Re: Big Labels Dropping Bands
Jon Johnson wrote: Amen. A band that probably doesn't have a bad record in 'em. Yes they do. Copperolis was awful -- a plodding tuneless mess. I rarely sell records back, and that one went to the used bin in under two weeks. Just awful. But the rest of their output is stunning. Nothing has ever matched their debut, Fuzzy, as far as I'm concerned. Dave *** Dave Purcell, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Northern Ky Roots Music: http://w3.one.net/~newport Twangfest: http://www.twangfest.com
Re: Big Labels Dropping Bands
Amen. A band that probably doesn't have a bad record in 'em. They had a brilliant track on last year's "Velvet Goldmine" soundtrack called "The Whole Shebang," which came across as equal parts GLB and "Hunky Dory"-era Bowie. For my money one of the best songs to come out last year that you never heard. For that matter, the movie was certainly flawed, but the soundtrack was a blast. I'll second that. "The Whole Sheband" was a song that always perked up my ears and made my toes tap when it played on KCRW down here. it perfectly recalled the glam era without souding like a weak parody. This also reminds me that I never picked up the soundtrack. And the movie was a disappointing mess. MichaelBerick
Re: Big Labels Dropping Bands
Michael Berick writes: I'll second that. "The Whole Sheband" was a song that always perked up my ears and made my toes tap when it played on KCRW down here. it perfectly recalled the glam era without souding like a weak parody. This also reminds me that I never picked up the soundtrack. And the movie was a disappointing mess. The era was certainly worth documenting (word is that Bowie is also working on his own film about the period) and there are parts of the movie that I thought worked very well indeed. In fact, I'll say this about it: It *looked* great. But - like "Grace of My Heart" - it was impossible to see any of the characters as anything other than carboard cutouts of the real people on whom they were based and the structure of the movie was liberally...ahem..."borrowed" from "Citizen Kane." The soundtrack is a pip, though. A hoot from start to finish, including some vintage glam tracks from the likes of Steve Harley, Roxy Music, Lou Reed, and Brian Eno, new songs that very convincingly evoked the sound of that period from Grant Lee Buffalo, Pulp, and Shudder to Think, and some re-recordings of classic glam-rock hits by Teenage Fanclub (with Donna Matthews) and others. Dig out that old feather boa and those stackheel boots and primp and preen in front of the mirror with this as your soundtrack. --Jon Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wollaston, Massachusetts
Big Labels Dropping Bands
USA Today had a story on its Life section cover today, "Big Busines Means Discord for Small Bands," which goes into the Universal Music Group merger with PolyGram Entertainment, and what it means for big label rosters. The article said Universal is trimming its roster, to "sell more records by focusing marketing, promotion and publicity efforts on fewer artists... As many as 400 to 500 bands may face the blade over the next few months..." It goes on to say that sturdy indies might benefit by getting a lot of the big-label castoffs, and also that other big labels might be following Universal's example. Anyhow, maybe somebody can post this to the list, since it has a lot of relevance to that article Neal posted yesterday. -- Terry Smith ps so who's been dissing Bocephus? I'm with the folks who remember how vital old Hank Jr. was in the old days, putting out a series of hard-country records that still hold up today. Hell, I even like listening to him sing the Monday Night Football song. You just gotta ignore his bombast occasionally (or more than occasionally in the last decade or so). pps Don's got my mouth watering over Mandy Barnett (sp?) new record. I'd take Owen Bradley over Chet any day of the week.
Re: Big Labels Dropping Bands
When it's all said and done, "Mighty Joe Moon" will rest in my top 10 records of the 1990s. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: passenger side [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thursday, April 01, 1999 4:09 PM Subject: Re: Big Labels Dropping Bands USA Today had a story on its Life section cover today, "Big Busines Means Discord for Small Bands," Which reminds me, I heard a tip yesterday that Warner Bros. dropped Grant Lee Buffalo. Breaks my heart. I tihnk Grant Lee Phillips is as talented as they come. Maybe a Rykodisc or someone will pick 'em up. How come I always think of Ryko when pondering indies that might be in a position to benefit from this UniGram nonsense? Anyhoo, Neal Weiss
Re: Big Labels Dropping Bands
Neal Weiss writes: Which reminds me, I heard a tip yesterday that Warner Bros. dropped Grant Lee Buffalo. Breaks my heart. I tihnk Grant Lee Phillips is as talented as they come. Maybe a Rykodisc or someone will pick 'em up. Amen. A band that probably doesn't have a bad record in 'em. They had a brilliant track on last year's "Velvet Goldmine" soundtrack called "The Whole Shebang," which came across as equal parts GLB and "Hunky Dory"-era Bowie. For my money one of the best songs to come out last year that you never heard. For that matter, the movie was certainly flawed, but the soundtrack was a blast. --Jon Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wollaston, Massachusetts
