Big Noise From Little Rhody

You would think the "Truth in Music Advertising Act" recently passed by the Rhode Island State House should have originated in New York or California, since most of the retired , decidedly over the hill performers affected by this landmark legislation live in those two states. However, the big question becomes - why is this bill so important?


Back when my generation was so obsessed with the Beatles that any kind of merchandise even vaguely suggesting the Fab Four was instantly devoured by legions of fans, an album came out called something like "Best of the Beatles" . Not only did the title allege that this particular piece of vinyl contained all their greatest hits, but also the price of the record was extremely reasonable (which should have been the first clue that something was rotten in Denmark). It was only when eager consumers actually looked at the record that they discovered the rip -off - the "Best" was actually the last name of the Beatles first drummer - so "Best of the Beatles" was a stroke of marketing genius, probably earning somebody a fast buck or two at the time, but now the record is listed the way it should be: "Pete Best: Best of the Beatles." However, truth in labelling when it comes to the recording industry is fleeting, as evidenced by a CD I bought a few years back that was jam packed with some of my favorite oldies, the cover emblazoned with the slogan "All The Original Hits". It was only when I started listening to it and discovered to my dismay that it did contain all the "original songs" - just not performed by the "original artists."


The act, which slipped through last week's dumpster diving for dollars in Providence - the result of an ever widening budgetary black hole - is a boon to the long suffering fan, since it mandates that what is loosely referred to as "the performing group" must have some artistic integrity. Specifically, the band has to include at least one person who is on a recording made by that particular group, or by the same token, have some kind of guaranteed right to the name. Sadly enough, this kind of restriction severely impacts the clubbing habits of baby boomers drawn to see a "legendary" band perform only to discover that the original members were six feet under.

The Rhode Island legislation was heavily influenced when Sha Na Na's "Bowzer" - Jon Baumann - lobbied for passage last February, stating at the time that groups like The Drifters, The Platters and the Coasters are constantly victimized by promoters and performers stealing their names. After all, how could so many state fairs, oldies clubs and other venues seemingly claim to have the same bands playing at the same time?


I think the only drawback is that this truth in oldies initiative will not be aggressively enforced, but is intended to provide pissed off audience members with the opportunity to file a complaint if they feel they've suffered an artistic rip off. The intimidation factor is the dominant force here, so the promoter out there somewhere getting ready to advertise a " Jimi Hendrix - Janis Joplin - Back From The Dead Concert" might think twice.


Unfortunately, and I do mean unfortunately, I was involved with enough nearly expired oldies acts in my short dalliance as a promoter to become totally disgusted with the entertainment business in general. Most of the acts with one or two original members have to rent extra tour buses to carry their egos; the agents talk down to you in advance, sensing that they are dealing with a "rube", warning that so and so has a reputation for not showing up, or that someone else has a wicked temper, or -most commonly - that so and so gets the souvenir revenues.


If this bill has any meaningful impact beyond the nation's smallest state, it may very well save us from a horrendous future, when Rolling Stones concerts happen simultaneously, featuring Mick Jagger's eighth cousin and Keith Richards' stepbrother appropriating the name, or Roger Daltrey's illegitimate son and Pete Towensend's ex-wife's stepbrother's cousin are the mainstays of The Who. As far as the performers are concerned, it really is a dead issue.