CLASSIC ALBUMS

I’ll state my opinion from the outset – I am a HUGE fan of the “Classic Albums” documentary series which has been broadcast on television over the past decade. This statement has much to do with the fact that I love the concept of an album per se; I’ll list my “key ingredients” of a Classic Album:

• At least 5 strong individual songs, with the balance of the album being comprised of above-average songs suitable for airplay on commercial radio
• Excellent musicianship and production skills
• A high standard of lyrical content
• The Album must still “sound fresh” when listened to in the present era.

One of the most attractive points of the “Classic Albums” series revolves around the artists and/or producers recreating the process of the album’s song writing and recording. I am a producer at heart, thus I love to view and compare each artists’ skills; it’s simply magic to observe the masters at play.

It’s important to respect all levels of music, even if you are not a fan of a particular musical genre. This being said, the “Classic Albums” series may have overdone itself in labelling particular albums as being “classic”. Let’s review some examples:

• Deep Purple’s “Machine Head”, Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast”, Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”, Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” and Judas Priest’s “British Steel” are albums which snugly fit into the British Heavy Rock genre. Are all of these album’s “classic”? If you were to choose only one of these albums, what would be the defining qualifying criteria – commercial success or artistic merit?
• If “John Lennon/ Plastic Ono Band” is deemed to be a classic album, then why have none of The Beatles’ albums been reviewed thus far?
• “Never Mind The Bollocks” by The Sex Pistols is famous primarily due to the notoriety of the band’s image. One would assume that there are many other Punk albums of greater artistic merit than this offering.
• Has the greater listening audience ever heard Primal Scream’s “Screamdelica”?
• Duran Duran is famous for individual single releases and their accompanying music videos. “Rio” does not set the benchmark for early 1980’s pop music.

“Classic Albums” has paid homage to genuine Classic Albums such as “Dark Side of the Moon”, “Bat out of Hell”, “Rumours”, “A Night at the Opera” & “Graceland”. I don’t need to state the artists’ names for these albums, as they are all universally known by all generations of music lovers. Within reason, “Classic Albums” has cheapened itself by letting too many artists into the Classic Album club.

So, where to from here for “Classic Albums”? I love music, and I love the documentary series, however I would hate to see “Classic Albums” lose its importance.

DID YOU KNOW THAT THESE MUSICIANS ARE JEWISH?

I have always been curious about the abundance of ethnically Jewish individuals who have achieved significant success in the music industry. This phenomenon has been in train for many decades, and it displays no apparent signs of concluding.

In order to have any chance of “making it” in the music industry, you require musical talent. This being said, in order to “survive” in the music industry, you require infinite levels of drive. Let’s explore this point in comparison to the last century of Jewish civilisation.

The global Jewish population was decimated during the World War II era, and in effect, has been required to re-populate itself in order to survive. In doing so, this fight against adversity appears to have generated a certain “X-Factor” in the character of Jewish people, to the extent that “failure is not an option”.

There are many musically talented individuals in the world, however the vast majority of these individuals never realise their true potential due to various factors, albeit predominantly based around a lack of commitment to their craft. This could be the single defining reason as to why so many Jewish people are successful in the music industry; it all comes down to talent and drive.

We are all very familiar with the musician superstars who are patently Jewish [e.g. Billy Joel, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Barbara Streisand] and the music industry chiefs [e.g. Clive Davis, David Geffen]. There are even some very successful rock groups who are almost exclusively Jewish!! [e.g. Kiss and 10CC]. Let’s have a look at some past and present Jewish music superstars who have reached the zenith on the music industry, albeit without actually promoting the fact that they are Jewish.

Dianne Warren – the most successful songwriter of the past 25 years.

Robbie Robertson [real name: Jaime Robert Klegerman] – his biological name defines his Jewish background, albeit it is interesting that Robertson has consistently promoted his mother’s Native American heritage throughout his long career.

Harry Connick Jr – his music tends more towards Sinatra and the South; Connick Jr has built a career around bringing a contemporary feel to the Swing Sound.

Melissa Manchester – her early musical years of singing backup to Barry Manilow and Bette Midler provides a link to her Jewish background.

The Cars – Ric Ocasek, Elliot Easton [real name: Elliot Steinberg] & Ben Orr [real name: Benjamin Orzechowski] were the driving force behind this Boston-based pop/ rock Group of the 1970’s & 1980’s.

Pink [real name: Alecia Beth Moore] – her mother is Jewish, and Pink has been the most successful female singer/ songwriter for the past 15 years.

There are also some famous musicians who have never confirmed nor denied their Jewish faith; Alice Cooper [real name: Vincent Furnier] comes to mind.

Either way, it’s a great achievement for the individuals of a rebuilding religious faith to command such a presence in an extremely demanding industry. I’m keen to read your thoughts about my statement, plus I look forward to your contributions to my list!!

WHEN DID THE SAXOPHONE SOLO LEAVE THE POP CHARTS?

The recent passing of ace saxophonist Clarence Clemons marked the end of an era for Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band, as we know it. Clemons’ distinctive playing style is irreplaceable; let’s think about his contribution to some of Springsteen’s best-known work.

• The frenetic playing during the instrumental break in “Born To Run”. Would an alternate saxophonist have been able to push the tempo of the song to the heights so famously achieved by Clemons?
• The subtle solo during the coda in “Dancing In The Dark”. It would have been sacrilege to leave Clemons’ instrumentation out of Springsteen’s pop chart zenith; a very “cool” sax break to round out a great song.

The saxophone has always been a part of modern music, whether it be playing a dominant riff [Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street”; George Michael’s “Careless Whisper”] or a timeless solo [Roxy Music’s “Jealous Guy”; Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You Are”]. There have even been some hit songs based predominantly around some great sax work [Kenny G’s “Songbird”; Candy Dulfer’s “Lily Was Here”]. If you check out the latest pop charts, one will find a distinct lack of saxophone work in today’s hit songs. Thus, the question that I ask is:

“When did the saxophone solo leave the pop charts?”

I don’t have the definitive answer; it’s most likely due to the fact that the modern dance music dominating the pop charts simply doesn’t gel with the saxophone sound. I would love to be proven wrong, however could it be that the saxophone has been lost to popular music forever?

Many people love the saxophone sound; the saxophone has made hit songs. Can you imagine Sade’s “Smooth Operator” without its seductive sax riff? What about the lively solo break in Bill Medley & Jennifer Warne’s “I’ve Had The Time Of My Life”? This song’s success was a contributing factor to the phenomena of the Dirty Dancing movie. The movie soundtrack’s other hit songs [Eric Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes”; Patrick Swayze’s “She’s Like The Wind”] also featured great sax solos.

Let’s remember the saxophone sound for what it is; an instrument capable of stellar riffs and timeless solos. I’ve jotted down some of my favourite “saxophone songs”; I’d love to read your lists of favourite saxophone songs, plus any modern “saxophone hits” for my aural pleasure…

“Just The Two Of Us” – Grover Washington Jr & Bill Withers
“The Heat Is On”; “You Belong To The City”; “The One Who Loves You” – Glenn Frey
“Who Can It Be Now?” – Men At Work
“I Can’t Go For That” – Hall & Oates
“What You Need”; “Never Tear Us Apart” – INXS
“Modern Love” – David Bowie
“Harden My Heart” – Quarterflash
“The Sad Café” – The Eagles
“Your Latest Trick” – Dire Straits
“Going Home” – Mark Knopfler
“Smoke From A Distant Fire” – Sanford Townsend Band
“Rainy Days And Mondays” – The Carpenters
“True” – Spandau Ballet
“Urgent” – Foreigner
“What Can I Say” – Boz Scaggs
“The Logical Song” – Supertramp
“I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” – ABBA
“Money”; “Us And Them” – Pink Floyd
“Year Of The Cat”; “Time Passages” – Al Stewart
“Waiting On A Friend” – The Rolling Stones

GLEE TV & ITS POWER OVER MODERN MUSIC

I was somewhat surprised to discover that Fleetwood Mac’s classic 1977 long-play release “Rumours” is currently sitting at the Number 3 position on the Australian Album Charts.

In order for me to understand this abnormal occurrence, the usual gamut of questions ran through my head:

QUESTION: “Are Fleetwood Mac presently touring Australia?”
ANSWER: No

QUESTION: “Has Stevie Nicks passed away?”
ANSWER: No

QUESTION: “Has the music of Fleetwood Mac recently been featured in Glee?”
ANSWER: Gotcha!!!

I have barely watched an episode of Glee, albeit I have vicariously ingested a general understanding of the latest television phenomena by way of non-stop advertisements on all forms of media. Travelling to work each morning in a train carriage full of teenage school girls also helps with my general understanding of Glee…

There is no doubting that Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie & Lindsay Buckingham shall bank the song writing royalties resultant from the spike in sales of “Rumours”, without hesitation. When one creates a work of art, one is entitled to endless rewards. The concerning outcome of this event is the performance of the classic Fleetwood Mac songs in this Glee episode. Lindsay Buckingham’s classic version of “Go Your Own Way” was laced with bitterness; he was in recoil over Stevie Nicks’ departure from his private life, and the tension in his vocal and guitar solo underpinned the song’s enormous success. The Glee interpretation could not have been more sterile if it was produced in a hospital ward. “Songbird” was completely devoid of any level of emotion; Christine McVie must have been shaking her head over the cremation of her finest work.

So, is Glee good or bad for modern music?

Glee is providing a lucrative lifeline for a select range of artists and bands, of whom their music would not otherwise be returning to the mainstream media. In fact, Coldplay have agreed to license the use of their songs in Glee, after initially declining such an offer. Let’s face it; any publicity is good publicity!!

Glee is not leveraging off its immense popularity to introduce new talented songwriters to the mainstream media. Glee is the perfect media vehicle to enable Generation Y to understand & appreciate the power of the song writing craft.

Will Glee make a superstar out of one or more of its cast? The jury remains out on this question. One thing is for sure; Glee’s creators and the copyright holders of the classic songs featured in each episode shall become rich or richer. When you discover a gem, you get wealthy. Then again, that’s show business…

MAROON 5 – STRIKE 3!!

Los Angeles’ pop/ funk-rockers Maroon 5 recently graced Australia’s shores to perform and promote their third CD release “Hands All Over”. It’s hard to believe that it is seven long years since “This Love”, “She Will Be Loved” & “Sunday Morning” ruled the global airwaves, and the debut CD release “Songs About Jane” became a smash hit. 2007’s follow up CD “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long” also sold in large quantities, however Maroon 5 were swiftly becoming famous solely for the latest romantic exploits of their charismatic front man, Adam Levine.

So, how does the all-important third CD release “Hands All Over” shape up?

Whether it was an act of pure honesty or a cunning marketing strategy, Adam Levine told the media that “Hands All Over” would be Maroon 5’s final CD. I remain indifferent to this comment, as the band display enormous potential to move away from a “funk” sound into a general Adult Contemporary category, which could see Maroon 5 return to their original level of popularity.

It has to be said that Adam Levine has a weak voice, and his singing tends to get lost within the heavily produced funk songs most synomonous with the Maroon 5 “sound”. The lead single “Misery” is essentially an inferior re-write of “This Love”, and in general the CD is a case of song writing by numbers with very predictable lyrics. Not even the introduction of the mega-successful producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange can bring life to a collection of songs of this standard. The title track “Hands All Over” sounds very similar to Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, noting that Lange produced this classic 1980’s rock track.

“Hands All Over” shines brightest when focusing on the songs counter to Maroon 5’s funk brand. An acoustic version of Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” works particularly well; it’s a great pop song and the arrangement provides space for Levine’s vocals to move to the fore. However, the stand out song is “Out Of Goodbyes”, a duet with the Nashville trio, Lady Antebellum. The whole “acoustic/ country” vibe could actually work wonders for Maroon 5’s popularity. A subtle acoustic arrangement & production tends to suit Adam Levine’s voice. Let’s face it, Maroon 5’s best song [“Sunday Morning”] is based around a simple piano riff and uncomplicated rhythm. Rock guitar doesn’t suit Maroon 5, as Levine’s voice can’t compete.

“Hands All Over” won’t be a mega-platinum selling CD, however this could be a blessing in disguise. Maroon 5 have pushed their “funk” edge within an inch of its life. A change in music direction could just be the trick to spark the band’s popularity & longevity.

MUSIC COPYRIGHT LICENSING: ART OVER COMMERCE, OR A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH?

Recent media reports indicate that David Byrne [of Talking Heads fame] sued former Florida governor Charlie Crist for $1 million on the basis that Crist did not seek permission to use Byrne’s “Road To Nowhere” in his US Senate campaign against Marco Rubio.

The matter appears to have now amicably reached closure, however it warrants discussion as to how Byrne may have reacted to a formal request to license the song in question:

1. If formally approached, would David Byrne have agreed to license “Road To Nowhere” for Charlie Crist’s political campaign?
2. If the answer was “Yes”, what would Byrne have sought in dollar terms for his license fee?
3. If the answer was “No’, what was Byrne’s rationale for the license rejection?

I have always viewed the art of writing songs in the same perspective as that of an inventor of a new machine, patent et al. It only makes sense that if you invent “something”, and it is party to public consumption, then you are entitled to seek some form of compensation for the ongoing use of your invention.

Let’s analyse David Byrne’s song writing career for one moment. “Road To Nowhere” was one of a handful of “commercial” songs released by Talking Heads in the mid-1980’s. Byrne’s solo career is a tad more esoteric these days, thus one would assume that his song writing royalties from Talking Heads’ halcyon days would represent the bulk of his present annual royalty statements. From a financial perspective, one would assume that it is in Byrne’s best interests to exploit his Talking Heads back catalogue.

Asides from having a staunch objection to Charlie Crist’s government policies, is there any meaningful rationale as to why Byrne would have rejected a license? “Road To Nowhere” has been public property since 1985. The song has a different meaning to each and every listener [and most likely a different meaning to the writer’s inspiration for the song], however this is what writing, recording & releasing songs to the general public is all about. Whilst legal ownership of the song remains with its creator [or to be legally precise, the song’s publisher], the song in itself lends itself to the public the moment that it is released. In general, the positive aspects of this point are multiple, including financial rewards and critical adulation!!

In an ironic sense, Crist’s illegal use of “Road To Nowhere” [and the subsequent media coverage of the incident] has most likely worked to Byrne’s favour. It is unknown as to whether Crist paid Byrne a financial settlement for closure of the matter, however publicity of this event shall generate a spike in mp3 and CD sales of “Road To Nowhere” and Talking Heads CDs in general.

If Crist had legally paid “market rates” for the song license, would the flow-on effect of song writer royalties to Byrne have been as large as they will be on the back of the subsequent media coverage? I guess not!!

DIGITAL RADIO – MANY STATIONS, FEW OPPORTUNITIES

Digital radio is a relatively new phenomenon within Australia, and after much prompting from television and newspaper advertising, I have plucked up the courage to experience this promising new aural media. Before we get too far into this article, it would be best to outline my “grand vision” of digital radio. It remains clear to my mind as to when FM radio was introduced to Australia in 1980. The listening public were promised a greater clarity of sound, multiple new radio stations and open-ended opportunities for new artists to discovered by a large audience. To be fair, FM radio delivered on all fronts. No longer were radio stations restricted in playing “just the hits”; we heard album cuts from our favourite artists. Sometimes, album cuts were played from unknown artists, who in turn became our favourite artists. The reaction to FM radio was healthy; it created jobs and kept the music industry alive and evolving. During the 1990’s and new millennium, our familiar radio stations were changed forever by the advent of the Internet. Radio stations were transformed from a source of creativity and opportunity into profit machines. Corporate ownership of radio stations made the medium a lucrative vehicle, however play lists were essentially set to “auto pilot” [i.e. classic hits] in order to keep the general public tuned in. Even those non-corporate owned radio stations [we call them community radio stations in Australia] couldn’t resist temptation. A quick scan of a community radio station play list will resemble something akin to your vanilla corporate owned radio station; maybe 1-2 hours a day of programs devoted to new and/ or unsigned artists. The balance of the daily play list revolves around “classic hits” and corporate overseas news programs. With analogue radio in Australia, New Zealand & Asia being so bland [I am certain that it is the same in the USA & Europe], I have viewed digital radio as being the last vestige in discovering new artistic talent. I have been sadly misled… I don’t want multiple digital radio stations featuring “just the hits”; I can hear this format on analogue radio. I don’t want to listen to digital channels featuring live concert performances from “classic artists”; again, I can hear this on analogue radio. I want to be able to listen to new digital radio stations devoted to unsigned and/ or undiscovered artistic talent, covering the entire spectrum of musical genres. Digital radio could realistically be the saviour of the music industry. In Australia, the live music venue scene is dying and record labels are consolidating with one another in order to remain solvent. There simply doesn’t seem to be any other form of medium available to enable undiscovered artists to make the break to general public awareness. Has digital radio saved the music industry in other territories? I’m keen to read your opinions!!