a division of the Chersonian Institute

Category: Music (Page 23 of 35)

Not-so-Sweet Cher Finds

CouchIntroducing Bianca Jean. We just picked her up at the animal shelter last weekend. Which is why I've been offline for so many days. She's a complete sweet-pea but the addition threw our lives out of kilter in a big way. I'm just now getting back into any kind of routine.

I'm working on a book as well and in the final throes of challenges. In a weekend of depression over it all I impulsively bought two Cher items.

CollectionOne is the CD Sonny & Cher the collection, the newest Cher compilation from Rhino. The CD copy seems to have been written by a Brit who uses words like CV for resume. Maybe it was my foul mood but I was really annoyed with this thing. First of all, the liner notes written by Michael Heatley misspell her last names as Sarkasian Lapier. He also perpetuates the rickety stereotypes of Sonny as a "swarthy Italian with a nose for talent" and Cher as "half Cherokee Indian." Then he repeats the legally false claim that they were married in Mexico in 1964. After these PR retreads, I completely ignored the chart number claims not wanting to fill my head with erroneous and possibly incorrect facts.

I did like his describing of their sound as "sunshine pop" and labeling Cher as a "bestockinged siren." He also quotes Cher as saying her best quality is that "I just don't stop." There's something simple and profound in that idea.

What is to say about the compilation itself. It's simply a mish-mash shuffle of their duet Atco albums. Nothing special a'tall. And the text on the back cover is worthy of a snicker:

There is much to enjoy in this comprehensive collection of 40 sunshine pop classics from a couple who, as they looked down from their stools on Top of the Pops, had the world firmly at their feet.

Looked down from their stools. Tee hee. Indeed, something about this does smell of shit.

CosmosThen I went and bought the 2010 book Conquer the Cosmos–Use Astrology to Attract a Man, Money, and Happiness You Deserve by Bridgett Walther just because Cher wrote the foreword to it. Barely. The foreward is no more than three short paragraphs and a sentence and the idea seems ridiculous that Cher actually wrote any of it.

In the text Cher, who says she is a Taurus with Cancer rising by the way, insists she was always surrounded by astrology grouping up because she was "surrounded by my parents' friends" and they were always discussing astrology. Now, I'm far from a Cher intimate, but I don't think I've ever heard Cher say "my parents." She would talk about them individually but not likely as a unit as they were never together in her memory. Also, she never spent any time with her father's friends, if she knew them at all. She has said she only got to know her father after she became famous, when it was practically impossible to really get close to him.

I do however believe that she would call Bridgett "at the crack of dawn" to get the astrological lowdown on one of her life crises.

I read the introduction and all about the signs pertaining to me. The book is written for women, and I get the idea her ideal audience is Los Angeles women for the unusual amount of of plastic surgery mentions in the Leo section. I did find out that due to being born in the second week of Leo, I'm probably more of a Sagittarius. After reading up on a Sagittarius for the first time in my life, this made  sense to me. I've never felt like a legitimate Leo and always chalked this up to my parents probably lying about my birth date and actually finding me in a basket floating down the river.

 

Sonny & Cher Redo “Baby Don’t Go” in 1977

This week, BabydontgoCher scholar Robrt Pela sent me a video clip of a Sonny & Cher Show segment neither of us had seen before, although the video stamp shows the episode appeared on TV Land at some point.

Woe is me. When Sonny & Cher were last seen on TV Land, I couldn't talk any of my available dastardly TV-providers in Yonkers, New York, to provide such a far-out channel in their line ups. I was reduced to begging my one friend with TV Land for tapes and buying a few more episodes from entrepreneurs with video-dubbing capabilities. I still haven't seen every show.

This segment is historically interesting. Sonny & Cher mimic their own former 1960s selves to introduce their first minor (LA) hit "Baby Don't Go." It's discombobulating to see them in their old duds but with a mustache and glamorous makeup. Cher slips ever so easily into her teenage body posturings, much more convincingly than Sonny does.

They talk about how their managers had to hock office technology to pay for the recording. More interesting yet, Harold Battiste appears on the show as a special guest to verify the story and to play clavietta on the song, as he originally did back in 1965. Battiste worked heavily with Sonny & Cher as musical arranger and musical director on many projects, probably influencing their "sound" to no small extent.

The segment is charming, funny and downright adorable. At one point Sonny tells about having to ask Battiste to play for free, saying "Harold is a sucker for sweet talk" and Cher rolls her eyes and says, "Aren't we all?" All which illustrates the behind-the-scenes persuasiveness of Sonny working to overcome personal and professional hurdles to "make things happen" with his infamous "sweet talk."

Sonny also retells the famous story about why the intended act of "Cher" became "Sonny & Cher."

Because Cher sounds so differently in 1977 than she did in 1965, this rendition becomes essentially a cover of itself.

What's Harold Battiste up to now?

 

Cher Album News (Timberland, Pink, Gaga, Aguilera)

PinkWent to Kansas to visit in-laws last week and while I was gone tweets and news bulletins went a-flyin about Cher's new album. Cher also tweeted some sweet new pics. An overview:

— There's a Lady Gaga duet we already knew about called "The Greatest Thing"

— There are two songs written by Pink, who says of contributing songs that it was "such an honor…I'm such a fan." One of the titles is supposedly "I Walk Alone." I'm such a fan of Pink being a fan of Cher!

— There may also be a duet with Christina Aguilera. This is far from confirmed and would be ironic considering they made a musical together but have never sang together. I know. Makes no sense to me either.

— Producer Timberland is also involved in one song at least. Studiooutfit

— Cher is very happy with the results so far, often tweeting her excitement on various songs. "It's funny, I'm always drawn to same kind of song – overcoming pain, being strong enough and believing in love!"…"I worked hard last night! I go in and sing for ninety minutes to two hours straight! I don't like sitting down until the song is finished! Usually I can ace one song in one session! 'You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me' took two hours; 'If I Could Turn Back Time' took ninety minutes! I'm fast!" …"Many artists take a lot of time but more time wouldn't make my vocals better. I don't mean to sound pompous, it's the only way I know! 'Believe' was the worst time in studio – that's why we used pitch machine! It just wasn't working".

— A single is now slated for October not September and an album around Christmas. This will be here before you know it!

Cher also posted current photos, including the pink one at the top and the leopard-print jammies she said she wore to the studio.

Studio2 As Cher Scholar, I am absolutely salivating over modern pictures of Cher recording in the studio! Is this even a studio? To be a fly on that wall, a bug on that crazy carpet. Below you can see the producers at the board.

Cher News also gives an overview of reports that Cher is working with RedOne (producer of "The Greatest Thing"), J-Roc, Kuk Harrell, and Jason Derülo. And then there's Diane Warren. More obvious rhymes and vague sentiments to be expected there. It would be sweet to have this album be peppered with so many young divas and producers.  

 

CherstudioguysTo read more:

Cher News has extensive blow by blow reports:

Instudio

Music & Art That Inspires Us

PalomaThis week Cher expressed praise for the material Pink submitted for Cher's new album:

"Had meeting 2nite w/Record Co. They Love (the) Song I've done! Got 2 New (songs)! Pink Wrote them! Co(mpany)  wants it out end (of) yr. pic'd single… Alecia (Pink) wrote 2 Great Songs!… Pink is Definitely My Girl! She's Talent! Luv it."

Read more

Since I am broke, I am waiting like a pauper for my birthday to get the new Paloma Faith album, which is available as an import only now. I love her song "Agony" and the song and video for "Picking Up the Pieces."  

Hopefully I'll be in the flush with cash again soon. I just started a new job at the Institute for American Indian Arts. I'm pinching myself to be in this creative space. Check out their museum, ground zero for contemporary Native American and Alaskan art: http://www.iaia.edu/museum/.

SavageMeanwhile, Cher Scholar Dishy has been turning me on to some awesome stuff. Through him I watched the Siouxie and the Banshees video collection. Although I only really loved "Kiss Them for Me" as a song, all the videos blew my mind; the special effects still hold up. I also watched his copy of the videos for The Eurythmics' album Savage which I can't recommend highly enough. Now I finally get the "I Need A Man" video. You get to see this amazing characterization of the blonde chick as she evolves through the videos. I see elements of Kiki DuRane in the whole trajectory. Interesting to me that Annie Lennox was working on similar feminist characterizations as Madonna but not getting the credit for it, because hers was more to the jugular and it made everyone uncomfortable.

Watch the sequence:

  • Beethoven (I Love to Listen To)…This video introduces us to housewife versus the little brat the unruly woman is created from. After watching it, Mr. Cher Scholar told me about how they used to discourage women from listen to Beethoven because his music excited them.
  • I Need a Man – Unruly woman gets unhooked!
  • Heaven – Unruly woman does LA.
  • Wide Eyed Girl – If you wait to the end of this very-80s video, you see what might be the unruly blonde as worn-out mother.
  • Savage – Unruly woman runs out of steam…beautifully.
  • You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart – Unruly woman and house-frau battle for Annie Lennox's soul.

LdrDishy also alerted me to the new album by Americana-lyricist Lana del Rey, Born to Die. Have yet to spend real quality time with it but I love the atmosphere and the smart lyrics so far.

If you love pop-culture references, you might like the videos too:

  • National Anthem (Is that Marilyn Monroe meets President Obama a.k.a. A$AP Rocky? That's awesome enough but it gets better!)
  • Video Games
  • Born to Die
  • Blue Jeans (Because everybody has to do a black and white video…this one has great water shots, like the video for "Just a Dream," the masterpiece from my STL-homie Nelly.)

 

New Cher Music on YouTube

CherjesseCher has posted a new song on YouTube, a cover of Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YJhdDq8biA

The song is somewhat of a duet between Jesse Jo Stark, Cher's God daughter and Cher and was created for Jesse Jo's father Richard Stark (of Chrome Hearts) for his birthday.

The youtube video also has a good photo-feed of candid Cher shots mixed with shots of Jesse Jo Stark.

The song, about airplanes taking lovers away, is melancholy and sweet and a believable lament for Cher's traveling songbird persona:

Silver wings
Shining in the sunlight
Roaring engines
Headed somewhere in flight
They're taking you away
And leaving me lonely
Silver wings
Slowly fading out of sight

Can we have a Cher country album pleeeeessse?????

A live Merle Haggard version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w99UIu9N44w

Oh My Divas!

DonnaSummerCherI can’t stand losing all my divas!

Especially all my divas of color. Whitney Houston, Donna Summer and honorary diva Luther Vandross should all still be with us.

I’ve been out of town for the last two weeks so I’ve been unable to post my tribute to Donna Summer. She died from cancer just as I was leaving on my trip. I drove from Santa Fe to Los Angeles, singing all my iPod’s Donna Summer at the top of my lungs all across the desert.

For many girls (and gay boys) my age, Donna Summer’s double greatest hits album On the Radio was one of the first albums we ever owned. Staring at the cover, I could never get over how uncomfortable and stiff her pose looked on top of that jukebox. 35025889

On the album, each anthemic disco track ran into the next, which was great for “an evening with Donna Summer” but tragic for stealing out songs for a mix tape.

I don’t know a single pre-teen immune to the charms of “Macarthur Park,” who didn’t re-enact it’s melodrama alone in their room with a jump rope handle for a microphone.

As older girls in college, we all identified with the unusual oddity of “Enough is Enough,” the marathon of dueting between Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer. On a kitsch level, it was a bonding moment of bitchy girl power.

Ten years connected to LA gave me a better appreciation for “Sunset People” and “Dim All the Lights” ranks right up with Rita Coolidge’s “All Alone” for sultry scene setting. I never tire of the toot toot heey beep beeps of “Bad Girls” or the duet of “Heaven Knows”…and wasn’t “On the Radio” the anthem of our ever-hopeful teenage love lives? The sentiment is so innocent it’s almost painful if it wasn’t so lovely.

I even remember, with some amount of preserved disgust, Steve Allen doing a reading of the lyrics of “Hot Stuff” on some awards show in the late 1970s. Although reading inane pop lyrics was part of his shtick, I was irritated by it seeming so condescending, square and…a bit humorless.

Cher tweeted her memories of dancing at Studio 54 in the late 1970s: "I remember 'Last Dance' ended my nights at Studio 54! By that song, I was drenched! Hair too!"

While Cher was dancing in Studio 54, I was hearing “Last Dance” inevitably as the final song of the high school dance. It was a melancholy moment every time, for if the boy crush of the season had not asked you to dance all night, this was his last chance. The song was literally calling him out. What a Cinderella moment we were all waiting for. But he never did. You loved the song but hated what it meant.

But in your bedroom fantasies, blasting the album on the record player while you were all alone after school, the boy crush did ask you to dance which made the song magical. You could play Donna Summer so loud you could hear it in every room of the house. In each room you were the diva singing on a stage to the universe.

In 1983 “She Works Hard for the Money” was an early MTV staple. It was played so often, you grew tired of seeing it. Last week, my friends and I struggled to find a full-length version of it on the youtubes.

CatsIn 1984, Donna released Cats Without Claws which had The Drifters ballad “There Goes My Baby” which didn’t do so well on the charts but I loved to belt it out in my bedroom when it came on MTV and my high school friend sang it at the high school follies show. I loved the whole album: “It’s Not the Way,” “Eyes,” “Maybe It’s Over” and the spiritual ballad “Forgive Me.” Although I didn’t identify myself as Christian, I was still deeply moved by its brave spiritual message of self honesty to “love more than I accuse.”

Later in the summer after I graduated high school, I remember loving the single “Only the Fool Survives”(1987 from the album All Systems Go) she did with Mickey Thomas from Starship.

I had my first and only chance to see Donna Summer in LA in 2005 at the Gibson Amphitheater at Universal’s City Walk. I had an unabashedly good time and reviewed the show for the webzine Ape Culture.

At the end of the day, we don’t expect our earliest MTV stars to be leaving us so soon. I am beginning to feel like the 80s-generation kids are more attached to our music stars than are older or younger generations. I don’t know if this is because we were utterly consumed with pop culture growing up, with MTV, award shows and arena concerts. Music stars pervade our memories. We so identified with Cher Donna Summer 2those upbeat, offbeat 80s images.

I read on the Cher News blog that Justin Timberlake has signed to play Neal Bogart in a movie called Spinning Gold about the Casablanca years: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1671556/justin-timberlake-spinning-gold.jhtml

Cher and Donna Summer are the two biggest disco divas to have shared time at Casablanca Records (see picture to the right). You can read about Cher and Donna Summer and the Casablanca Years in Cher Zine 3.

Cher tweeted about the death of Donna Summer: “So sad. One of the GREAT voices of our time!…She was exquisite!"

3614 Jackson Highway – Kim Carnes Style

KimcarnesCher scholar Dishy sent me this screen grab of the backside of the 1976 Kim Carnes Sailin. Look familiar? This photo of the famed Muscle Shoals, Alabama, recording studio gives Cher's 1969 album shot of the same location some perspective…especially the blue sky, the patchy grass and those cars parked to the side.

See Cher's Rhino CD version below.

For some reason Kim's album didn't make the Wikipedia listing of important recordings there, although Bob Seger's biggies of 1976 do make the list, "Katmandu," "Night Moves" and "Mainstreet": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_Shoals_Sound_Studio

When Dishy sent me this photo, I remembered how much I loved the Kim Carnes song (with John Waite backup) from her 1983 album Cafe Racers, "Hangin On By a Thread." So heartbreakingly 80s.

3614-jackson-highway

Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and the Music of Laurel Canyon

CanyonI just received Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and the Music of Laurel Canyon by Harvey Kubernik. This book kept popping up as an Amazon recommendation for me: "Since you're obsessed with Cher, you might like this book."

Unless you are a 1960s/70s LA music nerd, I can’t really recommend the book for Cher fans; there are only some slim Cher references inside…mostly revolving around S&C when they were living in Lower Laurel Canyon during the time they made “Baby Don't Go" and "I Got You Babe”…an exciting time to be making music in LA to be sure.

The book is mostly a reverie of session players and music-makers who lived and worked "up in the country" of Lauren Canyon Drive and who came down to the clubs of Sunset Boulevard to play their music at night, stories of people who have faded from the limelight, like Jackie deShannon, Randy Meisner of the Eagles, Donovan and Glen Campbell. But the fact that Sonny & Cher make so many cameos in this historic scene is satisfying.

As I noted in my introduction to the Cher Zine 2, Cher’s reputation is improving just by nature of her name appearing more frequently in lists of the rock establishment's cannon. We find an example of this on this books inside flap:

"Lauren Canyon, California, is a zip code with its own playlist. The unforgettable sounds of Sonny & Cher; the Doors; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Joni Mitchell; the Eagles; Carole King; the Byrds; and many others were cultivated in the canyon…”

Included in the book are stories by S&C-connected people such as guitarist Barney Kessel who played on “The Beat Goes On,” keyboardist Don Randi who knew S&C in 1964 when they were Caesar & Cleo and played on “Baby Please Don’t Go” [SIC], and Jackie DeShannon, called The Queen of Laurel Canyon, who says Sonny and Jack Nitzsche wrote “Needles and Pins” for her and how the the record company didn’t like it but she “wanted something with an edge to it.” She said Brian Wilson skateboarded into the studio when they were recording it. Her version didn’t make it very far on Billboard (#84) while The Searchers version made it to #13 (#1 in the UK).

Dan Kessel talks about the hip acts of the day: Caesar & Cleo, Joe & Eddie, The Pair Extraordinaire, Ian & Sylvia playing the clubs of the Purple Onion, The Ash Groove and the Ice House.

Photographer and musician form MFQ (Modern Folk Quartet) talks about taking photos of the KHJ concert sound check at the Hollywood Bowl with Sonny & Cher, Donovan, and Bob Lind.

Randy Sterling talks about being hired for $36 to use his 12-string in the “I Got You Babe” recording needed for added Wall of Sound. He also worked on the “All I Really Wanna Do” sessions. He says he gave Cher a pep talk before recording the Dylan song because she was teary-eyed and self-conscious about it. He says she “knocked it out of the ballpark in one take. When we were doing it I knew it was good.” He says he even told Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman of the Byrds soon after that Cher’s version would be a hit.

Kim Fowley (creator of The Runaways) says his novelty single “America’s Sweethearts” with Bunny & Bear was a takeoff of Sonny & Cher. (Bunny & Bear…HI-larious)

Guitarist Tony Valentino (of The Standells) says he used to hang out near Pandora’s Box on Sunset Strip in 1966 and there was a lot of tension there between “rock band people with long hair and bell-bottoms” and people from “the other side” (does he mean the other side of consciousness? or the other side of the Santa Monica mountains, ie. the Valley People?). There was also tension between the hippies and the police who were always pushing people. He said he saw Sonny & Cher around Pandora’s Box the night of the riots. Sonny was producing and recording with The Standells (with drummer Hal Blaine and bassist Carole Kaye).

[By the way, The Standells are often called the Godfathers of Punk or purveyors of protopunk. They were matched with Sonny, according to member Larry Tamblyn, in an effort to tone down their image with the single “The Boy Next Door.” Blaine and Kaye are not mentioned in their Wikipedia credits. As members of the infamous LA session players, The Wrecking Crew, getting shafted from credit is not unusual for them.]

Songwriter and producer Ian Whitcomb talks about 1965 as a magical time and that he was friendly with S&C when they released “Baby Don’t Go.” He says, “Sonny loved my song ‘The Sporting Life.’ The odd thing was, even thought they didn’t have a hit. They still had a chauffeur and limousine.”

Most interestingly, Glen Campbell talks about picking guests for his “Goodtime Hour” TV show:

“When I did the TV show, I wanted to make sure I could get everybody I knew who was a good singer. Johnny Cash, Cher, Ray Charles, Roger Miller, Willie Nelson, John Hartford, Linda Ronstadt, Bobbie Gentry, Rick Nelson, Anny Murray."

[I think Glen Campbell trumps Gregg Allman when it comes to a critique of singing.]

Randy Meisner of the Eagles talks about their early managers (former S&C managers) Charles Greene and Brian Stone, “Managers are bad in a good way. We hadn’t even made a record and we were in a limo. Those guys had some class.” (Sounds like a pattern.) He said when he was cutting an early album at Gold Star, Cher walked in. “She watched us from the control room and gave me a smile. It almost made up for all the mac and cheese” [he was forced to eat because he had no money].

There are pics of Sonny or Cher on a few pages: Cher singing with Glen Campbell and Neil Diamond in the late 60s; Sonny with the Kessel brothers allegedly during the recording of “I Got You Babe.” (Did Sonny really wear that paisley shirt under a bobcat vest that day? Oy. Loud.); Sonny & Cher with Rodney Bingenheimer at Gold Star during “The Beat Goes On” sessions.

 

VH1 Has a New List of the 100 Greatest Women in Music

31In the year 1999, Cher was listed at #43 in between Sheryl Crow (44) and Dionne Warwick (42). Now it’s 2012 and she has moved up to #31 between Fantasia (#33) and Sade (#30).

What’s amazing about this is that she’s moved up over 10 spots even after the luster of 1999 and the single “Believe” have worn off.

Not bad for a woman who’s not very good at singing. (See Gregg Allman comment in previous post)

Some notable commentary:

Comedian BD Freeman: “I love Cher. Who doesn’t love Cher?” (The Allman clan)

Comedian Chuck Nice: “The 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and the new millennium, she’s had something on the charts. That’s almost 50 years!” (That is actually 50 years)

Comedian Ari Voukydis: She’s not just part of music. She kinda is music.”

Tori Amos: “Cher has been able to show people that as she ages, she’s still sexy and sensual.”

Simon Doonan of Barnys NY: “The Cher legacy is ginormous.”

I can’t wait for the 2022 list! At this rate she’ll be #19!

 

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