Ira is that you?

I remember an Ira and Inman recording session which was financed by Frank Fried, I think it was Columbia. A fat A and R guy with a cigar showed up as a line producer and proceeded to try to turn Ira and Inman into a popular early rock group. They didn't get the chain gang stuff at all. Ira and Inman were great doing this material. I got so disgusted that as a sub-arranger I walked off the gig. I wasn't going to let this idiot A and R guy destroy their music. I remember him saying, "We'll put a growling tenor sax on the songs with a drum beat 'cause that's what the kids like." Today, that could be done with what sophistication on the part of rock producers have acquired without destroying their music. But back then, there was no sympathy or understanding of Ira and Inman's artistry. It was A and R B.S. Frank Fried I guess was at the mercy of Columbia Records.

It highlights what happens when the big corporations try to run the show.

Frank