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Post by Kapitan on Oct 29, 2021 14:24:27 GMT
Nope. I think it's fair to answer that quickly and bluntly in the negative. While what I've always assumed was his peak popularity was before my time as a particularly conscious human, I am not really especially aware of the results, so I'm just now checking his chart successes to inform this post. And...
Albums in the US: 15 Top 40 albums, 10 of which came before 1990 and were among his first 12 albums. (That's actually pretty remarkable, to have 10 of your first 12 albums be Top 40!) However, just one of those was Top 10, and it was right at #10: Armed Forces, from our recently discussed 1979.
Albums in the UK: 22 Top 40 albums, including his most recent three studio albums of originals. 11 of these were Top 10, including eight consecutive albums from 1978-84.
Singles in the US: Just two Top 40 singles, with the highest charting being his McCartney co-write "Veronica," from 1989.
Singles in the UK: 17 Top 40 singles, including three Top 10 hits. One of them, "Oliver's Army," hit #2. (That was from the aforementioned Armed Forces in 1979.)
I don't really know his touring drawing power, but I don't think it would have ever extended to stadiums. When he comes through this area, he usually plays theaters. He's about to make his First Ave debut, actually, though that's because his initial venue doesn't do COVID test/vax verification, and he apparently insists on that.
So really his status would have to be considered something more like the late Lou Reed, maybe Tom Waits, or that kind of artist. Universally known, broadly respected, but never approaching the commercial success of a Springsteen.
The disparity in his popularity in the UK and US is quite striking though. I actually had no idea it was that different...and I'd have guessed his US success would have been more like his UK success, to be honest. I'm a little surprised how poorly he has fared in that regard in America.
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Post by kds on Oct 29, 2021 14:37:05 GMT
I'm actually surprised at the chart success.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 29, 2021 14:50:32 GMT
I'm actually surprised at the chart success. That could be an age thing. While I'm too young for Costello, it's just barely, so he was still kind of a star even if he wasn't a particularly actively successful star in my youth. But by those few years later when you came around, his success would've been that much further in the past.
But for example, I remember watching things like this, where he was the "legend" who joined the Beastie Boys on stage at SNL (after he had been banned initially for pulling a similar stunt on his own during his first appearance, switching from the planned song to another one).
Or another appearance somewhere--I think on SNL as well, but maybe not, and I can't find it--where while my memory is a little fuzzy, he was basically doing a bit that's something like a telethon, where if more people donated he would play his classic hits, and if less did, he'd play his new songs.
In both cases, he was presented to little ol' me as a major star who was probably past his prime, but was important. So I just assumed he was! (There was also the image that was just as identifiable as anyone's, with those damn glasses.)
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Post by kds on Oct 29, 2021 15:36:36 GMT
Wasn't he banned from SNL for a bit for performing Radio Radio when he was apparently told not to?
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 29, 2021 15:52:44 GMT
Wasn't he banned from SNL for a bit for performing Radio Radio when he was apparently told not to? Yep.
Much like Hendrix on BBC a decade before, when he began doing "Hey Joe" (which was supposed to be a duet with Lulu) but stopped early and said "I'd like to stop playing this rubbish" and instead dedicated the next song to Cream, going into "Sunshine of Your Love." (It's cued up, around 7 minutes.)
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 6, 2021 10:39:25 GMT
Last night, at least eight people were killed and "scores of individuals" were injured at a Travis Scott concert in Houston. The crowd began pushing toward the stage, sparking panic as people were crushed. At least 17 were sent to hospitals, and 300 were treated at the event's medical tent.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Nov 6, 2021 12:19:25 GMT
Last night, at least eight people were killed and "scores of individuals" were injured at a Travis Scott concert in Houston. The crowd began pushing toward the stage, sparking panic as people were crushed. At least 17 were sent to hospitals, and 300 were treated at the event's medical tent.
That's terrible. Horrible. Because of incidents like this in the past, you would think in 2021 precautions would be taken for it to NOT happen again. Jeez...
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 6, 2021 12:41:03 GMT
I think it's a reminder that when you have thousands, or tens of thousands, of people in one place, "precautions" can only go so far. Huge crowds are an inherent danger unto themselves.
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 19, 2021 23:53:29 GMT
There is a new audiobook by Malcolm Gladwell that seems to be along the lines of his music-related podcast Broken Records, but is specifically based on 30+ hours of interviews with Paul Simon, as well as additional music and interviews with other musicians about Simon.
"Miracles and Wonder" came out earlier this week. There is a free sample on YouTube now.
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 23, 2021 18:33:35 GMT
The Grammy nominees have been announced. Or, as I like to call them, Awards for People I Either Don't Recognize or Don't Like Because I'm Old. (My name doesn't really roll off the tongue, which is, I assume, why the Grammy people won't return my calls on the recommended name change.)
In scanning the nominees, what really amuses me most of all is how many people get in on these awards thanks to the absurd credits that go in corporate pop.
Consider Album of the Year, which goes to the artist, producer(s), engineer(s), mixer(s), and mastering engineer(s). So it would make sense that at least five, but maybe six or seven, names would be listed.
And say what you will about Billie Eilish's music, but her entry is five people:
Happier Than Ever Billie Eilish FINNEAS, producer; Billie Eilish, FINNEAS & Rob Kinelski, engineers/mixers; Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters; John Greenham & Dave Kutch, mastering engineers
How about Kanye's entry for his album Donda?: Donda Kanye West Baby Keem, Chris Brown, Conway The Machine, DaBaby, Jay Electronica, Fivio Foreign, Westside Gunn, JAY-Z, Syleena Johnson, Kid Cudi, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Lil Yachty, The LOX, Marilyn Manson, Playboi Carti, Pop Smoke, Roddy Ricch, Rooga, Travis Scott, Shenseea, Swizz Beatz, Young Thug, Don Toliver, Ty Dolla $ign, Vory, The Weeknd, Westside Gunn & Lil Yachty, featured artists; Allday, Audi, AyoAA, Roark Bailey, Louis Bell, Jeff Bhasker, Boi-1Da, BoogzDaBeast, Warryn Campbell, Cubeatz, David & Eli, Mike Dean, Dem Jointz, Digital Nas, DJ Khalil, DRTWRK, 88-Keys, E.Vax, FNZ, Gesaffelstein, Nikki Grier, Cory Henry, Ronny J, DJ Khalil, Wallis Lane, Digital Nas, Nascent, Ojivolta, Shuko, Sloane, Sean Solymar, Sucuki, Arron “Arrow” Sunday, Swizz Beatz, Zen Tachi, 30 Roc, Bastian Völkel, Mia Wallis, Kanye West, Wheezy & Jason White, producers; Josh Berg, Todd Bergman, Rashade Benani Bevel Sr., Will Chason, Dem Jointz, IRKO, Jess Jackson, Nagaris Johnson, Shin Kamiyama, Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton, James Kelso, Scott McDowell, Kalam Ali Muttalib, Jonathan Pfarr, Jonathan Pfzar, Drrique Rendeer, Alejandro Rodriguez-Dawson, Mikalai Skrobat, Devon Wilson & Lorenzo Wolff, engineers/mixers; Dwayne Abernathy Jr., Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah, Aswad Asif, Roark Bailey, Durk Banks, Sam Barsh, Christoph Bauss, Louis Bell, Jeff Bhasker, Isaac De Boni, Christopher Brown, Jahshua Brown, Tahrence Brown, Aaron Butts, Warryn Campbell, Hykeem Carter Jr., Jordan Terrell Carter, Shawn Carter, Denzel Charles, Raul Cubina, Isaac De Boni, Kasseem Dean, Michael Dean, Tim Friedrich, Wesley Glass, Samuel Gloade, Kevin Gomringer, Tim Gomringer, Tyrone Griffin Jr., Jahmal Gwin, Cory Henry, Tavoris Javon Hollins Jr., Larry Hoover Jr., Bashar Jackson, Sean Jacob, Nima Jahanbin, Paimon Jahanbin, Syleena Johnson, Dominique Armani Jones, Eli Klughammer, Chinsea Lee, Mike Lévy, Evan Mast, Mark Mbogo, Miles McCollum, Josh Mease, Scott Medcudi, Brian Miller, Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr., Michael Mulé, Mark Myrie, Charles M. Njapa, Nasir Pemberton, Carlos St. John Phillips, Jason Phillips, Khalil Abdul Rahman, Laraya Ashlee Robinson, Christopher Ruelas, David Ruoff, Maxie Lee Ryles III, Matthew Samuels, Daniel Seeff, Eric Sloan Jr., Sean Solymar, Ronald O’Neill Spence Jr., David Styles, Michael Suski, Aqeel Tate, Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, Caleb Zackery Toliver, Bastian Völkel, Brian Hugh Warner, Jacques Webster II, Kanye West, Orlando Wilder, Jeffery Williams & Mark Williams, songwriters; Irko, mastering engineer
Or Song of the Year, which goes to the writer(s) and lists the artist(s) in parentheses. Eilish again:
Happier Than Ever Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
Justin Bieber (with 11 songwriters...not on an album, but on one song): Peaches Louis Bell, Justin Bieber, Giveon Dezmann Evans, Bernard Harvey, Felisha "Fury" King, Matthew Sean Leon, Luis Manuel Martinez Jr., Aaron Simmonds, Ashton Simmonds, Andrew Wotman & Keavan Yazdani, songwriters (Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon)
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Post by kds on Nov 23, 2021 19:18:00 GMT
I had to do a lot of scrolling to get to the rock list. Nothing too surprising, anytime AC/DC or McCartney release an album, it's almost bound to get a Grammy nomination.
But, I see Chris Cornell's Nothing Compares 2U cover was nominated. I remember first hearing that a few years ago.
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Post by Kapitan on Dec 1, 2021 18:16:14 GMT
Not exactly news, but maybe this is of moderate interest in terms of gauging where the public is with respect to popular music. The most streamed artists globally in 2021 have been:
- Bad Bunny (9.1 billion streams) - Taylor Swift - BTW - Drake - Justin Bieber
On the optimistic side, I'm pretty sure I've heard of all five, and am confident I know of four. (BTS is the question mark. I think it's aK-pop boy band, but I could easily be wrong!) However, Swift is the only one for whom I know more than one song, and the only one who has ever put out music I can say I like.
But the real lesson is I'm peripheral to the music industry, and need to keep that in mind whenever I'm complaining "why don't they do X?" It's because listeners of those artists and those like them are who matters most to the industry. (The exception is in physical product and tours from legacy acts. I fit right into their marketing plans.)
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Post by Kapitan on Dec 3, 2021 19:14:17 GMT
The iconic Fender Rhodes electric piano--now just a Rhodes piano-- is back. You can place an order for a customized Rhodes with options including the color and material of the hood and shell, internal effects, panel and preamp, etc. Pretty cool!
However, the cheapest option is about $9,500, and it apparently can get up above $12,500. Pretty pricey for something that is also available in quite good-sounding samples for free or cheap. Not the real thing ... but not ten grand, either!
It's funny, because when I worked in a music store in high school and then summers/holidays through college, we'd occasionally have people practically paying us to take their used ones. You could pick one up for a couple hundred, tops. Of course, they were old and often dodgy.
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