Friday July 19, 2002
The Guardian



These are bewildering times for record labels. Not only are they perceived as faceless, profit-driven conglomerates, but some of their major acts are rebelling. A group of American stars, including Courtney Love, Beck and Billy Joel, have formed the Future of Music Coalition to protest against restrictive contracts; George Michael insists on reviewing his deal with Polydor each time he puts out a CD; and Michael Jackson has just launched a bizarre action against longtime label Sony, claiming it conspires against black artists.

Up in the £2,496-per-night Oliver Messel suite (six rooms, lashings of gilt) of London's Dorchester hotel, Clive Davis shakes his head at the folly of it all. In 40 years in music, there's almost nothing he hasn't seen, but he is bemused by the spectacle of the talent revolting against the paymasters.

"Michael Jackson," he sighs. "Do I think he could still have hits? Yes. Do I think he's still talented? Yes. Do I think his current actions are sensible? No. I'd certainly take issue with Sony being prejudiced against black artists. I don't see any evidence of that."

Though none of the artists on the roster at his own J records has shown signs of unrest, Davis knows better than most record executives the perils of the prima donna. He discovered, signed or mentored Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Patti Smith. More recently, he transformed Carlos Santana from has been to shock comeback story ("Twenty-six million copies," he says casually, "and I signed him for pretty much the recording costs of the album") and helped turn Alicia Keys from unknown into the winner of five Grammys.

So when he says, "I don't think that because there are some dissident artists, there's been a shift in power from labels to artists", other label presidents might sleep a little more easily. "I've never been involved with one and no one has ever sued me." That said, Davis has a unique perspective on the situation. The typical label boss these days is a bean-counter with an MBA, but Brooklyn-born Davis is the product of a time when the guys running the companies were as colourful as their acts.

He has been president of both CBS (from which he resigned in 1973, after allegedly charging $70,000 for his son's bar mitzvah and home renovations to company expenses) and Arista, acquiring not just a constellation of rock-star friends but two chapters in a bestselling 1990 book, Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business, by Fredric Dannen. Its portrayal of Davis was not entirely flattering, claiming that he had taken credit for discovering acts who were actually brought to his attention by A&R scouts. But it had no discernible effect on his career, which is still sustained, say his peers, by an extraordinary ability to spot hits. Two years ago, he reaffirmed his status as a major player by launching J Records at the age of 67.

The story behind J gives new meaning to the word "driven". When company retirement policy forced Davis to hand over the chairmanship of Arista at 65, he refused to accept that it was time to take up his pipe and slippers. "I said, 'I've still got the ability to spot and nurture talent,' and I asked BMG [Arista's parent company] if they would do something historic and unprecedented and fund an 'instant major'. They funded it for $150m - half from me and half from BMG - and they allowed me to take my senior staff coupled with 10 artists, five either platinum or above and five of my choice that I had been developing. To their credit, they did that. As long as one's health is good, it's exciting to nurture talent. I love what I do. I know you have to earn it all, but with the contemporary nature of my ears I feel the same age as a young person. I'm putting in 12- to 15-hour days."

He unearths a copy of American trade mag Billboard and opens it to a four-page J ad. "Look at this. Alicia - 5m sales. Busta Rhymes, over a million. O-Town [think a weedier Backstreet Boys], 1.6." On the next page is a shot of Rod Stewart, a new Davis signing. The text announces that on his first J album, the priapic old card "inimitably reinterprets the classics".

With a CV like his (his official J biography lists three pages of achievements and gongs, including New York's Mayor Dinkins declaring June 6 1992 Clive Davis Day in recognition of his charity work), there's no point in modesty. Asked whether he will ring Michael Jackson if he leaves Sony, he peers incredulously over his tinted glasses. "I don't call them, they call me."

Well, Mariah Carey did. After she was paid off by EMI following poor sales of her last album, she came to see Davis. He is gentlemanly about the foundering diva, whose slick pop-soul is right up his street (he signed Houston, Toni Braxton and Keys). "I think Mariah is very talented," he says, "and can still have hits, but she wanted an unqualified key-man clause [allowing her to leave the label if specified members of Davis's team leave] in her contract and I don't think that works today."

He is briefly distracted by an MTV video. A generic R&B Amazon is flailing in the arms of two male dancers; Davis studies it with professional interest, possibly the only 69-year-old on the planet to watch MTV and cluck not over the singer's booty-skimming skirt but the lacklustre vocal mix.

He is also, arguably, the only one who can tell Brandy from Monica, the soul-lite princesses who had a big collaborative hit with The Boy Is Mine. He has just signed Monica, and the night before our interview, he hosted a UK press launch for her and a 15-year-old named Mario, who tore the place up with a cover of Stevie Wonder's Knocks Me Off My Feet. Both artists are in keeping with J's broadly R&B-ish direction, the area where Davis has had much of his success.

Being white and Jewish has never proved an obstacle in being accepted by black acts, he says: "Why should it? It goes back to Lieber and Stoller." One of his proteges was Puff Daddy, whom he discusses like a much-loved but wayward nephew. "Once you call a label Bad Boy, you can't sign Bob Dylan or Patti Smith. They won't want to be on it. I told Puffy, but he wouldn't listen." His laconic New York inflections rise a tone or two at the Puffster's rashness.

What is his take on the growing practice of sexualising teenage artists? "I'm wary of youngsters who don't have the maturity in their writing and performance to understand - of every 50 I see, I sign one. There are some natural wonders, and Mario is one. He blew Stevie Wonder away at my Grammy party." There's no denying that at last night's launch, Mario bonded with the girls like an underweight Barry White, but it's disconcerting to find that sort of knowingness in someone too young to shave.

At the other end of the age scale is Rod Stewart, who was dropped by WEA last year. Spurred on by a demo tape Stewart played him, Davis has taken him on for what he terms a "special album". He's excited about it, and crosses the room to slot a CD into the player. Stewart's unmistakable rasp fills the air, gargling through the jazz standard They Can't Take That Away from Me, accompanied by a swooning cocktail-lounge orchestra. "He's singing the great American songbook," Davis explains. "I think this is gonna be tremendous."

Makes you wonder. Robbie Williams sold millions of copies of Swing When You're Winning last year because people enjoyed the combination of young smart-ass and old tunes . But can Stewart pull it off? Well, he's big in America and Williams isn't. Why hasn't any young British act except Dido - another Davis signing - succeeded in the US?

He reckons it's a matter of "being at the creative pulse and at the moment that's hip-hop and rock, which are hard for the British to emulate. There's an element to UK dance-pop that's not fashionable in the US, though I'd have certainly signed Craig David. You sign acts when you're excited, and I think we're not going through a revolutionary time in music where boundaries are being pushed forward," he goes on meditatively. "Rock can use a new Bob Dylan or Springsteen." Davis is out there looking, and he'll know when he's found them. "I get a feeling when I hear a hit. I can always tell."

· Mario's debut album, Mario, is out on August 5.

I wonder why no mention of Luther Vandross?
He, also, is doing well with Clive Davis and
J-Records.
His latest album, LUTHER, is classic!

-

Supernova said:

I thought it was some guy named "Mike Apple" or "Apfel" who discovered Springsteen...

It's too bad that Prince burned his bridges with Clive Davis. Davis is an old school type of record company executive. He knows and cares about music.

Davis is not one of the new type of record executives -- the MBA's, accountants. and Japanese multinationals -- who are now running the American record labels.

I think that Davis was very interested and enthusiastic about Prince at Arista, even going with him to marketing and promo events. Do you think that Tommy Mottola gets down in the trenches and really works with his artists the way that Clive Davis does?

It was unfortunate timing that Prince's album was released right as Arista started forcing Davis to retire. Davis had to start fighting for his career at that point and he couldn't devote as much time to the Rave album as he would have been able to if his career troubles hadn't started at that time.

Clive Davis obviously had high regard for Prince, paying him $11 million for the Rave album and letting him keep the masters.

Cornerman said:

Mike Appel was Springsteen's first manager and producer. He's the same guy that Springsteen had a contract dispute with, consequently not allowing him to record music for about 3 years after the Born To Run album in 1975.

Clive Davis is truly a genius in the Game but also very Glassy-eyed rascal.He got dropped at sony then CBS records for having His Money way.I read stuff on Him in a Barry Manilow Book of How He finds songs that fit a artist.He did it with Whitney Houston&Now Alicia Keys.His payola ways effected frankie Crocker.read about Clive not only in Hit Men bu also Nelson George's the death of R&B.Luther is still doing more or less the same numbers He did at sony.I'm curious about His leaving Sony Music? that is quite interesting IMHO.a Multi-Platinum Artist for so long on Sony to be forced out of there.He did Mention some things without going into detail.Clive was also President of Arista when Milli Vanneli was on top&they were on His Label so you know this cat is Glassy-eyed.peep out the acts Clive has debuted with on J Records: O'town,Keys.Clive is like the Don King of the Music Business: Many faces will come&go but Clive will still be Ligthening up His Cigar.

mistermaxxx said:

what book did u read about clive davis???
if i can't find that book, can u tell me of how he finds songs for artists like keys/whiteny,etc. and what he looks for in artists?

A record executive who can orchestrate a comeback on the magnitude of Carlos Santana is a genius. The thing about the Santana album is that Carlos didn't do anything differently than he has been doing for the last 30 years. He played the same guitar licks and solos.

The only difference this time out is that Santana had Clive Davis there to get hot young artists to come aboard and write songs that Santana could then add his guitar playing to. It worked perfect and Santana ends up with an album that sells 26 million copies and wins an armload of Grammies.

subyduby said:

I have three Books one a Book about Bary Manilow that talks about His association with clive.the other Books are HitMen a Inside the Industry Book.and the Book the death of R&B Nelson George that talks abou clive Davis&His Business dealings.

GoldNigga said:

Pound,Pound on that Point.

NikkiDarling said:

Interesting! I never heard all this.. I am not doubting you or anything but more interested in where you heard some of this stuff about Clive & Prince.

what bridges did Prince burn with him?

and where did you hear he got $11 million for Rave?

* I think actually Prince the first time ever was behind the times when it came to himself with Rave.

~ Old Friends for sale was a better album (great album actually)... and Prince was doing his same stuff.. but NOW we see Prince doing a One Nite Alone/Rainbow Children album which is the same vibe as Old friends!! IF Prince put out ONA or Rainbow Children instead of Rave .. he would have sold a ton more!

ALSO Arista decided to make Santana their "Old artist comeback" for that year!!! Prince must have said or done something to make them chose him (to promote more)??

Also Prince wasn't even Clive's TV Special.??? They had every artist there playing live.

*** So can you give me some more details on what whole bridge burning and the $11 million for Rave?

thanks

LocoArts...Uptown did a really good,extensive article on the whole 'Rave' story awhile back.Clive Davis/Arista paid Prince $11 million for the 'Rave' album,and they allowed him to keep the master recording.Unfortunately,the deal soured when the CD didn't sell that well.Prince blamed Clive for not promoting the CD enough,and there weren't really any subsequent singles and videos (sound familiar?...lol...).