Beginnings – Spotify

Beginnings – YouTube

I was driving on Mulholland Drive after my SiriusXM show. The highway is a strange combination of inspiration and creepiness. After all, this is where those reporters found the discarded Manson murder clothing. That’s right, long after the killings they read the reports and timed how long they thought it would take to change clothes and they re-enacted the route, stopped the car, climbed down the cliff, AND THERE THEY WERE!

Did you read about the new Manson book, saying Bugliosi’s theory was wrong? I guess it’s like the Kennedy assassination, now that Charlie is dead, there are those with more questions than answers, who don’t buy the party line.

And speaking of questions, that’s the song that follows “Beginnings” on Chicago Transit Authority’s debut double album, a package you had to buy to hear.

1969 was before AOR. We had underground FM which specialized in playing the new and different and lengthy. And CTA’s songs were certainly lengthy, but after the breakthrough of the David Clayton Thomas incarnation of Blood, Sweat & Tears this sound seemed too mainstream. And eventually Chicago would go mainstream, but that wasn’t until the second LP, with “Make Me Smile” and “25 or 6 to 4,” and then the band became known for wimpy ballads and was discarded by hipsters, but…there was that 1974 track, “(I’ve Been) Searchin’ So Long,” which started slowly and quietly, and then transitioned to a horn flourish, evidencing the humanity lost in today’s machine music, and then a sing-songy vocal that’s somewhat endearing…

Then the track starts to march.

And it slows down a bit and goes back into the verse.

Yet, then, more than halfway through, the track starts to gallop, it accelerates and…

Searchin’
For an answer

And suddenly it’s an anthem! With even a guitar solo, but what truly pulls it over the transom and jets it into the stratosphere is the backup vocals. And then it quietly exits and…you can’t wait to hear it again. This was the pre-Napster era, you had limited cash, did you really want to drop it on this double album, “Chicago VII”?

But this isn’t about that era.

This is when the band was finding its way, thrilled just to have a deal, which was gotten by James William Guercio, a legend who got no respect back then and is completely forgotten today. Have you listened to those Buckinghams hits recently? Especially “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” which also featured brass figures, maybe an inspiration for Guercio’s work with Chicago. (And never forget, Guercio ultimately directed a film, “Electra Glide In Blue,” which could possibly be Robert Blake’s best work and was almost great, better than the work of any other person who tried to switch sides from music to movies.)

The initial double album was a special deal, less than a dollar more than a single LP, not the cost of two records. And it grew slowly in the marketplace, via word of mouth, real word of mouth, not the internet kind, and real word of mouth moves much more slowly.

And there was a nearly eight minute cover of the Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m A Man,” written by Steve Winwood and producer Jimmy Miller, another forgotten man, he was there when the Stones did their best album work.

So you could dig into CTA, and it delivered. Some people consider it to be the best debut album ever, that’s what callers into my radio show said.

But I hadn’t listened to it in so so long.

And then I heard “Beginnings” on the radio.

It’s bright and sunny, but not so sunny as to be saccharine.

And one thing’s for sure, the band is functioning on all cylinders, it’s plowing ahead confidently, you cannot help but get on the train.

And I’m twisting and turning through the curves, nodding my head and singing along.

And “Beginnings” is nearly eight minutes long, closer to classical music than pop fodder. It goes through movements. Sure, the horns are prominent, but then there’s Terry Kath’s guitar, a man who would be revered as one of the best if his career wasn’t cut short by a game of Russian roulette.

And there are dynamics and…

You’re listening, and fifty year old music should sound dated, like a period piece, good only for nostalgia, but the truth is “Beginnings” was still fresh.

But somehow horns got a bad name, and got replicated by synthesizers, and instead of having big bands acts play to hard drive, and the inner mounting flame, the sheer joy and exuberance of music, has been lost along the way.

But unlike the lost civilizations of Mexico, this music is hiding in plain sight, waiting to be rediscovered and inspire.

It’s a race to quality, driven by technology, why haven’t we had a concomitant race in music?

Music is far ahead of television technologically, the disruption has already happened and you can get the history of recorded music at a number of outlets, i.e. Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Deezer…

But the music being purveyed is absolutely dreadful. It hasn’t been this bad since before the Beatles. And now we know what it was like before the Fab Four…music was just another industry, necessary, but not exciting. Why is this?

If you study the Emmy nominations, you’ll be confronted by one thing…the networks were almost completely cut out. That’s right, despite crowing to advertising agencies that they’re the best place to reach the largest audience, however small, the shows on the networks garner little attention and are not respected. They’re middle of the road and not edgy. They’re ignored in the cultural conversation. Some people might actually watch them, but no one talks about them.

But they talk about “Game of Thrones,” the biggest cultural event of the year.

Sure, a lot of people watched “Game of Thrones,” but everybody was talking about it! And they were not talking about the penumbra, but the essence, the show itself. When people talk about today’s music, it’s mostly about the feuds and the money.

And the money is what it comes down to.

You see the various TV outlets are fighting for eyeballs. They’re playing a game of musical chairs. How many services will you ultimately pay for?

Now we had this excitement in music back at the turn of the century, they called it Napster, when not only could you acquire all those hits for free, but a ton of stuff that was never commercially available.

Needless to say, the majors and the antique artists tried to tamp down file-trading to preserve the past, fearing the future.

And one thing was for sure, money was drying up in recorded music.

That’s what is driving the television revolution, money. Netflix is spending billions on shows, running in the red so it can win in the end, at least hopefully. AT&T purchased Time Warner and it’s injecting cash to play too. Hell, Richard Plepler, HBO’s guru, departed because the new owner wanted more production!

And the producers?

They’re living in a fantasyland. There’s cash for almost every project, especially if you’re a star. That script in your drawer, your passion project, you can find a sponsor for that now.

But in recorded music, the cash went the other way, half the revenue was lost, and therefore investment is low and so are the offerings. The majors sign less and invest less, and they’re not searching for quality, but cash, right away.

But the live business is burgeoning, that’s where all the investment in music is today. We have a slew of festivals, actually too many, this replicates the TV streaming wars. The customer is eager. He or she who comes up with something different can tour forever, whereas the hit dependent…are hit dependent.

So it’s not a complete loss.

But we’ve still got that quality issue in music.

Jimmy Fallon has great ratings, is constantly discussed in the media, but he got no nominations, whereas competitors like Trevor Noah, Samantha Bee, John Oliver and James Corden did. Even Jimmy Kimmel got one, never mind the ratings leader Stephen Colbert. Turns out safe is sorry. Today people want edgy, limit-testing, but we don’t see that in popular music.

And if you’re new and different and good, you gain attention. Almost no one talks to me about Amazon shows, but they do about “Mrs. Maisel,” which is a juggernaut. It’s unique, and not even that great, but when it resonates…like the episodes in the Catskills, you feel all warm inside, you can’t get this anywhere else.

And “Ozark” was nominated. I could watch “Ozark” every day, even if it slipped a bit this season. Jason Bateman and Laura Linney are so good, they’re a marvel to look at, as well as Julia Garner who plays Ruth.

And “Killing Eve” and “Fleabag,” actually another Amazon show, are constantly talked about, and have traction, when was the last time you found yourself discussing a record?

And I still can’t figure out the end of “Russian Doll,” but I’m watching it.

So where is our golden age of music?

In the last century.

We’re shooting low.

And it’s all about the Benjamins. You hear about sponsorships, tie-ins, proving that acts gravitate to the cash.

And those without money can’t stop bitching they don’t have it.

Maybe a TV show about the industry would be better than the music, the haves versus the have-nots. And the heroes? They would be those going their own way, according to their own mind, not playing by the rules.

This is how every great triumphed in the music world. It wasn’t just songs, but arrangements thereof, instrumentation, the sound… From the Beatles to Dylan to Jimi Hendrix to Led Zeppelin to Yes to Culture Club to…

To what?

P.S. Julia Garner is a bigger breakout star than anybody in music. Because she radiates talent. Remember talent?

Emmy nominations

Tune in tomorrow, Tuesday July 16th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.

Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz or @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive

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This is where Trump wins. This is how he got elected.

Who would predict he would defend his heinous, racist remarks? I figured he’d just let his statements float off into the ether.

Instead, he doubled down.

What the left doesn’t realize is it’s established a line, a third-rail, on so many subjects, that those not in the club of the offended are scratching their heads and saying HUH?

There are so many words, so many descriptions, that you cannot say.

There are so many protected minorities.

And this is how the left gets in trouble.

Like with the Oberlin case. Which got star treatment on the right, but has barely been mentioned on the left.

A black man gets arrested for stealing in a local bakery and the Oberlin mob agitates and protests against the establishment, causing the school to take action, canceling contracts, and then the bakery sues and gets double digit millions. And the guy who did the stealing admitted it! But since he was black…this was a racial offense.

Now there’s the trans issue. I ask you, how many trans people are there in America? And the issue of pronouns, we’re supposed to use “they” in certain circumstances.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s fine to be trans, I don’t think their rights should be impinged. But is this the biggest issue in America today?

And of course, like the left so frequently does, they take it too far. They want these trans people to be able to compete against women in sports, even though female runners have been kicked out of competitions because of having too much testosterone, NATURALLY! Even Martina Navratilova has taken a stand against having female trans people competing against women in tennis, she called it “insane.”

And then you’ve got the strange case of Scarlett Johannson, who was excoriated for saying that she should be able to play any character. She backed down, don’t they all, you’ve got to pay fealty to the politically correct police.

But no, only a specific nationality can play that nationality, only people of a specific color can play that color. I’m not saying that there should not be people of color in the movies, but the last time I checked, they called it ACTING, not real life.

And then there’s the #MeToo movement. Found a man who’s stood up against it recently? Even spoken about it? No, it’s taboo. If you’re a man you’re not entitled to an opinion. There can be no discussion. How do you think all men feel about this? Sure, women have gotten short shrift in society, they deserve equal pay and the right to walk freely on our streets, but this hard line is doing them no benefit.

It’s not all bad on the left. We’ve got Megan Rapinoe, the star of the World Cup, refusing to go to the White House and not caving when confronted with her viewpoint.

But the left is so busy bending over backwards, reporting the right’s viewpoint, that the effect is neutered. That’s right, they essentially hang Rapinoe out to dry.

There are so many litmus tests on the left that no one qualifies.

And you can’t express a contrary opinion or you’re shouted down.

And then you have to APOLOGIZE!

It happens all the time. I’m not saying there should not be a penalty for abhorrent speech, but when an actor goes to rehab for speech, I’ve got to laugh. What’s next, rehab for speeding? Yelling? Smoking?

So Trump stands up to all the B.S., he stands up to their crap.

And of course, his statements are inane, but they resonate with a lot of people, like those who don’t believe immigrants should be caged like animals, but do believe we need a coherent immigration policy.

Trump has redefined the debate, as to whether you love the country or not. This, once again, is how the left lost the war. The concept of criticizing the country and still loving it gets no traction, despite repeated voicing. The left contributed to the with you or against you line in the sand, because that’s how it behaves on every other issue!

The left can’t even control a debate. It’s good on the small things, but on the big things, it’s a crybaby. What did my mother say when a bully threatened me at school? Stand up to him, fight him, and then he’ll stop bullying you, and it turned out to be true!

Furthermore, my mother refused to get involved in my issues, my friendships. Now everybody says their kid is being bullied and they’re calling the school and other parents and…

The school has to be a safe space. Where everybody must be calm.

But no, school is where you learn about society, how to behave in a group. And believe me, the bullies ultimately get their comeuppance.

No one likes their kid to be bullied, but what are you gonna do when the “child” is out in the workplace, in a marriage, you can’t protect them forever.

But mostly we’re talking language here folks. Remember when they banned “Ulysses’ and Henry Miller? Now in left wing institutions you have to have trigger warnings, cautioning students they might be offended by what is contained therein. How in the hell did we switch from the right wing being offended by language to the left? And it’s just LANGUAGE! Isn’t this supposed to be a country of ideas? Do words really hurt people? What do they say on the playground, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me?”

This apologizing has got to stop, this inhibition of discussion, this constant policing of statements.

Of course Trump’s tweets were reprehensible. But he instinctually knows people are sick of the blowback, they want a certain freedom of speech, and as a result, he turns the accusations on their head and it resonates with people, not only his base, but more.

But the left is so offended!

But it’s been offended since day one. And what does it keep doing? Report it to the principal, i.e. the left wing press. It rarely stands up to Trump, it rarely defines the debate. All it keeps saying is impeachment is not prudent, and the Presidential candidates are too far to the left and…

You can’t even fit in in your own party.

Oh, what a country.