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Category: Music (Page 32 of 35)

Why No Stars on CD? Billboard Magazine Speaks…

August 1, 2008 / / 4 Comments

Cherstars1 My friend Christopher is an avid reader of Billboard Magazine and minutes ago he sent me this from Billboard’s Q&A column:
 

Ask Billboard (Experts answer your questions).


For July 25, 2008,
Ask Billboard is updated every Friday. Submit your burning music questions to Keith Caulfield at askbb@billboard.com.


SHARING CHER ON CD


Keith, Cher released four albums on the Warner Bros. label from 1975-1977 and they still have not been released on CD. The titles are “Stars,” “I’d Rather Believe In You,” “Cherished” and an album billed as Allman and Woman (which she made with then-husband Gregg Allman) entitled “Two the Hard Way.”


Do you know why these have not been released on CD? Or do you know when they will be on CD? It seems to me that Warner Bros. would have released them in 1999 when Cher was riding high with “Believe,” but they didn’t.


Also do you know anything about an album recorded by Cher right after “Take Me Home” came out in 1979 that was rejected by her record company and never released by Casablanca? Her album “Prisoner” was released instead.


Thanks for your help with these two questions.


Michael Birr


Hi Michael,


As it turns out, Cher owns the masters for those four Warner albums, so she controls their fate. We reached out to Warner Bros. and Rhino Records to confirm this.


So, why haven’t they come out on CD? We’d have to ask Cher the next time we get her on the phone.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any information about the alleged aborted Casablanca album.

Interesting; but there you have it.  

Rosetta Stone and Cher on Sirius Radio

August 1, 2008 / / 2 Comments

ROSETTA-STONE-INC-3 Well, it seriously was my birthday this week. 39! The countdown begins today! 364 more days!


And although I’ve had the death of a cold, I did have a nice birthday and got some sweet stuff: a stereo for my iPod so I can share my entire Cher collection with my bf now. He himself bought me something I’ve been whining for all year: Rosetta Stone software so I can teach myself Spanish. At work they were teaching us Spanish earlier in the year and I really loved working the other side of my brain trying to learn it. But then the budget killed the program. Rosetta Stone commercials really spoke to me, all the total immersion stuff. I can’t wait to try it.


This also reminds me of the gift my bf got me last year, Sirius radio. For the first 9 months I couldn’t get it to work – bad reception. Finally I called to cancel the dern thing and God bless em, they offered me a professional installation if I’d stay in the Sirius family. Well, after the first installation, the equipment died. So they sent me replacement equipment and I’m happy to say it’s working great now. Sirius is really good on long car drives, I must say. When we drove to New Mexico I was able to set all my favorite artist alerts. Let me tell you, Sirius radio LOVES Billy Joel, much to my bf’s dismay. For my Cher alerts, I’ve been tentatively disappointed. For the first month I heard ONLY “Turn Back Time” and “The Way of Love” every few days. From her whole catalogue, that was it! But just this week they did play “Dark Lady” once on the 70s station and “Take Me Home” on the dance station. Stay tuned for more on that.


   

With Love Blogged About With Love

July 17, 2008 / / 2 Comments

Withlove
I found a blog post review of Cher’s 1967 With Love album. It earns Cher Scholar’s vote for best-Cher-revisionist-music-critique-of-the-day with this commentary:

Though there are those that would dispute their musical validity – I used to be one of them – their [S&C’s] Lps, as well as Cher’s early solo albums are a storehouse of late-period imitation Wall of Sound-isms, Sonny having studied at the tiny little feet of the master himself. That said, while Cher’s albums are often weighted down by ill advised versions of standards (but then so were any number of Motown LPs), there is almost always something cool waiting their for those willing to take the time to look.  [The album] includes a version of ‘Hey Joe’ – which was pretty cool – but the tune that really hit me was her cover of Phil Ochs’ ‘There But For Fortune’. Oddly enough, the first version I ever heard of this song was a quiet, pretty cover by Francoise Hardy (Cher-like in her own Gallic way). As I said earlier, thanks to Sonny’s (and Cher’s) time with Phil Spector, there are many Sonny & Cher recordings that bear the mark of the Wall of Sound. An extra added bonus is the fact that their musical director was none other than New Orleans expatriate, Harold Battiste who brought many Crescent City players, like Earl Palmer, Alvin Robinson, Jesse Hill and Mac Rebennack out West. It has long been rumored that the first ‘Dr. John’ LP was recorded during leftover Sonny & Cher studio time. ‘There But for Fortune’ is a great showcase for Cher’s voice – not always my favorite, but outstanding when showcased properly, a la her version of ‘Alfie’ that runs over the end credits of the film of the same name – as well as a nicely layered arrangement. Posted by Larry.

  

Stars Guitarist

June 26, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Tackett


 




 


Fred Tackett was profiled recently online. He is still a member of Little Feet and he played in the band on Sonny & Cher shows:

“I played in bands for variety shows, like ‘Sonny & Cher,’ then the Cher show, Tony Orlando’s show, and Donny & Marie Osmond. You could do three of those shows and retire – they’d even pay you three-quarters of your pay for the summer reruns. It was a magical time.”

He was also credited on two of the best of Cher albums Two the Hard Way and Stars.


Learn more about Fred at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Tackett


     

The “I Found Someone” Video

June 19, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Crackedpic

Click here for a very funny blow-by-blow on the “I Found Someone” video and a link below so you can verify the essay’s claims –  among which are:

  1. Cher walks out of the mirror room into a bedroom, which like the mirror room, appears to be decorated by Pottery Barn.
  2. Neither of them appear to be wearing a shirt, so rubbing foreheads basically equals full-frontal on-camera penetration.
  3. Most of the single’s kick comes from Cher selling the hell out of it.
  4. We hit the chorus and cut to Cher in performance, leading her band in front of a sparse crowd. She’s wearing a totally indecent outfit: a black mesh bodysuit over a black bra and panties, covered by a black leather jacket that she keeps trying to shrug off.
    (That is actually an incorrect yet very hilarious description of the hole-fit – CS)
  5. I don’t think there’s another 42-year-old woman on the planet who could have pulled this look off.
  6. Back to the Pottery Barn bedroom…Cher pulls chainmail pantyhose up her leg, fluffs her hair, and fastens the chainmail pantyhose to (yes!) a chainmail garter.
  7. In the Pottery Barn bedroom, Cher throws some clothes into a suitcase, and then hurls a framed photo of her and Boytoy against the floor. If you watch in slow motion, you can see that the glass is broken before it hits the tiles.
    (I actually captured a screen grab of this above -  CS)

    Watch for yourself.

      
       

Cher in Elton Video?

June 19, 2008 / / 1 Comment

Cher_and_Elton_John_1975 Years ago someone posted a link to a video on the site of the guy who does the video mixes for Cher's shows saying that if you click the Elton John section and then the video for "Original Sin" – at the middle mark of the video, a Britney-Spears-blonde walks through a party, kisses Sonny Bono and then Cher who is holding a baby.

I’ve just watched the video and I don’t think it’s Cher at all because:

 

  • It doesn'tlook like Cher in the eyes and lips
  • That baby does not look like Chastity at all
  • That Cher does not move Cher-like

Tell me what you Cher-scholars think.

Meet Cher! And Other Opportunities for the Obsessed

June 13, 2008 / / 2 Comments

Cherwedding Apparently, Cher was spotted at Foxtail restaurant in West Hollywood this week. Now don’t go looking for those pictures the crazy paparazzi take. Just be content in the knowledge that you now know where she was for 30 minutes one day of the year in 2008. A real knuckle-brained, celebrity-obsessed thing to do would be to actually go there and pretend you were actually having dinner there with Cher. Honestly, that’s exactly the type of activity I don’t recommend. Hey, I’m just doling out some tough love for you right now…because I essentially see the I Found Some Blog as a support group environment – deep down.

A better use of your celebrity obsessed dollars would be to try to win a charity auction where you could actually meet Cher backstage. And by participating you’ll be providing a community service to a charity, which as we discussed last week might just offset the side-effects of too much celebrity obsession, which in its pure form, helps no one.

Here’s the press release:

MEET CHER BACKSTAGE AT HER LAS BEGAS SHOW ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2008!": This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you and a companion to enjoy Cher during a live performance at her Las Vegas show at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace and meet her backstage. This fantastic package also includes coach class airfare for two aboard JetBlue AND two night's accommodation that weekend at Caesar's Palace.

AUCTION CLOSES: Jun 24, 2008 12:14:00 PM

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit charitybuzz. com

PROCEEDS FROM THE EVENT WILL BENEFIT: The Jorge Posada Foundation, a non-profit organization established by the New York Yankees' All-Star Catcher, Jorge Posada, and his wife, Laura. Proceeds will help the foundation reach out to families in need, whose children are affected by Craniosynostosis, and provide them with emotional support through its family support network; provide financial assistance to underwrite a portion of the costs of initial surgeries in its partner medical centers; and encourage further research of this medical condition. The Foundation also strives to create awareness about the condition through events and through funding other educational outreach efforts.

Direct Link: https://auction01.charitybuzz.com/secure/viewItemDetail.do?auction_item_id=743030

This week we had a financial setback and we think we may have to postpone the wedding for a year. This actually takes me out of the meeting-Cher-via-auction business. But that’s not so much my bag really. Anyway, even though our party-plans have now moved from a boil to a simmer, I’m still on the look-out for some Cher 70s-era dance tracks. This week, the remix of Dark Lady appeared here: http://bcubsmusic.blogspot.com/2008/06/cher-dark-lady.html

The remix is compressed on that site and I couldn’t extract it myself but apparently you can download a free trial version of WinRAR to do this: http://www.rarlabs.com/.

81ab_1 And here’s a celebrity-obsessed project I can fully endorse: creating your own fan-art – be it functional fan-art like purses made of record-albums or classic fan-art like Cher paintings or even Cher-doll-art. This crafty fan has recreated the outfit from Cher’s Caesar’s poster for the newer Cher doll.
Ae28_1
By the way, JimmyDean recently suggested I use this dress as my wedding dress prototype.  But I kind of prefer this dress at the top as a prototype. Do you have any other suggestions?

And collecting ancient Cher artifacts is another Cher-obsessed activity that’s harmless in small doses. You can find even more Chertiques at this new trading site: http://www.ioffer.com/search/items/cher/text_pics/ioffer/0/false

Go crazy kids! Can someone loan me a dollar for a lottery ticket?

  

What Shall We Talk About?

May 8, 2008 / / 4 Comments

Okay…so the big day arrived this week and reviews are literally pouring in on Cher’s Caesar Place show. I don’t want to read them until I see the show next week. I don’t even want to look too hard at the photos. I don’t want to discuss the new stuff until I see it. Which is extremely,  extremely hard!

In fact, for any of the other tours (there have only been three I’ve been able to see live in my lifetime – Heart of Stone, Believe, and Never Can Say Goodbye), I’ve never been able to resist. And I’m getting very, very excited about seeing the show and reading over everybody’s thoughts. I just hope I don’t get hit by a bus before I can see it! (I always think that right before new Cher product drops).

In fact, I don’t feel like talking about anything else but this thing I can’t talk about!!

But I did post my France pics and here are the Cher-centric ones:

 

Seine John on the Seine like that Sonny & Cher album back cover pic.

 

 

 

 

Cherentry2_2Cherceiling1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t these chateaux entryways look like Cher’s house??

 

Chercem Chercem2_2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can totally see why Cher wants to be buried at Pere LaChaise cemetery in Paris. It’s very goth. I can see her with a tomb not unlike the one above, but hopefully with some subtle half-breed design in the stained glass…hey, for the fans.

 

Cher_sign

 

 

 

 

 

Cher river, Cher valley, Cher county seat…lots of Cherness in the Loire Valley.

I can also take this time to answer a few Cher questions from the blog.

Jimmy wrote:

“AND, Mary, why haven’t you digressed about the fact that these unlikely 3 would do something together so out-of-line for their personalities???? love and kisses-jimmy”

Jimmy is right. I could easily do an essay about the old 70s-variety format and how we just don’t get miraculous celebrity combinations singing medleys apropos of nothing like we did back in the day. It’s heartbreaking because I’d watch any show that could convince Bono to sing a Madonna medley with Barney and Tiger Woods. Who wouldn’t watch that?? It’s TV Gold.

Michael asked:

“Okay, so combining “she’s overdue a juicy boxed-set” and “It’s my dream job really”…How about you tell us what you would put in the ultimate Cher box? Anything you ever wanted on CD, DVD, books, whatever. I’m totally curious what you’d put.

There’s so much I could do as curator of a Chersonian Institute. Really, I don’t know where to start. Her video collection needs a serious overhaul.  More and more we’re finding amazing gems of foreign video clips for old Cher hits on the you-tubes.

I haven’t wrapped my head around what a good box-set of CDs would be. I know the mix I normally make my friends has too many non-hits on it to ever make bank. Other than the obvious of doing notes for the four-CD Warner Bros 1975-1977 re-release collection we’re so overdue, I don’t know what other regurgitation of her greatest hits I would feel morally okay with dumping into the pile of too-many-already.

I would love to do a coffee-table book of photographs and essays compiled by various writers on Cher’s career and her cultural relevance. That would be the dreamiest.

 

The Cher Show is Coming…The Cher Show is Coming!

May 1, 2008 / / 1 Comment

Cheret Excitement is brewing for the new Cher show in Las Vegas (premiering in just 6 days). I’m very excited, speaking for myself. Although I must say gas prices have inhibited my ability to afford a plane ticket to Vegas for the weekend I’m going to see it. They’re off the charts. And I even have a $100 voucher. Big sigh. I may end up driving, which I enjoy anyway. I just want to use the damn voucher before it expires in two months. But I digress…

Also, this week Oprah filmed Tina Turner and Cher in her Las Vegas episode which is set to air on May 8. Set thee Tivos. Here’s a link to some of the gossip about the episode which was posted on Cher World.

Other links this week

Chershow1_2In light of that, there was a funny blog post last week from The Cher Show, the episode with Tina Turner and Kate Smith and it reminds us how charismatic Tina and Cher are together. The blog post is funny, too.

Moveme And two good links were posted this week on the Cher list from Tyler. There’s a new mashup!!! I love these! Cher with Snoop Dog! Here’s the MP3.

And Gregg and Cher singing "Move Me" in concert.

   

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