Pouring Gasoline On The Fire
It’s time for the Cousin Bobby Comparison!
That’s what I used to do back in the deep dark ages of my tenure on college radio, before I got bounced when the regime I’d made friends with graduated and I went from having coveted slots to my own lunar rotation, once every two weeks instead of college drive time, every Saturday morning from 9:30 to noon, when everybody’s waking with a hangover and actually listens to college radio.
And I was on during the week too, everybody knew who I was, but that was too much for the new powers-that-be, if you don’t think society is about keeping winners down, you’re not playing.
So I quit.
Went through withdrawal, but are any of those pricks in radio today? NO!
Anyway, back in the day, as the youngsters are wont to say, I’d play the original and the remake…
Speaking of the original and the remake, you’ve got to listen to Joe Cocker’s version of "I’ll Cry Instead", it’s almost as good as the original…who knew Joe was cutting Beatle covers back in ’64! And he didn’t make it for another half a decade, long after today’s wimps give up and go to graduate school, thinking that the public rejected them when the truth was the public didn’t know about them yet because they just weren’t good enough, they hadn’t plied the boards.
But today I’m not gonna play the original and the cover.
Then again, I’m gonna.
But this time it’s by the same damn band.
I want you to watch the Alabama Shakes legendary live version of "Hold On":
Then listen to the final studio single version here:
Or, if you’re Spotify savvy, here:
Alabama Shakes – Spotify
HEAR THE DIFFERENCE?
The original live take swings, it breathes, the band locks onto a groove, wallows in it and draws you in, they seal the deal.
As for the studio take…blecch. They were so busy getting it right they squeezed all the life out of it. Where’s the GROOVE!
There’s an original version of "Whipping Post" on the Allman Brothers’ debut. It’s good, I like it.
But it’s a distant cousin of the take on "Fillmore East". The live version has energy, it lives.
People make this mistake all the time. They think it’s about perfection.
No, it’s about capturing lightning in a bottle.
I’m reminded of Leeza Gibbons, who had so much plastic surgery she lost her identity. You think you want to be perfect, but that’s not what people want, we seek your imperfections. Who cares if the drummer speeds up a bit, if the vocal is not perfect, we’re looking for the je ne sais quoi. Something indescribable, that hooks us.
You’ve got to put your best foot forward. Good is not good enough. We’ve got to be stunned.
Whether that means you cut the whole album live or you sit in the studio until you get it right or…
I’ve got nothing against the Alabama Shakes.
But I refuse to settle for mediocrity.
And all the press in the world can’t convince those not in the echo chamber.
Sure, they’ve got a great start. It’s not like no one has noticed.
But we heard about Elton John and his first single was "Your Song".
We heard about Alanis Morissette and her first single was "You Oughta Know".
You don’t get many chances, you want to get it right, right away.
From: Al KooperAlabama Shakes need a good producer.
Not a high-priced, FAMOUS, in demand producer.
Simply a good producer who can guide them through their deficiencies and make them into the better band they could easily be with proper guidance.
Their first album is not on a par with what first albums should be.
You have your whole life to get your first album ready.
You only have the time between your first album and the second album’s release date to conjure that second one up. You MUST be better prepared by then or you’ll only have a three album chance.
I think of first albums that FLOORED me – U2, Black Keys, North Mississippi All-Stars, Field Music, XTC, and I can’t put Alabama Shakes in that category. They have the talent – they simply need the outside professional guidance.
Okay – I’m done now.Al Kooper
