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Saturday, January 16, 2016

And then I woke up...

Something has been on my mind for a while now.  It deals with breakups and reunions.  I suppose this started when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced 5 of their inductees for 2016.  Of the 5, only Steve Miller is going in individually.  Albeit, this will be the first induction for Dr. Dre when the rap super group N.W.A. get inducted this year; Dr. Dre will likely go in on his own shortly after.  So that leaves us with three active bands that could reunite with past members.


Cheap Trick in its current incarnation (Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Pettersson and Dax Nielsen) are probably going to reunite with an original member (Bun E. Carlos).  Of course, this will not be easy; Carlos' interview with Rolling Stone magazine explains why.

Chicago will be for this one time reuniting with Peter Cetera.  Indeed, Mr. Cetera has been willing to initiate the summit.

Deep Purple is the clear uncertainty.  I am not sure if they will perform, and obviously Ritchie Blackmore is someone that will make sure bridges stay burned.

With that in mind, a similar hypothetical reunion is taking place at Coachella in April.  This is to go with the actual LCD Soundsystem reunion James Murphy has decided.  I am speaking of course on the purported Guns N Roses reunion.  For any GNR fan that is anxiously waiting for Axl Rose and Slash to be on the same stage in 23 years: do not hold your breath.  We will know it when we see it.

Like minded people come together when it appears joining forces will be most beneficial to create magic.  And there are times when someone decides to get involved with a budding or established project, hoping to improve upon the concept and add their input.  And yet, it only lasts for so long.

I think back to the era of the great american songbook; when Broadway was the place to be to hear new standards in song craft along with acting.  It was also the time when movie musicals were the highest form of entertainment for the masses.  It was an era of songwriting partnerships, buoyed by the likes of Rodgers and Hart along with Kern and Hammerstein.  The partnership of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart was one of the better songwriting tandems for some 24 years.  By all means, Rodgers' melodies and Hart's sophisticated lyricism were the standard for proper collaborative songwriting.  And yet, Lorenz Hart had some difficulties in his life: namely not freely revealing his sexuality and coupled with his chronic alcoholism.  Just before Hart died in 1943, the Rodgers and Hart partnership had ended due in no small part to Richard Rodgers no longer finding the nerve to put up with Lorenz Hart's increasing erratic behavior.  Sadly, the loss of the partnership and Hart's mother earlier in the year prompted Mr. Hart to go on a two day drinking binge which ended in his death on an operating table on November 22, 1943.

Though not having the same amount of years or even exclusivity, Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II were frequent collaborators for some 15 years.  By that point, Kern had the most impressive lyricist to work with and Hammerstein had the most interesting composer to be involved with.  That partnership ended at about the same time the Rodgers and Hart team disbanded, albeit Jerome Kern had other partnerships and interests to attend to. Thus in 1943, Oscar Hammerstein II became the lyricist for a project Richard Rodgers had started with Lorenz Hart but later needed to be changed.  The ensuing musical was Oklahoma.  For 17 years onward, Rodgers and Hammerstein held a partnership that eclipsed their other collaborations with other songwriters.  Several great musicals came from this tandem; not to mention a considerable amount of songs to add to the great songbook.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's partnership ended in 1960 when Hammerstein passed away from stomach cancer.  Throughout the remainder of his life, Richard Rodgers would collaborate with other noted lyricists.  And yet, while the songs were quite good, Rodgers never did reach the same heights as he did with Hart and Hammerstein.  Yet in a way, the fact that two well established and acclaimed songwriters teamed up and eclipsed their past partnerships was a better fit to combine their fine artistry.

I then think back to a band that formed in the late 1960's and were making inroads with an increasing popularity by the middle 1970's.  It was 1974-1975 and Genesis had completed a 2 LP concept album that is still considered their peak of creativity: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.  The making of the album was not an ideal setting to begin with, wrangling over the writing and creative process.  Yet in all fairness, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, like much of Genesis' output up till then, was pretty much Peter Gabriel's idea.  Indeed on The Lamb, Gabriel wrote the liner notes and story, wrote all lyrics except for one song which Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford wrote, wrote half of the title track with Banks, composed music for a few songs solely (namely The Carpet Crawlers), helped in producing the album and being credited with, along side singing, voices and flute "variations on the above and experiments with foreign sounds".  By that it meant, Peter Gabriel either overdubbed and/or played live every instrument and new soundscapes at any given point.

Starting around Thanksgiving and continuing through May 1975, Genesis went on tour with an elaborate stage show; which was fully functioning maybe 20% of all the shows.  They performed the whole album live and in sequence, buoyed by Gabriel's singing, costume changes and iconic stage presence.  This created a long simmering schism between Steve Hackett, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins on one end and Peter Gabriel on the other end.  That may not be entirely fair to say this: Gabriel and Hackett collaborated often enough and Banks, Rutherford and Gabriel began their music careers as schoolchildren.  And, despite what some may say, Gabriel and Collins were quite chummy with each other.  Still, the concerts and ensuing media attention focused on Peter Gabriel to the exclusion of the other Genesis members.  As well, a schism had emerged with respect to the band's approach of their songs and albums through 1975.  It still persists, with some of the Genesis members (namely Tony Banks) having clear reservations on the Lamb yet applauding everything else; while Peter Gabriel feels Supper's Ready and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (the whole album and tour) were the high watermarks of his Genesis years and not thinking as highly on the other songs and albums.

The tour ended in early May, and with that so did Peter Gabriel's tenure in Genesis.  Steve Hackett left in 1977 based on similar artistic differences approached regarding Wind And Wuthering.  In all honesty, the four man lineup and the three man lineup were more commercially rewarding and artistically interesting.  I happen to like all Genesis eras, including the Calling All Stations late 1990's period when Ray Wilson was in the band in place of Phil Collins.  Indeed, I think Genesis were able to last as long as they did due to averting a band implosion with Gabriel leaving when he did.  I also feel Steve Hackett was able to expand his horizons by leaving Genesis.

And then of course, there is Peter Gabriel.  It has been 41 years since Mr. Gabriel left Genesis, and not once has he felt the need to go back.  Indeed, since 1979, although it has been hinted at, Peter Gabriel when he performs live does not perform any Genesis song.  Honestly, he does not need to.  Peter Gabriel's influence and excellence has eclipsed the influence and excellence of Genesis, a feat that does not often happen.  Look at it this way: Peter Gabriel has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; with Genesis in 2010, and on his own in 2014.  He did not attend the Genesis induction, yet accepted and performed at his own induction four years later.  In fact, the presenter, Chris Martin, mentioned Genesis a lot more than Peter Gabriel did (once in his speech, in passing.)  And that is quite alright, in part because a reunion of the classic lineup of Genesis involving Gabriel has no chance of ever happening.

Even when there are reunions of the five, as can be seen in the documentary Sum Of The Parts; everyone is quite nice and all, yet Banks, Rutherford and Collins pretty much have no intention of willingly allowing Gabriel and Hackett to be the lead figures in detailing the history.  Heck, Steve Hackett's post Genesis work was completely overlooked in the documentary.  And it felt like the interviewees were going over Peter Gabriel's individual works only because they really had to.  I can remember watching it on Showtime and the obvious realization that the Genesis that made The Lamb have no intention of ever reuniting in full probably sunk in more than any other time.

Those are just two examples.  In the end for both examples, the breakup of one partnership signaled the beginning of more fruitful experiences with either other partnerships or more often finding greater rewards and artistic merit as individuals.  I can understand that as well.  Not long ago, I became involved with groups and organizations that came at the right time for my growth and experience.  It went all so very well; this included some really great days and events to remember.  Everything went into an orderly and functioning process that involved budding friendships and a sense that the partnerships would last .

And then I woke up...

When I did, then and now,  newer options came about.  And it became clear that the partnerships and groupings had ended.  Reluctantly or with hope, we realize that we must change partners yet again


Do not worry, fellow readers.  I am still here and still blogging; perhaps that long-awaited video and multimedia output for future essays and commentaries will happen.  What I mentioned is relative to a a community involvement that has run its course.  This weblog has not and will never run its course!

Talk to you all sooner than later,

Robert

PS.  The Oscar nominations were announced two days ago.  And yesterday, I saw The Revenant.  I will have a lot more to say on these matters shortly.


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