Lou Lends Himself Out......

In the '80's, the songtrack album was big deal.    Agents clamored to get their artist on the record.  A lesser artist can rake in the royalties of the major guys on the record.   Fortunately, at the time we still had '45's.    

Lou Reed had a few.

Sam Moore & Lou Reed - Soul Man (A&M 1986)

Taken from a distasteful comedy about a white kid dressing in blackface to take advantage of racial quotas as a university.  I never saw it.  

And and another one

Lou Reed - My Love is Chemical b/w It doesn't matter (Atlantic 1985)

Taken from the film White Nights about a pair of dancers - one Russian, one black - dancing their way across Siberia after a plane crash.   The film also contained the Lionel Ritchie song 'Say You, Say Me.' which won the Academy Award that year.   I thankfully did not have to get suckered into the songtrack album.

Speaking of the Academy Award for Best Song.   Here comes my opinion.   The category needs to go.   It originated when Hollywood was producing original musicals with original songs.  Now it's relegated to the song played over the closing credits to keep the audience there to witness the name of craft services company at each location shoot.  The song often has nothing to do with the film.

Mark my words, when Hamilton is turned into a movie there will be one new song inserted as Oscar Bait for Best Song.   

Iggy Pop's Repo Man Theme and the Ramones Rock and Roll High School were robbed.

Living in a Ghost Town

This little puppy came in the mail..

They're still at it.   

The Rolling Stones - Living in  A Ghost Town (Rolling Stones 2020)

Recorded two years ago, rush released this year while the world is in shutdown

Song is just fine, but this is a silly record.    A 10"  one sided 33 on colored vinyl.  Excuse me.   Vinyl of Color.  

Are We Going to Have to Cancel Dean Martin?

What Could Have Been....

There was a time when record companies got in the way of artists.    One might think this ended in the early '70's.  Not so.   

In 1977, Robert Fripp had dissolved King Crimson (not the first time and not the last).  Fripp embarked on several projects planning a loose trilogy with Peter Gabriel's second album, his own solo album and this record from  - of all people - Daryl Hall

Daryl Hall - Sacred Songs (RCA 1980)

The path to this record was not an easy one

So.   Fripp, not being a singer, wanted Daryl Hall to be the vocalist on his largely instrumental solo album Exposure (EG 1978).   RCA said no.  If Hall did the vocals, then it was a Hall record.   Fripp ended up with Hall on two tracks and the others by Peter Gabriel and Peter Hammill from Van Der Graf Generator.

Also in the works at this time was Halls solo record produced by Fripp.

The record was completed in 1977.   RCA heard it and decided to shelve it.   They felt it would alienate Hall's fan base and hurt his career.   So much for an artist trying to push boundaries and evolve.   This decision really pissed off Fripp and Hall.  They took the finished record and sent cassette copies to journalists.

This resulted in a groundswell among the music press and hardcore fans to get the album released.  Finally, RCA released it in 1980.    The damage had been done.   Plans were in the works to reform King Crimson with Hall as front man.   This got derailed by RCA.  The front man position eventually went to Adrian Belew.   

This is a prime example of corporate money getting in the way of art.

Things I Once Thought Were True - PFM

PFM.   Premiata Forneria Marconi.  An Italian prog band that achieved prog band success in the USA thanks to support from Emerson Lake and Palmer.   Their debut release in the English speaking world was released on ELP's vanity label Manticore.  

Premiata Forneria Marconi (Manticore 1973)

So what did I think?    I used to think their name was the name of band members, much like their benefactor ELP.   Well, that's not correct.   Their name translates as 'Award Winning Marconi Bakery.'

This would explain the photo of  band members carrying loaves of bread on the album cover