led Zeppelin II" was released in October, but AM radio still ruled.

Almost no one had an FM radio in their car. And those that existed...they weren't that good, if the station was more than ten or fifteen miles away, the signal would drop out. You could buy an amazing home tuner, but auto audio was positively retro.

So we knew the AM hits.

As a matter of fact, forgetting the progenitors, there was essentially no free-form underground FM radio until '68. So, everybody tuned in in '64 to hear the Beatles and stayed with the band, music was everything, and we knew the cool songs and the dreck, the British Invasion and the last gasps of the crooners.

But every once in a while there was a song by someone who you didn't know, that rang your bell.

Some of them verged on bubble gum, like "Build Me Up Buttercup"...then again, no one could deny its power.

And others were just so right that they reached you immediately, you relished hearing them on the radio, you never forgot them.

2

"I can't stop this feelin'
Deep inside in me"

The music of yore used to set you free.

The music of today is just grease for the fire, cartoons, the blatherings of nincompoops trying to make bucks or those who believe they've got talent when at best they're B performers. To be a rock star in the old days was to be one of the most powerful people on earth, not only were you rich, you could do whatever you wanted. with no governor, no limit...you truly had your freedom. And believe me, they all would have lined up for vaccination against Covid-19, after all they were the first generation after polio, assuming they squeaked by that tragedy.

But it's when music pressed that release button, untethered you from the planet, triggered your hopes and dreams, that was when it really resonated, when it was powerful, when it spread.

And as you're growing old, you're thinking of opportunity...and the opposite sex. Well, maybe the same sex too, but back then coming out of the closet was dicey.

"Girl you just don't realize
What you do to me"

The power of love. Huey Lewis sang about it, but this is different. This is a cocoon, just you and them, you're not blasting it to everybody, you're just feeling it yourself, reveling in it, savoring it, not wanting to share it with anybody else for fear of it evaporating.

"When you hold me in your arms so tight
You let me know everything's all right"

You didn't always hear all of "Hooked on a Feeling"'s intro, in the AM world fifteen seconds was interminable, oftentimes they went straight to the vocal, but we heard it enough to know it, and it was magical. This was back in the days of experimentation, when the studio was a band member and new sounds were being integrated into records on a regular basis. In this case, it was the electric sitar, played by one Reggie Young. This was not the George Harrison sound of "Within You Without You," but a bridge between the electric guitar and the Ravi Shankar sound, and it felt so good, and nice!

And B.J. Thomas sang with power, with a rich voice, like the best person in the glee club, and unlike on today's television competition shows, he was not showing off, he was not demonstrating melisma, this was twenty-odd years before Mariah Carey, when the song became more important than the singer. And by holding back just a touch, yet singing with power, Thomas's rich voice resonated.

And the above words are not so magical, but it's the way the track changed after the initial verse. Too often acts will literally repeat the same verse twice, figuring since old bluesmeisters did it they can get away with it, but "Hooked on a Feeling" is more of a theme park ride, not one where you're scared, but one where you're smiling and laughing.

"I
I'm hooked on a feelin'
High on believin'
That you're in love with me"

Probably the best feeling in the world. No, definitely. You feel glad all over, you tingle.

And then a string flourish.

Strings were getting a bad name, rockers railed against them. But they hung over in the old world, like with B.J., a singer singing someone else's composition, in this case, Thomas's friend, Mark James.

"Lips are sweet as candy
The taste stays on my mind
Girl you keep me thirsty
For another cup of wine"

At this point, B.J. could be singing the phone book, it's his voice, the musical bed, the sitar/guitar...you're high on the sound of the record.

"I've got it bad for you girl
But I don't need a cure
I'll just stay addicted
And hope I can endure"

TWO VERSES! At the advent there was only one, now this is a double-dip, like at Baskin-Robbins, with the strings whisking you along.

"All the good love when we're all alone
Keep it up girl, yeah you turn me on"

There's that pre-chorus again, one of the track's main hooks.

And then we get the brief Reggie Young sitar/guitar solo and...
When B.J. comes back in the track is running on all cylinders. Thomas is just riding the crest of the production, he's the cherry on top, but without the cherry there's no hit. At least no monster, legendary hit.

And the song ends just like the intro, with that remarkable sitar/guitar and now strings and another guitar walking over the hill into the distance and...

You were just lying on the couch, listening, now you jump up, you want to follow this sound, and chances are you lifted the needle to hear it again, because that was the game back then, to create a track so enticing, so life-affirming, so unique that you had to buy it to hear it over and over and over again.

3

B.J. Thomas went on to have country hits, back before all the country players had long hair and Stratocasters with Marshall amps, when country and rock were opposites, when country touched your soul and rock was dangerous, before they melded together in commerce and lost their essence. You could go years without knowing the country number one, but you knew the rock number one by heart, and you'd heard the AM pop one too. Musically, it was like the politics of today, the south listened to completely different music. C&W. Country and western. The western has been excised from country today, never mind the country itself.

But sometimes one song is enough to make a career. And B.J. Thomas had two. Kind of like Don McLean.

But McLean's hits were in the seventies, they were a bridge between hip and straight, whereas Thomas was unconcerned with those descriptors back in '68, he and his team just wanted to make a hit, they felt if they had a strong enough song they were on their way.

And if you have a strong enough song...the years go by and it's covered and becomes a hit once again.

Jonathan King rearranged the song in 1971, when he was still best known for "Everybody's Gone to the Moon," before 10cc, before he went to jail.

And then a Swedish band, entitled Blue Swede, glommed on to King's remake and pushed up the faders, amplified and multiplied the nonsense phrase "ooga-chaka-ooga-ooga" and had a monster worldwide hit in 1974. Despite the act disappearing from the hit parade thereafter.

And the funny thing is the Blue Swede take is now the standard-bearer, the most famous version of "Hooked on a Feeling," it's got 397 million plays on Spotify and B.J. isn't even close, which is testimony to the song more than the production, which was so in-your-face as to lose almost all meaning...it could be employed in an animated movie, it was all about the groove as opposed to...

The original, which was a slice of heaven, elixir of the gods.

So B.J. Thomas just died. We knew he was sick, but in the tsunami of information we forgot that he was, and then he passed away.

And the truth is this generation, born during the war and just thereafter, is going, fast. If you want to see one of the legendary acts, go...now!

But as soon as I read B.J. passed, I started singing "Hooked on a Feeling" in my head. I thought back to those days, I thought back to Butch and Sundance, I felt once again that I'd lived through the heyday of music. Hell, name a track as magical from the nineties, never mind today.

So B.J. Thomas left his mark.

And that's what it's all about in music. Capturing lightning in a bottle. Sometime in the process you realize you're doing it, and then you try not to be self-conscious, you do your best to follow through, to get it down before you screw it up. And the truth is this is a rare occurrence. No one can write and record an 11 every month, every year...you're lucky if you do it once in a career! Do that and you're a star for all time, irrelevant of your bank account.

And B.J. Thomas did.

He got me hooked on a feeling.

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