I've touched on that dynamic somewhere FR&B. While the move, of Sire, from ABC to Warner Bros. (around '76, after the first 2 Ramones albums were released by ABC, then re-released on and for Warner's catalog) can be seen as nothing but a positive move (with regard to company cache, size, reach, and rep), there was also the very real noti…
I've touched on that dynamic somewhere FR&B. While the move, of Sire, from ABC to Warner Bros. (around '76, after the first 2 Ramones albums were released by ABC, then re-released on and for Warner's catalog) can be seen as nothing but a positive move (with regard to company cache, size, reach, and rep), there was also the very real notion of Warner being far too immersed (and monetarily motivated, granted) to keep massaging the star-making machinery of Fleetwood Macs, et al.
If the marginal acts on the parent company, not to mention affiliates, couldn't somehow manufacture interest or "buzz" on their own product on their own, The Label of The Bunny may not bother to lift a promo finger. And, yes, the late '70s was bizzzzzzy! Disco, Urban Cowboy pop/country fad, punk, the advent of videos (vid-forward artists like Bowie were already making promo vids for record stores in the late '70s, pre-MTV)....I worked in one that played them!...."Boys Keep Swinging" was one! You're right.....who coulda if WB didn't with all that going on?
Hey, thanks for reminding me that they exist! I agree, the choices represent what I see in these bands (or even individual songs) as proto-punk, but it's ephemeral just like punk is. Playlists are really fun to make.
Rock critics and their persistent desire to name things (including genres) notwithstanding, any Led Zep might draw arguments from some re: is it "proto-punk" (or, at least, where does it fit?).
A) The songs you chose certainly fit, plus (and here's how I ultimately judge whether an artist or song peg might fit into a genre hole)---B) can the artists in the genre be pictured listening to (in this case) those Led Zep songs? Can I picture one/some/all the Dead Boys listening to "Communication Breakdown" and "Living Loving Maid"? Hell yeah! And, Wanda Jackson? Inspired choice............nice✔
Yeah, Led Zeppelin I has very, very strong proto-punk cred in my mind. It's just that metal sort of already claimed Zep (also silly!) as one of the grandfathers of the genre.
That's the funny thing about bands like Led Zeppelin, though: they tend to create multiple genres, or maybe more accurately, they participate in the creation of multiple genres.
You're right....a little-known feather in Led Zep's cap. They're far more than a hard rock/metal precursor! And, Alice? Again, too often labelled as "just" a metal flagpole, he was certainly a punk informer, as well as (if you really knew he was a beer-drinking "Leave it to Beaver" binger in the day), a "regular Joe" who proved you don't have to BE a Satanist to look and sound evil (hey, it's show biz....and, he knew it, palling around with "establishment" entertainers on a regular basis). Plus, you're show biz if you hang with Dali, and hire The Amazing Randi to help you stage your nightly hanging and guillotine-ing!😱
I love the Amazing Randi. I'm sorry I never got to meet him.
I did get to see Alice Cooper live, though! It was like 30 years after I first heard "Eighteen", but it was still amazing. He's a great showman.
Side note: another great live show, and another musician who continues to inspire generations while defying classification: Weird Al. Incredible performance!
Great to hear Weird Al (who will forever bear the burden, now, of people thinking his name is Weird Artificial Intelligence!) puts on a great show! Always enjoyed his talents and recordings, but never saw live.
ICYMI, Andrew, here's my Alice/early-'70s close-encounter, posted last Halloween:
Yay! Let me know if you're interested in old-school punk, thrash, metal, or crust. I've got one for each of those genres, but maybe that's another conversation for another day.
Try this on and see if it fits, Andrew: How about "old-school punk," and if this'll also give you a chance to write about music (which it doesn't appear you do much, if any), write some thoughts about a couple/few of the songs on the List (when you first heard them, why you like them, perhaps their context with similar songs/artists).
I'd love to have that be an FR&B guest post (as I've done before, I could also add my 2c to it, too). Yours (or yours with my added content) could also be a post for your subbies, so you could get some scheduled mileage from it on your site!
I've touched on that dynamic somewhere FR&B. While the move, of Sire, from ABC to Warner Bros. (around '76, after the first 2 Ramones albums were released by ABC, then re-released on and for Warner's catalog) can be seen as nothing but a positive move (with regard to company cache, size, reach, and rep), there was also the very real notion of Warner being far too immersed (and monetarily motivated, granted) to keep massaging the star-making machinery of Fleetwood Macs, et al.
If the marginal acts on the parent company, not to mention affiliates, couldn't somehow manufacture interest or "buzz" on their own product on their own, The Label of The Bunny may not bother to lift a promo finger. And, yes, the late '70s was bizzzzzzy! Disco, Urban Cowboy pop/country fad, punk, the advent of videos (vid-forward artists like Bowie were already making promo vids for record stores in the late '70s, pre-MTV)....I worked in one that played them!...."Boys Keep Swinging" was one! You're right.....who coulda if WB didn't with all that going on?
Brad, I don't know if you can see this playlist or not, but I've been working on this one for a while now (and I added a Dead Boys song today!): https://www.pandora.com/playlist/PL:107738947530010181:74638688
I can see it! Great choices, Andrew! Some are a bit bold, but they all fit. The Dead Boys comin' to the party is the cherry on the sundae!
Hey, thanks for reminding me that they exist! I agree, the choices represent what I see in these bands (or even individual songs) as proto-punk, but it's ephemeral just like punk is. Playlists are really fun to make.
Rock critics and their persistent desire to name things (including genres) notwithstanding, any Led Zep might draw arguments from some re: is it "proto-punk" (or, at least, where does it fit?).
A) The songs you chose certainly fit, plus (and here's how I ultimately judge whether an artist or song peg might fit into a genre hole)---B) can the artists in the genre be pictured listening to (in this case) those Led Zep songs? Can I picture one/some/all the Dead Boys listening to "Communication Breakdown" and "Living Loving Maid"? Hell yeah! And, Wanda Jackson? Inspired choice............nice✔
Yeah, Led Zeppelin I has very, very strong proto-punk cred in my mind. It's just that metal sort of already claimed Zep (also silly!) as one of the grandfathers of the genre.
That's the funny thing about bands like Led Zeppelin, though: they tend to create multiple genres, or maybe more accurately, they participate in the creation of multiple genres.
You're right....a little-known feather in Led Zep's cap. They're far more than a hard rock/metal precursor! And, Alice? Again, too often labelled as "just" a metal flagpole, he was certainly a punk informer, as well as (if you really knew he was a beer-drinking "Leave it to Beaver" binger in the day), a "regular Joe" who proved you don't have to BE a Satanist to look and sound evil (hey, it's show biz....and, he knew it, palling around with "establishment" entertainers on a regular basis). Plus, you're show biz if you hang with Dali, and hire The Amazing Randi to help you stage your nightly hanging and guillotine-ing!😱
I love the Amazing Randi. I'm sorry I never got to meet him.
I did get to see Alice Cooper live, though! It was like 30 years after I first heard "Eighteen", but it was still amazing. He's a great showman.
Side note: another great live show, and another musician who continues to inspire generations while defying classification: Weird Al. Incredible performance!
Great to hear Weird Al (who will forever bear the burden, now, of people thinking his name is Weird Artificial Intelligence!) puts on a great show! Always enjoyed his talents and recordings, but never saw live.
ICYMI, Andrew, here's my Alice/early-'70s close-encounter, posted last Halloween:
https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/booballad-of-dwight-fryby-alice-cooper
Thanks, Brad! Bookmarked for manana.
Okay this playlist is awesome! Wanda Jackson, Little Richard AND Iggy and the Dolls. Nicely done.
I know, right? In case Andrew doesn't see your raves, Jami, kindly leave a reply or two under his comments!👏👏
Yay! Let me know if you're interested in old-school punk, thrash, metal, or crust. I've got one for each of those genres, but maybe that's another conversation for another day.
Try this on and see if it fits, Andrew: How about "old-school punk," and if this'll also give you a chance to write about music (which it doesn't appear you do much, if any), write some thoughts about a couple/few of the songs on the List (when you first heard them, why you like them, perhaps their context with similar songs/artists).
I'd love to have that be an FR&B guest post (as I've done before, I could also add my 2c to it, too). Yours (or yours with my added content) could also be a post for your subbies, so you could get some scheduled mileage from it on your site!
Thoughts?
Brad, let's pick this up via email! I have some ideas.