Post by TheWallsScreamedPoetry on Jan 8, 2012 15:16:11 GMT
“Follow the Music” by Jac Holzman.
This amazing book relates the rise of Elektra Records through the eyes of its creator Jac Holzman and those he entrusted with his vision.
Starting his own record company at the age of nineteen with a few dollars in his pocket Jac over the next twenty years built up one of America’s most important labels.
With an incredible eye for talent he saw the potential of folk artists such as Bob Dylan (whom he lost out to Columbia) rockers such as Love and The Doors blues men Paul Butterfield and John Koerner and singer songwriters Judy Collins, Harry Chapin and Carly Simon.
Surrounding himself with like minded and equally brilliant producers, engineers and executives of the calibre of Paul Rothchild, Steve Harris, David Anderle, John Haeny and Mark Abramson who helped turn Jac’s original concept into the most innovative American record label ever.
Always searching for new challenges he changed the face of classical music in America with his ground breaking ‘Nonesuch’ label and embraced country, jazz and blues with a passion unlike most of his contemporaries.
His use of folk samplers to allow his artists a chance to be discovered by a wider audience was inspired and led to many triumphs during his career with Elektra.
Even his failures were full of innovation such as the Paxton project overseen by the brilliant but quite insane Barry Friedman a.k.a ‘Frazier Mohawk’ whose attempt to bring singer songwriters such as Jackson Browne together in an atmosphere conducive to fostering their creative genius collapsed into chaos costing Elektra a fortune.
The Doors may have been Jac’s finest moment but an incredible array of artists owe a debt to this mans vision and determination for success.
He had the ability to talk to artists on an artistic level a fact that endeared him to many of his most famous signings including ‘The Lizard King’ himself, Jim Morrison, Holzman’s own son was a Doors fanatic.
Holzman was an engineering genius with a feel for music unlike any other record company executive and his natural ability to anticipate a hit on an album led to many chart topping excursions for Elektra. This was never better demonstrated than by his choice of ‘Amazing Grace’ from Judy Collins album ‘Whales & Nightingale’ which was the least obvious hit but became huge on its release. For The Doors he chose ‘Light My Fire’ and ‘Love Her Madly’.
His friendship with The Famous Charisma Labels’ equally visionary boss Tony Stratton-Smith led to English acts such as Genesis, Lindisfarne and Audience being introduced to the American record buying public.
The book deals with his travels across the world in search of inspiration and chronicles the many triumphs and tragedies along the road as he followed the music that he loved.
From the New York, Village Scene and the insanity that was LA to the genesis of recording behemoth WEA Jac’s story is fascinating in the extreme and rich in the mad characters that only the record business could ever conceive made even more crazy because they were real.
Alex Patton
Scorpywag Rating 10/10 miss this at your peril!
This amazing book relates the rise of Elektra Records through the eyes of its creator Jac Holzman and those he entrusted with his vision.
Starting his own record company at the age of nineteen with a few dollars in his pocket Jac over the next twenty years built up one of America’s most important labels.
With an incredible eye for talent he saw the potential of folk artists such as Bob Dylan (whom he lost out to Columbia) rockers such as Love and The Doors blues men Paul Butterfield and John Koerner and singer songwriters Judy Collins, Harry Chapin and Carly Simon.
Surrounding himself with like minded and equally brilliant producers, engineers and executives of the calibre of Paul Rothchild, Steve Harris, David Anderle, John Haeny and Mark Abramson who helped turn Jac’s original concept into the most innovative American record label ever.
Always searching for new challenges he changed the face of classical music in America with his ground breaking ‘Nonesuch’ label and embraced country, jazz and blues with a passion unlike most of his contemporaries.
His use of folk samplers to allow his artists a chance to be discovered by a wider audience was inspired and led to many triumphs during his career with Elektra.
Even his failures were full of innovation such as the Paxton project overseen by the brilliant but quite insane Barry Friedman a.k.a ‘Frazier Mohawk’ whose attempt to bring singer songwriters such as Jackson Browne together in an atmosphere conducive to fostering their creative genius collapsed into chaos costing Elektra a fortune.
The Doors may have been Jac’s finest moment but an incredible array of artists owe a debt to this mans vision and determination for success.
He had the ability to talk to artists on an artistic level a fact that endeared him to many of his most famous signings including ‘The Lizard King’ himself, Jim Morrison, Holzman’s own son was a Doors fanatic.
Holzman was an engineering genius with a feel for music unlike any other record company executive and his natural ability to anticipate a hit on an album led to many chart topping excursions for Elektra. This was never better demonstrated than by his choice of ‘Amazing Grace’ from Judy Collins album ‘Whales & Nightingale’ which was the least obvious hit but became huge on its release. For The Doors he chose ‘Light My Fire’ and ‘Love Her Madly’.
His friendship with The Famous Charisma Labels’ equally visionary boss Tony Stratton-Smith led to English acts such as Genesis, Lindisfarne and Audience being introduced to the American record buying public.
The book deals with his travels across the world in search of inspiration and chronicles the many triumphs and tragedies along the road as he followed the music that he loved.
From the New York, Village Scene and the insanity that was LA to the genesis of recording behemoth WEA Jac’s story is fascinating in the extreme and rich in the mad characters that only the record business could ever conceive made even more crazy because they were real.
Alex Patton
Scorpywag Rating 10/10 miss this at your peril!
