Quora provides a sterling example of one of Man\u2019s finer qualities.<\/p>\n
\nRik Elswit<\/strong>
Musician for 60 years. Professional musician for 55<\/em><\/p>\nWhat are some rock songs that were just filler, but became huge hits?<\/a><\/strong>
My band went into the studio to make our fourth album after having had to declare bankruptcy in order to get out of a contract with CBS records where we were getting no support. Nobody would even take our phone calls.<\/p>\nSo we signed with Capitol, and went to work at Pacific Recorders. This is where we found out that our manager\/producer was of little use in the studio without having the CBS engineers holding his hand for him. We released three singles off it that he was sure would be hits, and they all stiffed. Finally, in frustration, the brass at Capitol actually ordered him to release our cover of Sam Cooke\u2019s \u201cOnly 16\u201d, which we\u2019d recorded simply as fill to flesh out the album.<\/p>\n
This was a tune that we had begun playing at gigs just because we liked to play it. Our lead singer really got it, and it was just like home. The sort of thing we could do in our sleep. We produced and arranged it ourselves, and it only took a couple hours, total, to get it in the can. We were even breaking up a pound of monstrously good smoke in the drum booth while we were doing the sweetening. I had to hand the scales off to the drummer when they called me out to lay in the guitar solo and fills.<\/p>\n
It went gold. We had worked our own way out of bankruptcy on our own, and we made Sam Cooke\u2019s widow very happy.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
FOURTH album? Jumping from a contract with CBS over to Capitol, seemingly at will? A gold record the result of said major-label leap? One can only assume that this Rik Elswit fellow must be, or at least once was, a real Somebody in the music biz.<\/p>\n
As it turns out, we quickly learn from the comments that one would not be entirely incorrect in one’s assumption.<\/p>\n
\nNeil Matthews<\/strong>
I\u2019d like to give Rik\u2019s answers more upvotes, it\u2019s a glimpse of what Quora could be; informative answers to genuine questions by someone who knows what they are talking about.<\/p>\nHuw Pritchard<\/strong>
No small amount of humility either – I\u2019ll be honest, I ended up googling Rik because I didn\u2019t know his name but figured out it might be an interesting search.<\/p>\nIf I was in his shoes I\u2019d start everything I wrote with \u201cI was in Dr Hook for 13 years\u201d, even if it wasn\u2019t relevant to the answer.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Well, I will be dipped in shit, how ’bout that? For those of you out there who are a hell of a lot younger than me, here\u2019s Rik Elswit’s band\u2019s biggest hit\u2014in days of old, when knights were bold, and condoms not invented<\/a>.<\/p>\n