Monday, December 15, 2014
In light of the Sony hack, here is a vintage Sony Music blind:
After the huge success of his debut solo album, this artist told Sony that he wanted to release his next album as a double CD. They told him no, double albums don't work, and he was under contract. The artist got upset; after all, he had just made Sony an insane amount of money. On one phone call to the artist's manager, a Sony executive stated "Tell that jumped up little f****t to do what he is told." Unbeknownst to the Sony executive, the phone call was recorded by the artist's manager. When the manager played the call back for the artist, the artist went off big time. That is what caused the rift between the artist and Sony, and why the artist wanted to get off the label. For his debut album, the artist let Sony mould his look 100% because Sony promised him that if he had success, they would give him more creative freedom on future albums. He also wanted to come out, which Sony shut down because his fan base was largely comprised of young girls. To add insult to injury, another band released a double CD for Universal Music Group around the same time that the artist's double CD was denied; that band's double CD was a huge success. At that point, the relationship between the artist and Sony was beyond repair, and Sony finally released him from his contract. There is a lot of symbolism about the rift in one of the artist's music videos for his second album.
Artist: George Michael
Album: Listen Without Prejudice Volume 1
Other Band: Guns N Roses
Double CD: Use Your Illusion
Music Video: Freedom
Freedom yes but it must have been expensive.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Michael > Guns N Roses
ReplyDeleteBut I wish both a happy 2015!!
OMG over on Foxella CDAN just outed Aziz Ansari. So much for never doing that.
ReplyDeleteWow Sherry! That's coconuts! He's hilarious.
DeleteThey are such douches. They also outed Channing Tatum as the actor who gave Ricky Martin a blowjob. The old Enty is very long gone.
DeleteIs Foxella really connected with CDAN? I doubt Enty would publish reveals on another site. Traffic is the only thing that matters to CDAN at this point, and content has to remain as exclusive as possible.
DeleteBesides, Foxella could just write some guess, as the BI fits Donald Glover a lot more (apart from the "ending a long network run": Glover has already left Community, and the show has left its network), he's working on his own thing with his FX project and his rap career, and was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, with the Church having negative views on homosexuality.
Aziz Ansari has done standup before he was cast in Parks and Rec, and there were a lot of gay panic sketches when he was part of Human Giant ("Car Accident" being my favorite). He had no girlfriend record before he started to date a chef this year. I totally believe it's a real relationship, as Ansari is obsessed with food and restaurants.
Foxella has no relation to CDaN. They're an aggregator and they do the exact same thing Outtie did - reprint the blind with an attribution link. But enough of KJE's former commenters were sick enough of the new format to leave for Outtieland that KJE got wicked jealous and fired off the C&D.
DeleteI do believe the Foxella guesses are theirs and not reveals, though.
I always noticed (in the past) that all of the Foxella reveals seemed to match exactly the majority guesses from the good folks we know (before the Halloween Massacre). Even when the opinions have been split - Foxella's reveals are split. That's why I always thought it was run by Enty (before the blowout anyway).
DeleteI love me some George Michael
ReplyDeleteIs Universal a sub for Sony? If not I don't think it's reasonable to point your finger and say "Well these guys got a double record deal!" while stomping your foot.
ReplyDeleteIt would be like one of us working for Target and finding out the person in the same position at Wal-Mart just got a raise and a bonus gift of a cruise (just trying to put it in perspective, we all know that would never happen at Wal Mart)
That said, I do not blame him at all if that was what the exec said. Who in the world wouldn't be pissed? The guy may has well have said "Sing, look pretty and dance monkey, DANCE" along with that slur.
I think his point was that Sony didn't have a clue as to what would sell. They declared the double album dead and then GNR makes a mint off Use Your Illusion. Luckily they let him out of the contract.
DeleteI completely agree, at the same time GNR were waaaay outselling him, so I can see where anyone (even pr stunt pulling Sony) would want to test the waters with a single album. It's business after all. One thing for "father figure" to hit #1 when he went solo, completely another to compete with "Sweet Child" "Paradise City" "Welcome to the Jungle" etc (not too mention a contract to do the songs for Terminator 2)
DeleteRecord companies seem as bad as movie companies- never wanting artist to change, make same music all the time, really box you in. I've read dozens and dozens of stories like this- from the beach boys to van morrison to linda ronstadt. Its endemic in the industry.
DeleteFollow the money.
DeleteIn 1990-1991, which act would you bank more on (as far as investing in not one, but 2 albums at once) Gun's N Roses or George Michael?
Again, follow the money and see who of the 2 choices would be the best investment.
Not to nitpick, but Use Your Illusion is not a double album. It was two albums released at the same time. You had to buy them separately, and there was a great deal of discussion about which one was better.
DeleteUse Your Illusion II is the better of the two IMO but I was just going to say it wasn't a double album. A double album is like The Beatles White Album or KISS Alive, when released on vinyl they were two records in one package hence a double length album, Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 were separate albums. It would be like calling the KISS solo albums (all released the same day with covers that went together) as a Quadruple Album instead of four distinct albums.
DeletePlus, at the time they were released GNR was outselling EVERYONE. Their debut album has almost sold more than all of George Michael's combined.
channing said a long time ago he was bi but back peddled into the closet when he became successful
ReplyDeletelove the november rain video and song.. my all time favorite.. back before axl fucked up his face w/ fillers
@SugarT
DeleteMeeeee II
(I've bamed the same song in open chat as my fav too. It's got everything!)
And Axl was SOOO dam pretty. M O G!
I wonder how George Michael is doing nowadays. Over at the site which shall not be named, they made it sound as though he was at death's door and would be dead before the end of the year. Well, before the ends of several years.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Michael used to have a phenomenal voice. I don't know what he sounds like now. But to be honest with you, I dumped him like a hot rock when he abandoned his feathered hair look circa WHAM!
ReplyDeleteKaren if you don't have this album I suggest you get it. It's bloody gorgeous. Truly a beautiful if slightly over produced work of art.
ReplyDeleteIt is in my collection. I wonder when was the last time he sang in public.
ReplyDeleteHmmm this is a radio recording of one of the last concerts he performed before he got sick and had to cancel the tour well he kept postponing and postponing and postponing but he got a few concerts in before he got sick, he toured with a symphony orchestra
DeleteRoyal Albert Hall March 2014
His voice seems deeper.....but it could be the first song...
George has supposedly been battling aids for a few years now which is why he jumped out of the back of his chauffeur driven suv a few years back.. just wanted to end it..he'll never publicly admit that's what he has and he owns it to no one but his former partners to do so but he has been very I'll and in hiding because of it..
ReplyDeleteGeorge and Freddy Mercury vs Magic Johnson. I don't know I think hiding things which George has been doing most of his life just stresses you out and wears you down, makes you angry, makes you prone to get sicker really. He was already bitter about always having to be someone he wasn't for so long. Are his parents dead I know he might hide it because of them but I thought the mother was dead he was quite upset when she died I seem to recall.
ReplyDeleteOh this is sad.
Delete"The day after Anselmo's death, George decided to finally admit to his parents he was gay, and he did so in a long letter. His mother Lesley's only reaction was devastation that she hadn't been able to help her son through such a traumatic experience. But what of Jack, the traditionally Greek father who had always had a more remote relationship with his young son, owing to prolonged absences running the family restaurant? "He never displayed any disappointment or homophobia," says George. "I'm sure he felt it, and it was hard for him, but he didn't lay any of it onto me which I have to thank him for. This is sad, but I do feel success can negate a parent's disappointment. I genuinely feel that although his son is gay and not going to give him any grandkids, my dad's consolation is that I have done well in life."
Source
That was an easy one. The dispute between George Michael and Sony is a well documented one. The video for the second single he released after the contract with Sony was over featured headphones labelled "Fony".
ReplyDeleteGee enjoying listening to this concert, now he is doing a cover of Roxanne, the mellow version.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet his version of Roxanne is amazing! I never liked The Police version honestly.
ReplyDeleteGood reveal!
ReplyDeleteWow. Tina, thank you for the back story on George. How terribly sad. Never knew any of that stuff not being much of a fan. BW
ReplyDelete