Thank you for your coverage of the phenomenon that none of us predicted with "The Greatest Showman".
I produced and mixed the songs in the film and the album soundtrack along with Justin and Benj. We chased this music off the cliff for six months straight, and are humbled/overjoyed that it's received this kind of worldwide reaction. The soundtrack just broke Adele's record in the UK for most weeks at #1.
However, Hugh Jackman had been trying to make this movie for the past seven years. Director Michael Gracey insisted that Justin and Benj be the songwriters for the project, and this was before they had won an Oscar and had a huge hit on Broadway with "Dear Evan Hansen". Michael was in the room with them while they wrote, and for every three songs they wrote for the project, only one made it into the film.
Hiring me in the last year of the movie was also Michael's idea. He generously gave me carte blanche to use what had already been recorded and or to replace whatever I felt needed to change. Michael created an incredibly supportive work environment where we all had each other's back. Michael had the full support of Hugh, and despite never having directed a movie before, led with the greatest enthusiasm and passion which inspired all of us to bring out our best.
Everyone involved on camera and behind scenes gave it their all, but I wish Hugh and Michael got more credit for seeing their vision all the way through to such a glorious result. It was the best creative experience I've ever been a part of.
Greg Wells
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I work in the UK music industry but I think this quote from my better half sums it up perfectly.
She came back from seeing the film with our daughter and said that she thought she had heard every song in it before.
Frozen had one song. This has loads.
Warners can't believe their luck. Looking forward to the copycat rubbish from the other majors
Charlie Coleman
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From: Roger Lee Harrison
Subject: Re: More Greatest Showman
My little brother had seen the film three times when he took me to see it on a rainy afternoon in Tulsa. The film had been out for months. About halfway through I realized the songs had a delightful sweet low echo. A little later Tommy, my brother jabbed me in the side and pointed one row behind and about ten feet down were six little girls, standing up, dressed in gowns tiaras, and tutus singing along with the songs, in tune, alto, and soprano. When the show ended, I walked over and thanked them for the concert. They had all seen the movie six times and they sang a song for us.
The film will never stop running.
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From: John Robbie
The songs in Greatest Showman reminded me of the impact The Sound of Music did for popular music, from the 60's and still to this day.
I'm pretty sure most of the songs in The Sound of Music can be easily recognized, referenced, quoted, sung, and hummed.
Went to see the movie in February, with my 14 year old daughter, she loved it, I loved it.
No opening lines, straight into song. Remember the opening of The Sound of Music ?
As per the Frozen comments, I wonder if Disney would ever capitalize on Frozen character Olaf, as The Greatest Snowman. Or is that Frosty? (another musical)
JR Toronto
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From: Larry Stessel
Subject: Re: More Greatest Showman
There you have it. I said our industry is jaded. And maybe add that we are a bunch of snobs. Some of the negative comments point to The Greatest Showman songs as just average show tunes etc. The person who said that we all grew up on West Side Story and Oklahoma hit it right on the nose. Our industry is so caught up in being the person applauded for finding the "next big thing" that we have lost sight of the music that is popular and makes the masses feel good. That's why Taylor Swift is so successful. But try telling that to an executive obsessed with having his name printed in Hits for 5 minutes while his/her one hit wonder rises and falls. When I saw Earth, Wind and Fire at Bonnaroo 3 years ago, the promoters expected 5k people at the What stage. 50,000 stood in front and sang for 75 minutes to all of their monster hits. Ask Rob Light if he'd rather be the agent for Bob Jovi or some two hit wonder from 2015. I look through the New Releases on Spotify and it's hard to find much that is interesting not only to me, but to my twenty something kids. Look at the top 25 charts from the 70's and &0's and most of those artist are still selling tickets. My point is only that we need to look at what Kallman and his team did with this soundtrack and learn from it. A great song is what drove this business for the past 75 years and it needs to continue to drive this business going forward.
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Bob,
Here are some stats and data on The Greatest Showman Soundtrack that I thought you might find interesting.
The soundtrack is the No. 1 selling album of 2018 so far, in both the US and the UK. It's the #2 total consumption album of 2018 in the US, behind only Post Malone's Beer Bongs & Bentley's. Showman is well over 1 billion streams to date. On the "Billboard" 200, it has the most consecutive weeks in the top ten (23) for a any soundtrack since "Frozen" (2013), the most consecutive weeks in the top ten for a live-action theatrical film soundtrack since "Dirty Dancing" (1987), and the most weeks in the top five for a live-action theatrical film soundtrack since "Titanic" (1997). In the UK, it has topped the charts for a 19th non-consecutive week, surpassing Adele's "21" for the record of longest-running No. 1 album of the last 30 years. It became the first overseas No. 1 album in Japan since 2014, and in South Korea, it went to No. 1 for four weeks straight and generated more than 60M album streams. The album hit No. 1 in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand to name a few and has hit No. 1 on the iTunes charts in over 80 counties.
I'd like to acknowledge Atlantic's David Grant, who oversaw marketing on the project, and Torsten Luth and Nordia West, who handled the international marketing. I also want to note that Max Lousada activated this as a global marketing priority for WMG, which helped drive the album into every possible marketing and partner program available, and ultimately became a massive worldwide driver for the soundtrack and the film alike. Kudos to everyone at Atlantic and Warner Music Group for all of their efforts, from every department throughout the entire organization, contributing to the global success of the album.
Kevin Weaver
President, Atlantic Records | west coast
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From: george drakoulias
Subject: Re: More Greatest Showman
it's Weaver's world we just live in it
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From: lukedaddy
Subject: Re: Africa by Weezer
This whole thing is surreal.. but in a great way!
I'll take it.
The numbers are insane and it's been amazing for us.
It makes ME hanging in there for 40 years + thru the bad times all worth it.
I am laughing and shaking my head and WE get the last laugh after all these years later!
Wait till you hear OUR come back on a Weezer song!
It's in the works now!
It's gonna make people not only realize we GET the gag.. we are gonna kick ass and just when this dies down, OUR Weezer song comes and we parlay ..
Their fans have surprisingly embraced us.
We are no longer a ' guilty pleasure ' as the say. Never cared as long as people showed up and or listened. Closet Toto fans and all.
The fact a ' cool band' cuts our song ( as we are the most UN-cool band according to hipsters) and WE revive their 10 year lapse since they had a hit... rather 'Mandela effect ' worthy right? haha ( google if you don't GET that joke)
They have a new record and Africa AINT on it?
I think this thing blew up in Rivers face. You can Steve Porcaro was there at Kimmel when their manager gave Rivers the numbers and said you could visibly SEE Rivers realization he will have to play Toto songs forever. haha
His band mates LOVE us apparently , closet muso's who found our music way more difficult to play than it appears.
A 14 year old girl started this train rolling a year ago.. me on TV with Ringo thanking them.. ( my surprise guest )
It is really something to see thru MY eyes!
I am out on tour with Ringo in Europe right now. Great new version of the band with some new guys, Colin Hay and Graham Gouldman from 10 cc..
Toto hits the road USA 2 weeks after I get back and its selling out. Europe Guarantees have tripled.. etc etc..
Its all so insane but great! Who knew at 60 years old.. We are totally laughing and appreciative! haha
God Bless Weezer and their fans!
I am sure Jann Wenner is screaming " Now I know these are the end times" hahaha
His worst nightmare comes true. WE are more popular than ever, and the critic darlings made that happen.. actually a 14 year old girl did!
Funny part is this is their biggest single in 10 years and its NOT on their upcoming record.
One of our keyboard players made a cameo with Weezer on Kimmel the mother night..showing WE get the joke too. I think we played it very well.
Whats next?
At this point .. anything!
hey I know luck was on our side but we are getting a 2nd look I never thought we would get and a real young audience. It is nuts. The EDM and raper guys, the memes, the jokes, We are now being drawn as family Guy characters.. HAHAHAHA
Wow .. who knew right,. We could be the music story of the year. In our heads we already are.
Hope all is well.
Luke
PS My book has been pushed back again cause I went crazy these publishers didn't want to drop it for the whole world SAME day!
Its a good thing I manage myself and Toto at this point. ' Managers' usually fuck everything up. I have lived thru 3 of the biggest. THEY must be shitting as THEY never worked us. We were million dollar stipend to them. They went for the short money!
I didn't.
That is just insane in 2018. YOU know.. I read your opinions. You are right.
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From: Hugo Burnham
Subject: Re: Paul Rodgers Podcast
I wanted to write the moment I read this…but got busy.
Yes, that voice…that was so strong and mature, so young - and has stayed that way for decades. 'My Brother Jake' is still one of the saddest, loveliest songs ever. Chokes me up every time.
They were the second band I ever saw live (and on my own) at The Royal Albert Hall in 1972. I stood transfixed at the lip of the (quite low) stage. Paul wore a red flared-sleeve T-shirt…which took me an age to find to buy - in Kensington Market, eventually. There is SO much more than 'Alright Now' - they were still teenagers when they recorded 'Fire & Water', FFS.
Free was simply the biggest influence on G4. It killed us that the only damn label who didn't want to sign us in '78/'79 was Island Records…Heartbreak(er)ing for us. We covered 'Woman' in the early days; I copied Simon Kirke's whole sit-up playing style…the master (along with Charlie) of less-is-more playing. I met him at Wexler's memorial service in NY, and shook his hand. (Right after that I shook Bernard Purdie's hand. What a day!)
I still listen to Free all the time. Elemental, wonderful stuff.
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Subject: Re: Prince's Vault
The strangest session of my life-and I'm 71-was when I was a mastering engineer at Warner Bros in the early 80s and Prince was the client. He walked in, handed me the tape, proceeded to stand in a corner of the very small mastering studio and stare at me. I put the tape up and started in, asking if he liked this or that, like the eye doctor does. And he just stares at me and doesn't say a word. For 3 hours. It was unnerving. In the end I cut a ref, handed it to him and he left, never having said a word. Very strange.
Phil Brown
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Subject: Re: Seymour Stein's Book
Bob,
I have always enjoyed reading the Lefstez blog over the years and thought I would drop a line about Seymour Stein.
There is no-one like him!
I really mean it…I don't think I have ever had the pleasure to meet someone so committed to music than that man.
I worked for Creation Records in the early 1990s when Sire handled a number of our acts in the US including Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine and Ride.
I was introduced to Seymour by Alan McGee on my first business visit to New York from London as a young and enthusiastic A&R man.
Seymour and the rest of the team at Sire were the most accommodating and helpful and long term friendships began there and then.
Of course they didn't have the same money as many of the other Warner labels and were indeed treated like an indie within the group but they had the passion and who as an artist or a label wouldn't want to be on or associated to Sire Records.
As well as helping Alan, I ran a label called Infonet at Creation pioneering electronic music from Europe and the US nearly two decades before it made its mark in mainstream America.
As always Seymour was on it. Checking out all of the new music coming from this emerging genre.
I helped the late Rob Mitchell of Warp Records secure his deal for Apex Twin with Sire after a long meeting at Creation which undoubtedly benefited the future of Warp and always found Seymour happy to help and always there at a gig if he said he was going to attend. Something which other far junior A&R men could never seem to achieve.
In fact, there was a time when I had a tiny little club called Thunderground going in what was then, a very unfashionable part of London called Shoreditch, and who shows up at 1am to see the act…Seymour Stein.
I mean, what other American record label boss and music legend did that!
No-one does that now
It was all about the music.
It was all about the passion.
Finally, a few weeks ago my brother called me to say he was with Seymour in Manchester to see our new band The Blinders.
He put Seymour on the phone and we spoke for a little while and wished each other well.
That night after the gig Seymour said he would sign the band…and so it continues.
Long may he go on…there won't be anyone else like him.
Chris Abbot
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Subject: Re: Seymour Stein's Book
Hi Bob,
Great review.
About 10 years ago I was at a WMG regional shindig in London accompanying the Israeli singer Geva Alon who was brought to showcase by Omri Dolev, the Israeli Warner affiliate. Seymour was there as usual. After the showcase the entire Warner crew went for dinner at the rooftop restaurant Duck and Waffle with its exquisite 34th story view. Geva and I sat with Seymour and we talked about Geva's songs. He liked them but said they were to depressing and sad. "People want to be happy .. not sad" he passionately declared. While Geva was crushed we both knew Seymour had that ability to cut to the chase with his outstanding sense of what worked and what people wanted to hear.
But then out of nowhere Seymour asked Geva if he ever went to Synagogue. Geva being a typical secular Israeli said not really. Seymour then told us about his Bar Mitzva, his love of the songs he sang as a child on the Sabbath and spontaneously broke into a three minute rendition of the Synagogue Hymns Ein Kelohaynu and Adon Olam. He had no less passion at that moment singing than listening to any other music he greatly loved. You could see it in his eyes. There we were with the man who discovered Madonna and the Ramones and a million others singing Ein Kelohaynu and Adon Olam together. Talk about surreal. That's a moment I will never forget.
Best,
Hillel Wachs
2b Vibes Music
Jerusalem - Tel Aviv
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Subject: Re: Seymour Stein's Book
One of the best times I ever had was lunch with Seymour Stein when he was in town for a music conference, and we just talked about records we loved as kids. I mentioned the yiddish parody music of Mickey Katz, think of a borscht belt Weird Al, and we went down a major rabbit hole over that one. Of course, he topped me by telling me he'd just been at a birthday party for Jennifer Grey, whose grandfather was ... Mickey Katz! (His son was Joel "Cabaret" Grey, who got his start as part of his dad's act in the Catskills.) Of course we talked about Ramones, Talking Heads, Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen, all Sire acts who shaped my existence, but it was fun watching him light up as he talked about those records he was spinning in his adolescence.
Stephen Cooke
Halifax, NS
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Subject: Re: Judy Budzik
Same thing happened to me Bob. I wanted to apologize to a guy I had treated badly in college. I looked him up on FB and he had died a few years ago. Maybe he had long ago forgotten me or maybe it was still a source of pain, but now I'll never know. It really did a number on me. It's a bizarre feeling to know you're closer to the end of your life than the birth. "So it comes down to the personal. How we live our lives. How we treat one another."
Couldn't agree with you more.
Deborah Holland
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From: Will Eggleston
Subject: Re: Judy Budzik
Bob,
It's so true. My first real girlfriend, Kathy and I were so innocently in love at 16. We were inseparable. She came everywhere my band, The Hydrogen Jukebox played.
We held hands and sang over and over, The Byrds version of Dylan's "My Back Pages".
When I was making use of the internet a few months ago I fell upon her name and obituary from 2017. How bizarre she passed away on the same day the single was released March 13, (1967)
Life comes in circles.
Will
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From: Valarie Mulberry
Subject: Re: Judy Budzik
You got me with this one. There was a boy in my 5th grade class that I had a crush on me. The feeling was not reciprocal. He wrote my name, in sharpie, all over his t-shirt. I mean ALL OVER it. And even spelled it correctly, which no one ever does. All the other kids thought it was funny and made fun of us. It always bothered me. In hind sight, it was a sweet innocent, uninhibited kid thing to do. Which would have been better if it was a boy I actually liked. When I was 30 years old I realized I was still holding a grudge toward this guy from when he was little boy. I had not seen him since about 7th grade. My friend from back home told me he died of some rare cancer in his mid-twenties and his sister did too. How embarrassing that I was still holding a grudge and Bobby Daniels was already dead for a few years. Smudge the grudge! Release thyself. Forgive yourself. Hopefully, Judy never held a grudge against you. It's a waste of energy. Lesson learned (Thanks Bobby!).
Sincerely,
Valarie Mulberry
Sunshine Rhythm & Blues Music
www.valariemulberry.com
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From: Ed Brown
Subject: Re: Judy Budzik
Hey Bob,
Your post from this morning caught my attention because, only yesterday, I went through the exact same thing. Her name was Deanna Bozung. For a number of years in Junior High and High School she and I were tight. Not romantically, but we had many common interests.
I was working yesterday and suddenly her name popped into my head. So I looked her up online and there it was... her funeral notice. She had passed away just a couple years ago.
Same thing happened earlier this year, when I thought about a childhood neighbor. Looked them up, only to discover they had just passed two weeks before. Eerie, right?
Ed
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Subject: Re: Judy Budzik
Dude, i'm 32 and treated a girl I now love poorly at 29. Her name is Christine Fludd and I think of her much. Thank you for sharing.
Genuinely,
William T. Jolley, Esq.
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From: rob hegel
Subject: Re: Judy Budzik
powerful piece - - thank you! and now all i can think about is Amy Barbato...........
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From: Rob Falk
Subject: Re: Judy Budzik
Wow Bob! That's a touching story in so many ways.
I just wanted to say that the apology/amends you wanted to make to Judy were exactly the 12-Step kind, and for exactly the 12-Step reason: "one of my great life regrets… remember exactly where it happened… because it continues to haunt me, 'til this day. I acted badly."
The 12-Steps work for a lot of things besides alcoholism. There are more than 100 12-step fellowships helping people with everything from alcohol and drug addiction, to gambling and overspending, to plain old relationship issues.
You've openly acknowledged a past wrong, stated regret, and an intention to no longer behave that way. I hope you feel at least some relief in having shone a light on that secret here. That's a 9th step action. Very cool.
This can also be done on a daily basis. The 10th step of any 12-step fellowship says we "continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. That helps us to not be "haunted" as we move ahead in our lives.
I always enjoy your posts. All the best to you and I hope you're feeling well.
Rob
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From: Robin Mitchell Joyce
Subject: Re: Judy Budzik
Six years ago I got a call from someone I hadn't spoken to for over 35 years. What a treat! How fun! We talked, reminisced and caught up for almost 2 hours. Then, as we were saying goodbye and promising to stay in touch, he told me he needed to apologise. He said he'd spent decades regretting that cruel thing he'd said to me at that party. He'd felt terrible the moment he said it and it had weighed on him all these years. A hundred times he'd wanted to find me and tell me how sorry he was, how immature he'd been. And he was so happy I'd given him the opportunity to make amends.
I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. I remembered the party. I remembered him at the party. But I had no recollection of him saying anything mean to me.
That's the thing about kind and sensitive people, Bob. They have no talent for meanness. Because kind and sensitive people immediately think about how they'd feel if someone were being mean to them...and then feel the hurt more profoundly than even the person they were mean to. It's a quality called Empathy. Hate can't grow where Empathy exists...and unfortunately, it's in dangerously short supply these days.
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