Once upon a time, Phil Collins wasn’t one of the most hated men in show business, suffering derision uncalled for, his main crime being popularity, but a behind-the-scenes drummer for an art rock band that never broke through, which was dominated by its frontman, who left.

Yes, Gabrielphiles, and they’re legion, will point to Peter’s leaving of Genesis as the moment the band went downhill. I’ll say it’s when the band reinvented itself, slimmed down, built upon what once was, and slowly gained popularity.

It took multiple years and multiple albums.

But the initial post-Peter album was a revelation. “A Trick Of The Tail” had the unfortunate uphill climb of following “Selling England By The Pound” and “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” the apotheosis of the Gabriel era. But not only is “A Trick Of The Tail” timeless, it contains a certifiable classic, “Squonk,” which is anything but a Gabriel clone and features the vocal work of one…Phil Collins.

Yup, Phil emerged from behind the kit as the lead singer and the band soldiered on. Building a head of steam, especially in the U.S., losing guitarist Steve Hackett along the way, but on its fourth post-Gabriel long player the band even had a hit, “Misunderstanding.” This “Duke” track may not have made it to number one in the U.S., unlike in the U.K., but it did go all the way to number 11. Suddenly, Genesis flew on America’s radar, the band was even playing arenas.

But it was a faceless act. It was about the music, not the names. Until…

“Face Value.”

Yup, that’s just what we were all waiting for. A solo disc by the unknown singer of a faceless band that had just recently broken through.

But if you were a fan, and I was, you bought it. Because you supported your favorite acts. It was your duty. And “Face Value” was quite a surprise.

Now with hindsight, everybody sees this as the disc that contained the gigantic hit “In The Air Tonight.” But that track wasn’t an immediate smash. You didn’t buy the album to hear it. You weren’t thinking singles. Sure, it was good.

But the centerpiece of the record was “You Know What I Mean.”

Just as I thought I’d made it
You walk back into my life

Breaking up is hard to do. I know, it was only months before that I’d called it quits with my live-in girlfriend. No matter how much fighting there is, you miss the companionship, being lonely sucks, you’re tempted to go back, it takes all your gumption to stay away.

Just as I’d learned to be lonely
You call up to tell me
You’re not sure if you’re ready

If you haven’t gotten this phone call, you haven’t been in a relationship. Doesn’t matter if you’re the leaver or the left. You suddenly realize what you’ve given up and you reach out…

To someone who might or might not play.

Usually there are a few go-rounds before one person truly calls it quits. But when that happens…

Oh, leave me alone with my heart
Putting the pieces back together again
Just leave, oh leave me alone with my dreams
I can do without you, you know what I mean

Yes, he’s bitter. Phil’s wife left him, and took the kids. This album was his therapy. But the personal is universal.

Oh, leave me alone with my heart
It’s broken in two and I’m not, and I’m thinking too straight
Just leave, oh leave me alone with my dreams
You’ve taken everything else, you know what I mean

Settlements are costly. You’re out on the road earning, and your wife decides…she doesn’t need you anymore.

But it’s more than that. Irrelevant of what’s being said, the sound of the track is so intimate, so heartfelt, it resonates with all the lonelyhearts sitting at home wondering how their lives got wrecked.

But then it gets even better…

Because “You Know What I Mean” segues into “Thunder And Lightning.”

As heavy and depressed, as simple and unproduced as “You Know What I Mean” is, “Thunder And Lightning”‘s just the opposite. This is the signature sound that Phil Collins ultimately employed to sell millions of records, with the horns and the exuberance.

‘Cause they say thunder and they say lightning
It would never strike twice
Oh, oh, but if that’s true then, why can’t you tell me
How come this feels so nice
Oh, it feels all right
Feels all right
All right

If you just wait long enough, not for the wound to heal, but fade, if you dip your toe in the water…you’re surprised. Suddenly, the fireworks explode, that lightning you heard never struck twice…well, they were wrong!

Let’s be honest. It doesn’t happen immediately. First you get the rebound person. You think it’s real, but it’s not. You go home broken and depressed and do your best not to drunk dial your ex. But when you’re finally convinced that’s over, at least twelve months since the breakup, then…you’ve got a chance, and eventually you meet the next person.

The exuberance in “Thunder And Lightning” is palpable. It’s EXCITING!

That’s the centerpiece of “Face Value.” It’s always one or two tracks that hook you, that get you to play a complete album, to devour and become enamored of it.

I always liked “In The Air Tonight,” because of is sheer heaviness, the otherworldly quality, the thunderous drums, but it didn’t truly resonate until it became a big hit single.

But the piano-playing and the singing in “The Roof Is Leaking” are IRRESISTIBLE! This is album music. That’s why we bought our long players. Because what was between the hits was better than what was on the radio. These album cuts weren’t filler, but the essence.

And then there’s the sheer jauntiness of “I’m Not Moving,” which follows “Thunder And Lightning” and is the third song in the trilogy.

If you feel it do it
You don’t need a reason
For all you know it could be good for you

Love is liberating. You’re high on the possibilities. And in this case, via this track, it’s CONTAGIOUS!

I’m not moving, no really
You just try and push me out
No, I’m not moving, no really
No, I’m not going anywhere tonight

You’ve been licking your wounds for so long! But out of your shell, you’re now ready to commit. And the bedrock of relationships is commitment.

Then comes the remorse.

Even though you’re in a new relationship, you cannot forget the past.

After two upbeat tracks, it’s time for reflection once again.

I’ve kept all the pictures, but I hide my feelings so no one knows
Oh sure my friends all come ’round, but I’m in a crowd on my own
It’s ’cause you’re gone now, but your heart, heart still remains
And it’ll be here if you come again

The track is entitled “If Leaving Me Is Easy.” And it never is. It hurts to be left. But they don’t crawl from the wreckage into a brand new car, the leaver has regrets, if you hang in there long enough, he or she testifies, says they had to go, but it was the hardest thing they did in their life.

And then comes “Tomorrow Never Knows.”

Because it never does. It’s a brand new day. Anything can happen, good or bad.

Give Phil credit for this Beatles cover. No one else would take the risk, of covering a classic, with its atmospheric production. On the surface it seems the easy way out, but in truth it’s anything but. It’s a statement of Phil’s headspace. You know how tracks from the past resonate, how music gets you through, it appears “”Tomorrow Never Knows” was Phil’s anthem.

And you never do know what will happen in the future.

Phil became one of the biggest names in music. Rich and famous. A household name.

But his next two marriages failed. The first cut is the deepest, if you break up once, it’s so much easier to do so in the future.

And now Phil’s hands hurt and he’s retired and to a great degree has been forgotten.

But not “Face Value.” Not for me.

Rhinofy-Face Value – Spotify

Previous Rhinofy playlists

One thing I love about Irving Azoff, he’ll talk shit about his acts…and himself.

I remember during one of his low periods, when Giant/Revolution/Giant was hitless. Irving was assessing his empire and he said “I’ve got a record company worth…something.” Ha! If you can’t laugh at yourself I’ve got very little time for you. Like the powerful agent who e-mailed me this week to tell me I just wasn’t positive enough about his mainstream act which nets him millions in commissions. To be truthful, what I wrote was about as positive as I get. But not enough for this gentleman. I didn’t mention every hit this act ever had. It took everything in my power not to send a caustic message back, asking ARE YOU KIDDING? DO YOU KNOW ME? DID YOU REALLY SEND ME THAT E-MAIL?

Or the conversation with the big shot promoter. I thought we were friends. And friendship is based on honesty and truthfulness. But then I realized he couldn’t say a negative thing about that disappointing festival bill, or his charges… Talking to him was like reading a press release. From a concert company in Lake Wobegon, where every kid is above average, and every show sells out and makes a profit.

Is it me? Am I just old and jaded? Or is something changing and the hard sell, all positive style is yielding fewer dividends?

Kind of like mainstream hype. Why am I interested in newspaper preview issues. I’ll wait for the real thing, then make my judgment. And then there are all the turning point announcements. Apple’s earnings. Launch of the BlackBerry 10. Amazon’s numbers. The buildup is incredible. And when they’re done we’ve got nothing but emptiness. Unlike a great record, these moments don’t last, there’s no repeatability.

So it all comes down to relationships. Do you have a relationship with those you’re selling to? That’s what Amanda Palmer does best.

Hey, want to hear an Amanda Palmer story? She wrote on her blog that I wrote about her and I’m being inundated with newsletter signups. Now she didn’t tell people they had to sign up, she didn’t hold a gun to their head, she just has an ongoing relationship of trust, if she’s into something, so are her fans. Kind of like Howard Stern. I get e-mail every day from people who say they heard about me on Stern. Howard’s focused purely on his show. He won’t do merch. He’s the opposite of every moneygrubbing musician. Granted, he makes millions, but not always.

Palmer and Stern have been doing it for years. And they’re not only imploring you to buy stuff to make them rich. They’re not only telling you they’re winners. Unlike the teflon agent and promoter above, they specialize in expressing their foibles. Stern’s a walking bag of neuroses. That’s why his audience can relate to him. When I hear this agent and promoter pontificate, my eyes roll into the back of my head.

That’s what’s wrong with America. The tsunami of selling.

No one leads with their wares, just their mouth.

They believe they deserve your attention and your money.

I’m not playing.

P.S. You’ve got to hear this interview wherein this BlackBerry exec will not admit the iPhone exists. Talk about living in an alternative universe.

“How not to do PR, 101: BlackBerry exec absolutely refuses to acknowledge iPhone’s existence”

How did everybody know?

You can’t hate Olly Murs. Oh, I know you want to. He’s part of the Top Forty juggernaut, another young pip appealing to those who haven’t hit puberty.

But let me tell you… Live, there were melodies. Unlike Beyonce, he wasn’t singing to track, nothing was on hard drive, the show was totally live…AND THE GIRLS ATE IT UP!

And that’s all there were. I didn’t see a single dude in the audience.

Now I was shocked it was sold out. When Olly opened for One Direction at the Gibson last year seemingly no one knew him, applause was polite. Now there was sheer MANIA!

Yup, screaming.

But even more, singing along.

I first noticed this at a Taylor Swift show years back. If you think these kids are going to make the scene, you’re wrong, they’re FANS! They know every lick.

But how?

The album’s never come out in the U.S. His previous single only made it to the bottom of the Billboard Hot 100. If something should be dead in the water, completely stiff, it’s Olly Murs.

But we’re no longer living in the twentieth century. Not even the turn of the century. You see barriers and borders are history. TV and movies…windowing, BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID! You can’t keep the audience down.

The girls in attendance literally knew every word, except for the Stevie Wonder medley, when they were curiously silent, even though Olly hit “Superstition” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” out of the park.

No, Olly’s fans are not educated on anything other than him.

They knew not only his age, 28, and middle name, Stanley, but his “Xtra Factor” cohost Caroline Flack. Huh? That show has never aired in the U.S. and never will!

That’s how Olly got his start. Finishing number 2 on “X Factor” in 2009. And since then…he’s become more than a singer in the U.K., even cohosting the aforementioned “Xtra Factor” TV show. He plays arenas there. He’s on his third album. But unlike Robbie Williams, he’s not meaningless in the U.S. He’s on his way. You just don’t know it yet. “Troublemaker” is a stone cold smash.

But not completely representative.

It was more like a ska show from thirty years ago than a scripted Top Forty extravaganza. There was energy, dancing inspired by the music as opposed to choreographed steps. And the audience was completely enthralled.

You see the twenty first century is all about PARTICIPATION!

Sitting down, standing and shoegazing…those days are through. Today’s audience is not passive, it’s completely active. Everybody’s got their hands in the air, singing along… This is a show that’s truly worth the money. It’s a complete workout, having a fun evening out with your friends.

But how did everybody know?

I leaned over to the girl standing near me and asked her…

And after she told she had a friend…I realized she was not the average attendee. After all, we were upstairs in the exclusive area, you needed a pass to get here. And that’s when I realized standing right next to her, inches away from me, was Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris.

Yup, the little girls not only know, they understand.

Sure, Olly Murs was broken by TV. But he’s developed chops. And like I said, the live show was anything but a studio concoction. It was real music played by real people…

AND WHAT’S WRONG WITH THAT?

 

From: Amanda Palmer
Subject: Re: Palmer & Gaiman

hey bob

thanks for Getting It.

you know, i had such struggles marrying neil because of just this kind of imagined criticism freaking me out.
love won in the end, and i’ve actually grown so much as a person getting over all that fear of people judging the f*** out me.
in the beginning of our relationship, i had a really hard time letting him pay for anything because of just this kind of stuff…
the fear that i’d lose my independence, my cred.

you said it in your first email: i had my eyes on the prize. and part of my plan was being finally independent of any man. of anyone.

when my best friend, anthony, went down with cancer a few months ago and i cancelled an entire two legs of tour, i had to face it.
deciding to let my husband totally float me for a while so i could stay home and take care of anthony was the moment that changed me.

and i don’t regret it.

would i have been able to cancel my tour if i hadn’t had neil to fall back on? i don’t know. maybe. but probably not as easily.

did my kickstarter do better because neil and his fanbase boosted the signal? no doubt.
is it ok with me? helllll yeah. thanks, honey! he was there, toasting with me, my fanbase, and everybody else who worked so hard to make it all happen.
he’s part of the whole family and the story.

i’m currently cranking on my upcoming TED talk (and freaking out about it) and it’s so funny, it’s all wrapped up with this.

i’d love to know if there’s a married person out there who hasn’t worried about the the financial imbalances, the power imbalances, the way people judge your relationship.
so much of my connection with my fans – and now neil – has been about getting to the point where i CAN allow people to help me and receive the help mindfully, carefully.

help comes in a so many forms: money, energy, love, care…it’s endless.

a lot of artists i know are terrified to ask for help, for fear it’ll make them look weak.
there’s a lot of shame around it.

the strongest artists (and people) i know are the ones who know how to ask for help, boldly. and receive help, gracefully.
the ones who don’t….look unhappy to me.

and a respectful clarification:

i, for one, didn’t ever become a rock star because i wanted to get LAID.
i did it because i wanted to get LOVED.

but looks like it’s working out just fine.
i’m getting both 🙂

xx
afp

 

 

From: Zoe Keating
Subject: Re: New York Times On Streaming

I’m totally asking for it by replying, but how can I resist? Plus my toddler is throwing up every hour, so there is no sleep tonight.

As the artist featured in this NYTimes article, I feel horribly misrepresented and I have to straighten out a few things.

I got into the commenting-on-Spotify business last year when it seemed that no one was questioning all their marvelous marketing materials. I felt like it was my civic duty to point out that:

1) the streaming payouts are stacked against unlabeled artists (ie. majors have a stake and get a share of the ad revenue)

2) Psy-style uber-popularity is not the only model out there. The millions and millions of streams needed to makeup for sales are not ever going to be a reality for non-mainstream music, but that does not mean anyone should throw in the towel.

I decided to go the unlabeled route when my brand of cello music didn’t spark much excitement in the people I appealed to (unless I added vocals to it, said one exec). The first year or so without my tech-job-cushion was rocky, but I’ve found the economics of no-middlemen to be good. I’m not mega direct-to-fan like my friend Amanda Palmer but I’m not struggling by any definition. It takes a lot of work but I can support my family on music, take them with me on tour and don’t worry much about money. I don’t feel a need to be any larger. Actually, I don’t see how I can be much larger…. when I’m not sleeping or being with my son, every second is spent on making and performing music or doing music biz. But I’m truthfully, extremely happy and thankful, exactly where I am right now. (The MUSIC I’m never satisfied with that though….always iterating, tweaking, expanding, iterating, iterating, iterating).

I don’t want to be an anomaly. I want others to get into this place too. If you’re fringe, do it yourself! I started posting my earnings online not to whine but because I realized that few people, even artists themselves, seem to have any facts about how the money actually works.

Without the internet my unlabeled career would not be possible and I’m very bullish on the future. I’m not against streaming by any means. I’ve put my music wherever someone might hear it….including onto filesharing sites (gasp). That said, companies do not have our (artists) best interests built into their business plans. Perhaps not maliciously…. they just might not know what our interests are. I feel it my responsibility to educate these companies as to what we need…in order to make the music industry work for everyone, high, mid and low.

If we don’t like the world I live in, it’s up to us to either change it… or change our perception of it. Beyond contributing music, I feel like can’t do much about pointless wars, or climate change, or mass shootings, or all the other huge issues in the news every day, but I feel like I might be able to do something about this tiny little streaming thing. I’ve been engaging with these issues with the goal of encouraging digital music services to incorporate the needs of artists, not just record labels. What are those needs? Linking of avid listeners with artists for concert tickets, merch, music purchases, etc; crowdsourcing tours; providing listener stats and location data, maybe even emails; your idea here, etc, etc. Lift all the little boats. If this quixotic strategy doesn’t work, then I guess I’ll have to change my perception instead.

I was disappointed in the NYTimes article….like I’m often disappointed in the press. A 30 minute interview full of nuance squashed down to one sentence taken out of context and used to prove some other point. I know, I know, I’m naive. I’ll keep trying.

Thanks much, Zoe