[net.music] Go-Go's/Pretenders

ebm@ucbingres.ARPA (Grady Toss) (08/09/85)

In article <182@epicen.UUCP> jbuck@epicen.UUCP (Joe Buck) writes:
> ... the Go-Go's were ... hardly the creation of the American music
> industry. In fact, they had to go to England to record a single with
> Stiff Records, a small punk/new wave label... After seeing how popular
> that single was on the college radios and new wave clubs... an American
> record company signed them.

It is my understanding that the real reason they got signed was the rave
reviews their managers were forging and sending back from England.  I think
that the Go-Go's are the perfect example of American record industry creation.
They were originally rather punky (Jane Draino -> Jane Wiedlen), and were
molded into some very sellable images created for them by The Industry.

> My true favorite is Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders. But if video
> had been big a couple of years earlier than it was, I don't know;
> maybe the Pretenders would have had trouble getting a major record
> contract.

I don't think the Pretenders had the easiest time in the world getting a
contract with one of the majors.  Their first indie sinngle ``The Wait'' c/w
``Stop Your Sobbing'' was out for a long time (maybe a year) before their
second single came out... it was some more time before the majors came
sniffing around.

> Joe Buck				|  Entropic Processing, Inc.

... gt