Publicity prior to ASG release

[erg2]

if ashes to ashes was the first single where is the promo for it? If ashes to ashes was a radio hit show me? if ashes to ashes had a radio edit vv didn't like show me??? HELP ME TO HELP YOU- SHOW ME THE ASHES TO ASHES RADIO EDIT/SINGLE/PROMO as first single? HELP ME HELP YOU BRAINSAW.

And if ASG had this new marketing group that was SO much better...you know, the guys that made Poison so huge...then why did ASG not sell as well as VVI-self titled? That does not seem to make sense to me. Doesn't quite...add up.

[doublev2]

And why wasnt a video releasd until almost two months after it was released?
Why only ballads as videos? Not a great really for this so called push brainsaw mentions.

[doublev2]

Hang on... ashes to ashes was only released to radio. Thats stupid. And where is this radio only version?
Are you saying they just played it straight of asg? Not normal back then... also where os radio edit?

[metatron]

Man, I'm going to say it, who ever was running Chrysalis Records at the time of the release of ASG had their head deep up their own ass hole. That was a commercial-ish album.
Just listen to Billy Idols Whiplash smile. On the track Don't Need a Gun, Steve Steven does some pretty warped Guitar pyrotechnics. Chrysalis Records seemed to promote that just fine. If anything Steve's image at the time of Whiplash was more outrageous than VV's. So that wasn't the problem. And Billy Idol was not angle either. He got up to his nastiness. The lock down sex parties. The Drugs, The drinking. Chrysalis Records seemed to be Ok with all those 'rock-star' antics.

It would be three more years until the next LP from Idol, Whiplash Smile. The single "To Be a Lover" received heavy airplay on both MTV and FM radio, and topped out at number six on the charts, and the group then embarked on a massive arena tour. The group now consisted of Susie Davis on keyboards and Kenny Aaronson on bass, with Price continuing as drummer. Despite a reputation for being rude, nasty, and stuck-up, Idol is perhaps just putting on a front. "I don't want to mess with Billy's image," Aaronson told Guitar Player, "but he is easily the nicest 'star' I've ever worked with."

'That Time of Year' was commercial. It could (should) have been a hit. That got ZERO air play in any format in Australia & I'd say it was the same for the rest of the world. Something more sinister was going on behind the scenes at Chrysalis Records.

[1031]

And why wasnt a video releasd until almost two months after it was released?
Why only ballads as videos? Not a great really for this so called push brainsaw mentions.

Ballads sell, late 1986-87 was the year of the metal and rock ballads. Plus ballads have always done well on radio.
So I am sure they were looking for traction there.

That time of year was a great song , and a smart choice to push for traction to the masses. I think some times you have to step back and look at the biz side of the music to figure out what they were thinking. As a fan and musician I will go dude that is such a amazing song with just out of this world musicianship.. but in all reality its not doing anything because the general public like dumbed down music. Case in point "The Bangles" and any other popular bubble gum rock. "Walk like an egyptian " gets mega play radio video sells millions , That time of year left in the backroom ... not fair just is what it is.

King Crimson " RED" is another great album, in fact great band and super talented musicians, the most people remember about that band was the screaming man on one of there covers. And this is a band that had top 30 slots in the UK .

The record industry has never been about music lovers or fans in the whole, its about mass selling of music. Some of the most talented ground breaking musicians have been passed over for the prospect of repackaging and selling a million copies of " I think were alone now" by a little teen cutie.

[Slayer]

Another example of what you are saying is the Beastie Boys. "You Got To Fight For Your Right To Party" has possibly the worst guitar solo ever recorded on it. I believe that this worst guitar solo of all time may have been played by none other than Kerry King better known from the band Slayer.

[Brainsaw]

Man, I'm going to say it, who ever was running Chrysalis Records at the time of the release of ASG had their head deep up their own ass hole. That was a commercial-ish album.
---

'That Time of Year' was commercial. It could (should) have been a hit. That got ZERO air play in any format in Australia & I'd say it was the same for the rest of the world. Something more sinister was going on behind the scenes at Chrysalis Records.

As posted in the Mike Bone on ASG thread

That strategy recognizes the existence of two audiences out there-a core metal audience, and a larger, general audience.

"The first track we're going to go after is a song called 'Ashes To Ashes,''' says Bone, "and we're not going to make a video. We will make a video of the second track. The first track in our marketing campaign is totally slanted to¬ward his fan base-it's a real uptempo, hard-rock track that we will get on the Z.Rock-type radio stations, the rocking album rock stations. Currently we don't have any plans to release it as a single.

"The second track that we go after is a much more mass appeal track, a power ballad called 'Love Kills.' And we will have a massive album rock acceptance on that, there will be a video on that, and we will release it as a single for the hard-rocking top 40 stations."

Why the dual approach? "You can't afford to offend your core market," says Bone, "and that first track will be very palatable to those people. It's just a matter of making the video--because the damn things are so expensive now-in the right track. And the right track, the one that's going to get played on MTV, is the track that's going to get played on mainstream album rock radio, then hopefully cross over
and be somewhat of a pop hit single."

Now "Ashes" on the AOR stations got the airplay they wanted. Was added on 65 AOR stations.

And this strategy did work. They shipped out 250,000 units to begin. After the first week, they shipped out another 50,000 (because of re-orders). By the 2 month mark (due to re-orders) they were up to 375,000 units. And the video hadn't even come ou.

Much like when with "Boyz". Invasion was already over 200,000 units by the time "Boyz" came out.



Now the problems that went on. The label delayed the release from January to May to really gear up the promotion etc. Doing that worked on one front certainly. ASG was known. Re-orders poured in etc.

The problems that lead to- Invasion had to pass on the Aerosmith "Permanent Vacation" tour. Dokken and White Lion ended up getting the tour that Vinnie Vincent Invasion should have been on.

Then there was the problem with Vinnie not writing a new song for "Nightmare". That was a huge honor for the band. Other bands would have killed for that opportunity. It would have been great had Vinnie written a song specifically for the movie.

He didn't. And as you see above, "Love Kills" was planned to be the first video from the album.

So by the time they decide they will just use "Love Kills", they have to scrap that as the first video and then plan on putting out "That Time Of Year". But you really needed 3 or 4 months to work a single back then and video.

But the "Nightmare" movie already had a release date in the states in August. So then, that video (which New Line picks up the cost for) has to go...


Then there's the internal disagreements over Mark being made the face of Invasion (in Feb). You've got Vinnie going out on record saying they will re-release ASG with a different cover and the guitars brought back on it etc.

And of course there was label stupidity back then acting like it would cost way too much money to put out 2 versions of the same album. Which if they were smart back then, they could have gotten alot of VVI fans buying 2 copies of the same album....one ASG (regular). The other ASG (Full Shredd edition) or whatever you wanted to call them. If they would have planned that from the beginning-they could have really cut back more on the playing on the "regular edition) and let Vinnie loose on the other.

Had they done that--they might have kept everyone happy. Vinnie gets what he wants and the label could push the more "mainstream" album and the fans could choose either or both.

[doublev2]

from what i heard vv owed so much money and abused his credit with chrysalis they didnt really want asg to do well. or at least not put huge money into it. they saw the potential in mark and they were correct - mark made them lots of money - vinnie lost them lots of money.

[poserboy71]

And of course there was label stupidity back then acting like it would cost way too much money to put out 2 versions of the same album. Which if they were smart back then, they could have gotten alot of VVI fans buying 2 copies of the same album....one ASG (regular). The other ASG (Full Shredd edition) or whatever you wanted to call them. If they would have planned that from the beginning-they could have really cut back more on the playing on the "regular edition) and let Vinnie loose on the other.

Had they done that--they might have kept everyone happy. Vinnie gets what he wants and the label could push the more "mainstream" album and the fans could choose either or both.

YES PLEASE

[1031]

I know what the label said but I have yet to find VVI on a playlist, I am still trying find some it would just be cool to see VVI on a playlist from 87 . As tyou can see from the very lengthy KSHE CLASSICS list no vinnie.. or on the 95 list from 86. If you have any real playlists links I would love to see them.


http://www.kshe95.com/Pics/PhotoAlbums/ ... _900W.Jpeg
http://www.kshe95.com/klassics/story.aspx?ID=1790920

[Brainsaw]

I know what the label said but I have yet to find VVI on a playlist, I am still trying find some it would just be cool to see VVI on a playlist from 87 . As tyou can see from the very lengthy KSHE CLASSICS list no vinnie.. or on the 95 list from 86. If you have any real playlists links I would love to see them.


http://www.kshe95.com/Pics/PhotoAlbums/ ... _900W.Jpeg
http://www.kshe95.com/klassics/story.aspx?ID=1790920

It wasn't played n KSHE...

[KissMyAss]

from what i heard vv owed so much money and abused his credit with chrysalis they didnt really want asg to do well. or at least not put huge money into it. they saw the potential in mark and they were correct - mark made them lots of money - vinnie lost them lots of money.

Then, Vinnie left his own group high and dry, which seemed to be a pattern.

[1031]

I know what the label said but I have yet to find VVI on a playlist, I am still trying find some it would just be cool to see VVI on a playlist from 87 . As tyou can see from the very lengthy KSHE CLASSICS list no vinnie.. or on the 95 list from 86. If you have any real playlists links I would love to see them.


http://www.kshe95.com/Pics/PhotoAlbums/ ... _900W.Jpeg
http://www.kshe95.com/klassics/story.aspx?ID=1790920

It wasn't played n KSHE...

Hmmm KSHE was a top AOR in the 80s . The problem I have with Chrysalis claims that Vinnie was added to AOR stations is that they were demographically driven and playlists were mostly listener requested so popularity would play a large part in that. Large labels were putting a lot of pressure on them at that time putting the squeeze on independent labels. But I do know Huey Lewis and Benatar were being played a lot on KSHE and stations in Texas Oklahoma Minnesota Kansas Missouri Indiana because thats were I was playing and working a lot then. So Chrysalis artists were being played but I don't remember Vinnie played but maybe once or twice in that whole time.

[Brainsaw]

Hmmm KSHE was a top AOR in the 80s . .

So? That was only the 2nd week or so chart that it was out. I also pointed out that depending upon which one it was...it could have been in the top most requested songs.

an why use 87 playlists? Do you know when ASG came out?

[erg2]

I know what the label said but I have yet to find VVI on a playlist, I am still trying find some it would just be cool to see VVI on a playlist from 87 . As tyou can see from the very lengthy KSHE CLASSICS list no vinnie.. or on the 95 list from 86. If you have any real playlists links I would love to see them.


http://www.kshe95.com/Pics/PhotoAlbums/ ... _900W.Jpeg
http://www.kshe95.com/klassics/story.aspx?ID=1790920

Wouldn't it be nice if the Ass Pimple could list some of these "65" AOR stations and their playlists? Or even show the radio edit of ASHES TO ASHES to show that it existed?

Well, I take it back. I don't want proof. A press release is all the proof I require. Brain turned off. Zombie mode activating.

[1031]

Hmmm KSHE was a top AOR in the 80s . .

So? That was only the 2nd week or so chart that it was out. I also pointed out that depending upon which one it was...it could have been in the top most requested songs.

an why use 87 playlists? Do you know when ASG came out?

Gonnarock , Why the rudeness? of course I know when it came out, I would be happy to see a playlists from 86-88 from any station with VVI on it... I looked couldn't find one that's all.

[Brainsaw]

Hmmm KSHE was a top AOR in the 80s . .

So? That was only the 2nd week or so chart that it was out. I also pointed out that depending upon which one it was...it could have been in the top most requested songs.

an why use 87 playlists? Do you know when ASG came out?

Why the rudeness? of course I know when it came out, I would be happy to see a playlists from 86-88 from any station with VVI on it... I looked couldn't find one that's all.

LOL Why the rudeness? Well, for starters you keep calling me some bullshit name that you know isn't me. For another, you already admitted to being a troll and not caring about the facts and just being a nuisance for shits and giggles.

So troll along!

[erg2]

Hmmm KSHE was a top AOR in the 80s . .

So? That was only the 2nd week or so chart that it was out. I also pointed out that depending upon which one it was...it could have been in the top most requested songs.

an why use 87 playlists? Do you know when ASG came out?

Gonnarock , Why the rudeness? of course I know when it came out, I would be happy to see a playlists from 86-88 from any station with VVI on it... I looked couldn't find one that's all.

It exists because a press release advertising that it exists said that it exists. Don't question things. Just accept things. That's the Vinnie way. That's the Gene and Paul way.

[1031]

Hmmm KSHE was a top AOR in the 80s . .

So? That was only the 2nd week or so chart that it was out. I also pointed out that depending upon which one it was...it could have been in the top most requested songs.

an why use 87 playlists? Do you know when ASG came out?

Why the rudeness? of course I know when it came out, I would be happy to see a playlists from 86-88 from any station with VVI on it... I looked couldn't find one that's all.

LOL Why the rudeness? Well, for starters you keep calling me some bullshit name that you know isn't me. For another, you already admitted to being a troll and not caring about the facts and just being a nuisance for shits and giggles.

So troll along!

Angel, but you have been here before. I know it you know it we all know it. you can stop playing the game.

[erg2]

Play, play the game tonight
Can you tell me if it's wrong or right
Is it worth the time, is it worth the price
Do you see yourself in the white spotlight?