Clive: Working with the Man in the Age of Vinyl

by Don Silver, Emily Heckman (Editor), Daniel J. Levitin (Foreword)

At twenty-one, after years playing in a band, Don Silver filled his briefcase with overblown resumes and headed to New York City, where he landed a job every musician dreamed of: working as an A&R man for Clive Davis. The problem was, the year was 1981 and the charts were topped by disco records. And to Don's horror, Clive seemed more interested in making hit singles that would make the cash register jingle than in finding great artists making important music.

In two years, Don went from wanting nothing more than to please his temperamental boss to wanting nothing to do with the world this talented narcissist ruled. But is it that easy to give up the perks and power? Filled with the same love of language and lyricism that made his first novel, Backward-Facing Man, a critical success, this short literary memoir is not just a portrait of a great record man, but a riff on life, ambition and music that will touch readers hearts and souls, just like great rock ‘n roll.

Genres: Music

116 pages, Paperback

First published January 8, 2013

About the author

Don Silver has been a musician, talent scout for a record company, record producer, business person, and consultant to CEOs. He has an MFA from Bennington College. His first novel, “Backward-Facing Man,” published by Ecco/HarperCollins, was hailed as “memorably offbeat” (New York Times) and “illuminating and entertaining” (Pittsburgh Tribune). His second novel, “Scorched,” will be released in May 2024. Originally from Philadelphia, Don lives in Asheville, NC. Learn more at www.donsilver.net.

Reviews

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don Silver offers a fascinating glimpse into the music industry of the early 1980s, which really drives home exactly how soulless the commercial offerings are. For posterity’s sake, it’s great to see how the business operated way back when, especially in the light of the technological advances that the industry as a whole has undergone.

But this memoir is more than just airing a bit of dirty laundry in a behind-the-scenes kind of way. This is also the story of Silver’s perhaps misplaced need to seek a mentor figure. It’s a tale of disillusionment too, and a sort of coming of age. While the music business side was informative, I saw this more as a work Silver engaged in to excise some of his own, personal demons related to his failure to thrive within the environment and time of his telling.

As much as Silver’s love for music underpins every waking moment of his life, it’s also clear that he never did quite “make it” in terms of being a commercial success. Underpinning all this is his exploration of the dysfunctional relationships around him—that of his parents, and later also how Silver relates to his wife and his somewhat egotistical boss, Clive Davis.

At the end I’m left with a sense of bitterness as Silver moves on to fresh opportunities. Overall, this is not a bad autobiographical account. The story is left open-ended, and I’m not quite certain what Silver’s purpose was: to recount a specific era and its events, or to revisit and work through past issues. Perhaps, even, this is a bit of both. All things considered, Silver’s tone is conversational, and the way he carries his recollections across makes it feel like an old mate has dropped by for a visit.

This work makes me wonder how commercial music has changed over the years and exactly how predetermined some of the “hits” are. If this account is anything to go by, true music aficionados are right to mistrust mainstream media. Silver has had time to sit back and reflect, and his tale is certainly an interesting one to hear out.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting memoir from an insider in the recording industry in early 80s. Don Silver loved music and wanted to be working for a record company. He did whatever he could to finally get hired. When he finally did get hired, he ended up working for someone that he thought would be a mentor and turned out to be a manipulative boss. To make matters worse, it was during the height of the disco era, and Don despised disco.

The book recounts a lot of the life of Don Silver during the time of the mid 1970s to mid 1980s. His attempts avoid school, form a band and fabricate his way into the recording industry is told with conversational ease. Don comes across as a real character, but someone you wouldn't mind sitting down with over a drink to hear more stories.

Along the way, some of the dirty laundry of the recording industry is aired. How a hit is picked, what happens to that demo tape your band sent in, and how the radio stations were induced to play mediocre music over and over again.

A quick read that I found engaging.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It took 2 hours to read compared to the hours and hours it took to get through other music insider’s bios and I got more out of it than any others. If you are interested in this topic don't poo poo this book. It will be worth your time.

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great insight from a perspective of an A&R guy who worked with Clive Davis. It covers the early days of working with Clive and what it was like. Not really to much of a surprise having worked myself in the music industry for 13 years, but none the less a good memoir read.