From: owner-basia-digest To: basia-digest@smoe.org Subject: basia-digest V1 #186 Reply-To: basia@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-basia-digest Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "basia-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. basia-digest Friday, 2 August 1996 Volume 01 : Number 186 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Music Video Airplay Re: Music Video Airplay Re: Music Video Airplay Re: basia-digest V1 #185 Re: basia-digest V1 #185 Basia & Incognito Thanks to Jacki! Re: Basia Video Status Re: Women are better than men... Re: Women are better than men... Re: Thanks to Jacki! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "J.S. Lohr" Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 01:06:58 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Music Video Airplay On Thu, 1 Aug 1996, Philip B Hall wrote: > and other stuff that would make Ayn Rand sit up Who? > Since it is up to Basia > and Danny to create, and it is left to that fat bearded jerk to market > their creations Ah ah ah - not so fast. Dee Anthony doesn't do the marketing, the marketing boys and girls at SONY do the marketing. Dee Anthony is just there really to make sure our heroes get PAID for what they do. > ....until the appearance of this list. There is nothing catholic about > our cultic drive. We each have our own selfish reasons for devoting a > portion of our time and energy to discussing, complaining, pissing and > moaning, and in general, blathering on about this woman and her music. Yes, and we all know YOUR reasons, don't we, Phil? ;) > Why Basia is a relative unknown, and Celine (who to me sounds like the > noise you get from placing a blade of grass between your clasped thumbs > and BLOWING into your fists) Dionne is as ubiquitous as a noon-time > whistle, can only be explained by _management_. Well, it can be explained by alot of other things, too. Let's not forget, Celine Dion got her start at the very same place Basia did: classic VH-1. They didn't play any of Celine's early stuff on MTV... she was, for a LONG time, in the same proverbial boat as Basia, Julia Fordham, Nicky Holland, Jill Sobule, Tanita Tikaram, what have you. Notice how these are all WOMEN...? And let's not badmouth Celine Dion too much - nothing is her fault. She just happens to sing these yuckie, prefabricated love songs that people like my parents can't get enough of. I think she's a much easier sell than Basia is: she's got a fabulous voice, she's Canadian (and we all LOVE Canadians), and I certainly wouldn't throw her out of the bed for aging (sorry) which means that they can throw "Canadian Woman in Heat" photos on the front of her albums and - hell, even I'd buy one. When I worked at Wal-Mart (in the electronics department), we used to pass the time by by staring at the cover of her "Color of My Love" CD wondering just what the hell an album title like that was referring to. I mean, with a picture of her on a couch looking all hot and bothered - it makes ya think, ya know? I'm getting side tracked here. Celine's music is simple, practical - plus, it doesn't take her FOUR F**KING YEARS TO MAKE AN ALBUM. > This Dee guy is of the > opinion, evidently, that Basia is best displayed out of sight. Works for > him, don't it? I don't know if I can agree with that opinion, but you're entitled to it, right Phil? > So, Larry, get your best hair shirt out of the closet, strap it on, and > enjoy the ride. There really is no other way out of this thing. Hair shirt? What the hell are you talking about, Phil? Are you on crack or something? Toodles! JSL. ------------------------------ From: David Cervantes Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 09:42:26 -0700 (MST) Subject: Re: Music Video Airplay On Thu, 1 Aug 1996, J.S. Lohr wrote: > On Thu, 1 Aug 1996, Philip B Hall wrote: > > > Since it is up to Basia > > and Danny to create, and it is left to that fat bearded jerk to market > > their creations A fat, stupid marketer/manager? I think you're confusing Dee Anthony with Colonel Tom Parker. > > > Why Basia is a relative unknown, and Celine (who to me sounds like the > > noise you get from placing a blade of grass between your clasped thumbs > > and BLOWING into your fists) Dionne is as ubiquitous as a noon-time > > whistle, can only be explained by _management_. > > Well, it can be explained by alot of other things, too. Let's not forget, > Celine Dion got her start at the very same place Basia did: classic VH-1. > They didn't play any of Celine's early stuff on MTV... she was, for a LONG > time, in the same proverbial boat as Basia, Julia Fordham, Nicky Holland, > Jill Sobule, Tanita Tikaram, what have you. Notice how these are all WOMEN...? I thought she just sang in French before a few years ago. > > Celine's music is simple, practical - plus, it doesn't take her > FOUR F**KING YEARS TO MAKE AN ALBUM. > > > This Dee guy is of the > > opinion, evidently, that Basia is best displayed out of sight. Works for > > him, don't it? > I repeat: I am sure that we see and hear so little of Basia because that's the way she wants it. She talks all the time about family and how much she misses them. She'd rather stay home with her honey, visit Rachel, Jeff and Jill, and hug olive trees than promote, tour, go on Letterman, etc. Just hope she doesn't have another baby! We'd never hear from her again. > > So, Larry, get your best hair shirt out of the closet, strap it on, and > > enjoy the ride. There really is no other way out of this thing. > > Hair shirt? What the hell are you talking about, Phil? > Are you on crack or something? A reference to humility and sacrifice, Jeffrey. You shoulda stayed awake in Sunday school. > Toodles! > Short for "toodle-oo" or "tootle-oo," meaning "so long." ------------------------------ From: "J.S. Lohr" Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 13:16:17 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Music Video Airplay On Thu, 1 Aug 1996, David Cervantes wrote: > > > Why Basia is a relative unknown, and Celine (who to me sounds like the > > > noise you get from placing a blade of grass between your clasped thumbs > > > and BLOWING into your fists) Dionne is as ubiquitous as a noon-time > > > whistle, can only be explained by _management_. > > > > Well, it can be explained by alot of other things, too. Let's not forget, > > Celine Dion got her start at the very same place Basia did: classic VH-1. > > They didn't play any of Celine's early stuff on MTV... she was, for a LONG > > time, in the same proverbial boat as Basia, Julia Fordham, Nicky Holland, > > Jill Sobule, Tanita Tikaram, what have you. Notice how these are all WOMEN...? > > I thought she just sang in French before a few years ago. No, her first two English language albums really only ever got exposure on VH-1. But, in addition to all that, she DID get a lot more exposure on AC radio than most of the other VH-1 alumni did. > I repeat: I am sure that we see and hear so little of Basia because > that's the way she wants it. Well, it may be the way she LIKES it, but the dregs at Sony are mostly responsible for her pop anonymity. > She talks all the time about family and how > much she misses them. She'd rather stay home with her honey, visit > Rachel, Jeff and Jill, and hug olive trees than promote, tour, go on > Letterman, etc. Just hope she doesn't have another baby! We'd never > hear from her again. ...then it would be time for a DANNY WHITE SOLO ALBUM!!! Yes! ;) Or maybe he'd just recruit another female vocalist and hide behind her the same way he hides behind Basia. I guess that'd be cool, too. > > > So, Larry, get your best hair shirt out of the closet, strap it on, and > > > enjoy the ride. There really is no other way out of this thing. > > > > Hair shirt? What the hell are you talking about, Phil? > > Are you on crack or something? > > A reference to humility and sacrifice, Jeffrey. You shoulda stayed awake > in Sunday school. What Sunday school? You mean they had school on Sundays? ;) Toodles! JSL (who will undoubtedly burn in hell) ------------------------------ From: Larry Lipman Date: Thu, 01 Aug 1996 14:03:24 -0500 Subject: Re: basia-digest V1 #185 >From: "J.S. Lohr" >Date: Wed, 31 Jul 1996 14:52:18 -0400 (EDT) >Subject: Re: Music Video Airplay J.S. Lohr: RE: All Music Guide Yeah, I followed that e-mail thread. RE: Sales/Exposure I haven't followed the sales stats of her albums, so your knowledge and perspective of that is helpful. When TSI came out, Basia was pretty well supported by several record shops in Memphis, LA, NY, Atlanta, etc who gave it prominent front-of-store space. Sam Goody in particular. You're right about visibility as well - beyond a few reviews and store exposure, the album did not seem to get much promo. BTW: Peter White's new COD has good placement in the Jazz Features section of our local Blockbusters. (Haven't had a chance to listen yet, Diane!) RE: Celine Dion I really didn't mean to compare Basia directly to Celine. Rather, as an example, to point out that several good acts lose out on a lot of promo when a decision is made to divert resources and push a particular act - think "Mariah Carey" several years ago. I also agree with most of your Celine assessment. She IS an excellent singer, and she provides stability to the artist roster. But, her production is not THAT cheap. David Foster gets $Mega-k to produce a single. And orchestras don't play for cheap either! It's just that *comparatively* her sales justify the expense. When all is said and done, MOR ballads outlast most other genre. 'Cept maybe Christmas standards! RE: Michael Bolton syndrome Nailed it! RE: Basia single/EBTG/Yearning, et al. You are so right. She could use a single to "remind" the public she's around as well as insure her continued "label health." Though, I don't think they'd drop her as long as product goes gold. Phillip Hall: RE: Ayn Rand. I hang my head in shameful illiteracy as I have never read any Ayn Rand. :( RE: Management I'm not sure I follow you. Are you saying that her management did not want TSI promoted and then allowed the label to let its promo obligation slide? Why? Unless management felt the material was so poor as to adversly affect the long term career of the artist, I can't imagine a manager deliberately repressing a release. Delay maybe - to exert control over the release date/venue/method. Management guides the career path, prods the label, trolls for exposure. But, a committment to promote should have been a key negotiating point with the label. Heavily fought for, and not waived casually. Especially since she's had significant success. I'm at a disadvantage here because, while I am a fan, I haven't followed her career quite as closely as the rest of you folks. Call me clueless, but eager to learn! RE: Production If she can steadily go gold, or platinum from "cult" sales w/o extensive promo...then...highest return on minimum investment, i.e. good business practice. RE: Basia-mania "There is nothing catholic about our cultic drive. We each have our own selfish reasons for devoting a portion of our time and energy to discussing, complaining, pissing and moaning, and in general, blathering on about this woman and her music." Glad to know nobody takes this too seriously! RE: Dee Anthony. Sorry - can't dis her management. Never met the man. Don't know anything about him. But, I'll say this: Management is incredibly difficult. Until I have reason to feel otherwise, I tip my hat to the man for her current success. We are, after all, not privvy to their career plan, nor do we have any idea about the challenges they have faced in promoting her ecletic music. I've had long talks with Bill Leopold (Melissa Ethridge) Ken Kragen (Trisha Yearwood), David Foster, and others and it is a phenomenal task to break/maintain an artist. A 5-year half-life for an artist with a couple of hits is not uncommmon. If Basia continues to go past that, she'll be one of the lucky few. Good management will have been a VERY significant factor. I think its pretty uncool to dis her management unless you have first-hand knowledge that he's a sleazeball (unlikely) or incompetent (also, unlikely). And don't forget, the artist has to take some responsiblity for demanding quality services. Basia/Danny have plenty of recourse if they're unhappy. RE: Net Lingo "So, Larry, get your best hair shirt out of the closet, strap it on, and enjoy the ride. There really is no other way out of this thing." Can you translate that for me? [Voice of Chucky from Rugrats in my head: "I don't think this is such a good idea Tommy..."] RE: Phil, who may not know Art, but doesn't know Paul, either.... I know Art. Art was a good friend of mine...:) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Larry Lipman - ------------------------------------------------------------ Commercial Music Program - The University of Memphis 232 CFA Building - Memphis, TN 38152 (901) 678=2559 [min. 6 rings to voice mail] FAX: (901) 678=5118 Internet: Llipman@admin1.memphis.edu ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ From: "J.S. Lohr" Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 15:24:57 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: basia-digest V1 #185 On Thu, 1 Aug 1996, Larry Lipman wrote: > RE: Production > If she can steadily go gold, or platinum > from "cult" sales w/o extensive promo...then...highest > return on minimum investment, i.e. good business > practice. But, as I have said before, the cult is a dying entity. The numbers have waned significantly since 1990. LWNY killed a few people, then the 4 year gap took a BIG chunk out of the populous, and TSI took its share (including some people on this list). Granted, these people may still go to the concerts, but not all of them are buying the albums. The marketers certainly can no longer rely on the silent minority to buy Basia albums. This isn't really that important anymore, though - the last album, reguardless of our numbers, will find its release date (in 1998). The tour will happen. And, once again (if its promoted in the same haphazard fashion), no one will buy it. But it won't matter because - mark my words - - it will be the last album. Barring any greatest hits or boxed sets (yeah, right), Basia 1998 will be the last album. BTW, for those of you who might've forgotten, Dee Anthony isn't only Basia's manager, but he's also the overly optomistic weirdo who was (and probably still is) convinced that the new album would be finished and ready to be released by fall of this year. Actually, I'm sure by now they're probably shooting for a release date of sometime in late 1997 - in time, of course, for the Christmas shopping rush. But if history teaches us anything at all, we should all know that there's a better chance of seeing a Matt Bianco reunion tour than there is seeing a new Basia album out before 1998. Toodles JSL ------------------------------ From: Simon Estill Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 23:01:50 BST Subject: Basia & Incognito This might have been covered before but has anybody else noticed that Basia and the terminally hip Acid Jazz band Incognito have used the same pool of players and occasional backing singers. Both have have songs cowritten by K Robinson and do covers of Stevie Wonder songs. I noticed that the new Maysa Leak (ex Incognito) album used personnel from the TSI album. There is a rumour Kevin Robinson dated Basia but is this cause and effect or did Danny White and "Bluey" both come out of the same London early 80's jazz funk scene. I see it now! The world's only Amglo-Polish latin acid jazz band. Regards Simon ------------------------------ From: combee@techwood.org (Ben Combee) Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 18:13:51 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Thanks to Jacki! I got Jacki's tape in the mail today! Wow! Thanks a lot for that... I just wish the salesperson had switched the VCR to SP first, but beggars can't be choosers. Its a very cool video, and I should have a few Snappy pics of it online soon. I'm just about to add Jacki to the credits page as well. This is really coming together. My SVHS VCR arrives Monday, the video editing gear arrives tomorrow, and I'm stoked! - -- Benjamin L. Combee (combee@techwood.org) that public-access-TV-making, video-game-collecting, cryptography-pushing, World-Wide-Web-explaining, fem-music-loving, bad-pun-creating guy in Austin ------------------------------ From: jeffw (Jeff Wasilko) Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 19:57:55 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Basia Video Status Ben Combee writes: > > Hi, y'all. I've not been so talkative lately, expecially about the > video. I had hoped to be able to report good progress, but my > contacts in Austin's music business have not been able to get any > _TSI_ videos for this. Therefore, I'm about to start to edit all this > together. My video status page, off BasiaWeb, has info on what I've > received. All of that material will be included. My Video Editing > suite arrives Thursday, so it will all be nicely titled and put > together. Jeff, if you are going to send something, I need it soon... > I can always tack it to the end. I've decided not to be selective. > I've got enough 3/4" tape for it all, so it will all be there. Did you pick up a SVHS deck? Jeff ------------------------------ From: Philip B Hall Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 22:40:01 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Women are better than men... On Tue, 30 Jul 1996, Jacki wrote: > ... because *we* can get a copy of Drunk on Love. > > Yep... I've got a copy right here. > > I had to go to Sears to pay on my Discover Card and thought I'd stop by the > electronics area to see if I'd have any luck catching a glimpse of Basia's > video. Lucky me, as soon as I got there it started playing. Found myself a > TV set, turned up the volumn and planted my butt right there. The salesman > walks over - Can I help you? Me - Can I have that laser disk? Noooo (with a > look like "Why would you want that?") Then I explained that I had heard that > video was on there, that the promo was over at the end of the week.... what > do you do with the disks then? They collect them. When I told him that that > video's not been released (so I'd never seen it), he cranked the volumn up > even more and said "enjoy" and left me alone. He came back a little bit > later and I asked "If I buy a blank tape, can you copy it for me?" "Sure!" > What a nice guy, huh? If y'all need to buy a TV, VRC, camcorder, etc... see > Lito at my Sears. :-) > > I know the copy's not as good as a laser disk, but since we're begging, we > can't be too choosy, right? And yes, of course I'll be sending it to Ben. > > Jacki > > > Jacki, I just received word: you have been promoted to Full Field Agent. You will notice the difference in your next pay check. Congratulations! Yours, Unfullfilled Field Agent Phil ------------------------------ From: jacki@magicnet.net (Jacki) Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 23:33:52 -0400 Subject: Re: Women are better than men... >Jacki, > >I just received word: you have been promoted to Full Field Agent. You will >notice the difference in your next pay check. Alright! No more peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for me... I'm moving up to baloney! Jacki ------------------------------ From: jacki@magicnet.net (Jacki) Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 23:33:50 -0400 Subject: Re: Thanks to Jacki! >I got Jacki's tape in the mail today! Wow! Thanks a lot for that... >I just wish the salesperson had switched the VCR to SP first, but >beggars can't be choosers. He didn't? Oh, maaaan! I even asked him to make sure it was on SP. (sorry) >I'm just about to add Jacki to the credits page as well. Cool! Just make sure you spell my name right. :-) Jacki ------------------------------ End of basia-digest V1 #186 ***************************