(AKRON) Comedian Rita Rudner, mindful of 8-track tape and quadraphonic sound, says she refuses to buy a CD player until she gets a piece of paper guartanteeing that nobody is going to invent anything else.
An admirable philosophy, perhaps, given the cost of converting a music library. But Rita is fighting a losing battle. When's the last time you saw a record in a "record store"?
That's one reason you haven't seen much in area stores by the Michael Stanley Band. The legendary Cleveland rock 'n' roll group folded its tent just about the time records were starting to resemble Edsels.
Well, a New York music company has come to the rescue. Razor and Tie Music, co-owned by a former Ohioan, last week released a 16-song anthology of Stanley's music - on CD. And in Northeast Ohio, it's outselling everything else on the shelves.
Since launching their business a couple of years ago, the New Yorkers have gone around to record companies buying up licensing rights for artists they enjoy. They've reissued, on CD, out-of-print works by Tina Turner, Graham Parker, Little Steven, David Johansen, Gary "U.S." Bonds and others.
The company contacted Stanley about eight months ago. "They just called out of the blue and said, 'We want to put out a compilation,' Stanley says. "I said, 'Cool!'"
When the company asked whether Stanley wanted to be involved in assembling the collection, he jumped at the chance. He wrote the liner notes and helped select the songs.
The disc, called "Right Back at Ya," recaps his career in chronological order, starting with the original (1971) version of "Rosewood Bitters," with Todd Rundgren and Joe Walsh, and ending with 1983's "My Town."
Only "Stagepass," Stanley's 1977 live album that was reissued last year by CBS, has been available on CD. That's not much material when you consider Stanley cranked out 12 years of original music.
The record company says Stanley's CD already has generated more interest than any of its previous efforts. Orders have been so heavy that Volume 2 is already in the works.
"We're thrilled," says Razor and Tie's Craig Balsam, a New Jersey native who met former Columbus resident Cliff Chenfeld while they were attending law school at New York University. He says nearly 30,000 copies already have been shipped.
Local distributors are excited as well. Ron Denham, who owns Digital Daze across from Chapel Hill Mall, says he was afraid he overdid it on his initial order. But he's already reordering.
"It's been incredible," he says. "I ordered 300 copies because he's coming down here at the end of the week, but I've already sold 150 of them." Stanley will appear at the store Saturday between 2 and 4 p.m.
Only a couple of months ago, Stanley was on the brink of appearing on the same stage as Elvis. The 43-year-old Rocky River native suffered a severe heart attack in December and still is not 100 percent.
"I'm feeling all right," he said Tuesday from his Shaker Heights home, "but I won't get a full report on what my situation is for another month or so."
He's not just sitting around, though. Stanley has been shopping a collection of new songs that he cut in a Beachwood studio last year. In addition, he's still plugging away as a disc jockey at Cleveland's WNCX (98.5-FM).