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Post by smudger on Nov 25, 2007 21:31:01 GMT
I hadn't seen this - it's a long thread and I've been away for a while. I'm intrigued about Jonathan's reply to Mike. I can understand the *financial* bits as explained by Ryan regarding the split from Sony, but what's the *ill luck* all about? I thought this year had been a really good one, one tour with Blackfield and, out of the blue, SW's on board and it's a big tour with PT. Is that *ill luck*? If it is, I'll have some  On the other hand, is there something I'm missing? I don't think the personnel changes have messed things up at all; None of the guys has been run over by a bus - even Jamie has managed to keep his arm(s) intact by NOT falling downstairs. So what is the *dogged by ill-luck* all about? Anyone know? |
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Post by ryan on Nov 25, 2007 22:16:20 GMT
Well the personal changes were certainly a pretty big blow to the band, both in terms of awful live performaces and general bad moral, but it could be any number of things we know nothing about really.
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Post by blondeambassador on Nov 26, 2007 0:32:28 GMT
Yeah, I'm pretty sure (though I'm not a mind-reader and I by no means claim to know everything thats gone on in the world of PRR) that he'll be referring to the personnel change and the problems that incurred from that. I think there were so many problems for so long that it got to a point that anyone would have to start thinking luck wasn't on their side!
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simon
Ambassador
Posts: 16
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Post by simon on Nov 26, 2007 8:15:11 GMT
Has this email been posted on here? Or was it and it has been removed - can't see it anywhere...
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Post by smudger on Nov 26, 2007 20:12:06 GMT
It's still there, pasted it below:
Mike
Good to hear from you and no it's not an intrusion, your support and concern is welcome. I passed your email onto all four band members.
I've been managing bands more many years and I've never felt more confident an act could have real long lasting success but I've also never been involved with an act that had such good fortune, followed by such ill fortune!
The last few months having really taken everyone (including me) to the very limit, mentally and financially! Mostly it's legal stuff that I can't give details of but mainly it's the way these things have just kept grinding on since Nov 2006 that's really got to everyone.
BUT things are now looking a lot better, so expect regular newsletters starting in about ten days.
All the best
Jonathan Cooke (manager)
What is the *ill fortune*? What has November 2006 got to do with it? Certainly not Jim and Anders leaving...they've done 2 high-profile tours with BF and PT. It sounds like *ill fortune* is to blame for lack of UK appearances then?
Sorry if people think I'm like a dog with a bone, but (and this relates to other postings in other threads) I think we have a man making excuses here, and not necessarily credible ones
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Post by blondeambassador on Nov 27, 2007 0:43:28 GMT
Look, I know what you're trying to say but trust me, I'm almost certain that a departure of a certain band member in November 2006, just before their Koko gig with My Vitriol, and the things following from this are the ill fortune...there were so many consequences ongoing for so many months. (Again, I hate to resort back to it but these are legal things- if the band/manager don't feel they can say anything then I certainly am not going to blab what little I know.) What I will say though is that some of these things very nearly meant the band couldn't go on those high-profile tours.
Maybe he is making excuses, I can't speak for him but I personally don't feel he is- I just don't think it's fair to say that without knowing the full story (which, by the way, I don't, only bits and bobs) and if its for legal reasons they can't disclose then maybe it's time we just leave it be.
OK, so we all know contact has been a bit lax recently but I'd like to think things will look up, mainly once the album is finished though- we all know bands disappear when they're recording new material, thats quite normal.
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Post by smudger on Nov 27, 2007 8:10:27 GMT
Fair enough...bone buried. I've just got an enquiring mind, that's all - it's got me into trouble before. I too am looking forward to regular updates like JC said in his email. I think it's important to try and keep a 'buzz' going even on here during the 'sabbatical'.
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Post by blondeambassador on Jan 2, 2008 13:06:18 GMT
right - at the end of the day, the band are busy trying to record an album. stop being total children asking for updates and stuff, if there's anything to tell, they'll tell you! as for the whole 'legal reasons' stuff - that's the business of the band, and the band only. they are not your property, just let them get on with their job. and as 'fans' do your job by listening to their music (as and when it gets released) and going to their shows. sorry for the rant, i'm just getting quite annoyed with the attitudes of people on here! Hurrah! Well said, at least someone else sees it slightly the same as I do! |
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Post by the dark fourth on Jan 2, 2008 14:48:45 GMT
Yeah I agree although it is now January!!! ie the month when they promised to give us some stuff...so I am currently nervous with expectation!
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Post by Lawrie on Jan 2, 2008 15:05:03 GMT
right - at the end of the day, the band are busy trying to record an album. stop being total children asking for updates and stuff, if there's anything to tell, they'll tell you! as for the whole 'legal reasons' stuff - that's the business of the band, and the band only. they are not your property, just let them get on with their job. and as 'fans' do your job by listening to their music (as and when it gets released) and going to their shows. sorry for the rant, i'm just getting quite annoyed with the attitudes of people on here! Have got no problems with letting the band keep their 'legal reasons' stuff to themselves - that's not really anyone's business, and as fans we don't have a divine right to know the inner workings/dynamics/politics of the band. Couldn't disagree more with your first sentence though: I firmly believe that for a band of PRR's size and media profile (i.e. as good as unknown to 99.99% of the population and the media), it IS the band's job to keep fans in the loop with news on forthcoming recordings, releases and shows. If they were a band like, say, Hard-Fi (god forbid!) then fine: I will hear about the progress of their new works whether I like to or not as the mainstream media will push it at every possible opportunity. Unfortunately, the way of the world at the moment is the only way I'm going to find out if PRR have a new album out/are playing live shows I can get to/actually have a record deal at all is if PRR themselves publicise this as best they can. If people don't hear anything from the band themselves then they don't hear anything full stop, which can lead to the band's fans drifting away. Now you can live with that if you're Portishead - you disappear for 10 years, but when you return with a new album then Radio 1, the NME and much of the other mainstream media outlets are shouting it from the rooftops. If you're PRR and you go quiet for 1 year then very few people are going to be waiting around when you come back. Don't mistake this for having a go at the band as they are at the moment: PRR have been reasonably good at keeping the fans in the loop for the last 2 months or so. However, I'll argue till the cows come home that for a band of their small profile and fanbase, the onus is on them to keep the fans up to date with what's going on. That's not an unreasonable demand: we're not clamouring to hear whether Chloe had a nice lunch on Wednesday or whether Jon's got a new leather jacket that he really likes. And I don't fancy the alternative: that we should all check these forums/their Myspace once a year and find out that they've had a new album out for 2 months and they've already played your town on their tour. |
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Post by blondeambassador on Jan 2, 2008 15:15:48 GMT
No, we're not saying that they shouldn't update us about releases etc, I think whats being said is that we need to sit tight until they actually have something to tell us! I'm sure when they have a title/release date/tour date to tell us then they will! I think thats all I'm arguing anyway, some people seem to want updates on...well, just that, what they did last Friday night and how many seconds of the new song they wrote today!
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Post by the dark fourth on Jan 2, 2008 20:35:02 GMT
Basically, I think that everyone (at least subconciously) wants them to release a full blown amazing album tomorrow so they can listen to some new tracks from the most amazing band in the world. When we say 'we want more updates' what we actually mean is 'we want a new album asap'. We don't actually want updates about Chloe's lunch, and even being told 'we've got a few tracks finished' would hardly be satisfying! They've said very clearly many times that work is going on, so we can only sit back and wait till its finished, I'm afraid. We don't really have another option, and neither do they. It takes as long as it takes. And as for saying that they need to publicise it more so it does better when it's released, well I'm sure publicising will come when they have something to publicise!
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Post by smudger on Jan 4, 2008 13:11:01 GMT
right - at the end of the day, the band are busy trying to record an album. stop being total children asking for updates and stuff, if there's anything to tell, they'll tell you! as for the whole 'legal reasons' stuff - that's the business of the band, and the band only. they are not your property, just let them get on with their job. and as 'fans' do your job by listening to their music (as and when it gets released) and going to their shows. sorry for the rant, i'm just getting quite annoyed with the attitudes of people on here! Right...at the end of the day, why have you dug up something that was buried a month ago? Why bother re-opening this debate? What's the point in coming along a month later and using it just so you can have a puerile and misconstrued rant? Grow up and don't tell ANYBODY on this board what their function in life is...you're not in any position to. And, BA, I'm surprised at you. One month ago you were telling everyone to leave this subject alone, which most people duly did. Now you're trying to extinguish it by pouring petrol on the flames?? It beats me. |
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Post by the dark fourth on Jan 4, 2008 18:11:21 GMT
Oh I don't know, I think it's quite a good debate. And it's applicable to more than just PRR. It's the great question: how much should bands focus on the publicity side of things at the expense of making good music? As a fan I naturally crave updates, but as a appreciater of fine music I realise that updates have to come a solid second place.
Admittedly the whole "and as 'fans' do your job by listening to their music and going to their shows" thing was a bit strong and unecessary on the part of 'Sticky' but I woudln't have called it "puerile" myself (good word though).
Yeah I don't think there's anything so terribly wrong with rehashing this subject - it's not like we've got anything else to talk about at the mo.
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Post by blondeambassador on Jan 4, 2008 18:18:40 GMT
No, I think you'll find that previously I was saying to people to stop complaining about having to wait...I agree with the point that when they have something to tell us they will. There's nothing wrong with discussing this though, but at some points it felt like constant moaning, which I don't think the band necessarily deserve right now.
What I do still totally stand by is stopping the discussion of the 'legal issues' that obviously can't be talked about so why keep bringing them up again- my point of view on that certainly hasn't changed.
As far as I'm concerned I've been standing by these views all along and although possibly not expressed in the most diplomatic way by sticky, it was refreshing to have someone agree with me on the 'leave them alone to record their album' point of view. So maybe I didn't quite mean 'well said,' I still agree with the general 'leave it all be and wait' point of view.
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