Record Label Bosses - Four of the Best

It takes a special kind of person to run a record label. These days, most label figureheads are anonymous, hard-working people who are trying to figure out ways to squeeze pennies out of consumers after the monetary value of recorded music plummeted beyond recognition. It wasn't always that way. Prior to the '00s, the greatest record labels were often analogous to harebrained schemes, with all kinds of whims indulged and odd avenues pursued, usually courting the displeasure of the bands they were supposed to be promoting. And those whims were often cooked up with little regard for cost or purpose--it was the art that counted. Here, we take a look at some of the charismatic behind-the-scenes figures who did very little to actually remain behind the scenes.

1. Tony Wilson (Factory Records)



Tony Wilson cared little for straightforward commercial success. The elaborate Peter Saville-designed sleeves for New Order's "Blue Monday" famously cost so much to produce that each sale incurred a loss. It didn't matter, because it all added to the myth Wilson had carefully sculpted around Factory, which did achieve success with bands like Joy Division, Happy Mondays, and New Order, but threw all the money away on expensive trinkets like the Hacienda and the famously elaborate conference table in the label's offices.

2. Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman (Sub Pop)



The early days of Sub Pop, with their limited edition vinyl releases and careful playing of the media game, are legendary. They may have signed Nirvana, but that didn't matter when Messrs. Pavitt and Poneman were staring innumerable debts in the face and trying to figure out a way to keep various ruses bubbling along in the press. Incredibly, it worked, not just with Nirvana, but also with later signings like the Shins and the Postal Service. Pavitt jumped ship back in '96, but Poneman continues to thrive with the label to this day.

3. Ahmet Ertegun (Atlantic Records)



Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson founded Atlantic Records in 1947, progressing to make rock and soul history. Ertegun helped foster important soul talents by bringing the Stax label and others under Atlantic's wing, but he remains best known for signing Led Zeppelin after hearing their demo. It's testament to his talent and standing in the industry that a star-studded concert was held in his honor following his sad death in 2006--even though the public at large may not have known his name, the show at the O2 Arena in London was enough to persuade the remaining members of Led Zeppelin to get back together for a blast through their best-known songs.

4. Paul Morley and Trevor Horn (ZTT)



This strange pair--Morley was a music writer for the NME, Horn a member of one-hit wonders the Buggles--created a wonderfully arty label in the shape of Zang Tumb Tumb. Morley penned fantastically pretentious sleeve notes and joined the Art of Noise, while Horn foisted lavish production values on bands such as Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Propaganda. They never equaled the success of Frankie, and nor did it ever appear they wanted to, with ZTT ultimately ending up with one foot in the mainstream and one foot in the art world, which no doubt delighted Morley, who remains fascinated with both.

New Band Tips for 2010 (Part 2)

It’s not easy being the next big thing. One moment you’re being tipped by bloggers and music writers all over the Internet, the next you’re passé, over the hill, dumped just as quickly as you were picked up. It really is a hard knock life after all. Fortunately the Banded’s list of artists to watch in 2010 are Teflon covered, flame resistant, water-tight guarantees of hitting the big time. Perhaps. Here’s part two of our list of new bands to watch out for in the year 2010.

1. Das Racist



So much has already been written about Das Racist, aka New York rappers Himanshu Suri and Victor Vazquez, that it barely seems they qualify as a "new" band anymore. But "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" should serve as a mere taster for their debut album, whenever that may surface, because their current live show is one of the most entertaining, intelligent, and laugh-out-loud funny experiences you can have with your clothes on.

2. Sisters



This Brooklyn-based duo are a product of the same loft space (Death by Audio) that produced A Place to Bury Strangers, and like to play just as loud as their neighbors. Sisters are a duo, Aaron Pfannnebecker and Matt Conboy, who perform before a teetering stack of amps and play with an intensity and abandon reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr's classic You're Living All Over Me. Various singles have already been issued, but Sisters need to be experienced live.

3. Sleigh Bells



Surfer Blood were much hyped at this year's CMJ, but a band that splintered off from them, Sleigh Bells, are a far more enticing proposition. Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss already have some famous fans--Mos Def jammed with them at a recent New York show, and M.I.A. and Spike Jonze have been seen checking them out. They clearly don't need much of a boost, but the Sleigh Bells MySpace page is still worth perusing, as it demonstrates an earth-flattening guitar sound, a hip-hop undertow, and some infernally catchy vocal melodies.

4. Dum Dum Girls



New Sub Pop signings Dum Dum Girls are ostensibly a solo project for singer/guitarist Dee Dee, who recently shaped the band into a full-pelt all-girl group for a set of live shows. Their music is honeyed '60s garage pop, with looks and attitude to match. Phil Spector would surely love to be in the producers chair to help sculpt Dee Dee's pop sensibility, but she's doing just fine on her own, and the debut Dum Dum Girls album should be one of the most strident and impressive releases of early '10 ("early '10" still doesn't feel quite right).

New Band Tips for 2010 (Part 1)

It's never been easier to get music out to the world, although the flood of new voices can be difficult to navigate on sites like MySpace, Spotify and We7. How to know where to start? Here, we offer a guide to some of the newest talent that has emerged in 2009, and may just rise up to make a bigger impression during 2010. Best albums, best songs, best videos, best tweets and myriad other "best" lists proliferate at this time of year, but consider this first part of our new band tiplist as the cream at the top of all the "best" ballots.

1. Jeff the Brotherhood



Nashville, Tennessee, twosome Jeff the Brotherhood are two brothers with a love of huge riffs and oddball pop moves. Their album Heavy Days has obliterated the need to listen to the Cars' back catalog for at least a couple of years, but it's their live shows that have caught the most attention--singer/guitarist Jake Orrall is a compelling frontman with a piercing stare and some impressive moves.

2. Tony Castles



New York trio Tony Castles have a quiet star in the making in singer Paul Sicilian, whose soft R&B-tinged falsetto was one of the best discoveries for many people at this year's CMJ Music Marathon. Stabs of organ and gentle pattering drums provide a perfect backing to Sicilian's sunny croon. A few demos are all that's currently available on their MySpace page, but expect big things when some proper studio recordings are issued.

3. Grooms



The taut, angular rock of this Brooklyn trio taps right into the '90s revival that is currently holding the music industry in a tight grip. Grooms' music is a meeting point between the tightly wound discordant guitar noise of Sonic Youth and long-forgotten bands like St. Johnny and Poster Children, with some Malkmus-esque vocals thrown over the top for good measure.

4. Javelin



Thrill Jockey signings Javelin can often be found flanked by stacks of '80s beatboxes as they deliver their electro-indie sound. Their music is a chewy mash up of hip-hop and funk that often recalls Tom Tom Club's eponymous debut combined with light, bustly rhythms and niggling beats. Javelin's debut 12-inch single for Thrill Jockey is out now, and expect plenty more to come in the decade that no one has figured out how to name yet (the Tens?).

Anvil Left Off Shortlist for Best Documentary Oscar

Anyone hoping to see Steve "Lips" Kudlow play his guitar with a vibrator at the Academy Awards is in for a disappointment--the film Anvil! The Story of Anvil has not been included in the shortlist for Best Documentary Film for 2009. Lips is unlikely to care too much--the fortunes of his band have escalated beyond his wildest dreams since the film's release--although director Sacha Gervasi may feel slighted. Here, we celebrate the storied history of the rock documentary with four of the best examples of the genre.

1. The Flaming Lips - The Fearless Freaks (dir. Bradley Beesley)



Brad Beesley's film, which is one of the best examples of the rock doc genre, showed exactly what he could do with unprecedented access to one of North America's most inventive bands. It helps that Wayne Coyne is so naturally charismatic and charming, but the director also shows a dark side to the band by filming Steven Drozd shooting up with heroin, which he used as an attempt to finally escape from the drug.


2. The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (dir. Penelope Spheeris)



There are almost too many highlights to list from Penelope Spheeris's film, which documented the Los Angeles hair metal scene from the mid to late '80s. It's perhaps most famous for the scene of W.A.S.P. bass player Chris Holmes sitting in his swimming pool drunk off his ass while his mom looks on, but major players such as Lemmy from Motorhead and Ozzy Osbourne also provide plenty of amusement.

3. Metallica - Some Kind of Monster (dir. Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky)



Metallica's decision to go into group therapy while they recorded the awful St. Anger album was documented by Berlinger and Sinofsky in this relentlessly fascinating feature. Metal bands clearly make for good documentary fodder, but so does drummer Lars Ulrich's dad, who appears here as a wise, sage-like character who casts judgment over all the band's recordings.


4. The Rolling Stones - Cocksucker Blues (dir. Robert Frank)



Like Spheeris's film, Cocksucker Blues is tied up in litigation and difficult to find, and is likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future. Frank's document of the Rolling Stones' debauched North American tour from 1972 captures the band taking drugs and abusing groupies, and is possibly one of the most brutally honest portrayals of a huge rock band in existence. Currently, a bizarre court ruling dictates that the film can be shown in public, but only if the director is present.

U2's Troubled 360° Tour

It might seem strange to talk about a global stadium-filling tour as "troubled," but U2 aren't having the best of times of their gargantuan 360° jaunt. The tour turned up in Dublin this weekend, which should have been a triumphant homecoming for the band. Instead, they got fined €36,000 for breaking strict noise regulations and were met with protests from local residents who were angered by the huge disruption to the local area from over 100 trucks used. This comes at the end of a troubling few months for the band, who have concocted such an elaborate stage set for the 360° Tour that they still haven't turned a profit.



The tour has been running into problems since its inception. Environmentalists haven't been happy about the wasteful nature of the set design, and the enormous amount of energy taken to transport it across the globe. The Edge was ultimately forced to announce that the band was purchasing 'carbon credits' in an attempt to offset the damage they were doing to the environment. Even Talking Heads singer David Byrne has spoken out about the waste generated by the tour, saying the costs were "excessive."



In the meantime, the band members have had to deal with the tortuous process of getting their Spiderman musical off the ground (now delayed due to a lack of funding) and Bono was met by further anger and exasperation when he appeared at the right-leaning Conservative Party Conference in early October. A recent show in Berlin, where they constructed a modern-day Berlin Wall to keep out non-paying fans of the band, caused "outrage" according to this ABC News report.



Can Bono and the boys do anything right? They're probably pondering that question right now, although the crowds at the 360° dates have been decent, and their back catalog even gets a decent write-up in indie bible Pitchfork these days. Just don't ask them about sales for No Line on the Horizon, which Bono believes is "a bit challenging for people who have grown up on a diet of pop stars." Perhaps he forgot about his own aspirations in that direction?

Beck Recruits Wilco and Feist for Record Club

Beck's Record Club project continues to provide one of the most intriguing musical outlets on the Internet. The premise behind Record Club is simple--produce a cover of one classic album, recorded over the space of a single day by Beck and his famous friends. Each project is never going to equal the recorded output of each individual performer, but that's not the point. This is a casual, let's-see-what-we-can-do-here jam that isn't designed to be earth shattering, but may turn up odd moments of inspiration.

Incredibly, two albums are already done and dusted by Beck and his crew, with The Velvet Underground and Nico and Leonard Cohen's Songs of Leonard Cohen already streaming on his site. Clearly, this isn't going to be an idea that stalls at the first hurdle, as these ventures so often do. In fact, Beck has already begun work on the next album in the series, which will be a full re-imagining of Skip Spence's 1969 album, Oar.

MGMT and Devendra Banhart were among the guests who previously helped the Record Club into life, but Beck has outdone himself by recruiting Wilco, Feist, and Jamie Lidell for a tilt at Spence's "Little Hands." The results are in the streaming video below, which captures the fun and loose nature of the sessions. Jeff Tweedy's son, Spencer, also sits in on this track (that's him behind the drum kit alongside Bil Withers' drummer James Gadson) and the promise of more Spence songs, which will be spread over the upcoming weeks, are now a mouthwatering proposition.

The Strange Case of the Aerosmith Split/Non-Split

Are rock legends Aerosmith breaking up? No one seems to know, least of all the band themselves. A frank interview with guitarist Joe Perry suggested that the wheels had most definitely fallen off the wagon, although subsequent events have muddied the waters and now no on seems to know what's going on. "He has had no contact with me or the other band members ... I got off the plane two nights ago," Perry said in an interview with the Las Vegas Sun. "I saw online that Steven said that he was going to leave the band. I don't know for how long, indefinitely or whatever. Steven quit as far as I can tell."



A concurrent interview with Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer confused matters further. The following exchange took place on radio station WPLR:

WPLR: Is Steven Tyler in the band?

Kramer: "Well, my partners have been misquoted and their comments have been taken out of context. I'm not going to make a statement about that on the radio. I'm going to make a statement about it in person."

WPLR: So the band did not break up?

Kramer: "No, the band didn't break up."

WPLR: The band is together

Kramer: "Yup."

Tyler has been in a state of ill health and Aerosmith concerts were canceled after he took a well-publicized fall on-stage earlier this year. But the latest twist in the tale occurred last night (Nov. 10) at Irving Plaza in New York. Perry has been filling his Aerosmith-less hours by playing with his own band, the Joe Perry Project, who welcomed Tyler onstage for a rendition of "Walk This Way." Tyler said from the stage: “I just want New York to know, I am not leaving Aerosmith." Then, turning to Joe Perry, he said, “Joe Perry, you are a man of many colors. But I, motherfucker, am the rainbow!” Clearly, rock legends don't really split up. They just act eccentrically for a while and then hit the road until the grim reaper finally comes calling.

Grizzly Bear and Animated Music Videos

Stop-motion animation is rarely used these days outside of the excellent Wallace and Gromit feature films. For most filmmakers, it simply takes too long to carefully assemble each frame, and digital technology long ago advanced to render the technique all-but obsolete. But rendering something close to obsolescence is a surefire way of attracting innovative minds, and this stunning new video for Grizzly Bear's "Ready, Able" shows there is still plenty of life left in stop-motion animation. With that in mind, we take a look at some of the greatest animated videos of all time.

1. The White Stripes - "Fell in Love with a Girl"



Michel Gondry cheated somewhat for this classic video--it looks like a stop-motion effort, but most of the animation was actually rendered on a computer. It matters little, because the constantly rearranging Lego bricks make a perfect compliment to the frenetic nature of the track, proving that the final product--and not how you get there--is ultimately what counts.

2. A-ha - "Take on Me"



The "literal" version of this song is now almost as famous as the original, which was marked by a distinctive video when it emerged in 1985. The animation is carefully mixed in with some live action, which helped the song become a huge global smash. It also picked up six Moonmen statues at the MTV Awards in 1986, and remains one of the greatest animated music videos of all time.

3. Tool - "Sober"



Fred Stuhr's stop-motion clip for Tool's "Sober" really helped establish the band's reputation when it was pulled from their debut album, Undertow, back in 1993. Stuhr's work is obviously influenced by the Brothers Quay, and follows a small being who is strangely afflicted after opening a small box at the beginning of the clip. The shot of his arm vibrating wildly remains an enduring image from Tool's career.

Avatar Wars Heat Up: No Doubt Suing Activision

The dust has barely settled on the Nirvana/Courtney Love feud with Guitar Hero, and already another band of '90s icons has prepped a similar complaint. The remaining members of Nirvana were unhappy that their singer's avatar in Guitar Hero could be unlocked so he could sing some distinctly un-Cobain like material, including Bon Jovi songs. Now, the members of No Doubt have dumped a hefty lawsuit on Activision's doorstep after they used their likeness in the Band Hero game.



Apparently, No Doubt did sign off on an agreement that allowed characters based on them to be used on the game, but they weren't aware of the depth of Band Hero's intentions. It has “transformed No Doubt band members into a virtual karaoke circus act,” according to a statement from the group, who are unhappy that it features them singing songs they have never performed or written.

A memorable passage in the No Doubt court statements reads as follows: "While No Doubt are avid fans of the Rolling Stones and even have performed in concerts with the Rolling Stones, the Character Manipulation Feature results in an unauthorised performance by the Gwen Stefani avatar in a male voice choir boasting about having sex with prostitutes. Activision has deceived and confused the public into believing that No Doubt authorized the use of its name and likeness for the Character Manipulation Feature of Band Hero and that No Doubt approves and endorses the appearance of its members individually performing songs that are wholly inappropriate and out of character for No Doubt."



Ouch. Activision has hit back at these claims, and clearly has little intention of changing Band Hero in the future. A statement from them reads: “Activision believes it is within its legal rights with respect to the use and portrayal of the band members in the game and that this lawsuit is without merit.” No Doubt are trying to prevent the game from being distributed in their lawsuit, and are seeking damages against Activision. This one is likely to rumble on for some time, and it will be fascinating to see who else, if anyone, dares to go up against other gaming giants as similar issues arise.

Source: LA Times

Christopher Walken: "Poker Face" and a Career in Music

A short, barely more than a minute long clip of Christopher Walken reading the lyrics to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" has garnered some impressive hits on YouTube this week. Walken's deadpan delivery and odd demeanor are in perfect contrast to Gaga's wild exhortations, and the clip only gets stranger as it progresses, especially when the actor lets loose on a string of "ooh-ooh" and "ahh-ahh" noises. The video is taken from the U.K. TV show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, on which Gaga herself so memorably appeared a few months back. With interest in Walken peaking, we take a look here at some of his other excursions into the music world.

1. Saturday Night Live "More Cowbell" skit



Walken is perfectly cast as influential record producer Bruce Dickinson in this clip, which is one of the best-known skits in SNL history. His demand for "more cowbell" caused a small industry of T-shirts and mugs bearing the slogan to be set up, and his never-more-serious expression runs in direct contrast to Jimmy Fallon, who could not keep a straight face throughout.

2. Fatboy Slim "Weapon of Choice" (video)



Of all the great acting roles Walken has filled, very few of them tapped into the fact that he is an excellent dancer. Fortunately, Spike Jonze rectified that with the video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice," which features the actor cavorting across the screen in spectacular fashion. The part where he literally flies through the air around the three-minute mark remains one of the greatest moments in music video history.

3. Madonna "Bad Girl" (video)



Would you want Christopher Walken to be your guardian angel? Apparently Madonna did, and employed him in the role for this video from her Erotica album. Walken's spectacularly unpredictable career path also caused him to appear in Madge's Sex book, but this video finds him back on safer territory, with Se7en director David Fincher even getting him to pull off a few dance moves towards the end of the clip.

4. "They Can't Take That Away From Me" (live in 1988)



In 1988, PBS decided to hold a tribute to George Gershwin. Somewhere along the line, a producer thought it would be a good idea to get Walken to perform a cover of "They Can't Take That Away From Me," and...it's surprisingly great. The actor is surrounded by writhing, slow-dancing couples, sports a very natty mustache, and tries as hard as he can to fight off the giggles, earning huge applause from the audience at the close of the song.

Google Launches Music Service

Has iTunes finally got a competitor in the digital music marketplace? It's too early to tell yet, but the launch of Google's music service is likely to cause some serious consternation for Steve Jobs and his minions at Apple. There won't be any music for sale directly through Google (yet), but their search engine has now been optimized so users looking for songs, albums, or artists will receive audio previews and options to purchase with their queries. MySpace and LaLa have partnered with Google, and it is through those sites that the audio files will be for sale.

Of course, this being Google, some innovation has been stirred into the mix. You don't have to know the name of the song or artist to be directed toward a download link or store. Instead, you can just type in a snatch of the lyrics and, if you get those words down with reasonable accuracy, you'll be directed to the right place. Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music, EMI, and Universal Music Group have all signed up for the Google music service.



"The best answer to a query is frequently not a web page but a map, a video, an image or some other kind of content," said Tom Stocky, Director of Product Management at Google. "This launch makes search better by adding music to the list of things we can connect people to speedily, as well as providing a revenue source for artists, labels and others." Pandora, Imeem, and Rhapsody are also fully on-board with this aspect of Google's search engine, and are likely to crop up any time a user plugs in music-related data.

“The intention is not to turn the partners on Google into a free streaming music service," said R.J. Pittman, Google’s director of product management. "This is about providing a richer experience for users looking for a particular song." Google claims no cash is being exchanged by the partners in this deal, but the text ads that pop up during the searches are likely to be a money-spinner. Naturally, the ailing music industry is hoping this will provide some much needed cash from sales of audio recordings, but for now it's just a question of sitting back and seeing whether consumers are willing to put their hands back in their pockets.

Michael Jackson's This Is It Receives Worldwide Premier

In death as in life, a certain amount of controversy continues to dog the actions of Michael Jackson. A movie has been put together from over 100 hours of footage from the singer's rehearsals for his ill-fated run of shows in London, which would have begun earlier this year. Jackson's choreographer, Kenny Ortega, put the movie together, so it was clearly in good hands...or at least that's what most people thought. A section of the King of Pop's fans are less than happy about the release of the film, and have been very vocal in their protestations.

Talin Shajanian from Los Angeles claimed in an interview with the BBC that Jackson was clearly ill before the rehearsals for the shows began, and said he was "under a lot of pressure." A website named This Is Not It has been set up, and is urging fans to boycott the film, which the site owners claim does not give a real picture of Jackson's final days. Somewhat depressingly, they believe Ortega was forced to feed Jackson because he was too weak to do it himself, and claim the singer was pressured into attending rehearsals when he wasn't feeling well. How the website gained this information remains unknown.



Naturally, this didn't deter celebrities from turning up to the 19 worldwide premiers that occurred last night (Oct. 27), and the event in Los Angeles was particularly star-studded. Jackson's famous siblings turned up in LA, and so did Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and former Motown president Berry Gordy. Jermaine Jackson even tried to put a stop to some of the rumors surrounding his brother's health by saying he was "very, very healthy" at the time of the footage shot for the film.

The critical reception has been decidedly mixed, with opinions ranging from the Telegraph in England, who claim it won't have much appeal outside Jackson's die-hard followers, to the LA Weekly, who think people will "gasp with wonder" at the events on screen. Meanwhile, Ortega has moved to quash some of the speculation surrounding his feature. "Was he slight? Yes. Was he frail? At times," he said. "But we had a very strong and excited, happy and determined Michael. He wanted to do this more than anything he's ever wanted to do . . . That's the truth. It really is."

This Is It goes on general release today (Oct. 28) for a period of two weeks.