Archive of Music Archives - DON SILVER, Author

Digital Download “Abide”

on January 10th, 2013 in Music by | Comments Off on Digital Download “Abide”

In the summer of 2012, my buddies and band mates from the 70s – Bob Miller, Mike Shaw, and Ben Wisch — decided to get together to record some new tunes.  I wrote Abide in June and we recorded it with Oliver Ignatius at Mama Coco’s Funky Kitchen in Brooklyn. On…

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Michael Tearson Interview: Part II

on November 24th, 2012 in Interviews by | Comments Off on Michael Tearson Interview: Part II

Unbeknownst to Michael Tearson, he discovered me. When I was thirteen years old, living in a Philadelphia suburb with parents whose musical adventures consisted of Harry Bellafonte and Barbara Streisand, I spent many long evenings listening to him. There were some really good DJs in Philly in the late 60s,…

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An Interview with Michael Tearson: One of the Great Late-Night FM Rock DJs from the 60s

on November 13th, 2012 in Interviews by | Comments Off on An Interview with Michael Tearson: One of the Great Late-Night FM Rock DJs from the 60s

Unbeknownst to Michael Tearson, he discovered me. When I was thirteen years old, living in a Philadelphia suburb with parents whose musical adventures consisted of Harry Bellafonte and Barbara Streisand, I spent many long evenings listening to him. There were some really good DJs in Philly in the late 60s,…

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Clive Cringes: Inclement Weather Ahead

on August 12th, 2012 in Music by | Comments Off on Clive Cringes: Inclement Weather Ahead

Aretha Franklin, “Through the Storm”     ”Clive’s Cringes,” by Hunter Pope, is an ongoing series examining Clive Davis’s more “interesting” signings  for Arista Records. Check out part one for a full explanation. Disclaimer: Aretha Franklin is the definitive queen of soul. Her voice still shines with gospel glory to this day. But,…

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A Talk with Julie Gold

on August 5th, 2012 in Interviews by | Comments Off on A Talk with Julie Gold

I first met Julie Gold in 1979. I’d been doing A&R for Arista Records for about a year and although we were on opposite sides of the desk, we were more alike than different: a couple of twenty-three year old music-loving kids from Philly trying to make it in New…

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Clive’s Cringes Act 3: Mr. Gorelick’s Opus

on July 30th, 2012 in Music by | Comments Off on Clive’s Cringes Act 3: Mr. Gorelick’s Opus

Kenny G.  ”Clive’s Cringes,” by Hunter Pope, is an ongoing series examining Clive Davis’s more “interesting” signings  for Arista Records. Check out part one for a full explanation. Kenny G. is the best selling instrumentalist of all time. More than Sonny Rollins. More than John Coltrane. More…than…(this is hard ) Charlie…Parker. His airy sound and contemporary…

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That Voice: Larry Hoppen and Orleans

on July 26th, 2012 in Clive: Working for the Man in the Age of Vinyl, Music by | Comments Off on That Voice: Larry Hoppen and Orleans

Until they showed up in our little office in early 1982, I hadn’t thought about Orleans since I’d seen them open for Jackson Browne in western Massachusetts in the early 70s. My partner, Michael Friedman, and I had quit our jobs at Arista Records to start our own production/publishing company….

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Clive Cringes Part Two: Ghosts Stole my New Drug

on July 23rd, 2012 in Music by | Comments Off on Clive Cringes Part Two: Ghosts Stole my New Drug

Ray Parker Jr.  “Clive’s Cringes” is an ongoing series examining Clive Davis’s more “interesting” signings  for Arista Records. Check out part one for a full explanation. Respect first:  Ray Parker Jr. is a legendary guitarist who owns past stints with Dizzy Gillespie and Barry White. The Detroit native was merely a teenager when he…

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Clive’s Cringes

on July 20th, 2012 in Music by | 1 Comment

Clive Davis could spot gold in a song. The Arista Records chief–whose tenure ran from 1975-2000–was responsible for signing huge acts like Air Supply, Annie Lennox, Aretha Franklin, and Ace of Base. His biggest discovery was the late Whitney Houston, who became one of the best selling artists in music history.   Bob Weir, of The Grateful…

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Bob Dylan, Painter

on July 19th, 2012 in Music, Reviews by | Comments Off on Bob Dylan, Painter

I just read a 2011 interview with Bob about a show of his paintings that went up in Europe somewhere.  For opinions of Dylan, the painter, I asked two of my painter buddies who agreed: As a painter, Dylan is a fine songwriter.  I’ve excerpted and commented on Bob’s answers,…

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