The Magic of The Bottom Line
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CD Cover for The Bottom Line Archive: Harry Chapin
I was also lucky enough to score a ticket to see Harry Chapin when he did a limited weekend run at the Bottom Line in 1981, just a few months before his untimely death. Harry gave his 2000th career performance the night before I attended, and that show was broadcast on WNEW-FM, the beloved NYC commercial radio station that held a philosophy similar to that of the Bottom Line – great music is great music and it deserves to be heard. The concert would later be condensed into a CD and issued on Bottom Line Records.
Musical tastes and New York City venues started to change in the 1990s. The Bottom Line was now competing with other similar sized venues that had cropped up, giving artists and audiences other alternatives for performance space. The music industry was also in flux, and audience tastes were changing. Commercial radio was become more tightly formatted and it was harder for new artists to attract audiences. Still the Bottom Line persevered, but the effects of September 11, 2001 impacted our lifestyles and presented new challenges for the entertainment industry. The Bottom Line held a very moving evening of music following the tragedy, showing that the power of music added to the healing that NYC needed in those difficult days, but overall it became tougher to draw audiences out post 9/11.
The Bottom Line found itself deeper in debt, and their landlord, New York University, had other ideas for the space. NYU increased the rent to market level which the club could not pay. Attempts were made to negotiate, and other parties offered to step and help, but Alan and Stanley did not want to risk a takeover, and they did not want to be kicked out. On January 22, 2004, the Bottom Line closed its doors, just a few weeks short of their 30th anniversary.
In the years following the closing, Alan and Stanley attempted to find a new space that could become home to the Bottom Line legacy. New York rents and suitable spaces have so far proven prohibitive. In 2013, Stanley Snadowsky passed away from complications of diabetes. The fabled awning that we all walked under along with signage from the club are now part of the collection at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Alan Pepper has continued on as caretaker of the Bottom Line’s memory and commitment to music, and also as the custodian of tape recordings of more than 1000 shows performed there .
During the 1990s, Alan & Stanley started a record label to release recordings from the Bottom Line. The clubs financial issues in later years put the record label on the back burner as they struggled to keep the club afloat. A few years after the closing, plans were announced to issue a box set of recordings of memorable performances, but performance rights issues and other legalities have kept this from being issued.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Alan Pepper and producer Gregg Bendian have launched a website – www.bottomlinearchive.com with the intention of making many of the shows available once again. Now, 41 year after they first opened their doors, the Bottom Line lives again with a new batch of CDs. The initial offerings feature several reissues of the original CDs, but they have been re-mastered and repackaged with new material. The first batch featured a Kenny Rankin performance from 1990, the Brecker Brothers from 1976 and Willie Nile with a two-CD set from 1980 and 2000. The CDs are being distributed by BFD/Red.
A new batch was released on June 29, which features Harry Chapin from that memorable weekend – the original CD featured two discs, the new one features three with previously unreleased material. There is also a new release featuring Janis Ian performing at the Bottom Line, and a two CD set, originally issued on Razor & Tie, that features of host of songwriters who participated in the Bottom Line’s series “In Their Own Words: A Bunch of Songwriters Sittin’ Around Singing.” This was a series of concerts held over the years that was hosted by radio legend Vin Scelsa. Vin would gather a group of diverse artists on stage to chat about their music and sing some of their hits, as well as a few surprise selections. The selections and discussions are fascinating to listen to, and it gives you a glimpse as to the magic that occurred in that hallowed space. Listening to Suzanne Vega talk about “Luka” is a lesson all songwriters should hear. Each artist shared revealing facets of the songwriting process in the unrehearsed performances Other artists that participated in the series and appear on the CDs include Richard Thompson, Dion, Jimmy Webb, Shawn Colvin, Lucinda Williams, Joey Ramone and more.
CD Cover for Bottom Line Archives: In Their Own Words Volume 1
The intimacy of the space and the audience that helped spark an energy that became hallmarks of the Bottom Line can be felt in these recordings. Listening to Harry Chapin sing his classic songs and converse with the audience brought me back to all the powerful performances that he gave in his lifetime. I miss him and hearing this newly released CD set reminds me why. He, and all the other artists in this series, brought their “A” game to the Bottom Line. The clarity of the remastered CDs brings it all back. I could also most taste those amazing French fries that the served and I am ready to pour another glass of Sangria from the pitchers that would be a regular companion at shows I attended. I also look at ticket stub I saved from that concert – an evening with Harry Chapin at the Bottom Line in 1981 set me back 10 bucks!! Even 35 years ago, that was cheap!
Perhaps someday, a new space will open under the banner of The Bottom Line, but it can never be the same. The music industry has changed dramatically. The regulars who frequented the Bottom Line are older and going to a club for people my age and older is not as easy as it once was. Younger audiences have a different expectation when they enter a club in 2015, it is not just the music that they go to see and often they aren’t even sitting down to experience it. Opening a new music listening room in the current environment is a huge risk and an uphill battle.
While there is no longer a space I can go to that is called the Bottom Line, the club will live on whenever I play these recordings.
It was a treat to play selections from these recordings during the second hour of this week’s show. For more information about the Bottom Line archives and the CDs, visit their website at www.bottomlinearchive.com.