I am not sure Universal owning almost every old record company ever is such a good thing. Do they really have control of all mainstream music past and present now?
Review: Motown 7’s Box Set Volume 2 | GetToTheFront
Friday, 30 May 2014
Sunday, 23 March 2014
A time worm hole in Dudley
Been up all night worrying about a rip in the fabric of time. Why is there a delay in this mirror? #dudleyblackhole
Monday, 23 December 2013
Monday, 9 December 2013
Feature: Theatre of Hate – Interview – Live – Tickets | GetToTheFront
Kirk Brandon is a living legend and a thoroughly switched on bloke. Just got to love Theatre of Hate:
Feature: Theatre of Hate – Interview – Live – Tickets | GetToTheFront
Feature: Theatre of Hate – Interview – Live – Tickets | GetToTheFront
Thursday, 5 December 2013
get alan neilson to the Xmas number one in the UK 2013
Sunday, 23 June 2013
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Review: Sound of Contact – Dimensionaut | GetToTheFront
Progressive rock gets a kick up the pretentious ass:
Review: Sound of Contact – Dimensionaut | GetToTheFront
Review: Sound of Contact – Dimensionaut | GetToTheFront
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Interview: The man behind Black, Colin Vearncombe | GetToTheFront
This man is a shining light in the underground. He may have had years in the wilderness but he has lost none of his dignity and I for one rate him highly.
Interview: The man behind Black, Colin Vearncombe | GetToTheFront
Interview: The man behind Black, Colin Vearncombe | GetToTheFront
Friday, 7 December 2012
I am a father
... And nothing else matters. Truly all of the stuff I have written before is now put into perspective by the small life I now have to look after. The thought that what I did before had some importance is now embarrassing to me... It all seems the work of an adolescent who although middle aged has never grown up.
Friday, 27 January 2012
LIES AND MARKETING
Be careful what you read.
There is an artist who is currently stirring up the music and celebrity media into a froth to publicise her forthcoming album. I will not name the individual, so as not to add weight to her marketing machine, but those in the know, will know exactly who this person is.
What I find fascinating about this person, and the media’s perception of them, is that her entire back story is a lie.
Again we have the leaked stories about how she ‘just uploaded a song onto Youtube and within a week a million people loved it so much, they viewed it’ - the headlines were something in the order of ‘Internet Overnight Sensation’, or the like. Even though it is completely obvious to anyone with even a tiny bit of intelligence that this never happens by accident, the national press still quote this occurrence in their articles as justification for writing the article. It is widely known that Youtube ‘hits’ and Twitter/FB ‘friends’, ‘followers’ & ‘likes’, are all created by the artist’s publicity team, to make it look as if there is a sensation. It happens all the time, not just in the music business, but also in the advertising campaigns of normal everyday household products - a buzz created to make something dull look talked about and consequently worth talking about. Of course this type of advertising is not available to all; only to those with a lot of money.
So here we find our emerging artist, an innocent miss from a trailer park - apparently. Who has just astounded millions of eye and earballs. Despite millions of videos and songs on the internet, millions of souls have found this very video on Youtube and liked it.... come on, let’s look more closely at the back story of this trailer girl... oh there you go, she did live in a trailer park for a year whilst writing songs for this new album. She was studying in a New York University, living in Brooklyn... getting produced by a world famous producer... made an album that no one liked... it was released, didn’t sell and then was deleted... she disappeared and returned with new face and tits... and now the marketing machine really kicks in and she is everywhere: TV, magazines, newspaper, internet news, album reviews, blog, tweets... hmmm. Something does not add up.
The missing piece of the puzzle is this: her dad is a multi-millionaire property investor. Now I get it. Money.. money paid for all this to happen. Money paid a team to make and construct this pop star.
The thing is though, despite the manufacturing process, and the bulldozer marketing, there is a songwriter and performer underneath the silicone and trout-pout. But how do we as ‘elementary’ artists believe in an artist like this? She produces songs that have an appearance of being genuine and she sings as if her heart is really breaking; but how do you relate to a writer from such a privileged position in society? Does she really understand and feel the things she is saying, or like her marketing campaign, is it all just one big lie? She sings “Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough” (Born To Die); I don’t for one minute believe she has ever known a tough road (and I mean a really tough road, not a bad day in the recording studio), and if she ever walked along one, it was to see what it felt like before stepping back into a limousine... not really the same thing. Compare this to neilson’s: “Sometimes it seems this road we’re running on just gets longer and longer” (Harry, Lyn & Me) and see which performance is the more believable.
I suppose you may think this is all sour grapes and another no hoper whining about how unfair it all is and how it is the hardest game in the world, forty years man and boy etc. And I suppose it is, but the point of the article is this, when you are not working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week at a menial job, you tend to have a bit of extra time for crafting songs. When doors are opened for you instead of closed in your face, you are more likely to have enough self-worth to keep going despite inner demons. When millions of dollars are spent advertising your new album, how can you fail... so is it about the music, or is it about the money?
So the album is released on Monday, and I bet now that it will be front page of all the download stores - it will be pride of place; she will probably be a guest on one of the chat shows or magazine programmes aired that week; she will have reviews in all the main papers; her product will be placed for all to see; placed there by money. And you have to ask yourself a question, is this very expensive fake worth your attention?
By the way, I do like Born To Die and on first listen I was intrigued. My interest was just soured when I learned the truth. Part of me wishes I was as ignorant as the average man; gloriously happy in my idiocy.
There is an artist who is currently stirring up the music and celebrity media into a froth to publicise her forthcoming album. I will not name the individual, so as not to add weight to her marketing machine, but those in the know, will know exactly who this person is.
What I find fascinating about this person, and the media’s perception of them, is that her entire back story is a lie.
Again we have the leaked stories about how she ‘just uploaded a song onto Youtube and within a week a million people loved it so much, they viewed it’ - the headlines were something in the order of ‘Internet Overnight Sensation’, or the like. Even though it is completely obvious to anyone with even a tiny bit of intelligence that this never happens by accident, the national press still quote this occurrence in their articles as justification for writing the article. It is widely known that Youtube ‘hits’ and Twitter/FB ‘friends’, ‘followers’ & ‘likes’, are all created by the artist’s publicity team, to make it look as if there is a sensation. It happens all the time, not just in the music business, but also in the advertising campaigns of normal everyday household products - a buzz created to make something dull look talked about and consequently worth talking about. Of course this type of advertising is not available to all; only to those with a lot of money.
So here we find our emerging artist, an innocent miss from a trailer park - apparently. Who has just astounded millions of eye and earballs. Despite millions of videos and songs on the internet, millions of souls have found this very video on Youtube and liked it.... come on, let’s look more closely at the back story of this trailer girl... oh there you go, she did live in a trailer park for a year whilst writing songs for this new album. She was studying in a New York University, living in Brooklyn... getting produced by a world famous producer... made an album that no one liked... it was released, didn’t sell and then was deleted... she disappeared and returned with new face and tits... and now the marketing machine really kicks in and she is everywhere: TV, magazines, newspaper, internet news, album reviews, blog, tweets... hmmm. Something does not add up.
The missing piece of the puzzle is this: her dad is a multi-millionaire property investor. Now I get it. Money.. money paid for all this to happen. Money paid a team to make and construct this pop star.
The thing is though, despite the manufacturing process, and the bulldozer marketing, there is a songwriter and performer underneath the silicone and trout-pout. But how do we as ‘elementary’ artists believe in an artist like this? She produces songs that have an appearance of being genuine and she sings as if her heart is really breaking; but how do you relate to a writer from such a privileged position in society? Does she really understand and feel the things she is saying, or like her marketing campaign, is it all just one big lie? She sings “Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough” (Born To Die); I don’t for one minute believe she has ever known a tough road (and I mean a really tough road, not a bad day in the recording studio), and if she ever walked along one, it was to see what it felt like before stepping back into a limousine... not really the same thing. Compare this to neilson’s: “Sometimes it seems this road we’re running on just gets longer and longer” (Harry, Lyn & Me) and see which performance is the more believable.
I suppose you may think this is all sour grapes and another no hoper whining about how unfair it all is and how it is the hardest game in the world, forty years man and boy etc. And I suppose it is, but the point of the article is this, when you are not working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week at a menial job, you tend to have a bit of extra time for crafting songs. When doors are opened for you instead of closed in your face, you are more likely to have enough self-worth to keep going despite inner demons. When millions of dollars are spent advertising your new album, how can you fail... so is it about the music, or is it about the money?
So the album is released on Monday, and I bet now that it will be front page of all the download stores - it will be pride of place; she will probably be a guest on one of the chat shows or magazine programmes aired that week; she will have reviews in all the main papers; her product will be placed for all to see; placed there by money. And you have to ask yourself a question, is this very expensive fake worth your attention?
By the way, I do like Born To Die and on first listen I was intrigued. My interest was just soured when I learned the truth. Part of me wishes I was as ignorant as the average man; gloriously happy in my idiocy.
Friday, 5 February 2010
EMI Records Losses
One of the big four major record companies is finally feeling the results of not adequately supporting talented songwriters and artists. EMI have published their losses today and blamed the digital age for cutting their previous profit margin. Their actual problem is relying on repackaged Beatles albums and investing in vacuous pop acts instead of allowing quality writers to grow. I am sure they never thought that their power would wither and their roster of bands and singers become so diluted. Good riddance. A label who helped songwriters to sign contracts that effectively waived their intellectual rights and profits, passing them onto the corporation is just pure evil. The sooner these dinosaurs become extinct, the better.
It is coming to the time when the independent labels will take over the world and artists will be paid for what they have created, rather than a company executive. We longer need corporations to get our music in a shop, or record us; we do this at home, unshackled.
Now all we need is the audience to free themselves and open their minds to this new order.
It is coming to the time when the independent labels will take over the world and artists will be paid for what they have created, rather than a company executive. We longer need corporations to get our music in a shop, or record us; we do this at home, unshackled.
Now all we need is the audience to free themselves and open their minds to this new order.
Friday, 22 January 2010
Popstars love disasters
Here we go again... Even though there are places in the world in need of assistance 365 days of the year, it takes a special sort of disaster to see the popstars and celebrities come out from under their rocks, with their overblown arrogance, telling us they are going to save the world. Satan himself (Mr Cowell) is using his connections in the underworld to record a version of that uplifting song 'Everybody Hurts'. Naturally everyone wants to be involved to show they really want to make a difference.... as long as that means just going to a studio to sing a line and make themselves feel a whole lot better. So you see the usual suspects Bono, Chris Martin etc doing a lot for charity but not wanting to talk too much about it...!
Is it just me that finds their actions so abhorrent? Yes I know their intentions are honourable and the money from sales (that the record buying public is actually putting forward, not the rich celebs themselves) will help to rebuild people's lives, but it is the way these soulless priviledged few seize this opportunity.
No longer will you hear the cry when someone faints: "Is there a doctor in the house?", it will be "Is there a popstar in the house that can sing a song to raise money for this person who has fainted?" ... and there will be a queue of popstars, with their chests heaving and their brows furrowed, really caring about the tragic event (until the cameras move onto the next news item). Great publicity and it is free... so although REM are waiving their royalties on the new version, and I am sure none of the artists will be paid, their own albums will see a sudden boost in sales.. and the record companies take their share of that, and the publishers, and the songwriters and the performers.... and still Haitians live in tin huts, just as they did before the earthquake. Where was Wyclef Jean before the earthquake...? Happy to be away from his birthplace and living in luxury I guess. Where was Chris Martin, well he visited Port au Prince with Oxfam a few years ago and agreed people were living in poverty there... thanks for that Chris. And so poverty and exploitation will continue until there is some equality of wealth... so that will be forever then.
And I suppose you could say, it is better to do something than just write a piece damning others for doing their bit for the cause, well, yes ok, you're right.
Is it just me that finds their actions so abhorrent? Yes I know their intentions are honourable and the money from sales (that the record buying public is actually putting forward, not the rich celebs themselves) will help to rebuild people's lives, but it is the way these soulless priviledged few seize this opportunity.
No longer will you hear the cry when someone faints: "Is there a doctor in the house?", it will be "Is there a popstar in the house that can sing a song to raise money for this person who has fainted?" ... and there will be a queue of popstars, with their chests heaving and their brows furrowed, really caring about the tragic event (until the cameras move onto the next news item). Great publicity and it is free... so although REM are waiving their royalties on the new version, and I am sure none of the artists will be paid, their own albums will see a sudden boost in sales.. and the record companies take their share of that, and the publishers, and the songwriters and the performers.... and still Haitians live in tin huts, just as they did before the earthquake. Where was Wyclef Jean before the earthquake...? Happy to be away from his birthplace and living in luxury I guess. Where was Chris Martin, well he visited Port au Prince with Oxfam a few years ago and agreed people were living in poverty there... thanks for that Chris. And so poverty and exploitation will continue until there is some equality of wealth... so that will be forever then.
And I suppose you could say, it is better to do something than just write a piece damning others for doing their bit for the cause, well, yes ok, you're right.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
A Christmas Boyle
I don’t normally like to discuss these things, as by doing so makes me acknowledge that they exist (which I wish they didn’t), and also by seriously considering their existence gives them a gravity they do not warrant. I assure you that I would prefer not to talk about it as I believe that if you ignore something, it will eventually go away (I am sure that this current fascination will soon wither, as these things do not have enough substance to last long).
Susan Boyle’s rise to fame is the model every undiscovered musician the world over wishes for. After decades of singing to yourself and a small select group of friends, you are given a break. In the past this break came from either your demo being picked up by a record company or their A n R man showing up at your gig with a contract. This kind of break guaranteed nothing really, not even an audience, but this was very desirable and it was a seemingly attainable goal, because it was based on your own belief in your talent (however deluded that may be).
Now imagine you enter a talent contest and your break happens before millions of people. Consider that you can sing, but look like you really can’t. With an audience’s collected expectation at its lowest, you sing well and the perceived skill you have is suddenly magnified a thousand-fold. You couldn’t ask for more.
Added to this is the backlash of pure sympathy from the initial cutting remarks. Sympathy plus the misjudged perception of your ordinary talent, makes you out to be prince of princes, when you are really just a nice frog who can gribbet with the best of them.
Fantastic.
However, add into this fairy story the devil incarnate, Mr Cowell. Not a talent scout, not an artist, but a business man: a banker in every sense of the word. I would be happy for Ms Boyle if it wasn’t for the fact that for every halfpenny she makes, you can guarantee Mr C is making a pound sterling. He gets richer from every sympathetic download and has milked this opportunity for everything he can. From the initial staged ugly duckling to swan routine, to opening doors in America.
I guess the important thing to remember is that when people are buying the CD, they are buying into the story not the product itself. Ms Boyle can sing, she can hold a tune, she has a voice unquestionably. But it is not really that special. What has captured the imagination of so many is the way her story has unfolded, and unfortunately this is wholly manufactured. It is fake, it is part of Mr Cowell’s unstoppable marketing machine. It is manipulative and it is ugly. And worst of all it serves only Simon Cowell. The public seem quite content making his pile of money larger, as the rest of us suffer the worst depression in decades. I still wonder why this is. I do not really believe that the record buying public are really that blind to Cowell’s sleight of hand.
I wish Ms Boyle happiness. I wish for Mr Cowell the fate of Mr Scrooge before his redemption… the money boxes and chains being forged for Mr Cowell would stretch around the world many times, weighed down by every plastic disc of poor quality he helped manufacture. Merry Christmas.
Susan Boyle’s rise to fame is the model every undiscovered musician the world over wishes for. After decades of singing to yourself and a small select group of friends, you are given a break. In the past this break came from either your demo being picked up by a record company or their A n R man showing up at your gig with a contract. This kind of break guaranteed nothing really, not even an audience, but this was very desirable and it was a seemingly attainable goal, because it was based on your own belief in your talent (however deluded that may be).
Now imagine you enter a talent contest and your break happens before millions of people. Consider that you can sing, but look like you really can’t. With an audience’s collected expectation at its lowest, you sing well and the perceived skill you have is suddenly magnified a thousand-fold. You couldn’t ask for more.
Added to this is the backlash of pure sympathy from the initial cutting remarks. Sympathy plus the misjudged perception of your ordinary talent, makes you out to be prince of princes, when you are really just a nice frog who can gribbet with the best of them.
Fantastic.
However, add into this fairy story the devil incarnate, Mr Cowell. Not a talent scout, not an artist, but a business man: a banker in every sense of the word. I would be happy for Ms Boyle if it wasn’t for the fact that for every halfpenny she makes, you can guarantee Mr C is making a pound sterling. He gets richer from every sympathetic download and has milked this opportunity for everything he can. From the initial staged ugly duckling to swan routine, to opening doors in America.
I guess the important thing to remember is that when people are buying the CD, they are buying into the story not the product itself. Ms Boyle can sing, she can hold a tune, she has a voice unquestionably. But it is not really that special. What has captured the imagination of so many is the way her story has unfolded, and unfortunately this is wholly manufactured. It is fake, it is part of Mr Cowell’s unstoppable marketing machine. It is manipulative and it is ugly. And worst of all it serves only Simon Cowell. The public seem quite content making his pile of money larger, as the rest of us suffer the worst depression in decades. I still wonder why this is. I do not really believe that the record buying public are really that blind to Cowell’s sleight of hand.
I wish Ms Boyle happiness. I wish for Mr Cowell the fate of Mr Scrooge before his redemption… the money boxes and chains being forged for Mr Cowell would stretch around the world many times, weighed down by every plastic disc of poor quality he helped manufacture. Merry Christmas.
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