A LITTLE
BACKGROUND
The Band first got
together in 1987, when Copeland and Clarke were booked to play
a series of dates together in Brazil. Holland has long been
a staple on the Los Angeles music scene, writing songs, teaching
piano, and performing with local bands. A tape of her songs
made its way to Copeland through a publisher, and her fresh
yet classic approach to her craft proved the perfect fit to
the elusive puzzle. (Reportedly, when Stewart first heard the
songs, he took off running down Sunset Boulevard screaming "Eureka!")
As the trio continued playing together, they soon realized that
they had created something far more worthwhile than simply a
one-off band.
THE
FIRST RECORD
This seemingly innocent
collaborative teaming resulted in 1989's debut album Animal
Logic. A pop fan's dream come true, the first album featured
the bright, bouncy grooves of the world-class rhythm section
of Copeland and Clarke, over which floated Holland's clean,
soaring vocals. Cuts like the first single "There's A Spy
(In The House Of Love)", "As Soon As The Sun Goes
Down," and "Someday We'll Understand" introduced
the band to a wide variety of fans, industry and civilians alike.
The debut album established
a solid 150,000 strong fan base in the U.S. The three singles
noted above garnered significant airplay at CHR, AOR, NAC and
AC radio. The video for "Spy" received regular rotation
at MTV and VH-1, while the album and subsequent tour had critics
everywhere singing the praises of this new band. The record
spent 6 weeks on the Album Network Instore play chart, causing
instant reaction amoung consumers. The album's instantly memorable
graphics of the three dalmatians popped up everywhere - in displays,
print and TV advertising, street posting and merchandise, creating
an unforgettable imaging.
THE
FOLLOW-UP
This second record
is a big step forward - bigger sound, bigger songs, bigger hopes
and dreams, bigger animals on the cover (it's polar bears this
time)...
Of course, it all
starts with the music. Animal Logic (II) (although both albums
are self-title, this second record will have (II) on all spines
to alleviate retail and consumer confusion) was produced by
Tony Berg, renowned for his work with Michael Penn and Edie
Brickell. The sound is flawless, as Copeland and Clarke are
allowed to concentrate on playing, rather than alsoarranging
and producing as on the first album.
The wide appeal of
Animal Logic lies in the band's ability to draw fan of both
songwriting craft and instrumental virtuosity. As on the first
record, Holland wrote or co-wrote all eleven tracks, and her
growing maturity as a songwriter is evident in the broad themes
and allusions in such tracks as the first CHR single "Rose
Colored Glasses" and "Love In The Ruins (Doctor Dear
Doctor)." From a playing standpoint, there is no better
rhythm section in the world than Copeland and Clarke, and they
display their brilliance throughout. There is a much greater
sense of their instrumental presence here, and they really kick
it out on rocking tracks like "I Won't Be Sleeping Anymore"
and Stone In My Shoe."
Giest appearances
on Animal Logic (II) include vocal help from Jackson Browne
("Another Place") and Glenn Phillips of Toad The Wet
Sprocket ("Rose Colored Glasses"), and instrumental
backing from David Lindley and George Duke.
THE
PLAN
RETAIL
This is a top priority
for the I.R.S. and CEMA field sales and marketing staffs! The
first step in our retail campaign involves placing cooperative
print advertising in regional entertainment papers across the
country upon release to alert fans that the new record is out
and available.
Next, our varied
p.o.p. material will be used to create exciting displays around
the album's striking cover graphics. We will be making two different
4-color posters (one 24" by 36", one door size) with
different images, double-sided flates, and 4-color stickers.
CEMA's F.M.R.'s will be in your face soon with armloads of polar
bears, so keep some wall space free...
And remember, instore
play is a proven method of selling Animal Logic records, and
this record will move even better than the last one.
Additional promotion
at the retail level will include imaging the album's graphics
on painted boards or lightboxes wherever applicable, and placing
the "Rose Colored Glasses" video on several instore
play reels.
RADIO
July 15 will be our
start-up date at radio.
- At AOR, we will
be leading with "I Won't Be Sleeping Anymore," a
CD pro of which will ship out July 5. We will be concentrating
on the top 30 AOR markets with this track.
- Also beginning
July 15 will be a major campaign aimed at NAC radio, the fastest
growing adult-demographic format in the country. Focus tracks
for this album-oriented format are "Through A Window"
and "In The Garden."
- We will let these
formats / tracks lead the way for CHR, and will be taking
the first Top 40 single "Rose Colored Glasses" to
the CHR station August 20 in a special edition four-color
digipak.
Tipsheet advertising
will be place in all three formats, and will include teasers,
announcements and follow-ups.
TOURING
This band live is
truly something to experience - and America will get its chance
this fall. In September, Animal Logic will do a headlining tour
of mid-size venues (3000 seaters), then in October they will
be opening up for Sting in arenas on his continuing American
tour. (Look for CEMA's BMR's to initiate a display contest in
stores around these tour dates this fall.)
VIDEO
A promotional video
clip will be shot for "Rose Colored Glasses" which
will be worked hard at MTV and VH-1 as well as all regional
outlets.
CONSUMER
ADVERSTISING
Print ads will be
placed in a wide variety of publications to capitalize on this
band's wide appeal. Four-color ads of the album image will be
placed in the September issues of Musician, CD Review, and Movieline,
and the Octiber issue of Details.
In addition, we will
be doing a series of industry ads in Billboard - teasers begin
the week of July 13 and continue though July 27, with a full-page
announcement ad coming August 3.
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