And Party Every Day: The Inside Story Of Casablanca Records (Hardcover)

~ Larry Harris (Author), Curt Gooch (Author), Jeff Suhs (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Now it can be told! The true, behind-the-scenes story of Casablanca Records, from an eyewitness to the excess and insanity. Casablanca was not a product of the 1970s, it was the 1970s. From 1974 to 1980, the landscape of American culture was a banquet of hedonism and self-indulgence, and no person or company in that era was more emblematic of the times than Casablanca Records and its magnetic founder, Neil Bogart. From his daring first signing of KISS, through the discovery and superstardom of Donna Summer, the Village People, and funk master George Clinton and his circus of freaks, Parliament Funkadelic, to the descent into the manic world of disco, this book charts Bogart's meteoric success and eventual collapse under the weight of uncontrolled ego and hype. It is a compelling tale of ambition, greed, excess, and some of the era's biggest music acts.

About the Author

About the Author

Larry Harris began working for Buddah/Kama Sutra Records in the summer of 1971 as the local New York promotions man, and in 1973 joined his cousin Neil Bogart in founding Casablanca Records. He became senior vice president and managing director of the company in 1976 and left Casablanca in the fall of 1980. Larry was born in New York and now lives and works in Seattle.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 310 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat (November 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879309822
• ISBN-13: 978-0879309824
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,262 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, October 27, 2009

By	E. Dvorin - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I heard about AND PARTY EVERY DAY earlier this year and have been waiting for it ever since. I got my copy the other day and was blown away. I had some high expectations and they were all surpassed ...by a mile.

The book is full of stories about Casablanca's wild parties (the money and drugs flying around the place were just amazing...how did these guys not get arrested?) and their very high profile acts like Donna Summer, The Village People, and Kiss. I thought I knew a lot about Casablanca Records, but I didn't. The book is very well written and even though it's full of details, it's very easy to read, and very hard to put down.

I enjoyed learning about the business side of the music industry, but I was just adddicted to the feeling it gives you of being right there when it was all happening. You feel transported into the 1970s and I was rooting for Neil Bogart the whole way through and found myself thrilled when the label broke through and cringing at all their mistakes.

I've always been a big fan of the 1970s and have read a ton of books and articles about it, but AND PARTY EVERY DAY is the first time I've felt like I was actually there. Highly recommended.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Party, October 30, 2009

By	Kevin Killian (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

No one in this book gets out alive, or so it seems, for Larry Harris and his co-writers have the scoop on everyone whether high or low, and most of them were quite high during the Casablanca years.

From a business point of view, the revelations here are mainly about hos the company never was successful, despite a milliondollar promo campaign and a lot of money juggling on Harris' part. he was ordered to cook the sales figures for PolyGram to show many more sales of Casablanca products than actually occurred; this despite the fact that the returns would be coming in constantly to contradict his lies. Harris seems to think this is a standard business practice, but for his sake I hope the statute of limitations on fraud will prevent them from carting his butt to hail like Bernie Madoff! Neil Bogart characterized the Casablanca years as a time of "profitless prosperity," and that seems apt.

I enjoyed hearing how a group of Brooklyn-born salesmen with great ears for what would sell turned the industry on its ear by making a commitment to disco, or all things. The discovery of Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer is an amazing story, but even the flops of Casablanca have their charm. Take for example the signing of "Stallion." Ever heard of them? They were going to be Casablanca's answer to the Eagles, but when Harris asked their Svengali to make them sound more like the Eagles, he should have known right away it wasn't going to fly, since the producer genuinely puzzled, asked, "Who are the Eagles"?

The Village People and Kiss are the other big names here, but every page has a good story about someone, usually revolving around "blow." "Blow" allowed Larry Harris, one of the plainest men in show business, to live the Hugh Hefner lifestyle with a revolving cast of available and beautiful Hollywood starlets. Thus he was living every man's dream, and never had to look at a mirror throughout the entire 70s. Go, Larry, go!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 70's Time Capsule, October 27, 2009

By	Ramon Cervantes "barrioboi" (haltom city, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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I am still in the process of reading this book. It is amazingly entertaining and true to the era Mr. Harris writes about. I lived those years far from the site where most of it took place but as a fan of the music and the artists he writes about, especially Donna Summer, I am mesmerized and enthralled by all the back stage goings on and feel that I am right there as I read his text. This is a must read for anyone who is of that generation and even those who are younger or older as it provides a fascinating insight into a time that will not ever be duplicated but produced some of the greatest voices and talents of the 20th century. More than anything, it chronicles the career of Neil Bogart. He was a dynamic person and I do not believe he has up till now received the credit he deserves for defining an era like the 70's. This tome should be a movie. It would bring droves to the theatres. What about it Larry? The script is could be straight from the book. Let Casablanca be up there at the top one more time!