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Date Posted: 18:25:20 03/06/00 Mon
Author: MF
Author Host/IP: spider-tk081.proxy.aol.com / 152.163.206.211
Subject: Re: Burton's popularity
In reply to: Rette 's message, "Burton's popularity" on 14:41:44 03/06/00 Mon

Possibly because of poor mgt and poor decisions, in part being from the Great White North, in part because fame has little to do with being talented nor should it be equated with talent. Is Britney a tremendous talent because her records went multi-platinum? And to share an extreme analogy- when JS Bach died he was a respected regional church organist- a couple hundred years later many considered him the father of western music. I think in the highly disposible world of pop music, Burton's music will one day be considered as well-worth collecting and preserving.


> Said it before and I keep saying it--this man's music
> is REALLY good. Now I hope I don't say something wrong
> here or too controversial. I know he has many, many
> devoted fans. But why am I scrambling around trying
> to acquire oop cds and looking desperately forward to
> a tour that may or may not come off. In other words,
> (gulp! I'm really gonna say this!)
> since he's arguably (but who's arguing?) the most
> talented artist in pop/rock music, why isn't he even
> more famous? Is it because he's as famous as he wants
> to be (but fame means more people hear the music!) Is
> he too good? Is it karma? Would more people hear the
> music if he were from the US instead of Canada? Those
> of you who have followed BC from the beginning (I envy
> you!) please help me out. And I hope I haven't opened
> opened a can of worms.

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[> Re: Burton's popularity -- VfD, 18:39:58 03/06/00 Mon [1] (spider-tr083.proxy.aol.com/152.163.201.213)

This is a complicated subject. IMO, a lot of the problem harkens back to his Guess Who days with a record label (RCA) which didn't promote their records very well and tended to screw up when choosing singles, looking for hook-laden songs from a band which wasn't focussed on produced such. TGW would've been better served had RCA pushed the songs that best represented the groups strengths, "All Hashed Out", not "Follow Your Daughter Home".
Another problem, was that although TGW were strong in the midwestern US as well as Canada, to the east/west coast biased media, this was equivalent to the tree falling in the forest that noone hears.
As for the solo career, I'm mystified to this day that after "Stand Tall"'s strong showing, BC failed to get a follow-up (stateside, anyway), considering the other good songs on the debut LP. And how did "My Own Way To Rock" not take over the world? "Come On By" also had all the ingrediants (slightly naughty, overdrive guitar, Seger song) to be a smash.
Unfortunately, with the record industry, when you stop having hits, they've got you pegged as a has-been, yesterday's news (it's all downhill). New faces with new sounds are preferred over old faces no matter what they sound like all too often.
After that, I think BC's endurance may've waned (considering the treadmill he'd been on since the late 60's, it's hard to wonder). Had he continued touring, he probably could've maintained the kind of fan base which TGW enjoyed even when their record sales were not that impressive, yet enough to continue being distributed.
On one hand, I lament the "wasted" years where he wasn't directing his creative energies toward recording new songs, but perhaps even Burton Cummings is permitted to take a little time for living. Maybe all this inactivity has been our payback for all those 2 LP's a year days. I do think that must be evened out already by now.


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