Comments on: Book Review: Pat Benatar, “Between A Heart And A Rock Place”

By: Bmyatt

Bmyatt — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:04:29 +0000

Great review! I really enjoyed this book. I don't think Huey Lewis, Billy Idol or Jethro Tull would have had the same “Chrysalis Experience” because they were men. Pat's point was that due to her gender Terry Ellis consistently tried to manipulate and control her image, music and relationships.
I do believe they would all have similar stories about putting albums out in the last years of Chrysalis only to find that the company ceased to exist.

By: Matt

Matt — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 10:08:09 +0000

Good point. Not knowing Neil's history initially, I've been interested through the years to learn of the various projects and albums that he was associated with outside of working with Pat. The Waite album is certainly a great example of one such album that benefited greatly from Neil's influence.

By: Darren

Darren — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 08:58:59 +0000

I came to respect Giraldo after hearing his production on John Waite's Ignition…the dude knows how to get a performance!

By: kingofgrief

kingofgrief — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:17:56 +0000

With sidebars from Ultravox, Icehouse, Nick GIlder and White Town.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:58:32 +0000

What do you think the mood was like at Chrysalis on the day that Huey delivered Small World?

By: jefito

jefito — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:24:47 +0000

I remember reading in the press kit for “Hard At Play” that Huey essentially got off Chrysalis by saying to Terry Ellis, “Hey, we made you guys a bunch of money. How about letting us go?”

By: DwDunphy

DwDunphy — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:17:18 +0000

Yes, may Huey Lewis and Jethro Tull commence the notes comparisons.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 05:18:07 +0000

As I recall, Benatar talks a bit about comparing notes with Debbie on the Chrysalis experience years later when she and Pat toured together on a summer package tour.

I agree regarding Giraldo – I was a casual enough fan back in the day, that I really didn't give him full credit until much later. The more you learn about him, he's just a cool dude, and the two of them are a great match, because they share similar good vibes as people.

I think after reading this book, I want everyone that was on Chrysalis to write a book, to see how their experiences match up – Huey Lewis, I'm looking at you. That book will be awesome, if he has any thoughts towards writing one.

By: DwDunphy

DwDunphy — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 05:10:22 +0000

Pat benefited greatly by having Geraldo in the band. Having someone in the corner that's actually on your side, versus being a singer tied to a studio band, gives you a little more firepower. If you're just the face and the voice all on your own, at least back then, you accepted what the label was dishing out.

I've always wondered if Debbie Harry had much difficulty with Chrysalis since both Blondie and Benatar were signed there at roughly the same time.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 23:22:43 +0000

I think that's part of what makes this book interesting (and I think that Heart were very much this way as well) is that Pat was unwilling to be f*cked over like some of her fellow female artists. What flew with others, was something that Pat wouldn't put up with. I think that Heart certainly have gotten their respect in the past few years (after being ignored for most of the '90s), but Pat deserves perhaps a bit more attention/recognition for what she accomplished as an artist for the time period. Perhaps this book will help to open that up a bit.