The credits from the autogen were interesting to me re: the background vocalists (all assuming the same as on site). Might be comment-worthy, but didn't want to file an error report:
Background Vocal: Marc Cohn
Background Vocal: Billy Burnette
Background Vocal: Kurt Cobain
That does sound odd, but how many other people are there named Kurt Cobain?
The video was supplied by Sony Music Entertainment and posted on The Official B.J. Thomas YouTube Channel. The information on participating musicians is quite elaborate. Looks quite genuine, but of course this is no proof and after some research have been unable to confirm this. 
From https://www.allmusic.com/album/throwin-rocks-at-the-moon-mw0000860676/credits my guess is that it's a misprint for Kurt Yahklan. To me at least Kurt Cobain is disqualified not only by age but also genre and geography.
Edit: I didn't see we have the rear cover of the LP as an attachment. According to that, allmusic is correct: the backing vocalists are Marc Cohn, Billy Alessi (not Billy Burnette) and Kurt Yahklan (not Kurt Cobain).
Last edit: 2019-03-20 17:51:45 UTC by baggish
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Really wild, General!
I have removed the comment, not only because it's inaccurate but also because adding comments about backing singers could be a very slippery slope... Also if we're going to have it, it probably belongs to the album not the performance.
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Really wild, General!
I have removed the comment, not only because it's inaccurate but also because adding comments about backing singers could be a very slippery slope... Also if we're going to have it, it probably belongs to the album not the performance.
a) I have no problem with the removal; but
b) There is no slippery slope, as comments are always optional. There are likely thousands of comments where similar situations on site go without; and
c) Not sure why such a comment would go on the album when we only have evidence of it applying to one performance.
c) Not sure why such a comment would go on the album when we only have evidence of it applying to one performance.
- The LP sleeve lists the backing singers and other musicians in a general sense, it does not attribute them to individual tracks.
- considering the youtube autogen can't even get the names right, I do not believe it is evidence about who the backing singers are on that track (which of the three? all of them? any combination?). Probably the autogen algorithm scraped the personnel from the rear of the LP in a mangled way.
- According to autogen, Kurt Cobain apparently also sang backing vocals on at least two other tracks on that album, youtube Icuc5nSIihw and tptQmGzepTc
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Really wild, General!
Attachments:
c) Not sure why such a comment would go on the album when we only have evidence of it applying to one performance.
- The LP sleeve lists the backing singers and other musicians in a general sense, it does not attribute them to individual tracks.
- considering the youtube autogen can't even get the names right, I do not believe it is evidence about who the backing singers are on that track (which of the three? all of them? any combination?). Probably the autogen algorithm scraped the personnel from the rear of the LP in a mangled way.
- According to autogen, Kurt Cobain apparently also sang backing vocals on at least two other tracks on that album, youtube Icuc5nSIihw and tptQmGzepTc
a) The autogen came from a compilation not the original LP;
b) Evidence isn't necessarily proof and you can't just state that the autogen notes are wrong (tho questionable). Both are just conflicting evidence; and
c) You didn't indicate such, but in fairness I seem to recall that AMG had a different Billy credited as well.
I'm of opposing views when it comes to credits on compilations. On one hand they may be sloppier than the credits on the original release; on the other, a major label compilation may correct errors found on the original. There are several cases where I have seen different writing credits repeated on the original and subsequent compilations released by the writer(s) themselves which conflict with what SHS has (from ASCAP, etc.). Often, I stick with the label since I believe that that songwriters would make sure that the credits are printed correctly on their own releases.
For info, the entire autogen note:
Provided to YouTube by Sony Music Entertainment
As Long As We've Got Each Other · B.J. Thomas
The Complete Columbia Singles
℗ 1985 Sony Music Entertainment
Background Vocal: Marc Cohn
Background Vocal: Billy Burnette
Background Vocal: Kurt Cobain
Composer, Lyricist: Steven Dorff
Conductor, Guitar, Arranger: David Wolfert
Guitar: Thom Rotella
Composer, Lyricist: John Bettis
Percussion: Jimmy Maelen
Drums: Allan Schwartzberg
Piano: Steve Moss
Synthesizer: Clifford Carter
Bass: Will Lee
Producer: Gary Klein
Engineer, Re- Mixer: John Davenport
Assistant Engineer: Craig Vogel
Assistant Engineer: Mike Mills
Mastering Engineer: Ted Jensen
you can't just state that the autogen notes are wrong (tho questionable)
I could not find the compilation booklet online, but the allmusic credits page for it does not mention Kurt Cobain or Billy Burnette: https://www.allmusic.com/album/new-looks-from-an-old-lover-the-complete-columbia…
I have no idea how autogen notes are made, but in this case my guess is bad OCR or voice recognition or something like that. Autogen notes are not a source. They may be a pointer or a starting point but they are not a source. In this case, I could not find any other evidence to confirm what they are saying.
c) You didn't indicate such, but in fairness I seem to recall that AMG had a different Billy credited as well.
According to that, allmusic is correct: the backing vocalists are Marc Cohn, Billy Alessi (not Billy Burnette) and Kurt Yahklan (not Kurt Cobain).
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Really wild, General!
I have no idea how autogen notes are made, but in this case my guess is bad OCR or voice recognition or something like that.
A strong educated guess. Another would be an offshore data entry service by non-native English speakers. Either would lead to errors.
Autogen notes are not a source. They may be a pointer or a starting point but they are not a source. In this case, I could not find any other evidence to confirm what they are saying.
Of course they are a source. They may be weak, far from determinative, and/or not SHS approved, but a source nonetheless. A weak source can also be considered a pointer or a starting point. In fact, until I confirm an SHS entry, I consider it a lead. A strong lead from a high confidence source, but a lead nonetheless.
According to that, allmusic is correct: the backing vocalists are Marc Cohn, Billy Alessi (not Billy Burnette) and Kurt Yahklan (not Kurt Cobain).
I agree. Based on all the evidence found (some contrary, some concurring, some stronger, some weaker). Consider, I originally posted this as something I spotted of possible interest. The source served as a starting point for further discussion and research, during which we seem to have been able to determine with some confidence the background vocalists for this recording. More evidence (e,g. pictures of Cobain and B.J. at the sessions) may arise, but we go with what we know.
I will add that your AMG credits have more background vocalists, presumably for other recordings on that compilation. That evidences (but not necessarily proves) that the autogen credits (warts and all) are specific to that recording and not to the release as a whole.
I hammer on terms like source and evidence because I was reminded of when some other theory for the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event was accepted (Deccan traps?) with an impact being fringe supported by some evidence (Iridium layer?). Now the latter is the generally accepted explanation. Today there is growing evidence that the Native Americans might not be so "native", as there is some evidence of a pre-pre-Columbian society originating from the Iberian Peninsula.
