The Georgia Satellites

The Georgia Satellites
Mauro Magellan, Rick Price, Rick Richards, Dan Baird
photo: Gwendolen Cates

By the mid-80s, NYC's New Music Seminar and Austin's South By Southwest were reasonably successful music biz conventions dedicated (mostly) to showcasing loads of 'fresh', new talent to record labels' a&r departments too lazy to scout the clubs every night. Since Nashville was 'Music City', after all, it decided to get in on the act and position itself as a viable source for 'alternative' acts, too - alternative to country, at least. So I went to have a look and found myself traipsing between 4 or 5 clubs checking out a dozen artists - give or take - over a couple of nights. Kevin Patrick was also there and both of us felt we'd have done far better just sittin' in Tootsie's Orchid Lounge drinking Jack listening to someone murder Mickey Newbury, which I experienced once. I didn't know whether to cheer, cry or commit grievous bodily harm. Still, an up-&-coming attorney in town, Jim Zumwalt, managed to talk us into taking a meeting at the offices of Praxis Management where Andy McLenon and Jack Emerson played us some tracks by a 'new' band from Atlanta, the Georgia Satellites. As we listened, both of us kept our true feelings to ourselves, but it was clear this was the best thing we'd heard in quite a while, let alone the last couple of days. Jack and Andy were good people, huge fans of good music and also managed Jason & The Scorchers so the meeting was very positive and we left with a 4 or 5 song tape, thinking we could easily work with these guys. Might even be fun. The tape - which we later discovered were demos released in the UK on Yorkshire indy, Making Waves as 'Keep The Faith' - showed a band, influenced by the Stones and the Faces, performing some decent songs very well indeed. They had a distinctive sound and a tried and tested style that worked for us, despite (or because of) its lack of originality. Every time Kevin and I played the tape, it made us feel good and sometimes ya gotta do something because it just feels right. Besides, trying to do something different all the time made the Monday morning VP meetings with the promo and marketing departments just a little tense sometimes. Mostly, they weren't really interested in trying to move music forward, they just wanted to get it played. Album radio in America is, with a few exceptions, conservative and boring. When I delivered the first 10,000 Maniacs album, someone high up in the promo dept. told me, "don't give us this hippy shit, give us more stuff like Dokken and Mötley Crüe". So this should be no problem, then...

I asked Kevin if he'd check the Sats out 'live' and a couple of weeks later, he told me 'they were basically a tremendous bar band who could do solid Savoy Brown-type business in the midwest, where radio - and its audience - couldn't give a crap about much of the, uh, modern stuff we (and a couple of labels) were trying to push. He suggested I see them as soon as possible. It would be a lot easier to get Bob Krasnow's approval if we both wanted this one. I think the show I saw was at a club in Atlanta called Hedgens and I remember it was really loud and they ROCKED the joint. Apparently, they were the 'house band' there. They were utterly fantastic, and I felt I was in some glorious time warp where the likes of the whingeing REM or the puffed-up U2 didn't exist. I came home thinking Kevin and I should do this one together. He'd been at Elektra maybe a year and was working with a Marietta, GA band, Guadalcanal Diary, so it made sense economically.Not that that really made much difference in those heady, extravagant, expensed days. Elektra (now Elektra Entertainment, no longer Elektra Records) was on the verge of a new phase but apart from Howard Jones, Shalamar, Motley Crüe, the Cars, Teddy Pendergrass and the odd one-off (Peter Schilling) it still relied largely on the Eagles and the Doors to make its numbers, so when the band and management chose us over Patrick Clifford at Epic Records - the only other company interested - it felt like, finally, Elektra was back in the game. Due to some previous commitment, the band wound up with Jeff Glixman (Kansas! Paul Stanley!!) in the producer's chair (he'd done the 'demo' and was probably owed the album if a deal was secured) and he delivered an album that, despite the monstrous 80s drum sound, sounds as fantastic today as it did blaring from my office at the time, much to the bemusement of the international department, who had to slam their door to get some work done, or just come in, relax, grab a beer from the fridge.
It's weird to think about it now, but I remember there was much discussion as to what should be the first single. Should we appease rock radio and go with Railroad Steel? What about the hooky Battleship Chains? In the end, head of promotion, Mike Bone, insisted it should be 'Keep Your Hands To Yourself' and suddenly the Satellites were all over the place, playing 5 different clubs in one week in New York City, with a 'breakthrough' video on MTV, an MTV New Year's show appearance, a tour with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, a ton of European dates including the Montreux 'Jazz' Festival, the Reading Festival ('87) and practically single-handedly bringing rock&roll back to the airwaves. 'Keep Your Hands...' wound up at #2 on the Billboard pop charts and the follow-up, the fantastic 'Battleship Chains', did pretty well for them as well, especially in Europe.

The Georgia Satellites
w/Joey Ramone, ht, Kevin Patrick, Lisa Levine, WCMF's Candi Clarke & Roger McCall, Monte Melnick
Manhattan Center, NYC, 12/31/86
photo: Corinne Atias

In Dan Baird, the Satellites had a tremendous singer, a fierce guitarist and songwriter whose knack for a lick, a hook and a clever couplet filled their albums with rock & roll classics you could dance to, bang your head at and grin with. His sense of humour was never so prevalent as in 'Mon Cheri' when he sings
Well I introduced myself and I said "Nice night for a walk"
But I couldn't understand a thing she said when she talked
And I said "Honey, let's get something straight between you and me"
Well that's when she sat herself down over on a park bench
And her skirt rode up and I could see she was French
And my heart said "toujours l'amour avec mon amie"

Chuck Berry couldn't have said it better. When he could be bothered, guitarist Rick Richards penned some terrific rockers too. Here, rock 'n' roll itself is personified in another Mr. Richards, and his 'Can't Stand The Pain' shows what a great a slide player he is. 'Hand To Mouth' is a killer tune and when Rick came over, excellent times were had, if you get my drift. I tried to get him to write more, but Rick moves at his own pace. The band's cover choices - Ringo's 'Don't Pass Me By' (they didn't feel they could do justice to Lennon/ McCartney, so it fell to Ringo and it was between Octopus's Garden or this, so...) the Velvet's 'Waiting For The Man', Joe South's 'Games People Play', Eddie Cochran's 'Somethin' Else', Chuck's 'Let It Rock', Chan Romero's 'Hippy Hippy Shake', Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood's 'Every Picture Tells A Story', Jerry Lee's 'Whole Lotta Shakin'' and the Jimmy Gray-penned George Jones hit, 'The Race Is On' display a righteous sensibility and the fact that these guys lived to 'play' made this particular signing a solid favourite. There's really nothing like a musician who just wants to play. Furthermore, the band's success was a big "f*** y'all" to those who said we'd never get music like this on the radio again. And there were MANY.

invite to 'platinum' party
courtesy: Kevin Patrick

So props to Bone and his team for doing such a great job and getting some decent music back on the radio. The second album, 'Open All Night' had Ian McLagan guest on it and the band were really stoked about that. During a mix playback, however, I remember mentioning the colossal, processed drum sound was way too over the top and this caused a big stink. Relations got strained for a while. Glixman got all sulky and I was forced to back down. I should have fired him. Then those first two records could have been timeless.

These days, Dan releases solo albums and tours with NoFoSo faves the Yayhoos. Drummer Mauro Magellan records occasionally with Dan, plays locally with Wisconsin's the Crashers and has a successful career illustrating books. When Rick Richards isn't out with Izzy Stradlin's JuJu Hounds, he and bassist Rick Price play as the Satellites with Todd Johnston in the drum stool. Nearly 24 years later, I'm happy to say all four guys still play music for people and that makes me feel good.

Dan Baird, Rick Richards
Ardent Studios, Memphis '89

Slideshow here:

So Many Records, So Little Time

Kevin Patrick, Joey Ramone
23rd St, NYC, '85-ish

Check out Kevin Patrick's 'So Many Records, So Little Time' blog, if you have a vinyl fetish.

Joey

Last week, Kevin P and I went to pay our respects at Joey Ramone's grave in East Rutherford, NJ. As we were leaving, The Ramones' version of 'Time Has Come Today' came on the (satellite) radio. Reminded me of the day Joey called me at Almo Sounds. We talked about the MC5 film that I was trying to help get made at the time. I wanted to show him a trailer and we fixed a time for me to come over to his apt on 9th St. He told me he was writing a new song called 'Maria Bartiromo' and asked if I wanted to help him out with it. I said 'sure', but never followed through. There aren't many things I regret about my career in the music business. Not having the guts to sign the Sex Pistols is one. Not writing a song with Joey Ramone is another. What the hell was I thinking? I should have cabbed it to his place immediately. In the end, he didn't need me. The song appeared on his solo album 'Don't Worry About Me', and is one of his best.
Eventually, Kevin and I came back to the city, had a couple of drinks and went to see 'Shine A Light' at the IMAX theater on Broadway at 68th St. Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera steal the show. Jeez.

Joey
Coney Island High, NYC, '98

"Hey Mr. DJ"

In the early 70s, I used to frequent places like the Roundhouse, the Marquee and the Lyceum. These venues would hire a dj to spin records while audiences would wait for the main attraction. I remember being profoundly affected by certain tracks these guys would play and after a while, seeing Jeff Dexter or Andy Dunkley’s names listed in the ads meant it was worth getting to the show early, as they would often play stuff that you'd never hear anywhere else. Dunkley - or as he's sometimes known, The Human Jukebox - once played 'Only You Know And I Know' and it took me nearly 5 years to discover that it was Dave Mason who’d recorded it. It wasn't until I checked a Dave Mason “best of” test-pressing at Island Records that I recognized that distinctive lick and best of all, I now didn't have to buy it! Andy also 'introduced' me to Tom Rush, The Ventures, Caravan, The Soft Machine and Miles Davis, amongst many others. Andy found himself in New York for a while DJ-ing at all the Irving Plaza shows. He (along with John Stainze, Frank Gallagher, Peter Leak and I) was a founding member of the Curry Club, an every Tuesday night gathering at 6th Street's Good Karma restaurant. The rules were simple. You couldn't be American, female or a div. You had to tell a joke and bring 2 litres of Suntory Japanese beer. First timers had to pick up the bill.

Andy Dunkley, John Stainze
Austin, late 80s

When Jeff Dexter played 'He’s Gonna Step On You Again' by John Kongos at the Roundhouse, he announced that it “sounded like 400 freaks locked in a studio” and I couldn’t wait to get hold of a copy. It turns out, a few weeks later, Gus Dudgeon would produce its follow-up, 'Tokoloshe Man' at Trident Studios and I got to watch that single get mixed. Years later, when Elektra celebrated its 40th anniversary, I invited Happy Mondays to cover 'He’s Gonna Step On You Again'. Kongos had been released on Elektra in the US and we’d asked the current roster to pay tribute to Elektra’s history by covering its 'classics' for a double cd, which ended up being called 'Rubaiyat'. Good idea, BAD title. Because their version turned out so well, Factory Record's Tony Wilson held it back so he could release it as a single in the UK and 'Step On' became their biggest hit. This forced us to find an alternative and in the end, we made-do with a questionable version of 'Tokoloshe Man' instead. 'Step On' was a massive club hit for us (thanks partly to a Brit dj in NYC clubland called DB) and it did well on the alternative charts here, also. To return to Jeff D for a moment, I remember him coming to Trident with his pal and colleague, Ian Samwell, where they produced their latest discovery, America, who subsequently hit it big with 'A Horse With No Name'. In 1958, Ian Samwell had written and played on the excellent 'Move It', originally recorded as a b-side for Cliff Richard's first single, but flipped on Jack Good's advice to become a huge hit and arguably Britain's first, great rock & roll single. 'Sammy' had also produced and written the lyrics to 'Watcha Gonna Do About It', the Small Faces' fantastic debut single ('65), so he's clearly the business, too. When I was doing some research for the 'MC5 * A True Testimonial' film, Jeff was enormously helpful in naming and locating some of the 'players' around the underground scene in the UK when the band played there and recently, he tipped me to Pete Frame's marvelous book about the birth of skiffle and the beginning of the UK rock & roll scene in 50's London, 'The Restless Generation'. I've plugged it before and I'll do it again. It's one of the most enjoyable books - on any subject, including smut - I've ever read.

John Peel would drag some of his collection around the country opening and closing for bands - sometimes he was the main attraction - but his radio shows on (pirate) Radio London and the BBC throughout the years were always essential listening. As an a&r person, I'd use John's show as a resource for new, up-and-coming, bands/artists and would always want the bands I worked with to record 'John Peel Sessions' at the BBC studios in Maida Vale. I had one of those 'pull-over-and-park' moments when I was driving home from Dingwalls one night. He was playing 'O Superman' by Laurie Anderson...something so foreign, so beguiling, so extraordinary that I just had to stop everything and listen, have a bit of a think, you know, take stock.

Fan letters would sometimes arrive at Island Records, mostly for Roxy Music, Bad Company or Bob Marley. The receptionists would open them and we'd have a good laugh at some of the polaroids that were sent to Robert Palmer. In Oct '76, an envelope bearing the logo of an American radio station landed on my desk. It was addressed to Eddie & The Hot Rods but instead of forwarding it to Sheila Martian (their fan club secretary) I opened it. This was the first time anyone from the U.S. had written to the band, (their 3rd release, 'Live At The Marquee' e.p. had just come out in England). At the time, I was very naïve about the States and had no idea how many radio stations there could be in any one town, let alone the country, as we in London only had 2 (the BBC's Radio One and Capital Radio, launched in '73) that were devoted to “pop” music. Naturally, I thought if I sent this dj a few singles, we’d end up gaining some interest for our artists in America, so I sent Kevin Patrick a bunch of 45s and some publicity pics and it wasn’t long before he was sending me all the cool, new US singles (like Little Johnny Jewel by Television and 45s by Blondie, The Ramones, the Talking Heads etc). I'd send him the Sex Pistols, the Stranglers, the Damned, the Buzzcocks, The Jam and all the Island and Stiff records on the days of their release and he'd often be the first DJ in the States to get them on the air. Later I found out his station - WITR - was a college station, but that didn’t matter to me as we were trading 25-count boxes of 45s by this time and significantly improving our collections! Kevin turned out to be a very dear friend and we’ve had many good times together, both professionally and socially. Furthermore, he introduced me to the glory of Suicide - the band - who, if you’re a regular listener, you’ll know is a perpetual staple around these parts. I'm tired of banging on about Suicide only to be met with blank stares and "who?" so pick up the November 08 issue of MOJO for Kris Needs’ brilliant 6-page appreciation to see why they're so important. And watch out for their 6 cd limited edition box set 'Live 1977-1978' coming soon on Blast First Petite (UK).

Kevin Patrick
Rochester, NY, '77

Other djs who had a strong influence on me over the years include Brian Matthew (ITV’s Thank Your Lucky Stars, and the BBC Light Programme’s Saturday Club), Keith Fordyce (Ready Steady Go), Jerry Floyd (The Marquee), Pete Drummond & Kenny Everett (Radio London), Johnnie Walker (Radio Caroline), Emperor Rosko (Radio Caroline, Radio Luxembourg), Stuart Henry (Radio 1), Charlie Gillett (BBC Radio London) Bill Bahlman (Danceteria), Johnny Dynell (Jackie 60), The Purple Knif, The Hound (WFMU) and the great Hugh Nolan, who I’d listen to whilst in bed, at school, on a crummy little crystal set that had a crocodile clip on a cord which you’d attach to an 'earthed' pipe to get a feeble Radio Geronimo signal into one very uncomfortable plastic 'earphone' like deaf people used to use in the 60s. I remember thinking how groovy it was listening to him play ALL 6 sides of the Woodstock soundtrack uninterrupted before it came out. Um, I’m not so sure I’d ever want to do that again, but at the time it seemed pretty radical. It’s where I first heard 'Ohio' by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and he’d play the crap out of Balls! Geronimo was my favourite station and their theme song was a neat psychedelic version of 'Amazing Grace' by The Great Awakening. They had a studio in Harley St. but broadcast from Monte Carlo. Go here for more info - Geronimo