One should never kill a good story with the truth. Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson is credited for: "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side." A quote should be to the point. This particular quote meets the criteria of being to the point. However, Hunter S. Thompson never said or wrote this. Nevertheless, it has been quoted by hundreds of reputable sources. David Emery, an internet folklore expert and debunker of urban legends, hoaxes, and popular misconceptions researched the origin. The actual quote, which Emery found in Thompson’s Generation of Swine: Tales of Shame and Degradation (New York: Summit Books, 1988), and which was originally published in Thompson’s San Francisco Examiner column on November 4, 1985, goes like this: "The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason." Clearly, it isn't about the music industry. There are many similarities ("cruel and shallow money trench"... "a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs"), but the added sentence "There’s also a negative side." is made up to make a perfect quote even better. When my initial disappointment over the quote subsided, I began to think about why, when, how and by whom the quote was altered. A good story is hard to kill. And, the music business is a cruel and shallow money trench. That's why the misquote resonates with so many people.

In some cultures, seniority is associated with more knowledge, experience and need for special treatment derived thereof. In short, you're valued in society. In other cultures, seniority is not highly esteemed. It's more like, please die (or at least retire or get lost). Seniority is also applicable in working life. Seniority is a privileged rank based on your continuous employment with a company. In a seniority-based system, people who stay at the same company for long periods of time are rewarded for their loyalty. The reward could be formal or informal. Salary, title and office space (or placement) are all formal rewards. Not having to perform the same tasks as more newly employed (despite the fact that you are on the same hierarchical level), getting cushy assignments or blending in with the background when a job needs a steady hand are examples of informal rewards. When I entered the working life after university it was clear to me that I was at the bottom of the ladder. Moreover, there were a couple of senior colleagues that where happy to help me understand. Their old master suppression techniques were subtle but effective. An equally senior and bitter colleague told me that you were nobody until you have received your first complaint to the Parliamentary Ombudsmen (JO). The Ombudsmen could make an inquiry if something or someone had been treated wrongly or unjustly by a public authority or an official employed by the civil service or local government. I had not received a complaint, so I was nobody. Of course, this was a rationalization and justification for poor professional performance from a dying breed. You are not missed. Well, there's bad and there's good seniority. I've navigated through the working life without any major disaster. Nowadays, there's no organizational slack or rewards in public administration. Salary scales are replaced by individual salaries, titles have been abolished or lost their former glory and offices (rooms) have been replaced by activity-based workplaces (ABW). And every employee must pull their weight on the workplace. In fact, there's only one reward left, respect. How do we gain respect? Less is more. Less management set phrases, motivational speakers, sticky note exercises and beehive discussion groups would be respectful. And a true senior privilege to be able to avoid.      

Whip-crack drums peaked in the 1980s. It hasn’t aged well. To be honest, it sounded awful already at the time. There is no clear and agreed definition of "whip-crack drums", but there are some common denominators. First, there should be a big bang - a powerful and distinct drumbeat. Primarly, using the bass (or kick) drum. This was often enhanced with harder drum beaters. In some cases a coin was taped to the beater for a sharper clicking sound. Of course, this was achieved at the expense of the base, tone and warmth of the bass drum. Second, the rack and floor toms were repeatedly and severely battered and beaten. Bang the drum! Third, the use of reverb - an electronically produced echo effect. The ideal soundscape in the 1980s was a snare drum that sounded "big" (as in BIG). In hindsight, not seldom this led to unintentionally comical and vulgar results. The "gated reverb", a powerful reverb that quickly disappeared instead of slowly fade away became very popular. The "gated reverb" was first introduced by Phil Collins (so much to answer for) on "In the Air Tonight" (pay attention to the drum break 3,15 minutes into the song). The impact of "gated reverb" cannot be overstated. It gave the drums a "larger-than-life" sound and is the most obvious marker for drums in the 1980s. To summarize, at all stages; playing, tuning, microphone placement and mixing - a powerful and distinct drumbeat was desired. In my opinion, there are a couple of albums that were damaged more than others by "whip-crack drums"; "Let’s Dance" (David Bowie), "Brothers in Arms" (Dire Straits) and last but not least "Born in the USA" (Bruce Springsteen). British philosopher Alison Stone hit the head of the nail in her book “The Value of Popular Music - An Approach from Post-Kantian Aesthetics”: "Because the snare-drum is smaller than the bass-drum its sounds have higher frequencies (although no precise pitch) and therefore stand out more, so that the snare’s whip-crack sound cuts through the texture more audibly than the duller thud of the bass-drum. The prominence of the snare-drum can be increased further by other means, such as its being struck more forcibly, mixed louder, treated electronically, recorded with echo, or a combination of these. For example, Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the USA’ emphasises the snare drum beats so heavily that they sound like explosions." Could previous big (as in BIG) mistakes be corrected? Yes, all hideous "whip-crack" albums should be recalled and then re-recorded with normal drums. The liberated albums could get a sticker attached to them "This album was recorded without "whip-crack" drums". A lot of albums from the 1980s would benefit greatly from this cleansing procedure. It's not to late.

 

Some albums hit you in solar plexus from the very first note. Why? It's all about authenticity. When you play an original album you hear what the artist intended to put out. Compilation albums seldom have that effect. There is no rule without an exception. I recently stumbled across "Ballads and Songs from the Appalachians" by Hedy West, three classic LPs for the Topic label reissued in a two CD package. The 2-cd was released on british label Fellside Recordings and topped the 2011 Folk Roots critics poll in the reissues of the year category. The album contains no less than 41 songs. It's hard to choose one song over another as everything here is of a very high standard. However, "Fair Rosamund", "Barbara Allen", "The Wife Of Usher's Well", "The House Carpenter", "Pretty Saro", "Little Matty Groves", "The Unquiet Grave", "The Sheffield Apprentice", "Little Sadie" and "The Cruel Mother" stand out. Everything is here; from child ballads, broadsides, religious songs to murder ballads. They depict hard times and unimaginable struggle. Hedy West was born in 1938 in Cartersville, in the poor and rural Georgia, and is regarded as a prominent artist of the 60s folk revival. She died in 2005, but her musical legacy lives on. She had a no-nonsense vocal style combined with stripped-to-the bone banjo playing. Hedy West pass the test of authenticity. Uncontrived, unfeigned and unspoiled to the end. 

Slackeye Slim is back. Not a day to soon. In fact, it's been over eight years since "Giving My Bones to the Western Lands" was released. The preorder of his new album "Scorched Earth, Black Heart" will open April 10th. Slackeye Slim posted this on his website: "I've been working with Gotta Groove Records on nailing down a solid release date, and we finally got one! June 23, 2023 is the day. By this date I will have the limited edition vinyl and cassettes ready to ship out. Preorders for the limited edition packages will open on April 10, and when you preorder you'll get an instant download of the full album before the official release date! Sorry, no preorder for digital. This offer is only valid while supplies last, and it won't be available for long. We're only making 100 records and 50 cassettes, so don't wait or you might miss out. Preorders will be exclusively available at slackeyeslim.bandcamp.com." No cds at all. I will have to settle with lossless digital (24 BIT/24 KHZ WAV high-resolution source audio). I don't know anything about the album more than it's a concept album written from the perspective of a circular firing squad. This sounds promising. I'm pretty sure it will meet my high expectations.