pierson

i don't think Todd needs the money, although I'm sure he's being paid well... i'm not sure what would be easier for him: doing this hack/crap job of a tour to dupe tourists for cash... or to do a solo Todd on piano tour (little, if any, overhead) and write decent songs again... nah, that's way out of his radar... he's a stupid old artist these days

Elvis had 18 #1's in the US and 16 #1's in the UK... as far as singles go, he probably outsells everyone by a mile, even the Beatles, although that's hard to tell... but they're the only valid competition...

p.s.- if that's Terry Sylvester singing lead on "Gasoline Alley Bred" then it's the best Allan Clarke imitation ever... he might have a small part of it, but i think it's all Allan singing...

you're absolutely right Bernie... but the proof is in the ether or lost to the moon... there's no credible way to check except for the fact that Elvis had 114 singles make the U.S. top 40 alone (the Hollies had 12)-- between 1956-1962 he placed 50 of them in the top 40... 21 of which were million sellers or better... i doubt the Hollies even match him w/ their world sales vs. Elvis' US sales... For US/UK purposes the Hollies released about 70 singles from 63-89... In the UK 26 made the top 40.... I don't think they came close to outselling the King -- not even half of what he sold... call it fuzzy math....

the other thing in T.S.'s defense is that "Jesus Was A Crossmaker" is arguably as important a Hollies song as "Air That I Breathe" and holds up a lot better than a good chunk of their hits... and "Romany" ain't a bad album, despite no Allan Clarke or G. Nash... "Slow Down" is another highlight.... to bad it took a film soundtrack to awaken Terry to "Jesus Was A Crossmaker"'s brilliance... a few years back he wouldn't even do it when his back up band had it down...

well, it's a shame that Terry Sylvester has brought it on himself... anyone who goes around singing songs that other people sang and trying to act like he was so KEY in the band that he deserves to sing them now deserves the low road treatment... he's a sacrilege to the British Invasion & especially The Hollies

Eric, right on... Bob Allen's point is very true... I saw the 2004 gig and it was something out of "A Mighty Wind" but with a guy from the British Invasion era... who was duping tourists into thinking he sang lead on any Hollies hit... it was odd to say the least... not to mention his quip to someone about getting back on the charts ("if only I find the right song, mate"). If the 'Berries shared a bill w/ Sylvester today, Terry would need a diaper...

p.s. sorry to go slightly off thread with that... Your post had me thinking all weekend about "songs" and newer artists who aren't getting the love & respect they deserve... I was also thinking about songs that really are brilliant and were pure "magic in a bottle" & seemingly impossible to cover or strip down like "Go All The Way"... but that's a different thread... I do think your original rant about what took songwriters and bands away from "melody" and "song" was right on the money... BUT just like the Raspberries themselves, there were bands who fought to get back to the basics... and this has happened time and time again with bands like the Ramones, R.E.M., Nirvana, and most recently, Strokes (although none are in the same league as a Brian Wilson, they did try to bring back some key basics to "rock" music: if you don't think a Nirvana song stands on its own check out Tori Amos' "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or Sinead O'Connor's "All Apologies"). and seriously, compared to the amount of great albums released in 1975 & 1976, 2005 and 2006 looks like a revolution... even though the GREAT stuff of that era is way more impressive (i.e. Patti Smith, Eric Carmen, Todd Rundgren, Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Roxy Music, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Neil Young) most of our faves were on the decline after the 1971-1974 BOOM and... RIGHT now I can listen to more great pop songs made over the last two years than i could for those 2 years. Really, if you're looking for Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney check out Ed Harcourt and the Pernice Brothers and Jon Brion... they may not be as revolutionary, but they reach the same heights... also, here's a few more to add to the list: Ben Kweller Ben Folds Lloyd Cole (still at it) The Blue Nile Posies David Poe Rooney Griffin House Morrissey (still at it) p.s. everyone needs to stop watching TV and seek out satellite radio where you will hear most of this music... that or check out KCRW

well, of course i do believe that & the same for All The Young Dudes... but the difference between what it is stripped down and full-blown is monumental... more so, than say most pop songs for modern purposes, I'd say a song like A Girl Called Eddy's "Heartache" is more proof of what you were originally referring to... a classic song that you immediately kmow needs no "band" & can BLOW YOU AWAY...

NO NO NO see the artists I pointed out & MELODY is no f'n Dinosaur.... ALSO we can easily fall victim to the OLD AGE poo pooing of the younger genration sucks game... TODAY there are more good quality artists making music than ever... problem is you are not being exposed them... and UNLIKE generations before it DOES NOT have the same cultural impact... BUT it's not that there are not people writing good MELODIC music... that's just WRONG... YOU ARE NOT hearing it... HEAR's A few more: Chamber Strings The Strokes Coldplay Keane Travis Rhett Miller A Girl Called Eddy Lambchop The Veils Ocean Colour Scene Pitty Sing Damien Rice Goldfrapp St Etienne Tsar Kevin Tihista Doves Soundtrack Of Our Lives Readymade Breakup Hot Hot Heat Spoon Brendan Benson Mando Daio Johan Wilco Sleep Station Howie Beck Shelby Lynne The 88 Nada Surf Belle & Sebastian The Tears Louis Eliot/Rialto General Store Supergrass Athelete Stereophoics Aqualung Arnold Emiliana Torrini Sufjan Stevens Sun Kil Moon/Red House Painters

although i was trying the envison an acoustic version of "Go All The Way" or "Overnight Sensation"-- some songs won't translate sans the icing... they could actually sound downright awkward & weird... or boring & dull... GREAT songs like "All The Young Dudes" are impossible to cover because they were these INSANELY AMAZING singles that captured a band at a moment... take the icing away, they lose their magic... (i.e. take a gander at Bowie's demo of "All The Young Dudes"-- it's not the same, or even of any major significance without Ian's lead vocal & that guitar riff) A lot of songs (mainly the standards like "As Time Goes By") fly without much altering

although I totally agree w/ Eric's point of view... these 10 "current" artists are reason enough to make me believe today's state of music ain't as bad as it was in 1988... most of these artists have given us songs that move way deeper than anything Jelly Bowl (Billy Joel) has written & deserve to be seen as truly classic artists... Joe Pernice (Pernice Bros.) Trashcan Sinatras Even Johansen (Magnet) Ed Harcourt Evan Slamka (Marjorie Fair) Jon Brion Ivy Grant Lee Phillips Richard Ashcroft My Morning Jacket Stephen Duffy in today's musical climate the truly great artists are working on the fringe... mainly on indie labels... it's not to say they ain't as good as Elton John, because, in truth, they are... it's just that a guy like Jon Brion never got a deal w/ a major label (well, he didn't keep the one he had w/Atlantic, years ago) & so only those who seek him out get to hear him... Tommy Allen's got the "demos"

I think you passed the audition!! it's very cool to see actual EC posting & SO COOL to hear that you checked out The Choir-- thanks for the backstory! I've been reading Bob Spitz's new bio on The Beatles which really goes back to the well & unearths great detailed stories of the early years and what made them tick... a never ending fascination for most of us who LOVE music: the alchemy of a rock band... it's also a great insight into the personalities and all the ups and downs they faced on their way to the top-- not a short road by any stretch... as brief as the Raspberries career was, it was not without its deep IMPACT... along with the choice few (i.e. Big Star & Badfinger) you guys truly gave the sagging early '70s the much needed kick in the arse it needed... and the afterglow was what helped fuel the power pop & punk movements (Steve Jones knows, too)... not a bad show, indeed...

actually there's a lot of 'em-- especially in the '50s... here's just a few Way You Do The Things You (4 times) temptations, rita coolidge, hall & otes (in amedley), UB40 when a man loves a woman (3 times) percy, bolton, bette midler what'd I Say (4 times) Ray Cahrles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Darin, Elvis P why do fools fall in love (4 times) Frankie Lymon, Gale Storm, diamonds, diana ross

just a few... orson welles "citizen kane" or "third man" or "touch of evil" james dean "east of eden" & "rebel w/out a cause" peter finch "network" jimmy stewart "it's a wonderful life" jason robards "all the president's men" & "magnolia" natalie portman "beautiful girls" anne bancroft "the graduate"

Mark Lindsay's "Arizona" and Aluminum Group's "Plano"

all i can say is that Paul owes Jon Brion a "user's fee" for stealing Brion's gig... Paul basically copied what is in essence a Friday night at Largo w/ Jon Brion, small intimate audience and cool musical exploration... only thing is, is that Brion's is far more inspired and impressive..

Easy answer: Barry's hardly been out of the spotlight, despite not having hits (which has never been the "test" for aging pop singers)... If you never stop touring (or in Barry's case, touring & releasing albums on a continual basis) you can stage a "comeback"... all they did was follow Rod Stewart's lead which was a much weaker (albeit way more commercially successful) version of Bryan Ferry's "As Time Goes By" CD

I saw Chilton/Big Star in the early '90s & they were pretty awful-- mainly because of Alex's bad singing and uneven guitar playing... Big Star "Third" is just as important as the first 2 albums... if ya like the wierder stuff on Radio City, you should be able to enjoy songs like "Stroke It Noel," "For You," "Nighttime," "Take Care," "O Dana" and "Blue Moon"-- and the more straight ahead stuff like "Jesus Christ" & "Thank You Friends" it's definitely a darker more personal record, but it holds up well like Joni Mitchell's Blue and Neil Young's Tonight's The Night...

if Johnny has it displayed it will be shattered in bits & glued back w/ excrement... Jonesy, who plays the 'Berries on his radio show (along w/ Small Faces) will never endorse such a scam... Being "Cut" can be the badge of honor which initiates the GREATS to become trailblazers... John Lennon and George Harrison included...

Some bands sell out and some bands retain their integrity... the R&R Hall of Fame stands against basically everything the Pistols rallied against and set out to destroy... (and long before lame Sid joined)... I am so happy that they've not cow towed to this Jaan Wenner blowfest where yawners like Jackson Browne are inducted before the New York Dolls or Alice Cooper gurgling bloody mess

Than they've done their job... and it should not be any other way... Amen Johnny Rotten...

well, depending how good i could judge her character, she didn't come across like someone who would do such superficial things.. she was very down to earth and cool... you're right about getting a younger singer to do a lesser known song and have a hit w/ it.... but since All By Myself has become this HUGE entity, it's gonna be done and done and done by almost every singer who wants to scale its heights.. it would be cool to see someone do "It Hurts Too Much" or "Hey Deanie" and make it a hit...

It's not about "shopping" as much as it's about "demand"-- Hardly anyone wants an Eric Carmen song that's "obscure"-- They want the classic... and as much as all of us don't need to hear it, many people want to cover it... It's rare that an artist can write a song that strikes such a universal chord... As much as we love a lot of other songs in EC's solo catalog, there is not one song that can do what "All By Myself" does... By the way: My "date" w/ Drew Barrymore happened by accident back on Feb 1st at Manitoba's in NYC... she just so happened to drop by. My good friend Mike Cimicata was DJ-ing (it's a monthly gig called "Neat Neat Neat") and I was there for support and some good beer. It took a little while for me to finally say something to Drew, but inevitably I did, and it was a nice down to earth conversation about her current hair color, kinda plum-brown-ish...