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| From | "Jaimie Vernon" <bullseyecanada@hotmail.com> |
| Subject | Re: Another Bealtes? |
| Date | Wed, 04 Aug 2004 16:14:16 -0400 |
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At Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2004 14:29:02 Gary wrtoe:
>
><< Similarly, my father was a Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson and Elvis fan....I
>own NONE of their records. And why should I? >>
>
>Well, for starters, because they are some of not only the greatest, but
>most IMPORTANT records >ever made?
>
>To be a, for example, Beatles/Sixties/(Power) Pop fan, not to mention a
> >musician/producer/songwriter-especially Jaimie, it's always a most
>valuable illumination to see where >THEIR music (and inspiration, and
>influences) derived from.
I'm a Beatles and Power Pop fan...but not of the '60s (as I've pointed out
and been chastised for in the past).
>For example,
>upon playing my brand new "Beatles VI" elpee for the first-ever time as a
>young tyke and arriving at >the (I think it was) last song on Side One, I
>immediately stopped the record cold, read the label,
>and identified that utterly remarkable song as "Words Of Love," and the
>author "Buddy Holly."
>That sent me straight back downtown to Sam the Record Man, where my fave
>saleshippie gladly >sold me a copy of Holly's Greatest Hits.
>
>And my subsequent Buddy study then lead me to the Everlys, Ricky, Chuck
>and, well, that all has >made not only my understanding, but APPRECIATION
>of the Fabs et al all the more enjoyable and >rewarding ever since.
>
>Much the same way I hope YOUR musical coming-of-age circa Clash, Jam etc.
>sent YOU over to Sam's to research the NY Dolls, Velvets, (very early) Who
>and
>maybe even the Bobby Fuller Four!
>
>Studying those past masters then?
I have never been one to look backwards (again, as I've mentioned in the
past). Had there not been a two album "Rock And Roll Music" Beatles re-issue
in 1976 I would never have gravitated to them. But they were all over the
radio -- "Got To Get You Into My Life" was on the charts and I ran out and
bought the album because I recognized quite a few of the songs. But, there
was never any will or want to investigate the songs of Larry Williams, Carl
Perkins or Arthur Alexander just because an artist I was listening to
decided to cover one of their songs (I was too young to realize that there
WERE other versions out there).
I am truly a diehard fan of acts bringing their own circle of influences
together to create a new hybrid. When I heard the original versions,
eventually, of all these songs the Beatles had covered I was disappointed.
These acts may have written the songs, but the Beatles brought that twist or
unique personal stamp to make them appealing to me in the first place.
Same thing happened with Klaatu. I love the fact that they took the parts
that I enjoyed about the Beatles, and The Beach Boys, and The Turtles and
Pink Floyd and molded them into something a little more paletable for MY
tastes. When I discovered that "Calling Occupants" was actually a lift from
the Giles & MacDonald song "Birdman" I was quite intrigued....because the
original inspiration is such a piece of meandering, self-indulgent piece of
prog crap that for Klaatu to have added enough elements to make it
accessible to this prog-hating pop lover says a lot about the songwriters in
Klaatu....not about the progenitors of the original song. (and I'm sure many
would disagree).
There is nothing wrong with any of the acts my father grew up on as I
mentioned...particularly the Godfathers of rock and roll. They've just never
been more than a reference point for me...nor the generation after them in
the '60s. The Beatles are an anomoly in my own set of influences because
they're NOT from the era I grew up in as an impressionable pop music lover
-- which was the early '70s.
I am a child of Top40 AM Radio....the era of the disposable one-hit wonder
and K-Tel albums. The fact that I graduated from that school of rock at all
is a miracle (new wave, punk, metal, hard rock).
I'm often at odds with my own business because we specialize in
re-issues....and looking backwards is in complete conflict to building a
strong label of contemporary artists. So, here we are putting out new music
by old acts. A strange dicotomy for sure. But, then I never claimed that I
wasn't just a walking contradiction where music and commerce is concerned.
Jaimie Vernon,
President, Bullseye Records
http://www.bullseyecanada.com
Author, Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia
http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusicPopEncycloPages
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