[閒聊] 華納前A&R主管回憶Chester

看板LinkinPark作者ChesterB (很難想)時間7年前 (2017/07/28 22:24)推噓4(4推 0噓 0→)

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https://goo.gl/spHa86 Former Warner Bros. A&R Exec Jeff Blue Remembers Chester Bennington, Linkin Park's Early Days Jeff Blue is a multiplatinum producer and songwriter, and a veteran A&R executive who has worked at Atlantic, Interscope, Zomba Music Publishing and RCA, among other labels. In the late 1990s into the 2000s, Blue helped shepherd Linkin Park’s early career and negotiated its deal with Warner Bros. Records, bringing the band with him when he became a senior vp A&R at WBR. He is currently developing new duo Riot Child for his production company, Jeff Blue Music. Here, Blue remembers his longtime friend, the late Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington, who died July 20. Jeff Blue同時是多張白金唱片製作人、歌曲創作人還曾在1990-2000年左右當很多家唱片公司擔任A&R部門的主管，他引導了LP最早期的職業生涯，並在進入華納A&R部門時帶著LP一起進入華納並簽下了唱片合約，Jeff回憶了他認識的Chester It was 1997. A young and inspired Brad Delson was my intern at Zomba Music Publishing. The future Linkin Park founder-guitarist glanced at the Korn plaque and Limp Bizkit poster on my wall and told me he was going to put a band together that would change the world. 時間回到1997年，有一個年輕人Brad Delson，是我在Zomba Music公司時的實習生他看著我牆上Korn和LB的海報告訴我，他要組一個會改變的世界的樂團 After seeing Brad's band, Xero, perform its first show, I signed it to a publishing development deal. Together, we set out on the four-year development run that would introduce the world to what became Linkin Park and the gentle purity and emotional complexity of an artist named Chester Bennington. 在看過Brad的樂團Xero表演第一場演出後，我把他們簽下來了，並且安排了四年發展事業的合約，這個樂團後來成了眾所皆知的Linkin Park But that would come later, and with some tweaks to Xero's setup. After 44 showcases and 43 rejections from labels, it was apparent there needed to be a change. 不過這是後來的事情了，Xero成團後辦了44場演出，有43個唱片公司都拒絕了很顯然有些事情需要改變 In 1999, attorney Scott Harrington suggested Chester from a band called Grey Daze in Phoenix as a possible new lead singer to complement Mike Shinoda. We called Chester and asked him if he wanted to make history by being the next big vocalist in a band that no one had heard of... yet. 在1999年一個叫Scott Harrington的律師建議一個在亞歷山納Grey Dze樂團的Chester 來跟Mike Shinoda互補，我們打電話給Chester，問他是不是願意成為下一個偉大的主唱雖然這個團都還沒有人聽過 Seizing the opportunity, Chester left his own birthday party to lay down vocals to the tracks I had overnighted him. By the time I got back to Los Angeles from SXSW, I had a demo tape from Chester. Chester離開了他自己的生日宴會，在我連夜寄給他的音樂中錄了自己的歌聲，當我回到洛杉磯時，我就已經拿到他的demo了 What I heard floored me. Every crack of his voice had a story to tell. It was iconic, genuine, vulnerable, urgent, beautiful and hit you in the gut. I immediately called Brad and Mike and told them I was flying Chester out to Los Angeles. 我聽到的聲音讓我驚呆了，他的聲音中有這麼多的故事，非常有標誌性、真誠、脆弱、美好直入人心，我馬上打電話給Brad和Mike告訴他們我要馬上讓Chester飛到洛杉磯 Into my office walked a kid with Coke-bottle glasses; a glittery, button-down black shirt two sizes too big; spiked black hair; and an unstoppable smile from ear to ear that lit up the room. I couldn't believe the voice I heard on the demo came out of the shy kid sitting before me. 來到我辦公室的是一個帶著厚重眼鏡、刺刺黑頭髮、穿著大兩號黑色閃亮襯衫的年輕人同時他的臉上有個超大的笑容照亮了整個房間，我不敢相信我聽到的歌聲來自眼前的人 It took a couple of months for the band to jell, but the magic was there. Chester embraced his vulnerability and inner conflict, and his image soon reflected his powerful voice that would reach so many. 整個樂團調整適應花了數個月，但魔力就在那，Chester擁抱他脆弱的一面和內心的矛盾而這展現在他的歌聲中，最終影響了無數的人 The band, which was now going by Hybrid Theory, rehearsed out of a room with broken water pipes on Sunset Boulevard. I invited label reps, all of whom had previously passed on the band, to see the new version. Although he was performing in a small, leaky room in front of an audience of only one person, Chester treated it as a stadium filled with 50,000 fervent fans. While screaming his signature lungs out, he would sing within inches of the A&R executive's nose. You could feel his breath on your cheeks. He had the confidence to put his soul out there, telling his story the only way he could: in your face. You either got it or you didn't. 這時團名改叫混合理論，在日落大道一個水管都破的房間彩排，我請了所有當初拒絕過他們的唱片公司再來聽，雖然Chester在一個破舊的房間裡還只有一觀眾，他的表現像是在有五萬個粉絲的表演場地一般，除了他標誌性的嘶吼，他還會跑到聽著的前面唱你可以在臉上感到他的氣息，他自信地將他的靈魂掏出，用他的方法告訴你他的故事你可能可以了解，又或許不了解 And still, every label passed. But the rejection only served to fuel the band's determination. For some reason, the labels didn't hear Mike's exceptional writing, Chester's soaring melodies, the band's well-crafted dynamics and the undeniable chemistry between Chester and Mike. But the fans soon would. 但是所有唱片公司還是拒絕了他們，但拒絕只讓這個團更加堅定，不知為何唱片公司聽不到Mike所寫傑出的歌詞，還有Chester爆炸性的旋律，也聽不到整個樂團完美的互動還有Mike和Chester之間的化學反應，但是之後粉絲們都聽得到 Several labels pursued me to do A&R after I secured a deal for Macy Gray, whom I developed at Zomba. I insisted that I bring Hybrid Theory under my new contract as my first signing. The one label executive who was truly interested in Hybrid Theory was Warner Bros.' Joe McEwen. Despite being the smallest offer, I knew the label provided the perfect environment for the band to thrive. 有些唱片公司請我去A&R部門，而我堅持我的新合約裡要帶著混合理論這個團而華納唱片的執行長Joe McEwen就是真正對這個樂團感興趣的唱片公司，雖然所提供的有限，但我相信這個唱片公司會給他們好的環境去茁壯 However, before we started the album, McEwen moved on from Warner Bros., leaving the fate of the band uncertain. At NRG Studios in Los Angeles, Chester and Mike continued to refine their iconic sound, working together on lyrics and melody to create a combined voice that would touch the hearts of millions. Manager Rob McDermott and I were told the band had to change its name due to a legal conflict; everything from Plear to Platinum Lotus Foundation was considered, and finally, I believe it was Chester who suggested the name "Linkin Park," after Lincoln Park in Santa Monica, Calif. 但在還沒錄專輯前McEwen就離開了華納，讓這個樂團的未來不確定起來在NRG錄音室，Mike和Chester持續寫歌寫詞，而他們結合的聲音未來將觸動數百萬人我被告知這個團的團名因為法律上撞名，所以必須更改，有各式各樣的名字像是 Plear、Lotus Foundation等等都有被考慮，最後是Chester建議用Sata Monica的林肯公園的變形Linkin Park作為團名 I remember going into a back room to listen to the latest roughs. I came back with tears in my eyes. Mike and Chester said, "Oh, man, you hate it." I replied, "I'm speechless. You created a timeless piece of work. These are tears of joy. Let's go mix!" Those are the moments you never forget. 我還記得有次去聽他們最新做出來的歌曲，聽完都流淚了，Chester和Mike說喔～你討厭這首，我說我無言了，你們寫出來的歌將會流傳許久，我是高興的眼淚這些是你永遠不會忘記的回憶 In 2000, at a radio convention, programmers got an early taste of "One Step Closer" and began demanding to play the track. Warner Bros., in poetic synergy, rushed out the single to rock radio and moved up the release date for the album, now called Hybrid Theory, to October 2000. A few weeks later, Chester and I were vacationing in Mexico. A girl walked past Chester, saw his wrists adorned with fire tattoos, and said to her friend, "That's the guy in the video I told you about!" The "One Step Closer" video had been out only a couple of weeks, and that was all the confirmation I needed to know that Chester, along with the rest of the band, was on his way to stardom. 在2000年的radio covention，大家第一次聽到了One step Closer，並且很多人要求要播放這首歌，華納唱片馬上決定發出單曲，並且把混合理論的專輯發行日提前到 2000年的10月，幾個星期後，我和Chester去了墨西哥度假，有一個女孩經過看到了 Chester手腕上的火焰刺青，轉頭跟朋友說:他就是我之前告訴你的MV上的人而當時One step Closer的MV才放出沒有幾個禮拜，那個時候我便知道Chester和其他團員將成為明星 Only a couple of months after that, I flew to Sacramento, Calif., to present the band with its first gold plaque for sales of 500,000, and at the same time, I was able to say it already had been certified platinum. We all walked onstage to see thousands of kids singing each word to every song. And that was just the beginning. 幾個月後，我飛到Sacroamento去頒給他們金唱片認證，因為賣了五十萬張，在同時其實那個唱片應該已經是白金唱片了(一百萬張)，我們走上台，看到成千上萬的孩子唱每首歌的每個字，而這只是個開始 Every week, at least one person tells me how Chester and Linkin Park's music touched their lives, serving as a release, a catharsis, a therapy for inner turmoil. Chester was an inspiration to myself and the world. He was an example that you can achieve anything you set your mind to, but that at the same time we are all human and vulnerable. He let us know we are not alone, that we all feel self-doubt, despair, rage and exhilaration. 每一週，至少有一個人告訴我Chester和Linkin Park的音樂是怎麼觸動他們的生活，還有作為內心不安時的治療與出口，Chester對我和世界而言都是靈感的來源，他是一個活生生的例子，當你決心要做什麼事情，你能達到任何你想做的事，但同時你仍然是擁有脆弱一面的人類，他告訴我們我們並不孤單，我們都會自我質疑、和感到絕望、生氣和快樂 I'm so glad Chester had the time on this planet to bless us all with his special gift. His voice will live forever. 我很開心Chester能夠對世人展現他的天賦，這是一項禮物，他的聲音將永生不死 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 111.254.133.129 ※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/LinkinPark/M.1501251894.A.A01.html