It's the coulda-been Yacht Rock classic no one heard. With guests Michael McDonald, Toto's Jeff & Mike Porcaro, Jennifer Holliday, Tubes' Prairie Prince, Kansas's Kerry Livgren & Stanley Clarke!🤯
“Major Dough-Mo” - off the charts for punniness, Brad!!
Always appreciate the research that highlights all the intersections that confirm the more or less insular nature of the “biz”. Talent appreciates talent, I suppose, but talent doesn’t always guarantee commercial success. Tough business.
Thank you so much, Michael....you know I appreciate your generosity in your enjoyment of my efforts! Tough biz, indeed! As for the Mo pun, I have to give half-credit to one Barry Hansen, whom you know as Dr. Demento.
Throughout the '70s, with whatever else he was doing, record-wise (and in radio, and with helping Weird Al's career get off the ground), he was working out of Burbank writing the voluminous liner notes to the legendary Warner Bros. Records' "Loss Leader" 2-LP, $2 samplers obtainable thru the mail (with ads for them on every album's inner sleeve)---I had them all!
Added to his PR Dept gig was his writing for the Warner in-house, promo-only "Circular" weekly publication, made available only to record industry folk and radio personnel. I had a stack of those, as well! Each "Circular" (see one, from 1972, pictured here: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/50-years-later-meeting-bonnie-raitt) was about 8 pages long and the size of a 45rpm single sleeve.
In the early '70s (when I should have been reading high school-assigned reading!), I was gorging myself on rock mags, album liner notes, and virtually memorizing every page of each "Circular"! The wit and truly unique writing style, to me, was jaw-dropping (I've always said my writing inspirations were Barry Hansen and humor writer, Fran Lebowitz...she's the one who once said, "Your right to wear a lime-green leisure suit ends where it meets my eye!")
ANYWAY, Barry was, one week, waxing praise-worthy after Warners had landed several albums, say, in the national Top Ten (it'll help to know that, in the '70s joining Mo Ostin at the label's top management was one Joe Smith, who later headed up Elektra Records)....let's say Doobie Bros., Alice Cooper, James Taylor, Tir Na Nog (no way, but Warners once had this duo no one's ever heard of!!)....
He said, "With the week the label has had, it's clear that The Label of the Bunny has really had their Mo-Joe working!" Long way to go for that, but hope you dig!!!
This doesn't exactly have anything to do with the main point of your piece- I seem to always be inspired to go off on a tangent by your writing, which I hope is a compliment (it's intended that way)- but the mention of Kansas got me thinking about something. My wife's ex-father-in-law was an original founding member of Kansas. He left before the band got really big, though I think he might have some writing credits on some of their early albums. In the meantime, he's become kind of a local legend in NW Missouri and NE Kansas, where he's made a nice living for the last 50 years as a touring solo act. I've known about him my whole life, seen him play several times, and like I said, even married his oldest son's ex-wife, but until I was reading your article, I'd never really thought about how he would make for an interesting subject for a write-up himself. I'm sure he's had a few small town newspaper profiles done on him over the years, but it would be interesting to go in-depth, to explore the reasons he left the band and his feelings on leaving right before they hit the big time, and how he feels about the nice life and career he carved out on his own. I apologize if all I'm doing is brainstorming in your comments section. I don't know if it fits in exactly with what your newsletter does, but I bet you could do the story justice if you were so inclined. If not, maybe I'll give it a shot if I ever branch out into writing music. But yeah, I guess this is a long-winded way of saying I enjoyed your piece, and that it definitely got me thinking.
Fabulous addition, Patrick! Thanks! A great behind-the-scenes story that fits perfectly "rahtcheer," as they say in the south! Happy to inspire....a number of fellow 'Stackers do that to me, too! I think his would make a terrific story, and I'd love to entertain tackling it! I'll touch base with you "off-line," to talk further. Thanks again, Patrick, and never be shy to wax poetic (or prose-etic!) on the FR&B comment section!
Yeah, goiter.....that's it! I used to sing this in karaoke. Knowing me, you HAVE to know I intro-ed it by saying, "This is a song about my...........................uh, goiter," or words to that effect! Then, the title would show up on the screen, and the tittering would begin! Oh, the fun we had!🎶
Good research as usual, Brad. One word came to mind as I listened to the first 3 songs on the album "Anywhere You Go". Pedestrian. My personal feeling on this genre is that it is one level up from elevator music. Great players, but not for me. Stanley Clarke is one of my all time favorite bass players. And all the other bands listed, from Tubes to Kansas to Toto are all awesome. For me there is a reason I never heard this before. I may have heard it, but I didn't listen to it. Nome Sain?
Well said, and point well-taken! An extra take-away for me is the realization (and Stephen has helped us see this, too, with his behind-the-scenes record biz peeks on FR&B!) of the close-knit, familial community "the biz" was (and presumably still is, to some degree)!
All David's guests are artists you dig/have dug, and they all get together (from whichever genre they usually inhabit) to help him lay his vision onto tape. Style and execution (subjective notions that they are) notwithstanding, that's an extra layer of cool I appreciate. Thanks for your candid take, Paul! Glad you appreciate the research effort, and certainly glad you were open enough to drop your needle onto the record!💿👍
Sometimes I pussyfoot (great band name) a bit, and just rubberstamp a gold star on some posts, but I feel we know each other by now, and I wanted say it like I feel it. I feel like we are bros from different mos. You're a good man, Brad!
I'd want it no other way, Paul! I appreciate your tastes, your honesty, and your expertise. Subjectivity and differing opinions....they're not just for breakfast anymore (although some might disagree)!!! I know why I love songs and artists like David (and our Stephen)----they have an expertise and an inherent love for the classic pop'n'rock songwriting form! I get it others may not have that aural attraction! It's what makes the 🌎 and the 💿 turn! YOU da man, Paul!!
“Major Dough-Mo” - off the charts for punniness, Brad!!
Always appreciate the research that highlights all the intersections that confirm the more or less insular nature of the “biz”. Talent appreciates talent, I suppose, but talent doesn’t always guarantee commercial success. Tough business.
Thank you so much, Michael....you know I appreciate your generosity in your enjoyment of my efforts! Tough biz, indeed! As for the Mo pun, I have to give half-credit to one Barry Hansen, whom you know as Dr. Demento.
Throughout the '70s, with whatever else he was doing, record-wise (and in radio, and with helping Weird Al's career get off the ground), he was working out of Burbank writing the voluminous liner notes to the legendary Warner Bros. Records' "Loss Leader" 2-LP, $2 samplers obtainable thru the mail (with ads for them on every album's inner sleeve)---I had them all!
Added to his PR Dept gig was his writing for the Warner in-house, promo-only "Circular" weekly publication, made available only to record industry folk and radio personnel. I had a stack of those, as well! Each "Circular" (see one, from 1972, pictured here: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/50-years-later-meeting-bonnie-raitt) was about 8 pages long and the size of a 45rpm single sleeve.
In the early '70s (when I should have been reading high school-assigned reading!), I was gorging myself on rock mags, album liner notes, and virtually memorizing every page of each "Circular"! The wit and truly unique writing style, to me, was jaw-dropping (I've always said my writing inspirations were Barry Hansen and humor writer, Fran Lebowitz...she's the one who once said, "Your right to wear a lime-green leisure suit ends where it meets my eye!")
ANYWAY, Barry was, one week, waxing praise-worthy after Warners had landed several albums, say, in the national Top Ten (it'll help to know that, in the '70s joining Mo Ostin at the label's top management was one Joe Smith, who later headed up Elektra Records)....let's say Doobie Bros., Alice Cooper, James Taylor, Tir Na Nog (no way, but Warners once had this duo no one's ever heard of!!)....
He said, "With the week the label has had, it's clear that The Label of the Bunny has really had their Mo-Joe working!" Long way to go for that, but hope you dig!!!
I’ll need a MoJoe-jito later as I cojoetate on all that. In a good way....
I'd love to join you.......in a good way!🍹🍸🍷
This doesn't exactly have anything to do with the main point of your piece- I seem to always be inspired to go off on a tangent by your writing, which I hope is a compliment (it's intended that way)- but the mention of Kansas got me thinking about something. My wife's ex-father-in-law was an original founding member of Kansas. He left before the band got really big, though I think he might have some writing credits on some of their early albums. In the meantime, he's become kind of a local legend in NW Missouri and NE Kansas, where he's made a nice living for the last 50 years as a touring solo act. I've known about him my whole life, seen him play several times, and like I said, even married his oldest son's ex-wife, but until I was reading your article, I'd never really thought about how he would make for an interesting subject for a write-up himself. I'm sure he's had a few small town newspaper profiles done on him over the years, but it would be interesting to go in-depth, to explore the reasons he left the band and his feelings on leaving right before they hit the big time, and how he feels about the nice life and career he carved out on his own. I apologize if all I'm doing is brainstorming in your comments section. I don't know if it fits in exactly with what your newsletter does, but I bet you could do the story justice if you were so inclined. If not, maybe I'll give it a shot if I ever branch out into writing music. But yeah, I guess this is a long-winded way of saying I enjoyed your piece, and that it definitely got me thinking.
Fabulous addition, Patrick! Thanks! A great behind-the-scenes story that fits perfectly "rahtcheer," as they say in the south! Happy to inspire....a number of fellow 'Stackers do that to me, too! I think his would make a terrific story, and I'd love to entertain tackling it! I'll touch base with you "off-line," to talk further. Thanks again, Patrick, and never be shy to wax poetic (or prose-etic!) on the FR&B comment section!
Oh, and what an awesome looking guitar in that first photo!
I know.....I loved it, too, and I know nothing about guitars. I only wish it was a color shot!
Brad, to quote your subject of today's piece: "You're the Biggest Part of Me." Sort of like an essential organ, sort of like a massive goiter.
Yeah, goiter.....that's it! I used to sing this in karaoke. Knowing me, you HAVE to know I intro-ed it by saying, "This is a song about my...........................uh, goiter," or words to that effect! Then, the title would show up on the screen, and the tittering would begin! Oh, the fun we had!🎶
Good research as usual, Brad. One word came to mind as I listened to the first 3 songs on the album "Anywhere You Go". Pedestrian. My personal feeling on this genre is that it is one level up from elevator music. Great players, but not for me. Stanley Clarke is one of my all time favorite bass players. And all the other bands listed, from Tubes to Kansas to Toto are all awesome. For me there is a reason I never heard this before. I may have heard it, but I didn't listen to it. Nome Sain?
Well said, and point well-taken! An extra take-away for me is the realization (and Stephen has helped us see this, too, with his behind-the-scenes record biz peeks on FR&B!) of the close-knit, familial community "the biz" was (and presumably still is, to some degree)!
All David's guests are artists you dig/have dug, and they all get together (from whichever genre they usually inhabit) to help him lay his vision onto tape. Style and execution (subjective notions that they are) notwithstanding, that's an extra layer of cool I appreciate. Thanks for your candid take, Paul! Glad you appreciate the research effort, and certainly glad you were open enough to drop your needle onto the record!💿👍
Sometimes I pussyfoot (great band name) a bit, and just rubberstamp a gold star on some posts, but I feel we know each other by now, and I wanted say it like I feel it. I feel like we are bros from different mos. You're a good man, Brad!
I'd want it no other way, Paul! I appreciate your tastes, your honesty, and your expertise. Subjectivity and differing opinions....they're not just for breakfast anymore (although some might disagree)!!! I know why I love songs and artists like David (and our Stephen)----they have an expertise and an inherent love for the classic pop'n'rock songwriting form! I get it others may not have that aural attraction! It's what makes the 🌎 and the 💿 turn! YOU da man, Paul!!
no, you are!
Well, I can't disagree with your opinion on THAT!