Random Notes – 11/11/08

Posted by John on November 11, 2008
Posted in: music industry, new releases, news, upcoming, videos, youtube. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 5 Comments

Enya Winter– If it’s Tuesday, it must be new releases, right? Today’s batch includes Taylor Swift (only $3.99 at Amazon), David Archuleta, Tracy Chapman, Seal, T-Pain, David Foster, and Deborah Cox. The cavalcade of reissues and re-releases include discs by the Smiths, New Order, Enrique Iglesias, Hilary Duff, Genesis and Abba. However, I predict a dark horse this week that may make a big splash is the new holiday release from Enya. I can’t think of an artist that is more appropriate for Christmas music than her. I’m not saying it’ll be GOOD, I’m just saying it makes sense.

il-divo– Looking ahead to next week, an interesting match-up appears. I doubt I have to remind regular readers that David Cook’s CD, but competing for your 19 Entertainment dollars will also be Il Divo, Simon Cowell’s Opera Boys. For most Idols, I would say this isn’t a big deal, but I think these two acts probably share a little more audience then Mr Cook would like to admit. “But they’re BOTH dreamy!”

DCook People david-cook.org– In other David Cook news, he has an AOL Sessions that will premiere on November 21st, he’s playing the Red Carpet party prior to the American Music Awards on the 23rd, and he’s currently appearing in ads for Sketchers (which I believe every Idol winner has done following their win). On the retail tip, we know so far that there are bonus tracks on the iTunes (“My Last Request”) and Wal-Mart (“Breathe Again”) versions. And finally, in the Continual Pimping Department (an artform we admire GREATLY around the PMN water cooler), Entertainment Weekly unleashes yet another feature on Mr. Cook. The cool thing about this feature is that it gets into the whole “how do I rock when the housewives/cougars made me what I am?” dilemma. My favorite quote (you KNEW there would be one):

”I do take music seriously. But I don’t take myself all that seriously. I’m kind of a goober from the Midwest who hit the lottery.”

– Despite the King of Fizz not giving them their proper due (I blame him personally for “Boyfriend” not going to #1), “What Is Happening” will get a physical release on November 24th. It looks like they will be releasing some sassy remixes (including a techno Ultrabeat remix), so here’s hoping that might help get them back into the UK Top 10. The Feist-ish video couldn’t hurt, either…

For some amusing Alphabeat visuals, check out the BBC Chart Blog’s latest addition to their “How To Destroy…” series.

– On a personal note, I’d like to thank all of you that have supported me over the past few months. This started off as a little experiment and hobby, but has really turned into a passion. I set a goal a few weeks ago to do a post a day for a month, and so far, so good on that. Due to a search engine find, the blog has exploded in the page view department, with over 1,000 views in the past two days. It’s a little humbling when folks you read and admire compliment your work, but I am grateful for any and all feedback. Thanks for your support…while it’s cool to document this for myself, it’s even better to have a dialogue with voices other than the ones in my head.

What Makes “U.S.” So Special?

Posted by John on November 10, 2008
Posted in: commentary, music industry, upcoming. Tagged: , , , , , . 6 Comments

Best Buy ShoppingI’ve mentioned my music retail roots before, and while I can’t imagine ever going back to managing record stores (they’re already on the Endangered Species list), I miss aspects of it. It was cool to experience some of the insider dealings about how the retail aspect of the music industry works, but some business practices really never made much sense to me. For example, Tuesdays are new release days in North America. Why?

I did some digging, and came across this article, which confirmed reasons I’d heard in the past. Allow me to cut to the chase:

Albums used to be released on Tuesdays to take advantage of two factors. The first is that music industry magazines used to come out on Monday thus creating a buzz that consumers would act on the next day. Also according to one source radio stations used to change playlists on Tuesday so while new music was being heard on the radio you could also go to the store and buy the album.

gnrchinesedemocracyI won’t go off on a rant, but let’s just say that retailers (and labels) need to sell as many records as possible these days. Why would you put new releases in your Sunday adverts, which are designed to bring in business, but tell customers “sorry, you can’t have the Kanye until TUESDAY”? Well, it looks like someone might be coming to their senses on this. Universal Music has announced that they will release blockbuster CDs from the Killers, Ludacris, and Kanye a day early to maximize sales before Thanksgiving and “Black Friday”. Instead of Tuesday the 25th, they’ll hit on Monday the 24th, keeping up with Best Buy’s move to release Guns N Roses’s “Chinese Democracy on the 23rd. Folks, you’ve just seen the first nail in the coffin of Tuesday releases, especially if these four CDs do well. No crystal ball, here…just a guy with a hunch.

[Side note…as I was typing this entry up, “On the Radio” by Martine McCutchen came on my iTunes. While I know that “Radio” is a “signature” Donna Summer song, there is something infectious about this version. Just thought I’d share.]

How “Thriller” Changed My Life

Posted by John on November 9, 2008
Posted in: commentary, personal, youtube. Tagged: . 6 Comments

Talking about my musical past always seems to involve Michael Jackson, so I figured I’d go in that direction in a little more detail. The King of Pop wasn’t really in my line of sight musically until the 80’s. I remember “Rock With You” from the late 70s, and it really holds up well with time. But like so many others in the early 80s, “Thriller” won me over, despite it’s first single, the sickeningly saccharine “The Girl Is Mine”, which makes me a little nauseous just thinking about it. The moment I knew that music was not just entertainment, but an art form, was watching “Motown 25” on a Sunday night, when Michael busted out in a big way:

(If you want the abbreviated version, just go to 4:06 of the clip. You’ll know it when you see it.)

That moment blew me away. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when it happened, which is pretty amazing, considering I barely paid attention to the rest of the show. It was on like Donkey Kong from there. I bought the LP, and I wore that bad boy out! Even the fold-out cover fascinated me. But even better than the packaging was the music. With the exception of “Baby Be Mine”, which I would argue is the ONLY B-side on the album, and “The Girl Is Mine”, every song was amazing. Even the non-released “Lady In My Life” is now a classic, and among my favorite songs of all time.

While I enjoyed the more pop tracks on the album, including “Beat It” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'”, it was the R&B-leaning tracks that captured my impressionable musical attention. “Human Nature” and “PYT”, as well as “Lady In My Life”, were the heart of this record, and despite his attempts to capture that lightning in a bottle in following releases (I’d argue “Dangerous” was the R&B compensation to the pop leanings of “Bad”), he’s never hit the R&B trifecta again.

MJ ThrillerSo how did “Thriller” change my life? Well, I never looked at music the same way again, literally. The videos he created for this album were spectacular at the time, and raised the bar for the entire industry in the process. “Thriller” also helped bring out my R&B tendencies. Artists like Rene & Angela, the Dazz Band, Prince and Five Star would have had a much harder time hitting my radar if I hadn’t been prepared for them by the R&B influence of this record.

More than anything, though, was a realization to I needed to be open to other types of music, and that has served me well over the years. Granted, I didn’t have to work at “Thriller”, since it was everywhere at the time. There is no such thing as a purely-born musical genre these days. Everything evolves from something else. And if you look at the last 25 years, I think you’ll find a lot of the music to come out of that timeframe evolved from “Thriller”.

I’ll leave you with a live version of “Human Nature” from the Victory tour in 1984. No matter what you think of his stage presence, I doubt you can argue with the song being classified as a classic.

My Favorite (Musical) Mistakes

Posted by John on November 8, 2008
Posted in: personal. Tagged: , , , , . 5 Comments

As if I haven’t just cut my chest open and showed you who I really am, here’s a little bit of self-embarassment provided by our good friend Dan.

K Sweat Forever1. What was your first CD? And do you still own it?

My first CD was Keith Sweat’s “Make It Last Forever”, back in 1987. I didn’t have a CD player at the time, but I acquired one soon after that. “Forever” is actually a pretty revolutionary disc in my opinion, as it was the first fully realized “New Jack Swing” opus. While I know that some would argue that Teddy Riley should be given full credit for the rise of New Jack Swing, it took a performer like Keith Sweat to put a face and persona on it. I don’t own the CD, but I have his greatest hits (which includes at least half of this disc) on my iTunes.

2. What was the last physical CD you bought?

It’s a tie for the last disc between the two Raining Jane CDs I bought at the Sara Bareilles show. Having said that, I don’t actually listen to the CDs. They get transferred to my computer, and in many cases, that’s the last time they will be touched. The whole band, however, signed “Paper Nest”, so that will go into a secure location for future reference.

B Raitt Luck3. Most memorable make-out to music moment?

The most memorable make-out music was actually a break-up situation as well. A guy I was seeing in college broke up with me while we were lying in his bed by playing Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. He played it the first time, and it didn’t really register. When it played the second time (it was a promo single with two versions of the song), I got the hint, and started bawling. Apparently, he was attempting to predict my reaction to the break-up. He was on target, apparently.

4. Memorable vinyl? (singles or albums)

When I was in Junior High, I took my album covers and stapled them up on my wall. Stuff along the lines of “Thriller”, “Hi Infidelity”, “I Feel For You”, and “Can’t Slow Down” remained up for close to a year. Then I got my own room that had been remodeled, and there were no more stapling allowances.

Rob Base5. Biggest regret of a musical purchase?

I’m gonna go in a different direction with this, and say that selling my vinyl collection in college in order to fund my last year of school, is my biggest regret. I had some GREAT 12” singles in that stash from my time as a DJ.

6. Most embarrassing musical purchase?

Hmmm…recently, that would be “The Block” from the New Kids, although I stand by that purchase as a solid pop album. Maybe I should go back to my very first music purchase, which consisted of the 45s of “The Rainbow Connection” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. Cool at the time, but not exactly highbrow listening now. (I won’t deny my enjoyment of both songs, though. “Rainbow” is a classic, and “Devil” was pretty innovative for its time.)

Y Adams7. Biggest musical purchase aberration?

My biggest musical aberration is probably the sole Gospel tune in my iTunes library. That distinction goes to Yolanda Adams’ “Open My Heart”, which is about as inspirational a song as I know. Not only do I own the original, but I also have the 11-minute Junior’s Sunday Morning Club Mix. [Since I only own the dance version of Mary Mary’s “Shackles”, I’m going to pretend that it doesn’t count.]

Idols A’Poppin

Posted by John on November 7, 2008
Posted in: interview, music industry, reviews, upcoming. Tagged: , , . 5 Comments

4judges_nycSo the American Idol juggernaut is preparing to kick into overdrive, fueled by two high-profile releases and the impending Season 8 premiere in January. Here are some details to hold you over…

– Master Archuleta releases his debut album on Tuesday (Monday in the UK), and I have a feeling it’s going to be a big one. I’ve heard several tracks off of the album on AOL, and it’s REALLY good. “Touch My Hand” is a really catchy pop song, “A Little Too Not Over You” could easily be a single, “Don’t Let Go” has a Jon McLaughlin vibe to it, and “Your Eyes Don’t Lie” has a cool “futuristic blues” vibe to it. [BTW…”Not Over You” was co-written by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil of High School Musical fame, not to mention “C’est La Vie” for you 80s buffs.]

DArch StudioThere are throwaway tracks that try to ape current trends like “Barriers” and “My Hands”, and “Desperate” could have been cool, but David gets lost in the production. It’s the simple stuff where he really excels, though. “To Be With You” is just David, a piano, and backing vocals by future Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, and it’s gorgeous in its simplicity. “You Can” is a mid-tempo acoustic ballad that looks to be Archie’s true strength. No song on the record proves this more than “Angels”. I am about to spout pure blasphemy here, but David A’s version of this Robbie Williams classic is AS GOOD as the original, but for different reasons. While Robbie’s version has a beautiful darkness that is lush and deep, David’s soars with a purity that gives the song a completely different spin. Debate it all you want, and maybe time won’t be so kind to this new version, but for the moment, I stand by my proclamation.

– Following a week later is David Cook, who anyone who reads this blog should know about by now. Entertainment Weekly has an interview with David where they talk about the new record, the obsessive fans online (don’t look at me like that), the show, and where he goes from here. My favorite quote from the article:

I still feel like that awkward musician; I think I always will. That’s a huge component of me staying kind of humbled and grounded about the whole thing: I get the flimsiness of it. I get that it could all go away. I mean, fame is fleeting….But I’m at peace. I’ve got guys that I’m playing with that I love to death, and I’m playing music that I think we all really get into, and as long as we’ve got that and a place to play, I’m good.

kara-dioguardi– The monster known as Idol returns on January 13th with the usual month or so of auditions. If you’re looking for a taste, check ’em out here. They’ve also got a little intro vid on new judge Kara DioGuardi for your perusal here. All I can say is, here go my Tuesday and Wednesday nights for the next six months.

Chart Notables – 11/06/08

Posted by John on November 6, 2008
Posted in: charts, music industry, singles. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 7 Comments

GaGa Fame– Folks, despite the burnout that we all may be experiencing out here in the blogosphere over Ms GaGa, “Just Dance” FINALLY secures hit status. It is #1 most added at Pop Radio this week, among the most increased played tracks of the week, and is the top debut on the Pop chart at #34. While the odds of this record going #1 are slim, since some stations have been on the record for a while, I would guess this one’s going Top 10 at the minimum. On the Hot 100, the track takes a big jump from 49 to 27. The full-length “The Fame” arrives in the U.S. at #17, with 24,000 units. That’s actually a pretty decent debut for a brand-new artist without a fully established hit.

ent_pink_chainsaw– Speaking of the album chart, AC/DC remain at #1 with “Black Ice”, P!nk scores her highest debut yet with “Funhouse” at #2 (although she sold more her opening week of “Missundaztood”). At first, it looked like it might be a lower debut, as iTunes never showed the album higher than #4, but her sales were split between a standard release and a Deluxe Edition. Other notables include John Legend at #4, Snow Patrol at #9, the Cure at #16, and Bloc Party at #18. Country music gets back-to-back debuts at #5 and 6 with Toby Keith and Rascal Flatts.

– T.I. once again has the #1 single on the Hot 100, but we’re back to “Live Your Life” with Rihanna. This is getting as annoying as trying to get through a revolving door that a couple of bratty kids keep going around and around and around. “Whatever You Like” is at 2, “So What” moves back up to 3, “Hot N Cold” inches up to 4, and Beyonce drops to #5 with “If I Were A Boy”.

brandy-human-hq1002– Ms Knowles’s “Single Ladies” continues to push through the chart, up another 12 spots to #44. Other notable moves on the Hot 100 include John Legend’s “Green Light” finally shifting into drive and moving 47 – 31, and Brandy makes a move for relevance, as “Right Here (Departed)” moves 63 – 53. Her “Human” CD has been pushed back to December, but it looks like she might actually have a hit single to help promote it. I still don’t get the appeal of Jazmine Sullivan, but her second release “Bust Your Windows” also climbs 10 spots to #48.

– In one last bit of chart news, Rihanna debuts at #37 on the Pop radio chart with “Rehab”, while the group Rehab drop one spot to #39 with “Bartender Song”. Which only proves that I am, as you already suspected, a chart geek. In the immortal words of Casey Kasem, “keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.”

Random Notes – 11/04/08

Posted by John on November 4, 2008
Posted in: commentary, new releases, singles, upcoming, videos, youtube. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

JMraz Del Ed– In an attempt to capitalize on the surging popularity of Jason Mraz’s International hit “I’m Yours”, a Expanded Edition of “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things” is being released on November 18th. Besides the original disc, there will be a second audio disc that contains the songs from the three EPs released prior to “We Sing”. Disc three includes a concert recorded at the Highline Ballroom this year, a documentary, and a preview of Jason’s photo book “A Thousand Things”. You can pre-order the set from Amazon.com.

Twilight Sdtk– Speaking of Amazon, today’s MP3 Deal of the Day is the newly-released soundtrack to the movie “Twilight”. The disc features tracks from Paramore, Linkin Park, Muse, and Collective Soul, among others. Does $3.99 sound like a deal to you? Then head on over and pick it up! And while you’re over there, check out some of the free tracks they’ve got available, including the brand-new track from Travis entitled “J. Smith“. (Their new full-length “Ode to J. Smith” is out today) You’ll also find free tracks from the likes of the Weepies, Liam Finn, and PMN favorite Toby Lightman.

TT Circus LtdEd– While we’ve got buying on the brain, here’s a little tip for all of you Staters who covet the music of the Motherland. The exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and U.K. pound has moderated greatly in the past few weeks. One dollar = .625 pound today, after having been as low as .50 just a couple of months ago. So get your musical purchases on for the holidays. [PMN would LOVE a Limited Edition “The Circus” CD with a Hardback Book included. Or the new Rhydian disc. I’m just sayin’…]

– Other new releases this week include Hinder, Brad Paisley, Sarah Brightman, Andrea Boccelli, Q-Tip, the domestic release of The Script (on both Amazon and iTunes for $7.99), and well beyond 15 minutes Eamon (it’s even on a major label…go figure!).

– One last note…it’s almost impossible to ignore, but today is the most important election of my lifetime here in teh U.S. of A. We have a chance to really make a difference, not only in our own cities and states, but in the world as we know it. At this point, the result is out of our hands, but here’s hoping a lot of positive energy and prayers and wishes go a long way. I don’t normally go for the hokey anthem, but I truly love the John Legend track “If You’re Out There”, written for a day like today. The whole CD is outstanding, but this is truly a high point.

I’d Kill For A Sample

Posted by John on November 3, 2008
Posted in: songs, upcoming. Tagged: . 3 Comments

Came across some live versions of five songs from “Day and Age” today. Check ’em out here if you can’t help yourself. Long story short, they’re great. Part new wave, part po-mo, part punk, all Killers. Highlight for me was “Neon Tiger”, which I heard shades of Duran Duran, Sex Pistols, and the Cure in. Check ’em out for yourself, and let me know what you think.