Re: Mandy B
I had to stop the other day to find out what song was playing on a local station cos it sounded almost "alt.country." Turned out to be the latest Dixie Chicks single. Anyone else heard that one? Jim, smilin' Tonight the Heartache's on Me, cut by numerous artists in the last few years including Joy Lynn White on her last. Mike Hays http://www.TwangCast.com TM RealCountry 24 X 7 Please Visit Then let us know what you think! Mike Hays www.MikeHays.RealCountry.net For the best country artist web hosting, www.RealCountry.net
Re: Tom Petty's roots are showing (real twangy)
John Friedman writes: Jon Johnson: *One* guitar player?!?!?! Hell, John, why don't you just tell us they were recruiting for the Socialist Worker's Party while you're at it? Hm, if that's a sarcastic remark, which is cool, my guess is that you're not familiar w/Molly Hatchet. My point was that Molly Hatchet with fewer than three guitar players onstage is...well, just not right. It doesn't live up to one's expectations. I'm plenty familiar with their stuff, by the way. They were never a patch on Skynyrd, but who was? Hatchet's first couple of albums were about as good as the genre got if your band's name wasn't Lynyrd Skynyrd. I keep expecting to see a southern rock revival at some point, though despite noble attempts by the likes of Raging Slab and Pride and Glory, I don't think it's gonna happen. Saw Marshall Crenshaw open a show at the Paradise in '92 with a bitchin' cover of "Flirtin' With Disaster," by the way. --Jon Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wollaston, Massachusetts
Re: Tom Petty's roots are showing (real twangy)
I want insight into why the only people I meet wh0 hope for a resurgence of "Southern Rock" are all from north of Virginia ( a state still quite suspect) John Friedman writes: Jon Johnson: *One* guitar player?!?!?! Hell, John, why don't you just tell us they were recruiting for the Socialist Worker's Party while you're at it? Hm, if that's a sarcastic remark, which is cool, my guess is that you're not familiar w/Molly Hatchet. My point was that Molly Hatchet with fewer than three guitar players onstage is...well, just not right. It doesn't live up to one's expectations. I'm plenty familiar with their stuff, by the way. They were never a patch on Skynyrd, but who was? Hatchet's first couple of albums were about as good as the genre got if your band's name wasn't Lynyrd Skynyrd. I keep expecting to see a southern rock revival at some point, though despite noble attempts by the likes of Raging Slab and Pride and Glory, I don't think it's gonna happen. Saw Marshall Crenshaw open a show at the Paradise in '92 with a bitchin' cover of "Flirtin' With Disaster," by the way. --Jon Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wollaston, Massachusetts
Re: Artist of the Decade?
Pushing aside the arbitrary (and silly) nature of this shellgame, tell me why it shouldn't be: Perry Farrell (who commercialized the most interesting aspects of Nirvana's "revolution") Dr. Dre (who made rap safe for white people; God bless Eminem) U2 (who legitimized dance music for young suburban moms with ZOOROPA) Prince (who led artists with committed audiences to the realization that record companies are superfluous while still making vital music) PS: his next record is on a major label ...and it is mind-blowing. Miles Davis said that the greatest musician he ever met was named Prince. Red Hot Chili Peppers (who brought tattooing to the heartland) Hootie and the Blowfish (who brought yuppies away from John Tesh to something approximating rock and roll) PJ Harvey (because she actually made great records, ignored her press and finally had a sandwich) Cesaria Evora (who didn't even know she was making beautiful records for consumerist dissection) Trent Reznor (who tried unsuccessfully to avoid the traps of the celebrity culture while commenting upon it AND fucking fashion models; and making great music) Master P (the first black man since Berry Gordy to keep most of the money; of course he treats his artists like shit) Don Yates (a master of disguise)
Re: Tom Petty's roots are showing (real twangy)
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999 04:57:09 -0500 JP Riedie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I want insight into why the only people I meet wh0 hope for a resurgence of "Southern Rock" are all from north of Virginia ( a state still quite suspect) JP, you're kidding, right? Man, Virginia *is* the South and I'll stand on Robert E. Lee's coffee table blah blah blah... William Cocke Senior Writer HSC Development University of Virginia (804) 924-8432
Re: Captain Beefheart (re:Welfare Music)
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999 02:18:42 -0400 vgs399 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Uh, I think that was "eight octane" range g Actually, Van Vliet's stuff always went right over my head, sorry to say. My husband loves "Trout Mask Replica" to this day; still goes over my head though. I just put "Moonlight on Vermont" on a mixed tape and damn if it didn't work perfectly. Some of the most whacked out skronky shit ever recorded. I still can't listen to all of TMR in one sitting, though. Too whacked out skronky for too long. William Cocke Senior Writer HSC Development University of Virginia (804) 924-8432
Re: Artist of the Decade?
On Wed, 21 Apr 1999 21:24:00 PDT Greg Harness [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I thought your candidate had already won and been declared AOTD months ago. This new little thread is nothing more than a post-mortem on a de facto decision, right? AOTD will retain his title. Umm, I musta missed that one. Can someone whisper it to me? William Cocke Senior Writer HSC Development University of Virginia (804) 924-8432
RE: Tom Petty's roots are showing (real twangy)
Saw Marshall Crenshaw open a show at the Paradise in '92 with a bitchin' cover of "Flirtin' With Disaster," by the way. [Matt Benz] He opened his Columbus, probably same tour, with that song. Didn't Holsapple Stamey open up for this tour? And Mitch Easter was playing, I think, *and* Dave Schramm. Pretty cool show...
RE: Artist of the Decade?
You thought Vince Gill, right? And still do. Jon Weisberger, Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger
Southern Rock Lives
Jon Johnson wrote: keep expecting to see a southern rock revival at some point, though despite noble attempts by the likes of Raging Slab and Pride and Glory, I don't think it's gonna happen. Pumpskully is proudly and nobly carrying the torch. I think they're based in KY, but they play Nashville often. The Slobberbone/Pumpskully bill at SXSW was my favorite. Actually, Tip, a Pumpskully side project, is playing in town tonight. Twangfest alumni, Blue Tick, are headlining the show. marie (Pumpskully, the future of Southern.ah, forget it.)
Kenny Chesney correction
Iin response to Linda's query, I contrasted Chesney's new album, Everywhere I Go, with what I thought was the album before that, I Will Stand (the one with "That's Why I'm Here"). There's another one, though, in between, 1998's You And Me, that's pretty good, though I still haven't decided whether the up-tempo, rockin' remake of "(Turn Out The Light And) Love Me Tonight" works. Jon Weisberger, Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger
CST Clip - Kelly Willis/Bruce Robison at JD's Last Night
Hi folks, Here's what you missed if you weren't at JD's! Both were excellent, but, Bruce's songwriting and singing is killer. "Desperately" still being my favorite on "Wrapped." Kelly dipped back into her repertoire for "River of Love" (shout from moi!) which she said they hadn't been doing for a while and was her favorite by ex-h, Mas Palermo. Read on * Willis offers a deserving concert * Johnny D's, Somerville, Mass., April 21, 1999 By Jeffrey B. Remz SOMERVILLE, MA. - After years of languishing between record deals, has the time come for Kelly Willis? The Austinite is touring hot on the heels of "What I Deserve," her Rykodisc debut filled with country twang and softer sounds. Two months since its release, the disc has sold a very healthy 30,000 copies. She's been atop the Americana radio charts for several weeks running. And in concert before a packed house, Willis converted a strong album into a strong performance. That is underpinned by the voice of the diminutive singer. She used it to good effect throughout the 90-minute show, capably emoting passion and pain, often in love songs. Vulnerable, yet determined. whether on the title track or her previously recorded "Heaven's Just a Sin Away," a number one hit for The Kendalls in 1977. Willis has displayed a keen sense at picking solid material. One of her favorite songwriters is her husband, Bruce Robison. Willis even sang "Take It Out on You," which she described as "the pure definition of a country song" since Robison and her ex-husband combined forces to write the musically upbeat song. She sang a few songs from her extremely limited release (Texas only) of "Fading Fast," turning in a very solid performance on the title track, which also appears on "What I Deserve." Willis was backed by a generally solid band, especially fiddler and back-up singer Amy Tivnen. Guitarist Jerry Holmes added many tasty licks as well. At times, the drumming proved a bit too loud, but usually the quartet delivered. Robison opened with a solo acoustic 35-minute set comprised of a few new songs from his upcoming summer release and songs from his "Wrapped" disc of last year. In fact, Robison offered both his version of the title song as did Willis later in his set. Both worked. While a band may often add more punch to songs, Robison's warm voice was strong enough to overcome that obstacle. Willis certainly has not had a linear career, but she now may be on the upswing once again. CST link == http://countrystandardtime.com Kate
Re: Tom Petty's roots are showing (real twangy)
JP Riedie queries: I want insight into why the only people I meet wh0 hope for a resurgence of "Southern Rock" are all from north of Virginia ( a state still quite suspect) Never thought about it, but maybe it's the sameway mallrats from utah dig gangsta rap. Is southern rock yet another institution the south would rather forget? As for the Last Roundup or whatever the upcoming Southern Rock Revival which *is* coming around soon, I just don't know. Toy Caldwell has merged w/the infinite, but I understand Sammy Hagar is available g, Molly Hatchet, oh yeah, what I neglectd to mention was that they had a synthesisizer on stage too, (oh, the horror!). Anyway, CDB is still good if he lays off his christian rock thing. No offense intended. -JF Blue Belly Devil ___ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
Re: Doo Rag
the Bob Log record is more fun than seeing him live. Its on that cool Fat Possum label (RL Burnside, T Model Ford, etc) - thru Epitaph nowadays I believe...xojns -- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "passenger side" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Doo Rag Date: Wed, Apr 21, 1999, 5:25 PM more recently, they've morphed into "Bob Log III", where bob does a one man show-playing slide guitar and kick drum with some drum loops here and there. still sounds like doo rag. the motorcycle helment with the built in telephone receiver/microphone has go to be seen to be believed. I had a soft-in-the-head spot for Doo Rag, I confess, but I recently saw Bob Log III and after two songs realized that this was going to go on and on in an undifferentiated oozy sloppy-blues mess and that I'd gotten all the novelty value from it I could. Luckily in the same venue a bhangra/drum'n'bass group was rocking the house downstairs so I went and shimmied among 21 year old beautiful Indian girls and boys and felt much better. For the not-my-idea-of-fun brigade, Carl W.
Tom Waits in LA Weekly
It's a bit long to post here, but there's a nice piece on Tom Waits that can be found in this week's "LA Weekly" at http://www.laweekly.com/ink/99/22/music-lloyd.shtml. --Jon Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wollaston, Massachusetts
Re: Artist of the Decade?
Kurt Cobain by a country mile. There are very few things Rolling Stone gets right but this is one of them. -- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "passenger side" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Artist of the Decade? Date: Wed, Apr 21, 1999, 6:48 PM In a message dated 4/21/99 3:00:28 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: What does everybody think of Rolling Stone's typically head up their ass selection of Kurt Cobain as Artist of the Decade? Try most pathetic loser of the decade. The guy had nothing interesting to say musically or lyrically and then he blew his brains out. Any alternative selections we P-2ers can offer them. Wow. Do I even bother counterpointing this? Let's just say that whatever Slone said above, consider my opinions the exact opposite. Except the fact that Cobain blew his brains out. That is irrefutable. And really fucking tragic, if you ask me. Obviously, Slone disagrees. Neal Weiss
Re: Captain Beefheart (re:Welfare Music)
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: My husband loves Trout Mask Replica to this day; still goes over my head though. William Cocke wrote: I just put Moonlight on Vermont on a mixed tape and damn if it didn't work perfectly. Some of the most whacked out skronky shit ever recorded. I still can't listen to all of TMR in one sitting, though. Too whacked out skronky for too long. A Captain Beefheart subject heading on P2. I've been hoping that this day wouldn't arrive. It must be some kind of sign. And not a good one. Man, I can't even find the words to express how much I hate Beefheart. I know hate is a strong word, but it's really not strong enough. I'd rather be forced to listen to Dave Matthews for all eternity through earphones super-glued to my head then listen to 3 more minutes of Beefheart in my lifetime. And I've *really* listened to Beefheart. All of his lps (oh yeah, on scratchy vinyl) over and over again until my head was about to explode. I'm aware that the man is supposed to be a musical genius (and we know this because he stopped making music years ago and he dropped out of society to live in the desert in a trailer). I've been told repeatedly that I just don't 'get Beefheart'. Well, I maintain that there is nothing to get. He's had some interesting things to say over the years. (Arguably, there might be more to *get* in his writings and paintings.) But, just because he might have something interesting to say, doesn't necessarily mean that he's capable of making music. There is a difference between noise and music, right? Maybe the wailing smoke detector is actually music. I just need to understand the subtext of pain, danger, and fear in its plaintive, insistent cry. marie
Re: Artist of the Decade?
At 10:28 PM 4/21/99 -0700, Jerry wrote: I found Nirvana to be way to raw and underproduced for my liking Jerry, Jerry, Jerry. As someone who also appreciates big production, let this fellow traveler just reassure you that Nevermind, despite the culty punk expectations it carries, was...PRODUCED OUT THE ASS Anyone interested in learning about all the production that went into that record--overdubbed and layered guitar parts, composite vocal tracks, double-tracked vocals, seperately recorded drum takes, etc etc etc--should track down a copy of the May 1998 MOJO where band members and producer Butch Vig take us through the album's recording and mixing, track by track. You're right, btw, that Cobain's vocals were never pleasing. But they weren't supposed to be. --david cantwell
FW: Podunk Fest email flyer
For you New England types... -Original Message- From: Bluegrass music discussion. [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Kevin Lynch Sent: Thursday, April 22, 1999 10:40 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Podunk Fest "email flyer" Here's an email flyer for those of you recently requesting info re: the Podunk Bg Festival in CT. Radio people, promoters, assorted Bluegrass glitterati are welcomed as our guests...just contact me offline. Claimer: This is a total plug. I am one of the organizers of this non-profit "let's introduce Bluegrass to our potential regional audience" event. Noone gets paid...with the exception of the artists, of course. Don't forget to plan...and DO SOMETHING...to promote Bluegrass music during the upcoming "May is Worldwide Bluegrass Music Month" campaign! -Kevin L. --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --- 4th Annual Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival July 23rd 24th, 1999 Martin Park Burnisde Avenue, East Hartford, CT Some of the finest artists in the music industry will be stopping by on July 23rd and 24th for the 4th Annual Podunk Bluegrass Festival. This two-day extravaganza draws bluegrass lovers from around the country and is one of Greater Hartford's biggest summer musical events. Last year more than 5,000 people enjoyed the picking and singing prompting festival organizers to schedule both days in spacious Martin Park between Hillside and Burnside Avenues. Back by popular demand, Bluegrass pioneer Ralph Stanley The Clinch Mt. Boys will perform on Saturday night. Six additional major bluegrass artists will join Ralph's group throughout the weekend including the duo of Peter Rowan Tony Rice, Eddie and Martha Adcock, Kathy Kallick Band, Nickel Creek, Unlimited Tradition, Skip Gorman His Waddie Pals, and Thunder Mt. Bluegrass. The Friday night concert is free from 7:00 - 10:00PM. The Saturday festivities begin at 11:00AM and ends at 11:00PM. Saturday admission will be $10.00 for adults and free for children ten and under. Parking will be $2.00 per day with the main entrance off Hillside Avenue. A special offer for rough camping is available in Martin Park on Friday and Saturday night for the reasonable price of $35.00 per vehicle which includes camping festival admission for up to four adults. Camping space is limited and reservations are requested. There will also be civic information booths, spontaneous jam sessions with performers, children's entertainment, a live nature center exhibit, a Civil War Encampment, and plenty of food. The Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival is easily accessable. Just take exit 58 off I-84 in East Hartford, only minutes from I-91, and twenty minutes from Bradley International Airport. Hotels are available just 1/2 mile from festival site. For more info / camping reservations call: East Hartford Special Events Hotline (860)291-7350 ...or email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
software help
Sorry for the off-topic post, but I need to decode some email attachments. I know there's FreeWare out there for this purpose. Anyone know where I can find it? I use a PC. Off-list replies, please! Thanks, marie [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Mandy B
On Wed, 21 Apr 1999, Terry A. Smith wrote: pps it's been a great week; discovered via the library, Solomon Burke and Lloyd Price. How'd I ripen into my 40s without having heard these guys? Mysteries of life. Yeah, right -- it's 'cuz you live in that cultural backwater known as the American Midwest.--don (who coincidentally played Solomon Burke on the Roadhouse last night)
RE: Mandy B
On Wed, 21 Apr 1999 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I want to add that I hope Mike is right with his observation that some country stations are leaning towards actually playing country music again. I had to stop the other day to find out what song was playing on a local station cos it sounded almost "alt.country." Turned out to be the latest Dixie Chicks single. Anyone else heard that one? I haven't heard it yet, but I love Joy Lynn's version of it. And there ain't nothin' "alt" about it -- unless the Dixie Chicks rocked it up a bit. Oh, wait -- that's what HNC folks are s'posed to do. Now I'm all confused.--don
Re: Townes Far Cry from Dead?
I just heard an advance of the CD and it rocks. -- From: Kim Jensen [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: passenger side [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Townes "Far Cry from Dead"? Date: Wednesday, April 21, 1999 10:18 PM This is a record coming out on Arista/Austin very soon. They were songs Townes recorded solo and then some great musicians recorded the music around the vocals. There are many older Townes songs on it, some new ones. Pancho and Lefty is on it. It sounds pretty good. Townes' widow is the executive producer on it. Not a weasel, just a manager with an artist on the same label, Kim Someone on eBay is offering an advance promo "of Townes Van Zandt's new CD 'Far Cry from Dead'." They're selling it with a press kit with bio and photo, so it sure sounds like there's a new TVZ on the horizon. So, industry weasels, what's the word? Is this the stuff he was recording with Two Dollar Guitar shortly before his death, some kind of best-of, yet another live album, or what? When's it coming out? Larry Kim Jensen Straightaway Artist Management 300 Commercial Street #307 Boston, MA 02119 Vox: 617-523-9292 Fax: 617-557-3078 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.Jeffblack.com
Re: CST Clip - Kelly Willis/Bruce Robison at JD's Last Night
Kate: Here's what you missed if you weren't at JD's! Both were excellent, but, Bruce's songwriting and singing is killer. "Desperately" still being my favorite on "Wrapped." Kelly dipped back into her repertoire for "River of Love" (shout from moi!) which she said they hadn't been doing for a while and was her favorite by ex-h, Mas Palermo. It was one of the best shows I've been to this past year...Bruce and Kelly were both in top form. Both have unbelievable pipes! Almost tempted to hike out to western Mass. tonight...hmmm. Morgan
Radney Foster
Saw that Radney is playing in NYC next week. Several questions come to mind: -is this in support of a new album? -is this an industry gig to get re-signed? -any idea who his band is? Thanks, John ___ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
Dixie Chicks/Joy Lynn White song
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Turned out to be the latest Dixie Chicks single. Anyone else heard that one? And Don said: I haven't heard it yet, but I love Joy Lynn's version of it. As a Joy Lynn White fan who doesn't listen to the Dixie Chicks (or radio in general, except NPR), I'm curious - what song are we talking about?
Re: Dixie Chicks/Joy Lynn White song
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: As a Joy Lynn White fan who doesn't listen to the Dixie Chicks (or radio in general, except NPR), I'm curious - what song are we talking about? "Tonight The Heartache's On Me"
RE: Captain Beefheart (re:Welfare Music)
A Captain Beefheart subject heading on P2. I've been hoping that this day wouldn't arrive. It must be some kind of sign. And not a good one. [Matt Benz] And Marie wins the best Dave Purcell rant award, tho we could've used a few more profanities, ma'am.
RE: Mandy B
I want to add that I hope Mike is right with his observation that some country stations are leaning towards actually playing country music again. I had to stop the other day to find out what song was playing on a local station cos it sounded almost "alt.country." Turned out to be the latest Dixie Chicks single. Anyone else heard that one? I haven't heard it yet, but I love Joy Lynn's version of it. And there ain't nothin' "alt" about it -- unless the Dixie Chicks rocked it up a bit. I've heard it. It's a good, straight country shuffle; "nothing 'alt' about it" is right - you can hear a dozen or two like it any Saturday night on the Grand Ole Opry, and that's not a criticism. It will be interesting to see how it fares on the charts. Jon Weisberger, Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger
Country radio
Remember, what drives the format (like any other commercial one) is ratings, which, it has been pointed out (most recently by Mike Hays), have been going down, especially for HNC-oriented stations, as their target audience grows disaffected. The obvious remedies for station owners are 1) abandon the country format altogether, 2) chase even harder after that audience with even more pop- and rock-oriented fare, or 3) re-orient toward the long-term, "traditional" country music audience. I expect we'll see a combination of all three, especially the latter two (after all, most other formats aren't doing that well, either), and the charts will be increasingly schizophrenic over the next couple of years. I don't imagine that many individual stations will try to combine 2 and 3, but you may see a few cases of it. Jon Weisberger, Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger
RE: Set those VCRs
TNN also has Bob Wills feature at 8 p.m... That's EDT, BTW. It's a rerun of the Life And Times Of show, and it's pretty good. Jon Weisberger, Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger
RE: Captain Beefheart (re:Welfare Music)
A Captain Beefheart subject heading on P2. I've been hoping that this day wouldn't arrive. It must be some kind of sign. And not a good one. [Matt Benz] tho we could've used a few more profanities, ma'am. Well, I'm a lady, damnit. Cut me some slack. g marie
Summer Teething (was Wilco @ Pearl Street)
In all fairness I should give Summer Teeth a good listening before passing judgement BUT many of the songs Monday night in concert seem to be mere exercises in pop song writing. New material is hard enough to get across to an audience but IMO when pop doesn't rock it can easily flat. And this audience wanted badly to rock. Beyond the unfamiliarity factor, the audience simply wanted the old Wilco back. Even the Mermaid Avenue constitutes as old Wilco these days. Not to say that the crowd didn't respond positively to some of ST but when the band dished out the old, the audience responded. And ONLY THEN did the band seem loose. Maybe they're still trying to feel their way around the new material. Unfortunately the Canadians hecklers was just the excuse Tweedy need to unleash his "tude" for the evening. After letting these guys get away with this shit a whole night it seemed inappropriate for security to come down on them so late in the evening. I didn't see any recording equipment as was suggested. The sad part is that these hecklers will remember this concert quite differently.
Mitch's Dream Gig Becomes a Reality
Woo Hoo! Sunken Road will be warming up for Alejandro Escovedo on Friday, April 30 at the Magic Stick (4120 Woodward, Detroit, 313-833-9700). Tix available through Ticketmaster, blah, blah, blah. Any Qs, you can contact me. Mitch Matthews (still floating on a cloud) Gravel Train/Sunken Road
Re: Captain Beefheart (re:Welfare Music)
Sorry to disagree with Marie, but Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band rocked my little part of the world in their own peculiar way. One of the first CDs I bought was "Trout Mask Replica", mostly to replace the LP that had grown scratched and worn. I do agree that most of his later output was crap. His two classics were "Trout Mask Replica" and "Lick My Decals Off Baby". LMDOB unfortunately still isn't available on CD, or I'd have that too. You can get MP3s of the songs from LMDOB via the Captain Beefheart Radar Station (http://www.beefheart.com/filtered/filtered.htm). I just dug the humor behind his music. In 1969, when everybody else was singing about peace and/or drugs, the Captain was singing about Big Joan, whose hands were too small to go out in the daylight. His sound was dense, loud and cluttered, definitely not for everyone. Maybe it appealed to me because I grew up on Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (my first LP was "We're Only In It For the Money"; my second was "Sgt. Peppers". I thought the Beatles were doing a parody of the Mothers). Maybe it's just the vibrations he set off resonated my geeky side. Anyway, I thought he was tapped into something outside of himself. Through him I got into Albert Ayler and Howlin' Wolf. I got to see the Magic Band at the Whiskey A Go Go around 1981. It was a great show, one of the best I saw that year. Captain Beefheart was and is a unique character. np: Danny Gatton, Portraits
Clip: Scott Hendricks post-G*rth
http://www.nashscene.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?browser=netscaperequest=Thi s_Week:Music:Industry The Virgin King Scott Hendricks talks about life after Garth By Beverly Keel On a rainy Wednesday morning, a relaxed, denim-clad Scott Hendricks eases into his morning of interviews and phone calls. To call the president of Virgin Records Nashville press-shy might be an understatement--he has yet to meet a reporter he wouldn't rather avoid. Even so, he has agreed to meet with the press to discuss the debut album by Julie Reeves--which is also the 8-month-old label's first musical release. Now settled into his new post, Hendricks is enjoying the calm after the storm of Hurricane Garth, which blew him out of his position as president of Capitol Nashville Records, sister label to Virgin under the EMI umbrella. The two men's working relationship started off bumpy in 1995, and it went downhill from there. Brooks blamed Hendricks for what he considered to be lackluster sales of the 4 million-selling Fresh Horses album. Then, when the time came for Brooks to release Sevens, he refused to turn in the project until his hand-picked management team was in place. In a startling power play, Hendricks was replaced in November 1997 by then-executive vice president/general manager Pat Quigley. Overnight, Hendricks became the martyr of Music Row--a sacrifice to the cold corporate forces of the music biz. Now, more than a year later, Hendricks is ready to move forward, yet he speaks candidly about the past. "[EMI Recorded Music Chairman] Ken Berry believed in me and what we were doing at Capitol and didn't want to cut that off," the 42-year-old Hendricks says. "He wanted that to continue, and since Garth got the label he wanted, it gave us the opportunity to start Virgin. And basically [my] philosophy here is no different than what I had when I was at Capitol: If you get the right music out there, you will have a successful label." As proof, he points to the successes he had at Capitol with Deana Carter and Trace Adkins. After his ouster, Hendricks received several offers from labels and even considered returning to independent production, but he ultimately decided to remain with the company that, to all appearances, had unceremoniously dumped him. "I never for a second felt betrayed by Ken Berry," he says. "He could not have been more supportive. "You have to put yourself in Ken Berry's shoes, and I tried to do that. You have to look at it from a lot of different levels. A decision had to be made, and I was part of that decision in a roundabout way. This wasn't [a situation where] I got the call one day saying, `You are out.' " One of the main reasons Hendricks remained with EMI was his loyalty to the Capitol staffers who had also been dismissed--Doug Baker, Mark Brown, Donna Duarte, Susan Levy, and Lorie Lytle. Their livelihoods were in his hands, as were the fates of Julie Reeves and River Road, acts he had signed at Capitol but not yet released. During the nine months he spent deciding his next move, Hendricks' dismissal became the hot topic on Music Row. Amidst all the talk, he admits it was difficult to remain silent. "It was hard not to defend myself--it's hard now--but I don't want to get down on that level. Naively or not, I believe the truth will prevail." Scott Hendricks Ironically, Hendricks had every reason to think that he and Brooks might get along. "I mistakenly believed that there was something common there because we grew up 50 miles from each other," he remembers. "We used to play each other's high school in sports, and we went to the same agricultural college. "My first meeting with Garth, I said, `I'll never lie to you or kick you under the table. I want to be able to have the kind of relationship where we can be truthful with each other.' I found he didn't like for me to be truthful." Brooks also didn't like taking any share of the blame when it came to figuring out why he'd failed to reach his sales goals for Fresh Horses. "There was a lot of hoopla about Garth and the marketing plan, but the reality is, he signed that marketing plan. He agreed with it wholeheartedly, and we executed it to a tee." Even though Hendricks' tenure at Capitol will always be marked by his rift with Garth Brooks, he helped to turn the label around at a crucial point. When he arrived, new acts and song pluggers were bypassing Capitol because they figured they'd just be ignored, overshadowed by Brooks. "We finally got the boat going in the right direction," Hendricks recalls, "and all of a sudden we had more than one artist on that label." In the months since his departure, Hendricks has had to watch Adkins' and Carter's careers lose steady momentum. (The two could possibly change over to Virgin if they so chose.) He's also remained quiet in the face of criticism from Quigley, who has suggested that Tanya Tucker, John Berry, Suzy Bogguss, and Billy Dean were all poorly treated at Capitol under
RE: Summer Teething (was Wilco @ Pearl Street)
-Original Message- From: Jeff Sohn [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Beyond the unfamiliarity factor, the audience simply wanted the old Wilco back. Even the Mermaid Avenue constitutes as old Wilco these days. Not to say that the crowd didn't respond positively to some of ST but when the band dished out the old, the audience responded. And ONLY THEN did the band seem loose. Maybe they're still trying to feel their way around the new material. [Matt Benz] Ok, but how is this different from how audiences typically respond to an act that has several albums to its credit? Isn't the history of rock music littered with stories of bands trying to do something they find artistically different and pleasing, only to have the audience scream for "Satisfaction!" "You Really Got Me!" "Radio Free Europe!" "Chickamauga!" "What's with this opera shit? Play fuckin' My Generation!" etc..
Clip: Steve taylor (no twang, but interesting industry stuff nonetheless)
http://www.nashscene.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?browser=netscaperequest=Thi s_Week:Cover_Story Would You Trust This Man With a Record Company? Christian music iconoclast Steve Taylor finds unexpected mainstream success By Rob Simbeck, photos by Ben Pearson Steve Taylor may not be the last person you'd expect the Gaylord Corporation to entrust with millions of dollars, but he'd have to be pretty far down the list. True, he has long been a highly visible part of Christian music. But in an industry concerned with projecting a positive, upright image, he has been anything but orthodox. A left-of-center singer, producer, and filmmaker and an unapologetic fan of The Clash and David Bowie, he has made a lot of people nervous. Over the course of his long and fertile recording career, he has displayed a wicked satirical streak, skewering the pomposity, smugness, and self-righteousness of Christians and non-Christians alike. In fact, his over-the-top rock 'n' roll stage theatrics and his iconoclastic lyrics once earned the enmity of famed televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. Taylor helped modernize Christian music, transforming it from an often lame, Sunday school version of pop radio to a genre that can hold its own with the best of secular music. Along the way, though, he found himself bound alternately by the expectations of the Christian marketplace and by the cold, hard politics of the record business. With a deep understanding of just how hard it is for a musician to succeed, he decided three years ago to form his own record company--a company where he could do things differently. Squint Entertainment is his ultimate act of rebellion, the hacksaw with which he aims to cut through corporate shackles. The fact that he's operating under the umbrella of the Gaylord Corporation, a company not often identified with innovation, is intriguing, to say the least. If his enterprise works, it could help change the way Nashville makes music. And so far, it's working pretty well, thank you. "I would have to say honestly that picturing him as a label executive was not within my realm of capability," says Neal Joseph, former head of Warner Alliance, the label that released Taylor's last solo record. "[It's not strange] that someone would give him the opportunity, but that he would take it. By its nature, heading a label has some corporate structure to it, and Steve is not one who likes to function within a corporate structure." Yet here he is, with a desk in a nice fifth-floor office overlooking West End Avenue. Of late, things at Squint have been going swimmingly: The label has scored that rarest of coups--a hit pop single from Nashville, by Sixpence None the Richer. The group's single "Kiss Me" is now sitting in the Top 5 of Billboard's Pop Singles Chart, while its eponymously titled album has shipped 400,000 units. The video for "Kiss Me"--shot by Taylor for $50,000, a mere fraction of a normal rock video budget--has received significant airplay on VH1. And that's only one of Taylor's successes: The Insyders' Squint LP Skaleluia is the only record ever to hit No. 1 on both Soundscan's Rock/Alternative chart and its Praise and Worship chart. Burlap to Cashmere, another Squint group, peaked at No. 10 on the Soundscan Christian music sales chart. Both groups' albums have sold nearly 100,000 copies. His next big project is Chevelle, a Detroit rock trio inspired by such heavy alternarock bands as Tool and Nirvana. The group is being produced by Steve Albini, an underground rock musician who has found major-league success as producer for Page and Plant, Bush, Nirvana, and PJ Harvey. What makes Taylor such an interesting figure isn't his surprising success--it's his wariness of the very music industry he's working in. "The modern recording contract has become like the tax code," he says firmly. "I think it should be thrown out and started over from scratch. It can't be fixed." Taylor has long been troubled by the business side of music, so he has decided to lead by example, dealing fairly and honestly with the musicians on Squint's roster. Sixpence None the Richer is a perfect example: The group's album, which is doing so remarkably well, was released in November 1997--a full year-and-a-half ago. Most other labels would have long ago lost interest in such a project, preferring to write off their losses and move on in search of the next big thing. But since Taylor is himself an artist, he follows a different set of guidelines. For starters, he says, "I want to sign people I like and trust. If I don't like hanging out with them, this is not going to be fun in five years." His other prerequisite is contractual fairness, something that falls squarely on his shoulders. "I don't want a scenario where you spend all this time developing trust, and then when it's time to make a deal, you turn it over to the lawyers to fight it out. Modern record deals have become an exercise in bad faith. I don't believe in taking advantage
Re: Captain BeefheartTom Waits
Man, I can't even find the words to express how much I hate Beefheart. I know hate is a strong word, but it's really not strong enough. Marie Captain Beefheart was and is a unique character. Brad If nothing else, Captain Beefheart paved the way for his musical superior, Tom Waits. Or, maybe I should say that the Beefheart precedent seems so clearly to have influenced Tom's work from Swordfishtrombones onward. Personally, I think the Beef have some very annoying stuff, and is almost certainly overrated, but I do think that "China Pig" is a great, bluesy song, FWIW. Lance . . .
Re: Updates
here's the piece Don's talking about: Ruminations on SXSW '99 and the "Alt.Country" phenomenon from an insiders perspective (and no, it's not me) : Well another SXSW has come and gone. And sure I saw a few good bands and hung out with old friends, but overall I am left with a really bad taste in my mouth about the state of roots music. I spent several afternoons and evenings watching some of the worst "music" I have seen in a long time. And most of these shitty bands were playing in the country, roots, americana style. One of the biggest problems with these bands is their obvious lack of musicianship. I'm no musical snob and every player doesn't have to be a virtuoso, but c'mon some of these folks can't play at all. They sound like 7th graders who just picked up their instruments. I'm open minded, in my book you can still be a worthwhile band and not have a solid grasp on your instruments if you do one thing - write great songs. After all the spirit of the music can overcome missed chords and out of tune harmonies. Unfortunately this pack of lame bands failed miserably in the song writing category as well. Suburban hipsters singing about "wacky" white trash topics like trucker's speed and trailer parks just rings hollow with this music fan. These bands don't seem to know the difference between playing a musical style and parodying it. I'm not a country purist or some kind of traditional music elitist. I don't mind a little rock in my country or vice versa, the meshing of musical styles has resulted in some of the greatest music ever. But to me the bastardization of the country form as done by so many of these "alt-country" bands is as offensive as Pat Boone singing Chuck Berry songs. These "alt-country" showcases were packed with scenesters dressed up like they were going to a Hee-Haw theme party. Women in pig-tails and guys in spray painted straw hats that would surely get their asses kicked in an actual honky-tonk. This crowd adores these bands and doesn't seem to care what is being played as long as the band looks right and has a kitchy name. The most disturbing part of the whole SXSW experience was seeing music critics, label folks and radio programmers also eating these bands up like they were the new Merle Haggard. The fact that these industry folks can't seem to differentiate between heart felt, honest country music and dumb, patronizing, nonsense blows my mind. If you were to ask any hard working country musician the difference they would tell you its all about the sincerity of the performer. Any 99% percent of these bands got no heart. The saddest part is the proliferation of these dime a dozen Americana bands is what killing the whole roots music movement. The pie is only so big for musicians, clubs, labels, and the more slices there are the less there is for the folks who really love this music and deserve an opportunity to make a living playing it.
Crappy alt-country at SXSW (was Re: Updates
If you were to ask any hard working country musician the difference they would tell you its all about the sincerity of the performer. Any 99% percent of these bands got no heart. And this is the only part of the anonymous diatribe that I might disagree with, or at least amend. It's not *all* about the sincerity. There are also some awfully sincere alt-country bands that are just, well, awful. No doubt that white-trash minstrel show shit rubs me the wrong way, but I'm also not a fan of the painfully earnest ones who have nothin' else goin' for 'em except their sincerity. Dull as dirt is not much better than a superficial schtick. Anyway, it's too bad the person who wrote that essay spent so much time with the cartoon crowd down there -- he/she must've missed James Hand, Justin Trevino, Don Walser, Paul Burch, Dale Watson and all the other hardcore traditionalists types that played this year.--don
Re: Clip: Scott Hendricks post-G*rth
Jon J. clipped, I snipped: Scott Hendricks Ironically, Hendricks had every reason to think that he and Brooks might get along. "I mistakenly believed that there was something common there because we grew up 50 miles from each other," he remembers. "We used to play each other's high school in sports, and we went to the same agricultural college. This just kind of tickled me. I'm sure there's still a strong ag program there, but I hadn't heard Oklahoma State referred to as an "agricultural college" since it was Oklahoma AM, years ago, long before Hendricks and the ball-eater were attending classes. "My first meeting with Garth, I said, `I'll never lie to you or kick you under the table. I want to be able to have the kind of relationship where we can be truthful with each other.' I found he didn't like for me to be truthful." Well, Garth's human after all, eh? g b.s. n.p. Mandy Barnett I'VE GOT A RIGHT TO CRY
Clip: Mandy B, Charles Kim
Another twangy Margasak column. http://www.chireader.com/hitsville/990423.html Pop Goes the Country Mandy Barnett grew up in Cumberland County, Tennessee, and by age ten was singing her summers away at Dollywood. She entertained at political rallies for both Lamar Alexander and Al Gore, hit the Grand Ole Opry stage at the ripe old age of 12, and at 13 signed a development deal with Nashville big cheese Jimmy Bowen, then at Universal. But instead of getting sucked through and spat out of the machine like some southern Celine Dion, Barnett discovered that she didn't much care for country music--at least not the kind that was coming out of Nashville in the 90s. Last week Barnett released her second album, I've Got a Right to Cry (Sire), a collection that brazenly borrows the "Nashville Sound" of the 60s. Ironically, it's that poppy, orchestral sound--lush strings, tinkling piano, soft guitar picking, woozy steel washes, supersweet backup singing, and lead vocals that owe as much to Broadway as the Opry--that's indirectly responsible for the bland Stetson rock that passes for the sound of Nashville today. For better (the Mavericks) or worse (Shania Twain), it broadened country's palette to include pop and vice-versa. The Nashville Sound, sometimes called "countrypolitan," was developed in the late 50s and early 60s by a handful of producers, including Chet Atkins, who worked with Jim Reeves, Skeeter Davis, and Don Gibson, and Owen Bradley, who made stars of Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, and Patsy Cline. In fact, though the press materials that accompanied my copy of the album take pains not to mention it, Barnett spent three nights a week through most of 1994 and '95 playing Cline in the hit musical "Always...Patsy Cline" at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, and at times on I've Got a Right to Cry, she still sounds an awful lot like her. Owen Bradley met Barnett while she was in the show, and eventually came out of retirement to produce four tracks on her new album. After he died last January, at 82, his brother, guitarist Harold Bradley, and Harold's son Bobby finished the job. Barnett's first album was made for Asylum in 1996 with producer Bill Schnee, who had worked with Natalie Cole, Barbra Streisand, and Whitney Houston, and it was an obvious attempt to capitalize on her stage success without offending country radio's sensibilities. Barnett excelled on the tunes with more complex melodies, such as "Planet of Love" and "Maybe" by Jim Lauderdale, but on the sappy ballad "A Simple I Love You" she sounded woefully at odds with the material. Despite three charting singles and plenty of critical acclaim, the album stiffed, and she parted ways with the label. She was the first artist signed to Sire after founder Seymour Stein relaunched the label as a separate entity from Elektra in 1997. "I'm willing to stake my reputation on Mandy," he told the LA Times. While she tackles a few honky-tonk numbers on I've Got a Right to Cry--including the Carl Smith classic "Trademark"--mostly she sticks with material that can clearly be classified as pop. Not for nothing have the songs on her album been covered in the past by singers like Patti Page, Perry Como, Tom Jones, and Engelbert Humperdinck. Page scored a number 11 pop hit in 1950 with her big-band rendition of "With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming," a slice of tepid postwar romantic hokum with all the rhythmic sophistication of a windshield wiper. Barnett's version is instrumentally leaner--even with overripe backing vocals--and with her cool croon and subtle southern drawl, she stretches out the pretty melody with sharper accents, increased range and rhythmic lilt, and all around greater emotional nuance than Page. I'd go so far as to call Barnett's record one of the best pop albums so far this year--but I'm hedging my bets on whether it'll sell like one. Unlike Owen Bradley's last production job, K.D. Lang's 1988 album, Shadowland, it's completely irony-free, which means it's wildly out of step not just with mainstream Nashville but also the alternative country scene. Sire seems to be trying to pique the interest of country radio by building Barnett a pop following--a strategy that worked for Dwight Yoakam and BR5-49. The label sent the album's first single only to Americana and "nonreporting" country stations, and Barnett was on Letterman last week; too bad most of the songs are too slow to propel a Gap commercial. Postscripts Pinetop Seven guitarist Charles Kim has written themes and incidental music for the Theater Oobleck production Pinochet: A Carnival; it's performed live by a sax quartet that sometimes includes him. The play runs Thursdays through Saturdays until May 15 at the Holy Covenant United Methodist Church, 925 W. Diversey; call 773-743-6652 or see the theater listings in Section Two for more information. The rarely seen Pinetop Seven will play Metro on June 3, toward the end of a two-and-a-half-week tour with Calexico. In early March
Re: Updates
Mark Rubin spit: These "alt-country" showcases were packed with scenesters dressed up like they were going to a Hee-Haw theme party. Women in pig-tails and guys in spray painted straw hats that would surely get their asses kicked in an actual honky-tonk. Funny...I was at a real country bar out in the county on Saturday, and remarked to a bandmate that someone like Moonshine Willy or SCOTS would get their asses stomped if they got on stage. Nice rant, Mark. Dave *** Dave Purcell, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Northern Ky Roots Music: http://w3.one.net/~newport Twangfest: http://www.twangfest.com
Re: Updates
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999, Dave Purcell wrote: Nice rant, Mark. Just to clarify, it wasn't written by Mr. Rubin (or so he sez, and I don't see any reason to doubt him). He attributed it to an anonymous "insider."--don
Re: Crappy alt-country at SXSW (was Re: Updates
Yeah, Don I can agree with most of this critique in general terms, until we get to the sincerity bit. As I've said so many times, the "sincerity" argument never gets it for me. But I'm certainly all for more musicianship and less scenester 'tude --junior
Re: Mandy B
On Wed, 21 Apr 1999, Terry A. Smith wrote: pps it's been a great week; discovered via the library, Solomon Burke and Lloyd Price. How'd I ripen into my 40s without having heard these guys? Mysteries of life. Then Don: Yeah, right -- it's 'cuz you live in that cultural backwater known as the American Midwest.--don (who coincidentally played Solomon Burke on the Roadhouse last night) Don't mean to quibble, but I don't live in the Midwest. Southeastern Ohio, where Athens is located, is about as Appalachian as you can get, both culturally and geographically (there's about one cubic foot of flat space in our whole county). We're un-glaciated, and proud of it! -- Terry Smith ps man, we're getting a lot of mileage out of this "Mandy B." thread, aren't we? But I did want to ask, seriously, which tunes on her new record are the classics and which are the newly written ones. As other folks have mentioned, Owen Bradley, who apparently had a lot to do with the song selection, couldn't have done a better job, and the old ones blend with the new ones seamlessly. I've got to say, though, I like "Who (who will it be)" the best. Is that an old tune?
Re: Updates
Don Yates wrote: On Thu, 22 Apr 1999, M Rubin wrote: Just added an essay on the "Alt.Country" showings at the recent SXSW conference on my homepages, in case anyone was interested. http://markrubin.com Y'all might do well to check out that provocative li'l essay. It brings up the same kind of troublesome issues surrounding alt-country that we've dealt with here from time to time. Too bad the writer (and no, it's not meg) didn't name names.--don Well, yeah, it is too bad that the writer didn't name names, and while it might not have seen print otherwise, it's too bad we don't know who wrote it. There's some stuff there that I'd like to hear specifics on. I saw a couple of showcases with some stuff I didn't care for, but by and large I enjoyed myself. Where was this guy? And y'know, he might not have seen fit to name names, but we could... Like I said about pop music last week, there's always a lot more mediocre or worse bands than good or great ones. Do those bands, in whatever genre, drag that style of music down for the other people playing it? What makes "the roots music movement" different? Anonymous asserts: The saddest part is the proliferation of these dime a dozen Americana bands is what killing the whole roots music movement. The pie is only so big for musicians, clubs, labels, and the more slices there are the less there is for the folks who really love this music and deserve an opportunity to make a living playing it. So is this really true? And if so, why more so for this music than any other, where nobody mentions how the lesser-quality bands are spoiling it for everybody else? b.s.
RE: Mandy B
I've got to say, though, I like "Who (who will it be)" the best. Is that an old tune? With a co-publisher named "Twenty Second Century Music," I doubt it g. The definite oldies are "I've Got A Right To Cry" (Hank Jr.), "Give Myself A Party" (Don Gibson), "Trademark" (Carl Smith), "Falling, Falling, Falling" (Ray Price). I assume that the Newbury and Bryants tunes are not new, but I dunno who the original performers would be. Jon Weisberger, Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger
Re: Mandy B
In a message dated 4/22/99 12:57:37 PM Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: But I did want to ask, seriously, which tunes on her new record are the classics and which are the newly written ones...I've got to say, though, I like "Who (who will it be)" the best. Is that an old tune? "Who" and "The Whispering Wind," both cowritten by l. russell brown (of "tie a yellow ribbon" fame) and pat mclaughlin, are the only two new ones on barnett's album. bill f-w
Back in San Fran
Hey all: Owen here, from Ranchero Records and Red Meat. We're back from our Midwest/Southeast jaunt, and we had a great time. It was nice to meet some people from the list; thanks for coming and checking Red Meat out. And thanks especially to Kelly Kessler, who had us play her "Honky Tonk Living Room" at the Hideout in Chicago. Any of you bandmembers out there: If you're gonna pass through Chicago, be sure to play this show! Kelly's done a great job setting the whole thing up, the Hideout is a terrific venue, and the management are true gems. It's dealing with people, venues and shows like this that really make this business a pleasure! We had a blast, and I hope you Chicagoans who came did too! And thanks to Kip for having the Rockhouse Ramblers play with us in St. Louis. Cool band, man! And that Atlanta show...fun fun fun! We played with the Ex-Husbands, who I never had heard before. And they absolutely rocked -- a fantastic band! If you live in the Southeast and haven't seen 'em, by all means go! Now! Now if we could just get them to come out west... OK. Nice to be back. We had fun, and we look forward to the Buck Owens/Red Meat show at Bimbo's on May 19. If ya haven't bought tickets yet, do it before it sells out! See ya there... Owen Bly Ranchero Records Oakland, CA
SXSW stuff
I don't really think the guy had to name names, he certainly said enough to identify who he was talking about. Obviously not a big fan of insurgent/punk attitude. I would have to agree for the most part. ALthough there seems to be a market for this stuff . . . so some fans are diggin' it. There was a comment made in the (SXSW Saturday??) Statesman by the columnest on the inside cover, that named CHicago as a highly over-rated music scene in that he had never heard such bad singing and fake accents,etc. I think he named Freakwater among others . . . just reporting the facts here. -jim
RE: Updates
Bill Silvers says: Like I said about pop music last week, there's always a lot more mediocre or worse bands than good or great ones. Do those bands, in whatever genre, drag that style of music down for the other people playing it? What makes "the roots music movement" different? Anonymous asserts: The saddest part is the proliferation of these dime a dozen Americana bands is what killing the whole roots music movement. The pie is only so big for musicians, clubs, labels, and the more slices there are the less there is for the folks who really love this music and deserve an opportunity to make a living playing it. So is this really true? And if so, why more so for this music than any other, where nobody mentions how the lesser-quality bands are spoiling it for everybody else? I think it's true, and it can be heard, though usually not in public and usually not for attribution, from a lot of pro-level bluegrassers as well (synchronistically, someone on folkdj-l recently posted in passing a short comment from another unidentified musician saying exactly the same thing with regard to bluegrass; as it happens, I know the guy who made it, and he's definitely a higher-quality type). As for why the "roots music movement" is different in this regard, the short answer, IMO, is unfamiliarity. People's exposure to bluegrass, or alt.country, for instance, is a lot smaller and a lot chancier, hence the greater likelihood that hearing someone who, pardon my French, sucks will turn the first-time observer off; s/he's more likely to take the lousy performance as typical of the genre. Jon Weisberger, Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger
Re: Back in San Fran
Red Meat do Atlanta: And that Atlanta show...fun fun fun! We played with the Ex-Husbands, who I never had heard before. And they absolutely rocked -- a fantastic band! If you live in the Southeast and haven't seen 'em, by all means go! Now! Now if we could just get them to come out west... Oh come on Owen, you're just saying this cause Amy H. bribed you, right? Seriously, though, it's too bad we couldn't catch you guys in the KC area (where we'll get two (count 'em 2) visits by the ExHubs in May). Come on through this area next time you go out... --junior
Re: Mandy B
In a message dated 4/22/99 1:18:02 PM EST, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: "Who" and "The Whispering Wind," both cowritten by l. russell brown (of "tie a yellow ribbon" fame) and pat mclaughlin, are the only two new ones on barnett's album. "Whispering Wind" is killing me, currently the greatest musical moment in my immediate playlist. Flat-out gorgeous. The moment in which she sings those long notes (the words escape me right now) make me light-headed. Wowee zowee. Neal Weiss country-lovin' rock guy np - Feelies, Good Earth
Wilco in Chicago
Hi, sorry to bother everyone, but I was wondering again if anyone has an extra ticket, or two, for this show...??? Please e-mail me if so. I can pay whatever. love, A/D [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Mandy B
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999, Jon Weisberger wrote:
I've got to say, though, I like "Who (who will it
be)" the best. Is that an old tune?
With a co-publisher named "Twenty Second Century Music," I doubt it g.
The definite oldies are "I've Got A Right To Cry" (Hank Jr.), "Give
Myself A Party" (Don Gibson), "Trademark" (Carl Smith), "Falling,
Falling, Falling" (Ray Price). I assume that the Newbury and Bryants
tunes are not new, but I dunno who the original performers would be.
The Newbury tune was a minor hit for Gibson. The original version's
pretty swell, but Mandy tops it. "I'm Gonna Change Everything" is an old
Jim Reeves song. "Who (Who Will It Be)" and "The Whispering Wind (Blows
On By)" are both new ones written by the same songwriters (L. Russell
Brown and Pat McLaughlin). *Someone* here has to know who did the
Boudleaux and Felice song ("Don't Forget To Cry"). Margasak sez "With My
Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming" is an old pop tune, so we'll take his word
for it. That leaves "Mistakes" (Edgar Leslie/Horatio Nicholls) and "Ever
True Evermore" (Kermit Goell/Theodore Rhodes). If I was to stereotype
songwriter names, I'd suggest they were both written by old-school pop
songwriters.--don
Re: SXSW stuff
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999, James Gerard Roll wrote: I don't really think the guy had to name names, he certainly said enough to identify who he was talking about. Obviously not a big fan of insurgent/punk attitude. Perhaps. But the writer also made clear that combining country and rock isn't necessarily a bad thing, and I can think of plenty of bands who do a good job of it. Then again, I can also think of plenty who don't.g--don
RE: Summer Teething
[Matt Benz] Ok, but how is this different from how audiences typically respond to an act that has several albums to its credit? Isn't the history of rock music littered with stories of bands trying to do something they find artistically different and pleasing, only to have the audience scream for "Satisfaction!" "You Really Got Me!" "Radio Free Europe!" "Chickamauga!" "What's with this opera shit? Play fuckin' My Generation!" etc..] Matt- You're right, it's no different. But "My Generation" was 100 times better than that opera shit! ;-) Listen, time may prove me wrong but the lack of strength of the new material coupled with Tweedy's disinterest on Monday night only intensified the cries for the old material. As previously mentioned the most engaged Tweedy was all night was during his outburst; the audience was most engaged during the old songs. That's all. Hey it's starting to sound like Postcard (P1) around here! I'm getting out before I start talking about kind of guitar stringsTweedy uses. Jeff
Re: Mandy B
In a message dated 4/22/99 1:30:26 PM EST, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
*Someone* here has to know who did the
Boudleaux and Felice song ("Don't Forget To Cry").
Beck?
Re: Mandy B/ Dixie Chicks
David Cantwell wrote: At 12:04 PM 4/22/99 -0400, Jon wrote: I've heard it. It's a good, straight country shuffle; "nothing 'alt' about it" is right - you can hear a dozen or two like it any Saturday night on the Grand Ole Opry, and that's not a criticism. It will be interesting to see how it fares on the charts. I heard this on the radio the other day and asked out loud: Who the hell is doing this twangy country song? When the DJ said the Chicks, I was plenty surprised. But in a very good way. --david cantwell I've got the Dixie Chicks album. It's a good album with some good "country" stuff on it. It's usually the case that the better stuff is only allowed on the album because of all the other pop stuff around, but because they are selling so well now they can get away with putting the country stuff out as singles too. On the last track (Let 'Er Rip) they let loose with extended instrumental breaks. I wouldn't normally expect something like that to go out as a single, but now you never know... Louise -- If you like rocking country music, check out the Okeh Wranglers web site at: http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/bluesmoke
Re: Back in San Fran
They'll be out west soon enoughwe promise. -Original Message- From: Ph. Barnard [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: passenger side [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thursday, April 22, 1999 2:29 PM Subject: Re: Back in San Fran Red Meat do Atlanta: And that Atlanta show...fun fun fun! We played with the Ex-Husbands, who I never had heard before. And they absolutely rocked -- a fantastic band! If you live in the Southeast and haven't seen 'em, by all means go! Now! Now if we could just get them to come out west... Oh come on Owen, you're just saying this cause Amy H. bribed you, right? Seriously, though, it's too bad we couldn't catch you guys in the KC area (where we'll get two (count 'em 2) visits by the ExHubs in May). Come on through this area next time you go out... --junior
Re: SXSW stuff
Jim Roll wrote: There was a comment made in the (SXSW Saturday??) Statesman by the columnest on the inside cover, that named CHicago as a highly over-rated music scene in that he had never heard such bad singing and fake accents,etc. I think he named Freakwater among others . . Yep, I've said that out here, oh, 30 or 40 times g. When I was there, if you take away Robbie Fulks, you're not left with much (the Wacos are fun, but face it, they're a rock band). Since then, the fabulous Kellys -- Kessler and Hogan -- have emerged, along with Anna Fermin, so perhaps things are getting better. Although Chicago scores extra negative style points for Moonshine Willy and the Handsome Family, two of the worst alt.country bands of all time (though, I did like a couple of HF songs Mark Wyatt played for me, and though I'm told they're quite nice people, they're not my bag of chips live). Bring it on, CK. Dave *** Dave Purcell, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Northern Ky Roots Music: http://w3.one.net/~newport Twangfest: http://www.twangfest.com
Re: Artist of the Decade?
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999, David Cantwell wrote: Jerry, Jerry, Jerry. As someone who also appreciates big production, let this fellow traveler just reassure you that Nevermind, despite the culty punk expectations it carries, was...PRODUCED OUT THE ASS Anyone David et al. Thanks for the advice and perhaps, I should give that record another go-around. I also appreciate the reference. Always like Mr. Vig. Remember Fire Town anyone? I think perhaps, Cobain's voice spoiled the overall sound for me and that's why I gave the record such short shrift. NP: Tal Bachman - so far, my #1 top release of the year. Lush, rich.voice reminds me of paul Kelly at times. JC
RE: Clip: Mandy B, Charles Kim
The label sent the album's first single only to Americana and "nonreporting" country stations... Yeah, I meant to mention that after I read it on a Barnett-devoted website last night. That might account for its non-appearance on the Billboard chart (that's who the nonreporting stations don't report to) almost as much as tiny, impoverished Sire's inability to cough up enough payola. Jon Weisberger, Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger
RE: Artist of the Decade?
Jerry Curry writes:
Remember Fire Town anyone?
Absolutely. Decent first album with a classic song in "Carry the Torch" and
a second album ("The Good Life") that's solid all the way through. Hey
maybe if the next Garbage album flops, we can look forward to a Fire Town
reunion!
--Slonedog
Hey, Krueg! (was Re: Artist of the Decade?)
Jerry Curry wrote: Always like Mr. Vig. Remember Fire Town anyone? This should bring The Krueg out of hiding. Seems I remember some stories about Tom snorting coke with Butch and Fire Town or some such. Dave *** Dave Purcell, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Northern Ky Roots Music: http://w3.one.net/~newport Twangfest: http://www.twangfest.com
Re: Artist of the Decade?
I think perhaps, Cobain's voice spoiled the overall sound for me and that's why I gave the record such short shrift. Wow, I tend Cobain's voice *makes* the record. Someone once called him the "human Marshall stack." I couldn't have put it any better. One of the best rock voices to ever come down the pike. NW
Re: Mandy B
Jeez, Kip, you're almost as easy to bait as Curry.g--don Waddaya mean, *almost* g Naw, I knew what Yates was up to. But I had just gotten through defending the Midwest to a friend of mine, so I was already in battle fatigues and figured I'd play along. NP: Tal Bachmann - played it yesterday, today and I'm betting tomorrow as well. This is the son of Randy "Looking Out For #1" Bachmann, yes? Kip
Re: Captain Beefheart (re:Welfare Music)
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999 09:28:18 -0500 Marie Arsenault [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Man, I can't even find the words to express how much I hate Beefheart. I know hate is a strong word, but it's really not strong enough. I'd rather be forced to listen to Dave Matthews for all eternity through earphones super-glued to my head then listen to 3 more minutes of Beefheart in my lifetime. Yowch. That hurts to even think about. Marie, I think you just expressed the pain. From the Land of Dave... William Cocke Senior Writer HSC Development University of Virginia (804) 924-8432
Re: Mandy B
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This is the son of Randy "Looking Out For #1" Bachmann, yes? Yup... JC
Re: Single Most Influential
At 07:48 PM 4/21/99 -0400, Carl wrote: Not to displace anything in David's definitive Top 4 - (sideline: except that I'm not quite convinced we've covered soul properly in the person of James Brown, whose influence vocally and rhythmically is definitive for funk-disco-rap but not so much in the more slow-grooving melody-centred part of pop-soul-RB Good call, Carl. Brother Ray is huge this century and he deserves to be there, and very high too. But as for Brown and pop-soul RB, I'd suggest a replaying of the Startime box set, disc one, especially "Try Me," "I Know It's True," Baby, You're Right," "Lost Someone," "It's A Man's World," and especially, especially "Prisoner Of Love," which is as great a bit of pop-soul-RB as Charles ever did. Hell, as anyone ever did. - but on Tera's behalf I'd reluctantly say that if we look at the current state of pop music, where female singer-songwriters are about the only growing concern in the rock column of the equation, it's not easy to avoid pegging Joni Mitchell fairly high up. Well, bristling, I say: HOW fairly high up are you talking? g Joni Mitchell was the pop-music equivalent of Jackie Robinson, breaking the bar as the first major female artist to visibly call the shots on her own career, on her own songs and in her own distinctly female (but not feminized) voice Didn't Aretha already do this, at least during the post-Columbia, classic Atlantic period? (Yes, you might name Dolly or Loretta or Aretha or Billie Holiday or Ella or Tina Turner, but I don't think any of them visibly held control over their personae and music in the same way.) I've already named, as has Tera, Aretha, Mahalia, and Bessie, and I don't think the rest of your list quite makes it to the Top Ten or Fifteen level (well, MAYBE Ella..) that we've been discussing. BUT, Madonna (who you skip over so quickly)... what I was thinking? She HAS to be incredibly high on a list of most influentials, right? The whole current women's movement can be traced back to her, I'd say, and far more directly--both in terms of music and in terms of business--than it could to Joni. She's also been huge, for better or worse, in the way image rules today, as well as in the way street moves are immediately co-opted for commercial gain and (sometimes) artistic success. The irony is that Mitchell's historical significance far outstrips her musical quality - much of the latter is for the worse, in that she, er, overlegitimized confessional songwriting Agreed as to her quality. And, as to her singificance, would her contemporary, Sweet Baby James, have played a more visible, more broad-based role in spreading this kind of music to the wide world (both in confessional songwriting and in OVERLY confessional songwriting)? Plus, James apparently has got that whole Garth thing to answer for... --david cantwell
Re: Artist of the Decade?
At 05:16 AM 4/22/99 -0500, JP dared us all to explain the artist of the decade should NOT be one of the following: Perry Farrell (who commercialized the most interesting aspects of Nirvana's "revolution") You mean, LEAST interesting, right? Dr. Dre Well, I nominated him myself, so I ain't gonna run him down here... U2 Their best and most influential work was all in the 80s, not the 90s. Prince Ditto. With an explanation point. Red Hot Chili Peppers Hootie and the Blowfish Please, I'm trying my damndest to forget both these bands PJ Harvey I like her records a lot, but it seems to me that, first, an artist of the decade should be somebody whose audience extends beyond you, me, Robert Christgau and that one weird guy at the record store. Cesaria Evora (who didn't even know she was making beautiful records for consumerist dissection) No, precisely because no one knew she was doing it. Trent Reznor (who tried unsuccessfully to avoid the traps of the celebrity culture while commenting upon it AND fucking fashion models; and making great music) As you, say he attempted this UNsuccessfully. Master P Not with Dre on the list. Don Yates (a master of disguise) Now, this is an intriguing nomination, but it's the wrong category. Maybe instead: Turd-Stirrer/Goat-Getter/Curry-Baiter/Midwest Basher of the Year? --david cantwell
RE: Artist of the Decade?
Seriously - It's Dr. Dre. With NWA he took rap music from party music to street poetry with a documentarian stance. Unlike Public Enemy he got his message across without being pedantic. This legitimized "gangsta" rap to the critical establishment AND opened the door for hip-hop's dominance of teen culture. With Ice Cube he revolutionized sampling and rap production- creating an aural cinema of the urban wasteland. His record "The Chronic" stands as perhaps the most influential hip-hop record ever. Inspiring The Roots, Outkast and Nas. He produced several classics, especially "DoggyStyle". And he brought Eminem to the world. (Though a potential strike against him due to its content, "Slim Shady" points toward the inevitable future of white dominance of rap music) Nuff said. I'm right, you're wrong. Na, na, na, nahhh. NP: The Barkers - Burn Your Piano
Re: Artist of the Decade?
Unfortunately, I think we're gonna have to include Garth here. Hie's touched alot of lives and his sales alone prove that. I think he's sold more records/discs than The Beatles or some unfathomable figure. As for most influential artist of all time you gotta include the "gloved one" In terms of thr whole Glam Rock route - Bowie needs to be mentioned. -John ___ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
Re: Artist of the Decade?
Unfortunately, I think we're gonna have to include Garth here. Hie's touched alot of lives and his sales alone prove that. I think he's sold more records/discs than The Beatles or some unfathomable figure. Let's see if those records are selling thirty years from now. I don't think you get considered artist of the decade for your marketing skill alone. As for most influential artist of all time you gotta include the "gloved one" I had a dream a few nights ago after seeing some footage of the Jackson 5. In my dream Michael jackson grew up, maturing into a soulman a la Marvin Gaye. No surgery, no wierdness. He became an elder statesman of R B, making credible records, getting the respect of the hip-hop nation. I'm not kidding, i had this dream. Consider what amazing music he could have made. When you see him at twelve you see such soul, charm and talent. What a waste.
RE: Artist of the Decade?
On the rap tip, The Sugar Hill Gang pretty much invented it, so Also, for the 90's The Beasties deserve a shout out... -JF ___ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
RE: Artist of the Decade?
On the rap tip, The Sugar Hill Gang pretty much invented it, so Also, for the 90's The Beasties deserve a shout out... -JF The Beasties have made a couple of great records. But they have more in common with Pearl Jam than with any rap artist. You can make rap music and still have no idea what hip-hop is. The Tibetan concerts are alterna fests because that's the Beasties audience. They have zero influence on the hip-hop community.
RE: Artist of the Decade?
At 03:08 PM 4/22/99 -0500, JP wrote in defense of Dre: With NWA he took rap music from party music to street poetry with a documentarian stance. Unlike Public Enemy he got his message across without being pedantic. This legitimized "gangsta" rap to the critical establishment AND opened the door for hip-hop's dominance of teen culture. Don't be silly. He primarily did this with Straight Outta Compton--an 80s album. With Ice Cube he revolutionized sampling and rap production- creating an aural cinema of the urban wasteland. Don't be silly. Ice Cube's earliest and most influential records were produced by the Bomb Squad, not Dre. Nuff said. I'm right, you're wrong. Na, na, na, nahhh. But I nominated him FIRST. Na, na, na, nahhh yourownself g. --david cantwell
RE: Artist of the Decade?
JPRiedie writes: Don't be silly. Their most mature and compelling work is Achtung Baby. 1991 If anything, I think U2 has gotten less "mature" during the 90s. Like REM, they seem bent on making fun of themselves to less than hilarious effect. In the 80s, sure they were pretentious, but at least they were sincere. The period from "War" through "Rattle Hum" remains their artistic apex. --Slonedog
RE: Artist of the Decade?
In my dream Michael jackson grew up, maturing into a soulman a la Marvin Gaye. No surgery, no wierdness. Er, ah, "a la Marvin Gaye" and "no weirdness" don't belong in the same paragraph. Good point. but Marvin was more "troubled" than "weird". Still, I hope you got my drift.
Re: Artist of the Decade?
Unfortunately, I think we're gonna have to include Garth here. I don't think you get considered artist of the decade for your marketing skill alone. As much as I don't like him, from a marketing vantage you just don't sell that much of *anything* unless you've struck a chord or gulp, a need, with people. Oh yeah, Ray Davies claimed to have invented heavy metal, so... -JF ___ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
The Blacks on Chic-a-Go-Go
Howdy folks -- just a note about our Blacks making the scene on Chic-a-Go-Go this weekend. Your chance to be on TV, albeit public access TV. XO Hogan %% CHIC A GO GO! %%% Catch "WE RAGAZZI" and "THE BLACKS" on the best cable access show ever! From co-producer Jackie Stewart: Attention DANCERS of all ages! Please join us for the next taping of CHIC-A-GO-GO! Saturday, April 24, 1999 3 to 6pm Chicago Access Network Studios 322 South Green (1 block West of Halsted) We will tape two 30min episodes: Guests for the first show include Bloodshot recording artists, THE BLACKS. The second show's theme is BACKWARDS DAY! Guests for the second show includeMPG recording artists, WE RAGAZZI Come bring friends - dress casual or in costume -- but please don't wear white (looks icky on tv). For more info, call Jake Austen or Jackie Stewart at 773.288.5448. Watch Miss Mia and Ratso on CHIC-A-GO-GO! Tuesdays at 8:30pm and Wednesdays at 3:30pm on Channel 19.
Re: Artist of the Decade/singles/influence
The discussion here breaks down along the atomization of markets since the mid80s, so it makes sense to say that Gill, Dre, Malkmus (Pavement does make sense as the key 90s indie band, though only because they democratized Sonic Youth's late-80s innovations) and the Beasties (who, for various sentimental-social reasons, I actually would love to win the crown, but really can't) all rule different roosts. And the one figure I think transcends that is Cobain: Nirvana's breakthrough changed the music scene irrevocably by destroying the previous loyal opposition and thus altering the basic lines of battle that had stood since 1977, and pretty much everything that's happened on pop charts since has been a chain reaction from Smells Like... Cobain is also pretty much the sole zeitgeist-defining personality in 90s pop (I'm not sure there is a *single* such figure in hip-hop this decade, though there are some contenders, and in country, well, that's Garth - which is a whole other story). As well, Nirvana combined quality and commercial success at an incomparable level for the decade - if The Key had sold like a Garth Brooks album, Jon W's assertion would hold up better, methinks. (AOTD for the 80s by the way is, to my mind, unquestionably Prince.) A thread tie-in I meant to throw into the mix yesterday: Smells Like Teen Spirit is also, on a craft level, one of the few singles of the decade that seems to me to stand up on every level to anything in the afore-bandied-about Golden Age of Singles - throwing down a gauntlet that pretty much all of Nirvana's imitators were far too chickenshit to pick up. By the way, I assume the Cobain-jeerers are willing to discount every other overdose and/or suicide in rock history on the same knee-jerk moralism, right? Janis, Jimi, Ian Curtis, etc. etc., all useless whiners. Carl W. Terry Smith-esque P.S.: David C., altho you're basically right about Madonna, it seems to me the ground had already been created for her to stand on before she arrived - by Patti Smith, Chrissie Hynde and others. (If I had my druthers I'd give all credit to Patti but I don't think we can get away with that...) Yep, Madonna would rank pretty high on the influence scale, but she seems to me more a visionary opportunist than a revolutionary. HOWEVER: Your question about whether Aretha rather than Joni was the key gender-revolutionary in sixties pop was already creeping into my head as I wrote that last post. I'd certainly *prefer* to say it was Aretha - but I wonder if she had the same women-can-be-auteurs impact? Perhaps, but this requires further thinking and historicization; I've just realized that maybe before deciding exactly whose gender-bar-breaking was the most definitive (and I do think this is, as Music Trivia games go, an important one), I should read one of those late-90s books about women-in-music that I've been semi-avoiding. Any recommendations for the best one?
Re: Artist of the Decade?
In a message dated 4/22/99 3:54:58 PM EST, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Oh yeah, Ray Davies claimed to have invented heavy metal, so... nope. link wray did.
sv 12/31/98 10/21/95 cdr shows
whoever is intersted in these shows, and 10/8/98, I will burn for whoever wants a copy, traders, or just people starting a live collection, I needed the same thing to start, so anyway. email me at the address down there, not here on the list. We can do blanks and postage, or just trade, whateva. let me know. np Wilco 11/27/96 - Don't forget the flowers :) Kevin Reed [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Most albums sold, per RIAA
RIAA's searchable gold/platinum database seems to be dead for the moment, but here's a list of the best-selling artists, with millions of units certified (a couple of pleasant surprises in there, notably George Strait and Alan Jackson): BEATLES, THE 106.03 BROOKS, GARTH 89 LED ZEPPELIN 69.27 EAGLES 64 JOHN, ELTON 61.62 STREISAND, BARBRA 60.25 JOEL, BILLY 60 AEROSMITH 54.37 PINK FLOYD 52.6 VAN HALEN 50.5 PRESLEY, ELVIS 50.1 JACKSON, MICHAEL 49.5 ROGERS, KENNY 49.5 CAREY, MARIAH 46 MADONNA 46 HOUSTON, WHITNEY 46 AC/DC 45.6 KENNY G 41.5 DIAMOND, NEIL 41.42 ROLLING STONES, THE 41.25 SPRINGSTEEN, BRUCE 40.75 U2 40.5 ALABAMA 40 FLEETWOOD MAC 39.5 JOURNEY 39.17 METALLICA 39 STRAIT, GEORGE 38.5 CHICAGO 35.5 GUNS 'N ROSES 35 PRINCE 33.5 CLAPTON, ERIC 33 NELSON, WILLIE 31.5 BON JOVI 31 MC ENTIRE, REBA 31 SEGER, BOB 29.5 DEF LEPPARD 29.5 DION, CELINE 29 BOSTON 28 STEWART, ROD 27 BOLTON, MICHAEL 27 TAYLOR, JAMES 27 RONSTADT, LINDA 26 BOYZ II MEN 26 SIMON GARFUNKEL 24.12 JACKSON, ALAN 24 CARPENTERS 23.5 BEE GEES 23.5 PEARL JAM 23.5 FOREIGNER 23.5 ZZ TOP 23 NIRVANA 23 MELLENCAMP, JOHN 23 COLLINS, PHIL 22.5 JACKSON, JANET 22 NEWTON-JOHN, OLIVIA 22 MOTLEY CRUE 22 CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL 22 RUSH 21.67 R.E.O. SPEEDWAGON 21.5 OSBOURNE, OZZY 21.25 GENESIS 21 DOOBIE BROTHERS 21 HEART 20.5 TWAIN, SHANIA 20.5 MANILOW, BARRY 20.5 ESTEFAN, GLORIA 20.5 MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER 20 HOOTIE THE BLOWFISH 20 RICHIE, LIONEL 20
RE: Artist of the Decade?
At 03:46 PM 4/22/99 -0500, JP wrote: Achtung Baby! is a deathly serious record. It's also their most literate and musical. You know, in some ways this is probably right. I'd nominate either Achtung or Joshua Tree as their best over all albums. But, as far as artist of the 90s goes, Achtung is hardly representative of the band's work this decade--you could argue in fact that it works so well precisely because it's the culmination of what they'd done well all through the 80s. --david cantwell
Re: Artist of the Decade/singles/influence
At 05:00 PM 4/22/99 -0400, Carl wrote: HOWEVER: Your question about whether Aretha rather than Joni was the key gender-revolutionary in sixties pop was already creeping into my head as I wrote that last post. I'd certainly *prefer* to say it was Aretha - but I wonder if she had the same women-can-be-auteurs impact? Perhaps, but this requires further thinking and historicization; I've just realized that maybe before deciding exactly whose gender-bar-breaking was the most definitive (and I do think this is, as Music Trivia games go, an important one), I should read one of those late-90s books about women-in-music that I've been semi-avoiding. Any recommendations for the best one? I don't have a recommendation since I've been avoiding them too. I would recomend Dave marsh's liner notes essay to the Aretha box, however--it does a great job of portraying her as an artist in charge of her own art. Of course, you're probably right that Mithchell was percieved in more of an auteur sense, but this may say more about critical perception than actual fact, about the critical biases in favor of album acts over singles acts, of white women in favor of black women, of what's presented as all-by-myself art vs.collaborative art. --david cantwell
Clip- Music Scene
From this week's Riverfront Times. Does anybody remember this show or seen these vids? It sounds too cool. MAKING THE SCENE BY ROBERT HUNT Call it laziness, call it spring fever, call it a bad dose of pop culture clouding my senses, but the stacks of new video releases were getting even higher than usual. Some were worth my attention; some were worse than you can imagine (Spring Break Uncensored, which advertises itself as Better than Jerry Springer, Howard Stern and MTV combined, or the sexiest action movie of the year, Major Rock, fighting for truth, justice and the American babes!), but I ignored the good and the bad alike. I had allowed myself to be distracted obsessed? by a tiny piece of pop history. More specifically, I was watching Bobby Sherman singing Little Woman to a foot-tall dancing woman. Those Seijun Suzuki reissues would have to wait; I was hypnotized by a short-lived, almost forgotten TV series, by the shotgun marriage of TV variety shows and Woodstock. For a few brief days, I was hooked on Music Scene. Music Scene, which called itself a super concert of the worlds best music, premiered in September 1969 the same TV season that saw the first episodes of The Brady Bunch, Room 222, The Bill Cosby Show (the one where he played a gym teacher), The Bold Ones, Then Came Bronson, Brackens World and (a glimmer of light in the vast wasteland) My World and Welcome to It and staked a claim at the bottom of the ratings for four months before finally being put out its misery. Though Harlan Ellison, whose L.A. Free Press column The Glass Teat is an indispensable guide to TV during the Nixon years, had kind words for Music Scene (Its so good the scythewielder of TV attrition will certainly mow it down forthwith, he warned), a recent look at a few episodes released by MPI Home Video suggests that the show was doomed from the start, a schizophrenic shot at creating a self-consciously hip TV show at a time when the mediums definition of hipness was the bikini-clad dancers on Laugh-In (which, incidentally, ran opposite Music Scene). It should have been easy: Take a popular standup comedian, David Steinberg; add a handful of young comic performers (including a pre-Laugh-In Lily Tomlin) to perform brief sketches; bring on a handful of musical acts ranging from Isaac Hayes to the Everly Brothers, from Janis Joplin to Eydie Gorme; and wrap the whole thing around the Billboard Top 10 list for the week. Watching the occasionally delightful, occasionally excruciating but almost always interesting episodes of Music Scene 30 years after they first aired, its rapid path to self-destruction is easy to chart. First came the obvious contradiction of trying to showcase new rock music while the charts were topped by the likes of Sugar, Sugar (one episode offers a quirky gospel arrangement of the Archies bubble-gum hit, which held the No. 1 spot the entire month of the series premiere) and aforementioned teen idol Sherman (who appears five times on the eight tapes, once to the obvious disgust of host Steinberg). It certainly couldnt have helped that ABC positioned the show against two ratings champs, Laugh-In and Gunsmoke, or that it was an irregular 45 minutes long, part of a network experiment. By late October, the show had recruited the then-controversial Tommy Smothers to offer his counterculture imprimatur while muttering a few staggeringly unfunny Nixon jokes in a stony haze. (This episode also features one of the strangest musical moments: Merle Haggard singing Okie from Muskogee on a dark front-porch set complete with hound dog that slowly turns out to be completely surrounded by a hundred or so small flags.) By the final episode which includes one of the brightest moments in the series, an obviously unrehearsed interview with Groucho Marx the comedy troupe has been disbanded and the Billboard chart ignored, and a resigned Steinberg, with just a hint of bitterness, signs off. Each of the eight tapes released by MPI includes a complete episode, a half-dozen-or-so extra musical performances (the producers reportedly taped extra performances so that they could adapt each show to the changes in the Billboard chart) and one of a series of commercial spots featuring the Rolling Stones (though, curiously, neither the Stones nor Howard Hesseman, who appears in one of the ads with them, was ever on the series). The musical performances are uneven, of course, from the bland Gary Puckett to a sloppy but lively Sly and the Family Stone, from a lip-synched Three Dog Night turning Elis Coming into an unintentionally hysterical comedy sketch to a typically laid-back Roger Miller obligingly walking through a goofy cartoon set singing King of the Road, but as cultural relics of the tail end of the 60s, theyre priceless. MPI
Re: Most albums sold, per RIAA
In a message dated 4/22/99 4:15:08 PM Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: RIAA's searchable gold/platinum database seems to be dead for the moment, but here's a list of the best-selling artists, with millions of units certified (a couple of pleasant surprises in there, notably George Strait and Alan Jackson): interest post, jon. only five african americans on the list. hmm. bill f-w
Re: Most albums sold, per RIAA
In a message dated 4/22/1999 5:15:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: BROOKS, GARTH 89 PRESLEY, ELVIS 50.1 OK...think about this for a minute! Brooks has sold nearly twice as much as Elvis in 1/4 the time. Now that's a marketing machine! K.
RE: Artist of the Decade/singles/influence
As well, Nirvana combined quality and commercial success at an incomparable level for the decade - if The Key had sold like a Garth Brooks album, Jon W's assertion would hold up better, methinks. If we're talking about the decade, I don't know that Nirvana's sold more albums than Gill; the RIAA database is down right now, but I'll report back. Gill's had a number of multi-platinum albums, though, and is clearly an immense commercial success (The Key is his poorest-selling album so far); he might not have sold as many albums, but though I think that commercial success is a useful criterion in figuring out an AOTD, I don't know that getting too far into the numbers is that productive. For the record, there are others who have combined quality and commercial success in this decade at, I would argue, a higher level than either Gill *or* Nirvana - George Strait, for one, Alan Jackson for another, per that best-seller list - but as big a fan as I am of both of them, Strait was huge well before the 90s, and Jackson doesn't, IMO, have the breadth of achievements that Gill does. He's great, but I don't think he's been as outward-acting as Gill, who's been visible in a number of important areas, like honoring Bill Monroe at the Grammys, reinvigorating the Opry, etc., nor has he been as active in working with others on their records. In any event, I think your point about the atomization of markets is well-taken, Carl. I don't know that there really is an AOTD, as opposed to AsOTD in various fields.
RE: Updates
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999, Jon Weisberger wrote: As for why the "roots music movement" is different in this regard, the short answer, IMO, is unfamiliarity. People's exposure to bluegrass, or alt.country, for instance, is a lot smaller and a lot chancier, hence the greater likelihood that hearing someone who, pardon my French, sucks will turn the first-time observer off; s/he's more likely to take the lousy performance as typical of the genre. That's assuming that the performance is in fact lousy. What about bands that put on a show which may be entertaining even though their music bears no resemblance to the genre they're billed under? Heard a Freakwater song one time and thought it was "interesting," Geff King * email [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://www2.ari.net/gking/ "It is a tool of ignorance." -- Joe Gracey, re: bass guitar
Re: Updates
Yates opines: Anyway, it's too bad the person who wrote that essay spent so much time with the cartoon crowd down there -- he/she must've missed James Hand, Justin Trevino, Don Walser, Paul Burch, Dale Watson and all the other hardcore traditionalists types that played this year.--don Ah, but that's the point. Those artists aren't "alt." anything. They are country and western artists, period. Let's get that established once and for all. Dave chimes: Nice rant, Mark. Sorry kids, I can't take credit for it. I only agree wholeheartedly. It came from a conversation with said "insider" at the back of the dance floor at the Broken Spoke. It all started when we noticed how nobody was paying attention to "Hayseed," who we both agree is the real deal. Sorry about the "deep throat" nature of the author. If I revealed the source, he'd be out of a job quicker than you can say "first amendment protection." I was just tickled pink to know I am not alone in my assessments. As for Jerald's note about the Statesman rating Chi-town as an "overrated music scene," be aware that they practice what I like to call "opposition journalism" so take that into account. ___ Mark Rubin POB 49227, Austin TX 78765 http://markrubin.com
RE: Updates
As for why the "roots music movement" is different in this regard, the short answer, IMO, is unfamiliarity. People's exposure to bluegrass, or alt.country, for instance, is a lot smaller and a lot chancier, hence the greater likelihood that hearing someone who, pardon my French, sucks will turn the first-time observer off; s/he's more likely to take the lousy performance as typical of the genre. That's assuming that the performance is in fact lousy. Well, it was part of the premise - that lousy performances/performers are especially destructive to the "roots music movement." Bill asked why they'd be more harmful in that area as opposed to others, given that there are so many crappy performances/performers in all genres. What about bands that put on a show which may be entertaining even though their music bears no resemblance to the genre they're billed under? More complicated problem, I guess, but certainly not as harmful as unentertaining ones g. Heard a Freakwater song one time and thought it was "interesting," One of the online CD stores has a RealAudio clip of their, ahem, rendition of "Put My Little Shoes Away." As someone who's doubtless familiar with Monroe's, Wiseman's and other bluegrass versions, you oughta check it out, Geff. "Interesting" doesn't begin to describe it. Jon Weisberger, Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger
Re: Most albums sold, per RIAA
Apples and oranges, folks. Elvis sold singles in a singles world with far less than 5 billion in it. Go figure, again. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 4/22/1999 5:15:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: BROOKS, GARTH 89 PRESLEY, ELVIS 50.1 OK...think about this for a minute! Brooks has sold nearly twice as much as Elvis in 1/4 the time. Now that's a marketing machine! K.
Re: Artist of the Decade/singles/influence
Now that's an erudite summation. But I still can't get my head around Cobain as artist of the decade. His creative achievement, though jarring and influential, doesn't compare to that of the other serious contenders. Besides, the eight year old who runs my house, his seventeen year old babysitter and all her friends, the kids at the sub shop down the road, my ex-girlfriend's 14 year old son and my eighteen year-old sister's boyfriend are all white kids whose primary musical touchstones are rap and new jack, even if they own a couple of Garth Brooks records. These same kids know (but don't neccessarily love)The Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Bowie, U2 and Prince - all artists of lasting influence whose catalogs are continually discovered by successive waves of college freshman. I asked my babysitter if she liked Nirvana and she said "didn't they have that song with the cheerleaders in the video?". The eight year old looked at me blankly when queried. And my sister's boyfriend was like "that's the guy who killed himself, right?" Before y'all kill me on anecdotal evidence charges, realize that I'm trying to illustrate that the only people listening to Nirvana are critics and white folks between 28 and 40. Unless someone can convince me that teenagers 20 years from now will find Nirvana's music revelatory for themselves (like Abbey Road kicked my ass in 1987, or like my babysitter really getting into Bowie now) I cannot accept his coronation. It's more likely he'll be remembered for being Rolling Stone's Artist of the Decade than he will be for his music. The discussion here breaks down along the atomization of markets since the mid80s, so it makes sense to say that Gill, Dre, Malkmus (Pavement does make sense as the key 90s indie band, though only because they democratized Sonic Youth's late-80s innovations) and the Beasties (who, for various sentimental-social reasons, I actually would love to win the crown, but really can't) all rule different roosts. And the one figure I think transcends that is Cobain: Nirvana's breakthrough changed the music scene irrevocably by destroying the previous loyal opposition and thus altering the basic lines of battle that had stood since 1977, and pretty much everything that's happened on pop charts since has been a chain reaction from Smells Like... Cobain is also pretty much the sole zeitgeist-defining personality in 90s pop (I'm not sure there is a *single* such figure in hip-hop this decade, though there are some contenders, and in country, well, that's Garth - which is a whole other story). As well, Nirvana combined quality and commercial success at an incomparable level for the decade - if The Key had sold like a Garth Brooks album, Jon W's assertion would hold up better, methinks. (AOTD for the 80s by the way is, to my mind, unquestionably Prince.) A thread tie-in I meant to throw into the mix yesterday: Smells Like Teen Spirit is also, on a craft level, one of the few singles of the decade that seems to me to stand up on every level to anything in the afore-bandied-about Golden Age of Singles - throwing down a gauntlet that pretty much all of Nirvana's imitators were far too chickenshit to pick up. By the way, I assume the Cobain-jeerers are willing to discount every other overdose and/or suicide in rock history on the same knee-jerk moralism, right? Janis, Jimi, Ian Curtis, etc. etc., all useless whiners. Carl W. Terry Smith-esque P.S.: David C., altho you're basically right about Madonna, it seems to me the ground had already been created for her to stand on before she arrived - by Patti Smith, Chrissie Hynde and others. (If I had my druthers I'd give all credit to Patti but I don't think we can get away with that...) Yep, Madonna would rank pretty high on the influence scale, but she seems to me more a visionary opportunist than a revolutionary. HOWEVER: Your question about whether Aretha rather than Joni was the key gender-revolutionary in sixties pop was already creeping into my head as I wrote that last post. I'd certainly *prefer* to say it was Aretha - but I wonder if she had the same women-can-be-auteurs impact? Perhaps, but this requires further thinking and historicization; I've just realized that maybe before deciding exactly whose gender-bar-breaking was the most definitive (and I do think this is, as Music Trivia games go, an important one), I should read one of those late-90s books about women-in-music that I've been semi-avoiding. Any recommendations for the best one?
RE: Artist of the Decade?
The Beasties have made a couple of great records. But they have more in common with Pearl Jam than with any rap artist. You can make rap music and still have no idea what hip-hop is. The Tibetan concerts are alterna fests because that's the Beasties audience. They have zero influence on the hip-hop community. I diasagree. They are alternafests because of the *other* bands in the lineup and probably because that's what the majority of fest-going-kids look like. Actually, I was suggesting that The Beasties are influential artists, not rappers perse. I think in terms of their videos, clothing line, and music they've permeated the culture to a degree which has not yet been acknowledged or realized. FYI, some of their hip-hop is more authentic than "authentic" hip-hop. -JF ___ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
Re: Updates
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999, M Rubin wrote: Ah, but that's the point. Those artists aren't "alt." anything. They are country and western artists, period. Let's get that established once and for all. Oh, I'm well aware of that -- I was just pointing out that it seemed silly for our anonymous essayist to waste a lotta time seeing bands he/she couldn't stand when there were plenty of folks playing down there that they probably would've enjoyed a helluva lot more. Many of 'em weren't playin' the official showcases, but they were still pretty easy to find. Sorry kids, I can't take credit for it. I only agree wholeheartedly. It came from a conversation with said "insider" at the back of the dance floor at the Broken Spoke. It all started when we noticed how nobody was paying attention to "Hayseed," who we both agree is the real deal. "Nobody" paying attention? Maybe from your vantage point shmoozing in the back of the Spoke.g Where I was sitting (literally at Hayseed's feet), the crowd was in rapt attention. Sorry about the "deep throat" nature of the author. If I revealed the source, he'd be out of a job quicker than you can say "first amendment protection." I was just tickled pink to know I am not alone in my assessments. I think you've been away from P2 for too long -- there wasn't anything in the rant that hasn't been said here many times. And even from folks with their real names attached!g Not that it wasn't fun to toss that rant into the mix. Still, as a critique of a musical style it was kinda wishy-washy. It would've been more useful if specific bands were cited.--don
