Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Those were different times ...

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  • Simon Grigg, in reply to st ephen,

    I'm still waiting for your spirited defense of Sailing

    Atlantic Crossing was produced by Tom Dowd (look down that list of credits and weep with joy). It got massively positive press on release, deservedly so I'd argue. Hell, even the NME rated it.

    How's that?

    Mostly this was when it turned ugly for Rod. He never returned.

    Kenny Jones!!

    Great Ian McLagen interview in Mojo last month.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to 3410,

    but "the worst thing he did?" That's a mighty big call.

    How about suing Al Jardine to prevent him telling concert goers he used to be in The Beach Boys, or suing Brian Wilson last year to prevent him playing Smile live. Not only was it an album he torpedoed but now the prick is listed as a consultant on the forthcoming release.

    I remember - and I might have mentioned this before - some young chubby guy being interviewed on brekky telly by Kate Hawkesby when Love brought whichever touring circus he was touting as The Beach Boys at the time, to NZ for a vineyard show, in the early 2000s.

    A member of "The Beach Boys" said she.

    Kate (or was it Alison Mau?) then asked the 25 year old what it was like playing all those fabulous songs in the 1960s. He didn't quite know what to say.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie, in reply to Simon Grigg,

    Those first three Rod solo albums were fucking fantastic.

    Were they what. More than enough to earn him an eternity playing trains.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • Jackie Clark,

    Thankyou Simon, thank you Jackson. That made me very happy. I stopped loving Rod a long time ago, but that brought back a bit of the love for me.

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report Reply

  • recordari, in reply to Jackie Clark,

    Always a pleasure.

    Or, as Frankie says, Welcome to the Pleasuredome.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    Well, if you want to go there, then let the thread death spiral continue!

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    I remember - and I might have mentioned this before - some young chubby guy being interviewed on brekky telly by Kate Hawkesby when Love brought whichever touring circus he was touting as The Beach Boys at the time, to NZ for a vineyard show, in the early 2000s.

    A member of "The Beach Boys" said she.

    Kate (or was it Alison Mau?) then asked the 25 year old what it was like playing all those fabulous songs in the 1960s. He didn't quite know what to say.

    Jeff Foskett (b. 1956). I met him once and he told me the charming story of how he first met Brian, which went much like this:

    I met Brian in 1976 as a birthday present to myself. It was Feb. 17 my 20th B-Day and I decided to drive to Bel Air and find Brian's house. I knew that he lived on Bellagio Road and I knew that the Wild Honey album sleeve was a photo of the stained glass window in the front room of his house. All I had to do was drive up and down Bellagio Road until I spotted the window. I did and went to the white fence, moved the gate and drove thru on the left side...I walked right in and found him in his house somewhere, keeping busy...

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • dyan campbell,

    The tail end of disco was a disaster for the music industry, and most especially the Black independent scene which didn't recover until the mid 1980s and the rise of hip-hop.

    The tail end of disco was a disaster for some in the music industry, But there were plenty of black musicians playing all kinds of music right through the late 70s and early 80s. Not all artists with African ancestry played disco music.

    MTV though, had to be pressured to play any videos by African American artists, including Michael Jackson.

    Garland Jeffreys - Christine

    Fishbone - Date Rape

    Gil Scott-Heron - Madison Avenue

    Grace Jones - Private Life

    auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 595 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to dyan campbell,

    Not all artists with African ancestry played disco music.

    Umm - really not all what I said. It was a disaster for the Black owned, orientated or controlled recording industry across the board. Radio stations across the US switched formats from soul, r&b and so on to top 40, Classic Rock etc.

    The biggest negative was simply fact that in 79 (the year we are talking about) the cashflow dried up and it had a hugely negative effect that rippled way beyond the acts that made disco, or had made disco.

    Several of the acts you've linked to above suffered. Let's look at all of them though:

    Gil Scott-Heron's first two albums in the 80s, 1980 and Real Eyes, were both sales disasters and received no exposure. He was eventually dropped by Arista and his wilderness years began. The track you linked to pre-dates this.

    Grace Jones was a disco act. In 1979 her career was more or less over. If she'd been signed to a US label she would likely have been dropped in the flurry to dump such acts in 79. It was saved by the fact she was signed to Island, a UK label who believed in artist development. Chris Blackwell took her to the Bahamas, placed her with Sly &Robbie and Alex Sadkin who repositioned her as almost a reggae/post punk blend.

    Fishbone were an alt rock band who's minor successes came long after the period we are discussing.

    Garland Jeffreys hardly set the world on fire sales wise - before or after the 70s and 80s. His major market was European though.

    The disco backlash in 79 didn't stop people making wonderful and inventive music - the first hip hop was released in 79 (ironically the first big hit used a disco track as its backing) and the backlash fuelled the nascent boogie scene which exploded in the 8os, there was a guy called Prince and a whole Minneapolis scene, the early NY garage records and way more. However it made exposing all that way much harder, and - worse - getting it funded.

    Because of all that it was a disaster for the music industry. And it went way beyond disco.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

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