11 Comments

An impressive and enjoyable piece of writing, Chris! From an offhand comment by your sister to a well-devised and -conceived linear construction about a dilemma few had considered (I know I never had)!

I DO know I've not heard Vaughn Meader's name in what has to be decades, and I'm willing to wager I'm one of the very few (if any!) of your readers who was alive when he was at his zenith (I was 7 in '62). I recall him on some variety shows, and I'm sure "The Ed Sullivan Show" was one.

I remember vividly his album (and possibly his March '63 follow-up), as it was one of my dad's 20,000 LPs, and I not only overheard him playing it at times, but I recall it being a de rigueur record to pull out during my folks' dinner parties and pinochle game nights with friends!

I'm hoping our 'Stack friends will take a cue from you about inspiration (and a listening ear!) turning into glowing content!

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Thanks, Brad! The only reason I know who Vaughn Meader is is because Conan O'Brien mentioned him on one of his podcasts. Also, did your day really have 20,000 records!?

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I just love how your article grew from such an unplanned and easily-overlooked place....and, then, what you did with it. Again, may it be a lesson for all of us 'Stackers!

Yes, Daddy had discs! He and Mom met in the early-'50s at American U. in DC. He got a job at a Houston radio station (on-air...for longtime Houstonians, it was KTHT, which turned into KULF), which is what prompted their Houston wedding and my bro and my birth, mid-'50s.

He moved into ad sales at CBS-affiliate KTRH (AM news/talk) in the early-'60s, but started a popular weekly show, "...And All That Jazz," using his collection of 20,000 jazz LPs and 78s. He had custom cabinetry built, floor to ceiling and wall to wall in our den! It's a wonder my bro and I didn't contract PVC poisoning growing up!

He even card-catalogued his collection. He'd mark them with a number (I knew not his system!) in the upper-left-hand corner of the back cover, and a corresponding info card would be in a card file in the corner! Oh, it was a thing! But, to us, it was oh-so-normal! I managed to amass a collection of 2,000 LPs, which I sold on eBay late '90s/early '00s (90% white label promos), with "commons" being sold to used record stores.

(Parts of this story are somewhere thru my 'Stack stories, kinda in pieces) When I was in jr. hi (late '60s), Dad started bringing home promo albums, mostly from Warner Bros. In the mid-'60s, he'd bring me promo Beatles albums from the local Capitol rep (with the word "PROMO" stamped in little holes (like machine gun bullets) in the jacket's upper-right-hand corner.

When you drop the needle on much of my 'Stack content, it's because of promos either he brought me, or ones I was getting when I was in radio, mid-'70s, and working at record stores, late-'70s to early-'80s! My Bantams article is a good example: 1966 Warner Bros. Most US citizens never know that album existed. They weren't on the radio, but I had the promo (at age 11----the age of the band members!).

As I tell people I meet in person (and, generally speaking, of course): I heard records no one else did, simply because I had the promos, and "you" only heard what radio deigned to let you hear!

Back to you: Whenever you heard Conan mention Meader (either before or after your sister said what she said), you still had to make something happen with that info....it either flies away, or you grab it and use it, which is what takes it from useless minutiae and elevates it to inspiration. It's the threads and connections. THANKS FOR THE SPACE, Chris! I chatted a 21-year-old's ear off at the gym today (for half-an-hour), so I'm all wound up! He knew nothing about 20th century rock!!

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I have a copy of Meader's record; 10-20 years ago it was in dollar bins and garage sales everywhere. Common as dirt.

But what you're saying here is very important, and why I so vehemently oppose the idea of live musicians using "backing tracks" to make their songs sound like the record, even on their own music.

Live is, and should be, a distinct and separate experience from being at home with the headphones on. Each has its value; but those values are different. Trying to make one exactly like the other is a disservice to yourself and your listeners. They don't pay to see you doing karaoke.

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Exactly! David Byrne wrote a great book called How Music Works where he talks about how music's quality is dependent on where it is performed. We can't expect a song that works at a club to make sense when you're sitting at home on a Sunday afternoon. It's all situational.

Also, I was looking on Discogs and there are indeed a gazillion Vaughn Meader records for $1.

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That’s a great book.

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Artists, take note to what this post says. “They don’t pay to see you do karaoke.” Great line, Shaggy!

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I saw a documentary about Lynyrd Skynyrd and learned that Ronnie Van Zant insisted that the band perform the songs live just like they were recorded with no improvisation. It worked out well for them.

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On the other hand, you have the band "UK", which included several top English prog musicians; who had and then lost the legendary guitarist Allan Holdsworth because they wanted to make him play his solos "just like the record". That didn't work out so well.

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Why I love band like The Grateful Dead and Phish!

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Just found your ‘stack, and this piece is great! Some of my fav memories from live shows are when the artist takes an unexpected turn with a song, and the whole crowd gets to go along for the ride. In this age of rehearsed set lists, choreographed moves & master-word-clock-sync’d gear, it’s really rare on big shows, but always fun when it happens.

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