Music Before the Money

The word “superstar” was supposedly coined by Andy Warhol and was a term used for his entourage.  Most of these people were only famous for being associated with Warhol and could be construed as some of the first who were “famous for being famous.” Now, hardly anyone knows who they are.

Superstars were also known for the negative aspects of their lives. Although, so far, Tiger Woods has been squeaky clean, Michael Jackson had an infamous life off the stage. And some, like O.J. Simpson and Pete Rose, were stripped of this mantle because of what went on in their private lives.

Now, because of the internet, the age of the superstar is over. We will still have talented people rise to the top but no one person, or persons, will ever dominate the music  scene again. There’s too much parity and the buying public can choose from thousands of new acts instead of a few dozen.

Michael Jackson grew to be the biggest of the superstars, even bigger than Elvis or The Beatles. Why?

1. Because his real fame was based on solid achievements in his craft that pushed it beyond where it had been before. This could be said for Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Tiger Woods but Jackson performed at a feverish pitch for many more years than any of the others and his fame never waned (Tiger Woods is not included as he is still swinging a great club).

2. Because unlike Elvis, John Lennon and others his fame transcended country boundaries and color. People in Africa (This could be said for Ali too) knew his music and identified with his race as did Philippinos, East Indians and other people of color. Presley had many fans but they were mostly white American or Europeans.

3. Because he honed his music slowly. He stayed with his brothers throughout the 1970’s and had a solid fan base before Thriller. This collaboration with Quincy Jones pushed him into the heavens but he was well known before this album.

4. Because he came along when the recording technology was rising quickly. He entered the business during the era of the 45rpm record, LP, 8-Track and cassette and his music was some  of the first pressed onto Compact Disks and downloaded in Mp3 form. (People in the world that could not afford cassette players in the past are now downloading Jackson Mp3’s at a feverish pace.)

5. Because he defined the music video, taking it from a bunch of people lip-syncing to a recording to an art form that told a story in a visual manner.

6. Because he brought the dance-show extravaganza to the forefront in popular music. Before him most music acts stood at the microphone and sang and only Motown acts really moved.  His stage styles were infectious and some moves were copied by other genre performers like Garth Brooks.

7. Because during most of the 1980’s he defined fashion and style with his many costumes and clothing designs.

I ‘ve gotten many emails saying that Jackson was a freak and a child molester. However, as a a former professional musician I can only go by what I hear and see. I think Pete Rose should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame despite his gambling episodes and O.J. Simpson should be remembered as a great football player as well as his shadowy criminal dealings. And Phil Spector was a nut case (still is) but he is revered for defining the sound of the 1960’s – and he should be, as he should be in jail for being a murderer. Of the allegations toward him regarding children Jackson was never convicted of doing anything wrong.

Just like The Last Samurai, The Last Big Band Leader or the Last Gunfighter Michael Jackson is The Last Superstar.

I remember the Michael Jackson before the glitter glove, Thriller, Ms. Presley and Neverland. If you’ve ever ready the stories about Ike Turner’s treatment of Tina or Murray Wilson’s almost maniacal handling of his Beach Boys sons they don’t even come close to the torture that Joe Jackson, Michael’s father, inflicted on his sons, The Jackson 5. In an interview he gave in 2003 Jackson casually said that he never beat the Jackson boys but used the belt a lot. In other words Joe treated them like performing circus animals.

Michael Jackson’s off behavior can be traced back to his father’s sessions of brow-beating and whipping but in recent years a new form of torture has become mainstream: People who harass famous people for a living. I’m sure Clint Eastwood and Angelina Jolie are tough enough to handle it but Jackson sunk further into insecurity. In the end, he died like Elvis Presley, his body giving into the strain of cocktails of prescription drugs that helped them cope with their celebrity status.

For now I would like to say that I remember the Michael Jackson . . .

1. As a little boy with the big voice in the Jackson 5 singing ABC,  I Want You Back and I’ll Be There.

2. Of the 1970’s as the black version of Donnie Osmond. The two were the top pinups for the year.

3. For his breakout song, Ben, a great song (believe it or not) about a rat.

4. As the great-dancing scarecrow in The Wiz, a musical based on the Wizard of Oz and where he met the musical genius of Quincy Jones.

5. Of the album Off the Wall in 1979 which made him an international superstar. There for our great hits: Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (written by Jackson), Rock With You, She’s Out of My Life and Off the Wall.

6. Of Thriller: A fabulous album and a 14-minute horror story by director John Landis.  As Quincy Jones said about the album, Jones:

“Michael Jackson was the biggest entertainer on the planet Earth. We made history together. This was the first time a young black performer had won the hearts of everyone from eight to 80, all over the world. This was breaking major barriers.”

7. We Are the World (Need I say more?)

So, what he did later, Beat It and others,  were great but I will always remember him for these accomplishments. What came afterward, the Neverland stuff and the parents who let their kids sleep in the same bed with him, well this was not the talented kid who combined his talent with the moves of James Brown and the Temptations.

He wasn’t Wacko Jacko, he was Michael Jackson, one of the greatest performers this planet has ever seen.

There has never been a group of musicians like The Beatles either before their tenure as recording musicians. And for almost 50 years countless fledgling bands have been compared to the “early Beatles” and then were watched by fans and promoters alike,  like millions of ornithologists waiting for an egg to hatch. However, you can’t synthesize a phenomenon and that was what happened with the rise of the Beatles.

Here are some reasons for their sudden impact on the world:

1. Upbringing

• With the exception of Ringo the Fab Four came from a dirt-poor existence. (In fact it’s funny that the Rolling Stones should be classed as “bad boys” because they were middle-class, southern kids while Liverpool was a rough place.) However, Ringo was in and out of hospitals until his teens.
• John Lennon was raised by his Aunt Mimi with no father figure and haunted by both the abandonment by his mother and then her death.
• Paul McCartney lost his mother as well. His father was a big band trumpet player and there was always music in the house.
• George Harrison’s first home had an outdoor toilet and no heating.

2. Role Models

Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Jerry Lee Lewis. George idolized Chet Atkins which accounted for his “country edge” while most of the guitar players in England listened to blues. Ringo learned drums during the “skiffle craze.”

2. Economic Situation in England

After World War II Great Britain has an enormous war debt and the population was rationed from the start of the war well into the 1950’s. Few people had real money to buy items like records or televisions so they entertained themselves. In Liverpool in 1960 there were over 100 bands.

3. Technology (electric guitars and basses and studio)

The Beatles rode the wave of studio technology that, although was invented well before them, they used to great advantage. However, the limited capacity of technology on the live stage led to them giving up live concerts because the sound was s o bad.

4. Advances in Media (Television and Radio)

Not only were there technological advances in recording but also in radio and television. In the early 1960’s households in Great Britain were getting televisions and the U.S. television market was booming with signature shows like The Ed Sullivan Show. Shows like Top of the Pops in England made them a household name in that area and Ed Sullivan gave them a world stage. Also, the new portable record players meant that you could take the Beatles to the beach.

5. Brian Epstein Eccentricities and Fanatacism

All the tell-all books say that Epstein was infatuated with John Lennon. His Jewish upbringing in a culture that all but despised Jews, as well as his close relationship with mother – Queenie, made him a very insecure person and “clingy.” However, he still had money and gumption and was fiercely loyal to “my boys” when others would have given up (And his focus also bordered on naivety when it came to business resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in revenue.).

6. The Production Genius of George Martin

One story about Paul was that he and George Martin went to hear the London Philharmonic’s presentation of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto. He was so impressed with the small D trumpet that he asked George Martin to put a a solo in his new song. (Penny Lane features a D trumpet) Martin took a rough quartet and mad them into recording artists. He was patient and had an ear for presenting greatness. His skills grew with each Beatle album.

7. Ringo Starr

One of the most under-recognized talents in a rookie band was Ringo. While John and Paul were learning to play their instruments he was already a seasoned performer with top Liverpool groups like Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. As London jazz drummer Charlie Watts later did for the fledgling Rolling Stones, Ringo  provided a steady meter. And although later Paul did not feel that Ringo was good enough for rhythms that he wanted in his songs Ringo provided the glue that made them famous in the first place.

8. John F. Kennedy’s Death

Three months before The Beatles landed in the U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Being the first president to identify with the post-war “baby boom” generation his death left a huge hole in their lives and a long period of mourning. The Beatles’s music and appearance in the United States ended this dark period and resulted, for many, in an emotional outpouring.

9. Drugs

It is no secret that The Beatles immortalized drugs in many of their songs.  Marijuana got them out of their Beatlemania era into more reflective songwriting and LSD helped them push the envelope into Sergeant Pepper. Unfortunately heroine made John and Yoko twin basket cases for a few years and many critics say it stifled what could have been a great era of songwriting.

10. Mechandising

Although Brian Epstein missed the boat in cashing in on merchandizing (His deals made millions for middle-men and very little for himself or The Beatles) the flood of items like Beatle wigs, bubble gun cards, lunch boxes, jewelry, harmonicas, etc. helped sell records and spread their popularity.

The 4th Annual Maritime Beatle Event will be held at the St. Antonio Hall in fax on Saturday, June 6th. The brainchild of singer Hal Bruce this event features people from near and far singing Beatle songs and enjoying a slice of time when all things were possible.

Returning also will the Summer of Love Band playing favorites from the 1960’s.

The line-up includes:

Jay Goeppner (Chicago, Illinois)
The Repeatles (Sweden)
Hal Bruce (Nova Scotia)
Hal Bruce & Ticket 2 Ride (NS)
John Chiasson and The Lonely Hearts Club Jazz Band (Halifax)
FreeFall (Amherst)
Summer of Love Band
(International All-Star Band)

Additional Personalties:

Mark Rashotte (Ontario)
Ian Sherwood (Nova Scotia)
Scott Ferguson (Nova Scotia)
Mark Beyer (Kentucky)
Donna Scaglione (Nova Scotia)
Arnie Brox (Sweden)

Singles and Duos

Terry Creaser (England)
Donna Scaglione (Nova Scotia)
Ian Sherwood (Nova Scotia)
Brett and Shane Kinrade (Nova Scotia)
Heather Pike (Nova Scotia)
Floyd King (Nova Scotia)

Tickets are still available at: Maritime Beatle Event

“Auto-Tuned music is like fake boobs: once you realize they are fake, it kind of diminishes the joy of seeing them.”

—Randall Roberts, music editor at LA Weekly

There is a singing aid that has been in use for some time call the vocal harmonizer.  the first time I heard someone use it I though there was a a duo on stage but it was just one guy. The way it works is that he has another vocal signal running parallel to the main one. This second signal is then set for thirds or whatever interval that the harmony would sound good. With a foot switch the harmonies can just come in on the chorus.

It the music studios these are used for lazy singers.In years gone by we would do a vocal track over and over again until we thought that parts of it weren’t sharp or flat. Another way would be to do it line-by-line (awfully tedious!), punching in and out.

“You hear this device all the time on the radio.  Whenever you hear ultra tight vocal harmonies that sound ‘too perfect’ you are listening to a harmonizer at work. “

Rather than spend a half a day getting a vocal track right a vocal harmonizer can pull a voice right on the note. This way valuable recording time is not spent on redos. Or is it?

“We’ve gotten to the point where the producer is the artist, and the performer is just a tool in the broader spectrum of the record.”

- Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot

In the late 1970’s studio time in Vancouver was around $150 an hour. My first record took me a year to pay off and I spent about $450 (3 hours) just getting one vocal track right. Why? Because my voice is still a work in progress as I  never learned how to sing properly. Would a harmonizer have helped? Yes. Would I have used something like that at the time. Probably.

However, I can listen back to a few tracks that I still think were great. And this is because it took a lot of work and creativity. With a harmonizer the machine would have me sound good and that would be like getting someone to sing the track for me.

However, harmonizers are here to stay. But it’s the producer who decides who needs it or will lavish it on vocals as a fail-safe mechanism.