thecitizen
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Well you heard it here first. A new band is getting formed. I met up with the main man of the band a little while back.
My son, 6 and a half, told me out of the blue that he has the name for his band. 'What is it?" I asked. "Rock Dragon" he answered. 'What do you play in the band?"..."drums' was the reply. 'Who else is in the band?". "Fraser" (who is 10, so very cool!). "Right, but doesn't Fraser play drums too?". "Oh yes, so I will be the singer...and I want dragon tattoos on the guitars and on the drums' stated my son.
So I then enquired about the kind of songs he wants to play in this band of his. "Firehouse Rock" (by Wailing Souls) he answered quick as a flash.
So there you have it. Rock Dragon to play roots reggae (though he likes Stevie Wonder, Joe Cuba and Kaiser Chiefs too) in a venue in around 10 years time...book your tickets...
Is it the unique passion of the founder, who broke down social barriers to get a certain kind of music heard? Is it the founder's ability to hear sounds that would stnad the test of time? Is it an uncanny sense of right time right place? Is it an A&R policy built on finding great music no matter what 'genre' or is it a microscopic focus on a type of music?
Was A&M more of a great label than Fontana? Is Island the ultimate label or is that Tamla Motown? Does Deutsche Grammophon sit alongside Sun? Is Factory up there with Columbia? Do Black Jazz, Blue Note or Fania mean more than Apple?
No anwers, just lots of questions really...
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Certainly there have been record labels that started out with a vision and a commitment to quality. Many of the names you've mentioned (plus probably the ultimate artist-centric label - at least initially - Atlantic) fit this description. Beyond that, it's a little dangerous to set visions in competition with each other. I wouldn't want to be the one to say that Fania trumps Factory (although that's what I believe).
Damn. i'm late to the party, but still lurking around while I "convert" to itunes. I work with labels all the time in my job and it is hard to have anything like a vision, these days. In those days though there was a lot more easy money and lots of people bought music with money. That was the only way you could get music. Stax was pretty damn cool while it lasted, but even when it was alive (in its first life) the forces of corporate greed (including atlantic) were eating away at the core. Bottom line..Vision, taste, and talent aren't enough to survive. It is a business and you have to know how to run it, or as my boss said, you are roadkill.
Well, this is the third Temptations album I have posted about. Got to say something about my love for this group.
This album is breathtaking. Starts with Funku Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On, which is one of the best starts to any album. Then the social statement in Run Charlie Run, followed by 11:45 of the epic Papa Was A Rolling Stone. Over to side 2, we are taken on a four track journey of more music perfection.
I just keep coming back to this album again and again. Not just for the vocals of The Tempts, but the musicianship and the brilliance of Norman Whitfield.
The music world idolises the soundscapes created by producers such as George Martin, Martin Hamnett and Phil Spector. Can someone explain why Norman Whitfield is hardly mentioned? Am I missing something here?
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Shit, a six-year-old who's already into Joe Cuba? He has stardom writ large on his soul....
I like where the young lad is headed! Rock Dragon sound like they'd blow the Naked Brothers out of the water, although Crazy Car is a hot somg
Maybe Rock Dragon could meet up with the world's youngest Who fan and form the ultimate supergroup: http://mog.com/K-bot/blog_post/47844