From: owner-basia-digest To: basia-digest@smoe.org Subject: basia-digest V1 #25 Reply-To: basia@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-basia-digest Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "basia-digest-request@smoe.org basia-digest Wednesday, 7 February 1996 Volume 01 : Number 025 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Incognito page Finally... Sales of BOB (oh no, not AGAIN!) Subject: Re: Sales of BOB (oh no, not AGAIN!) Re: Incognito page I could restore Basia's career by... Re: Sales of BOB (oh no, not AGAIN!) Re: I could restore Basia's career by... WE'VE GOT ONE!!!!! Another lurker butts in Re: Sales of BOB (oh no, not AGAIN!) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Dennis J. Majewicz" Date: Mon, 05 Feb 96 20:32:25 -0500 Subject: Incognito page - -- [ From: Dennis J. Majewicz * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] -- Has anyone else checked out the Incognito web page that Tom thoughtfully pointed out? Interesting that someone in their mail list attributed lack of sales of BOB to the fact that there was nothing new on it. (Where have we heard _that_ before?) Since Kevin Robinson's name came up in the posting from Tom, it made me take a close look at the self-titled Maysa album that my son bought. (She was [is ?] with Incognito, also.) My favorite track on the CD, "Rain Drops" lists the following musicians: Drums - Richard Bailey Bass - Randy Hope-Taylor Trombone - Fayyaz Virji Flugelhorn - Kevin Robinson Now, get out BOB and read along... Also appearing on the Maysa CD are names from The Sweetest Illusion CD, Saxaphone - Patrick Clahar Background vocals - Mark Anthoni Small world, eh? Looks like the musical community is a rather small one, anyway. Now I have to go back and listen more closely to the album. Best regards to all, Dennis ------------------------------ From: Terhi Sinikka Keskitalo Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 21:27:37 +0200 (EET) Subject: Finally... .. I found the BOB. It is nice to hear Basia's voice live. Of course I would like to see the gig, but it's not very easy here in Finland. :) It's nice to hear everything played with the right instruments although everything sounds pretty much the same as on the album. Background vocals are great too. Does anyone know anything about the Dzien Siebudzi lyrics?? :-o Since I have been able to read a lot about Half a Minute I was happy to hear it. So I had a good trip to our capital, Helsinki. First I got this CD and in the evening I was listening to TOTO concert, which was incredible. Actually I'm quite happy woman today. :) Terhi Terhi Keskitalo ketesi@kanto.cc.jyu.fi University of Jyvaskyla Dept. of Musicology My Life Is Fire And Ice (YJM) ------------------------------ From: "J.S. Lohr" Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 16:27:07 -0500 (EST) Subject: Sales of BOB (oh no, not AGAIN!) On Mon, 5 Feb 1996, Dennis J. Majewicz wrote: > -- [ From: Dennis J. Majewicz * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] -- > > Has anyone else checked out the Incognito web page that Tom thoughtfully > pointed out? Interesting that someone in their mail list attributed lack of > sales of BOB to the fact that there was nothing new on it. (Where have we > heard _that_ before?) But, as I've said before, IT DIDN'T USED TO BE THAT WAY!!!! The fact that BOB didn't have anything "new" (what were "Dzien Sie Budzi" and "Half a Minute" anyway?) was/is only half the problem... the other half of the problem is that THE FAN BASE IS DYING, if not altogether defunct already. I am willing to bet, right now, serious money that a new Basia album (if there ever is one) won't even crack the top 100, much less be subject to the gradually declining success that the previous 4 (5 if you count the stunning sales of the Brave New Hope cd5/ep) have seen. Only ONE thing is going to save Basia from totally sinking into the hole of obscurity that has swallowed up such other 1980's VH-1 alumni - she needs another "Time and Tide." And I don't mean another pop-jazz album, she needs another SONG like "Time and Tide," one that will catapult her back up onto the Top 40 and AC charts; she hasn't had anything even close to that since "Cruising for Bruising." See, there USED to be a fan base out there that would buy ANYTHING with Basia's name stamped on it (the "Brave New Hope EP/CD5 proved that one to be true) reguardless of the song content - granted, it didn't sell as well as the studio albums, but it sold well enough. That fan base is long gone - as to "why," well, who really knows. Various things could've each taken large chunks out of our numbers: the four year gap; the un-jazz, mature sound of "The Sweetest Illusion;" the bastardization of VH-1... With this fan base gone, there's no one left to buy these albums reguardless of content (like they did with "Brave New Hope). But, seeing as how BOB didn't sell squat both here in the States AND in Japan might let onto the fact that "no new songs" DID play a major role in its sales failure. I mean, the Japanese were making "The Sweetest Illusion" a Top 5 album while jazz stations (and fans) over here were apparently saying "Yuck. No way." Perhaps the new changes at Sony (including the new hot water that the evil Tommy Mottola has found himself in since the Japanese fired his American boss) will bring about a new future for the last (and my money says that, if there even IS one more, that it'll be Basia's last) Basia album with reguards to advertising, sales, and marketing strategies. Maybe with a little luck, Basia, Dee Anthony, and everyone involved at Sony will do their best for one last hurrah before fading into the obscurity of becoming members of the "Special Thanks to:" list on Danny White's debut solo album (I'm countin' the days!!!). Just my $0.23 worth... :) Adios for now. This is... ============================================================================= Like ohmigod! Roach has a homepage! Find him at the Internet Roach Motel!!!!! ============================================================================= "http://zeus.towson.edu/~jlohr1" Dig up all the dirt on Agitprop's Finest Son, the Net's most famous Roach, and Wal-Mart's Biggest Pain-in-the-ass. ============================================================================= note: the page is unfinished - please excuse some of the cruddy links! -Roach ============================================================================= ...the end. ------------------------------ From: steven@telerate.com.au (Steven Malikoff) Date: Wed, 07 Feb 96 11:25:46 +1100 Subject: Subject: Re: Sales of BOB (oh no, not AGAIN!) > Only ONE thing is > going to save Basia from totally sinking into the hole of obscurity that > has swallowed up such other 1980's VH-1 alumni - she needs another "Time > and Tide." And I don't mean another pop-jazz album, she needs another > SONG like "Time and Tide," one that will catapult her back up onto the > Top 40 and AC charts; she hasn't had anything even close to that since > "Cruising for Bruising." Well, as a "lurker" in this mailinglist, I think I'll finally have a say. I was a mad keen Basia fan through T&T and LWNY. I was hanging out for the local release of her then-newest album, TSI. I finally saw it, bought it and straight away took it home to listen to. What a huge, terrible, boring disappointment it was. Gone was her happy, catchy and different Latin-american sound, replaced with a mournful folk tone. I think I've listened to it two or three times since I bought it, compared to dozens and dozens of times for the previous two albums. All this talk of BOB and I haven't even been bothered yet to go and see if I can get it as an import- TSI put me off. Besides, I think (but not 100% sure) that my Matt Bianco WSAYO has Basia's vocals all through it anyway, as we got the European disc here and it's in most bargain CD bins. Steve Malikoff. steven@telerate.com.au (Postmaster: delivery acknowledged.) ------------------------------ From: David Cervantes Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 17:22:45 -0700 (MST) Subject: Re: Incognito page Just a side note. I bought a fine guitar CD by Marc Antoine, Urban Gypsy. He played on the Time and Tide album (we should support Basia cronies and proteges). Do you suppose this guy, Mark Anthoni, is the same? He doesn't sing on his guitar album. On Mon, 5 Feb 1996, Dennis J. Majewicz wrote: > -- [ From: Dennis J. Majewicz * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] -- > > Also appearing on the Maysa CD are names from The Sweetest Illusion CD, > > Saxaphone - Patrick Clahar > Background vocals - Mark Anthoni > > Small world, eh? Looks like the musical community is a rather small one, > anyway. > > Now I have to go back and listen more closely to the album. > > Best regards to all, > > Dennis > ------------------------------ From: juan paxety Date: Tue, 06 Feb 1996 20:26:30 -0400 (EDT) Subject: I could restore Basia's career by... Does anyone have Basia's phone number. E-mail it to me and I'll ring her up and talk her into hiring Roach as her manager. un abrazo. juan ------------------------------ From: "Dennis J. Majewicz" Date: Tue, 06 Feb 96 20:49:00 -0500 Subject: Re: Sales of BOB (oh no, not AGAIN!) - -- [ From: Dennis J. Majewicz * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] -- - -------- REPLY, Original message follows -------- > Date: Tuesday, 06-Feb-96 04:27 PM > > From: Jeff Lohr \ Internet: (jlohr1@zeus.towson.edu) > To: basia \ Internet: (basia@smoe.org) > > Subject: Sales of BOB (oh no, not AGAIN!) > > But, as I've said before, IT DIDN'T USED TO BE THAT WAY!!!! The fact that BOB > didn't have anything "new" (what were "Dzien Sie Budzi" and "Half a Minute" > anyway?) was/is only half the problem... the other half of the problem is that > THE FAN BASE IS DYING, if not altogether defunct already. Well, if there's one way to get a rise from Jeff, just mention BOB's sales. Hey, man, I didn't mean to get you all upset again over this. I just thought it was worth pointing out the views of a disinterested third party. I don't want to go through this again (as you probably don't, either), but I still have a hard time with the abruptness of the whole thing. What you said is true, sales have been declining, but at a predictable rate. The BOB fiasco was _so_ sudden, that I believe there has to be another factor involved. I just happen to be of the opinion that people didn't get excited over familiar songs. Hey, maybe the real fans are still on the timetable they learned years ago - they don't know a CD is out yet - they won't be looking until 1998 ;) Let's not beat a dead horse, though. We must look to the future. Danny White's a good keyboardist, but a solo album??? I look forward to Peter's new CD coming out this Spring. (Ah, Spring. To those of us near the Great Lakes, it seems about as distant as Basia's next album. It's been a cooooold winter so far!) Warmest regards to all, Den ------------------------------ From: "J.S. Lohr" Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 21:55:09 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: I could restore Basia's career by... On Tue, 6 Feb 1996, juan paxety wrote: > Does anyone have Basia's phone number. E-mail it to me and I'll ring her up > and talk her into hiring Roach as her manager. > un abrazo. > juan Sorry, but badmouthing the idiot-techniques of music-industry potentates and marketing strategists is a hobby of mine. These are most likely the same people whose moronity has caused Sony to lose something like 4% of their share of the industry. These are also the same people who are most likely responsible for Sony's $31 billion loss last year. Greed is one thing, being an idiot and not knowing how to do your job is another. Toodles! ------------------------------ From: "J.S. Lohr" Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 21:46:25 -0500 (EST) Subject: WE'VE GOT ONE!!!!! On Wed, 7 Feb 1996, Steven Malikoff wrote: > Well, as a "lurker" in this mailinglist, I think I'll finally have a say. > I was a mad keen Basia fan through T&T and LWNY. I was hanging out for the > local release of her then-newest album, TSI. I finally saw it, bought it > and straight away took it home to listen to. What a huge, terrible, boring > disappointment it was. Gone was her happy, catchy and different Latin-american > sound, replaced with a mournful folk tone. I think I've listened to it two > or three times since I bought it, compared to dozens and dozens of times for > the previous two albums. HA! WE GOT ONE!!! So my fabled group of fans who turned their back after the release of TSI DOES INDEED EXIST!!!!! Granted, we've only apparently got one of them here on the list, but nonetheless, I FOUND ONE!!! Now, on a side note, I wouldn't dare criticize someone for their opinion, so Steven's reading of TSI is his own and god bless him for it. Others have apparently shared this view, hence their membership in the "I didn't like TSI" club. BUT (I'm allowed to disagree), to say that TSI was "mournful" compared to the "happy" years of T&T and LWNY... I have three words: "Cruising for Bruising." OK? Hell, I think there should be a warning sticker on LWNY saying "prolonged exposure to this album may promote suicide in those who have recently had a relationship go bad." I know I'm laying the groundwork for a major flame war but, hey, I'm that kinda guy. I know TSI turned off alot of people and they're entitled to their likings and dislikings, but...I don't know. It was always my opinion that this was the album that should've made her a new artist: to lift the VH-1 curse, to (finally) break her ties to the all-too erratic empire of jazz radio, and to make her a potentate in the Adult Contemporary field, mostly through the strength of what could've been a kick-butt, Top 40 single if Sony had gotten off their proverbial duffs and done just a teensy bit of promotion...that single being "Yearning." In other words, to make Basia commercially stable instead of being a cult artist. And, as I've said before, if LWNY were released a mere 6 months after it initially was, this list might've been a very different (and much more crowded) place. If only they had waited to release LWNY until Billboard's SoundScan system had been installed, the numbers say that it would've debuted in a Top 5 position (yes, possibly even #1) instead of the #22 (or thereabouts) position. Songs would've gotten airplay and, hence, a whole new fanbase would've been born. Basia's popularity would've been more along the lines of Celine Dion or Amy Grant (believe me, you're not the only one saying "yuck") instead of being locked in the obscurity of jazz FM, which I've now convinced myself is someplace that she doesn't belong. ...To be continued. Toodles! This is... ============================================================================= Like ohmigod! Roach has a homepage! Find him at the Internet Roach Motel!!!!! ============================================================================= "http://zeus.towson.edu/~jlohr1" Dig up all the dirt on Agitprop's Finest Son, the Net's most famous Roach, and Wal-Mart's Biggest Pain-in-the-ass. ============================================================================= note: the page is unfinished - please excuse some of the cruddy links! -Roach ============================================================================= ...the end. ------------------------------ From: "Robert T. James" <76133.1633@compuserve.com> Date: 06 Feb 96 21:31:27 EST Subject: Another lurker butts in >Well, as a "lurker" in this mailinglist, I think I'll finally have a say. >I was a mad keen Basia fan through T&T and LWNY. I was hanging out for the >local release of her then-newest album, TSI. I finally saw it, bought it >and straight away took it home to listen to. What a huge, terrible, boring >disappointment it was. Gone was her happy, catchy and different Latin-american >sound, replaced with a mournful folk tone. I think I've listened to it two >or three times since I bought it, compared to dozens and dozens of times for >the previous two albums. As for TSI, I'll put Drunk on Love up against anything from Time and Tide. I'm not knocking T&T, ( I never tire of it)but TSI has its own particular charm. Anyone who buries it in their CD collection is cheating themselves. I agree that Basia needs to get back on the charts. Mainstream music listeners are missing out on one of the great artists of our time. It is a safe bet that those morons at Sony wont put forth any effort to give her the exposure that she deserves. Just had to offer my two cents. Bob James 76133.1633@compuserve.com ------------------------------ From: "J.S. Lohr" Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 22:39:43 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: Sales of BOB (oh no, not AGAIN!) On Tue, 6 Feb 1996, Dennis J. Majewicz wrote: > Let's not beat a dead horse, though. We must look to the future. Danny > White's a good keyboardist, but a solo album??? I look forward to Peter's > new CD coming out this Spring. (Ah, Spring. To those of us near the Great > Lakes, it seems about as distant as Basia's next album. It's been a cooooold > winter so far!) Firstly, let's look at the last question on "The Sweetest Interview" (for those of you out there who don't have it yet, I've been offering free copies so GET ON THE BALL!): someone who responds to that question with a lackadaisical (at best) response of "...there might be one more album" isn't someone who has three or four more albums left in them. Frankly, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for there to be even ONE more album. We're all Basia fans and no one wants to hear that this album or that album may be the LAST album, but sooner or later we're going to have to face up to the fact that that's it...no more songs, no more promos, no more anything, be it good or bad or whatever. This is a human being we're dealing with, with wants and needs, and if she doesn't want to do this anymore then god bless her and I wish her well on whatever she wants to do with the rest of her life. We're at the twilight of fandom, and one more album will give us a nice round total of some 40+ songs which, in my opinion, is a pretty sufficient amount for an artist who isn't known for being that prolific. Secondly, why is the idea of a Danny White solo album so ludicrous? If Peter can do it, why couldn't Danny? Again, going by some of the stuff which was said on "The Sweetest Interview," Danny White sounds like someone who is dedicated to his profession. Hell, look at that interview with Basia from Gopherspace that I posted a few months ago - Danny's dedication to his music was apparently one of the factors that pulled him and Basia apart romantically. This tells me that Danny White sounds like someone who would find some way to just keep on going, reguardless of Basia's involvement. And if not a Danny White solo album, then maybe a duet with Peter, or even a new band altogether (ie something reminiscent of Matt Bianco or a Blue Rondo a la Turk revival). I mean, let's face it: Danny is half of the music. He doesn't sound as "lazy" as Basia says she herself is. I think Danny White is a musician-in-hiding who has a lot to offer and hasn't really had a chance to because of his musical loyalty to Basia. But I also think his chance is coming. I know I'll be waiting...I also know that I won't be the only one. Toodles! This is... ============================================================================= Like ohmigod! Roach has a homepage! Find him at the Internet Roach Motel!!!!! ============================================================================= "http://zeus.towson.edu/~jlohr1" Dig up all the dirt on Agitprop's Finest Son, the Net's most famous Roach, and Wal-Mart's Biggest Pain-in-the-ass. ============================================================================= note: the page is unfinished - please excuse some of the cruddy links! -Roach ============================================================================= ...the end. ------------------------------ End of basia-digest V1 #25 **************************