Great piece! I always find these US/UK differences very interesting: popularity and market trends, of course, but on a related (and much nerdier, admittedly) point: different album editions! Correct me if I am wrong but I feel this was quite common in the early 90s with some pop releases: depending on where the artist originated from, the packaging, track list, and sometimes even the mixes were different across the US and UK markets!
Another thing I noticed is different UK vinyl cover art in early/mid 60s records by US artists (Aretha comes to mind). I’ve always wondered why.
Thanks, Andy.....I'm hoping others will chime in, especially from a '90s and forward POV....and, even '80s! Aqui esta mi dos centavos: What you said in your second sentence is the biggest driver: market trends, and market in and of itself! Of course, Chez had different covers for his debut (I should've put 'em side-by-side in the piece): The UK release was nothing more or else than the "Buddy's Song" ST album....as the movie got little to no "play" in the States, Chrysalis simply marketed it as "here's the debut from a new guy"!
Having gotten the '70s sussed, I can detect where what you're describing was more and more a truism as the years moved forward. Simultaneous releases across countries, likely, tailored artwork toward a specific market (even in the '70s), and I feel this trend gained momentum starting in the '80s. You should get together and collab with our #MusicStack-er who does album jacket art!
For NON-simultaneous releases....there could be different examples, to wit: Cheap Trick "Live at Budokan," 1978---CBS ignored the Japanese release, initially. I was working retail at the time (Houston, TX), and while we saw Japanese imports flying out the door (we sold some, too!), we were reading, in the trades, how import sales for the album were thru the roof! Sure enough, domestic/U.S. CBS/Epic finally pressed and released the album in the states....with the same cover! No surprise, and there's no reason they should've changed it, but when all is considered, they also fast-tracked it once they decided on a release schedule, and new artwork would've just delayed the proceedings! I had both copies, btw.
Quiet Riot....same (or similar thing), around the same time...'78/'79: For two albums, they had only Japanese release. When I met Randy Rhoads (https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/my-1980-meeting-with-guitarist-randy?utm_source=publication-search) in 1980, we had his QR albums in our import bins (he dropped by my Music Plus Record Store in Glendale)! It wasn't 'til later (possibly after his death) that CBS released those QR LPs in the states, and signed the band to a domestic contract for future releases. I believe the artwork for the original Japanese releases and U.S. issues were different. Discogs would have all of them pictured, I'm sure.
Artwork is one element, and somewhat easy to "explain" (that's a merchandising/promotional conference table issue!)....track listing for different countries/releases gets (on the label end) into the A&R/artistic/promo level a few floors up....label management, now, would be in on which countries to market a song/album in, and "fine tune" track listing based on country, and what was determined to be market segments they thought might be receptive to this song or that....again, THIS element became more prevalent in the '80s and forward, with, now, videos being added as a promo device (and, then, how the videos might have been re-shot/re-edited to appeal to various countries)!
As for your '60s concern, Andy, I think each label's international office made those decisions, almost independent of another country's office (and, even the U.S.-based main office, if that's where they were)! Moving into the '70s, I perceive labels coordinated, more intentionally, on similar artwork across all markets, or drilled down on specific reasons/rationale for changes in artwork from one market to another. Look at how EMI/UK (each the original "pure" and band/Martin intentional release) and Capitol/U.S. butchered the Beatles releases.....working virtually independently (same corporate entities), both graphically, AND, to their eternal discredit.....Capitol chopping up, mercilessly, their UK track releases, simply to squeeze more LP product for stateside release!
Again, I hope others chime in, especially from a '90s thru now perspective! Thanks again, Andy! You da💣!
Your music industry knowledge is mind-fcking-blowing 🤩 You have no idea how much I learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to explain all this. What you say about the videos as a promo element makes a lot of sense (and how you make a distinction between the different eras/decades). Consider me schooled, and eternally grateful!! You always help me put all the pieces together.
Thanks, Andy! It's in my head, and I'm here to share my experiences....it means nothing if it all just ends up staying there (in my noggin)! I've shared somewhere before that, in around 1979, at my Houston record store, we started playing Bowie music videos (that RCA had provided us) for both "DJ" and "Boys Keep Swinging"--again, this was two years before MTV, yet Bowie had the foresight to make these vids, presumably for similar record store play for stores that had video equipment and monitor (we, of course, did). We didn't need more reasons to revere and appreciate David's foresight and innovative nature....but, there ya are!
Videos had been produced for several years before that, but they were used for TV shows (sometimes "American Bandstand" played them in lieu of the artist showing up to lip-synch!), and for in-house record company info (to share with regional and national staffers, and sometimes at national label conventions).
And, btw, few (if any) are as genuinely curious and inquisitive about records and its biz as you....so, standing-O right back atcha, my bro in all things vinyl!!💿🎶📻😉👍
That's awesome! It goes to show what a visionary Bowie was (as were you and your colleagues!). Crazy to think that videos were rare when they (especially reels) dominate current screens around the world.
Me? Aw, you're too kind, but no. I'm just an ordinary guy with a decent ear, a couple of obsessions and a penchant for music and records. You, my friend, are on another league... a whole other level altogether!
They reformed in '66 (after Brian Poole left), which is when Chip Hawkes joined them. That IS a fun fact. I'm noticing that the decision, though, had to do with The Trems being based in the closer London, than "far-off" Liverpool! I'd always thought that the decision was just a bone-headed decision by a misguided exec!
Still, even if relative proximity was the reason.....was it worth it to the label in retrospect, when all was said and done?!? They had success with The Tremeloes, but I'm sure the Decca/Sixties employees have all been through the "What if....?" introspection many times! Ah, to visit the far-off Land of What Might've Been!!
Well one thing I do know is thank God for that decision. Because without George Martin, none of it would have gone down the way it did. Decca was entirely the wrong place for them.
True all dat! As tantalizing as it might be to wonder what might've happened to the Fabs at Decca, the string of lightning bolts that brought man, band, label, decade, year, and moments together definitely warrant a look to the heavens with hearts full of gratitude!
I’ve never heard of Chesney Hawkes but Nik Kershaw?!? My god I loved him in the early 80s, especially 1983’s The Riddle. Damn near wore the magnetic coating off my copy of that cassette from overuse! I’m listening to it again right now, for the first time in several decades. Thanks for putting it back on my radar!!
As someone who lives on an island between the US and UK (Bermuda being 700 miles east of Cape Hatteras, NC), and growing up with friends who went off to boarding school, some in the US and some in the UK, I found myself in a unique position of being exposed to hit music from both sides of the Atlantic. And what an odd experience it was! Friends would return for the summer from the UK armed with the latest compilation CDs of popular music and I so often found very little overlap with what was popular in the UK and what was hitting the charts in the UK. In fact, quite judgmentally, I found a lot of the music “weird”! I just didn’t get a lot of it.
I’d echo Ellen’s point about the UK music scene - it’s just *different* particularly in their affinity for a type of pop music that just wouldn’t find traction in North America. Then there’s Eurovision which is almost like a national sport over there. The Christmas #1 phenomenon, hilariously but accurately lampooned in Love Actually, remains alive and well.
I’d be interested to see someone research the overlap of hit between the US and UK over the decades and to see which way the hits flowed. Outside of the intermittent British invasions I’m inclined to think US popular music was more influential and popular in the UK than the US. Not that that’s an indication of “success” or “better” music.
North of the US border, many Canadians chafe at the idea of their favorite local bands “not making it in the US” and rightfully so. While the US music scene likely remains the most influential globally success there is certainly not the arbiter of “great” music. In fact, looking at many of the musical movements over the years - punk, new wave, ska, reggae, reggaeton and many more - many of them emerged from outside of North America. And if you go back far enough, to the roots of just about all of popular music, you end up on the continent that birthed humanity as we know it.
Never bemoan comment length, Mark....thank you for this! It helps me feel better about the Tolstoy-esque comments I leave on various sites! I feel it a compliment if something I write inspires others to expound similarly! Write on!✊
The subject is huge....but, def worth grabbing a shovel to dig! Everything you say is true, but what may lean more true in one decade, say, may Dip and Wane (remember their vaudeville act?!🤣) in another. Here's an example from '74 (not sure what it'll prove, but for that year, I think it speaks volumes about hits'n'countries):
ABBA, "Waterloo"--won the Eurovision Song Contest, famously, and was played loudly (and repeatedly) in my N. Texas State/Denton, TX dorm room (along with veddy British Roy Wood and Wizzard singles, like "See My Baby Jive" and "Angel Fingers")! This was in northern Texas, mind you, and I may as well have been on Jupiter for all the quizzical looks (and "Hey, shut your door"s I'd get!) I got from dorm passersby!
"Waterloo" was such an out-of-left-field banger, and was as power pop as Raspberries had been (as their 4-album career, in '74, was just winding down) the previous 3 years. I loved it even before power pop kingpin (and BOMP! Records and Magazine founder...and friend), Greg Shaw, pronounced its rightful ranking as ruling that early genre...at the time, too; not in retrospect!
Yes, that same sugar-coated disco ABBA that would rule worldwide airwaves the following years! "Waterloo," I believe, was a far bigger hit in UK (and EU) than it ever was in the States. Today, when Americans list fave ABBA songs, "Waterloo" isn't even mentioned (which just makes me love it that much more)! Those Wizzard and Wood singles, '72-'74, are another good example of hit UK sensibilities (radio play and sales) that would never be replicated in the States....not a chance in hell his singles would or could be played in the U.S.---and, they weren't!
As for Kershaw, I can't comment....I was far removed from the biz by then, and firmly entrenched in college ('83-'86), and starting another career! My pop culture black hole, basically! In '91 (still in L.A.), I did hear about Chez, and bought his CD single, loving the song, but, never knowing who his songwriter was!
Fun piece, Brad! Was that the Nik Kershaw piece you were telling me about? Or is there another NK one coming down the pike? I never heard of Chesney Hawkes and the name doesn't ring a bell at all.
You are certainly aware of this, but you gave us a 3-fer in terms of the "pop-progeny" theme here. First Chesney's father being a musician. Then him starring as the son of a famous musician, starring Roger Daltry! That's a 2-fer on its own! But then the Nik Kershaw produced aspect adds another layer of progeny. So maybe it's a 4-fer! A litter rations abound!
🤣Nice, Steve! If I'd have added another, we'd have to name it.....Michelle 5-fer?💃
Yes, this was the Kershaw piece I cheekily alluded to, earlier! I was curious to see how you (and our other #MusicStack) "eighties kids" reacted to Chez, really, just from an '80s/MTV/Kershaw familiarity POV. I heard the song in the day, and even got the CD single, if not the album....he and it fit right into my fascination with teen pop idols and catchy, well-produced songs. There weren't that many around in '91, as we were still awaiting the boy-band threat soon to come!
Maybe it was because I was a full-time dad and traveling P.R. flak back then, but I have no recall of Chesney Hawkes at all. Also, I had a strong revulsion for "boy band" style pop songs, so he just wasn't on my radar.
Brad, who founded Chrysalis Records? Does it still exist? I vaguely remember Ten Years After was on Chrysalis, but anyone else of note?
Terry Ellis and Chris Wright founded Chrysalis in '68. I had to look up the year and Wright's name! Prominent artists on the label: Along with TYA, there was Jethro Tull....For an '88 compilation, Wright said, "Chrysalis Records might have come into being anyway, you never know what might have happened, but Chrysalis Records really came into being because Jethro Tull couldn't get a record deal and MGM couldn't even get their name right on the record". This was after the single "Sunshine Day/Aeroplane" was incorrectly credited to 'Jethro Toe'." I've seen a photo of that single, and sure enough....."Jethro Toe"!
Roster highlights: The Babys, Benatar, Gentle Giant, Nick Gilder, Ian Hunter, Debbie Harry, Leo Kottke, and dozens more! My intro to the label was late-'60s, when Tull was signed to Reprise/Warner Bros, which led to Chrysalis signing a U.S. distribution deal with WB. I think early Tull had a Chrysalis label on their discs (sure wish I had my collection to check!!), 'cause I seem to recall their green label on several early '70s Tull discs. Anyway, Dad's largesse of continual WB promos being brought home was my intro to all things Tull, as well as early intro to Chrysalis!
I'm gonna guess Chrysalis exists in some form today (I'll go check their Wiki now: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysalis_Records), but likely swallowed up by one of the mega-conglomerates!
Chez was less of a sensation in the States than he was in UK and EU. As mentioned above, "Buddy's Song" had nothing close to a U.S. wide release, and while his song went Top Ten, I sense there were many regional markets where it didn't catch on to the degree it might have elsewhere!
I lived in the UK for 17 years and was surprised by the music scene. They love pop there, and I found it hard to find classic rock stations, no matter where I lived. Much smaller market with everyone watching the BBC and new pop stars debuting on national talk shows and music shows. London the center of everything, so living in Windsor gives easy access. (I think Elton John also lives there.) So it's a great place to launch a new act.
I think Take That launched at the same time, Gary Barlow already performing in smaller venues. Take That became absolutely huge and they're still cherished celebs, appearing on mega popular BBC show Strictly Come Dancing and things like that. UK also competes in Eurovision Song Contest, the pop competition that's kind of gone beyond europe, and everyone watches that as well. So pop there is like a national sport and obsession.
Wondering also if Chesney was influenced by Wham and George Michael? His look reminded me of them/him.
Thanks, Ellen! Glad you like.....I appreciate your UK perspective. Everything you're saying rings true with me, too, from my '70s POV from my weekly reading NME, Sounds and Melody Maker from my Houston home, as I'd buy those tabs weekly from a local newsstand! Those, coupled with my regular reading of the U.S. rock press kept me up-to-date on which "imports" to look for at record stores (including mine, which, thankfully, stocked imports)!
I'm familiar with Take That, but would have to look to see just how big an impact they (and their songs) had on the U.S. 30 years ago! All the way back to the '70s, there were UK acts that simply didn't get coverage in the States, starting with not getting a record deal (like Alvin Stardust, Showaddywaddy, Mud, The Arrows et al)! Or, if they did, a deal came thru too late to capitalize on a hit that may have gotten traction in every OTHER corner of the globe!
Chez was a teen in the '80s, so the pop of the decade, I'd have to guess, was an influence! With him being on the 'Stack, I hope to have the chance, at some point, to ask him that (among other!) questions!
I don't recall Take That having much impact at all in the states. I read (originally on This Week in the '90s - which sadly isn't on Substack anymore) all about Take That's UK popularity (and probably other non-US locales) and was kind of shocked at how big they were yet I'd never known anything or heard anything about them.
Sounds like you might be able to cross-post or get an interview with Chez for FR&BS!
Chez is prepping for his London show, late May, so I imagine he's busy....have no idea if he's gonna dove-tail that into a tour of any kind. But, we'll see! One of his sons (I think it's Indi) is now a member of Daddy's stage band, as a guitarist!
I think you're spot on about Take That....as you know, I was a decade removed from "the biz" at that point, and musically, I was only hearing Jellyfish and It Bites on my turntable! Memory seems to recall at least one Take That member had something happening later on as a career move. I'd have to look that up.
Take That member Robbie Williams went solo and has done extraordinarily well in the UK and internationally, although I'm not sure he hit it big in the US. He married an American and lived in LA for quite a while, although now I think he's back in London living next door to Jimmy Page -- who sued Robbie to stop his work putting in an underground swimming pool, claiming it was a risk to his historically listed property. (Building 2 or 3 basement levels was a big thing with the London wealthy before covid lockdown!)
Yes.....Robbie! I remember now. I've actually seen that video; the muscle visuals toward the end are particularly memorable! I didn't know about all that personal info (or that he lived next to Page)!
Free newspapers are available morning and evening when you ride the train or tube in London, where you can read the latest news and gossip, including about music and music celebs like Robbie and Jimmy. I do miss that, but now have discovered substack (a much, much higher level of information and insight).
I suspect you're right, Take That only had a hit or two cross the Atlantic, and I'm not sure how high they charted. I didn't know who they were when I arrived in the UK and they were everywhere. They do a lot of romantic ballads and quite danceable tunes, very popular with the ladies, at weddings, etc.
Great piece! I always find these US/UK differences very interesting: popularity and market trends, of course, but on a related (and much nerdier, admittedly) point: different album editions! Correct me if I am wrong but I feel this was quite common in the early 90s with some pop releases: depending on where the artist originated from, the packaging, track list, and sometimes even the mixes were different across the US and UK markets!
Another thing I noticed is different UK vinyl cover art in early/mid 60s records by US artists (Aretha comes to mind). I’ve always wondered why.
Thanks, Andy.....I'm hoping others will chime in, especially from a '90s and forward POV....and, even '80s! Aqui esta mi dos centavos: What you said in your second sentence is the biggest driver: market trends, and market in and of itself! Of course, Chez had different covers for his debut (I should've put 'em side-by-side in the piece): The UK release was nothing more or else than the "Buddy's Song" ST album....as the movie got little to no "play" in the States, Chrysalis simply marketed it as "here's the debut from a new guy"!
Having gotten the '70s sussed, I can detect where what you're describing was more and more a truism as the years moved forward. Simultaneous releases across countries, likely, tailored artwork toward a specific market (even in the '70s), and I feel this trend gained momentum starting in the '80s. You should get together and collab with our #MusicStack-er who does album jacket art!
For NON-simultaneous releases....there could be different examples, to wit: Cheap Trick "Live at Budokan," 1978---CBS ignored the Japanese release, initially. I was working retail at the time (Houston, TX), and while we saw Japanese imports flying out the door (we sold some, too!), we were reading, in the trades, how import sales for the album were thru the roof! Sure enough, domestic/U.S. CBS/Epic finally pressed and released the album in the states....with the same cover! No surprise, and there's no reason they should've changed it, but when all is considered, they also fast-tracked it once they decided on a release schedule, and new artwork would've just delayed the proceedings! I had both copies, btw.
Quiet Riot....same (or similar thing), around the same time...'78/'79: For two albums, they had only Japanese release. When I met Randy Rhoads (https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/my-1980-meeting-with-guitarist-randy?utm_source=publication-search) in 1980, we had his QR albums in our import bins (he dropped by my Music Plus Record Store in Glendale)! It wasn't 'til later (possibly after his death) that CBS released those QR LPs in the states, and signed the band to a domestic contract for future releases. I believe the artwork for the original Japanese releases and U.S. issues were different. Discogs would have all of them pictured, I'm sure.
Artwork is one element, and somewhat easy to "explain" (that's a merchandising/promotional conference table issue!)....track listing for different countries/releases gets (on the label end) into the A&R/artistic/promo level a few floors up....label management, now, would be in on which countries to market a song/album in, and "fine tune" track listing based on country, and what was determined to be market segments they thought might be receptive to this song or that....again, THIS element became more prevalent in the '80s and forward, with, now, videos being added as a promo device (and, then, how the videos might have been re-shot/re-edited to appeal to various countries)!
As for your '60s concern, Andy, I think each label's international office made those decisions, almost independent of another country's office (and, even the U.S.-based main office, if that's where they were)! Moving into the '70s, I perceive labels coordinated, more intentionally, on similar artwork across all markets, or drilled down on specific reasons/rationale for changes in artwork from one market to another. Look at how EMI/UK (each the original "pure" and band/Martin intentional release) and Capitol/U.S. butchered the Beatles releases.....working virtually independently (same corporate entities), both graphically, AND, to their eternal discredit.....Capitol chopping up, mercilessly, their UK track releases, simply to squeeze more LP product for stateside release!
Again, I hope others chime in, especially from a '90s thru now perspective! Thanks again, Andy! You da💣!
Your music industry knowledge is mind-fcking-blowing 🤩 You have no idea how much I learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to explain all this. What you say about the videos as a promo element makes a lot of sense (and how you make a distinction between the different eras/decades). Consider me schooled, and eternally grateful!! You always help me put all the pieces together.
Thanks, Andy! It's in my head, and I'm here to share my experiences....it means nothing if it all just ends up staying there (in my noggin)! I've shared somewhere before that, in around 1979, at my Houston record store, we started playing Bowie music videos (that RCA had provided us) for both "DJ" and "Boys Keep Swinging"--again, this was two years before MTV, yet Bowie had the foresight to make these vids, presumably for similar record store play for stores that had video equipment and monitor (we, of course, did). We didn't need more reasons to revere and appreciate David's foresight and innovative nature....but, there ya are!
Videos had been produced for several years before that, but they were used for TV shows (sometimes "American Bandstand" played them in lieu of the artist showing up to lip-synch!), and for in-house record company info (to share with regional and national staffers, and sometimes at national label conventions).
And, btw, few (if any) are as genuinely curious and inquisitive about records and its biz as you....so, standing-O right back atcha, my bro in all things vinyl!!💿🎶📻😉👍
That's awesome! It goes to show what a visionary Bowie was (as were you and your colleagues!). Crazy to think that videos were rare when they (especially reels) dominate current screens around the world.
Me? Aw, you're too kind, but no. I'm just an ordinary guy with a decent ear, a couple of obsessions and a penchant for music and records. You, my friend, are on another league... a whole other level altogether!
😉👍🎵🙏
Fun fact: It was the Tremelos that Decca chose to sign over The Beatles after the infamous Decca audition.
They reformed in '66 (after Brian Poole left), which is when Chip Hawkes joined them. That IS a fun fact. I'm noticing that the decision, though, had to do with The Trems being based in the closer London, than "far-off" Liverpool! I'd always thought that the decision was just a bone-headed decision by a misguided exec!
Still, even if relative proximity was the reason.....was it worth it to the label in retrospect, when all was said and done?!? They had success with The Tremeloes, but I'm sure the Decca/Sixties employees have all been through the "What if....?" introspection many times! Ah, to visit the far-off Land of What Might've Been!!
Well one thing I do know is thank God for that decision. Because without George Martin, none of it would have gone down the way it did. Decca was entirely the wrong place for them.
True all dat! As tantalizing as it might be to wonder what might've happened to the Fabs at Decca, the string of lightning bolts that brought man, band, label, decade, year, and moments together definitely warrant a look to the heavens with hearts full of gratitude!
And it all happened because George Martin was shagging his secretary. There's a part of the story most people don't know.
I’ve never heard of Chesney Hawkes but Nik Kershaw?!? My god I loved him in the early 80s, especially 1983’s The Riddle. Damn near wore the magnetic coating off my copy of that cassette from overuse! I’m listening to it again right now, for the first time in several decades. Thanks for putting it back on my radar!!
As someone who lives on an island between the US and UK (Bermuda being 700 miles east of Cape Hatteras, NC), and growing up with friends who went off to boarding school, some in the US and some in the UK, I found myself in a unique position of being exposed to hit music from both sides of the Atlantic. And what an odd experience it was! Friends would return for the summer from the UK armed with the latest compilation CDs of popular music and I so often found very little overlap with what was popular in the UK and what was hitting the charts in the UK. In fact, quite judgmentally, I found a lot of the music “weird”! I just didn’t get a lot of it.
I’d echo Ellen’s point about the UK music scene - it’s just *different* particularly in their affinity for a type of pop music that just wouldn’t find traction in North America. Then there’s Eurovision which is almost like a national sport over there. The Christmas #1 phenomenon, hilariously but accurately lampooned in Love Actually, remains alive and well.
I’d be interested to see someone research the overlap of hit between the US and UK over the decades and to see which way the hits flowed. Outside of the intermittent British invasions I’m inclined to think US popular music was more influential and popular in the UK than the US. Not that that’s an indication of “success” or “better” music.
North of the US border, many Canadians chafe at the idea of their favorite local bands “not making it in the US” and rightfully so. While the US music scene likely remains the most influential globally success there is certainly not the arbiter of “great” music. In fact, looking at many of the musical movements over the years - punk, new wave, ska, reggae, reggaeton and many more - many of them emerged from outside of North America. And if you go back far enough, to the roots of just about all of popular music, you end up on the continent that birthed humanity as we know it.
Phew, sorry, that was long!!
Never bemoan comment length, Mark....thank you for this! It helps me feel better about the Tolstoy-esque comments I leave on various sites! I feel it a compliment if something I write inspires others to expound similarly! Write on!✊
The subject is huge....but, def worth grabbing a shovel to dig! Everything you say is true, but what may lean more true in one decade, say, may Dip and Wane (remember their vaudeville act?!🤣) in another. Here's an example from '74 (not sure what it'll prove, but for that year, I think it speaks volumes about hits'n'countries):
ABBA, "Waterloo"--won the Eurovision Song Contest, famously, and was played loudly (and repeatedly) in my N. Texas State/Denton, TX dorm room (along with veddy British Roy Wood and Wizzard singles, like "See My Baby Jive" and "Angel Fingers")! This was in northern Texas, mind you, and I may as well have been on Jupiter for all the quizzical looks (and "Hey, shut your door"s I'd get!) I got from dorm passersby!
"Waterloo" was such an out-of-left-field banger, and was as power pop as Raspberries had been (as their 4-album career, in '74, was just winding down) the previous 3 years. I loved it even before power pop kingpin (and BOMP! Records and Magazine founder...and friend), Greg Shaw, pronounced its rightful ranking as ruling that early genre...at the time, too; not in retrospect!
Yes, that same sugar-coated disco ABBA that would rule worldwide airwaves the following years! "Waterloo," I believe, was a far bigger hit in UK (and EU) than it ever was in the States. Today, when Americans list fave ABBA songs, "Waterloo" isn't even mentioned (which just makes me love it that much more)! Those Wizzard and Wood singles, '72-'74, are another good example of hit UK sensibilities (radio play and sales) that would never be replicated in the States....not a chance in hell his singles would or could be played in the U.S.---and, they weren't!
As for Kershaw, I can't comment....I was far removed from the biz by then, and firmly entrenched in college ('83-'86), and starting another career! My pop culture black hole, basically! In '91 (still in L.A.), I did hear about Chez, and bought his CD single, loving the song, but, never knowing who his songwriter was!
May the debate'n'discussion continue!!😁👍
Fun piece, Brad! Was that the Nik Kershaw piece you were telling me about? Or is there another NK one coming down the pike? I never heard of Chesney Hawkes and the name doesn't ring a bell at all.
You are certainly aware of this, but you gave us a 3-fer in terms of the "pop-progeny" theme here. First Chesney's father being a musician. Then him starring as the son of a famous musician, starring Roger Daltry! That's a 2-fer on its own! But then the Nik Kershaw produced aspect adds another layer of progeny. So maybe it's a 4-fer! A litter rations abound!
🤣Nice, Steve! If I'd have added another, we'd have to name it.....Michelle 5-fer?💃
Yes, this was the Kershaw piece I cheekily alluded to, earlier! I was curious to see how you (and our other #MusicStack) "eighties kids" reacted to Chez, really, just from an '80s/MTV/Kershaw familiarity POV. I heard the song in the day, and even got the CD single, if not the album....he and it fit right into my fascination with teen pop idols and catchy, well-produced songs. There weren't that many around in '91, as we were still awaiting the boy-band threat soon to come!
Maybe it was because I was a full-time dad and traveling P.R. flak back then, but I have no recall of Chesney Hawkes at all. Also, I had a strong revulsion for "boy band" style pop songs, so he just wasn't on my radar.
Brad, who founded Chrysalis Records? Does it still exist? I vaguely remember Ten Years After was on Chrysalis, but anyone else of note?
Terry Ellis and Chris Wright founded Chrysalis in '68. I had to look up the year and Wright's name! Prominent artists on the label: Along with TYA, there was Jethro Tull....For an '88 compilation, Wright said, "Chrysalis Records might have come into being anyway, you never know what might have happened, but Chrysalis Records really came into being because Jethro Tull couldn't get a record deal and MGM couldn't even get their name right on the record". This was after the single "Sunshine Day/Aeroplane" was incorrectly credited to 'Jethro Toe'." I've seen a photo of that single, and sure enough....."Jethro Toe"!
Roster highlights: The Babys, Benatar, Gentle Giant, Nick Gilder, Ian Hunter, Debbie Harry, Leo Kottke, and dozens more! My intro to the label was late-'60s, when Tull was signed to Reprise/Warner Bros, which led to Chrysalis signing a U.S. distribution deal with WB. I think early Tull had a Chrysalis label on their discs (sure wish I had my collection to check!!), 'cause I seem to recall their green label on several early '70s Tull discs. Anyway, Dad's largesse of continual WB promos being brought home was my intro to all things Tull, as well as early intro to Chrysalis!
I'm gonna guess Chrysalis exists in some form today (I'll go check their Wiki now: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysalis_Records), but likely swallowed up by one of the mega-conglomerates!
Chez was less of a sensation in the States than he was in UK and EU. As mentioned above, "Buddy's Song" had nothing close to a U.S. wide release, and while his song went Top Ten, I sense there were many regional markets where it didn't catch on to the degree it might have elsewhere!
Great post, Brad.
I lived in the UK for 17 years and was surprised by the music scene. They love pop there, and I found it hard to find classic rock stations, no matter where I lived. Much smaller market with everyone watching the BBC and new pop stars debuting on national talk shows and music shows. London the center of everything, so living in Windsor gives easy access. (I think Elton John also lives there.) So it's a great place to launch a new act.
I think Take That launched at the same time, Gary Barlow already performing in smaller venues. Take That became absolutely huge and they're still cherished celebs, appearing on mega popular BBC show Strictly Come Dancing and things like that. UK also competes in Eurovision Song Contest, the pop competition that's kind of gone beyond europe, and everyone watches that as well. So pop there is like a national sport and obsession.
Wondering also if Chesney was influenced by Wham and George Michael? His look reminded me of them/him.
Thanks, Ellen! Glad you like.....I appreciate your UK perspective. Everything you're saying rings true with me, too, from my '70s POV from my weekly reading NME, Sounds and Melody Maker from my Houston home, as I'd buy those tabs weekly from a local newsstand! Those, coupled with my regular reading of the U.S. rock press kept me up-to-date on which "imports" to look for at record stores (including mine, which, thankfully, stocked imports)!
I'm familiar with Take That, but would have to look to see just how big an impact they (and their songs) had on the U.S. 30 years ago! All the way back to the '70s, there were UK acts that simply didn't get coverage in the States, starting with not getting a record deal (like Alvin Stardust, Showaddywaddy, Mud, The Arrows et al)! Or, if they did, a deal came thru too late to capitalize on a hit that may have gotten traction in every OTHER corner of the globe!
Chez was a teen in the '80s, so the pop of the decade, I'd have to guess, was an influence! With him being on the 'Stack, I hope to have the chance, at some point, to ask him that (among other!) questions!
I don't recall Take That having much impact at all in the states. I read (originally on This Week in the '90s - which sadly isn't on Substack anymore) all about Take That's UK popularity (and probably other non-US locales) and was kind of shocked at how big they were yet I'd never known anything or heard anything about them.
Sounds like you might be able to cross-post or get an interview with Chez for FR&BS!
Chez is prepping for his London show, late May, so I imagine he's busy....have no idea if he's gonna dove-tail that into a tour of any kind. But, we'll see! One of his sons (I think it's Indi) is now a member of Daddy's stage band, as a guitarist!
I think you're spot on about Take That....as you know, I was a decade removed from "the biz" at that point, and musically, I was only hearing Jellyfish and It Bites on my turntable! Memory seems to recall at least one Take That member had something happening later on as a career move. I'd have to look that up.
Take That member Robbie Williams went solo and has done extraordinarily well in the UK and internationally, although I'm not sure he hit it big in the US. He married an American and lived in LA for quite a while, although now I think he's back in London living next door to Jimmy Page -- who sued Robbie to stop his work putting in an underground swimming pool, claiming it was a risk to his historically listed property. (Building 2 or 3 basement levels was a big thing with the London wealthy before covid lockdown!)
Robbie is very cheeky, outrageous, and fun, and his stuff is very danceable. See Rock DJ as an example (he strips!) --https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnO3nijfYmU
Yes.....Robbie! I remember now. I've actually seen that video; the muscle visuals toward the end are particularly memorable! I didn't know about all that personal info (or that he lived next to Page)!
Free newspapers are available morning and evening when you ride the train or tube in London, where you can read the latest news and gossip, including about music and music celebs like Robbie and Jimmy. I do miss that, but now have discovered substack (a much, much higher level of information and insight).
I suspect you're right, Take That only had a hit or two cross the Atlantic, and I'm not sure how high they charted. I didn't know who they were when I arrived in the UK and they were everywhere. They do a lot of romantic ballads and quite danceable tunes, very popular with the ladies, at weddings, etc.