Has she jumped the shark?

By playing to everybody has she undermined her core country audience?

Don’t trust the media. The media is there to be manipulated, it likes a story. Ergo, the election. If there’s no horse race, there’s no ratings. If everybody else is doing a story on Taylor Swift, then you should too, even if you’re the “New York Times.”

So the media crowns you superstar of the month, but does it last?

It’s not like we haven’t seen this movie before. With Peter Frampton. Credible rock artist triumphs amongst mainstream and promptly plays to his newfound fans and is abandoned by his core and is ultimately kicked to the curb by everybody. Of course it was not that simple, but “I’m In You” sold prodigiously upon release. And then went straight into the dumper. Is this what’s gonna happen with Taylor Swift?

First there’s the single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” one of Max Martin and Shellback’s best. They want to get paid, they’re saving their A material for superstars. The only problem is country radio wouldn’t play it, not for long. It wasn’t made for them but Top Forty radio. But Top Forty radio is fickle, loyalty does not exist, if callout research is less than stellar, they drop your track, no matter who you are. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” may have set sales records, but it seems to have the shelf life of a cup of yogurt. Well, not that short, but in a world where some tracks fester in the public consciousness for the better part of a year, like Cee Lo’s “Forget You,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” seems more like a flare than a lasting light.

Then there’s the Papa John’s tie-in. It sold few copies of the album, but those on Taylor’s team would talk about the publicity factor. As if the target audience, as if those who don’t even care, were unaware. But it became an internet meme. People kept forwarding it to others, essentially saying “Can you believe this? Does the woman have no shame?” Of course it wasn’t Taylor herself, but when you’re the star, you bear the brunt of all criticism. Your handlers can find another act, you’re saddled with being you.

And then there was last night’s CMAs. Where not only did Taylor get shut out, going 0 for 3, they made jokes about her love life from the stage.

You can’t manage affairs of the heart. If she fell in love with Conor Kennedy, so be it. But suddenly Taylor looked bad, robbing the cradle for a high school student after abusing John Mayer for taking advantage of her when she was young.

And suddenly Taylor Swift is no longer so young. And there’s a distinct backlash going on. Now people are pointing at her, saying she’s the problem as opposed to those she’s writing songs about, attacking.

In other words, Taylor Swift was not satisfied with being the queen of country. She needed to be the queen of EVERYTHING! As if anyone’s gonna remember she sold a million copies of “Red” last week. It’s ultimately a meaningless statistic, only the music matters.

And too much of the music is not country. And now, more than ever since before the Beatles, pop music is seen as disposable. It’s country music that lasts. It’s country acts that last. Taylor Swift could have been the new coal miner’s daughter, er, financial advisor’s daughter, you get my point, she could have been Loretta Lynn. Dolly Parton even. Who never forgot her country fans but did sacrifice country airplay when she went mainstream, became a movie star. Then again, to equate Taylor Swift’s talents with those of Dolly Parton is to believe Snooki can play outfield for the Mets. Then again, with the season they had!

The harder the sell, the bigger the turn-off. Remember when Jewel was the biggest star of the land, with new singles seemingly every week and incessant appearances on TV? Today Jewel can’t get arrested, she’s a trivia question, people have a bad taste in their mouth. Furthermore, once upon a time, Jewel was a folkie, before the label remixed her tracks to be hits. The label made its money, it’s Jewel who’s left holding the bag.

Just because someone says they’ll promote you that does not mean you should tie in with them. Pearl Jam won’t tie in with anybody, but they do great live business to this day, despite having almost no radio hits since “Ten.” Pearl Jam knows if you don’t stand for something, you stand for nothing. And saying you owe it all to your fans is not lip service, you have to make decisions with them in mind, not only put them first, but make sure they can get the good concert tickets, because when the mania’s done, they’re the only ones who’ll remain.

I’m not saying Taylor Swift is going to fade into oblivion by Christmas. Hell, she might survive this overhype and continue to triumph. Then again, today albums of pop and country stars are single dependent. If Top Forty abandons her and country gives her the cold shoulder, “Red” could have a very short shelf life. Better slow and steady than to be a rocket ship that burns out. Better to be Mumford & Sons and sell for a year than be number one and then fall off the chart, or languish at the bottom.

It’s tough being number one. Everybody’s gunning for you. Instead of going on this premature victory lap, Taylor Swift should have employed the soft sell. Will the hard sell come back and bite her?

Expect ticket sales to be good.

Then again, the Dixie Chicks sold out arenas and today can barely get arrested. They pissed off their country audience.

Those Max Martin/Dr. Luke singles are trifles, usually with short shelf lives. Taylor Swift built her career by revealing her inner truth, by relating to the outcasts, the thinkers, everybody but the cheerleaders and football captains. But now she’s playing the role of winner herself. She’s subtly gone from the sidelines to homecoming queen. And that comes with a price. It’s kind of like that old teen movie “Can’t Buy Me Love,” abandon your friends for a better crowd and when they dump you, your old buddies can’t be found, you’re nowhere.

Taylor Swift can work until she dies. She’s had that many hits.

But somehow, with the overhype and move to the middle, she’s torn away some of her underpinnings, she’s become unmoored, we’re no longer exactly sure who she is.

And if we don’t know who you are, it’s hard to stay in love with you.

The little girls may scream, ticket sales may be rampant. But if you don’t see it my way, if you don’t think her career now has more questions than answers, you’re not thinking at all.

It was all about “Shazam.” This was the album that was gonna break the Move through in the U.S. But the record came out, the tour was canceled, and not another thing was heard until…

ELO. The Electric Light Orchestra. A splinter group that became the main thing.

The first album yielded a track that got more press than airplay, but “10538 Overture” had more impact in the U.S. than the Move ever did. And “Roll Over Beethoven,” from the second LP, was even stickier. Then came “Showdown.” It was a radio staple. Setting up Jeff Lynne’s masterpiece, “Eldorado,” a winner from beginning to end, far superior to the double album “Out Of The Blue” that ended up killing the band. Yup, put your finger to the wind and test your own momentum before overreaching. It was the four-sided “Tales From Topographic Oceans” that put the stake in the heart of Yes, without Trevor Rabin almost a decade later, the band never would have come back. And then there’s Leon Russell, with his triple live album, a victory lap no one was waiting for. Yup, just when you think you’re cementing your legacy, you’re already done. It took the soundtrack to “Xanadu” and a playing to tape controversy to truly kill ELO, but it was done in ’77, with the double album.

But I purchased a Move’s greatest hits album back in ’74, a few months before “Eldorado.” And then I purchased another one two years later, with almost completely different material, you couldn’t buy the original studio albums, everything was rare…but I discovered a few tracks so spectacular…

That I’m gonna tell you about ’em now.

“Message From The Country”

Kind of like “Pictures Of Matchstick Men,” this is so hypnotic you can’t stop playing it, because you don’t want to leave the space it puts you in.

It’s got a typically weak Jeff Lynne vocal buried in the mix, but the harmonies are so delicious they make you want to buy a three thousand dollar stereo just to hear them.

But it’s more than that.

It’s the lyrical intro.

The bridge.

The anthemic repetition of the title.

The guitar solo.

But mostly it’s those harmonies.

That’s something you don’t get in hip-hop. Something so sweet we’re all lemmings following in its wake. It was the secret sauce of Crosby, Stills & Nash and studio wizard Lynne knows how to get that sound.

You’ll never hear “Message From The Country” on the radio. But if you run into someone who knows it you’ll share a bond akin to spending a summer together at camp.

You can’t help but nod your head in time, it’s an involuntary movement, you’ll love it!

And if you’ve never heard it, be sure to play it all the way through, to when the rhythm changes and all the instruments drop out and you’re truly in the church of rock and roll.

“California Man”

Yes, from “Heaven Tonight”!

That’s right. The follow-up to “In Color,” Cheap Trick’s best.

And “Heaven Tonight” contains “Surrender,” but my favorite was and still is the second side opener, “Takin’ Me Back”…what a powerful riff!

But on side one, smack dab in the middle is a cover of “California Man.”

That’s right “California Man” was written and recorded by the Move! And the original is just zany and free enough to reference California, but at this late date I have to admit Cheap Trick’s cover is better. They lose some of the dynamics, but they add a rocking element, a power the original does not possess. But if you only know Cheap Trick’s version, you’ll be fascinated by the Move’s original. It stands on its own. But unlike Cheap Trick’s remake, it would never get airplay in ANY era!

“Do Ya”

The apotheosis. The ELO remake is not as good. It’s too slick. It’s got that added sliding guitar part. I credit Jeff Lynne for reaching back and lifting “Do Ya” out of obscurity, but the original is just a bit more rough, a garage band take whose energy immediately infects you.

It’s the break that’s so magical.

In the country where the sky
Touches down on the field
He lay her down to rest
In the morning sun
They come ‘a running just to get a look
Just to feel, to touch her long black veil
They don’t give a damn

This is the essence of rock and roll. The unexpected sweetness, the “Lady Jane” effect. But in this case the magic is encapsulated right in the center of this tearing rocker, it’s better than nougat, you’re drawn to the music, the words paint the desire of every horny boy listening to rock music ever!

The ELO remake is absent the dynamics. It’s too rote. Lynne knows he’s gonna get airplay. He’s perfecting it. Whereas the original has no blueprint, you get the feeling the band just learned the song fifteen minutes before.

Except for that break…

Where did that come from? How’d they channel that?

In my rock and roll museum, the original replaces the remake. See if you don’t agree.

And you can explore beyond this. There’s more Move on Spotify. Especially the lauded “Hello Susie.”

But start with these three tracks.

If you don’t get it you never lived through the sixties, you never knew the joy of playing music, of believing that the right sound could change the world, or at least make you not care about what’s outside your front door.

When we were listening to our music, we just didn’t give a damn.

About anything but the sound.

Rhinofy-The Move

Previous Rhinofy playlists

1. THE INFECTION

It’s either a song or a video, you hear it or see it and say to yourself I WANNA DO THAT! That’s what created classic rock in the U.S., everybody seeing the Beatles on “Ed Sullivan” and picking up instruments and playing in bands.

The trappings always count. But they can never be the essence. When you’re young you want to be famous, everybody wants to be rich. But if these are more important than the music itself, you’ll probably have a very short career.

2. PLAYING

You ask your parents to buy you a Strat.

In the old days, you could learn how to play in school. Before people believed taxes were bad and not only were school music programs excised, teachers had to bring in their own paper, kids had to bring in all their supplies.

So the pool of musicians is smaller than ever before. I’m talking about people who have experience playing an instrument. Yes, you can create music using a computer program, but it’s not the same thing. One can argue strongly that those who use the computer tools best are those with the greatest underpinning in music education.

3. LESSONS    

There are a few self-starters who can do without, but they’re the very small minority. Furthermore, you build upon fundamentals, get them wrong and you’re just reinforcing bad habits.

You can take classes in person, you can take them online, but it’s best to learn from a teacher.

4. PRACTICE

May not make perfect, but it makes you a whole hell of a lot better than everybody else. You should be able to switch keys on the fly. You should feel as comfortable playing as talking.

5. PLAYING 2

At first you play in your bedroom, then you play with others. You learn from others. Sure, there are the exceptions who create great tracks in their bedrooms, alone, but they are rare. Playing with others you learn so much.

Like how good or bad you are.

Good players want to play with better players. If you’re bad, you’re gonna be with the other losers.

6. THE TROUGH

You’ve put in all this time.

First, you have to evaluate if you’ve got it. If your friends have so much more skill than you, if you’d rather watch ESPN than practice, you’re a hobbyist. That’s fine, the sooner you own it the better.

7. PLAYING LIVE

Gigs are hard to get and you’re gonna suck.

Friends give you gigs. If the venue owner is not your friend, if you have no relationship, unless you can show a track record, and as a beginner, you’ve got none, your efforts will be fruitless. Who does your father know? Does someone in the band know… Play school events for free. You know you’re worth getting paid when if you say you’ll pass, you won’t do it for free, suddenly an offer of cash comes through. It’s raw capitalism, supply and demand.

8. THE ARC

If it’s getting harder to get gigs, get better or give up.

9. RECORDINGS

No one wants to hear your recordings except your fans. You’ve got none. Your mother and friends might be interested, but they’re not honest reflectors. Until someone not related demands tracks, you’re not good enough yet.

Your first recordings will suck. Just like playing your instrument, recording is a skill, that you learn.

10. DEMAND

There will be next to none even if your recordings are good. If you haven’t done the work, there will be no demand at all. If you’re depressed and want to give up, do so.

11. VIDEO

If you’re getting positive response, if you’re getting better, post your music online, in both MP3 format and YouTube videos. These are land mines waiting to be discovered. You hope you become so successful everybody wants to check out everything you’ve already done. Promotion is worthless. Everybody’s overloaded with too much information. Presence online gives you the possibility of traction.

12. AFTER TRACTION

Then you play bigger and better venues, mobilize your fanbase by giving them perks, which will motivate them to spread the word, and continue to make live performances and recordings available online.

But still most people won’t care. You’re an amateur.

13. GETTING LUCKY

If you’re working the connections to break through, you probably won’t. You’ll get the opportunity, but you’ll fail. Today there’s a plethora of people looking for talent. If you’re good, they’ll find you. First it might only be venue owners, gigs will become less rare and better. Then it will be agents and recording companies. Development will be slow, but you can feel it. If years go by without this development, get better, give up, or change musical direction.

14. GIVING UP YOUR DAY JOB

This is more important than getting a deal. Record companies don’t support bands anymore, only Top Forty phenoms. If you can’t make it alone, you’re never gonna survive. Don’t complain, keep working, or give up.

15. BUZZ

You will continue to grow if you’ve got it.

16. SUCCESS

Will come much later than you think, long after you’ve become comfortable being a journeyman. It takes just that long to reach everybody and convince them today.

SHORTCUTS

1. TV TALENT SHOWS

It’s about television, not music.

Odds of success are low even if you win.

As for the exposure, you just become a trivia question.

Furthermore, they’re looking for pretty people with good voices. You need neither to make it in music, only on TV.

2. GARAGEBAND

Just because you can make it, that does not mean anybody wants to hear it.

3. POSTING & iTUNES

Just because it’s available to view and buy, that doesn’t mean anybody wants to see it or purchase it.

4. CDs

A souvenir to be sold at gigs, nothing more. Anybody who will get you ahead does not want a CD.

5. YOUTH

You’ve got nothing to say. And like a date with a beautiful person with no personality, it doesn’t last.

6. TV SHOWS & ENDORSEMENTS

Tying in with a corporation or getting your music in the background of a TV show may yield some cash, but it will never yield a career, not unless you’ve got one to begin with.

THE HIDDEN SECRET

WRITE

Because that’s where all the money is, in publishing.

It takes years to be able to write good material. Start now. Right after  you learn how to play your instrument.

IF YOU’VE GIVEN UP AND STILL WANT TO BE IN MUSIC

Go into the business.

You do this by working for free. Not even as an intern at an established entity. But by being on the college concert committee, helping manage a friend’s band… None of this is for money, it’s all for experience.

The easiest way to make it in the business is by attaching yourself to a great act. But great acts tend to want experienced people. They leave you for those with more seasoning, with connections. Furthermore, there are few great acts out there.

Many are clamoring to work in the business. Even if you get a gig, it’s gonna be hard to keep it. Enjoy the ride, don’t be in it for the money. Those in it for the money, who make it, could have made it doing anything, it’s their personality.

Furthermore, there just ain’t that much money in music anymore.

FINALLY

Nobody needs your music. They need air, food and water. And personal, physical comfort. If you want a career in music you must do your best to be necessary. And that’s got nothing to do with marketing and everything to do with the music itself, which is all based on the bedrock outlined above.

My mother can barely walk. One of her great disappointments in life is her inability to play golf. A surgeon who operated on her for her stenosis guaranteed she’d be back on the course, over a decade ago, but that never came to be. And since then, she’s had knee replacement and broken her femur. She’s now forced to use a walker.

But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t get around. She’s the life of the party. She’s the straw that stirs the drink. She lives in a building with everybody from the old neighborhood who’s still alive. They play bridge, they go to movies, my mother is more active than most twenty year olds. Most of the time when I call her she throws me off the phone, she’s got plans, she’s got to go.

So I wasn’t worried about her during the storm, but of course I checked in.

Her power went out.

But Phyllis, her aide, had charged up her Kindle and iPad, she was ready. I tried to explain that Netflix wouldn’t work, because there was no wi-fi, the router needed power, but that didn’t seem to penetrate. When I spoke to her the following day she was pissed. She’d wanted to watch a movie!

We connected on her iPhone, which she just purchased when she lost her old Nokia, my mother needs to be up to date. As to what level of skill she’ll achieve on the mobile, that’s another story. I know an even more worldly octogenarian who’s got one but only uses it for incoming calls, she never dials out, that would be too daunting.

So there’s still no power. And Phyllis told my mother to beware of running out the battery on the iPhone, but my mother had to tell me a story.

She lives off a strip center. In Branford, Connecticut. A blue collar town east of New Haven that’s come up a bit in the last forty years. And one of the tenants not only stiffed her on the rent, he neglected to pay the tax, and now there’s a penalty almost equal in amount and not having paid the water bill, the new tenant can’t get it turned on.

And the new tenant is a pain in the ass. An i-dotter and t-crosser of the worst type. But the space has been vacant and a deal was reached, which wasn’t easy, but now this new guy keeps bugging my mother, wanting to get the water turned on.

So my mother calls the DWP. And they put her on hold for half an hour and then say there’s nothing they can do. She’s got to call back. Which she does. Says she’ll pay the bill. And you know what it’s like dealing with bureaucrats, they take their time and promise little. So my mother says “The water better be on by Monday, or I’m gonna blow up the building.”

Then the police called. The sergeant from Branford. He needed to know. Was she Muriel Lefsetz, was she the person who threatened to blow up the building?

And my mother calls back. Leaves a message. Saying she’s 86 years old and handicapped. She’ll call the DWP and apologize, she’ll send a letter.

But that’s not good enough. The sergeant leaves another message, he’s gonna have to talk to her.

Then the power went out. And since all these oldsters have switched to Internet landlines, she’s been unreachable. They don’t work in disasters.

Still…

Fire’s something that’s inside. You might look the picture of health, but be as meek as a mouse. My mother may use a walker, but she’s still blazing brightly.