Here is the true, behind-the-scenes story of Casablanca Records, from an eyewitness to the excess and insanity.
Now it can be told! The true, behind-the-scenes story of Casablanca Records, from an eyewitness to the excess and insanity. Casablanca was not a product of the 1970s, it was the 1970s. From 1974 to 1980, the landscape of American culture was a banquet of hedonism and self-indulgence, and no person or company in that era was more emblematic of the times than Casablanca Records and its magnetic founder, Neil Bogart. From his daring first signing of Kiss, through the discovery and superstardom of Donna Summer, Village People, and funk master George Clinton and his circus of freaks -- Parliament-Funkadelic -- to the descent into the manic world of disco, this book charts Bogart's meteoric success and eventual collapse under the weight of uncontrolled ego and hype. It is a compelling tale of ambition, greed, excess, and some of the era's biggest music acts.
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About the Author:
LARRY HARRIS began working for Buddah/Kama Sutra Records in the summer of 1971 as the local New York promotions man, and in 1973 he joined his cousin Neil Bogart in founding Casablanca Records. He became executive vice president and managing director of the company in 1976 and left Casablanca in the fall of 1979. He was born in New York and now lives and works in Seattle.
Review:
''The book contains detailed evidence of the chaotic manipulation of the music charts in the wild days before computer scanning. This fell mostly under Harris' purview, and he offers fascinating insight on what these legendary 'promo men' did back in the day.'' --L.A. Weekly
''A delightful new memoir pulls back the veil on an almost-forgotten era. . . [Harris] relates each story with a refreshing humility, often sharing the recall of his own overwhelmed surprise. . . And Party Every Day is not just an insider account of a major portion of American rock n roll history it s a work of cultural anthropology.'' -- Q
''Home to Kiss, Donna Summer, and the Village People, Casablanca was the quintessential 1970s record label, run by hype-crazed promo men who believed the best way to make money was to spend mountains of it. Former Casablanca VP Harris tells jaw-dropping tales of chart manipulation, desks piled with drugs. . . label execs throwing Frisbees out office windows at hookers, and Rodney Dangerfield, who was signed to the label, carrying a Noxzema jar of cocaine.'' --Rolling Stone
''Always entertaining and frequently jaw-dropping. . . Anyone open to finding out what the disco era at Casablanca was really like will love this.'' --Library Journal
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherBlackstone Audiobooks
- Publication date2011
- ISBN 10 1441779493
- ISBN 13 9781441779496
- BindingMP3 CD
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Rating