Legacy Recordings

Well, the drive really wasn’t bad. I got in the car about 8:15pm and
pulled into the HoJo’s roghly two hours later. Rob arrived shortly after
and we ventured accross the street to the strip mall and one of
Allentown’s ‘hot spots’ - The Chiken Lounge. Nothing like drinking $1.50
beers and listening to bad Smashing Pumpkins rip-offs while the local
hospital staff filters in for their nightly booze, smoke and chicken
nachos. Do I really miss the city already? Truthfully, the place did
have some charm - $1.50 pints.

This morning starts the real reason for this journey into suburbia. We
have come to film the 17th Semi-Annual 45 & 78 RPM Record Convention and
all the pre-show festivities. The show starts on Saturday, but for the
next two days, the truly hardcore do their thing. The Days Inn is ground
zero. I’m told these guys are ferocious (in a good way) when it comes to
finding just the right record. Legend has it that trunks are popped and
boxes searched before the cars have even finished pulling into their
parking spots.

We are really here to explore this niche subculture. These guys (and
girls?) Are the ultimate catalog music fans. Their knowledge of music so
far surpasses my own that I just hope I can be accepted enough to gain
some insight. They don’t know we’re coming, and I hope they allow us
close enough to celebrate both their excentricities and their passion.

Music appreciation is not dead in this modern world, and this week I’d
like to prove that. The record labels may not make money on events like
this, but at least it’s not P2P.

Warning: You may have to be a Facebook user to fully appreciate this.

About a month ago, the fine folks at iLike added “Song Dedications” to their iLike application within Facebook. According to their website, “Whether it’s a love-song for your girlfriend or boyfriend, any old favorite for your BFF, or some eighties song that somebody is still listening to, send a dedication, and it will show up automatically on your friend’s Facebook profile!”

I am now certifiably obsessed. I’ve dedicated songs to everyone I know. I dedicated “Round And Round” by Ratt to a friend in the office who loves 80’s metal, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” by Michael Jackson to my old roommate who used to play the song on Saturday nights, right be he went out on the town, “Old Deuteronomy” by Andrew Lloyd Webber to my friend’s cat, and “Welcome Back” (the theme to “Welcome Back, Kotter”) by John Sebastian to a friend who has been out of the office for a few weeks.

I know this makes me sound like a total weirdo, but if you are a Facebook user, send a dedication and see if you don’t become obsessed, also.

Listening to Razorlight’s “In The City” today reminded me of Patti Smith. Some people hear Bob Dylan in this track - all I hear is “Gloria.” The pacing, the tempo, the crescendo - I think, I hope, it is an homage to Patti.

There are two times I have “lost it” with an artist. And by “lost it” I mean I went from my normal level of artist-admiration to a bright red, tongue-tied girl. Actually, three times if I count running into Robert Plant in “Antique Boutique” on Broadway back in the ‘80s and nearly going into cardiogenic shock, but I am only counting the work-related times.

The first time was when Mick Jones and Paul Simonon came up to our floor when we released The Essential Clash. But that is for another time.

The second time was with Patti Smith. Patti still scares the crap out of me and I don’t know why. She has been nothing short of charming whenever I have met her, which is exactly three times. Actually, the second time I met her she was very pissed off at the security detail of a midtown radio station, but she took a few moments out of her mega-sulk to look at me and say “Nice coat.” (This coat will always be my “Patti Smith Coat.”) Moments later she was sitting next to me gushing over early production samples of the Legacy Edition of Horses. I thought she might even cry.

She has a small but warm voice with a reassuring everyman accent. She has a smile that lights up her face. She is very funny. But she is a legend, a great living artist, “like freakin’ Picasso” as my old boss once said, so at the outset I worried about saying something incredibly stupid, or showing her a layout that she thought sucked.

A lot of artists are described as “electric,” but I believe she really is. I saw her once, years ago, on a rainy day with her shopping, and even in that most mundane and civilian environment, she had that look of unknown current, like a familiar appliance with an exposed wire.

And despite being virtually monochrome, a black and white halftone in signature blazer, boots and jeans, with long gray hair that drifts down her shoulders, the vibrancy of her performance really is electrifying. She is not afraid, nor embarrassed, to sing loud, shout, spit, recite poetry, be moved to tears, be contradictory and, in the case of her New York show back in April, read a bad record review to the audience. In short - to be exactly who she wants to be. Self-consciousness is for the lame hipster. She makes me want to quit my job and be an “artist.” That is her electricity, her “legendary-ness.” When I watch her perform I think she is the freest person on earth.

My in-laws are visiting this weekend. Last night I sat down and showed my father-in-law how to use iTunes. He is now officially obsessed. He was still on the computer when I went to bed. Earlier this morning, I heard him typing away again in the other room. I am not totally sure he ever went to sleep. Right now he’s sitting in front of the computer in his PJ’s, singing along to all the 30 sec clips (”Mony, Mony,” “I’m Into Something Good,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Joy To The World,” “Free Ride,” “Midnight Rider,” “Respect” etc.) This should be an infomercial: “Not Your Kid’s Download Store!”

Just wait til I show him how to download a ringtone! I can just hear “Your Mama Don’t Dance” as his ringtone.

Update:
My wife and mother-in-law have now joined in the singing. My neighbors must think we’re having some sort of abbreviated karaoke breakfast.

Since it was like 100 degrees today it felt like a good day to put on Two Sevens Clash by Culture and worry about the Rasta apocalypse.

The album was originally released July 7, 1977 (representing the title’s “Two Sevens”), a combination of numbers for Rastafarians that signify the end of the world (that would be the “Clash” bit). The fact that four sevens were clashing on that date was of major concern - the streets in Jamaica were pretty empty that day. Still, for the truly faithful, the apocalypse also signified release from a miserable life into the safe arms of Jah. As a result this is an eclectic and more optimistic record than you might be tempted to record if you knew the world was going to end right at the start of your summer vacation.

With the Mighty Two, Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson producing, the album has a line up that included Joseph Hill, Sly and Robbie (Sly actually on guitar instead of bass) and the Skatalites Tommy McCook. It’s freakin’ awesome, a roots reggae masterpiece. This is real Rasta music – not the Marley-esque “One Love” kind of stuff – but the serious shit: songs of prophesy, religion, hardship and going to Zion on the back of a lion. The first track, “Get Ready To Ride The Lion To Zion” (see?) is not only brilliant, it is punctured by a lion roar that alone is worth at least the price of a download. This is one of those records that crossed over into the punk world and outsold Bob Marley’s Exodus, released the same year, at the hip record stores in west London.

Luckily, 7/7/77 came and went and the world survived, and now, thirty years later the anniversary edition is being reissued on July 17, 2007. Three sevens. Maybe stay home that day.

Off topic for a moment - I mentioned this record to my husband who reminds me that he has met Lee Scratch Perry – one of the people I want to meet but am a little frightened of (along with Bob Dylan, Steve Jobs and Oprah). I don’t think LSP had anything to do with this record but he was, in my mind, a musical pioneer in the roots reggae world. He made some great records in Kingston and then one day burned down his Black Ark Studio because – well I can’t remember the exact reason, but in layman’s terms we’d say he was smoking too much shit and went crazy.

The reissue of Two Sevens Clash will be digitally re-mastered, come with bonus mixes, liner notes by the great Lenny Kaye, lots of testimonials and all that good stuff. If you have any interest in roots reggae you need to get this. In the meantime, I am loving my crappy old version which, condensed into mp3, sounds as close to a Kingston ghetto blaster as this old white girl is going to get. I’m getting some Red Stripe in for the big day and having a quiet one.

The second week of the internship is now finished. I started the week discovering a new artist by the name of Jeff Buckley. First, let me say that I grew up listening to mostly Hip-Hop, R&B/Soul, and Gospel music. I was also classically trained on the piano for better or for worse depending on how you look at it. I found a new respect for rock tinged music when I got to college. My rock collection consists mostly of John Mayer, Lenny Kravitz, Paula Cole, Nikka Costa, Jimi Hendrix, Sarah McLachlan, Ben Harper and a few others. I realize now though that Sony has rights to most of the greatest artist of our time. Sade, Earth Wind and Fire, Bruce Springsteen, Run DMC, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Miles Davis, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, and the list goes on and on. Why I never heard of Jeff Buckley before I don’t know, but it’s a shame I didn’t. He is really, really good. I was pleasantly surprised by his lyric delivery, vocal range, phrasing, soul, and song writing. I hear his influence in others so much now. Its way too bad he is gone. I came across a recording Jeff did of “Alligator Wine,” which I first heard on a Screamin Jay Hawkins record and I thought he pulled it off cleverly. I also discovered the song “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over”….WOW!

Outside of finding Jeff Buckley, I’ve been hearing a lot during meetings about artists in the catalog who have not allowed Legacy to sell their music digitally. Given the history of the music business and the traditional lopsidedness of the contracts, I can only imagine why an artist would want to keep the rights. There is also the concern of piracy taking away the only source of income for a band that has to split the income 5 ways. On the other hand though, musicians need to be musicians; businessmen need to be businessmen; and both need to strike a balance to keep the other employed and reasonably compensated I think. That brings me to Michael Jackson. I get to do something really cool by heading the development of a digital marketing plan for the 25th anniversary release of “Thriller”. It has about 25 never-before-released remixes that even I haven’t heard yet. If everything goes as plan your text message can alert with Michael’s background vocals saying “P.Y.T” when a pretty young thang sends a text message to your phone. I will definitely be one of the first to use the alert for my wife’s messages if it happens. Until next time..Peace.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Chris Smith. I am a full-time MBA in Digital Media Management student interning for 2.5 months this summer with Legacy Recordings and the Commercial Music Group. I own a small post audio and music house in Austin, TX called Lois Earl Entertainment (www.loisearl.com). I’ve worked in higher education for 5 years at The University of Texas at Austin, and I have about 6 years of music and entertainment business related experience as a producer, SXSW stage manager, engineer, sound designer, publisher and composer. I turn 30 on the last day of this month and am very happily married.

My 1st week so far at SonyBMG has been exactly what I hoped for. I hit the ground running after lunch Monday examining new pricing and partnerships by researching a list of the top 100 digital Legacy artists. I always knew that major labels had a lot of content, but I have to admit that I am a bit in awe of the depth and breadth of SonyBMG’s catalog. After talking with my new found friends in new media marketing who are tasked with digitally monetizing older SonyBMG assets, I learned that there exists loads and loads of stuff in the coffers that even they haven’t been exposed to. For instance, I got an idea as to what a new music discovery experience might be like for Legacy A&R when I stumbled upon an old home demo recording of Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean” while researching the top 100 downloaded artists. At one point you can hear the creative process as he hums the melody as if the lyrics are unfinished.

I’ve been introduced to most of the staff and executives and have already attended two meetings. This is going to be great! As I applied for internships for over 6 months, I wanted to be sure it was something of substance, a conversation holder, challenging, with clear learning outcomes, and worth the sacrifice of being away from my wife. So far it’s turning out to be just that.