WIkipedia says this Canadian group named themselves the Payolas after the big radio payola scandal in the 1960s. Alan Freed and all that. OK.
But then Wikipedia reports the band blamed their lack of success on the international level was due to US deejays not playing their records because of the name. Um, really. I find that a stretch. The scandal was two decades or more in the past before the Payolas were even a band. Their target audience wasn’t even born when that scandal popped.
They did sell quite a bit in Canada. Very 80s everpresent synth sound that doesn’t age well in my opinion. Lyrics are not happening. “Where is this love; that comes from above.”
Pretty good chops on their instruments. The great Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson joins them, although it was like a game tryin to find him in wash of synth-etic riffing. Hey maybe that was Ronson joining in a little guitar-synth. Some decent songs here but I can’t heartily recommend this one.
If you didn’t see my AL.com post of this on Friday, I’m am posting the blog version below.
Summary: Charlemagne Record Exchange a beloved record store in a walk-up at 5-Points South announced it was going out of business after 42 years. I knew Charlemagne a little bit, starting 1982 to 1987. Five Points was a different then. It did not have a Chick-fil-A centerpiece. It was the after-work party and dining destination. There was no Lakeview district; downtown Birmingham turned off the lights about 5 p.m. and Avondale was yet to begin flourishing.
Here’s blog version of my story published on AL.com on Friday:
My Vinyl Countdown: I almost bought a record store.
Oh, did I forget to tell you? I almost bought a record store a few weeks ago. The venerable Charlemagne Record Exchange on BIrmingham’s Southside announced it was shutting down after 42 years of operation.
I probably would have kept the name — lot of history there. Although, I’ve always dreamed of having a record shop called Wax, Shellac and 8-Tracks. In reality, ‘almost’ buying it may be a stretch.
But I was serious when I called Marian, the co-founder and co-owner. I was still serious when I took a tour: Is this my long-time dream, baby? Or is it more of a welcome to my nightmare situation.
Ultimately I had to be restrained from pursuing this by a family intervention. I’m still locked in the basement as I write this.
Seriously, I have spent a lot of my life in record stores and I have a lot of records. I know popular music — classic rock, soul, some country and jazz — pretty well.
But I’m not a business person. I don’t think I’d enjoy keeping up with the bottom line, health insurance, taxes, and such. I have family members to think about and, as some of you may know I have a progressive illness to take care of.
Ultimately, it came down to this: I can’t figure out if Charlamagne’s example is one of strictly local explanations –more competition with Renaissance Records down the street and Seasick in Avondale – or is it tied to a larger trend of vinyl sales leveling off. In other words is it that a canary portending misfortune or another yellow bird about finding joy?Will vinyl stay hot?
Its resurgence took many by surprise. But it is still a smaller slice of the music industry than it once was. While vinyl is set to overtake CD’s in sales, it is still just a niche’ market up against live streaming service — iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, etc.There are those like me who love to buy used, older records for $5 bucks each.
But new vinyl records for $26.99. Eh. Not so much.I told Marian, I don’t think the timing is right.But I’ll likely be selling the 678 (reality: 800) records of My Vinyl Countdown, bricks and mortar store or not.My wife, Catherine, has made me promise I’d take care of the albums before I go to my Graceland.
And my daughter’s getting married. And that costs money. Let’s just say after looking at potential wedding costs, I was heard quoting James Brown: Owww! Good God, Y’all.
The records are 10 inches, as opposed to 12 inches, and most are made of shellac. Vinyl records are 12 inches. 45’s are 7 inches. (These are diameters)
The 78s, put out from the turn of the last century (think 1900 until the 1950s, often came in ‘albums’ where four or five records slid into sheets in the book or album. So they were truly albums in that sense of the word. The word has been expanded, it seems, to include one record in a jacket or even CDs. Confusing.
78s can look beat up but still play very listenable music. I was surprised — I have both beat up discs and others that are in remarkable shape.
There are tons of labels and some people shop labels. I have Columbia, Decca, Jubilee, Bop, Vocalion, Blue Note, Okeh, Dial, among others.
Some 78s — while a niche’ market — are valuable, as in thousands of dollars valuable. These tend to be rare ones in the country blues, or plain blues vein and older jazz, also rockabilly.
Robert Johnson who with ‘Crossroads’ as having sold his soul to the devil for his guitar abilities put out a few records which are highly sought after
So go now. Check grandma’s closets — could be a Hank Mobley in there.
Life is a kick. We leave this world helpless, crying and unable to eat solid foods — just as we came in.
I don’t know when the regression of one’s life begins. For me it was about 50 or so. Just more aches and pains. My diagnosis at 57 with Lewy body dementia put the aging process in the fast lane.
I say all this to tell you about my new hobby, listening to 78 RPM records
You’ve seen them even if you haven’t ever used them. They are those 10-inch records usually hard and heavy. Now when we talk about collecting vinyl, we are usually talking about 12-inch records which bring forth the music at the slow moving 33-1/3 revolutions per minute. There are also collectors of the 7-inch, 45 rpm records commonly called 45’s or singles.
Collecting 78’s is the next step toward total regression in the popular human pursuit of listening to music. For me listening to music is therapeutic and can be transcendent, spiritual even.
Note: This published Monday Jan. 6 on AL.com. Here’s the top of the story and a link to the full length version:
This is an opinion column by Mike Oliver who writes about living with Lewy body dementia.
Come on in.
Welcome.
Welcome to my brain.
The brain is the big boss. This is where it begins — and possibly ends.
I have a brain. (Thank God I was in the right line for that).
But I am not my brain.
Sure, my brain is the Bill Gates of my operation on Earth. But Gates has many thousands who make up Microsoft. Of course it’s all directed and put in play by Gates. When my stomach hurts my brain tells me. But my stomach almost simultaneously mobilizes the forces to find whatever distresses it and help with a fix. The brain keeps the light on while the body parts do their job.
The brain is me but not me only. It’s the conductor of a million symphonies as my body comes together in symbiotic synchronicity. Harmony.
But not always, and certainly not forever. My brain is broken now.
It’s leaking Lewy bodies.
And depending on the source, one lives an average of 4 to 9 years after diagnosis. I was diagnosed, first with Parkinson’s and later Lewy body dementia in 2016. In an internal battle, proteins are killing my brain cells by the 10′s of millions. Near the end, autonomic will not be automatic.
So, welcome to my brain. Let’s have a little fun. (That’s my new motto).
I knew who Charlie Pride was from way back as a child. I knew he was the first African American country singer. My dad told me — I can’t even remember the context. Probably sitting around the television when Pride came on and I asked who he was.
Encouraged by Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball, Pride dodged his share of slings and arrows., but persevered. He played ball himself in the Negro Leagues before he began a singing career.
Although he wound up with four Grammys and numerous other awards, he only had one cross over Top 40 hit — ‘Kiss an Angel Good Morning’ — but it was a big one. Born in Mississippi, Pride played a little professional baseball before clearing several hurdles on the way to a significant country music career. He won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award in 1971.
My father was a big country fan in his younger days so I grew up hearing country music around the house. My current favorites include Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard and George Jones. Guess you would call it Classic Country, the flipside of Classic Rock.
Charley Pride would be in that group. I turned up the car radio when they played ‘Kiss an Angel Good Morning.’ Great catchy song.
This is a good album if you want to get a feel for his plain country style. early in his career.
ALBUMS: Primitons ‘Happy All the Time;’ (1987) Pylon, GYRATE (1980)
RVC Rating: Primitons 4.0/$$$; Gyrate, 4.0/$$$$
You know it occurred to me listening to these again that Pylon’s Vanessa Briscoe sounded/sounds a lot like Chrissie Hynde fronting a punk band — or Janis Joplin where Briscoe could have stood face-to-face in a cathartic screech contest.
I put these two together, not because any similarity in music, but because they both are wonderful artifacts of the Southern alternative rock blast that started about 1978 and continued through the 1980s.
So the Primitons were from Birmingham and I’ve been told I attended their send-off at a 1985 Chuck’s WUXTRY (on 4th Ave. North.) I was here then. And I know Chuck from whom I used to purchase used records at the downtown Athens, Ga. WUXTRY and the Birmingham WUXTRY. Chuck moved his downtown store to Cahaba Heights where he sold records for years.
I remember a keg party one night at WUXTRY but don’t remember the music. I do remember slinging LPs like Frisbee’s — every vinyl junky’s dream — and we laughed as they splattered against the brick wall. When one spun too close to Mr. Businessman’s head, I think we scattered like the other rats in that alley.
As Steve Martin says, Mmm, having some fun now.
The Primitons was as melodic as many of Michael Stipe’s sentimental song impressions. In fact these bands are nearly polar opposites yet share a time and a place and an energy from a alt-Southern rock scene that surprisingly wasn’t Atlanta but Athens, Ga. and the Primitons likely made many I-20 trips to play in Athens. Ga. ,
Pylon is perhaps better known (than Primitons that is, not REM). A group much respected in the after hours crowd of the late 70s and early 80s where people stayed downtown and danced until 4 a.m. Pylon was 3-chords and get-up-on-the dance floor. And to think I heard Vanessa say in an interview that she enjoyed the experience but really was glad when it ended. Yep, there’s a certain age and athletic category you need to take five hours of body slams, the very loud chords and pancakes and eggs at The Grill.
Sun’s coming up!
If you like punk, hard rock you owe it to your self to listen to Pylon’s ‘Stop It’. See below:
It certainly looks like the covers share a similar artistic vision. But I have no evidence looking at liner notes that they are somehow linked.
ALBUMS: The Pretenders (1980); Learning to Crawl (1983)
MVC Rating: Pretenders 4.5/ $$$; Learning 4.5/$$$
This band I just picked up on after hearing them on the radio. Strong female lead singer and good songwriter. Chrissie led the band with a sneer that offered rock and roll a direction as it moved into the Nuevo Wavo sound.
‘Learning to Cry’ was the third album and put them square in the commercial arena as New Wave examples of where the sound was going and what’s next. They just rocked and rolled people, that’s all- no more no less. I’d pick up these two albums if you don’t have any Pretenders — they are nearly Desert Island records, in and of themselves.
Brass in Pocket was their initial hit off the first album. They had strong rockers including “Precious.” The first album had a punkier sound. I don’t have the second album but I think it too was punkiel The first album had a full tank a gas, a scraping tailpipe and it looked like it might know where it is going.
Learning to Crawl proved they knew where to go. (Back) On the Chan Gang is an all time classic and ‘Middle of the Road;’ Thumbelina; My City was Gone; and 2000 Miles all deserve to be in the conversation. “I Hurt You,’ — Whew!
This one is interesting. But I pulled another Nostalgia buy and bought this for a few bucks after reading how there’s resurgent interest in old rock and roll teeny bop music.
Marie’s path has been country.
Music from groups such as the Partridge Family, the Cowsills, and the Osmonds and the Jackson 5 (a group I see in a whole other realm.)
On their television show, Donnie and Marie did a bit where she sang: I’m a little bit country.”
Donnie: ‘ I’m a little bit rock and roll.’
The qualifiers came off funny to me and I mean ha-ha funny. ‘Little bit is about right’.
On this here record, Marie sings pleasantly, better than I remember. But she’s no Lynne Anderson. I I just found out she just had her 60th birthday. As a recent 62-year-old, I say Happy Birthday, and, yes, there is some age defiance here as she looks much younger.
I have to admit I listened to Donny and bros and watched the show. Enjoyed One Bad Apple .
I used to know the song Paper Laces by heart — (not on this album).
I[
I watched brother Donny rock it up on Down By The Lazy River where Donny actually shows a little funkability. But in my childhood record collectiion, the Donny Osmond stack of 45s was way less than the Michael Jackson stack.
PS That’s a pretty catchy open on Lazy River. Just pointing it out.
Do you remember the first time someone said that and you fthought it was so funny and you filed it away to irritate later another employee who has miraculously never heard the joke.
“See you next year. … hahahahahahaa.”
Remember that? I don’t either. Do that joke on Dec. 30 and see how funny it is.
****************
An old friend of mine by the name of Chris has contacted me and Cat. Chris thanks for the kind and beautifully written words you send (via snail mail WTF)? Seriously, your words mean a lot. Hopefully we can see each other before too long..
ALBUMS: Damn the Torpedoes (1979); Let me Up I’ve Had Enough (1987);
MVC Ratings: Torpedoes, 4.5/$$$$; Let me up 4.0/$$$.
Of course like nearly every Florida southern boy (at least partly) I was a big fan of the Gainesville, FL, native. He became big when I was in late high school, early college age. ‘Let Me Up’ came out about the time CD’s were taking over and I’m kind of surprised i don’t have this in CD format.
The Let Me Up album was a surprise — I don’t think I listened to it much and it has some great playing and singing on it. Jammin’ Me is a good one although it exposed what may be the reason this album was on the verge of busting out but never had the song to push that on through. Jammin’ Me has a lot of cultural references that I think are cool and most people got. But when you are raising up issues in song about the news, sometimes the stories get old in a 24-hour news cycle.
I would also like to point out here that one of Petty’s best records, unbeknownst to much of the public, was the soundtrack to the movie “She’s the One.” His masterpiece, I believe was ‘Full Moon Fever,’ but that movie soundtrack had some of Petty’s best work such as Walls Pt. 1 and 2; Change the Lock; Asshole and California.
If memory serves me correctly.
I remember we had a road trip to see Petty the main act with the DelFuegos and the Georgia Satellites. Fun time had by all. If memory again serves me correctly. There was me, Bob Carlton, Rick Bragg and Dennis Love. But that may be wrong. I know I was there.
