A recent Rock Town Hall poll question may have tipped you off to the inner workings of the Rock Town Hall Research and Development department.
From 1969 through 1976, Rod Stewart, including his work with Faces, released music on par with or better than the Rolling Stones, during that same period.
False: 68% (17) True: 16% (4) Mmmm, I need to think about that…: 16% (4) Total Votes: 25
Coming soon, I will make the case that, I believe, will satisfy those who need to think about this issue as well as support those who think it’s true. Feel free to use this entry to prepare for this potentially mind-blowing examination. Thank you.
What’s the deal with Jellyfish drummer Andy Sturmer playing standing up? It’s not a drummer standing up in itself that nags at me, but a power pop drummer. What’s going to supply the POWER if not a drummer’s haunches coiled on a drum throne? Continue reading »
Do artists even make these albums anymore? At least years ago, when I was more tuned into the major record label status of big artists, there were sure signs that an artist was nearing the end of a long-term contract. A hastily compiled album of lesser material, often packaged on the cheap, would be rushed to market with little fanfare. The Contractual Obligation Album (COA) might be loaded with cover songs or padded out with live tracks. I believe an entire live album was a pretty cheap way to fulfill a contract as well. The artist wouldn’t do much press for the album, or what interviews were granted centered on how excited they were for their next album.
I’m not sure if Greatest Hits and Best of collections could count toward an artist’s fulfilling a contractual obligation, but I believe to this day they still serve as the old label’s last shot at making a few bucks off the departing artist. Does anyone know the ins and outs of these deals? Too bad Links Linkerson keeps himself in the basement and can’t send us some Billboard links to fill in the details.
The Way Contractual Obligation Albums Were Meant to Sound!
Some contractual obligation albums were outright “F-U” affairs: F-U to the old label, F-U to the buyers, F-U to the coming Greatest Hits/Best of repackaging options. Lou Reed‘s Metal Machine Music is reported to have been one of those F-U COAs, maybe the most brazen of them all.
I wonder what artist has cranked out the most COAs? Do you have a favorite COA, one that works despite – or because of – its tossed-off nature? Continue reading »
The Blur Best of CD referred to in our recent Old Dude’s Guide to Blur originally was issued with a bonus live CD. This is a good thing, and I’m glad I have it. As the older Townspeople who constitute the Bad Attitude Club have been intensely sampling and studying the studio tracks and videos posted, more than a few of them have come back to me with a variation on the following question:
Thanks for sharing these studio tracks, Mod, but to accurately pass judgment on this band I ignored 15 years ago, I need to get a sense whether they could play live. We all know how any kid with a Mac these days can make a killer record, but only a real band can do it on stage.
So, as a service to our hard-working, dedicated, and open-minded members of the Bad Attitude Club, I’m posting some Blur tracks performed – not just live – but live at Wembley Stadium. That’s bigtime, for those of you who haven’t been watching reruns of early ’80s concerts on VH1 Classic. Listen to the roar of the crowd! Sing-along with the English masses, already! Enjoy – or better yet, analyze!
For those of you who, like me, spent much of the ’90s bitching and licking wounds inflicted from musical battles fought throughout the ’80s – and who therefore missed most of the output of Blur when they appeared as part of that Britpop movement that I don’t think caught on much beyond stinking Oasis in the US – I’d like to kick off work toward an An Old Dude’s Guide to Blur. This is especially meant for the consideration of fellow crotchety, old Townspeople as well as further enlightenment from the younger generation, for whom the band that gave Fox Sports broadcasts the “whoo-hoo” soundbite may mean something more. If you’re so cool that you straddle this issue as an older dude who was tuned in enough during the ’90s to have appreciated Blur in their time, bear with us. You too may be of use in this discussion.
