R.I.P. Gregg Fulkerson (Blue Tears)

[Geoff]

Was listening to Michael Sweet's solo debut album today (which is basically a Gregg Fulkerson album with a few late Sweet tweaks, and the minor thing of Sweet's vocals and guitar all over it) and it prompted me to see how and why they combined,  and I stumbled across an old interview with Gregg from, I think it was 2003. 

Here it actually is;

http://www.rockunited.com/fulkerson.htm

But I just got so hung up on this part;

we were getting ready to do the second record...there was no question of a second record.....had some of the greatest material I had ever written ready for that second record.....BUT....let's just say I was young and naive...trusted the wrong people....I don't want to talk about the specifics because I'm over it.....I have moved on....I lost everything...and everyone...I had............the band...the money...my house...my wife...was stuck in a situation where I couldn't record...couldn't make a record...couldn't get out of the contracts, but couldn't make a record...LITERALLY......legally, couldn't do anything...it took me several years to bounce back from that....so let's just leave it at that...MCA was ready to make a second record...we were ready to make a second record...but a third party was involved that had control over everything...enough said.

Does anyone know anything more about this, and what/who it was this third party that made the recording of that second album so impossible? I find it a really sad story, the one of Gregg's life and way-too-early-death. I also found it sad later in the interview to hear how he felt about the Blue Tears debut album, which is an undisputed classic to most of us here. 

I've always been so curious about how many of those Blue Tears demos that we've all heard now were pre-debut, and what - if any - was meant for the second album... the greatest material he had ever written. Have we heard any of those songs, even if only in demo form? 

[melodicrock]

Never saw that interview before....Gregg never mentioned this to me in any of our conversations. So not sure myself.

But there is plenty of unreleased demos, his son (I think) was trying to get control of the estate, or last I heard, had just taken control. I have an indirect contact - they were going to reach out to me when all sorted. That was a year or so ago now.

[Geoff]

3 hours ago, melodicrock said:

Never saw that interview before....Gregg never mentioned this to me in any of our conversations. So not sure myself.

But there is plenty of unreleased demos, his son (I think) was trying to get control of the estate, or last I heard, had just taken control. I have an indirect contact - they were going to reach out to me when all sorted. That was a year or so ago now.

Intriguing. Not something to push of course, but if it ever came about I'd be really curious to hear the tracks clearly intended for Blue Tears album #2. 

Like I said, for all I know we've heard them and they were part of the Suncity releases. But the other part of me doesn't really hear anything in that that I think Gregg would be referencing as the greatest material he had ever written. So are there still a bunch of tracks possibly recorded for album #2 that we've never heard? Or alternatively, was any of it ever even recorded? He did say it was written, and was that literal, meaning it was written and because of the fuckaround they never even got to recording any of it? Sadly, things we may never know. 

[Captain Howdy]

On 12/8/2023 at 11:17 AM, Geoff said:

Intriguing. Not something to push of course, but if it ever came about I'd be really curious to hear the tracks clearly intended for Blue Tears album #2. 

Like I said, for all I know we've heard them and they were part of the Suncity releases. But the other part of me doesn't really hear anything in that that I think Gregg would be referencing as the greatest material he had ever written. So are there still a bunch of tracks possibly recorded for album #2 that we've never heard? Or alternatively, was any of it ever even recorded? He did say it was written, and was that literal, meaning it was written and because of the fuckaround they never even got to recording any of it? Sadly, things we may never know. 

I was always under the impression that the follow up was included on the two Suncity albums, mixed in with a bunch of other songs. I know Long Way Home, Kisses In the Dark, With You Tonight, Follow Your Heart and Summer Girl were all supposed to be on the second album, so that would be nearly half of it. I also would not be surprised if Loud guitars was sposed to be on on it.

To be honest, I always though the songs on those two albums were all either left overs from the debut or intended to be on the second album, so I think we have heard the intended sophormore release, just not as originally intended.

[melodicrock]

14 hours ago, Captain Howdy said:

I was always under the impression that the follow up was included on the two Suncity albums, mixed in with a bunch of other songs. 

I think so too...I just can't recall precisely. I'll go thru some old emails and see if I can find the info.

[gener8tr]

On 12/7/2023 at 6:28 AM, Geoff said:

I also found it sad later in the interview to hear how he felt about the Blue Tears debut album, which is an undisputed classic to most of us here. 

 

I know we can all name HUNDREDS of really great albums form some really great bands that were simply released too late to cause a worldwide stir, but right at the top of my HUNDREDS list is the Blue Tears debut. 

Imagine if that one had been released the summer of 1986 (like Cinderella's Night Songs, for instance) on PolyGram Records... and then imagine if it was Blue Tears who opened for Bon Jovi on the SWW Tour instead of or in addition to Cinderella.

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by gener8tr

[melodicrock]

Reached out to the family again to see if there's any progress.

[Captain Howdy]

On 12/14/2023 at 7:04 PM, gener8tr said:

I know we can all name HUNDREDS of really great albums form some really great bands that were simply released too late to cause a worldwide stir, but right at the top of my HUNDREDS list is the Blue Tears debut. 

Imagine if that one had been released the summer of 1986 (like Cinderella's Night Songs, for instance) on PolyGram Records... and then imagine if it was Blue Tears who opened for Bon Jovi on the SWW Tour instead of or in addition to Cinderella.

 

Not sure it was purely timing as 1989 was a fantastic year for hair metal, glam and hard rock in general. Just taking your example of Cinderalla. Their debut when 3x platinum in USA but barely made a dent outside the USA bar a couple of countries, yet Skid Row who released in 1989 went 5x playinum, and had a world wide success on their hands.

It really depends from band to band to be honest, the kind of record label push they got, the amount of MTV time they got and a whole bunch of other things. Cinderella and Skid Row both very much benefitted from the Jovi connection, but Skid Row really hit the ground running in a way that Cinderella never did. Of course it helped massively with having a motormouth frontman like Bach who was not exactly unlpleasing to the ladies eyes.

Even bands like Winger, Warrant, Firehouse, Slaughter, Bulletboys, Britny Fox & L.A. Guns etc all released their debuts in that 88-90 time period and had good levels of success. While maybe not household names, they each became bands that fans of the genre instantly knew where Blue Tears and many of their ilk didn't. It was a time where any band with big hair and lycra got signed and unless you had the right image, the support and exposure, you were doomed to be nearly bands.

I am sure there are plenty of bands from the early 80s who suffered similar fates when all the labels were trying to sign the next Quiet Riot or Motley Crue.

 

[Derek]

On 12/7/2023 at 9:28 AM, Geoff said:

I've always been so curious about how many of those Blue Tears demos that we've all heard now were pre-debut, and what - if any - was meant for the second album... the greatest material he had ever written. Have we heard any of those songs, even if only in demo form? 

According to this interview:

https://www.melodic-rock.com/interviews/bluetears.html

Long Way Home, Girl Crazy, Mystery Man, Rock You To Heaven, Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know, Misty Blue, Kisses In The Dark, Everywhere I Go, Midnight Train, Love Machine and Live It Up (all on the MB&D CD) were written for the 2nd record.

A couple extra bits of info from the article: Follow Your Heart was mentioned to be meant for the 1st record and was the first song Gregg wrote for his own voice. Livin' In The Movies (from Dancin' On The Backstreets) was also written for the 1st record. In an earlier interview with MR (https://melodic-rock.com/interviews/greggfulkerson.html), Gregg said he wanted Call My Name to be on the 1st record but the producer didn't.

I really wish they included the original CMN demo on one of the Suncity releases (all we have of it currently AFAIK is the low quality version on Youtube), although the Attraction 65 version is also excellent.

[Geoff]

5 hours ago, Derek said:

According to this interview:

https://www.melodic-rock.com/interviews/bluetears.html

Long Way Home, Girl Crazy, Mystery Man, Rock You To Heaven, Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know, Misty Blue, Kisses In The Dark, Everywhere I Go, Midnight Train, Love Machine and Live It Up (all on the MB&D CD) were written for the 2nd record.

A couple extra bits of info from the article: Follow Your Heart was mentioned to be meant for the 1st record and was the first song Gregg wrote for his own voice. Livin' In The Movies (from Dancin' On The Backstreets) was also written for the 1st record. In an earlier interview with MR (https://melodic-rock.com/interviews/greggfulkerson.html), Gregg said he wanted Call My Name to be on the 1st record but the producer didn't.

I really wish they included the original CMN demo on one of the Suncity releases (all we have of it currently AFAIK is the low quality version on Youtube), although the Attraction 65 version is also excellent.

Very interesting. Knowing those songs, I gotta say I think the second album would have been a far cry from the debut. 'Kisses in the dark' is well on par with the debut, and 'Long way home' and 'Rock you to heaven' would stack up well too. As for the rest, I'd have to personally put them well beneath anything from the debut, including 'Crush,' which I can give or take. 

[melodicrock]

BTW - No reply from his family this time around...strange...

 

[gener8tr]

I'll continue to pound the Blue Tears drum as long as even one person will listen.

Anytime anyone (not as on-top of our music as we are) asks "Can you tell me about other bands from that era I never heard that you think I'd like?" I always push the BT debut.  It's absolutely magical. 

Like a walk back in time to 1986 / 1987.  The cassette tape would have fit so nicely in the glovebox of my 1976 Celica along-side Slippery, Hysteria, Raised On Radio, 5150 and Eat 'Em... all of which got worn-out by me back then.

Just a bit too late.

Edited March 3 by gener8tr

[KarpetRydOFunk]

7 hours ago, gener8tr said:

I'll continue to pound the Blue Tears drum as long as even one person will listen.

Anytime anyone (not as on-top of our music as we are) asks "Can you tell me about other bands from that era I never heard that you think I'd like?" I always push the BT debut.  It's absolutely magical. 

Like a walk back in time to 1986 / 1987.  The cassette tape would have fit so nicely in the glovebox of my 1976 Celica along-side Slippery, Hysteria, Raised On Radio, 5150 and Eat 'Em... all of which got worn-out by me back then.

Just a bit too late.

Yeah, it's usually one of the first I pull out if people want something obscure. Which we all know is relative to the individual. 

[Captain Howdy]

11 minutes ago, KarpetRydOFunk said:

Yeah, it's usually one of the first I pull out if people want something obscure. Which we all know is relative to the individual. 

This just reminded me of a guy I know (I struggle to call him friend as he annoys the piss out of me). He is one of those guys who was late to metal but acts like he knows everything. One of his great lines was "How can you call yourself a metalhead if you dont like Pantera" to which I said, "Or maybe they are a real metalhead and are not judgemental pricks who think everyone must like the same shit they do".

Anyway, one time we were talking about Steel Panther while queueing for one of their gigs, and I mentioned I had just picked up the Mitch Perry album which has some songs on it by 7% solution, featuring Michael Starr. He then started saying "Oh yeah, Mitch Perry I have heard of him". I know full well he has no clue who Perry is, so later on I started talking about something else and totally made up a band and of course he had heard of them as well

[KarpetRydOFunk]

44 minutes ago, Captain Howdy said:

This just reminded me of a guy I know (I struggle to call him friend as he annoys the piss out of me). He is one of those guys who was late to metal but acts like he knows everything. One of his great lines was "How can you call yourself a metalhead if you dont like Pantera" to which I said, "Or maybe they are a real metalhead and are not judgemental pricks who think everyone must like the same shit they do".

Anyway, one time we were talking about Steel Panther while queueing for one of their gigs, and I mentioned I had just picked up the Mitch Perry album which has some songs on it by 7% solution, featuring Michael Starr. He then started saying "Oh yeah, Mitch Perry I have heard of him". I know full well he has no clue who Perry is, so later on I started talking about something else and totally made up a band and of course he had heard of them as well

Yeah, well maybe it was a real band. And it's so obscure that you didn't even know it existed. But he did. And so he's way smarter than you. Haha. 

;}

I can't stand people like your "not friend."

[Captain Howdy]

12 hours ago, KarpetRydOFunk said:

Yeah, well maybe it was a real band. And it's so obscure that you didn't even know it existed. But he did. And so he's way smarter than you. Haha. 

;}

I can't stand people like your "not friend."

I can't remember the ins and outs of it, but last year he put up a tweet about how anyone who does cover songs is unoriginal and have no talent, and he would rather listen to the original. I have no issue with the second part of his statement as that is all down to personal taste, but for him to call out bands as unoriginal and lacking talent when bands he listens to have done covers is quite laughable. Every time he posts shit like that I reply and he always ignores me as he knows he is chatting shit. He does it with wrestling as well. Called someone out for instulting a woman wrestler, and saying it's unacceptable to insult wrestlers like that. Pointed out he always calls Brock Lesnar a gorilla and he he should practice what he preaches .. ignored again

As I say, always has to pretend he knows everything, but always gets caught out.