sketcher
4-10-04, 01:38 AM
If you're a nut liek me who finds records really, really, really interesting, then I suggest you read 45 RPM: The History, Heroes, and Villains of a Pop Music Revolution by Jim Dawson, Steve Propes.
I was amazed at how much the 45 influenced the music industry. And how the b-side which everyone seems to ignore (except me!) made the songwriters $40,000 for doing nothing (the b-side, not the songwriters...well, sometimes).
Back in the 50s, the performers weren't paid a cent for the record sales. Yup, even back then! It was the songwriters (the names in brackets underneath the title) who got paid. So most of the time, the names would be people who were owed money!
Phil Spector (didn't he recently commit murder?) always put his name on the b-side. In those days, the DJs would choose what to play and sometimes they'd play the b-side instead of the A-side if they like the B-side better. this ticked Phill Spector off because he'd lose money from promoting the A-side which was never played. So what did he do? He made sure the b-side was a terrible, terrible song that no one would play. And put his name as the songwriter and make $40,000 from it.
However, one of those songs was him moaning "tequila" over and over and one day, some band made a cover out it...
Elvis pretty much made the 45 skyrocket. When the 45 first came out (believe it or not, it was invented in the 1930s but came out in 1949), female teenagers were the most buyers so picture sleeves were invented to be used as pinups by the girls. Elvis always got a coloured picture sleeve (except for 'Hound Dog').
Now to go back on the 80s topic: according to this book, the 45 was used to supplement the sale of the album. By the 80s, people were buying albums (since the 60s) and the b-side of the 45s were used to generate more sales. That's why they usually had a remix, instrumental, or song not available on the album. They were for the hardcore fans! (side note: the Pet Shop Boys used the b-side to experiment musical styles and topics).
The 12" (as in, extended versions) was the one which lead to the demise of the 45. When disco came out, a guy (I forget his name) thought it was a shame that songs were only 3 minutes long. It was terrible for the dancefloor. So he thought of using the 12" LP to create a longer version of the songs on the 45s. He then figured out that songs sounded better and louder on 12" records played at 45 rpm. According to the book, when hiphop came into the mainstream (the 90s), they only used the 12" and not 45s because the 45 couldn't handle the music (something about the bass I think). Add the fact that the music industry forced people to buy CDs because it costed too much to promote a 45, we have the ailing music industry today where it can't sell much because no one wants to pay $20 for an album full of fillers. Will digital downloads be the next single?
I'm really sorry for the long post but as you can tell, once I get talking on records, I can't stop!
One more thing, 45s are 7" with about an inch of grooves for the music because beyond that, the music begins to distort. There is a reason why it's 45 rpms bu tI forget (and it's not because 78-33=45).
I was amazed at how much the 45 influenced the music industry. And how the b-side which everyone seems to ignore (except me!) made the songwriters $40,000 for doing nothing (the b-side, not the songwriters...well, sometimes).
Back in the 50s, the performers weren't paid a cent for the record sales. Yup, even back then! It was the songwriters (the names in brackets underneath the title) who got paid. So most of the time, the names would be people who were owed money!
Phil Spector (didn't he recently commit murder?) always put his name on the b-side. In those days, the DJs would choose what to play and sometimes they'd play the b-side instead of the A-side if they like the B-side better. this ticked Phill Spector off because he'd lose money from promoting the A-side which was never played. So what did he do? He made sure the b-side was a terrible, terrible song that no one would play. And put his name as the songwriter and make $40,000 from it.
However, one of those songs was him moaning "tequila" over and over and one day, some band made a cover out it...
Elvis pretty much made the 45 skyrocket. When the 45 first came out (believe it or not, it was invented in the 1930s but came out in 1949), female teenagers were the most buyers so picture sleeves were invented to be used as pinups by the girls. Elvis always got a coloured picture sleeve (except for 'Hound Dog').
Now to go back on the 80s topic: according to this book, the 45 was used to supplement the sale of the album. By the 80s, people were buying albums (since the 60s) and the b-side of the 45s were used to generate more sales. That's why they usually had a remix, instrumental, or song not available on the album. They were for the hardcore fans! (side note: the Pet Shop Boys used the b-side to experiment musical styles and topics).
The 12" (as in, extended versions) was the one which lead to the demise of the 45. When disco came out, a guy (I forget his name) thought it was a shame that songs were only 3 minutes long. It was terrible for the dancefloor. So he thought of using the 12" LP to create a longer version of the songs on the 45s. He then figured out that songs sounded better and louder on 12" records played at 45 rpm. According to the book, when hiphop came into the mainstream (the 90s), they only used the 12" and not 45s because the 45 couldn't handle the music (something about the bass I think). Add the fact that the music industry forced people to buy CDs because it costed too much to promote a 45, we have the ailing music industry today where it can't sell much because no one wants to pay $20 for an album full of fillers. Will digital downloads be the next single?
I'm really sorry for the long post but as you can tell, once I get talking on records, I can't stop!
One more thing, 45s are 7" with about an inch of grooves for the music because beyond that, the music begins to distort. There is a reason why it's 45 rpms bu tI forget (and it's not because 78-33=45).