Bumping Into Geniuses: My Life Inside the Rock and Roll Business
Author: Danny Goldberg
Publisher: Gotham
Published: July, 2009
Reviewed: August, 2009

Ahmet Ertegun is quoted as saying that the way to get rich is to keep walking around until you bumped into a genius and when you did, hold on and don’t let go. When one reads Danny Goldberg’s “Bumping Into Geniuses”, you quickly find that he learned that lesson long before he ever heard the quote.

Never heard of Danny Goldberg? Seriously? Well, okay then. Let’s see if you recognize the names of some of the geniuses who he’s bumped in to and never let go (so to speak). Let’s see, there’s the lads from Led Zeppelin and KISS. There’s the enduring Stevie Nicks and Ian Hunter. Oh! And there’s Kurt Cobain and the boys of Nirvana. See what I mean? And that just names a few of the geniuses that have been, or are, in Goldberg’s orbit.

To read Goldberg’s tome is to read fascinating stories about the artists and talent that he either worked for, managed, or otherwise crossed paths with. The stories are riveting and they show a side that we’ve never seen of the names we grew up listening to and still enjoy.

In sharing his from his incredibly rich treasure chest of memories, Danny Goldberg treats the celebrities, as well as music industry movers and shakers, with reverence and respect without pulling any punches as to any flaws that may have been in the character or decision making.

How did Goldberg bump into these geniuses? Well, that’s why you need to buy the book and read it but I’ll give you just a little bit of insight as to the answer to that question. His various and legendary roles included writing for publications such as Billboard, Jazz and Pop, and Rolling Stone magazines.

His journalism gigs led him to serve in PR roles for Led Zeppelin and KISS. Ultimately, he rolled into executive management positions with record companies such as Atlantic Records, Mercury Records and Warner Brothers Records. He also was, and is, a highly respected and successful manager of talent, currently serving as the head of Gold Village Entertainment, an artist management company that serves artists such as Rickie Lee Jones, Steve Earle and Ian Hunter to Old 97’s, Street Sweeper Social Club and Care Bears on Fire, to name just a few. Check out www.goldve.com to see the impressive roster of talent GVE manages.

Back to the book.

With a multi-faceted career that spans four decades, the reader gets a quality education in the nuances of the rough and tumble world of the music business. For business geeks like me, I found Goldberg’s insights and explanations of royalties and other artist income streams to be spell-binding (I told you I was a geek).

As for Mr. Goldberg’s insider stories about the artists, he is always asked about Led Zeppelin. He’s even asked by other legendary artists about Led Zeppelin. What does he have to say about the guys? Sorry. You’ve got to buy the book to find that out. But that’s not only who you’ll hear about. You’ll learn about how he helped launch the meteoric solo career of Stevie Nicks. You’ll get touching glimpses of Warren Zevon’s last days. You see another side of Kurt Cobain and some of the inner workings of Nirvana as well as a touching view of Cobain’s funeral service.

Do you get the impression that I loved “Bumping Into Geniuses”? Well, you’re right, I do! I so enjoyed the book that I believe that everyone should buy a copy and read it from cover to cover. And, no, you can’t borrow mine. You’ll want your own copy. It’s serve as a great manual in how to bump in to your own gaggle of geniuses.

Rumours – Deluxe Reissue
Artist: Fleetwood Mac
Label: Warner Bros.
Reviewed: March 3, 2013

In February 1977, I was a high school senior preparing for graduation and facing the cold, real world. Rumours was released that same month and quickly dominated the airwaves with songs such as Go Your Own Way, Don’t Stop, and You Make Loving Fun. That album still enjoys airplay and dominance in the private listening devices of fans around the world. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 36 years since that album blasted its way into the American psyche, making Fleetwood Mac one ofrock’s most enduring, beloved and successful bands.

The band is circulating a fresh round of Rumours this year with expanded and deluxe versions of the album in celebration of its 36th anniversary. Rumours made the band one of the most iconic bands of the 1970s and garnered wide critical praise, earned the Grammy® for Album of the Year, and has now sold more than 40 million copies worldwide since its 1977 debut.

The expanded edition’s three CDs includes the original album and the b-side “Silver Springs,” a dozen unreleased live recordings from the group’s ’77 world tour, and an entire disc filled with unreleased takes from the album’s recording sessions. The deluxe edition includes all of the music from expanded version, plus an additional disc of outtakes a DVD that features “The Rosebud Film,” a 1977 documentary about the album, and the album on vinyl. RUMOURS is currently available from Rhino as the expanded edition ($24.98) and the deluxe edition ($99.98). Digital versions are also available.

In celebration of the release, the current lineup of the band, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, both original members since 1967, and Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who joined the band in 1975, will kick off and their first U.S. tour since 2009 in April. The 34-date jaunt featuresstops in Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Chicago and a special appearance at the historic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Tickets for the first run of shows are on salenowat LiveNation.com.

The disc of 12 unreleased live recordings from the band’s 1977 Rumours tour features performances from concerts in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Nashville and Columbia, S.C. The songs include album tracks like The Chain, OhDaddy and Songbird as well as World Turning and Rhiannon, two tracks from the group’s 1975 eponymous release.

Producers also have compiled a selection of 16 unreleased recordings from the album’s sessions including early takes of Go Your Own Way, I Don’t Want To Know and the popular b-side Silver Springs. There are also several demo recordings, including one for the outtake Planets of the Universe, plus an instrumental version of Never Going Back Again.

The deluxe edition of Rumours features three additional pieces. First is an 18-track compilation of session outtakes originally released in the 2004 reissue of the album. Next is the original album on 140-gram vinyl. Finally, there is a DVD with “The Rosebud Film.” This 1977 documentary by Michael Collins includes interviews, rehearsal footage and live performancesof: World Turning, Rhiannon, Say You Love Me, Go Your Own Way, You Make Loving Fun and I’m So Afraid.

Regardless of your listening budget, there’s a commemorative package that you can afford to pick up for your own listening library.

RUMOURS: DELUXE EDITION
Track Listing

Disc 1
1. “Second Hand News”
2. “Dreams”
3. “Never Going Back Again”
4. “Don’t Stop”
5. “Go Your Own Way”
6. “Songbird”
7. “The Chain”
8. “You Make Loving Fun”
9. “I Don’t Want To Know”
10. “Oh Daddy”
11. “Gold Dust Woman”
12. “Silver Springs” b-side

Disc 2: Live, 1977 “Rumours” World Tour
1. Intro
2. “Monday Morning”
3. “Dreams”
4. “Don’t Stop”
5. “The Chain”
6. “Oh Daddy”
7. “Rhiannon”
8. “Never Going Back Again”
9. “Gold Dust Woman”
10. “World Turning”
11. “Go Your Own Way”
12. “Songbird”

Disc 3: More from the Recording Sessions
1. “Second Hand News” (Early Take)
2. “Dreams” (Take 2)
3. “Never Going Back Again” (Acoustic Duet)
4. “Go Your Own Way” (Early Take)
5. “Songbird” (Demo)
6. “Songbird” (Instrumental, Take 10)
7. “I Don’t Want To Know” (Early Take)
8. “Keep Me There” (Instrumental)
9. “The Chain” (Demo)
10. “Keep Me There” (With Vocal)
11. “Gold Dust Woman” (Early Take)
12. “Oh Daddy” (Early Take)
13. “Silver Springs” (Early Take)
14. “Planets Of The Universe” (Demo)
15. “Doesn’t Anything Last” (Acoustic Duet)
16. “Never Going Back Again” (Instrumental)

Disc 4: 2004 Reissue Roughs & Outtakes
1. “Second Hand News”
2. “Dreams”
3. “Brushes (Never Going Back Again)”
4. “Don’t Stop”
5. “Go Your Own Way”
6. “Songbird”
7. “Silver Springs”
8. “You Make Loving Fun”
9. “Gold Dust Woman #1”
10. “Oh Daddy”
11. “Think About It”
Early Demos
12. “Never Going Back Again”
13. “Planets Of The Universe”
14. “Butter Cookie (Keep Me There)”
15. “Gold Dust Woman”
16. “Doesn’t Anything Last”
Jam Sessions
17. “Mic The Screecher”
18. “For Duster (The Blues)”

DVD
“The Rosebud Film” by Michael Collins

Vinyl LP
Side 1
1. “Second Hand News”
2. “Dreams”
3. “Never Going Back Again”
4. “Don’t Stop”
5. “Go Your Own Way”
6. “Songbird”
Side 2
1. “The Chain”
2. “You Make Loving Fun”
3. “I Don’t Want To Know”
4. “Oh Daddy”
5. “Gold Dust Woman”

Fleetwood Mac Live
2013 Tour Dates

4/04/13 - Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
4/06/13 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
4/08/13 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
4/09/13 - Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
4/11/13 - Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
4/13/13 - Chicago, IL @ United Center
4/16/13 - Toronto, ON @ The Air Canada Centre
4/18/13 - Boston, MA @ TD Garden
4/20/13 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
4/23/13 - Ottawa, ON @ Scotiabank Place
4/24/13 - Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
4/26/13 - Pittsburgh, PA @ CONSOL Energy Center
4/28/13 - St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Center
4/30/13 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
5/01/13 - Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
5/03/13 - Little Rock, AR @ Verizon Arena
5/04/13 - New Orleans, LA @ Jazz & Heritage Fest
5/12/13 - Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre
5/14/13 - Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
5/15/13 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
5/17/13 - Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome
5/19/13 - Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
5/20/13 - Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
5/22/13 - San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion San Jose
5/25/13 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
5/26/13 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Arena
5/28/13 - Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
5/30/13 - Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways Center
6/01/13 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
6/04/13 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
6/05/13 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
6/07/13 - Tampa, FL @ Tampa Bay Times Forum
6/08/13 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ BB&T Center
6/10/13 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
6/12/13 - Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena
6/14/13 - Chicago, IL @ Allstate Arena
6/15/13 - Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
6/18/13 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Center
6/19/13 - Albany, NY @ Times Union Center Arena
6/21/13 - Boston, MA @ Comcast Center
6/22/13 - Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre
6/24/13 - Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Arena
6/26/13 - Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Center
6/29/13 - Spokane, WA @ Spokane Arena
6/30/13 - Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena
7/03/13 - Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center
7/05/13 - San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
7/06/13 - Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Arena