Joe Viglione P.O. Box 2392 Woburn, MA 01888 email: linernotes@varulven.com
You've reached
Varulven.com and JoeViglione.com. To get to our label, Varulven Records or to Joe Vig's Top 40 just click on our front page
Varulven.com and JoeViglione.com. As we continue to build this site you will find links galore that will take you to many facets of the Varulven Empire's inter-dimensional worlds. "The Demo That Got The Deal" tm is my radio program and a book we are writing about how each record deal is a story unto itself. The demos make for great listening too! Visual Radio is the television program
Visual-Radio.net. or
Visual Radio on Myspace. Thousands of recordings of songs from our Varulven artists, hundreds and hundreds of hours of videotape, thousands of hours of audiotape and zillions of words of text will find their way onto these pages. The Varulven Pages.
Contents Copyright 2007 Joe Viglione All Rights Reserved. If you want to quote me, please ask permission and please link back to this site. Updated at 2:58 PM with Buzzy Linhart on the phone, April 22, 2009
Some rare Bobby Hebb from our third Visual Radio program!
Welcome to JoeViglione.com It is Sunday morning at 12:10 AM. Just came back from a recording session at Newbury Sound / Newbury Media in Wilmington, Mass. We're working on a new compilation, Boston Rock & Roll Anthology #21, the 21st volume of Boston area music released on the Varulven label. All these masters were recorded or re-mixed at Newbury Media. Working on my "Space Age Bachelor Pad" essays,
SPACE AGE BACHELOR PAD MUSIC
The Space Age Bachelor Pad site is a nice complement to our movie site:
Joe Vig Movie Soundtrack Reviews
We are busy working on The Salt Water Summers, our independent movie, and resurrecting tracks from the Varulven Record label. Lots going on! And you'll get the news on our escapades right here on Varulven.com before you read it anywhere else!
Check out our plethora of links at the bottom of this page - tons of reviews and fun sites that we are involved with. Many of Joe Vig's reviews for AMG which have been picked up by Sony/BMG's LEGACY label are included along with Billboard.com (hundreds of them), Barnes & Noble.com, Country Music Channel.com etc. etc. etc!
Watch for new reviews and TV show listings to be placed here! Today is Tuesday August 14, 2007, have a nice day!
Check out the Willie "Loco" Alexander article in North Shore Sunday
Willie Loco Alexander in North Shore Sunday by Joe Vig
Oh, and for those who can't find our Music Business Monthly page written by Gary "Pig" Gold, it is now here:
Music Business Monthly
Joe Viglione edits or is involved with these sites:
Bobby Hebb.com
Bobby Hebb on Myspace
Bobby Hebb's official blog
Marty Balin on MySpace
Jo Jo Laine
Record Producer Jimmy Miller
Jimmy Miller on Myspace
Joe Viglione on Myspace
Andy Pratt.com
Joe Viglione's Guide to New England Music
Effortless Masters & Rob Fraboni
Rob Fraboni on MySpace
Buzzy Linhart's Blog
Jimi Hendrix Reviews
Life's Work CD by Joe Viglione
Purchase Life's Work on Emusic.com
Joe Viglione on ROCKLINK.com
New Changes album
Varulven Records on My Space
POWER POP SITE which has a photo of my first album:
First album by Joe Vig
Link to the New Rose site with my discography and others:
New Rose Records
These sites contain reviews written by Joe Viglione
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart's website points to my review of "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight"
BoyceandHart.com
Legacy Recordings - Janis Joplin/Big Brother & The Holding Co. 900 nights
Electric Flag on Legacy
Legacy's Patsy Cline CD, "Walkin' After Midnight: The Best of Patsy Cline"
Legacy reissues Barry Goudreau
Marvin Gaye on Legacy Recordings
The Irish Tenors on Legacy Recordings
Legacy: Barry Manilow Trying To Get The Feeling Again
Barry Manilow "Even Now" Legacy Recordings
Alice Cooper Brutally Live
Ray Charles / Live In Concert (Georgia Music Store)
Bobby Hebb webliners for UNI Music's re-release of the SUNNY CD
Genya Ravan's URBAN DESIRE webliners for UNI Music
Jo Jo Laine
Tons of Joe Viglione biographies on famous people here
VH1.com- Jefferson Starship - DEEP SPACE/Virgin Sky
MOTT THE HOOPLE AND IAN HUNTER
It's about time SOME kind of DVD concerning the adventures of MOTT THE HOOPLE got into release and this excellent biography special does a good job! Check out
JustABuzz their fan club for some great links!
Mott The Hoople DVD - UNDER REVIEW
Ian Hunter's RANT on Wherehouse Music
Ian Hunter's RANT on MP3.com
Righteous Brothers Give it To The People MP3.com
Doors Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine on Music.com (not to be confused with EMusic.com or Allmusic.com, just Music.com
Joe Vig's story on Kimberley Jaeger of WZLX
Joe Vig SOUNDTRACK REVIEWS - Very Cool CDs
Joe Vig review of Mar Y Sol compilation
Joe Vig review of Jon Butcher Axis on Sam Goody.com
Joe Viglione's review of Spiderman 3 in North Shore Sunday, #1 download of the week at NSS May 11, 2007
Frankie Valli review in STARPULSE
Brad Delp Appreciation in North Shore Sunday
Barry Mann - SURVIVOR album
WE GET LETTERS: To: Mr Joe Viglione From: "A SCOTSMAN" Date: Mon, August 13, 2007 11:57 am To: linernotes@varulven.com I just wished to say, "Excellent summary of 'Survivor'". I'll highlight that page to a friend or two in an effort to instigate conversion to the Great Mann himself. Mark you, JimmyWebb's the greatest of them all. Rgds A.Scotsman
The above e mail is in regards to Barry Mann's SURVIVOR CD which is posted above the e mail. For TONS more Joe Vig reviews go here:
Joe Vig's First Impressions with reviews of Tommy James, Jimmy Webb and tons more!
Rita Coolidge "Nice Feelin' on 97.3 EZRock
Rita Coolidge Nice Feelin' on Dose/Can West Media Works
Joe Viglione's reviews on Billboard.com
Marty Balin's EMI Best of
Hearts & Other Favorites, a 1992 compilation of EMI music recorded by Marty Balin
Bob Dylan 1966 World Tour DVD
Bonnie Bramlett IT'S TIME on Billboard.com
Rubber Rodeo Heartbreak Highway
Sadaharu Biography on Billboard.com
Frankie Valli CLOSEUP 1975
Kim Carnes: Mistaken Identity
STARSHIP NO PROTECTION with Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
Olivia Newton-John IF You Love Me, Let Me Know
Captain & Tenille MAKE YOUR MOVE
Vic Damone Tenderly 1956 on Billboard.com
Phoebe Snow It Looks Like Snow
Dee Dee Sharp Gamble Happy Bout The Whole Thing
Janis Joplin Original Film Soundtrack
Roger Williams Roger Williams
Rare Earth One World
Leo Sayer Endless Flight
Samantha Sang Emotion
Alice Cooper Brutal Planet
Barry Mann - SURVIVOR album
Captain & Tenille Por Amor Viveremos
Tons of Billboard reviews
Tons more Billboard reviews
Hundreds and Hundreds of reviews on Billboard.com
Jon Butcher Ocean In Motion
Charlie Farren Bio on Barnes & Noble.com
Jon Butcher on Barnes & Noble An Ocean In Motion
Above are just SOME of the essays from Joe's pen picked up by Billboard.com
OTHER WRITINGS
Charlie Farren on Vibe Magazine's Vixen.com
Chris Montez Time after Time on 650.CSL
Peter Noone Forum ONE OF THE GLORY BOYS
AimeeMann til tuesday review
Johnny Mathis Chances Are
ORION on MP3.com
PEPPERMINT RAINBOW - Spanky & Our Gang by way of STEAM's NA NA HEY HEY KISS HIM GOODBYE - or...how The Wonder Who sounded like Four Seasons with Frankie Valli
http://tickets.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,145133,00.html
All Music Guide Review
Did Ozzy Osborne perform on The Magic Lantern's "Shame Shame"? NO! Was the Peppermint Rainbow actually a "Wonder Who?" for Spanky & Our Gang? I'll never tell...
What happens when you take elements from two of Spanky & Our Gang's hits -- "Sunday Morning" and "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" -- create a sequel, and let veteran producer Paul Leka oversee the concept? You get a brilliant Top 35 hit from April of 1969, "Will You Be Staying After Sunday," by this little-known group out of Baltimore, the Peppermint Rainbow. Sisters Pat Lamdin and Bonnie Lamdin, singing in unison, sound like Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane, and the song has the same soaring melodic style that made "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" so precious two years prior to this. Leka would hit again in November of 1969 with Steam's "Na Na, Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye," and has an impressive résumé ranging from Gloria Gaynor to songwriter Tim Moore's Behind the Eyes, and he hits a 90 percent with this album, which has a number of potential hits, from "Walking in Different Circles" to "I Found out I Was a Woman." The Lamdin sisters have a wonderful style, dipping into a Mamas & the Papas mode for "And I'll Be There" (Spanky McFarlane, after all, replaced Mama Cass in a latter-day Mamas & the Papas). There are more references to "Sunday" here, as well as on "If We Can Make It to Monday," a sequel to "Will You Be Staying After Sunday," written by the same songwriters. Paul Leka composed "Green Tambourine" for the Lemon Pipers, and it appears here as well, though in not as refined a form as the 1967 hit, this version a bit more folky. "Run Like the Devil" is the one turkey on here, one of the guys in the band not being able to hold his own on vocals, but with material by Barry Manilow/American Breed songwriter Scott English and superb production by Leka, the Peppermint Rainbow deliver a truly smart and entertaining pop album. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
<hr>
Angel Of The Mornin' Merrilee Rush Merrilee Rush by Merrilee Rush
Disc 1: 1. Save Me 2. You 3. Mama 4. Easy, Soft and Slow 5. Angel of the Morning 6. A Fool in Love 7. Love Birds 8. Could It Be Love I Found Tonight 9. Be True to You 10. Spare Me a Little of Your Love
MUSICMATCH REVIEW Producer Denny Diante had hit with Maxine Nightingale the year before this effort, and the thought of bringing back the gal who sang "Angel of the Morning" was certainly a noble idea. The self-titled album, Merrilee Rush, opens with "Save Me," sounding very much like the melody of Air Supply's 1980 hit "Lost in Love," making one wonder which was written first. Tom Snow's "You" was a hit for Rita Coolidge in 1978, so Diante and Rush had the right concept, and though the performance and sound is pretty good, Coolidge's production and spirit were deserving of the Top 25 status this song eventually garnered. Rush sounds as mature on this outing as Marianne Faithfull does in the passage of time between "As Tears Go By" and her comeback, Broken English. Rush's voice a bit tattered but charming on "Easy, Soft and Slow," one of the album's finest and most majestic moments. The star looks pretty on this album cover, perhaps a bit more seductive than she appears on her Turnabouts debut nine years prior. It's too bad she didn't cover Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon's "Bette Davis Eyes" instead of releasing a carbon copy of her 1968 top 10 hit, "Angel of the Morning." Weiss had written for the original Rush album on Bell nine years earlier, as had Mark Lindsay, Joe South, and John Phillips. There were also multiple Chip Taylor songs on her debut and maybe a cover of Taylor's composition for Janis Joplin, "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)," would have been what the doctor ordered for this. Instead they seek redemption and almost get it by opting for a beautiful Christine McVie ballad from the sublime Bare Trees album by Fleetwood Mac. "Spare Me a Little of Your Love" should have been a hit for McVie prior to 1975's "Over My Head," and though the choice of material is fine, the hard rock guitar strips away the elegance of the original version. The gospel voices give this a Southern rock feel, not conducive to the chart success enjoyed by Helen Reddy and the aforementioned Rita Coolidge, and too drawn out to reach the market that embraced Linda Ronstadt's version of "Heatwave," although this tries to go in that direction. Because her voice changed so, as did the times, a more energized "Angel of the Morning" could have given this arty record a chance on FM radio. "Love Birds" borrows heavily from Tony Orlando & Dawn's "Candida," posing the question, did Diante and the record label know where they were taking Rush with this outing? "Could It Be Love I Found Tonight" is a big '70s ballad that would fit perfectly on a Melissa Manchester disc, but the production doesn't hit it out of the park. An endearing "Be True to You" starts country and goes back into the Manchester feel-good preaching that "Bridge Over Troubled Water" kicked the decade off with. An important work that needed just a bit more support to see it through. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
Beatles tribute ALL THIS AND WORLD WAR II on Music.com
Living Together: Burt Bacharach on MP3.com
UP OFF THE FLOOR by God Lives Underwater on Artist Direct.com
LOST IN THE STARS - the music of Kurt Weill on MUSIC.com
Alex Taylor on ANSWERS.COM
Girl's Night Out! Didi Stewart's band:
Girls Night Out review
David Maxwell's webpage:
Max Attack review
MSN review of ORION - Sometimes Words Just...
Rodney Crowell on Sam Goody.com Small Worlds: The Crowell Collection 1978-1995 epitomizes why Rodney Crowell is a perfect example of the "new" country, a combination of styles creating slick pop music that would have had a tougher time in the '60s garnering the country & western play many of these songs achieved. There are lots of names lending their talents on these 21 tracks: Vince Gill, Dr. John, Emmylou Harris, Nicolette Larson, Booker T. Jones, Hal Blaine, and Russ Kunkel, among many others. "Let the Picture Paint Itself" borrows more from Elton John/Bernie Taupin's "Country Comforts" than it does from Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley P.T.A.," though you can hear nicks of both melodies in this song, which is very different from both those tunes, and Roy Orbison lives again on Crowell's duet with former wife Rosanne Cash on the title track, "It's Such a Small World," as well as on "I Couldn't Leave You if I Tried" and "If Looks Could Kill." "If Looks Could Kill" is certainly not the song by Heart, but when Crowell references the Beatles and quotes their lyrics in "Lovin' All Night," one has to consider if the inspiration is coming from the land of Hank Williams or the realm where the sisters Wilson ruled. These influences seem to be co-writing with Rodney Crowell when he reads a brilliant lyric like, "What kind of love hears you when you pray?" in "What Kind of Love," composed by Crowell with Will Jennings and Roy Orbison, additional voices courtesy of Linda Ronstadt and Don Henley. Emulating Orbison by having his voice go into that texture is a tribute to his hero indeed, and very present on this "first multi-label career overview." Tracks were culled from releases on Warner Bros., Columbia, and MCA, making for another excellent collection from Australia's Raven Records with 21 tracks, over 77 minutes of music, all on one disc. And like 7-N/BMG's meticulous re-releases, Raven's come spilling over with definite and comprehensive liner notes, 16 pages here, making this repackaged music all the more vital for longtime fans as well as a great primer for the uninitiated. ~Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
Randy Bachman Site discussion of Joe V reviews
Guess Who #10 on Yahoo Music.com
Windows Media "Introducing The Doobie Brothers" rare demo cd
Christine "Perfect" McVie
Domenic Troiano on MSN
Star Trek Nemesis and A.I. Movie reviews by joe V
Discussion of joe Vig's review of The Doors WEIRD SCENES INSIDE THE GOLDMINE
Orion's SOMETIMES WORDS GET IN THE WAY on Dose.ca
Discussion of joe Vig's Velvet Underground mastering by Shawn Britton
Joe Vig's review of WHITE RABBIT, the song
by Joe Viglione (What's a Matrix thread without a discussion of White Rabbit?????)
From the Surrealistic Pillow album comes this song which, like the word surrealistic indicates, has "an oddly dreamlike or unreal quality". Few psychedelic moments can match Grace Slick's trance-like monotone perhaps inspired by having just read - Lewis Carroll: The Complete Illustrated Works: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found here. With hypnotic guitar work in the slow-march intro sounding like it was induced by F.A. Mesmer himself, it's all the more ominous in the harder rocking version released decades later on the Deep Space/Virgin Sky live reunion CD. Originally performed with The Great Society, this composition by Grace came right on the heels of "Somebody To Love" and instantly insured Ms. Slick superstardom with more Top 40 airplay in 1967 than her famous colleague Janis Joplin. With well over a hundred cover versions by such diverse acts as punk/new wavers The Damned, the hard rock Lizzie Borden (no relation to the new wave girl group produced by Genya Ravan) and, believe it or not, jazz maestro George Benson, it is Grace and her pharmaceutical prescription advice which is the definitive rendition and inspired the Keanu Reeves film The Matrix as much as James Cameron's The Terminator did. When in the movie Morpheus offers Neo the little red pill or the little blue pill, it is pure Grace Slick opening the door to wonderland with narcotics. Years later it is amazing the censors didn't put a stop to it, Janis Ian's "Society's Child" finding more problems with an interracial love affair than The Jefferson Airplane's window to another world. It's a classic in the truest sense of the world and always a pause for fun when it comes on the radio.
Scott Manning's EXCELLENT Matrix pages
52) Posted by: joe viglione January 22, 2005 3:18 AM
p.s. what I meant to say, Scott (and other people reading this), is that your page is an excellent site for Matrix fans. Thank you. I zip around the web looking for interesting Matrix sites and will put them in a blog as a handy "directory".
The quotes I put above focused on the emotions, "Love", "Hate" as well as hope and trust - the Wachowskis left it very open ended - a convenient excuse for some of the sloppy aspects of the what are magnificent films. But it is that intentional "open door" which has allowed for great discussion, and has made a tremendous impact on people thinking more deeply about mythology, philosophy, etc. and has enchanced the sci-fi experience. I could've done without the highway scene in "Reloaded" (imho Terminator 3 did a better chase scene - so much for Joel Silver and crew "revolutionizing" film again) and the violence is a bit gratuitous. The dialogue is fantastic, especially Merovingian.
Anyone notice how Neo and The Terminator are so closely aligned?
Arnold only spoke about 65 words in the first flick; both actors couldn't really act in the first film (brilliant casting), they learned as they went along the way, both Keanu and Arnold are much, much better than when they did the first flicks in both trilogies. Keanu (neo or neu, almost an anagram of part of his name) emerging with acting skills he didn't possess before this experience, just as his character emerged more polished. "You turned out alright" - yeah, if you got to act next to Gloria Foster you would be able to "sample" years of acting skill as well!
David Bowie - Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf on Yahoo! Shopping.Music
Jack Bruce A Question of Time review
Thaddeus Hogarth reviews LIVE AT BOSE
Welcome to The Psychedelta by Kerry Kearney on MP3.com
Welcome to The Psychedelta by Kerry Kearney on FYE.com
Berlin Airlift on MP3
Neil Sedaka A SONG
Pavlov's Dog / Pampered Menial FYE
tiltuesday on Congoo.com
til tuesday on GoGamer.com
CD Connection Til Tuesday
Til Tuesday Barnes & Noble.com
Musicstore.connect.com Til Tuesday
til tuesday Iceberg Radio
Grateful Ted TIME MACHINE on MP3.com
Frankie Valli Closeup on Artist Direct
Here is Joe Viglione being quoted:
Joe Vig's LIVINGSTON TAYLOR review quoted in The Examiner
Quoted on Page 85 of this book:American History Through Music:Music of the Counterculture Era By James E. Perone
Richard Shindell's webpage - South Of Delia review by Joe Viglione
Book Review of David Nevue's How To Promote Your Music Successfully On The Internet
Link to David Nevue's book "Author David Nevue has created a direct and easy to understand roadmap for marketing your music on the world wide web. This book contains fundamentals that major artists, as well as those on independent labels, should read and absorb....David goes to the heart of the matter: Music Marketing Strategies That Bring Results!...It is a very well rounded catalogue of ideas, and the serious musician will find it an excellent starting point. Nevue's practical guide will get you thinking beyond the immediate gratification of hearing your song played a few times on Internet radio, to the more substantial art of selling records via the Internet." - Joe Viglione, for AllMusic.com
Following this Visual Radio website link is a great article on the show:
Visual Radio hosted by Joe Viglione
Article about Joe Viglione in Boston Globe: Landing Big Names by Diana Brown
Joe Viglione Discography on DJangomusic.com
JOE VIGLIONE: A SHORT BIOGRAPHY
In 1969 at the age of 15 a young collector of 8mm science fiction/fantasy films, Joe Viglione, published Varulven Magazine in Arlington, Massachusetts. The fanzine's name taken from a used book written by Nordic author Aksel Sandemose (English title - The Werewolf, about the psychological aspects of a love triangle), it featured film reviews, an interview by writer Jim Miller with the late screen actress Ilona Massey- an article referenced in the book It's Alive as well as the DVD of Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, coverage of Viglione's first two film shorts - Vlad, The Count Possessed and Two Nights Of Terror, interviews with Ray McNally, co-author of In Search Of Dracula, photos of an Alfred Hitchcock film premiere for Torn Curtain, the first interview with Jonathan Richman since his sabbatical, and the first coverage of Lou Reed's Rock 'n' Roll Animal tour, September 1, 1973. During this time there was music being developed by the emerging artist in Arlington and Winthrop, Massachusetts, original music being composed as early as 1969 was put to tape on a half-track reel-to-reel with three songs airing on WBCN in 1971 and another three airing in 1972. "Rare Tape Nights" hosted by Buffalo on WBCN were a particular favorite of the writer/performer, and Marc Bolan's acoustic broadcast from that station was taped from the speakers onto a cassette recorder. Giving that tape to an artist signed to the Varulven label years later resulted in that individual sending it overseas where it has, unfortunately, been bootlegged. The artist that sent the private tapes overseas ended up writing the liner notes to the Crosby, Stills & Nash boxed set, go figure.
Two and a half years later the magazine turned into a record label, Boston's original rock label, Varulven. Along with releases by Viglione's own band, The Count, the imprint issued comedian Paul Lovell a.k.a. Blowfish, music by Willie "Loco" Alexander, Thundertrain, Third Rail, Mr. Curt, Unnatural Axe, Fox Pass and other New England region pioneers. In 1978 Patrick Mathe' of Flamingo Records issued their first contract to the twenty-four year old Joe Viglione. Flamingo was a subsidiary of the dance label, Carrere Records, Mathe' releasing a 12" record by another group after having signed Viglione with the debut lp from The Count the label's first album release.
Joe became the house agent for Cantones, an Italian restaurant in the Financial District of Boston, launching his first Rock & Roll Spectacular at The Paradise Theater on June 29, 1978. His showcases brought The Stompers, Mission Of Burma, The Lyres, Thrills, Unnatural Axe, The Neighborhoods and other acts into Boston's best concert club for the very first time. Some of these acts went on to become "house bands" at the club, though as of 2003 Viglione holds the record for performing 49 times in the room where David Johansen filmed his famous Animals medley, where Billy Joel tracked the hit "She's Got A Way", where U2 recorded the flip side of "I Will Follow" and where tons of live concerts by The Cars, Bette Midler,Blondie and other acts were taped, usually by Starfleet, which also recorded the second Count Spectacular.
Around this period Varulven Magazine started publishing a regular column on Lou Reed's work. At a Reed show in Paradise Philip Milstein obtained a copy of the Jonathan Richman issue of Varulven, the issue that declared it was time for "The Velvets Appreciation Society." Milstein contacted Viglione and said he would start "The Velvet Underground Appreciation Society", with Joe contributing to the first few issues of that fan club's magazine. Viglione was also writing a monthly column in Musician's Magazine, and would go on to pen articles for The Boston Globe, The Real Paper, The Improper Bostonian, Preview, The Beat, Discords, a commentary in Billboard Magazine (August 31, 1992), his record company scribblings in CMJ, along with liner notes to the various compilation albums his label was releasing, most notably the Moe Tucker/Count e.p. Another View, a title which Polygram utilized later for their own sequel to the V.U. disc. Joe had sent copies to Bill Levenson, producer of the V.U. and the "other" Another View album, with Jimmy Miller and Joe Viglione in Levenson's office while the next "V.U." was in the planning stages. A little beyond coincidence that Joe's brilliant play on words "another vee you - another view" (of The Velvet Underground) would both be composed by two different individuals. Joe had already sent copies of his "another look" at the V.U. album (different versions of Foggy Notion and "I'm Sticking With You") to Levenson, so after the meeting, sent them again. CMJ reviewed both discs simultaneously refusing to call the original EP "Another View". As James Brown said about the record business on a New Music Seminar panel with Lou Reed and Madonna about giving your ideas to the record industry...
In 1980 Viglione became the A & R rep for Mathe's new European label signing Willie Alexander to New Rose / RCA after the split up of MCA recording act The Boom Boom Band. Billboard Magazine interviewed him the day the Loco disc hit the American shores. In 1983 Varulven act The Daughters became the back-up band for Johnny Thunders, the former New York Doll who was being produced by legendary Rolling Stones' producer Jimmy Miller, not to be confused with Varulven Magazine writer Jim Miller. Manager Jim Nestor brought the tapes to Joe's attention and after meeting with Miller at Euphoria Sound Studios, Viglione signed Thunders to a deal with New Rose Records, now distributed by Musidisc in Europe. Thunders, The Count and The Daughters had a record release party at The Paradise Nightclub, of course. In Cold Blood by Johnny Thunders became the biggest selling record for the New Rose Label in the mid 1980's.
Jimmy Miller then recorded the third Count album, The Intuition Element, for New Rose, eventually forming a production company with Joe called Miller/Viglione Productions. This synergy resulted in an artistic achievement when Buddy Guy recorded five sides with the pair, Miller producing Genya Ravan, Jo Jo Laine and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry on the sessions, Viglione producing Nils Lofgren on the tapes. Offers from the record industry were not what Guy's manager was interested in at the time, and the recordings have stayed in the vaults. In a strange twist of fate it was Viglione's PR work with former Joe Perry wife Elissa Perry which brought Buddy Guy to the team's attention. It was Willie Alexander's ex-wife, Billie Montgomery, former art director for Varulven, and now married to Joe Perry, who negotiated Perry's involvement on the Buddy Guy tapes.
Miller/Viglione's next project was former wife of Wings guitarist Denny Laine, the Jo Jo Laine album after some interest from Arista. Jo Jo managed The Mannish Boys out of the U.K. and Miller/Viglione attracted attention from Motown in America on this project tracking four songs at Normandy Sound in Warren, Rhode Island.
In 1988 Miller/Viglione Productions moved to Mission Control Studios where a band called New Kids On The Block emerged. It was a time of transition. A live "Count" album was recorded, as was live material by Unnatural Axe, a band whose debut EP on the label in 2003 sells for $225.00 on Gemm.com, with the track "They Saved Hitler's Brain", produced by Viglione, appearing on the Rhino/Atlantic release Mass Ave., a compilation of Boston area music.
In 1991 Joe began producing legendary disc jockey Harvey Wharfield's Boston Music Showcase with The Demo That Got The Deal - a series of interviews with Jonathan Richman, J.Geils frontman Peter Wolf, Letters To Cleo, Barry Tashian of The Remains, Didi Stewart, Charlie Farren and other New England rockers playing their demos and telling how they landed their record or publishing deals. Rare tracks like RTZ's live version of "Dreams" (featuring ex-members of the band Boston, the pre-J.Geils Band The Hallucinations, the original lost 4 track demo of The Fools "Psycho Chicken" and other nuggets were aired on the show, Viglione and Greg Hawkes of The Cars cleaning up that band's original demos for Hawkes interview on the show ("The demo That Got The Deal" is referenced twice in Rhino's Cars Deluxe re-issue of the band's first album). They played Aimee Mann's "I Should've Known" before any radio station in the world. The show moved to a variety of different AM and FM stations, Viglione becoming program director of AM 1670 on March 11, 2000.
Simultaneous with the production work at 93.7 FM in 1992 Viglione became head of A & R for CD Review Magazine's label for Wayne Green Enterprises. Joe signed Spirit releasing a new version of "Nature's Way" featuring Sara Fleetwood on vocals (then wife of Mick Fleetwood) which got AAA radio attention, and Better Generation, a new album from Marty Balin of The Jefferson Airplane. As Epic/Legacy was about to reissue Spirit product on the double disc entitled Time Circle, the band leader Randy California asked Viglione to help negotiate the deal. This resulted in photographs from California's collection and insight being added to that retrospective.
The return to television was inevitable, his original TV Eye show from 1979 having been produced by eventual Executive Producer of Madonna's Truth Or Dare film, Jay Roewe. The idea for Visual Radio-Television got shelved when Joe was hired as Director of Research for national TV company North American Media. They developed PBS specials for actor Paul Sorvino and mezzo soprano Marilyn Horne. During his time with North American Media while negotiating a possible PBS special for The Jefferson Starship (and a meeting where Reverend Paul Kantner granted him absolution, dressed like a priest), Visual Radio-Television was launched with an extensive Marty Balin interview and some rare and exclusive Jefferson Starship footage. In 8 years the show has taped 300 interviews, concerts and lectures including Laurie Anderson, Richard Branson, Greg Hawkes of The Cars, Linda Ronstadt, Professor Stephen Hawking and many others. It was the 1999 interview with Suzanne Vega which was picked up by the All Media Guide which led to Joe's writing articles for AMG. He is writing a book on Lou Reed's 1973 Rock 'n' Roll Animal tour, continuing to produce TV and radio, and archiving thirty years of recordings for possible reissues, writing liner notes (penning the essay to the re-release of Andy Pratt's first album Records Are Like Life, among others). He is working on his fifth film, The Salt Water Summers (formerly The Summer Wind), with appearances scheduled by sixties stars Diane Renay, Barbara Harris of The Toys, Bobby Hebb, Buzzy Linhart, Eddie Rambeau, Marty Balin and others.
The original "Count" album on Flamingo/Carrere is selling for over $50.00 on Musicstack.com and Gemm.com while various 45's by Willie Alexander, Moe Tucker as well as the two Count eps are going for $25.00 - $35.00 or more. The materials show up on eBay, and other sites, the internet giving new exposure to the pioneering label created by Boston's singer/songwriter "for artists by artists", a tag and philosophy that Propeller Records and Wampus Media, two labels that came later, also embraced.
Post Script: Sven H. Rossel states in A History of Scandinavian Literature, 1870-1980, (1982) that
"Aksel Sandemose is one of the few writers who seriously delved into the teachings of psychoanalysis and thereby became a writer. Like Strindberg and Dostoevsky, he discovered that the irrational is real; his writing is a constant attempt to track down this incomprehensible element. The chaotic nature of his books is traceable solely to this monomaniacal obsession, which for him represented the fight for his own soul." (Sven H. Rossel in A History of Scandinavian Literature, 1870-1980, 1982)
In 2007 the good people at Varulven Records are carefully transferring the precious analog tapes to digital, designing new artwork and booklets for each recording, and preparing these historical works for distribution in the new millennium - via digital download as well as traditional packaging. Varulven is Boston's Original Rock Label (tm) and 2007 is just the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our history.