Installment Vol.5 Page 3

It takes a whole lot of LUCK as well as mucho hard work, lots of money spent wisely, and the use of some brain-power to beat the odds. But as we have previously learned, a few record companies were starting to express interest in this new music. As we know, the “press” ALWAYS has a need to find something new to exploit. It’s in their interest. (If there’s a need, there’s a way). They were starting to beat the drums for this new creative force, and some record company executives were listening, and even starting to get excited. 1976 was not exactly the point of embarkation, so to speak, but it was the year when you could tell something different was happening in Rock and Roll. Something was beginning to take hold, to catch on. Patti Smith and the Ramones were the first to be signed by Arista Records and Sire Records respectively, and began to awaken the public. The band Television had a single put out “Little Johnny Jewel” by their manager Terry Ork, on, of course, “ Ork Records”. Terry was also soon to release a single by Richard Hell, “Blank Generation”. The band Television was in the process of being signed to a major label deal on Electra Records by Karen Berg, who later signed The Cars to Electra, and the B52's to Warner Bothers. Karen was one of the more astute A and R people in the recording business with the brains and instincts to sign exceptional artists who were out of the ordinary, and most of the time make it work both for the talent and the record label. Anyhow, some of the artists that were not being accepted as readily by the establishment were The Talking Heads, Blondie, The Shirts, Mink Deville, etc. There were many. I felt I had to bring attention to these bands.

The Ramones 

The Talking Heads

Mink Deville

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