The Fate of Shadows

After Dream Street Rose bombed, Gordon put his full energy into what I consider to be his greatest album: Shadows.

Several videos were filmed (the start of the MTV era), Baby Step Back moved up to about #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and made top 20 on the easy listening chart. But the album failed to become a hit.

I saw Gordon in concert soon after Shadows. Usually he is rather quiet on stage. That night he went on and on about the album and on the record industry not supporting it. I made it back stage where Gordon was kind enough to autograph Summertime Dream for me. I told him Shadows was a fantastic album. He said the record company's support was so poor that not one copy was sent to Houston, Texas even though he has thousands of fans there.

So does anyone out there have the inside scoop on this? Why did the record company push a single & even vidoes while at the same time not even bother to ship records?

After Dream Street Rose bombed, Gordon put his full energy into what I consider to be his greatest album: Shadows.

Several videos were filmed (the start of the MTV era), Baby Step Back moved up to about #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and made top 20 on the easy listening chart. But the album failed to become a hit.

I saw Gordon in concert soon after Shadows. Usually he is rather quiet on stage. That night he went on and on about the album and on the record industry not supporting it. I made it back stage where Gordon was kind enough to autograph Summertime Dream for me. I told him Shadows was a fantastic album. He said the record company's support was so poor that not one copy was sent to Houston, Texas even though he has thousands of fans there.

So does anyone out there have the inside scoop on this? Why did the record company push a single & even vidoes while at the same time not even bother to ship records?

[Jenney]

Unfortunately, record companies are interested in their most current big money maker and they tend to put all their energies into that pursuit, forgetting the artists who helped to maketheir record companies a success in the first place.

As Gord fans, it is our job to write those record companies frequently and remind them that Gord has a huge fan base and we want to beable to be in a position to buy his new recordings.If enough of us write, they are bound to listen.Sad as it seems,Money talks.

[isabella]

Unfortunately, record companies are interested in their most current big money maker and they tend to put all their energies into that pursuit, forgetting the artists who helped to maketheir record companies a success in the first place.

As Gord fans, it is our job to write those record companies frequently and remind them that Gord has a huge fan base and we want to beable to be in a position to buy his new recordings.If enough of us write, they are bound to listen.Sad as it seems,Money talks.

I must take exception with the writer's assertion Dream Street Rose was a bomb. Besides Summertime Dream DSR is one of the better recordings Gord has made. A couple of tunes from that LP were played heavily where I am from, Dream Street Rose and If You Need Me. True DSR may not have been a commercial smash, but I played that LP so many times It's a wonder I didn't wear the needle or the LP out LOL.

I must take exception with the writer's assertion Dream Street Rose was a bomb. Besides Summertime Dream DSR is one of the better recordings Gord has made. A couple of tunes from that LP were played heavily where I am from, Dream Street Rose and If You Need Me. True DSR may not have been a commercial smash, but I played that LP so many times It's a wonder I didn't wear the needle or the LP out LOL.

[Borderstone]

Okay! I know this one's 3 years old but it seems rather incomplete with only 2 responses! (?) I'm not surprised that a corprate label didn't give it's full support to it's artist. That's never surprising. What is surprising is that Gordon actually stayed with the label after 2 embarrasing "flops". (That's the general public and critics' view,not mine.) Even if it meant being without a label for a long time,I would have taken a walk! In answer to the original questions:The label released a single and made a video because at that time it was a "must" for a label to release a single (unlike today!) The video came about most likely because just about every other artist at that time was doing them (except the one's who absolutlely refused to "make a spectacle of themselves." I forget which one said that.) Maybe they thought,it worked for others,it might work for him. Another reason is,if they didn't do even that much,it would've given Gordon a clear cut reason to take legal action to be released from his WB's contract. Major labels don't like to lose in any sense. Whatever went down,"Shadows" definetly is his best '80's LP and in terms of comparison to the '70's,it shows he could've gone on to bigger things than just being a "mellow" artist. I feel he truly re-invented himself but back then,most labels just wanted a "1 trick pony!" The fools. It's been the B! I'll catch ya on the flipside of Sundown

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Borderstone

[SomewhereupinMichigan]

Border: A major reason that Gordon didn't "take a walk" as you suggest he should have is the fact that he had a contract with the label and GL, being an honorable man, honored his contract.

Well, I must take issue with the statement that not one copy of "Shadows" was sent to Houston, TX, because I lived in Houston at that time and that's where I bought it! Also, saw Gordon in concert in Houston shortly after that album was released and it was a fantastic show, as were all the others he did in Houston in the 70's and 80's. Last time he was in Texas was '93 and I'd sure like to see him down here again - although I'm content to travel to wherever he chooses to make his next appearance.

Melissa

Well, I must take issue with the statement that not one copy of "Shadows" was sent to Houston, TX, because I lived in Houston at that time and that's where I bought it! Also, saw Gordon in concert in Houston shortly after that album was released and it was a fantastic show, as were all the others he did in Houston in the 70's and 80's. Last time he was in Texas was '93 and I'd sure like to see him down here again - although I'm content to travel to wherever he chooses to make his next appearance.

Melissa

Let's not also forget what Gord's behavior was at that time. He was drinking very heavily and maybe Warner hesitated to put alot of effort into publicity without knowing where the drink would take him. Fair after all his successful albums? No, but that's the cold hard business of promoting music. Gord himself said at a concert while introducing a song from the East of Midnight album that he thought the album was one of his best, but that the record company (Warner) had already written him off as a hopeless alcoholic. So along with that and the money grubbing attitude of the 80's I am afraid Gord lost any chance with Warner to re-group after Dream Street Rose, an album which I happen to enjoy. It came out at a good time in my life and brings back those memories whenever I hear a song from it.

It will be interesting to see which record label steps up to the plate(or comes begging to his door) when he's ready to release this new cd.

Let's not also forget what Gord's behavior was at that time. He was drinking very heavily and maybe Warner hesitated to put alot of effort into publicity without knowing where the drink would take him. Fair after all his successful albums? No, but that's the cold hard business of promoting music. Gord himself said at a concert while introducing a song from the East of Midnight album that he thought the album was one of his best, but that the record company (Warner) had already written him off as a hopeless alcoholic. So along with that and the money grubbing attitude of the 80's I am afraid Gord lost any chance with Warner to re-group after Dream Street Rose, an album which I happen to enjoy. It came out at a good time in my life and brings back those memories whenever I hear a song from it.

It will be interesting to see which record label steps up to the plate(or comes begging to his door) when he's ready to release this new cd.

If record companies routinely refused to put effort into the publicity of the recordings of known substance abusers (drugs, alcohol, whatever), few albums would ever be publicized. I'm not buying this as a valid explanation.

quote:Originally posted by Jack:
Let's not also forget what Gord's behavior was at that time. He was drinking very heavily and maybe Warner hesitated to put alot of effort into publicity without knowing where the drink would take him. Fair after all his successful albums? No, but that's the cold hard business of promoting music. Gord himself said at a concert while introducing a song from the East of Midnight album that he thought the album was one of his best, but that the record company (Warner) had already written him off as a hopeless alcoholic. So along with that and the money grubbing attitude of the 80's I am afraid Gord lost any chance with Warner to re-group after Dream Street Rose, an album which I happen to enjoy. It came out at a good time in my life and brings back those memories whenever I hear a song from it.

It will be interesting to see which record label steps up to the plate(or comes begging to his door) when he's ready to release this new cd.

If record companies routinely refused to put effort into the publicity of the recordings of known substance abusers (drugs, alcohol, whatever), few albums would ever be publicized. I'm not buying this as a valid explanation.

quote:Originally posted by Jack:
Let's not also forget what Gord's behavior was at that time. He was drinking very heavily and maybe Warner hesitated to put alot of effort into publicity without knowing where the drink would take him. Fair after all his successful albums? No, but that's the cold hard business of promoting music. Gord himself said at a concert while introducing a song from the East of Midnight album that he thought the album was one of his best, but that the record company (Warner) had already written him off as a hopeless alcoholic. So along with that and the money grubbing attitude of the 80's I am afraid Gord lost any chance with Warner to re-group after Dream Street Rose, an album which I happen to enjoy. It came out at a good time in my life and brings back those memories whenever I hear a song from it.

It will be interesting to see which record label steps up to the plate(or comes begging to his door) when he's ready to release this new cd.

Okay, Josefina, point well taken. But...
What's your take on it? Why'd Warner pull their support on the albums after Dream Street Rose and not renew the contract after East of Midnight? And what was it that gave Gord the impression that Warner had written him off as a hopeless alcoholic? There has to be something to this.

Okay, Josefina, point well taken. But...
What's your take on it? Why'd Warner pull their support on the albums after Dream Street Rose and not renew the contract after East of Midnight? And what was it that gave Gord the impression that Warner had written him off as a hopeless alcoholic? There has to be something to this.

Perhaps they considered him something of a has-been, but I don't think their perceptions that he was affected by alcoholism or any other form of substance abuse would alone have caused them to bail on him in that way.

quote:Originally posted by Jack:
Okay, Josefina, point well taken. But...
What's your take on it? Why'd Warner pull their support on the albums after Dream Street Rose and not renew the contract after East of Midnight? And what was it that gave Gord the impression that Warner had written him off as a hopeless alcoholic? There has to be something to this.

Perhaps they considered him something of a has-been, but I don't think their perceptions that he was affected by alcoholism or any other form of substance abuse would alone have caused them to bail on him in that way.

quote:Originally posted by Jack:
Okay, Josefina, point well taken. But...
What's your take on it? Why'd Warner pull their support on the albums after Dream Street Rose and not renew the contract after East of Midnight? And what was it that gave Gord the impression that Warner had written him off as a hopeless alcoholic? There has to be something to this.

[CanadaGirl38]

Now even with keeping in mind that I am not of the school of thought that puts this time frame as one of the highlights of Gord's career, here's my take - the market moved. His stuff wasn't what the market was looking for at that time so teh record company pushes less and it becomes a vicious cycle.

Indeed, he had a contract to honor and even were he not the honorable man he is the record company would have likely held him to it. He was still profitable for them.

I just think of how long John Fogarty didn't record because he was stuck in a contract he felt he couldn't honor.

[fezo]

Now even with keeping in mind that I am not of the school of thought that puts this time frame as one of the highlights of Gord's career, here's my take - the market moved. His stuff wasn't what the market was looking for at that time so teh record company pushes less and it becomes a vicious cycle.

Indeed, he had a contract to honor and even were he not the honorable man he is the record company would have likely held him to it. He was still profitable for them.

I just think of how long John Fogarty didn't record because he was stuck in a contract he felt he couldn't honor.

[Borderstone]

Let's see...Gordon wasn't marketable and yet Peter Cetera of the group Chicago has a sizable solo career crooning synthetic,unemotional ballads? How about the unprecedented success of Steve Winwood (age 40 in '88) between 1986 and 1990? He was an older artist,whose career was so-so at best,and yet Island records found a way to make him marketable also. So,I don't really buy the "Market Moved" reason. Any act can be marketable in any decade if all parties try hard enough to not just get material out there but help the artist re-invent themselves. As I stated above,it just wasn't done then as much as it has been since the advent of music video and artists having more say in what they want to do. Gordon tried but,I'm sure most of us here feel WB dropped the (cannon) ball on that one! Finally,if alcohol or drugs were a factor in an artist being treated as stated above,Ozzy Osbourne would've been fired on day 1! In case we forgot,labels in the '70s & '80s (and who knows how long) readily supplied their artists with these very things. Anything to keep them satisfied and recording & touring! I hope Gordon ends up either at Island records or the label Johnny Cash is on now. That'd be a heck of a duet! It's been the B! Catch ya on the flipside of Sundown!

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Borderstone