I did the math, Jeff, and if you actually *did* have a dollar for every hour Lenny sucked (and it's a bit subjective; I mean, could you really say he sucked when he was four years old? Does he suck while he's asleep?) you'd have no more than $385,000. A dollar for every minute might not even put you ahead.
jefito
· 1 year ago
Damn, Zack, you're right. Now I'm even more depressed. Thanks!
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
Damned economy!!
Rich
· 1 year ago
Jason, I got one of those Gold & Platinums in a Columbia Hosue deal once -- for some reason I desperately wanted "In Your Wildest Dreams" by the Moody Blues. (why? i dunno. too much Cetera on the radio as a kid i guess). Anyway, the one with "C'est La Vie" is pretty atrocious. I found the track listing at last.fm here.
(and if HTML doesn't work, this post gone bee uggly.)
rwcass
· 1 year ago
I'd buy that "Gold & Platinum" collection even now. (Don't ask me to put my money where my mouth is, though.) Eight out of 19 songs I still like -- good enough for me!
mojo
· 1 year ago
Just for the record, Robbie Nevil invented the Internet. And Liquid Paper.
rwcass
· 1 year ago
No no no, Al Gore is the secret father of Mike Nesmith, who is the inventor of Liquid Paper. Let this be the final word.
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
No, no, no, no. Kenny Rogers invented Liquid Paper, also known as "the stream".
GrayFlannelSuit
· 1 year ago
Poor Lenny, never appreciated in his own time. I bought and loved the Are You Gonna Go My Way album, although it has not aged well. This song is undeniably great, and I happen to have been friends with a girl who was an extra in the video!
I guess, to paraphrase Spinal Tap, there is a fine line between derivative and clever. I wonder when, in the course of music history, a song or album that matches a particular sound or vibe is no longer considered as an organic part of that scene and is just derivative. Because it would be kind of depressing to think that a really good classic soul or Doo Wop record would have absolutely no place in the current musical landscape.
Anthony Hansen
· 1 year ago
For the record, I love that video of Patton bashing Wolfmother. It's just so hilariously, unnecessarily mean, much like Mike Patton himself.
Also, I like Love Shack. At least one of these opinions voids the other.
GrayFlannelSuit
· 1 year ago
Oh I love it too, even though the irony of Patton bashing Wolfmother for being unoriginal whilst talking about making an album of old Italian film music (or something like that) is not lost. What makes it inspired is that it just comes totally out of left field.
JS
· 1 year ago
Believe it or not, Robbie Nevil was one hell of an axeman and was actually approached back in the day to replace Trevor Rabin in one of the Yes configurations.
Also, his brother played Martin Teal on Cheers. He was the little executive dude who wanted to show Miss Howe his "O" face.
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
Call me close-minded. While I have no doubt in the validity of your statement, I just can't picture Nevil shredding.
Mike
· 1 year ago
Ah, so much to say.
Re: Lenny. I'd be very surprised if the record executive who signed Lenny saw dollar signs in his eyes, especially when you consider that a) Lenny really didn't become big until his third album, and b) when "Let Love Rule" came out, the market for black rockers essentially consisted of Prince and Tracy Chapman. Yeah, the guy's derivative, but he's not the Antichrist.
Re: "Islands In The Stream": "Ghetto Supastar" absolutely did not surprise me. Why, you ask? Because Pras and Wyclef (who I believe produced the song) are both New Yorkers of Caribbean descent, and as I and anyone of Caribbean descent who grew up in NYC in the early Eighties can attest to, Black West Indians absolutely LOVE Kenny Rogers (and country music). I'm dead serious. My grandmother emigrated to this country in 1972 with an undying love for Jim Reeves and Skeeter Davis records.
Re: "Diamonds": I seem to remember hearing American Top 40 and hearing only Alpert credited as the performer on this record. Looking through my Billboard chart books, Janet is credited as "Lead vocalist" in the fine print, but she kinda got shafted similar to the way what's his name and what's her name got shafted on "Never Gonna Let You Go". The 12" mixes of this and "C'est La Vie" (I finally know what Nevil actually says in that "hey, JJ!!" line) are excellent.
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
Stay tuned to Popdose in the coming weeks, Mike. I'll be discussing Janet at length in a future Dw. On...
rwcass
· 1 year ago
Black West Indians love Kenny Rogers? That makes me smile, as silly as that sounds. Music shouldn't have any borders, either in the music or when it comes to who listens to it. Mike, did you see Sasha Frere-Jones's article in the New Yorker last fall about how "black" and "white" music don't intersect like they used to?
Lenny Kravitz is obviously a strong example of that intersection. I do seem to remember him being hyped heavily on MTV and in magazines like Rolling Stone when his first album came out, but that was partly because of the Lisa Bonet connection and her getting a lot of attention at the time for "Angel Heart" and being sort of kicked off "The Cosby Show" and onto her own show, which she left after one season.
I'm glad you remember "Diamonds" being credited only to Herb Alpert in the official sense. I knew I wasn't crazy. But Janet clearly was the selling point for listeners, not Herb. But poor Lisa Keith ...
Beau
· 1 year ago
Never have I disagreed so vehemently with a Chartburn entry. You guys don't like "Love Shack"? I know, I know -- I'm from Athens, and I always have to fight the urge to say, "Atlanta Highway! I know where that is!"
But come on. If you like only 10 out-and-out party songs (and that pretty much describes me and my dancing-impaired self), this is surely one of them.
And the video is pure Athens vibe. Old business dudes dancing with RuPaul while Sara Lee sits in the bathtub? Can't top that.
At least you all gave a shoutout to "Me In Honey." Unless it involves the Flintstones or shiny people, Kate Pierson makes everything she touches sound better.
And even "Shiny Happy People" gave us a memorable Sesame Street moment with the Kate muppet.
rwcass
· 1 year ago
Have you been back to Athens in the last few years, Beau? Atlanta Highway changed some, didn't it? It used to go from Broad Street right out to Georgia Square Mall and Best Buy (yes, that big-box store is a landmark for me) and beyond, but some sort of highway construction was added earlier in this decade, and now Atlanta Highway takes you somewhere else, I think.
Beau
· 1 year ago
Just once for a reunion. All the highways out of town are so different these days.
Miss_Lisa
· 1 year ago
I once described Lenny Kravitz to a friend as "so fake, he's almost real." I know it makes no sense, but I still stand by that statement.
Fred Schneider has the best job in show business. Shouting stuff under those two talented ladies' voices: Love shack BABY! Rock LOBSTER! DOWN! DOWN! He's a lucky, lucky guy.
All Comments
(and if HTML doesn't work, this post gone bee uggly.)
I guess, to paraphrase Spinal Tap, there is a fine line between derivative and clever. I wonder when, in the course of music history, a song or album that matches a particular sound or vibe is no longer considered as an organic part of that scene and is just derivative. Because it would be kind of depressing to think that a really good classic soul or Doo Wop record would have absolutely no place in the current musical landscape.
Also, I like Love Shack. At least one of these opinions voids the other.
Also, his brother played Martin Teal on Cheers. He was the little executive dude who wanted to show Miss Howe his "O" face.
Re: Lenny. I'd be very surprised if the record executive who signed Lenny saw dollar signs in his eyes, especially when you consider that a) Lenny really didn't become big until his third album, and b) when "Let Love Rule" came out, the market for black rockers essentially consisted of Prince and Tracy Chapman. Yeah, the guy's derivative, but he's not the Antichrist.
Re: "Islands In The Stream": "Ghetto Supastar" absolutely did not surprise me. Why, you ask? Because Pras and Wyclef (who I believe produced the song) are both New Yorkers of Caribbean descent, and as I and anyone of Caribbean descent who grew up in NYC in the early Eighties can attest to, Black West Indians absolutely LOVE Kenny Rogers (and country music). I'm dead serious. My grandmother emigrated to this country in 1972 with an undying love for Jim Reeves and Skeeter Davis records.
Re: "Diamonds": I seem to remember hearing American Top 40 and hearing only Alpert credited as the performer on this record. Looking through my Billboard chart books, Janet is credited as "Lead vocalist" in the fine print, but she kinda got shafted similar to the way what's his name and what's her name got shafted on "Never Gonna Let You Go". The 12" mixes of this and "C'est La Vie" (I finally know what Nevil actually says in that "hey, JJ!!" line) are excellent.
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2...
Lenny Kravitz is obviously a strong example of that intersection. I do seem to remember him being hyped heavily on MTV and in magazines like Rolling Stone when his first album came out, but that was partly because of the Lisa Bonet connection and her getting a lot of attention at the time for "Angel Heart" and being sort of kicked off "The Cosby Show" and onto her own show, which she left after one season.
I'm glad you remember "Diamonds" being credited only to Herb Alpert in the official sense. I knew I wasn't crazy. But Janet clearly was the selling point for listeners, not Herb. But poor Lisa Keith ...
But come on. If you like only 10 out-and-out party songs (and that pretty much describes me and my dancing-impaired self), this is surely one of them.
And the video is pure Athens vibe. Old business dudes dancing with RuPaul while Sara Lee sits in the bathtub? Can't top that.
At least you all gave a shoutout to "Me In Honey." Unless it involves the Flintstones or shiny people, Kate Pierson makes everything she touches sound better.
And even "Shiny Happy People" gave us a memorable Sesame Street moment with the Kate muppet.
Fred Schneider has the best job in show business. Shouting stuff under those two talented ladies' voices: Love shack BABY! Rock LOBSTER! DOWN! DOWN! He's a lucky, lucky guy.