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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: The End of Albums
From: Phil Milstein
2. Teddy Randazzo & the Duprees
From: Jon
3. Re: Hey la, di la/ Midnight Cryin' Time
From: Pres
4. Re: He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)
From: Paul Bryant
5. Re: The End of Albums
From: Scott
6. Playboy's 50th Anniversary Issue
From: Tom Taber
7. Question for Artie Wayne
From: Glenn
8. Re: AM concrete
From: Clark Besch
9. Filling Up a CD
From: Rex Strother
10. Best line in a song
From: Rex Strother
11. From Label to Artist
From: Rex Strother
12. Run For Your Life
From: Simon White
13. Re: Telstar / He Hit Me (etc.)
From: Phil Milstein
14. Steve Tudanger
From: Mark
15. Re: Steve Tudanger
From: David A. Young
16. Jack Nitzsche at Spectropop Update
From: Martin Roberts
17. Whatever makes you happy
From: Julio Niño
18. Freeman/ARP... First Synth...
From: ~albabe
19. Worst Rhyme In a Song?
From: Dan Hughes
20. Bootlegs
From: Dan Hughes
21. The Raindrops and my bookstore
From: Jimmy
22. Re: Rupert's People
From: Mark Frumento
23. Apauling
From: Steve Harvey
24. Re: Sweetshop - Lead The Way
From: Mutsushi
25. Re : The End of Albums
From: Scott
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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 15:56:52 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: The End of Albums
Welcome back, Will! Believe it or not, I was just wondering
yesterday when if ever we'd hear your thoughtful voice here
again.
Will Stos wrote:
> The big problem for so many people my age (early 20s)
> is that with the death of the single, album-makers have got
> the idea that if they put 2 or 3 good tracks in with 8 or 10
> filler tracks, the music consumer won't notice, or (before
> downloading) couldn't do anything but buy the whole CD. Why
> buy a cd when you know most of the songs (on pop and r&b albums
> anyway) are going to be bad. Why not just select the ones you
> like.
Which brings the state of the album back to where it began, way
back when: two or three hits and the rest mere afterthought. (I
wonder where that recent phenomenon of the "remix" might fit into
all this.)
> Of course, it's different if an artist
> takes the time to construct a good album where the majority of
> tracks are worth listening to more than once. I honestly think
> downloaders are thumbing their nose at the record industry for
> giving us low quality, derivative pap.
Let's not forget, though, that downloading isn't the only part of
the problem -- CD reburning contributes heavily as well. CD pirating,
particularly in the so-called Third World countries, is far more
rampant now than it ever was in the vinyl era (when the Mob was the
biggest pirating infringer), but the RIAA apparently figures it's
easier to prosecute college kids and grannies who are swiping from
under their nose than it is to go after shady dudes in banana republics
with Uzis and Dobermans (Dobermen?).
Once again, the "culprit" is the digital process itself, which, if
I'm not mistaken, was created at the industry's own behest. Hellfire,
the way things are going these industry cats must be YEARNING for
the day when their biggest problem was home taping!
> I feel no guilt when I download songs from artists I would never
> hear on radio or if their not available here yet. If I like them,
> I'll support the artist by buying the CD. If I don't I don't listen
> to them again.
Will's equation here, as with our fetishization of the record buying
and playing process, is virtually exclusive to collectors. The average
music consumer (and I must use that latter word loosely at this point)
wants only the music, and could hardly care less about the packaging,
the bonus cuts, the inability to watch the medium spin, etc. The path
to their tunes of least resistance will be the one they pursue most
energetically.
I too share a romance for the fetish factors, so I'm not putting them
down, but if the discussion is about the future of the record industry,
it's important to try to see things the way the suits see them ... and
the suits care little or none about such a niche market as record
collectors.
Doo lang,
--Phil M.
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 21:45:43 -0000
From: Jon
Subject: Teddy Randazzo & the Duprees
Speaking of the late, great Teddy Randazzo, is there someone
out there who has a copy of the Duprees' "Around the Corner"
(Columbia 43336, from 7/65) co-written by Teddy? It was a great
single, very Jay & the Americans-like, which I haven't heard since
its release in '65. I'm sure every Spectropop person would dig
hearing it. If no one can play it to musica, I will start making
some serious inquiries and phone calls. Thanks.
--Jon
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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 11:32:30 -0500
From: Pres
Subject: Re: Hey la, di la/ Midnight Cryin' Time
Jon Adelson wrote:
> OK, what was the song that went la di da, oh boy, let's go,
> cha cha cha? (This is not a test...for some reason, this song
> popped into my mind with this thread)....
It's "La Dee Dah" by Billie & Lillie on Swan 4002 in, I believe,
1957. Written by Crewe/Slay who wrote its (nearly exact) sound
alike, "Lucky Ladybug" which was also recorded by Billie & Lillie
as well as by the 4 Seasons.
I happen to have just received "Soda Shop Pop" from Castle Pulse
and it's on disc one of that set. I also got "Midnight Cryin' Time"
from the same source and love it!
I can't wait until my "Chapel Of Love" set gets here!
Pres - the new guy making his first post
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 13:30:34 -0800 (PST)
From: Paul Bryant
Subject: Re: He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)
Okay, I haven't been following this much, but here's
two more - Louis Jordan from the late 40s :
"Pettin' and Pokin'"
I'm gonna tell you a story about Jack and Jill,
and I don't mean the couple that went up the hill,
I mean a couple of lovers that live next door,
they're always battlin'
and I'm just tryin' to keep score.
They keep a pettin' and pokin' and jabbin' and jokin'
and coolin' and crackin' and wooin' and whackin'
and neckin' and knockin' and and singin' and sockin'
squawkin' and squeezin' burnin' and freezin'.
He holds her hand for as long as he's able,
but when he let's go she bops him with the table.
A pattin' and a pinchin'
and clobberin' and clinchin'
they enjoying themselves, having a good time.
Now Reverend Green thought he'd call one day,
on those nice newly-weds across the way,
but just as the pastor knocked on the door,
a straight right connected and he hit the floor.
They were pittin' and poppin'
they were bangin' and boppin' coolin' and kissin'
they were hittin' and missin'
groovin' and grievin' and lovin' and leavin
kickin' and cracklin' and ticklin' and and tacklin'
Once a lion escaped from the circus train,
he strayed in Jack and Jills domain,
just then they got in a towerin' rage,
the lion took one look and jumped back in his cage.
Swattin' and swingin' and plottin' and playin',
stompin' and stampin' and groovin' and grabbin',
they kept dancin' and duckin', trippin' and truckin',
plottin' and pleadin' and bangin' and bleddin'.
Well ma Momma said, I'll go right in there and fetch
her,
but lord Momma came out ridin' on a stretcher,
feintin' and foldin' hittin' and holdin',
they were in love, havin' a good time.
Ain't married life wonderful!
And now, from 1964, Tom Lehrer
"The Masochism Tango"
I ache for the touch of your lips, Dear,
But much more for the touch of your whips, Dear.
You can raise welts
Like nobody else,
As we dance to the Masochism Tango.
Let our love be a flame, not an ember,
Say it's me that you want to dismember.
Blacken my eye,
Set fire to my tie,
As we dance to the Masochism Tango.
Your eyes cast a spell that bewitches.
The last time I needed twenty stitches
To sew up the gash
That you made with your lash,
As we danced to the Masochism Tango.
Bash in my brain,
And make me scream with pain,
Then kick me once again,
And say we'll never part.
I know too well
I'm underneath your spell,
So, Darling, if you smell
Something burning, it's my heart.
Excuse me!
Take your cigarette from its holder,
And burn your initials in my shoulder.
Fracture my spine,
And swear that you're mine,
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 5
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 09:17:11 EST
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The End of Albums
Tom Taber wrote:
> Not having a calculator with me - I believe that a
> 60-70 minutes CD is a much cheaper source of music
> than the 30 minute $3.98 stereo LP was in 1967....
I'd argue that many 60-70 minute CDs have little more
than 30 minutes of listenable material on them.
Scott
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Message: 6
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 06:31:49 -0800 (PST)
From: Tom Taber
Subject: Playboy's 50th Anniversary Issue
The 50th Anniversary Playmate's "Turn-ons" - VINYL!
"Turn-offs" - CDs! She is pictured 2 or three times
in front of (oh-my-God) turntables! I had the issue
several days before getting around to that center
section (proof I'm speeding towards old age at 53) or
I would have reported sooner.
Question - "What do you call 10,000 synthesizers at
the bottom of the ocean?"
Answer - "A good start!"
Tom Taber
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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 15:09:28 -0000
From: Glenn
Subject: Question for Artie Wayne
Hi Artie,
Ever since I've seen your name and postings in the group, it's
been driving me crazy because, in my memory, you had some
association with the Grass Roots, a group I run a web site on.
But I just couldn't remember what the connection was. I figured
that perhaps I was confusing you with someone else.
Finally, I got it. There's a song on their 1975 album on Haven
called "I Wanna Slow Dance Again", and one of the writers on it
is A. Wayne. Ken Hirsch was one of the co-writers, also.
Is this your song? If so, great song!
If not, great song anyway :)
I love the idea and old fashioned feel of the song, and the false
fade is a really clever touch! Rob Grill does a great job on the
vocal.
Thanks,
Glenn
Golden Grass
http://home.att.net/~souldeep69/index.html
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Message: 8
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 15:20:25 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Re: AM concrete
Phil M. re. "Being There: The Beatles on Radio":
> Wow, what a totally amazing pastiche! How long did it take
> you to put it together? And, did you edit it all at once, or
> bits at a time? (And forgive me if you answer these questions
> in your text, I skimmed it but didn't read every word.)....
Phil, I'll try to keep this post shorter! :) As I said,
the montage was created over a period of time. Originally, I
just was scoping bits & pieces of reels in the 70s to cassettes
to save time. Then, when I started my (our--Doug Richard actually
did the show too, and created it) radio show in the 80s, I went
through all those bits to put a very rough edit together. With
computer help, I re-edited it for Musica, cutting out stuff here
& there. It still sounds rough, but it's the way it was, I guess.
Still took 2/3 hours?? Then it took awhile to find room on Musica.
I can understand not reading every word, you'd be asleep, I'm
sure! That took a long time, but things just popped into my head
as I went along.
You have the right word: Romance! Listening to AM back then was
romance. I loved tuning the dial in complete wonder at what I'd
find. You could imagine the thrill I had when I caught WLS Bernie
Allen show at 12:30 PM one Sunday coming in perfect! WLS at best
never rolled in before 2:30, usually 4-4:30, so that was a shocker!
As for other countries, I heard the BBC in Dodge City and it was
on short wave. Thus, a very different sound and hard for me to
listen to actually. Listening to the British accent through
"phasing" was hard to follow. They also had many illegal
commercial off-shore ships pelting Europe with great music that
stations like the BBC shunned completely for a long long time.
Those "pirate radio" stations would have been fun (have some
airchecks), but compared to a whole KC band of rockers in the US,
there couldn't be any comparison. I'm sure our British friends
could attest to that. Still, DJs like Kenny Everett had a neat
appeal.
One other thing I was not experiencing during the pre-1969 days
was FM rock. After hearing airchecks of Chicago and New York
stations, it would have been cool to be able to hear these. Then,
I would have been able to hear on the radio, some of the cool promos
I was getting at that time. Funny how some DJs did AM/FM shifts
where they were fast talkers on AM and totally reflective slower
laid back on FM. If you've seen the Saturday Night Live skit of
the 70s AM/FM jock doing both at same time, it was similar, except
in the 60s, it was more flying by the seat of the pants on FM.
Doing cross channel fades and such was new fun then. WLS-FM had a
show called "Spoke", which played underground stuff, but seldom
could I understand a word the DJ said, 'cause he had a wierd phase
effect and spoke so weird, it was difficult.
KEYN-FM Wichita was my first taste of FM stereo and it was
terrific! I was hooked! I was amazed when sitting in my brother's
chair listening to his big speakers in his room when I first heard
KEYN play "Hey Jude" in stereo (not available until the "Hey Jude"
LP, a year after the mono 45 had been out!). I yelled to my brother
to get in there and we sat in amazement singing "nanana-nanana-na".
And their stereo jingles! I was blown away. Also, that is where we
first heard and recorded the Beatles "Get Back" LP played in its
entirety with an occasional "KEYN exclusive" spoken over the top of
songs. The DJ said it would be released in Jan '69. Hasn't happened
yet. What fun to have those songs months before any got out in any
form!
Clark
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Message: 9
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 08:55:24 -0700
From: Rex Strother
Subject: Filling Up a CD
Paul Bryant wrote:
> 40 minutes was tolerable, and indeed, highly
> enjoyable. 70 minutes is way too long. Instead of a
> manageable chunk of vinyl time, the album has
> elephantised into an evening-crunching experience.
> Playing two albums in one evening was perfectly
> feasible. Two CDs all the way through? Not a chance.
Personally - I've found few new releases that include more
than 55 minutes of music. However, I did enjoy the "invention"
of the Enhanced CD to fill additional CD storage space - which
could include a music video or discography of the artist or
other images and behind-the-scenes material you could access
via a computer.
This idea has taken a twist with the new CD/DVD releases by
artists (in an effort to keep folks buying CDs to get the DVD!)
where the supplementary DVD includes live versions of the tracks
(Barenaked Ladies), music videos from the album (Barbra Streisand)
or home movies/concert footage (Ben Folds Five). And what do
you know - the same price as what they used to charge for a CD
alone.
Rex
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Message: 10
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 08:46:45 -0700
From: Rex Strother
Subject: Best line in a song
Shifting to the 70s - almost anything by Steely Dan - then
and now. My bid:
"I move we dissolve the corporation / in a pool of margaritas"
("Everything Must Go")
Rex
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Message: 11
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 09:05:51 -0700
From: Rex Strother
Subject: From Label to Artist
Rex:
> Although there may be other problems with this idea, if there was
> a flat master use rate - say $.10 per master per CD sold - you
> could put 20 songs on a CD, pay the $2.00 royalties to the labels
> (RIAA could act as a blanket licensing agency) and $1.70
> royalties to the songwriters, sell for $15.00 and everybody gets
> their share. Fair price, selection unlimited, everybody makes as
> much money as they can. Labels even make money off "dead" catalog.
Phil M:
> I don't see where the artist comes in for his/her/their cut of the
> action.
Here goes Phil:
The artist would be paid a contractual portion of any Master Use or
Synchronization License fee the label receives (today, usually 50% of
received fees), if the artist was wise enough include such a provision
in their contract.
Since, as noted, the label doesn't actually have to "do" anything to
offer this Master Use, this is a fair split.
Many labels today, when confronted by older artists wise enough to
keep a heads up on releases, now offer 50% of Master Use fees, even
though early contracts didn't contemplate these fees.
As we all know - many artists worked one-off (got a flat fee for
their work, screwing them out of potential millions). Many early
contracts didn't even "imagine" the idea of re-releases on other
formats. It's up to each artist/label to work it out - but the
funds would have to go to the label, then to the artist (the same
route all artist royalties go through in label/artist agreements,
eh?)
Rex
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Message: 12
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 20:50:07 +0000
From: Simon White
Subject: Run For Your Life
Steve Harvey wrote -
> Actually you can't use the Beatles line "I'd rather see you dead
> little girl than to be with another man" because it was swiped
> from one of Elvis' Sun sides, "Baby Let's Play House", I think (!?)
Oy, gavult!
I've never been remotely interested in The Beatles and there's a
lot of stuff I don't know by them as a result. But is "Run For
Your Life" the song recorded by Nancy Sinatra then?
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Message: 13
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 16:10:01 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: Telstar / He Hit Me (etc.)
~albabe Gordon wrote:
> Actually I think the sound in "Telstar" is just a funky organ
> that's been filtered or compressed. And this and none of the
> above qualify as a synth.
Now that we've nailed down the source of the keyboard sound in
"Telstar", who can tell us the source of the outer space sounds
at the beginning of the thing?
For whoever is compiling the list of "He Hit Me" type songs, The
Crystals also did a version of "Please Hurt Me", and Jody Miller
did one of "He Hit Me". Then there is "The Guy With The Black Eye"
by The Angels (or am I veering too far off-theme with that one?).
And doesn't Ginny Arnell smack HERSELF in the head in "Dumb Head"?
Koko bop,
--Phil M.
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Message: 14
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 22:42:00 -0000
From: Mark
Subject: Steve Tudanger
Who is this guy? I have 2 singles of his, one on Big Tree and
I don't remember the other label. Both songs are GREAT. Wasn't
he involved with Definitive Rock Chorale and Other Voices? If so,
this guy made some great music. The DRC was really good, especially
their singles on Bell (of course). Anybody know all of his groups/
recordings they can post a listing of? From what I've found I don't
see any bad records.
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Message: 15
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 22:16:01 -0000
From: David A. Young
Subject: Re: Steve Tudanger
Mike Rashkow (the di da dude) wrote about Steve Tudanger:
> Ellie and I once produced him and sold the master to Mercury -
> "Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout You Now". It bombed immediately. We
> bought it back and sold it to Chelsea. Bombed there too.
Nice record, Mike, and the flip, "This Is the Beginning of My Love,"
is almost as good. Though they were released in '71 and '72,
respectively, for some reason the Chelsea issue looks so much more
recent. Guess it's cuz Mercury kept their label design the same for
so long.
Tudanger had at least one other single (perhaps even stronger by
Spectropop standards but probably a bit anachronistic for the record-
buying public by the time it was released in 1977) on Big Tree
16093: "We Really Got the Rhythm Now"/"I'll See You Again." He wrote
all four songs; Ellie and Steve co-produced the latter 45. I'm sorry
to hear of his ill health; you're right, Mike, he's a talented guy.
Did he have any other releases?
David
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Message: 16
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 22:40:49 -0000
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Jack Nitzsche at Spectropop Update
Sorry for delay in the update, PC problems don't you know.
Toni Jones' "Dear (Here Comes My Baby)" on Smash won the Battle
of the Babes and is playing on the Home page:
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/index.htm
Doing battle next week is Johnny Gamboa's "Why" or Yolanda and
the Castanets' "Meet Me After School".
The jingle playing is #7 Tijuana, at:
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/radio.htm
Dora Hall's "I Don't Want Your Kisses"/"Hoochi Koochi" is the
featured record on Al Hazan & Jack Nitzsche's Record of the Week
page:
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/ahjnrotw.htm
Martin
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Message: 17
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 22:45:07 -0000
From: Julio Niño
Subject: Whatever makes you happy
Hi,
Thanks to everyone for the examples of "SM sixties pop".
Another song (I promise this will be the last one, I don't
want to be too much of a pain in the neck) with a subtle
masochist flavor is "Whatever Makes You Happy", B side of a
1963 single by The Miracles in which Smokey seems to be a
little bit too anxious to suffer for his lover. More than
a song about sacrifice it sounds like a masochist personal ad.
Of course I like the song very much.
Julio Niño
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Message: 18
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 15:19:40 -0800
From: ~albabe
Subject: Freeman/ARP... First Synth...
Freeman Carmack said about the First synth:
>I once owned an ARP Odyssey synthesizer and would REALLY like
> to have another one - fat chance. The Mellotron (Chamberlain)
> is really an analog sampler, rather than being an instrument
> devoted to positive synthesis; nothing wrong with that, but it
> uses voltage to control a prerecorded analog tape, rather than
> build, and manipulate electronically created tones using
> oscillators.
Yea! What he said!!! (except you didn't mention "negative"
synthesis...)
As for the ARP. Write me off group Freeman. I may have a
connection for you.
I know this is being bandied around and around but... Are any of
these songs recorded before The Monkees' "Star Collector" (as
previously mentioned)? I've long heard that this was one of the
first synths on record. And one of the first 3 synths sold.
My SpellCheck shows Carmack to Karmic... cool.
peace,
~albabe
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Message: 19
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 17:44:31 -0600
From: Dan Hughes
Subject: Worst Rhyme In a Song?
My vote's gotta go for rhyming "her" with "cafeteria."
As in:
"He was tellin' things that were not true about her
So I let him have it in the cafeteria"
(cafeteri-yurr?)
---Stayin' In, Bobby Vee
---Dan
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Message: 20
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 17:57:32 -0600
From: Dan Hughes
Subject: Bootlegs
Country Paul asks:
> But if a bootleg comes out, doesn't that diminish the chance
> of the artist ever seeing another commercial release? I don't
> think it's a black-and-white issue, unfortunately.
Seems to me there must be cases (help me folks) where bootleg
releases brought forgotten artists back into the limelight and
gave them a second career?
---Dan
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Message: 21
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 19:40:08 EST
From: Jimmy
Subject: The Raindrops and my bookstore
Hey all... my independent bookstore in Downtown Orlando
-- Urban Think!-- was recently written up in the Boston Globe
as being a fabulous hangout. It was a great story, and the
writer mentioned "soft doo-wop music playing in the background."
It just so happens that, while she was there, my Raindrops CD was
playing.
"That Boy John" is really and truly one of the great girl-group/
R&B/jazz fusion songs ever recorded. Anyone agree?
Jimmy
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Message: 22
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 00:40:38 -0000
From: Mark Frumento
Subject: Re: Rupert's People
David Walker wrote:
> Re Rupert's People: "Reflections of Charles Brown" is a
> wonderful record. Does anyone know who the lead singer was?
> Can anyone confirm or explode my belief that the backing band
> were Fleur de Lys, possibly with Bryn Haworth on lead guitar?
The lead singer was Chris Andrews (later changed his name to Tim
Andrews) and yes, it was the Fleur de Lys with Pete Solley on
organ.
Rod Linton was the main writer behind Rupert's People.
To blow your mind you must really pick up the recent CD/LP "The
Magic World of Ruperts People." The story of the band and of the
record "Charlie Brown" require multiple reads to believe and
understand.
"Charlie Brown" was originally the B-side of a Sweet Feeling single
(the wonderful, Kinkish, a-side also having been written by Rod
Linton). The song was rewritten to the tune of "Air on a G String"
but was beaten to the charts by "Whiter Shade of Pale." Not
surprisingly Ruperts People were a fabrication.
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Message: 23
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 16:57:13 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Apauling
Steve:
> None of [Frank Zappa & The Mothers'] other stuff came
> close to ["Trouble Comin' Every Day"].
Country Paul:
> Them's fightin' words in this corner, son. While brilliant,
> the song is one of many that Zappa did, including several
> on "Freak Out" (including the not-really-doo-wop "How Could
> I Be Such A Fool") that were outstanding. He may have been
> a dictator to his band, but most incarnations of The Mothers,
> and Zappa with other ensembles afterward, did some amazing
> music. Take the satire out of "Fool" and you'll find a
> beautiful composition at its core.
Hey, hey Paul,
You got me wrong. Nothing came close to "Trouble
Everyday" in terms of it being a folkrock tune, not
that Zappa never did anything else that good. Duke of
Prune got me vote along with "Anyway the Wind Blows"
(Sonics' version) and "How Could I Be Such A Fool."
Dogmeat too!
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Message: 24
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 09:58:21 +0900
From: Mutsushi
Subject: Re: Sweetshop - Lead The Way
Thanks! Mark ;)
Now I at last could know what's sung in it exactly.
I'm playing this song at the Bar: Revolver in Shimokitazawa
Tokyo, February 2004.
And my recent shampoo time song is "Wooly Wooly Watsgong"!
By the way, who said Wooly "Wooly watsgong gin gan gun" on
that song? It sounds old person and so cute.
>From Japan with Love
Mutsushi
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Message: 25
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 11:19:32 EST
From: Scott
Subject: Re : The End of Albums
John:
> When I started buying albums in 1978, the top tier price for
> single albums was $5.99. Enter that price into the Consumer
> Price Index to find the 2003 equivalent, and what do you come
> up with? $17.00!
I didn't do the math, so I'll trust the calculations, however I
think a lot of the economic argument is simply preception on the
part of consumers - I can't tell you how many times I've been in
stores and heard people say "I'm not paying $12.99 for a CD" (or
fill in your own price). I know I'm certainly guilty of it.
Whereas I'll pay $9.99 for something (your Circuit City comments
below), I won't pick up the same CD at $12.99 ... there's simply
a price barrier in there somewhere.
> The price of CDs in reality is no more than the price of albums ever
> was, when measured in "real" dollars. (In fact, for the most part,
> it's even cheaper - and a WAY better deal when you factor in the fact
> that CDs often pack two vinyl albums' worth of music on them and
> STILL cost less!)
Here you get into the argument of "quantity versus quality". What
good is a 70 minute CD if you only like two tracks - my own experience
is that I find a lot of new CDs are packed with sub-par material. I
really don't need to hear three different remixes of the one song I like.
> In fact, it's pretty rare I can't find something quite easily for $12
> or less, (around $4.25 in '78 dollars!) - even "pricier" items, like
> the Dylan reissues are regularly priced at $13.99 at Circuit City, or
> less on-line. They were recently on sale at Circuit City for $9.99 -
> that's about $3.50 in '78 dollars.
$12 CDs are a bargain around here, except for older material and loss
leaders. As for Circuit City's sale, isn't that a once or twice a year
deal? I think their normal prices are a bit higher than that. Certainly
not the arm and a leg prices Tower and other retailers charge, but still
expensive.
> I think it's high time you gave your son a boost in his allowance!
Not happening ...
> Probably a much bigger factor in the loss of music sales is the wide
> range of options now available that weren't in (say) 1978 - video
> tapes, DVDs, computer games, computers, and so on - all competing for
> those same dollars.
There's probably no single reason ... I'm sure we could puzzle out even
more causes, but you're certainly right in that there are more choices
out there.
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