Imaginos :Black & Silver

[Ted O. Jackson]

>
> Forgive my candor, but..
>
> There are few things more despicable to me than artists' being denied credit
> and/or
> money for their contributions.  From what I've read on this list and the FAQ,
> the original
> BOC guys (Eric, Buck, et al) sound like total shysters!
> If this is the case, then why are people on this list so hell-bent on
> supporting their
> sorry asses?
>
> Just curious....
>
> Chris
Chris,
A few possible explanations:
Nostalgia.
A lot of us [and I must confess to this offense at times] just can't
let go of the idea of the original BOC producing such great music.
While Albert has always been at the core of BOC, a lot of us also
liked the music the other members of the band generated as well.
Hey, these guys have been our heroes for years.  It's hard to dump
them after so long.  We likely are trying to hold to a slim hope that
they may someday do the right thing, acknowledge their sins, and one
day go on to create great music again, hopefully with Albert.  I love
Al's work with the Surgeons, but I prefer his work with BOC.

Pragmatism.
The rest of BOC probably acted somewhat out of desperation in
shafting AL.  BOC was on the skids seriously circa 'Imaginos,' and I
suspect that they may have decided to try to grab credit for
'Imaginos' in hopes of re-inflating their careers [of evil!].  For a
bunch of guys who were used to playing in arenas, and then found
themselves back in bars, the temptation to grab for the big one must
have been overwhelming.  Not to be condoned, of course, and in some
ways, I'm glad it didn't work.  It's just too bad that the aftermath
was so awful, with everyone destroyed in the bloodbath.  Though it
looks like Al is recovering nicely with tBS.

Possibility of another angle.
It's likely that the rest of BOC was familiar with a lot of
'Imaginos'before the recording project got under way.  Weren't a lot
of those tunes old themes that Al had been working on for years?
Isn't it possible that BOC had jammed on these tunes, and helped Al
polish them over the years?  I don't know, and could be way off.
Please correct me here.  But if this had been the case, then the rest
may have considered themselves more involved in the project than Al
would be willing to give them credit for.

None of these scenarios offer any really palpable paliative, but they
do at least offer some explanation, at least as I see it.
theo