ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, November 9, 1996 TAG: 9611120005
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL LOMARTIRE COX NEWS SERVICE
Lie down Snoop Doggy Dogg. Don't get comfortable Alanis Morissette. ESPN's Chris Berman COULD GO ALL THE WAY to million-selling platinum on the pop music charts. The ``ABC Monday Night Football'' halftime host and ESPN sportscaster known for his erupting enthusiasm is part of the talent on ESPN's ``Jock Rock 2.''
Berman's drawn-out ``he could go all the way'' touchdown shout is a buffer between The Jackson Five's ``I Want You Back'' and ``Nobody But Me'' by the Human Beinz. His ESPN broadcast mate, Dan Patrick, also contributes a line to ``Jock Rock 2'' between The Alan Parsons Project's ``Sirius'' and ``Final Countdown'' by Ray Castoldi.
Patrick and Berman are riding into the pop music business on the surprising success of the all-sports cable channel's big-selling compilation albums.
There are five ESPN records with ``Jock Jams 2'' currently No. 21 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart. ``Jock Jams 1'' hit platinum with sales of more than 1 million. ``Jock Rock 1 and 2'' are both 500,000 gold-album sellers and this year's ``ESPN X Games 1,'' hard alternative rock from people such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megadeth and 7 Mary 3, is past 400,000 in CD/tape sales.
The idea for releasing music under the ESPN logo started with New York Knicks fan Monica Lynch, president of Tommy Boy Records.
In 1994, New York City-based Tommy Boy presented ESPN with the idea of selling a CD/tape of foot-stompin' sports anthems played at Madison Square Garden Knicks and Rangers games. ``Jock Rock 1'' included songs such as Queen's ``We Will Rock You'' plus ``Shotgun'' by Junior Walker & the All Stars and The Champs' ``Tequila.'' The collection proved popular on college campuses.
``We looked for a way to expand the line,'' says ESPN's Sharyn Taymor, ``Jock Rock'' and ``Jams'' co-executive producer. ``We thought if we went to music that was more contemporary and urban, that was more sort of party music, that it may be something that would cut across a different demographic.''
The follow-up was ``Jock Jams 1'' that mixed recent hits such as ``Get Ready 4 This'' by 2 Unlimited and ``Whoomp! There It Is'' by Tag Team with oldies ``Rock and Roll Part II'' by Gary Glitter and the Village People's ``YMCA.''
``Jock Jams 2'' is a similar mix that runs from the Village People's retro-hit ``Macho Man'' to ``Macarena'' by Los Del Rio.
Taymor is the director of ESPN's enterprise division that was created to come up with ways-to-make-cash such as ESPN calendars, ESPN Club clothing and video games. Upcoming in '97 is an ESPN clothing line based on a variety of designs and slogans. The next ESPN music collection, due in March, is called ``Slam Jams,'' and includes classic hits from Blondie, Joan Jett, Stray Cats, Devo and others.
Getting a second big pay day for forgotten songs on an ESPN compilation would seem to mean that Taymor must hear a lot of begging from broken down '70s and '80s rock stars calling from the pay phones of third-rate Vegas lounges.
``We do get a lot of calls from people who'd like to have their songs included on future CDs,'' she says, laughing, ``but I don't know that I'd call them broken-down lounge acts.''
The ESPN/Tommy Boy success has ignited competition including an album from ABC/ESPN's parent company Disney. The ``ABC Monday Night Football Official Party Album'' offers a country bent with the MNF theme by Hank Williams Jr., and songs from Jerry Reed, Toby Keith, The Kentucky Headhunters and others on Disney's Hollywood Records. Released earlier this fall, so far it's not registering the big-league sales of ``Jock Rock'' or ``Jams.''
The first ESPN ``Jam'' and ``Rock'' collections featured arena sounds between songs such as a hot dog vendor, a national anthem ending with a hockey buzzer and Michael Buffer's main event ``let's get ready to rumble.''
But the number of those segues have decreased with each release. ``I think that probably we took the best of the bunch for the first `Jock Rock','' says Taymor.
A new library of ESPN catch phrases, though, are sure to be created if Berman gets a taste of platinum success with ``Jock Rock 2.''
LENGTH: Medium: 77 linesby CNB