I told myself I was going to spend all day reading, but I got hooked on these BBC documentaries, which I recommend.
The first is on Roxy Music.
Unfortunately, the second half, after the band reforms, is paint by numbers. But the first half, about the formation of the band, the motivation, is educational and inspirational.
It was the opposite of today. There was a lot of thinking involved. Bryan Ferry had definite concepts he wanted to get across. And who else could write "In Every Dream Home A Heartache," about a lonely man in a beautiful house who has a relationship with a blowup doll...
"I blew up your body
But you blew my mind"
The tidbits are fascinating. From Eno joining and leaving to the piece de resistance, wherein Bob Clearmountain claims he gets more feedback about mixing "Avalon" than any other project he's been involved in:
"It's amazing how many people love that record. I've gotten more comments on that record than anything I've done in my career, by far, you know more than Springsteen, or anything... you mention 'Avalon' and people...'oh, I love that record...my children were conceived to that record.'"
I discovered Roxy Music almost by accident. I was in London that summer of '72 and all the newspapers were buzzing about it (multiple weekly music newspapers...I was in heaven!) I purchased the debut, which of course came without shrinkwrap and was sans "Virginia Plain," which was stripped into the American version. My favorite song is "If There Is Something."
And I purchased the follow-ups religiously, but it wasn't until "Love Is The Drug" that they had any impact upon America.
As for "Avalon"...it was so different from what came before that at first I didn't get it, then it became the make love classic. Yup, that's what you did in the 80's, put "Avalon" on the turntable and had a go at it. And you had to be fast, this was before CDs and the endless loop...although my Technics turntable would repeat a side.
And if we're going to the later era, I've got to mention "Oh Yeah" from "Flesh+Blood."
Almost completely forgotten, "Oh Yeah" is the quintessence of our musical fandom. We didn't care if it wasn't on the radio, we didn't care if nobody else knew it, we just wanted to escape into our favorite tracks, they made our lives complete.
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The second BBC documentary I watched is entitled: "Sweet Home Alabama - The Southern Rock Saga."
I'd like to tell you I learned a lot, but I didn't. But if you're too young to know or remember, it's a good primer.
But the reason everybody should watch it is the visuals. Beginning with the footage of Martin Luther King's assassination. Especially listen to Gregg Allman's song about it, "God Rest His Soul." Not only is it great, and fitting, Gregg delineates perfectly how songs write themselves. It doesn't happen all the time, but when you're inspired, the song channels itself through you.
And then there's Duane... Who's utterly arrogant! He thinks he's the best and he wants no one to tell him what to do! What a difference from today, where everybody wants to cave to the whim of labels and producers and if they're arrogant about their talent, they've got nothing to back it up. But Duane could just plug in his Les Paul and prove it instantly. His solo on Wilson Pickett's "Hey Jude" was his first recording at FAME...and a breakthrough for a soul record.
And the Allmans played 306 gigs in a year. Before they made it, trying to make it.
Can you imagine?
Might sound glamorous, but this was before plush buses, and despite some drugs and dames, the best two hours of your day were on stage, the rest was utter drudgery. But that's what it took to make it. And there was no guarantee you would.
But everybody tried.
That's the difference from yesterday and today. The money. That's why everybody wanted to be a rock star, that and the girls. But now the money's been taken away, not by Napster but tech in general. There's much more money in tech and banking and therefore not everybody is playing music, mostly only the young and dumb, and what results is poor and most people don't care.
Music used to rule the world! That's the way the message got out. And they're playing music today, but we lived through the Renaissance in the sixties and seventies, just watch these documentaries for edification.
P.S. Unlike VH1's "Behind The Music," which became an instant cliche, the BBC is not interested in story arc and ratings so much as getting the facts right. We can't do this in America. Oh, that's right, they've got socialist TV in the U.K.
P.P.S. It's great to hear Nile Rodgers tell how Chic was inspired by Roxy Music, right down to the album cover. And then how Roxy/Ferry was inspired by them!
P.P.P.S. For eons, my favorite cuts on "Avalon" were the opener, "More Than This," and the second side slow burner, "To Turn You On." Then, suddenly, I flipped for the second side opener, "The Main Thing." It's rock, it's dance, it's industrial, it's otherworldly! Whatever the essence of the track is, it's not contained in movies, televisions or books, it's something you feel, as if you've being injected with a serum that inspires you and alters your perception of the world. And no drugs are required! Be sure to listen to not only the original, but the now readily available seven and a half minute remix: http://spoti.fi/QcdpP7
P.P.P.P.S. "Now the party's over..." I've heard these introductory lyrics to "Avalon" to the point they're in my DNA, but they rang true in another way watching this video... The party is truly over, rock is dead. I know the Who sang "Long Live Rock," but watching these documentaries you can see how we were all caught up in music, making our statement, trends coming and going quickly...those days are through.
"The Roxy Music Story": http://youtu.be/1Ba5Z8Dy-j4
"Sweet Home Alabama - The Southern Rock Saga": http://youtu.be/IRHN5so_Ijo
"God Rest His Soul": http://bit.ly/MlhSzD
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