Originally Posted by
Jimi LaLumia
here's the advance copy of my next column in GOOD TIMES Magazine NY, which features "Final Sessions"[[as well as the new GaGa CD); I'll provide a link to the actual publication when it posts in a week;
RHYTHM TRACKING/Jimi LaLumia
GAGA MANIA
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I predicted several years ago that Lady GaGa would be the new Madonna, and that she would rise above all the female based
club singles that dominate Top 40 radio.Her debut track,"Just Dance" was still basically unknown; when I spun it at The Bunkhouse
in Sayville,hardly anyone knew it. That didn't last for very long, though,and soon,gaGa began a non stop hit streak of Number One
hit singles unlike anything anyone had seen in quite a long time.Even more importantly, her 70's glam look and stance made her
stick out like the legendary 'sore thumb' and she made a point of name dropping Grace Jones,David Bowie, The New York Dolls,
and Iggy Pop when she did interviews.It became quite obvious what the game plan was; mainstream success with ultra pop friendly
mainstream dance tracks,while summoning the spirits of the long gone New York underground. Guess what?It worked.
Like the glam stars of of forty years ago, GaGa has a polarized image internationally, it's love or hate, no one sits on the fence.The
haters watch every new release,praying for her to fail; she never does.The fans achieve a spiritual fanatic stance,as was taken by
fans of Diana Ross,Madonna,and many other uber divas with a massive gay following.As a result, every move that GaGa makes
generates lots of noise.She's on the cover of every magazine,she stars on every television show, turn on 'hit radio',you're minutes
away from another GaGa song.She packs arenas worldwide,has not stumbled in any territory[[except when she really stumbles
wearing those monster platforms that she favors so much.)Whatever GaGa wants,she gets,morphing into an attraction with the
same type of power that the 1964-1966 Beatles had,in an era when the music biz is supposed to be dead,she has laid hands on
the barely breathing body of pop culture,and suddenly, "It's Alive!".
The new GaGa CD, "Born This Way" is an instant number one million seller, attached to every commercial product tie in imagineable,
including selling the Amazon.com 'cloud storage' product; Amazon sold the GaGa album downloads for ninty nine cents in order
to draw attention to their 'cloud',and I'm sure that GaGa isn't losing money on the deal.She's the face of the Google/Chrome tv ad
campaign,and stole the show from Justin Timberlake on the season finale of "Saturday Night Live" demonstrating a natural talent
as a comedic actress that will quickly translate into a film and theatre career,successfully,count on it.What else is there to say? This
new decade,since it began,belongs to GaGa,and nothing seems to indicate a change coming anytime soon.
What about the music? The new CD is loaded with hits,"Born This Way",Judas","Hair" and "Edge Of Glory" are already burning up the charts
and radio airwaves, and "Glory" indicates an ability to move over to rock without the slightest hint of artifice; the ballad,"You And I",
also shows a knack for moving into Celine Dion's turf[[remember her?).Amy Winehouse,with a taste of success, self destructed
almost instantly; the Britneys and Lindsays shave their head or got arrested,not being able the handle the fame they wanted.
GaGa's first Cd was titled "The Fame",she knew exactly what she was getting into,and is clearly able to handle everything that's
being thrown her way,which is unimaginable to anyone who's never tasted the strange and dangerous trip that's she on right now.
Thirty years rom now, she'll be packing them in at the giant rooms in Vegas,just as Elton,Cher and Midler are doing now.This GaGa?
This is a career that will ride and ride for decades to come; you heard it here first.
FINAL SESSIONS
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As a Motown addict,my final 'fix' has arrived; after a lengthy wait, the Hip-O Select label has released "Let yourself Go;The 70's
Albums Vol.2; The Final sessions" by The Supremes. The first volume,released a few years back, was dedicated to the recordings
with Jean Terrell taking the lead spot from Diana Ross,who had begun her solo career in 1970.Jean left the group in the mid 70's
[[with various explanations as to why) and the lead spot was then taken by the third and final lead singer of The Supremes, Scherrie
Payne.Her sister Freda[["Band Of Gold","Bring The Boys Home") already had a track record,and Scherrie proved to be a fresh
voice for the group's journey into disco,which had become dominant by 1975,when the first of the Payne led albums were released.
The group's mainstay,Mary Wilson,who'd been there since day One,remained in the group,as did Cindy Birdsong,who had left,rejoined,
and then left again, to be replaced by Susaye Greene,another brilliant vocalist with an already impressive track record.
The 70's Supremes,Vol.3,had one Top 40 hit,"I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking",and a number of tunes that topped the Disco charts,
but they never got the push from Motown,and as a result,you didn't really get to hear them on the radio.My cousin attended an 'oldies'
show at Madison Square Garden during this period,and the group tried to work their new material into their show,which didn't sit well
with the NY Oldies fans,and a Supremes vs.Madison Square Garden cage match ensued; my cousin said one of the girls flipped the
bird to the booing,jeering audience as the girls stomped off the stage.The world at large wasn't really kind to this last version of The
Supremes,which is a shame, because these albums were indeed fabulous and showed the girls' vocal talents off to the delight of
the fans who stuck with them.
My theory was [[and is) that Motown president Berry Gordy didn't really want the group to be successful after Diana Ross left; he had
placed his bet on Ross,and wanted the world to see The Supremes' success as really a success of Ross'; so how would it look if
the group continued to hit the heights without her?[[and in 1970, they did, for the first year or two), The Supremes were more successful
than the solo Ross was and then, it felt like a plug was pulled out from somewhere.Does anyone think that Berry Gordy would have really
let The Supremes be more successful than a solo Diana Ross?I mean, really...."The Final Sessions" is a must for Motown fans, Disco fans,
and fans of thrilling vocals dynamics courtesy of Mary,Scherrie and Susaye..Forever Faithful!
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