Is it possible that the renegade spirit behind Roulette’s ad campaign for a song considered insanely long for radio would fuel Steppenwolf’s ambition two years later to see how much musical information could be crammed within the confines of a 45’s B-side?
6:13 means some D.J.’s won’t play it;
some stations may not program it
Record World
One 45Cat contributor quipped, “pretty sure they could have edited the song to 3 minutes and no one would have noticed” — but is that fair?
“Miss Georgia“
Don Cooper
(1969)
Even though “Hey Jude” helped radio accept the radical notion of a seven-minute single, Cash Box‘s singles review of August 16, 1969 (i.e., the second day of the Woodstock Music And Art Fair) expressed concern that lengthiness could hinder radio’s receptivity:
Tough way to break into a singles spotlight, but this long, West Coast ballad material could see heavy enough FM exposure to put the side on top forty footing.
Record World harbored no such reservations, however, and declared the lengthy A-side to be “worth every second” in its singles review. Roulette would claim, in a page-one ad published in Billboard‘s August 16, 1969 edition (below) that the company had “been forced to release” the single in its unexpurgated full-length glory:
Sadly, “Miss Georgia” did not make any appearances on Billboard, Cash Box or Record World‘s singles charts.
Don Cooper, however, would find himself name-checked in a page-six August 2, 1969 Billboard piece (“Roulette’s Stepped-Up College Try“) about the concerted campaign by Roulette president, Morris Levy, to penetrate the college market, a marketing effort that would encompass the construction of a new sound studio at Levy’s farm in Upstate New York:
As part of the LP drive, Levy will construct a new 8-track recording facility at his farm near Ghent, N. Y., complete with living quarters and a cook. The reason is to give artists like Don Cooper and his group a creative atmosphere, Levy said. “We’re already negotiating with a full-time engineer who’ll be available day or night at the studio. In other words, the group will be able to record when they feel productive and not have to try to produce on demand.“
Don Cooper Bio
courtesy of
As an internationally known recording artist for both Roulette and Atco Records, Don toured the U.S. and Europe, performed on national TV and radio, and created a large catalogue of original work. He went on to score music for film, theater, video and commercials, and wrote scripts for feature films.
He focused his talents on children’s programming for a time and enjoyed great success as a Random House author, publishing numerous music/book titles. He also created and starred in seven full-length, children’s music videos for Random House, Woodknapp, and Good Times Video. These works were repeatedly awarded by such industry standard setters as ‘Parent’s Choice’, ‘Video Review’, and ‘California Parents.’
As a designated Master Teaching Artist for the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, and a mentor for the Urban Artists Initiative, he created, coordinated, and presented arts integrated residencies in a variety of schools and towns. He is a certified music teacher and a recipient of the Yale School of Music’s ‘Distinguished Music Educators’ award.
He currently lives in St. Augustine, Florida and continues doing what he’s always done; writing, recording, and performing his music for the widest audience possible. His latest Folk/Americana release, ‘Pictures & Stories’ is the first of several album releases expected in the coming year, along with re-released, reformatted ‘kids’s music’ titles.
LINK
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“Steppenwolf’s Notoriously Lengthy B-Side“
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