Subject: Re: Rumble-The Indians Who Rocked The World
Bob
Link Wray was up for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year
He didn't get in- but people who have nothing to do with Rock & Roll did.
One of the reasons I play guitar is because of Link Wray.
If he's not there, I shouldn't be.
Joe Walsh
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Subject: Re: Trump vs. Talking Heads
Thanks for noticing, Bob. It’s feels good to remain in light.
Cheers,
Chris Frantz
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Subject: RE: Podcasts-Last Week and This Week
Prince once told me (at Paisley Park) that he wished that he had written "One of Us".
Oedipus
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From: Stevie Salas
Subject: Re: Rumble-The Indians Who Rocked The World
Thanks Bob for writing about my film RUMBLE.
I’m a Native American musician who just wanted to do something more in my old age then die being known as the hands of George Carlin in Bill and Ted of one of Rods or Mick's guitar guys.
My original goal was to show Native American people that we do have amazing role models that aren’t just from the distant past.
As I worked on this story, first at the Smithsonian then when we made the film a deeper story was uncovered and that is that Native American musicians indeed have a place at the history table of rock n roll.
When I was younger, guys like Ronnie Wood and Jeff Beck would talk to me about Link Wray and Jesse Ed like they were super hero’s. I wanted Native Americans to know that the greats of the greats really worshipped these Native Americans....It’s more important than you may think for our culture.
As for Charlie Patton...Yes he was the great mystery....Charlie Sexton said one day while mowing his lawn ( we are Nieghbor’s) Stevie...Robert Johnson gets all the credit cuz he had the sexy story with the Crossroads BUT anyone who really knows knows Charley Patton was the man.
We won at Sundance and I have spent the year traveling the world with the film. We originally made it for PBS and had no idea it would ever be in the theatre's and winning awards all over the planet let alone being in high rotation on networks like HBO Canada and Arte France and Germany.
Well all I can do now is pinch my fat ass and move on.
BTW Bob, After you put this out all my inboxes on all my social media platforms blew up....Seems your a bigger Rock Star these days then all the Rock Stars I’ve played with.
Stevie Salas
Typos courtesy of Geronimo's Ghost
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From: Richard Griffiths
Subject: Re: Macolm Young
December 1975 I was 21 and had started my own agency called Headline Artists (Headline and Modest, get it?!)
Just me and a phone, but I was lucky that John Glover ,who was a big manager, liked me and had given me his acts, John Martyn, Amazing Blondel and Paul Kossoff to represent.
Paul was the guitarist from Free and he had formed a band called Back Street Crawler. They were signed to Atlantic. I had an arena tour booked for them.
We needed a support act and so this Australian manager called Michael Browning came to see me. He played me some tracks from his band that were now on Atlantic. They were called AC/DC.
I loved them, played them to John and we agreed to put them on the tour.
They arrived end of March 76.
Tragically, while they had been on the plane from Australia, Paul Kossoff had died while on a plane in America.
I went down to meet AC/DC at the airport ,to welcome them ,but also give them the terrible news.
When I told Michael he begged me not to say anything to the band , to go back to office (my flat) and book them some shows asap ,so they had something to look forward to.
I came up with The Red Cow in Hammersmith.2 x 45 min sets. £25
I went down to see them play with my flat mate.
There were 3 men and a dog in the audience.
Out came the Band.
I will never forget it.
Bon Scott all over the stage. Angus duck walking down the bar. Angus on Bon’s shoulders. Mark Evans playing bass.
And through everything ,the sound that made the biggest impression ,was this guy just standing there playing these incredible hypnotic riffs on rhythm guitar.
Malcolm Young.
The set finished and the three men and a dog left. How could this be? That was the greatest show I had ever seen!
30 mins later the room was packed! Remember no mobiles, now internet, just fans running out to their friends and saying you have to come see this!
I got to know Malcolm and the band that summer. We did ten shows at the Marquee club!
I booked them on Reading festival. They bombed.
Michael fired me.
5 years later he asked me to come work with him in Sydney. That didn’t work out either, but I met my wife there and we e been married 33 years. Michael is still a great friend.
And the memory of working with AC/DC and knowing Malcolm Young will stay with me forever.
If you listen to any AC/DC track the riffs of Malcolm stay with you forever too.
A genius.
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Subject: Re: Macolm Young
I had never seen anything like it
We (April Wine) were on a USA tour in the early eighties
In the break after the opening act, our sound man played his regular mix tape which included Hells Bells
One show, it started to play, and with all the house lights on, the crowd rose to their feet and cheered
Then the next show, it happened again
Then again and again for most of the tour
Gary Moffet
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Subject: Re: George Young
Bob,
When George returned to Sydney from London in '72 Malcolm and Angus had a band but were toying with fancy chords, even the odd Steely Dan cover, yes, hard to believe. George admonished them ( best Scottish accent) - "Noo that's noo it !! " and set about schooling his little brothers in his simple straight ahead style of riffing and the rest is history .
Check the opening bars of the Easybeats' " Show Me the Way to St Louis" and hear where Malcolm's unstoppable right hand came from.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD4O-3G9PaU&list=RDyD4O-3G9PaU best wishes,
Mark Moffatt .
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Subject: Tom Petty
In August of 2006 the Allman Brothers Band joined Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers for a handful of amphitheater shows. The impact of both bands sharing a stage were monumental sellouts each night. As the ABB manager, I have had the privilege of being a fly on the wall for some amazing and intimate conversations between musicians. Saratoga Springs, NY was the second night of the joint performances with ABB playing first and Tom Petty closing. ABB was about to go on and Tom through his tour manager asked if he could speak with Gregg on the side of the stage just before ABB went up to perform. After the perfunctory handshakes and greetings, Tom launched into his burning question. He asked Gregg if he recalled performing at an American Legion Hall in Gainesville, FL early in his career probably with the Escorts. Gregg who could not remember to turn left or right to get back to a dressing room on any given night, immediately responded recalling playing there several times with a vivid description of the venue, how loud his brother Duane ’s guitar was, the location of the bar, the size and odd shape of the stage, the closet dressing room and its door location adjoining the stage, the audience and shape of the room, the lighting, as one would say he remembered everything. Tom stood in awe and just nodded his head recalling a venue he would have played numerous times in his early days. With that, Gregg looked at Tom and asked if he was the opening act. Tom’s response, was no, I was 16 years old and could not get in, but word was out about this hot band from Daytona Beach and he had to come hear them for himself. He related that he stood outside the side door by the stage and listened all night. Gregg apologized for not knowing him then and said if he knew they would have sneaked him in. As they both looked out at the 25,000 person full house, they laughed and reflected on how far they had come.
Bert Holman, Manager
Allman Brothers Band
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Subject: Walter Egan
Bob,
It’s nice to see you interviewing Walter Egan who is an old friend of mine. I met Walter in Washington DC when I was working with Linda Ronstadt. He ended up coming out to California on my suggestion to check out the scene. Walter stayed at my house for a bit and then I ended up renting him a place to live in my town of Claremont, California in 1974.
Just after he arrived, I had a gig coming up in England opening for a Welsh band called, Man, featuring Deke Leonard. I was promoting an album of mine called Under My Own Disguise, that had just been released on United Artists Records. Walter came out on the road with me as my back up singer and guitarist.
Upon our return, I put together a band called The Ghost Riders, with Walter as one of the singers and songwriters. I was the producer and we recorded an album in Salt Lake City at high-end studio situated in an old Mormon church. A friend of mine ran the place and gave us free reign. It was a great album and we were in the process of trying to place it somewhere.
One night the band did a Hoot Night at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. My A&R guy from UA, Greg Lewerke, and Andrew Lauder, from UA England, came to see the show. They really liked Walter and Greg would eventually become his manager and got him a deal with Columbia Records. His first album, Fundamental Roll, produced by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, was released in 1977 and the first track on the album was the same song as the first one on the Ghost Riders album, Only the Lucky.
Best,
Chris Darrow
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From: Willard Ahdritz
Subject: Re: United Masters - Kobalt response
Bob,
Thank you for the (almost all) kind words about Kobalt - but I must say you have been misinformed about our synch results. Our global synch team, led by Jeannette Perez, is one of the best in the business – and that’s not just my opinion:
"Under Perez, Kobalt not only led independent publishers with nine Super Bowl LI synchs, it beat all but one major, ranking second only to Sony/ATV Music. In the past year, the company has closed over 10,000 licenses worldwide, increasing revenue by double digits, a feat Perez has managed each year since joining Kobalt in 2014."
www.billboard.com/articles/business/7898108/2017-indie-music-business-executives-power-list-independents "Kobalt are great, easy to deal with and their synch team is incredible." – Savan Kotecha
www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/music-is-about-emotions-and-connecting-people-not-about-money-or-ego/ "Why is John Denver’s music in so many movies this year" The John Denver Estate says it’s because of Kobalt’s synch team.
www.vulture.com/2017/08/why-is-john-denvers-music-in-so-many-movies-this-year.html And that’s just a few. Our synch team delivers big results for our clients – that is a fact. We can’t make everyone happy - that’s not possible and anyone saying they can “guarantee you a synch” is simply not being transparent.
P.S. On a broader note about your story today, we’re not just revolutionizing music publishing, we’ve also been doing this in recordings for years with AWAL. Have you heard “I Like Me Better” on Top 40 radio? That’s Lauv, on AWAL. Or Tom Misch, or Verite, or Ray BLK, or Frank Carter – all with hundreds of millions of streams and not signed to a label. All on AWAL - being brave and staying independent. We are helping artists today to take ownership and control of their career and be their own label. Would love to sit down and take you through it – it’s the revolution you wrote about today but we’re the ones who started it. Today with 500 people employed we are really building something new here; Music and Tech!
More on AWAL
www.billboard.com/articles/business/7736747/kobalt-label-awal-new-app-simplifies-streaming-datawww.musicbusinessworldwide.com/kobalt-launches-awal-app-de-mystify-streaming-data-independent-artists/ Best,
Willard
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From: Brett Berns
Subject: Re: BANG! The Bert Berns Story
Bob - Thank you for shining a light on the film and my dad’s legacy. I’ve been reading your blog for years and am reminded of my father when you riff on the qualities it takes to make it in this business. BANG! is a time capsule of the golden era when daring characters made art with heart and soul. In his interview for the doc, Andrew Loog Oldham said “Art is the diminutive of Arthur - it’s craft, it’s work and it’s humility.” Was my dad also a flawed character? Did he take it too far with his mob buddies when threatened? That’s all up on the screen. “He broke a few eggs making omelettes” wrote biographer Joel Selvin. But it makes sense for a man who lived his life on a trap door, and much of it under the gun. And he paid for it with a half century of oblivion, something we’re still working to overcome. But he’s finally being recognized - last year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction was a dream come true. With the global release of the film on Apple Music and iTunes this week, there’s no telling how far the dandelion may blow. Stand by for Broadway 2018.
Thanks again!
Brett
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Subject: Re: The Bert Berns Movie
Thanks, Bob, for this Bert Berns piece. I knew who he was but had no interest in reading about his life until Charlie Springer from Warners convinced me to. I knew Selvin from Warner days, so I thought, why not?
Charlie was right - I loved the book. It was so well researched and told. And then I went to see the doc. Not sure I would have liked it if I hadn't read the book first (shades of Day In The Life). Lots of memorable images. More recently Bert's son and I have exchanged pleasantries on Facebook.
Footnote (and I may have told you this story): When I was playing in bands back in Dayton OH, we were the de facto opener for any national acts coming through town. We were pitched to open for the Strangeloves at a local teen hop. Boring. We were no fans of this obviously manufactured one-hit-wonder group, so we took another gig that night that paid more and had the added attraction of being at a regional lakefront bandshell with a radio DJ doing live drops. So the promoter gave the gig to a new band from nearby Union City IN, Rick and the Raiders (nee the Rick Z Combo). Turns out the Strangeloves were looking for a kid band to do a cover of a Bert Berns song, My Girl Sloopy, and took Rick and the boys back to NYC to record. Who knew?
Larry Butler
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Subject: Re: The Bert Berns Movie
Bob,
Good one on Bert Berns.
I met him once. In the late i60s, I was in a pretty good band and we had a manager and he got us an audition with Bert Berns for Bang records. And regaled us with tales of the big shot lawyer, Johanna Vigoda, we loved that name.
Holy shit, were on our way! We’re gonna be rock stars like The McCoys!
We drove into New York city from the Hamptons, we were going to college out there, dragging all our gear. I think it was 1650 Broadway and we schlepped all our stuff up the elevator and piled it in their waiting room and waited.
Ushered us into his office and he says, essentially. “I don’t need you to play any instruments, I just need to hear you guys sing. Do you have a piano player?”
We had a B3 player and he played the piano in Bert’s office, and the drummer tapped on the piano and we kept our guitars and bass in the cases, and sang three songs.
Bert says “ very nice boys, I’ll get back to you.” He gave us copies of some new single by some new act that didn’t become famous.
A few days later, he told the manager “pass”.
If the Mafia got him, I wonder if he asked them to do it without instruments?
Best,
Rik Shafer
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Subject: Re: Re-Billy Bragg- anecdote
Hi Bob
I really enjoy your writing and thought you would enjoy a Billy Bragg anecdote.My claim to fame is that I reckon I have visited more record shops than anybody in the history of man. For the last 31 years I have travelled the UK selling to independent record shops. When I started in the early 80's I had over 2000 record shops but by 2009 we had only 269. I documented my story in a book called 'Last Shop Standing (Whatever Happened to Record Shops?). Before being a rep I worked in a record shop and managed a Liverpool band called The Cherry Boys.I got to know Billy after he played a gig with us. Here is my tale.
Even more embarrassing was the day I persuaded Billy Bragg to do a personal appearance. Although I had seen him live a few times, he was still unknown as he had yet to have any product released. I noticed he was supporting a Liverpool band called the Icicle Works and was also releasing a mini-album titled “Life’s A Riot”. I felt that as he was going to be in town it would help sales if he came in and signed copies of his LP.
I gave him a call but Billy did not think it would be a good idea, so, using my persuasive powers, I convinced him it would be a success. I would put a poster up and play his album constantly to attract interest. Billy came in on a Saturday afternoon. He turned up and stood by me at the counter whilst his album blasted out but, unfortunately, Billy was correct, nobody was interested in his album.
He stood there for half an hour whilst the customers of HMV Liverpool mistook him for a shop assistant, asking him where the Genesis section was, or if we stocked classical? Billy took the embarrassment well and laughed about the situation. Just as he was about to leave, a young lad came bounding up to the counter and said to Billy “Hey Mate what’s this playing?” I breathed a sigh of relief - at last, a fan. Billy replied “It’s the brand new album from Billy Bragg called Life’s A Riot, would you like a copy? “F*** Off”, he replied, “it’s the biggest pile of shite I’ve ever heard”, and with that he left the shop, leaving us stunned, though seconds later we both burst out laughing.
That evening, at the Icicle Works gig, Billy told the HMV story. Six months later in an interview with NME he re-told it and one year later he did an interview with Q magazine and told the story again, so I am glad he got something out of that day. A year later, Billy’s career had taken off so I took a chance and gave him a call and he agreed to do another PA. This time he turned up, along with Andy McDonald, MD of Go-Discs (Billy’s record label), and Andy Kershaw from Radio 1. As well as doing a signing he treated the crowd to an impromptu concert.
A few years back by book was made into a film. It became the 'Official film of Record Store Day. The first person I wanted to feature in it was Billy. As always he was happy to help and made a great contribution talking about how important independent record shops are.
www.propermusic.com/product-details/Graham-Jones-Last-Shop-Standing-Whatever-Happened-To-Record-Shops-Revised-Edition-BOOK-166322www.propermusic.com/product-details/Graham-Jones-Strange-Requests-And-Comic-Tales-From-Records-Shops-152529www.lastshopstanding.com Keep up the brilliant work
Graham Jones
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From: Barry Lyons
Subject: Re: Harvey Weinstein
You know where Harvey got his start, right? As a concert promoter, Harvey & Corky presents, in Buffalo. Sutter, Plen, me, we used to see him all the time, all our acts played at a club in Buffalo, Harvey & Corky's Stage One. We used to refer to it as Harvey & Corky's Stage Toilet, because that's what it was, a toilet. One of the more indelible images in my mind took place there. I had Ronnie Montrose playing there with his band, Gamma. Ronnie Montrose, one of the greatest guitar players ever. I'd worked with him at a bunch of shows, we knew each other well. I walk in just after sound check, ask for Ronnie, one of the guys says he went to use the toilet, the one that gave Harvey & Corky's Stage Toilet its nickname. It didn't have urinals, it just had one long trough. You'd see those in stadiums and some other places in those days (late 70's). So I walk in and there's Ronnie, doing his thing. But this wasn't a metal trough, it was an ancient one, made out of wood. He says hi, doing his business, but doesn't see that the trough has a hole or a crack or something in it. And all the pee is just leaking onto Ronnie's boots. If only cell phones had cameras in 1979....
As for his current problems - far be it from me to judge anyone. But his, um, admiration for the ladies wasn't exactly a secret, even then.
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Subject: Re: The Sale Of Rolling Stone
HI Bob,
The leading historical role that Rolling Stone played in legitimizing rock ’n roll as both an art form and a non-transitory fixture of the American cultural landscape cannot be overemphasised. As John Lennon famously said "Before Elvis there was nothing" and I propose that the same can be said for Rolling Stone when it came to serious writing about rock. I'm from that generation of musicians (and fans) who can remember the dark days when real information about the music we were following almost blindly like disciples was scarce indeed. Jazz musicians had "Downbeat" - Folkies had "Sing Out" and "The Little Sandy Review" and of course there was "Hit Parader" (which at least printed the words to the hits of the day) and "16" but both of these more pop then rock magazines had a teen idol approach that was almost embarrassing to read for an 18 year old guitarist who wanted to play like Eric Clapton. But when that first edition of RS came out in the fall of 1967 it was an epiphany of sorts when you suddenly realised there were like-minded fans and players out there who wanted to know more about rock artists besides their favorite color. Sure, there were estimable precursors such as Crawdaddy but nothing compared to Rolling Stone in the scope and depth of its reporting and canny mass appeal. When my first album Aquashow came out in 1973 and received a very positive lead review in RS that totally made my record company stand up, take notice and spend some serious cash on promo. Rolling Stone changed the career course for the better for so many artists including myself for no other motive that in trying to value the music it was courageously supporting and, in my opinion, Jann Wenner and crew succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. I may never have had my face on the cover but I did at least have my name there in bold print when RS published a piece of fiction "Cold and Electric" I wrote in 1980 and I’m proud of that.
From Paris,
Elliott Murphy
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From: Michael Alex
Subject: Freston and Jann talking
January 1993 at MTV's Inaugural Ball in D.C...the hottest ticket in town was this "unofficial" ball (to which both Clinton and Gore came). I was standing by Freston and Wenner during Bill's address to the party...when he was done Wenner said to Tom "the torch has been passed." He had no idea what he'd just said, but Tom's face showed he heard it.
(Bob you don't know me. I was with MTV News for 18 years (Week In Rock producer, Rockumentaries producer, digital founder), and amongst other things moved MTV News to digital, where the first thing we did was steal RS's audience lock stock and barrel. Every morning I'd wake up in fear that Wenner would realize what he had and what he could do, and crush us like a bug. He never did. The few decent people he had working on the digital side I hired out from under him. You could tell that he never looked at his own web site.)
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From: Tom Freston
Subject: Hey Bob
Thanks much for your recent accolade, Bob. That was quite the surprise. For sure, though, as you mention, there a whole bunch of smart folks with me at MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central back in those days trying to stay ahead of the cultural reaper, loving it, and not believing they were getting paid for it. Sure was fun.
Cheers, Tom
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Subject: Re: After The Gold Rush On Vinyl
Hi Bob,
There’s a reason certain LPs sound better than others and you’d be shocked at the drastic difference that sometimes occurs. Your Neil Young record, based on the inner sleeve you described that it came in, is an early cut / first pressing of that music which was mastered by Artisan Recorders here in LA (later versions / cuttings were farmed out by Reprise to Capitol and they sound nothing like the originals) . You can confirm yours by looking at the run-out area aka the “dead wax” between the label and the last song and you will see an etched symbol that looks like two drum sticks laying across a snare drum. To us audiophiles, your version of the Neil Young record is the best that music has ever sounded. As engineer Steve Hoffman says, “It’s all in the mastering."
Michael McCarty wrote you in reply to your turntable email and he couldn’t be more full of shit / uninformed about what he’s talking about. Most people, including him, have never heard the right version on a turntable / amp / speaker set up that is accurate enough to PROPERLY reproduce the sound of a master tape. Furthermore, a lot of master tapes don’t sound right in the first place. They are raw. That’s what mastering is for, to eq, compress and whatever else necessary to work in different playback formats, digital AND analog. Even further to that, I’ve never heard any audiophile argue against the position that vinyl is more immediate and even more importantly, involving. It draws you in. There’s nothing like it. CDs are nice and convenient and quiet but they make me feel nothing in comparison.
I could go on for days but I don’t want to bore anyone. If you ever want to go record hunting in LA to look for more good sounding records, I’m always hitting the best places, so let me know.
Matt Starr
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Subject: Re: Neil Young live broadcast on Friday
Hi Bob:
You probably already know this, but Neil Young is doing a live webcast/tv broadcast on Friday night to launch the release of his new album, and also to publicize the availability of his complete archive online. It's a solo show in a 190 seat venue in Canada. I'm one of the audio mix engineers on the show. The crew are not allowed to say where the venue is (we've known about the gig for a month), but it's going to be a pretty amazing evening in a location that means a lot to Neil. Darryl Hannah is directing. Not sure how you can access it in the USA, but it's airing across Canada on the CTV network. We start setting up tomorrow at 8am.
It's going to be a big thrill for me, as I've gradually been working with all the members of Buffalo Springfield throughout my career. I was fortunate to be the recording engineer when Crosby, Stills & Nash played a benefit for Doctors Without Borders, at the Montreal Forum in 1988 for a MuchMusic special.
In 1976, Bruce Palmer played bass on several demo sessions for jazz violinist San Murata at my studio, Comfort Sound, in Toronto. An amazing, sensitive player, and a real character.
I did the broadcast mix for the Toronto stage at Live 8 in 2000, where Neil Young played a few songs on piano, backed up by a Gospel choir from Nashville.
But my best Buffalo Springfield "brush with fame" was back in October 1972 when I was 19 playing in a bar band in Eastern Ontario. We were doing a Saturday matinee at the Russell Hotel in Smiths Falls, about an hour south of Ottawa. We were already playing four 40 minute sets a night that week, so during the matinee we tried to play songs we seldom performed in the evening, and would often get locals to come up out of the audience. A guy came up and asked if he could sit in on drums. We said sure, and our drummer went offstage for a drink. We asked the guy what he wanted to play, and he said anything with a rock groove, so our guitarist counted it off. What followed was the fattest and most solid backbeat we'd ever heard. He was about twice as loud as our drummer. It was so easy to play bass along with such an amazing groove. When we finished the tune/jam, we asked him for his name, and he said "Dewey Martin". Smiths Falls was his hometown, and he was there visiting his mom, who worked in a local hospital. After the matinee, we drove around town with him and went out for dinner. Being a huge Buffalo Springfield fan, I was over the moon for days.
But mixing a solo Neil Young show in a tiny theatre for a nationwide broadcast will certainly top all of that. Now if I can just get a gig with Richie Furay.......................
Doug McClement
Toronto
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From: Steve Jansen
Subject: Re: After The Gold Rush On Vinyl
Bob,
If you'd grown up in the UK during the Seventies (I'm 47 now, so you can do the maths) Sasha Distel was one of those singers who turned up on every cheesy weekend variety TV show. French; best known for doing a cover of 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head'.
Until Tom Jones rebranded in the Nineties, he was in the same old school: never hip, they belonged more on the live circuit as 'entertainers' than in the rock charts. There was a bunch of them that seemed to rotate through all the primetime comedy and light entertainment TV shows over here: Sasha Distel, Nana Mouskouri and Demis Roussos were the European contingent - and I guess you had the likes of John Denver, Glen Campbell and Neil Diamond from the US end, along with the UK's own Tom Jones. The kind of acts who you'd cringe at, because they had no edge, and were being sold to your parents' generation.
Obviously Campbell and Diamond had more - would be reappraised in time as more than the easy listening dross they were sold as during their fallow years. But Sasha Distel, crikey; every time they trotted him onscreen it was to sing 'Raindrops'. And I think it's safe to say that he, Mouskouri and Roussos were the reason my generation hated European pop in all its forms; because we grew up presuming French, Greek or Spanish acts were soulless crooners.
They said the Devil created rock music - but if you were a British kid in the Seventies watching Saturday night TV with your folks, it was closer to suggest he sent us Sasha Distel.
Sasha singing Raindrops:
youtu.be/Rs9dBVFAa6o Keep up the excellent work, Bob!
A fan from the UK.
Steve
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Subject: Re: After The Gold Rush On Vinyl
Black Rose was an interesting record to make especially after doing all the afore mentioned Linda songs.
I also lived upstairs from Neil in Hollywood on Formosa btwn Fountain & Sunset. 1966... Interesting times. The Buffalo came home from Gold Star after finishing the Buffalo Springfield Again album and nobody had a record player! So everyone ended upstairs in my little one room apt to listen to the acetate.....lol
Val Garay
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Subject: Re: After The Gold Rush On Vinyl
I started mastering records in 1971 so I've been reading the last couple of letters with interest, especially After The Gold Rush because when I was mastering Neil's records in the 70s I remade it. Davis Briggs wasn't happy with the way the current production sounded so I made new masters under his supervision. What a great record. I mastered Time Fades Away, Zuma, On The Beach, Tonight's The Night, American Stars And Bars (all versions), and Decade and I loved every single minute of it. Those were great records and I love them to this day.
I'm glad you got a new turntable. Vinyl is still a great way to hear music and I'm going to restate what I preach on Vinyl Engine, a site for record lovers: buy original pressings from the original sets of master discs. This requires a bit of digging into obscure matrix number systems but you will be rewarded with records produced under the supervision of the original producer and engineer, not a guy 20 years later who has to get through 10 records today to keep up with pressing plant requests for replacement lacquers. Buy original, always good advice. Search my posts on Vinyl Engine-user name philbrown-for fuller explanations and more advice.
Phil Brown
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Subject: Re: Joe Walsh's 70th Birthday Party
I owe quite a bit to Staples HS... a not-exactly-ordinary institution of higher learning.
I saw the Yardbirds, the Doors, Sly & the Family Stone and a pile of other great acts at Staples.
In a High School auditorium... you gotta be kidding. $2.00 or $3.00 tickets, too.
Saw Buddy Miles there... twice!
The second time, the local band that I and my friend, Charlie Karp had, opened the show for Buddy, who had showed up minus band... he had been busy doing the Band of Gypsys with Jimi Hendrix and didn't have a band of his own at that point. But the promoter had told him to come and play the date anyway, the local guys (meaning us) were great, were big fans and knew all his songs, not to worry. Only two out of those three statements were true, but nevertheless...
Buddy arrived and amazingly, appeared to really like our band. We had a pre-show talk backstage (he talked, we listened), went on and played the set with him. It went so well that, even more amazingly, he hired Charlie and me to join the new band he was putting together, and we went into the recording studio and then out on the Road with him.
A year later we were standing onstage at Maple Leaf Gardens, playing a show with Buddy, the James Gang AND Sly and the Family Stone.
Couldn't believe it!
Both of us wound up recording four records with Buddy Miles, including the "Them Changes" album, and touring a lot of the world, 1970-71.
Now, that's a higher education.
David Hull
Boston, Massachusetts
PS: Was Rhinoceros a great live band or what?
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Subject: Re: Re-Joe Walsh's 70th Birthday Party
"Walsh is an idiot. He deserves no promotion. Little boy Trumpette"
Pinhey
Pinhey might be referring to another Joe Walsh who is an American conservative talk radio host and doesn't likely play Funk #49. It crosses up many who see the name on Twitter.
Morgan Hunter
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From: Rusty Young
Subject: Re: Re-EAT B-Sharp Turntable
Is it possible not one woman responded to your turntable piece ?
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From: Matthew Sterling
Subject: Re: Re-EAT B-Sharp Turntable
Every emailed response to your vinyl post was from a man, and at least one of them had "Dr." in his salutation. So, yeah, vinyl is a hobby for old dudes with a lot of time and money to spare. Honestly, good for them. Rich male Boomers arguing about cartridges and pressing plants is preferable to them arguing about politics!
Matt S.
(running a $100 Audio Technica turntable through a $30 amp I bought on Craigslist, which powers a free pair of speakers I picked up at a garage sale. My copy of "Dixie Chicken" sounds good enough to me!)
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From: Supr
Subject: Re: The New Paradigm
The site has two primary functions:
Search: You’re an artist, manager, label - you want to know if your new release is on any of Spotify’s New Music Friday playlists. Simply enter the artist’s name and the site will search all those known New Music Friday playlists and tell you which ones feature the track and where in that playlist it is.
Chart: This takes all the tracks across Spotify’s New Music Friday playlists and ranks them in the following order; how many playlists the track features on; the combined number of subscribers of those playlists; and the combined placement of where the track sits in those playlists.
I figure these are two fairly straight forward and simple functions that Supr serves and will no doubt, for the majority of users, this will be enough. However, as with the plethora of services throwing data at us left, right and center, there’s more if you read into it.
The Supr chart in particular right now lists 703 tracks from 649 unique artists - that’s a LOT of music to come out in one week. Think about those 703 tracks that feature and then also bear in mind the tracks released this week that didn’t make it onto any of the New Music Friday playlists. Assume there’s another few hundred on a global scale being submitted and this is coming at Spotify (and Apple, Amazon and Deezer) week in, week out! That’s no small undertaking in which to exercise an editorial process. Now of course some of these are no brainers, and the chart reflects that, you only need to look at the top 10 and there’s the usual familiar names, the superstars, the 1% that, releasing music good or bad are going to make it into pretty much all New Music Friday playlists. Should this be so? Should some of these artists get the free pass just because they’re superstars? Or should the same subjective editorial governance extend to them in the way it does to a bedroom artist living hand to mouth trying to catch the right break. There’s still a lot to be said around the gatekeeper role that those Spotify editors can play, despite it being downplayed.
Keep investigating further and you begin to uncover some gems, artists you’ve perhaps never come across that are creeping up the chart and you begin to see the power of what Spotify can bring to you as a new and developing artist. The level playing field the internet bestowed upon us is exemplified in the Supr Chart when you start to see them lined up top to bottom. Take Maisie Peters, she’s got 2 singles to her name and she’s currently #9 in the chart, to most she’s probably a complete unknown and she’s currently one place above Sia as well as ahead of G-Easy, Jenifer Lopez and Wiz Khalifa among more of that 1% we speak of.
Maybe Maisie has a champion within Spotify, someone who has put their flag in the sand and backed her so heavily that their confidence has extended to everyone of those other territories and they’ve bought in and come on board. Or it could be the fact that her track Birthday landed in the submission pile of all those editors and they’ve come to the decision to playlist off their own back… you know, on the strength of the song.
New Music Friday can give an artist a great starting point for their new release, despite the argument to the contrary, it can be the opening of the gate that can take an artist from 0 to 100, but it’s purely the start - the people listening will dictate where it goes from there.
Lets take all of this, dig deeper, learn more, debate more and work harder… keep learning, rinse and repeat.
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From: Denny Somach
Subject: Re: Hey, Western Union Man
Re: Hey Western Union Man/Jerry Butler
Agree with your assesment of Al Kooper’s version of this song….
Since you like a good backstory, I thought you might like to know this one…
The guy who produced Jerry Butler is, Jerry Ross who just passed away two weeks ago. You may not know his name but you definitely know his body of work. Jerry was from Philly and started out as Dick Clark’s booth announcer on Bandstand. He was a songwriter, producer and record company executive. Best known for producing many hits by Bobby Hebb, (Sunny); Keith (98.6); Spanky and Our Gang (Sunday Will Never Be the Same); Jay & the Techniques (Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie); Bill Deal & the Rondells (May I) and founded Heritage and Colossus Records, home to the ‘Dutch Sound’ led by Shocking Blue (Venus); Tee Set (Ma Belle Amie); George Baker Selection (Little Green Bag, Una Paloma Blanca).
He signed the 17-year-old singer Kenny Gamble to a songwriting contract, and started writing songs with him, including "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," an international hit for Diana Ross and the Supremes with the Temptations. Also brought Thom Bell into the business.
Denny Somach
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Subject: Re: Mailbag-Hot Sauce/Hamilton/Kid Rock
Tried the Gringo on my toasted bagel, cream cheese, lox and onion...
Out of this F world.
Going back to Western Glatt tomorrow to get more lox.
Brett Greenberg
Epitaph
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Subject: Re: Re-Robert Plant On Howard Stern
I think Plant is self-contained and able to put his ego to one side.
A few years ago, I was queuing up for a ticket at Paddington Station. That’s the station in London where you catch trains out west and to Wales. It was early and I was half asleep. Three ahead of me was an older guy in a beanie hat with a rucksack slung over his shoulder. Totally unprepossessing. Nobody paid him any attention.
He bought his ticket and walked back along the queue. I looked up and was knocked backwards. It was Robert Plant. On his own. Queuing. On his own. Buying his own tickets!
He clocked me looking at him and smiled, winked and then went off to wait for his train. All on his own. I watched him standing there all alone, his rock star turned off and could see why he hasn’t reformed Zep. He doesn’t need to.
Mind you I was at the O2 when they did reform and I thought he was terrific, his rock star was out and magnificent that night. He still had it.
Dave Holley
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Subject: Re: Re-Robert Plant On Howard Stern
Bob:
15 years ago at a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction at the Waldorf I walked out of the bathroom and saw Plant hanging in the lounge area outside the ballroom. I thought to myself "what the fuck" and walked up to him and said "Robert, you and I are fans of the same band". He looked at me with a "what the fuck are you talking about look" (I knew I had about 3 seconds) and I quickly said "Moby Grape". A massive smile appeared on Robert's face and on her went extolling to me how great a band Moby Grape was, how much he loved their albums, how he had covered a few of their songs and tried to do them justice. After about 10 minutes of me nodding my head, he took a breath, at which point I said, "don't you think they really deserve to be in the R&R HOF", to which he loudly exclaimed that "they're too great to be in the R&R HOF" and on he want for what was probably another 10 minutes going on how great their guitar work, harmonies and songwriting were and how there were one of his all time his favorite bands. When he finally paused again, I told him that I got to see "Zep" early on when they opened up for BB King (on July 21, 1969) at the Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park (
www.setlist.fm/setlist/led-zeppelin/1969/wollman-skating-rink-new-york-ny-6bd6ae76.html). Plant responded "Yes - wasn't that the Rheingold Music Festival? I remember that we were not very good that night - we were in awe of opening up for B.B. King". I was surprised he even remembered the gig almost 40 years later and didn't feel the need to correct him (it was the Schaefer Music Festival). That was it. I thanked him for all the great music and wished him well. He gave me a firm handshake and we both went back into the ballroom. Perhaps with Howard, Plant's defenses were up from the start and maybe he was not really into the obligatory radio promo interview to begin with, but if Howard had done his homework and been prepped he might have realized that there is a lot more to Plant than "Zep" and if you want to open the door, asking the same questions he's heard a million times is not going to get you to the real person inside.
George Gilbert
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Subject: Re: Re-Robert Plant On Howard Stern
The trick to interviewing Plant (to the extent there is a trick) is to be all about his new material. And the first time he mentions LZ acknowledge it, but move back to the new. He will then open the LZ doors. STILL you have to restrain, ask questions relating the old to the new, and let him do his thing.
I've interviewed him three times for MTV. Guessed right the first interview, repeated during the second. Got bold in the third...he shut the good stuff down stat.
How many rock stars have ever existed at Plant's level? Jagger in his prime, but who else?
Michael Fremer
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From: Gary Helsinger
Subject: Re: Robert Plant On Howard Stern
I met Plant one day in 1989 when I was working at Tower Records on Sunset. He was friendly. In fact, exceedingly so. As if he was working really hard to be just one of us music fans. It didn’t really matter tho, because we were so blown away. I met the biggest of the big working there from 87 to 90, from Prince, Bowie, Elton, and MJ to Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Ringo and more…but Plant hit us in the sweet spot. We gave him a pass when slipped up trying to impress us with his knowledge of Mitch Easter (right after the quote that he said he would be glad to mow his lawn) and accidentally said how much he loves Mitch Ryder. He talked to us for about an hour, gave us autographs and split. One of my favorite encounters working at Tower.
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From: David Wallace
Subject: Re: Our Music
I watched the Classic Albums episode of Rumors last night and Dylan’s MTV Unplugged set on Qello today. Mind you, I’m a generation younger than you, but those are still my jams. And let me tell you something, my 2 year old will have a full on tantrum if I don’t play “rumors” in the car. He’s obsessed.
Dylan in ‘94. Pre “time out of mind”. He was fading into irrelevance. And that set is pretty fucking mind blowing. On the road to obscuring melodies, but still singing great and sticking close to the recorded arrangements.
All this to say - Fleetwood Mac made a record so magical it’s not atypical to hear songs from it playing on two radio stations at the same time 40 years later. “Dreams”, “The Chain” and “Go Your Own Way” all have over 100 Million streams on Spotify. And Dylan - there’s no adequate descriptor. So I won’t bother.
Happy Sunday.
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From: Charles Chavez
Subject: Re: Taylor Swift "Gorgeous"
fyi
New one getting beat by Red One which happens to be on Daddy Yankees channel
kworb.net/youtube/ Also notice 6 of the top 10 most played videos of the day are in Spanish (not including Havana)
maybe she can do a Spanish song ;)
www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/8014053/us-latin-music-revenue-up-44-percent-first-half-2017 ________________________________________
From: Ben Nesvig
Subject: Re: Taylor Swift "Gorgeous"
I'm surprised you hadn't written about Post Malone before. "I Fall Apart" came out in 2016 and it's beating Taylor's new music!
Check out his cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" which he recorded before blowing up. The man can sing.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_NS9Vd1sMA A good overview of his story is in the Noisey interview below.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=un3vVJcadlQ While other rappers sing about a fantasy life, Post Malone's "Congratulations" has the lyrics, "Work so hard forgot how to vacation."
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From: Toby Mamis
Subject: Re: Taylor Swift "Gorgeous"
Debbie Harry and Blondie got away with it because they, too, were from the streets of NYC and they were culture sponges, from Sixties pop to movie & TV show themes to the music of their streets. As for Taylor, I'll say what I always say, though I am sure a lot of people probably believe this has never really applied to her, at least not recently. Make music from your heart and soul, from your experience. Don't make music you think will succeed based on demographics. Don't go chasing the hip-hop chart success, you're too white bread. Really, really good artisanal white bread. Maybe the best white bread in the world. Be the best you, not the third best somebody else.
So, if Swift were smart, she'd can "Reputation" and put out a hip-hop track, since she missed the times. Hell, a mixtape like Drake, with her favorite hip-hop favorites as well as a number of her own works in this field. And sure, Taylor Swift rapping might be laughable, but Debbie Harry got away with it.
Then again, she was a lot more credible.
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Subject: Re: Taylor Swift "Gorgeous"
Mister Lefsetz, you may be an old fogy, but you impress me every time with your knowledge on the current scope of music. You really have an incredibly strong understanding of the industry today and in particular, and what impresses me most, is you are knowledgeable about artists I can safely assume you do not like. I have no doubt in my mind that you don't like Pump and Post but the fact that you know their success, and know how much they are running pop culture right now is a true testament that you are still on top of what's going on. So many of the biz dinosaurs are still looking at the old format, and the new old format, and trying to play it safe. There is nothing safe about the music business today, and part of the reason we have people like Pump running the show right now is because they are fearless. The kid and, he is a kid, (17) is literally high on xanax 24/7 and everyone knows it! Why is he called lil pump? Cuz his stomach has been pumped so many fucking times we has lost count. Despite all these characteristics, this kid is one of the most popular and relevant artists right now. There is nothing safe about lil pump and post malone, but that is why they have found success. Cuz they represent the risk takers that the music industry and the pop culture has forced the dreamers to become. Look at Boonk Gang, this kid is making videos doing the most debaucherous shit and the second he is featured on Worldstar Hip-hop, Pump flies him out to his birthday party at the titty bar and their the newest hot pair of young IDGAF kids who have nothing to loss and everything to gain. Now, Boonk has a number one video or at least I know its rising, THIS KID DIDNT EVEN START OUT RAPPING. HE JUST HOOKED UP WITH PUMP AND NOW HE'S A HIT RAPPER. What does this say? You already know, substance has disappeared and the leaders are those who are willing to take big risks, face tattoo, stomach pump kind of risks, and they are cashing in on it big time. We can even look at the "rapper" stitches as another example. Anyway, mister lefsetz, as I have already said, you have the audience every music writer strives to have and you continue to pump out the truth regardless of whether people believe you or not. Sure, you are very opinionated, and sure, you can ruffle feathers. But we all know you don't give a shit and that's why we love you and read you regardless of whether we agree with what you say or not.
Kudos to you for being ageless.
Best,
Leo Gilbert
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From: kim bullard
Subject: Re: The Man
You nailed it.. There is nothing more gorgeous sounding than a vintage Les Paul through the right Marshall, played by the right person. That sound has all the nuance, depth and beauty of a symphony orchestra. It stirs my soul like nothing else (and I’m a keyboard player). But the way people currently consume music makes big, beautiful rock guitars sound small and scratchy, and makes computer generated beats, basses, and synth pads sound great. Tim Pierce brought this up a few years ago. The level war and brightness war going on in mastering doesn’t help the cause, either.
I keep trying for that sonic buzz, the drug of my youth… I go to rock shows, but 99% of the time they are using digital consoles, too much compression, and the guitars just end up sounding small, bright, and irritating out front. I went to the Greek to see Cheap Trick and Foreigner a few weeks ago, and ended up staying on stage next to the guitar amps. It was thrilling.. Rick Neilson and Bruce Watson’s guitar amps drilling into my head. Fuck yeah. That’s the sound… amazing.
Take a listen to Cheap Trick’s new record. I think it sounds great. The guitars, drums, vocals everything. Curious what you think.
I’ll compare that to the Killers record when I get a chance and get back to you. I'm driving now.
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Subject: Re: The Infusion
Hello Bob,
I just read about your pemphigus and I'm very disturbed to hear about your ordeal and all the pain. We've never met or chatted but I feel as if I know you very well and that you're a long lost brother due to the open book you've made of yourself in your blogs and especially due to your sincerity and candor. Plus we're about the same age I think. I'm 71. I had my 5 minutes of fame in 1968 as the founder and original member of the 1910 Fruitgum Company. I know much of the background on us indicates we didn't record our own songs but this was only the case later in our short run. The original band recorded Simon Says, the entire Simon Says album including May I Take a Giant Step, our 2nd charted record, and the entire 123 Red Light album except for 123 Red Light itself which recorded while we were on the road by the Tradewinds who were studio musicians for producers Jeff Katz and Jerry Kasenetz. Our original keyboardist sang all of our hits except for Goody Goody Gumdrops. Anyway I digress as this note is about you. I am worried about you and I sincerely hope you're out of the woods with Rituxan. I also hope to get to meet you in person one day. Take care.
Frank Jeckell
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Subject: Re: The World Series
Re: It Ain't Over Till The Fat Lady Farts
Being a second-generation Los Angeleno’ I grew up on L.A. sports. Shit, we use to go to the Dodgers when they played at the Coliseum.. Boy was that weird! There was this huge fence in left field… there would be over 70,000 fans… Crazy… I saw the Dodger greats… Drysdale… Duke Snider… SANDY “Fuckin” KOFAX… He wouldn’t pitch in the World Series against the Yankees because if fell on Yom Kippur… The anti-Semites went nuts!!! As a young kid my father would take me to the Rams games …. At that time there were no seats… there were just benches… We saw the greats.. Norm Van Brocklin “The Dutchman”, Bob Waterfield, Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch and Don Paul… Who was Don Paul? He was considered the dirtiest player in the NFL.. He bit, ripped and spitted.. To this day he has the record for the most “unsportsmanlike” penalties…. He opened a restaurant in Encino.. The Rams Horn… Yes… all the players would go sit at the bar and drink for free… Sunday dinner at the Rams Horn was a ritual for the Laufer family…. And yes, they were all white! Did I mention my dad was a habitual sports gambler? He would go crazy if the Rams didn’t make the spread.
This is how the Laufer week would go… Tuesday night we went to roller derby to see the T-Birds… Wednesday night was wrestling at the Olympic Auditorium. My family grew up on wrestling.. My dad was Gorgeous George's “lackey”… He would carry George’s coat, perfume and cologne… Yes, I met him along with Freddie Blassie and the great Italian, Barron Leone who was the first wrestler to get a $100,000 for a champion match. It twas' the Golden Age of T.V..… Shit, we would go into the locker room before the matches… that’s where all the “schtick” was worked out.. fuck, and I thought it was real?
Jeff Laufer
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Subject: Re: The World Series
Hey there Bob-
I winced a little when reading your stroll down memory lane, where you ticked off the Yankee infield and noted, "Moose on first." I moved from Boston to Chicago in '91 and shortly thereafter I ran into Moose in a bar outside of Comiskey Park. Moose was amiably chatting with anybody who wanted to say hello, so a friend brought me over and after a brief introduction said, "Joe's from Boston - he's a huge Red Sox fan." All joviality disappeared from Moose's face as he wheeled to face me, stuck his finger in my chest and said, without an ounce of humor, "Fuck you, kid." Which, of course, only made me respect him more.
Best regards,
Joe Daly
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From: Danny Zelisko
Subject: RE: My Colonoscopy
Prior to my first one, I never heard the word.
The colonoscopy saved my life back in 2003, when I did my first one at age 48. They found a large tumor which indeed was cancerous. It was removed a couple weeks later. The following month I started a week on, 3 weeks off of chemo for 6 months, which was the worst part of the whole thing.
All of the other stories are funny, painful, poignant but the best part is paying attention to the pain I had, caused by the tumor and then addressing it right away was the key. If YOU haven’t had a colonoscopy and you are close to 50, even 45, go get one and I mean schedule it now.
The last thing you want to do with this stuff is wait or put it off or for chrissakes, be afraid of doing the procedure. It can and will save your life! I don’t care if you live clean or if you happen to be one of those people who has ever smoked, drank, eaten red meat, stay up late and carry on, whatever.
They have made so many discoveries and advances in this field to help you or your friends or family. Take advantage of this knowledge and enjoy your time here on earth even longer. You just never know…
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From: Wendy
Subject: Re: My Colonoscopy
Hi!
You did the right thing Bob. You have the right attitude too.
My Dad was given a prescription to get a colposcopy. His Doc also had a wait list.
My Dad , was a former college football player who was still an exceptional athlete He took very good care of his body inside an out. He half heartedly made the appointment.
Then he lost his job after 40 years with the same company. He also lost his insurance . My Dad did not want to go for this procedure anyway. Why would he? His whole life he operated at a higher physical level than anyone he knew so this test he thought was really not for him. He would get around to the test when he got his new job and new insurance.
Finding a new Job at 60 , even if you were a CEO took much longer than he thought. It was 7 and a half months later when he finally took the test.
My Dad did not get the memo that he was not invincible. Most of us think we are. Why would he think otherwise. It wasn't just his ego but everyone around him thought he was invincible too. He took great care of himself.
In the end my Dad died a year later at 62.
You are blessed Bob. Keep dotting your i's and crossing your t's , and keep up the diligence!
( I have friends who board and ski in their late 80's!!! We want to be able to do that too!)
Great news for you! It's a little weird to share but even weirder that I read the whole thing and am now responding.
You bring out the emotions and sometimes the crazy in some of us!
Very truly.
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Subject: Re: Protest Music
Hi Bob,
My name is Kathryn O'Leary and I've seriously enjoyed reading your newsletters ever since my supervisor forwarded me your blast on "Spotify Payments". The first newsletter I read with protest music was "Why We've Got No Protest Music" and had me hooked on the subject since, and your "One Love Manchester" solidified the concept in me.
I came across this video made by Vox on Facebook a few weeks ago titled "The evolution of American protest music." Found it very intriguing, especially the following:
"After 9/11, there was a huge pool of emotion and frustration that helped singers make some really good music. But the lack of a unifying political movement left a millennial protest song resurgence sort of dead in the water."
My generation may not have the musical idols to inspire us with one unifying movement, but I also think many of us don't know what it truly means to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
We can take to Twitter as much as we want, post endless rants on Facebook, but then what? The perception of those posts is that's what it means "to care," and, to some, be enough action. I'm not saying that's everybody's thought process, but hell I'm guilty of it, and it's the majority of people I find myself around, too. Then we see others doing more and arrive at a state of confusion; the prompted question "But IS this enough?", and then you sit on the question for too long and the moment to act comes to pass.
It all bubbles down to fear. The fear of wanting to be liked so much I think haunts a lot of us. Social media has taught us that a 'like', that instant gratification and attention, insinuates our worth.
What's it going to take to really, and I mean REALLY, change the mindset?
I'm currently studying Music Business/Management at Berklee College of Music and am far from a music business expert, but I'll be damned if I continue to let the one thing I love most in this world crumble. Thanks for keeping me "woke" with music at times like this. It's so easy to get lost in the hits, glamour, and hype. I hope, no,...pray my generation of music creators and professionals does better.
All the best,
Kathryn
-----------------------------
Kathryn O'Leary
Assistant Talent Buyer at The Red Room/Café 939
Berklee College of Music
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From: Dave Schneider
Subject: Wait for it (A friend Of Stanton's here)
Hey Bob,
Long time reader, very good friend of Stanton's, have a band called The Zambonis (all songs about hockey for 26 years) and even sat with you in Tarquin Studios here in Bridgeport, CT while you interviewed my best friend Peter Katis (The National/Interpol) on your way to Thanksgiving with your mom.
None of this is why I am writing you today.
As you type over and over again, the music business changes. Formats change, income streams, recording techniques, EVERYTHING CHANGES.
My family has had 1 to 8 retail stores in CT for the past 96 years and running. Currently we are down to 4. My grandfather started Jimmy's Army And Navy in 1920 in the hot spot that was downtown Bridgeport It rolled with the changes through all these years. The working man in the 30's and 40's. My dad got in and moved it to fit the trends. The rock n rollers and the working man in the 50's, the hippies and the working man through the early 70's, disco and the working man and, then, as you know, Bridgeport became much more minority occupied and the downtown changed. Reality is reality, businesses closed and times changed. So did we. Luckily, our father Bob Schneider had the foresight to get all the right sneaker accounts; Converse, Pro Keds, Puma and the most important Adidas and NIKE. We "pivoted" and moved in a new direction with Jimmy's Hip Hop Spot around 1986. It was a wild time of fashion and the beginning of Hip Hop. The golden years were straight through to 2002ish. Then competition caught on that Hip-Hop music and fashion were not going anywhere.
Thousands of Mom and Pop shops like ours arrived and thrived on fashion and sneakers.
WAITING FOR IT.....
Sneakers drives the whole game.
Phil Knight (Nike) and Michael Jordan (Air Jordan) grabbed hold of this business and did an amazing job. They blew away the competition. Because of this fact, stores like ours live or die with Nike/Jordan sneakers.
If you ran a tight ship, kept cost down, ordered the right stuff, treated employees fairly etc etc, you survived.
Well, like the music business and music retail world, this all seemed to change today.
Key points: NIke currently has 30,000 retailers and plan on cutting back to 40. So the main income will be selling through the Nike Website ie direct to customer and the Foot Locker's and Dick's Sporting Goods of the world survive.
The end of an era and as you say, a new beginning.
www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2017/10/25/in-massive-retail-shakeup-nike-downsizing-from-30.html Really love your writing and next time you're in town, I am joining you and Stanton for Sally's Pizza (you heard me, Sally's)
Have a great day,
Dave "Zamboni" Schneider
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From: Wendy Waldman
Subject: Re: More E-Mail Of The Day
As you know I started recording in 1970 with Bryndle for A & M and then solo with Warner Brothers in 1973. In those days women could be singers, songwriters, and office people. There were one or two women producing records: one in jazz, and one in classical music, I believe, but no one even remotely close to the new and exciting pop field that was opening up. Other than those pioneers, who were actually older-- and a tiny fraction of exceptions (Carol Kaye and Leslie Jones being first among them) technical, studio, and other kinds of work were completely off limits for women. I always wanted not only to be an artist but to produce records as well, which was unheard of in pop music in the early 70s.
By the time I got to Nashville, women who started in the office were rising through the ranks as publishers and also in promotion, bookkeeping and a few A & R gigs.
There were still functionally no women producers, except the one or two who produced themselves, or more likely co-produced themselves. It’s been said that I was at least among the first women who produced records for labels on various artists, rather than myself. I was fortunate to have the support of a handful of great A & R people, and a bunch of superb musicians, which allowed me to crack the door open and be a record producer.
In the course of those years, the gracious, patient, and generous people stand out in my mind-those who really helped me to gain my footing and the necessary experience to become a record producer.
But from the very beginning, the nightmare stories from the other side—men who like us, also were not raised for a world where there would be women in the technical fields of popular music and who could only see one as a sex object and therefore base all decisions on that, the men who tormented in one way or another the wonderful and vulnerable women singers who were building careers—those nightmares were very real for me, though I pushed on sometimes well and sometimes not so well, and I vowed never to discuss them.
The truth is that women from my generation were not raised to engage with men in some of these most competitive and difficult aspects of the industry. I realize now it was the same in other industries as well: ours was the last generation to be raised to find a husband and make babies. So, we had no tools with which to strategize, to respond to sexism and cruelty, to plot our paths forward and of course, to compete with men. We could sleep with them, or we could be accused of sleeping with them, or we could pay for not sleeping with them—all of which most of us did along the way. But we were not raised or taught to go head to head with them in our chosen fields. We learned by crashing and burning constantly. Many gave up or burned out. That is, in my opinion, why so many women from my generation are no longer engaged in the music business, or worse, no longer active or even living. This charting a course through so much hostile and unexpected waters took its toll on so many great women artists and technicians.
The next generation began to figure it out, and as an aside, ironically in just about every other field of entertainment, women have gained a path upwards, not without tremendous sacrifice. If you look at television, film, theater, video—there are women doing everything imaginable: directing, writing, editing, running studios and divisions, producing and more-- all of which was unimaginable in the late 60s/early 70s. But how strange that in all that time, there’s still a only a fraction of women working in the technical side of the music business—where are the women record producers, the women engineers, the women session players and the women film/tv composers? The numbers have moved very slowly in 30 years. Every single woman who has managed to survive and work in one of these rarely-opened-to-women fields has stories that would break your heart.
That notwithstanding, today’s young women aren’t about to take it lying down, as it were. I see it, and I’m very glad it’s coming around. It’s actually no one’s fault: the men and women of my generation weren’t equipped for that kind of equality. It’s a long road.
I’m in my mid sixties, have a bitchen protools and tracking studio of my own, a buttload of pianos and guitars, I produce records of all kinds of music these days, and I study music as well. I have a lot of younger people around me who constantly teach me about—everything under the sun, really, but especially about music, engineering, thinking, the internet, the world to come—it’s a blast. I am very lucky and there’s still a lot of work to be done, a lot of music to write, record, perform and study. It would have been cool to get here earlier, and perhaps, had I been a man, I wouldn’t have had the battles and the confusion I had all my life about my ‘role’ as a female and a working musician. No time left for that. I salute my fellow women who have endured the Weinsteins in their lives to get where they are, I mourn the ones who we lost along the way, and I encourage young women to stand up and be fierce, whatever your craft may be.
WW
in windy Northridge California
________________________________________
From: Steve Martin/APA
Subject: #UniteddoesntGAF
To quote a pretty good writer I enjoy reading:
“What kind of crazy,fucked up world is it when—”
On Friday,I flew United #1244
Newark -LAX
After an unremarkable flight,I packed up my carryon,went to my hotel.
As I unpacked my iPad,I looked in my bag to see a 2nd IPad with an identical cover.
To my horror,I realized in the fuzziness of disembarking—I put the guy sitting next to me’s
IPad in my bag. I had already packed mine.
Feeling awful,I called United’s
"Priority 1k Super Hotline for Schmucks that fly us all the time."
Got a very nice customer service woman named Joyce in Chicago.
Explained what happened.
Asked her to please contact the gent sitting next to me-his IPad was not lost.
I’d messenger it to a United office or leave it for him somewhere.
After a 7 min hold-she returned to tell me she couldn’t give me his name.
I said, "Joyce - I don’t CARE what his name is. YOU should call him and tell him I have his item.
I’ll give it to United"
Hold,Please.
Another 10 minutes.
"Sorry,we can’t access that information"
At which point my head exploded.
"Joyce,the FLIGHT ATTENDANT knew his name!
Is this 'Mission Impossible',where all the data self destructs 30 seconds after the plane lands?"
I went on - "This flight landed 90 minutes ago - this poor guy is no doubt upset that he lost his iPad. United is telling me that they don’t care enough to contact him,that he should spend another $700-because after you land - United simply doesn’t give a tiny fuck"
Joyce was a bit nonplussed and quite apologetic at this point. And repeated she couldn't give me his name.
I said for the 4th time- "I don’t CARE WHAT HIS NAME IS!
I’ll leave it at my front desk under DONALD DUCK.
This airline is APPALLING to simply ignore this.
FORGET 2 1st class passengers- for ANYONE who is trying to get someone’s property returned - the policy clearly is "Once you’re off the
plane - UNITED DOESN'T CARE."
I was truly stunned at the complete apathy over this.
It was not Joyce - she allegedly went to TWO supervisors - who basically shrugged.
Even she was embarrassed.
So.....
What kind of crazy, fucked up world is it- when an airline that has gotten the WORST press possible- would not lift a finger to do the right thing for a passenger?
Would have cost them nothing.
I offered repeatedly to pay whatever messenger fee to return it.
As long as the guy knew it was found and where to pick it up.
American Airlines looking really good these days.
Thanks for letting me rant,my friend.
God knows— I read yours.
Best
SM
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