![[THE PRODUCERS]](images/producer.gif) The official Producers web site (www.TheProducers.org). |
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Debut | YMTH | RFYL | Coel
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How about booking the Producers for a 2009 summer festival in your area?
The Producers are available for bookings internationally for concerts, fairs, festivals, night clubs and corporate events.Here is the booking agent's contact info:
Bryan Holmes (familiar name, eh?)
bryanmholmes@hotmail.com
CDs are so "last century".
If you wanted the Producers on CD you've pretty much missed your chance - they are out of print and out of stock. They are now only available on eBay and gemm.com at crazy prices (I should have bought a dozen when they were available and made a mint).
Coelacanth (the never released disc that was recorded in '89) finaly hit hits store shelves as a CD on September 25, 2001. There may be a few of those still circling the web for reasonable prices, but you'll have to search. The tunes are awesome and a good throwback to the first album's sound. Check out the samples on the Coelacanth page.
Get this, the Producers originally planned to call the album "Coelacanth" in 1987/1988 (this is a play on the fact that the Coelacanth fish was believed to be extinct till they were discovered live off the coast of Madagascar.) This was just 3 years after their previous Run For Your Life release. Of course, they had to do RFYL on their own and maybe the name was a comment on the record industry's view of the band (since You Make The Heat - on Portrait - was released 6 years prior.) Prophetically Coelacanth was buried for an extra decade causing the Producers to really look extinct prior to release.
'The Producers' and 'You Make The Heat' were reissued on CD as 2 LPs on 1 CD! This disc was to be on store shelves November 21, 2000. Unfortunately there was a glitch in the artwork that delayed the delivery to stores till the weekend after Thanksgiving.
MP3s and iTunes are 21st century
The battle begins anew for us to have the Producers music published on the medium du jour. I wish I had the clout, but the fans need to get into Sony's request box to make them interested in putting the band's music on iTunes (or others). You'd think it would be a no-brainer. The tunes are already digitized all they have to do is submit them to the iTunes store and they'd start selling.
Ask Sony to reissue the Producers in MP3 format through this form on Sony's site.
When I published this site in January 1997, I had only the debut album. Now I have all 3 albums. The first time I listened through You Make the Heat (which I found locally in February 1997) I thought side one was nothing like The Producers. Since then, I now count Sheila, Breakaway, YMTH, Merrygoround, and Chinatown among my favorite Producers tunes. Run for your Life (which I just got before Christmas 1997) is taking longer to grow on me. At this point I only like RFYL and Tightrope.
The first 2 albums are all about dating and dreaming. It seemed like they were reading my mind and putting it to music. They are so great! The tunes are heavy on guitar with excellent drum riffs and lyrics. RFYL departs from their typical style leaning more on keyboards. Although Wayne made for a great show his keyboards played a lesser role in the hot first 2 LPs. On the third, the keyboards are good, but not what I'm looking for from the Producers. I wonder what the unreleased fourth album is like? (For some time I believed it was released in 1984 - because of the way the audities article was written. I have since been convinced that it was recorded in early 1989.)
I'm a fan!
My brother turned me on to The Producers during the summer of 1982 (I spent most of this year thinking it was 1981) in New Orleans while I was visiting him for the summer. We liked them so much that we went to see them play when they came to New Orleans on tour that summer. It was a small gig (somewhere on the West Bank) since they really only had one hit and I don't think it was getting airplay nationally. They were excellent live. Their stage performance was as energetic as their album, which made them a blast to see. The keyboardist, Wayne, was playing a keyboard that hung around his neck like a guitar (this was the first time I had seen one.)
It is difficult to pick a favorite song from a band that I thoroughly love. I used to listen to the entire album (The Producers) every day or two for a couple months. I like Life of Crime because of the crime theme. I like What's He Got and I Love Lucy because I can identify with them. There have been too many women I wanted to go out with that just looked right through me like Sheila. Mostly I like the Producers because of the guitar riffs and the fact they have so much energy in their music - there is not a single slow song on the album.
These were my thoughts right after I got YMTH: "She Sheila is the best on the album. The style and energy isn't the same as their debut. (I don't think they said 'HEY!' the entire album. It was a trademark on their first.)"
Discography
Singles
This is all the singles with all the details. See Gallery2 for scans of the labels.
What She Does To Me / Here's to You (6/13/81 debut: Reached #61 on Billboard hot 100. Spent 6 weeks on the chart.) Portrait #12-02092
What's He Got / Boys Say When/Girls Say Why (1981) Portrait #24-02445
She Sheila / Chinatown (1982) Portrait #37-03255
Depending on You (12") (1985) Marathon #?
Videos
I understand that the Producers were very popular on MTV in the early years (1981/1982). They even did the MTV New Year's eve party on December 31,1982.
- You Make The Heat (Kyle on lead vox wearing what looks like the checked shirt Wayne was wearing in the photos I have on the 'Shows' page - with a big bow tie.)
- Merry Go Round (Van on lead vox)
- Back to Basics (Kyle)
- She Sheila (Van) They said Sheila was a friend of theirs. Shot similar to the MTV video only Wayne was sweating heavily - they got a workout.
- Auld Lang Sine (don't hold me to that spelling)
- Breakaway (Van)
- Dear John (Kyle now wearing a straw fedora)
- I Love Lucy (Van) Finally they get to the debut album material. This is where Wayne shows off his dancing maneuvers.
- What's He Got (Kyle and Van)
- Who Do You Think You Are (Kyle)
What's He Got
Certain Kinda Girl (Yes, there is an irony here - that they released What She Does to Me as a single but made Certain Kinda Girl as a video.)
She Sheila
Depending on You
The Second annual MTV New Year's Eve Rock and Roll Ball on December 31,1982. They did 9 songs plus, big bonus, Auld Lang Sine! (don't hold me to that spelling!) There were 3 other bands on the show: A Flock of Seaguls, Duran Duran, and Jack Mack and The Heart Attack. (Jack Mack and the Heart Attack!!?? - I don't have a clue what they did.) The New Year's Eve Balls were 4 hour shows where each band had one hour. They did them by time zone with the each band starting on the half-hour (I suppose). This way each band was able to ring in the new year for a different time zone. The Producers did the Mountain time zone - which would have put them on from 1:30 to 2:30 am on 1/1/83. The show was broadcast from New York City.
Here's the set list:
Producers on CD
"The Producers" and "You Make The Heat" are on a 2-fer CD! One Way Records released this on 11/21/00 and should be in most record stores across the USA. This should end the campaign to get Sony to reissue them. Sony doesn't have rights to Run for Your Life.
"Coelacanth" is also on CD! One Way Records released never before heard 1987 recording on 9/25/01. This is a gem all Producers fans will love to hear!
The Producers are on also on 4 separate Sony compilations!
- Don't Touch My 45's includes the single "What's He Got" (released in 1994).
- Go For The Greed includes the single "What She Does to Me" (released in 1996).
- A new comp Fizz Pop Modern Rock Volume 1 includes the single "What's He Got" also. It was released 10/21/97 on Sony's Epic/Legacy label #652542. You should be able to order the Fizz Pop Vol 2. Fizz Pop also has Adam Ant, Romantics, Joan Jett, and Rockpile among others. (Thanks to Luis P. for pointing out this compilation.)
- Heard it on the Radio Volume 3 includes the single "She Sheila". It was released in 1999 on Sony Music Special Products label #A 27423.
I recently learned that the first 2 comps were released in the mid 90's, so I decided to look through the 'various' bins at the local book/cd shop and I found Don't Touch My 45's! You may get lucky, too.
Other
The Producers have done at least 2 other projects which some of you fans may have heard at one time or another. One is a promotion for Miller Beer in the early 80s. One of their songs (the drum riffs from Chinatown, I'm told) was used for the music in a Miller ad. In addition, Miller made an album called 'Miller Music' (a compilation) which had the Producers doing a new song: 'Run Back'. The album was on the RCA Special Products label number DPL 1-0726.
The Band
Visit the band page for more detail.
- Wayne Famous - Keyboards, Vocals
- Van Temple - Vocals, Guitar
- Kyle Henderson - Vocals, Bass (Joined the band in Jan. 1980, left in 1984, returned in 1991)
- Bryan Holmes - Drums, Vocals
- Tim Smith - Bass (Joined the band in 1984, left in 1991.)