Rock Hall to Make Special Announcement Next Week

The Rock Hall is going to make an announcement next week regarding the backing bands I posted about last week.   I don't know more than that, and I don't know if the 3  names I mentioned, Crickets,  Midnighters and Comets will be part of the announcement or if there will be more names.

I can give you this from a recent email response about all of this from Dave Marsh:  (And let's hope the fuck-up will be corrected)


"the three arstists you have mentioned are under near-continual discussion, the fuck-up is so great."

Rock Hall Quickie

Don't hate me, Phill, on this quick comment, but Gerry & The Pacemakers will never get into the Rock Hall.   That said.  Substitute Gerry & The Pacemakers with Roxy Music and you've got a stronger list  (well, except for missing R&B acts).
No one will ever agree on any one list.  That's why comments sections for these are always so long.

http://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/10-more-bands-snubbed-by-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame

10 More Bands Snubbed by the Rock Hall  from Phill Marder Goldmine Magazine.  

Music Bloggers

One of the most interesting essays in the 2011 Best Music Writing Book  (Da Capo) comes from a Blogger.  No, not someone who writes for a magazine or gets paid to blog online, but an actual blogger.  I can relate.  I first started my Music Page in the late 90's.  It wasn't on Blogger, but somewhere else.  When that one began to charge for its services, I ended up here in 2005.

But I've always felt that Music journalists have looked down on those of us who started giving our opinions when the Internet came aboard.  No, I've never written for Rolling Stone or Creem Magazine  or Crawdaddy, but before I started blogging I considered myself a good old fashioned music critic.  I knew my music history.  Knew almost every genre.   Listened to today's music while continuing to learn about the past.
I'm still doing the latter today. So much to learn.

So, it's gratifying that the Music Book series is now embracing online bloggers.  Maybe they'll find me next.

2011 Nashville Scene Critics Poll

http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/the-results/Content?oid=2743175

I vote in this poll:  The Nashville Scene 2011 Country Music Critics Poll

Interesting to see what Country critics think are the best of the year.

Playlist for 1/26

Jason Aldean - My Kinda Party
Elvis Presley -Young Man With The Big Beat
Dan Fogelberg/Tim Weisberg - Twin Sons
Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur
Horrors - Skying
Das Rascist - Brand New Dance

Edwin Hawkins - Very best of
Walter Hawkins - Gospel Legacy
Andrae Crouch - Best of
Sharon Jones -  Soul Time
Little Willies - For the Good Times

ARE The Crickets, Midnighters, Comets Rock Hall Bound?

The Comets, Crickets and Midnighters may be inducted into the Rock Hall this year.  


Got this info from a trusted source.  


Rock Hall not confirming this or denying it.  They will send out a press release if this happens.

Best Music Writing Series of Books Update

There's good news and bad news and then good news again regarding Da Capo's long-running Best Music Writing books.  The 2011 edition is now out.  That's the good news.  This is the 12th edition.
Now the bad news:  this is the last one Da Capo is putting out.  I guess costs or lack of copies sold got to 'em.

Now back to the good news.  Series editor Daphne Carr is putting together a fund raising campaign to self-publish the series for 2012.
This link Best Music Writing Fundraising Campaign | funboring.com  takes you to the page to donate.  Try and help if you can.
The 2011 edition is once again superb.  Covering all kinds of genres, and taking its material from the Internet, magazines, lectures.

One reason to keep the print edition going is to get it in as many libraries as possible.  An internet only version just won't have the same impact as people scour the libraries music section years and decades down the road.

Let's keep the series going!

David Bowie

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2012/01/07/david-bowie-65th-birthday-why-glam-rock-legend-is-content-to-have-retired-from-the-limelight-115875-23685287/

I'm really late on posting  this, but above is an article that came out on David Bowie's 65th Birthday Jan. 8th.  Bowie has, for now, given up on music, and just lives a normal New York City life.  Well, as normal, as multi-millionaires can.
Most of his reluctance to do anything musical was brought on by the heart attack he had in 2004.

Have to say, sadly, that Bowie's music up to that point wasn't anything special.  His solo albums and Tin Machine ones were boring.  And who could ever say that about David Bowie?

But there's a curiosity about celebrities when they disappear, but not from death, just from lack of inspiration.
Bowie may come back someday.  But he was always hard to decipher back when he was popular.  Who knows what he'll do next.  Rock's chameleon, right?

Etta James

The first thing you think is what a remarkable career.  Her highs, followed by the lows of her heroin addiction, and then slowly coming back to form. A true survivor.   By the 90's she was making good records again.  Some even great.
Of course her essential sides are the Chess ones, but the Modern Records stuff that pre-dates it is also worthy.

Her later years deserve a decent compilation, which will probably come now.

But it was that voice, which could sing Soul, Jazz, Rock and Blues and anything else that I will always come back to.

Digitalized

By now maybe you've heard:  Digital albums overtook CD's in 2011 for the first time.  Not really a surprise.  People always ask me what will I do if and when CD's disappear.  I tell 'em the same thing I did when vinyl did:  adjust.  I'll keep finding ways to listen and buy the stuff I like.

The more interesting tidbit of 2011 music buying habits:  112 digital songs sold over a million copies.  38 going over 2 million.  Have a 112 singles ever sold a million in the pre-digital era?  I doubt it.  But yes, I know, access is a hell of a lot easier today.  No driving to a record store.  Just load it on your smartphone or tablet or computer or whatever and it's sold.

Like I said, I will adjust no matter what format they throw at me.  In a way, I already have.  I download tracks.  Save them to an external hard drive.  And that's it.
Not hard to get with modern technology.  Is it?

Why Is Steve Perry Stalling?

http://www.billboard.com/news/steve-perry-won-t-stop-recording-but-touring-1005786152.story#/news/steve-perry-won-t-stop-recording-but-touring-1005786152.story

In the above article Steve Perry talks about his future plans.  He's building a new studio, has a bunch of songs ready to cut and doesn't feel like touring anymore.

But it seems we've heard all of this before.  Didn't Randy Jackson say that he heard some Perry demos and they were terrific?
What it sounds like to me is that Perry is suffering from something a lot of artists who haven't recorded in a long time (Perry is at 13 years and counting) suffer from:
The "How will I ever top my older stuff?  And there's no way my new stuff will be accepted, so why put it out anyway?"
You could say Billy Joel suffers the same fate.  David Bowie also.  Bill Withers?  He hates record companies, but also doesn't think any new music sells.
Besides as long as Journey's catalog keeps selling, Perry doesn't need to put out anything.  I'd venture to say that unless Perry has something special in all his demos that old Journey titles would outsell any new Perry titles.
But I want to find that out for myself.  I'd love to hear what Perry is up to.  But in reality.  So much time has passed.  Who really cares anymore?

Oh, and as far as the Journey in the Rock Hall question that the article brings up.  Not gonna happen.  Unless they get a whole bunch of new NomCom members on board.

2011 Pazz & Jop Thoughts

BTW- 701 people voted on that Village Voice Poll.  Out of 1500 votes sent out.  Less than 50%.  I did read one comment by Robert Christgau saying that amateur reviewers  (and he's meaning those that write for free on their blogs, or amazon.com, or anywhere on the net) should have their work reviewed before being allowed to vote.
Of course, that's impossible to do, unless you have someone monitor all the work of the 1500 potential voters.  And anyways, the free Internet listeners vs. the paid critics thing has been going on for awhile.  I don't get paid to do what I do, but I consider myself a full time critic regardless.  I listen to a ton of records every year.  New stuff and reissues.  I consider myself a music historian even more than a critic.
But when I get a Voice ballot every year, I take it pretty seriously.  Some would say my choices are too mainstream, not esoteric enough. Might be a fair argument.  But I love what I love.  I deserve to be a voter.

2011 Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll

I vote in this Poll.  It's the biggest Music critic Poll in the world.  And I'm glad the Village Voice continues to run it.

http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/

my ballot:

http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/critics/2011/1541168/

Playlist for 1/16

Otis Rush - Classic Cobra Recordings
Randy Montana - s/t
Frank Ocean - Nostalgia,Ultra
John Waite - Rough & Tumble
Dan Hicks - Best of Blue Thumb

Repackaging

It wasn't much of a year for reissues in 2011.  More like a year for repackaging.  Pink Floyd, Nirvana, another Elvis Presley box, Rolling Stones, The Who, U2 and the Beach Boys' Smile.  Well, the latter wasn't a repackage but sure felt like one.

I think this trend will continue, especially since all of the above appeared to have sold well.  It's the bigger is better approach.  And record companies know they don't have to sell many of these big priced bonanza's to turn a profit on their investment.

To be fair, the only super priced one I bought was the Elvis Presley box set.  I bought the scaled down 2 CD versions from Nirvana and the Beach Boys.  Passed on the rest, even though I like the albums.

And don't look for anything to obscure on these.  Unless you like Germany's Bear Family label (and spending a whole lot).  Right now, they are giving you the big name catalog sellers.

Playlist for 1/10

Smokey Robinson - Warm Thoughts/Being With You  (reissue)
Connie Smith - Long Line of Heartaches
Anthony Hamilton - Back to Love
Bon Iver - s/t
Oxford American Southern CD Sampler 2011
Scott Miller - Christmas Gift

Elvis' 77th

Yep, today would have been Elvis' 77th Birthday.

Underrated Elvis song of the moment:

"I Beg of You"   (1958) went to #8

Oxford American Southern Issue

The 13 annual Oxford American Southern Music Issue came out last month.  This one focusing on Mississippi.  Needless to say, this is always an essential buy.

You can get it on their website if you can't find it in stores.
It's also a good history lesson.  I'm thinking of sending mine to NomCom member Rick Krim.

Oh, and they've included a fab CD as well.  Buy it!

Reflections

Now that we've had a month to reflect, I keep thinking back to the harsh reaction to this year's Rock Hall Inductees.  Not so much the names, although the Red Hot Chili Peppers got many heated, but the whole process.

There were very good articles on how the Hall has snubbed Women, Hard Rock and Black artists.  There are those who are ticked off that the NomCom is growing more clueless every year.  And that changes need to be made on who sits on there.  Some suggesting that the Hall's failure to nominate some genres, like Prog, is because those who sit there are snobs.

I give the NomCom credit for nominating 5 women this year.  They also nominated  4 R&B artists and one Rap one.  Out of all these only 1, Laura Nyro got in.

Maybe the big problem is the voting pool.  As someone suggested, regarding the lack of R&B artists getting inducted every year, the pool is full of people who weren't raised on classic R&B, but on 80's and later R&B.  So, names like the Spinners or War or Chaka Khan, while voters may know some of their songs, the impact these artists had hasn't made an imprint in those voters' minds.

Does the Hall need more Women voters?  More African-American ones?  Would that solve those problems.

Eventually the Hall will have to bypass voters regarding  a genre like Disco and find a way to get Nile Rodgers and Donna Summer inducted.  

Because they always seem to be making stuff up anyway, it won't be hard to do this.  Does anyone remember the 7 year rule the Hall had?  It no longer exists but it did for Duane Eddy, Frankie Lymon and Little Willie John.

They may have to go back to something similar to this.

But I think the Hall loves all this attention. Especially the bad press.  And Jann, as I posted last month, has to be thrilled with this year's class of big name headliners.

The rest of us are left to ponder and wonder what will happen this September.  When the NomCom meets again to get us all riled up.  Once more.  

This Is For The Musicians Who Died In 2011

 RIP to those who've left behind fond musical memories for all of us.

In Memoriam: Musicians We Lost In 2011 : NPR