Friday, November 20, 2009

Guaranteed Great Music!

I've written about my Record Store Daze B4, at my old website, but I didn't write much about the people I worked w/, Xcept in the most general sorta way. Not sure why, didn't think about them much.
But I've bn wanting 2 write more about my record store Xperiences (really my Dream Job), & 2nite was a pretty good nite at work, & I started thinkin about some of those folks & laffing, & I haven't Cn NE of them since 1982. So here goes. I figure if I laff, mayB U'll laff.
(& if, by the wildest chance, NE of these folks R out there in Netland somewhere, I hereby apologize 4 writing about U, tho I'm pretty sure there won't B NEthing lawsuit-worthy here (skip 2 next post....)).
We were all raving music fans, of course. Or as raving as it was possible 4 us 2 B in the sheltered environment of Boise, Idaho, in the late 1970s. I was told after I was hired at The Musicworks that co-owner Steve Breen was looking 4 some1 w/ cashiering & customer-svc Xperience (which I had), but was actually hoping 2 find some1 who WASN'T 2 much of a music fan.
So I guess he messed-up when he hired me. All I remember about my job-interview was him asking me 2 name the members of The Band, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, & Van Morrison's & Bruce Springsteen's backing bands. I got summa the names wrong (BAD case of nerves) & thot I was sunk. Imagine my suprise when they called me the next day & asked if I'd B willing 2 work 4 hrs/day 2 days/wk. I woulda worked all wk long w/o pay if they'd wanted!
It didn't take long 2 spot the movers & shakers. They say U can't judge people by their musical taste, but....
R Manager, Gary Apter, reminded me looks-wise of science-fiction writer Spider Robinson: A little shaggy, glasses, fun but serious. & if it was weird & British, Gary knew about it. He was an absolute Ncyclopedia of facts about off-the-wall British acts. He was the 1st person 2 point me toward Caravan. He also knew what sold well & steadily, what 2 keep in stock, & what older stuff would sell quick. He also memorized catalog-numbers of albums; he knew w/o pausing 2 think that Pink Floyd's DARK SIDE OF THE MOON was Harvest/Capitol album # 11163. That's an EZ 1 -- he could rattle off 100's more from memory, all U hadta do was ask him. I never heard him miss 1. Yrs of working in record stores in California & Idaho did this 2 him....
Assistant mgr & later mgr of her own store Robin Royball was a big British pop fan -- 10CC, ELO, Moody Blues, Roxy Music, Fleetwood Mac, Barclay James Harvest, Cliff Richard, etc. She didn't much care 4 a lotta the arty stuff I was in2 (tho she got me hooked on Kate Bush by tossing me a homemade cassette of Kate's collected works up thru 1980), but if it was even a little "pop" she could go w/ it. She also had a weakness 4 pretty boys -- she hadda pretty big thing 4 Cheap Trick & was madly in lust w/ Tom Petty.
Asst mgr Rick Delyea was a white Inner City Kid from Baltimore w/ a wild sense of humor. At 1 point he suggested that we in 99.9%-white Idaho should stock-up on some of the more esoteric works of Parliafunkadelicment & Hamilton Bohannon. He guaranteed they were both gonna B monsters. & mayB they were -- in Baltimore. Rick usedta walk in 2 work acting like an avg customer off the street & ask me "Yo, U got NE Bohannon?" His favrite greeting was: "What it is, what it was, what it B like? What it is being, what it was being, what it shall be being?"
The guy who trained me was named David (I've 4got10 his last name), & if it was British & "sensitive," he knew about it. He was the 1st guy I ever heard mention British bands like Spandau Ballet, Ultravox (SYSTEMS OF ROMANCE was his all-time fave album) & Gary Numan. David's constant playing of Numan & The Headboys (& The Rollers' great ELEVATOR) 4ced me 2 take copies of all those albums home.
When Robin got her own store, Loren Clements was her asst. mgr. Loren was pretty laid-back, but he was a big backer of new-wave stuff. Loren's the guy who played the 1st Cars album over & over & OVER in the store until I finally caved-in & admitted there might B more than 1 good song on the album ("Just What I Needed"). Why did it take me so long 2 hear that great triple-whammy finish, "Bye Bye Love"/"Moving in Stereo"/"All Mixed Up"? (Loren, I now have that 1st album on CD....) ((I owe Robin & Loren a LOT -- they got 2 work w/ me during my last yr at MW, during which I was NOT A Happy Guy....))
...& there were others. We went thru a LOT of people -- the record store was everybody's Dream Job, but the turnover was pretty high. Some folks went on 2 better things or didn't Cm 2 fit in. A couple got PO'd when paychecks started bouncing.
Brad Peterson Cmd 2 always B smiling & happy -- but he was also our in-house Collection Agency. Whenever somebody bounced a check on us, Brad would call them, then make jokes after he got off the phone about how he was gonna havta go break somebody's legs.... Brad liked pretty-much NEthing commercial -- big Journey & Starship fan (so was I, back then).
We had another Brad who mainly worked mornings & put on Squeeze's ARGYBARGY album every chance he got....
Spike Ericson looked JUST LIKE Dan Fogelberg & was cast as JC in a local stage production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. I don't remember Cing much of him after that....
Robb Campbell wasn't w/ the store 4 long after I was hired -- but if it was weird he knew about it. After he left MW, 1st he worked 4 a competing record store across town, then he hit the air as a DJ on the local area's 1st college radio station, KBSU-FM at Boise State University. Robb took his musical tastes w/ him -- tho he loved new wave stuff 2 (Fischer-Z, Flash and the Pan), listening 2 Robb on-air was the only time I've ever heard King Crimson's "Starless," Barclay James Harvest's "Spirit on the Water" & Steeleye Span's "Allison Gross" on the radio. & I bot all 3 albums after I heard those songs....
Robin Reineke was kinda big & pretty nice, & I guess she kinda sorta hadda crush on me. Which I Was Not Ready 4. + I was w/ some1 else at the time.... (I'm sorry, Robin....)
Sue Nelson, along w/ her friend & non-Mployee Sue Sword, were the 2 biggest Who fans ever -- at the time I was convinced they knew more about The 'Oo than NE1 xcept the band themselves. Obscure trax? They knew about 'em. Outtakes? Got 'em. Bootlegs? Well.... We tried 2 convince Sue Nelson that there was more 2 music than Pete, Roger, John & Keith, but she rightly countered that after starting w/ them, what else did she needta hear?
A rather large, chunky guy w/ a gruff sorta voice earned the nickname "Wall of Voodoo" -- probly Bcos he was the only person we knew who bot the 1st album by the band that later sang "Mexican Radio." The Wall was an absolute heavy-metal FANATIC. If it was loud, he knew about it. & he'd tell U XACTLY what he thot. Which made him a key member of R team, cos most of us didn't know R heavy metal that well. A normal Ncounter w/ The Wall would go something like this:
"Hey, Wall, is the new AC/DC NE good?"
"It's fuckin' GREAT, man!"
What else did U needta know?
& if he wasn't around, we'd pass on his recommendations:
"How 'bout these Iron Maiden guys?"
"The Wall raves about 'em."
Def Leppard? Ask The Wall. Judas Priest? The Wall approves. Scorpions? AbsaFuckin'lutely. Van Halen? U betcha. Black Sabbath? Well, they were better when Ozzy was with em....
We were ALL BIG music fans. There were no putdowns of other people's tastes (Mgr Robin 4bade me 2 tell customers that the Cars' album PANORAMA sucked -- she suggested I say "If U like them, U'll like it...."), tho we all liked 2 play "Stump The Band" & trivia games w/ each other while working.
We all hated The Knack, we all loved Blondie, most of us thot The Ramones were great (some of my co-workers got a chance 2 go C The Ramones 4 FREE when they played Boise, & I PASSED?! But I took-up the offer of free Blue Oyster Cult tickets....), & most of us were sucked-in by Punk or New Wave.
Including me. I'd bn strictly a non-radio prog-rock guy B4 starting at The Musicworks -- played Caravan in my car tape-player & screamed along w/ it 2 & from work. But after starting at the record store I quickly bot & took home Shoes, The Records, The Police, The Pretenders, U2, Squeeze, Split Enz, The Headboys, Gary Numan & many others. Course I kept buying my fave weird stuff 2: Sky, Moodies, Group 87, Steve Tibbetts, Pat Metheny....
It was my Dream Job, at age 19. & I'd still B there if my paychecks hadn't started bouncing. Course awhile after that, the shops closed up. & I went on 2 more Dream Jobs later, & they went on 4 20 yrs....
(Oh, U're wondering about this post's title? "Guaranteed Great Music" was a deal The Musicworks offered when a record company really wanted 2 push a new artist -- we'd sell their album 4 $4.44, even $3.99 sometimes. A pretty good deal back then, when albums were selling 4 $5.99 2 $6.99. I only remember the deal Bing offered a few x -- w/ Judie Tzuke & Red Rider & Duncan Browne, & even The Knack 4 the 1st couple wks of their 1st album's release, B4 it caught-on & sold a coupla million copies....)

10 comments:

Clem said...

I still listen to the Cars first album everyday whether I want to or not.

Clem said...

That's pretty funny that I ran into your blog, Tad. You pretty much got everyone's personality correct from what I remember.

TAD said...

LC old buddy, is that really you? That's freakin' awesome! Sorry I was such a self-involved asshole back when you knew me. I'm a LITTLE better now....
Thanx 4 visiting, & drop in anytime....

Clem said...

Yep it's me. I was sitting at work one day and wondered about Robin Royball(who knows why) and so I googled (Cyberstalked) her and up she came on your blog. And there I was too.

Anonymous said...

Hi Tad, just left you a post on your facebook page.
So much Musicworks history! Your memory is much better than mine!

Robin Vankleek (yes, I married Scott)

TAD said...

Wow! Hi, Robin -- Welcome aboard. It's a real surprise to hear from you after all these years, just as it was a shock to hear from Loren. And if you bought my e-book GUARANTEED GREAT MUSIC! for Kindle, you'll find out there's a lot more about the record store in there, and about what else I was going through back in those days ... and about what an IDIOT I was, for which I now apologize....

Anonymous said...

Tracy,
Wow, all the memories come flooding back. These were definitely the best times of my life. I'm so glad to read that you're doing well. Thanks again for documenting the great times.
David Irwin

TAD said...

WOW, Hi David! Thanks for visiting! It's getting to be like Old Home Week around here.... Oh, and I write in Real English on this blog now....

Anonymous said...

Tracy,
I hope I never did criticize your writing, if so I apologize. I admit I was quite a jerk back then. I think I was probably jealous of your artist bio's that you wrote. Keep on writing you're doing a fantastic job.
David I.

TAD said...

Jeez David, I never thought you were a jerk at all -- I'M SURE I WAS a lot, maybe still am.
If you want to see what kind of jerk I am now, I wrote an e-book about The Musicworks, it's also called GUARANTEED GREAT MUSIC! You can find it for $2.99 at Amazon.com's Kindle Store. Robin Royball wasn't very happy with it....