Ronnie Rico

Ronnie Rico was the fictitious rock star featured on an unnamed music CD which was sent out in some, but not all, copies of The Movement Snowboards' 1997 catalog. The disc itself featured The Movement's "M-Star" logo.

The Story

The album consists of fifty-one tracks, only the first twenty-one of which contain any music (or speaking). As the listener goes from the beginning to the end of the disc, he follows fictitious radio DJ Pink Leo and his "British Correspondent Bulldog" as they document the international antics of Ronnie Rico, "a celebrated rock star whose rise from the ghetto to international stardom has taken the world by storm." Pink Leo is presented as having a regular show on the BBC.

Ronnie Rico's music is initially played on the disc, as well as commentary and introductions from Pink Leo. The first half of the album chronicles a concert at which Ronnie Rico plays to a "sold-out capacity crowd of over 500,000" at London's Trafalgar Square. The listener hears from Pink Leo's "British Correspondent Bulldog" as the crowd erupts into violence at the concert while simultaneously the mothership from an unnamed extraterrestrial race is spotted overhead.The aliens subsequently tell "Bulldog" that Ronnie Rico's music is what is needed to save the universe. Following the alien invasion, the disc returns to the same music which initially played.

The Music

The music on the record is played by obviously amateur musicians. There are missed notes and incongruent drum beats, indicating that much of the music was come up with on the spot. The style generally sticks to jazz with guitar being the primary instrument, but one track features rap, and the album concludes in a punk song featuring Pink Leo previewing his next show, slated for "next week." The production quality is extremely low, featuring what is referred to as "live" recording: all the musicians are playing at once in the same studio. This technique is rarely used today in major recordings. Due to the mediocre musicianship, general lack of any vocals, and bad sound quality, the music creates a mellow, though dark, atmosphere.

ee also

*The Movement Snowboards
*Mervin Manufacturing