Re: [ARSCLIST] Is there a good history of EMI out there ?

["Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Olhsson" <olh@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> I've been helping gather oral histories from recording engineers, musicians
> and producers for the past ten years. Hopefully the story of post WW2
> popular music can be documented while the folks from the '50s and '60s are
> still alive to tell the real stories.
> 
Except...that doesn't really solve the problem...! When one collects "oral
histories" of past events, one actually collects what those parties THINK
they remember (and/or what they want to tell other historians they
"remember"...?!). In both cases, what the recipient gets is the story...
carefully re-arranged (often NOT consciously, BTW...?!) so as to make
the testifying party (and his "side") come out as the "good guys" in
the scenario.

Further, people (ESPECIALLY those involved in "popular music"...?!)
did NOT work under conditions amenable to perfect recall of detail...?!
A few decades ago, I took a few 78's from my collection to be
autographed by the vibrophonist (famous player, but his name escapes
my rather-porous mind right now...?!). I asked him if he remembered
who else had played in the session...and his reply was something to
the effect of:
"Holy <deleted>!" That was thirty <deleted> years ago, and I've
forgotten all that <deleted> by now!"

OTOH, I did have the honour of speaking to Cab Calloway about
15-20 years ago...and that was the exact opposite. Another
collector had brought an old photo of Cab's band, c.1930, to
be signed...and Cab went through the photo, man by man, and
not only recited their names but provided a brief history of
what had happened to each over the ensuing years...!

Heck...I can't always recall exactly where I put my furshlugginer
spectacles...?!

Steven C. Barr