Welcome to the official web site of the Precisions

Coming Soon!!  "Wine Stock" Vineyard 48's gala 40th anniversary celebration of the 1969 Woodstock Festival on Sat,  August 15th and Sun, August 16th.   Come with your friends and recreate the "Summer of Love" featuring live bands in concert (including the Precisions), delicious food and, of course . . . the wine . . all for just $10.00/pp.  You won't want to miss top summer event.  Wine Stock - 2009!

THE BUZZ

        Michael Jackson - The Last Pop Idol?

     The outpouring of memorials from fans around the world on the death of Michael Jackson gives testimony to his profound effect on pop culture over the last 25 years.  Watching this spectacle, we have to wonder:  When will this happen again?  When will another pop culture figure mean so much to so many that people are move to assemble around the world to grieve at the death of such a figure.

     Of course, Michael Jackson had remarkable gifts - his voice, songwriting, talent, physical grace, and so on.  But there is the matter of historical timing.  Fame on the level of that Michael Jackson achieved is all but impossible for pop culture heroes today, and quite likely it will never be possible again.

     On the most basic level, this is matter of business and math.  Michael Jackson has sold an estimated 100 million copies worldwide of the 1982 album of "Thriller", which spent more than 31 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts.  It's one of those high-water marks that nobody will touch, because record stores are vanishing, and along with them, megahit albums are vanishing.  A big week on the Billboard charts is a quarter-million units sold, which is about the number teh Jonas Brothers moved last week with their latest release, which opened at No. 1.  And it's rare for an album to last even at three weeks at the top.

     People who buy music tend these days to buy - or steal it online, a song at a time.  But even if nobody achieves album sales on a Jacksonian scale, couldn't he or she be an artist every bit as popular, every bit as loved, every bit as listened to?  Probably not.  The pop idol field - like every field that can lead to super-fame - is more crowded than it has ever been, and the variety of routes to stardom keep growing.  When the Beatles were on the "Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964 more than 70 million people watched - that was more than one-third of the entire population of the United States!  Yes, the Beatles were that good.  But in 1964 there were three networks and commercial radio.  No Facebook, Twitter, video games, movie multiplexes, Sirius radio, malls or a dozen other potential drains on an audience. 

Shown in picture above right, the Beatles with Ed Sullivan in 1964.  From the left Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Ed Sullivan, John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

   LIkewise, Michael Jackson had MTV, which was the place for music videos and as close to an Ed Sullivan platform as he needed.  Of course, it's been a long time since MTV played hour after hour of prime-time  videos.  Today, you watch music videos on YouTube, but because there are no programmers to curate what you see, every artist has to compete with thousands of others.  And now, anyone with a computer has a miniature studio, and anyone else with an Internet connection can post a song, there are more genres, subgenres and artists than ever.

     There are plenty of upsides to the new unfiltered, multiple choice pop culture of 2009.  We get to decide what we want to listen to and watch, and we can listen and watch whenever we want.  It's far better for aficionados, too, because they can dig deeper into any topic, no matter how obscure.

But there is something as about our infinite menu of options.  It could very well mean the end of true superstardom and with it, the end of our collective cultural experience.  If nothing else, Michael Jackson's passing reminds us of how little in pop culture we currently share.

Excepted: David Segal, The New York Times  

  

 Look Out!  It's Dem Wise Guys Again . . . .

 

     Along with playing guitar - and he does that quite well - Precision's lead guitarist and vocalist, Frankie Carr also has personally designed and manufactured fine musical instruments.  One of Frankie's guitar masterpieces  was particularly fitting for his recent visit to Wise Guy Radio Show on Sirius Satellite Radio .  In this case, Frankie brought along his famous "Tommy Gun Guitar" which was a big hit (no pun intended) with the shows hosts, John "Cha-Cha "Ciarcia and Vincent "Big Pussy" Pastore.  If you were a fan of the acclaimed long-running HBO program, The Sopranos, you may remember Cha-Cha Ciarcia and Pastore from the cast of this hit series.  As native New Yorkers, Cha-Cha and Vincent Pastore are fans of the Precisions and enjoy their classic Doo Wop sound. Frankie made sure he left any ammunition home so his Tommy Gun Guitar provided safe enjoyment for the show's hosts and guests.  A version of Frankie's Tommy Gun guitar is on display at the Hard Rock Cafe.  However, Precisions fans can see the real thing in person at one of their upcoming live appearances.   This weapon may look fierce some, but it makes sweet music.  Just ask Cha Cha and Big Pussy.

     Careful! that weapon may be loaded.  Shown above,  Wise Guy Radio show hosts John Cha-Cha Ciarcia, second from right, and Vincent Pastore, at right could have used Frankie's Tommy Gun Guitar during their stint on The Sopranos.  Along with the show's host are the Precision's Frankie Carr, second from left, and Frankie's son, Frankie Jr. at left.  FYI . . .  John Cha-Cha Ciarcia and Frankie Carr are cousins.