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A world that's becoming a lot smaller since the advent of the internet, and it was through this medium that I continued my relationship with Marty. In October of 1996 I was alerted to what has become known as "the Audities list", which is an internet email forum started by readers of the pop fanzine of the same name. It is a place for fans of pop music to post our thoughts and experiences with the music we really love. There are many lists and newsgroups similar to the Audities list, but there are none, at least within the parameters of pop music, that have so many subscribers of great intelligence, insight, knowledge of the subject matter, as well as such a great love and reverence or their brand of music. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the list is in its evolution, something that might make a worthwhile study or a sociologist. We started out as a small group trying to find our way, and have slowly but surely developed into a society of sorts, biding by implicit rules and mores. For example, if a list member were to offer his or her criticism of something another member has posted, it would be done with just the right amount of tact, thereby making the comments quite welcome, even serving to make our family stronger. Everyone of us can say exactly what we're thinking... One day early this year, we had been lamenting about the self-serving callousness of the music business, and how major labels had no real understanding of or interest in the hearts and minds of pop fans. Marty decided to take the bull by the horns and do something about it: he proposed the idea of list members contributing their own tracks to a compilation CD, a project that he would supervise. This would be a co-op in the true sense of the word, with each artist contributing to the project. Given the camaraderie we had developed, as well as the number of musicians who are subscribers, it's no surprise that the project has resulted in success. The disc that you're holding in your hand is the culmination of a quest to take back the control we've allowed the major labels to possess. Twenty-two tracks brimming not only with a passion for pop music but a quality level commensurate with such passion, as well as a wide variety of styles. From the relaxed tunefulness of The Mind Reels to the psychedelicized PVCings (well, you can't say "waxings" much anymore) of tHE mEsOmEoNeS to the melodic rootsiness of Blue Cartoon and the utter infectiousness of Mark Bacino, this disc is a pleasure from start to finish. This collection has also been graced with a contribution from Vox Pop, which is as close to a new Rubinoos track as we've heard in awhile and a song of such uncanny catchiness that, if people like us were running the record industry, would be #1 on the charts! If you're reading these liner notes while listening to this compilation, perhaps you'll even better understand the love and care that went into the project, as well as the true pop feel that can be generated only from such an endeavor. If you haven't purchased the CD yet, please do. Not only will you be treated to some fine music, but you can feel proud to be a part of a family of pop music lovers, as well as part of the essential sentiment that is "doing it your way". If enough of us make our voice heard, perhaps these and other artists like them will no longer be "Criminally Unsigned". David Bash |
In 1990 I attended the Beach Boys
Convention in San Diego, and while there I purchased a cassette that
looked very interesting. It
was by a
band called Mersey Beach, and the two songs on it were called
"Julie"
and "Some Summer". I ask you: could any self-respecting pop fan
avoid
the impulse to buy something that sounds as delectable as that?
Anyway,
I brought it home and played it, and was absolutely enthralled by its
combination
of homemade charm and deft Beach Boys-esque vocal arrangements (Maybe
the
next release by Mersey Beach should be called "Deft Jam"). I just had
to
contact someone associated with that project to see if there as more
where
that came from. The man I contacted was a co-writer of the tracks
named Carl Mindling, who turned out to be a really great guy. Of course
silly me didn't pay attention to who the other co-writer was: some guy
named Marty Rudnick, whom I've since come to know. As the
cliché
goes, and I was to learn, it's small world after all...