As I was busy reassembling my music library today, I was delighted to find a CD single I’ve been looking for since Earl and I moved into this house almost three years ago. It’s my favorite record of all time.
BT, “Remember”.
I remember when I first discovered BT’s music. His album ESCM arrived on my desk at the radio station back in 1996. Unfamiliar with this BT, the CD didn’t make it to the weekly music meetings for a number of weeks. There were no record reps calling me begging me for airplay. It wasn’t even mentioned in the trades.
When I first started out as a Program Director I used to screen new music by throwing it in the CD player in the car and going for a drive. I figured most listeners listened to the radio in the car, so I would do the same to see if the song was good or not. If I liked it, the CD case stayed in the passenger seat. If I didn’t think it worked, it got thrown in the back seat. If I really hated the record, it got thrown on the floor of the back seat and then into the dumpster when I got back to the station. It was a system that worked well for a number of years, until the station became overwhelmed with music. Then the music director and I would just plop CDs in one of the payola boomboxes we had, listen to the first 30 seconds and if it grabbed us, go another 30 seconds, otherwise it was tossed in the garbage bin. I seem to remember records scoring higher if they were wrapped in colored paper instead of the traditional white flyer. By the way, Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby (One More Time)” went into the trash bin after the first 30 seconds, right down the same road as the Spice Girls “Wannabe”. No one ever said the 30 second rule accounted for bad public taste.
Anyways, I distinctly remember listening to BT’s full length CD, “ESCM” and being absolutely gripped by the amazing use of technology on all his tracks. I ended up going for an extra long ride that day back in 1997 because I wanted to listen to the whole CD before going back to the station. The CD flowed, I was swayed and my ears felt caressed. While it was never a big Top 40 hit, “Remember” gained a permanent spot on the station playlist and in the mix shows.
I’m glad to have found the CD. It’s once again found a place of prominence in the music library.
Here’s the track on Amazon if you want to take a listen. The vocals on “Remember” are by Jan Johnston.
