Life Imitates Art

A popular story about Art's failure to catch on is that he got addicted to too many things, and pissed off too many people, but I'm certain the truth is less romantic than that.  His solo debut album, CRAWL WITH ME, should have been great; the demos were recorded with Bob Rock before he made it big, and according to Rock they "shoot sparks."  Unfortunately, somebody made the bonehead decision to fly in John Cale from New York to redo all the sessions.  The result was still good, but Art's brilliant songs had been sanitized.  Something essential was lost. 

 

 There's a kind of live streaming Greatest Hits-style selection of Art's stuff available for free here:

 

 http://chriswardman.com/art_bergmann

 

Very shortly after the release of his second solo album, SEXUAL ROULETTE -- one of the greatest Canadian rock records of all time -- his label went bankrupt.  There was no money for promotion and the record went straight to the delete bins.  Bergmann won the Juno (Canadian Grammy) for "Most Promising Male Vocalist."  Oops.

 

Art signed with Polygram for his third, self-titled solo album, but it was only distributed in Canada.   Sony Music Canada picked him up for his fourth album and then dropped him so fast that he was again without a recording contract by the time WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS won the Juno for Best Alternative Rock Album.

 

Maybe someday Canadians will realize what they had: 

 

  http://www.toromagazine.com/?q=node/304

 

Anyway, those spark-shooting demos from the Bob Rock sessions are now available on iTunes under the title LOST ART BERGMANN.  You should buy them.  I did, and I remembered, again:  I'm still pissed off about Art.