Most Surprising Album in Jerry Harrison's Production Discography

failed to keep the herd moving in one direction

or failed to herd the flock in one direction, sorry

Big interview with Jerry in the new TapeOp. Seems like a nice, thoughtful guy, too bad he seems to think sales are what make an album a success.

Intriguing. I will read that. I should note that Frantz's memoir and interviews DO seem to dwell a bit on how:

(a) Byrne habitually stole credit for communally written material.

(b) LOL it's ok because Tom Tom Club sold a lot of records. Also ha ha samples.

I haven't delved into Jerry's side of this. But I will admit that Chris is both morally right (dude, just because you're the frontman/singer doesn't mean you get all the credit) and factually right (Tom Tom Club DID sell an awful lot of records).

At the same time, they're all globally famous and pretty rich. There is a limit to how much I want to hear about them as victims, thxbye

I never know how rich musicians are in an era when streaming accounts for income. I guess Frantz + Weymouth saved their Heads dough and/or invested well?

I found the jus'-folks tone of Frantz's memoir often irritating tbh.

Royalties from "Genius of Love"? Production points on mediocre records that nonetheless sold well enough for the era, getting while the getting was good? Real estate?

Harrison is in a different category, given the list at the top of the thread. He must have made a mint from "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" alone.

jus'folks? OK, perhaps true overall but near the end of the memoir...

(SPOILER ALERT)

(SPOILER ALERT)

(SPOILER ALERT)

Chris is on a yachting vacation in the Caribbean with his loving family. and needs to temporarily jet away to attend rehab for cocaine. And everyone knows, and it's totally cool, because hey, stuff happens.

Let it be said that I have been personally enriched by these people. Their art has defined most of my life since May 1986. My eldest sister was graduating from high school. I was a freshman sitting in the bleachers. She'd lent me her cassette copy of "Little Creatures" and my Walkman sent forth the following words: "And she was lying in the grass." I was hooked forever. One of their songs is among my open-mic mandolin standards.

At the same time, I have never interrupted a Jamaican yachting vacation to charter a plane to go back to New York so that I could go to a cocaine rehab session.

YMMV, carry on

being a Belew fan I thought about trying to catch Harrison and his REmain in Light show when it comes back to the bay area, but watching some live videos I don't think it's for me. Belew and Harrison are fine, but the backup singers I can do without, and they have a bassist sing a fair number of the songs (and Harrison sings a lot, which I wasn't expecting).

I wonder if Jerry got a decent check for Virtual Reality in Ready Player One

Bill Bottrell's OST check for Send Me on My Way is probably much larger bit less noticed amongst the Michael Jackson deposits.

ommaway

Rusted Root Neologisms

Frantz seems like kind of a bitter guy

(a) Kinda, albeit in a genial way and (b) Can you blame him for a tinge of bitterness?

We as a borad continually dwell on stories about domineering frontpeople robbing credit from their alleged sidepeople. And we are often on the side of the sidepeople (cf. recent Police and Beatle discussions).

Frantz does dwell overmuch on it, yes. And it will be sad if he's 80 years old and still dissing Byrne in this sideways way.

But the dude has the germ of a point, yes?

I only blame him for shouting in an oscar the grouch voice "Who dat? Who dat? Now who dat tryin' to be bad? Your mother!" during an otherwise enjoyable performance.

I found the jus'-folks tone of Frantz's memoir often irritating tbh.

A lot of people fit that description, as YMP says, including one other guy…hey wait!

Byrne's solo catalog might be thoroughly mediocre, but he's released a dozen or so albums, a couple of them good, a couple great. And had plenty of other projects and collaborations and tours. And won an Oscar. And got nominated again this year. Even generously giving the scales a tip in favor of the first Tom Tom Club album, if Frantz had something to prove, he would have done so by now.

Regarding Jerry’s net worth, David Bowman’s mostly excellent but distractedly VERY anti-Weymouth opens with a description of him building a new home in Malibu.

Doesn't that book also say he earned "Monopoly Man money" from the albums he produced by Live (i.e. wheelbarrows of cash)?

Yeah I think Jerry and Chris and Tina have generally done fine, cashflow-wise. If there were a neglected Head who was languishing in poverty and waiting for some restitution, maybe that would feel like a severe injustice.

As it stands, I can safely regard any extant core Talking Heads acrimony as arguments among millionaires.

If I were going to get morally exercised about anything, it would be the external magicians who made the excellent Stop Making Sense-era "extended" band so fucking awesome. Let us now sing the praises of: Lynn Mabry, Ednah Hole, Steve Scales, Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir.

If THOSE people haven't been sufficiently remunerated and praised, imma fight someone. I feel like Chris and Tina and Jerry will be fine.

sorry Ednah Holt

Believe Bernie might have had bigger problems getting compensated for his P-Funk-related activities iirc.

I hope Bernie is doing fine, of course. Dude is solid.

That said, my guess is he won't be writing a book in 20 years stewing about how David Byrne hogged his credits 40 years ago or whatever.

I am generous with my advocacy and with my sympathies. I feel like Byrne's contributions to the culture have been adequately recognized. I am generally optimistic that his bandmates will be generally okay (despite some understandable prickliness). Until I hear otherwise I will optimistically assume that their collaborators and sidepersons have gotten, or will get, their due.

p.s. I think we can all agree that the expanded Heads lineup was among the greatest supergroups ever, and that their work will be eternal. I love minimalist punky early Heads too, but the expanded Heads sound is among my favorite things ever.

Let us imagine that malevolent aliens showed up and demanded a reason why they should not obliterate or planet. Let us further imagine that they want to see a representative cultural product that encapsulates the best we have to offer. I would probably play them an Ella and Louis record first, and Stop Making Sense second.

Tina and Chris will plaything aliens Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom

Will play for

Bernie Worrell died in 2016 my friends

At the same time, I have never interrupted a Jamaican yachting vacation to charter a plane to go back to New York so that I could go to a cocaine rehab session.

How Trump will begin his nomination speech in 2024.

Volo Volo by Poi Dog Pondering is a great album. Never realized JH produced it.

Too coherent. Xpost

My high school bandmate is playing percussion on this tour ... I'm inclined to see it for that reason. He said the first leg in the fall was a blast.

Isn't the bassist from Belew's band? She's great.

I had a friend who was in Poi Dog. Don't recall any JH stories, mostly the one about Nick Lowe buying them pints in a pub or him sleeping in and missing out on Prince's pancakes at Paisley Park.

Re: Worrell, oops, my bad. Sorry. RIP.

Oh yeah, I seem to remember something about Jerry telling them he wished that David B would put the band back together.

Isn't the bassist from Belew's band? She's great.

julie slick? she wasn't with the band in the videos I saw from the tour last year but I don't know about this time.

Yeah, she's in the band now.

I guarantee Bernie got fucked out of money by George Clinton