what do mick jagger and lawrence bray have in common?

Estimated reading time is 4 minutes.

THIS IS PART 2 of three articles on Around Town and their single Out Of Control. This one hopes to answer the age-old question, “What do Mick Jagger and Lawrence Bray have in common?” But first, some background: while researching something else, I came across the ad for the MP3 download on Amazon (above) and, lo and behold, no one had yet submitted a review. So, shooting for the role of Around Town’s #1 American Booster, I submitted this review:

“This is only my second review for Amazon, the first being an attempt to clear up so many of the nonsense surrounding the Rolling Stones’ THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST album. So here I am in the 21st century telling you all to give Around Town’s new single Out Of Control a listen or ten.

I hate the term retro: if a composer today were able to write new quartets that harkened back to late Haydn or Mozart, would he/she be saddled with the being retro or would they be appreciated for being a genius carrying on a tradition that should never have been abandoned? (Actually, that question is not as rhetorical as I had hoped . . .)

The song is Stonesy, the bass is McCartneyesque, the lead singer sounds like Tom Petty (which means we can hear a little Dylan Lennon McGuinn and even Jagger), there is an electric sitar, Stax horns, and the requisite backing harmonies. And if the music doesn’t get you, check out their video, a pseudo-psychedelic/op-art affair with the grooviest dancers since Hullaballoo!

With music like this I could’ve tripped out easy but instead I did a ’60s style interview with the lead singer, Lawrence Bray.

The review above also included a link to YouTube to the official Out Of Control video. As you can see, I am not above plugging myself and my website and even my other Amazon record review. Amazon rejected this review and included a link to their list of rules governing product reviews.


Amazon_OOC_ad

This is the image that you will find on Amazon should you want to pay for a download of Out Of Control. Frankly, it’s rather retro/cheesy-bordering-on-kitsch. Hey, if there is any chance of a 45 with picture sleeve, do NOT use this image. Use the video: a picture of the group on the font of the sleeve and the dancers on the back.

Amazon rejected my review!!!

So I slimmed the rules, thought that I understood them, and submitted the review a second time, but without the link to my website. I did include a reference to that site by title (Rather Rare Records), and still included the link to YouTube of the official Out Of Control video.

Amazon rejected this review and included a link to the same list of rules governing product reviews. So, I eliminated the link to the YouTube video, made a few editorial alterations, and submitted the review a third time . . .

“This is only my second review for Amazon, the first being an attempt to clear up so many of the nonsense surrounding the Rolling Stones’ THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST album. So here I am in the 21st century telling you all to give Around Town’s new single Out Of Control a listen or ten.

You might hear someone refer to this recording or even this group as being retro. I hate the term retro: if a composer today were able to write new quartets that harkened back to late Haydn or Mozart, would he/she be saddled with the being retro or would they be appreciated for being a genius carrying on a tradition that should never have been abandoned? (Actually, that question is not as rhetorical as I had hoped . . .)

Around Town is NOT retro, but this track is rife with aural allusions. The song is Stonesy, the bass is McCartneyesque, the lead singer sounds like Tom Petty (which means we can hear a little Dylan Lennon McGuinn and even Jagger), there is an electric sitar, Stax horns, and the requisite backing harmonies. And if the music doesn’t get you, check out their video, a pseudo-psychedelic/op-art affair with the grooviest dancers since Hullaballoo!

In a macabre bit of irony (in that Out Of Control is a joyous slab of rock), this track has been picked up and is being used in the soundtrack for the new motion picture House Of Manson. This is a supposedly nitty-gritty look at the life and times of Charles Manson, convicted mastermind of the “Tate/La Bianca” massacres of 1969.


The actor chosen to play Charlie in House Of Manson is Ryan Kiser, whose online photos would indicate that he is a wee bit too wholesome looking to capture the sociopathological demeanor of Manson. But how would I know, as I haven’t seen the movie?!? Here’s hoping that the brilliant Out Of Control is not somehow tarnished by association . . .

Finally, for more information, please read the piece that I wrote on lead singer Lawrence Bray on my Rather Rare Records site. There I suggested that Around Town seriously considers issuing this as a 45 RPM SINGLE with a PICTURE SLEEVE as soon as possible! All new bands need the prestige of seeing their creation on vinyl, and records are a lot more fun to collect than downloads.”

Amazon accepted this review and included a link to the same list of rules governing product reviews. It now sits proudly as the first and only review of Around Town’s Out Of Control MP3 download on Amazon—which at 89¢ is a steal!!!

PS: The answer to the question posed in the title of this article (“What do Mick Jagger and Lawrence Bray have in common?”) is that I reviewed records by both their bands on Amazon. I know, no big deal . . .

 

 

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