The Last Sultan: The Life and Times of Ahmet Ertegun
tudouwang
It's All About the Money, November 22, 2011
By J. Slott "Howling Rabbit" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) This review is from: The Last Sultan: The Life and
Times of Ahmet Ertegun (Hardcover)
Perhaps some of you familiar with the legacy of Ahmet Ertugen and
Atlantic Records might feel the title for my review as a little harsh
but, personally, by the time I made it three-quarters through this
bio, the excesses of Ertegun, along with those of his fellow
travelers, were literally starting to turn my stomach.
The greed constantly exhibited by these arrogant narcissists is in
every way just as over-the-top and obnoxious as that displayed by the
current thugs on Wall Street. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if most
of them quoted Ahmet Ertugen as one of their prime inspirations.
The author of this book relates the shenanigans perpetrated by Ertugen
and his ilk with a blithe indifference that left me bewildered. It was
like reading a history of the Mob, their crimes trounced out after
another with no comment, no summing up.
At other times, his "facts" don't even jibe with one another. At a
concert celebrating the 40th anniversary of Atlantic, Mr. Greenfield
states that after the first performance by The Coasters, Stephen
Stills and Graham Nash played their hit song "Southern Cross" to an
empty arena without fellow David Crosby because Crosby was away sick
in his hotel bed. But later, at the same show, Stills, Nash, AND
Crosby performed "Wooden Ships."
Huh?
And is Mr. Greenfield trying to tell his readers that after The
Coasters performed, the entire audience got up and vacated the
auditorium because David Crosby wasn't there to perform with his
partners?
The book is also plagued by far too many irrelevant details such as
the time when a writer from Rolling Stone is quoted as to his
remembrance of how "pop" Pamela Anderson, a girlfriend of Kid Rock,
looked when she appeared at a party.
Big deal...!
I didn't come away from this bio with any grander admiration for Ahmet
Ertugen despite his "classiness" though it would seem that was the
intent of the author.
There was once a Bowery Boys movie where the Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall
characters infiltrate a crime gang whose boss was, anachronistically,
an Ivy-League type. But despite his use of four-syllable words, he was
just as brutal and malicious as Al Capone. In the end, he's gunned
down by the police and ends up dying in the sewage-laden streets of
New York no different than his elementary school drop-out rivals.
That's who Ahmet Ertugen reminded me of.
Book Description
Publication Date: November 8, 2011
The Last Sultan is the definitive biography of a man who changed
popular culture throughout the world. As the founder and head of
Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun signed and/or recorded many of the
greatest musical artists of all time, among them Ruth Brown; Big Joe
Turner; Ray Charles; Bobby Darin; Sonny and Cher; Eric Clapton;
Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Led Zeppelin; the
Rolling Stones; Bette Midler; and Kid Rock. Working alongside his
older brother, Nesuhi, one of the preeminent jazz producers of all
time, and the legendary Jerry Wexler, who produced great soul artists
like Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, and Aretha Franklin, Ertegun
transformed Atlantic Records from a small independent record label
into a hugely profitable multinational corporation. In successive
generations, he also served as a mentor to record-business tyros like
Phil Spector, David Geffen, and Lyor Cohen.
Brilliant, cultured, and irreverent, Ertegun was as renowned for his
incredible sense of personal style and nonstop A-list social life as
his work in the studio. Born into great privilege as the son of a high-
ranking Turkish diplomat during the last days of the Ottoman Empire,
Ertegun spent his life bringing the black-roots music he loved to the
world.
A larger-than-life figure, always hip, Ertegun lived in the grand
manner but was never happier than when he found himself in some down-
and-out joint listening to music late at night. Blessed with
impeccable taste and brilliant business acumen, he brought rock ’n’
roll into the mainstream while creating the music that became the
sound track for the lives of multiple generations.
With supporting characters like Steve Ross, Henry Kissinger, Mick
Jagger, Keith Richards, Jann Wenner, and a host of others, The Last
Sultan is the fascinating story of a man who always lived by his own
rules.
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