The Dangerfields of yesteryear

I spent part of my day going through my collection and it struck me how many I have on hand that are very good, yet never got the props that were really due them. To me, most of them are superior to what passes for modern masculines today.

For example.....I went through some samples and decided to wear MCM Twenty Four Morning last night. Yea....I know....wearing morning in the evening.......anyway.......I used about 3 small sprays on my arm and turned my attention to other things like figuring out a lineup for this weekend's tournament. Biggest tourney of the year, missing key players for a few of the games, I'm becoming aggravated, you get the idea........

Enter Mrs. Aromi. She has been a long suffering wife and fragrance guinea pig for quite some time now. I spray her with all manner of juice and wait for her opinion. I have her smell every exposed part of my body when I'm in a sampling frenzy.....and she has plodded along with this insanity with a smirk on her face and a truthful, quick review on her lips. She never lies and while she isn't familiar with accords and individual notes like the rest of us psychos, her decisive answer is almost always on the mark. It's either good or it's not. It doesn't matter to her why.

At any rate.......back to the MCM Morning. I stepped away from my softball predicament for a few minutes and sat down next to her. She gave me a look and then grabbed my arm and took a whiff. " That's kind of sweet honey, but very good. I like that alot". Ah yes.......Luca Turin......in 50 or 51 years, my wife will have your job.

I am inclined to agree with Mrs. Aromi and it got me thinking of all the underdog frags from 20 plus years ago that are not only good, but would make a mark in retail today. When I go to the few malls they have here and sample what's on the shelves, the commonality is apparent and the drydowns 20 minutes later are way too similar for my tastes. They are cookie cutter masculines and the Rodney Dangerfield's would no doubt stand out in comparison. They simply are better made with better ingredients. This is also why niche is proliferating.

My wife's statement of MCM inspired me to look at all my samples, bottles and partials of this and that. I am amazed at what I have to sample for either reference purposes or simply to wear. I am blessed with numerous "Rodneys" and part of what makes them special to me is that they are completely under the radar to not only "normal" people, but some hobbyists as well. They have never gotten the respect they should have....and they probably never will. I have been complimented numerous times on various Rodney frags and when asked what the name of the fragrance is, I get that thousand yard stare like I just switched dialects in mid conversation.

They get no respect. They really don't...except from me and a few others. It makes me wonder about the measuring stick today's generation is going to use 15 years down the road. Is it possible to use what's "theirs" today as a comparison in the future? Perish the thought........

Rodney would understand. He really would. I do too. The "Rodney" classics get no love. I think the buying public has it ass backwards......and maybe, just maybe.....its better that way.

Oriental Lounge by The Different Company

Bergamot, Curry Leaf, Pepper, Red Rose, Tonka Bean, Labdanum, Satinwood. I suppose the first thing I noticed about Oriental Lounge is that as a man, this is a bit of a stretch to pull off. Since the core of Oriental Lounge is a powdery tonka and amber duo, it really does lean a bit too far feminine for me to wear. However, it would smell just as lovely on a woman and more appropriate as well. I bring this up simply because it's marketed as shared. I was wondering about the curry leaf. Actually, this "note" brought nothing to the table with the exception of possibly enhancing the pepper note just a bit. Even so, the pepper note itself was low key ( at least on me ) and both blended nicely with the citrus opening. From the onset of Oriental Lounge, it's unmistakable that this fragrance is.......well.....an oriental. From other opinions, I read some gripes about longevity, but it lasts on me quite awhile. This fragrance is uncomplicated and without much movemen...

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Paco Rabanne Pour Homme

I am reviewing the original Paco Rabanne Pour Homme ( circa 1973 ) thanks to a generous basenoter who sent it to me recently in a swap. He also sent me the current formulation in order for me to do a side by side comparison. The side by side resulted in what I had already imagined would be the case. Not that the newer formula is terrible by any means. The original version simply is better by being deeper and a bit more masculine. No......you shouldn't go to ebay searching for the vintage formula and paying stupid prices. It's simply a notch or two better than the current and noticeable by comparing the two in real time. Rabanne Pour Homme opens with a slight shimmer in conjunction with lavender, spices and a subtle woodiness. It's an old school introduction, however a good one. The lavender takes about 5 minutes to raise its volume and evolve into a soapy rendition. I dislike when a boatload of soapy lavender takes over a composition, but here it doesn't go over t...

SugandarajaJune 11, 2010 at 12:55 PM
I think there's a whole class of older designers, those that never made a big smash into mainstream popularity, that are just forgotten about by most people in this hobby.

I think the hardest part is sampling them, really. Even though the bottles themselves are usually a quarter the price of the average niche, places like TPC only cater only to the women's side of things, and even there, mostly niche. If it wasn't for a few delightful people such as yourself over on Basenotes, I'd never know most of these were even out there!

As for the mainstream popularity, well, the majority of the money that goes into launching a mainstream fragrance release goes into advertising. I'm sure there must be a reason for that, and I'm guessing it's that frags don't sell on smelling good alone...
AromiEroticiJune 11, 2010 at 1:05 PM
Well said bro. I'm fortunate to have a few sellers who are good to go...namely xmen...that have on-hand the ones being discussed.

I find quite a few of these as good as popular niche. They simply have a different accord structure.

You're also right on the "image" thing and frags not selling on their own merits. It's a business practice that's unlikely to change.
Redneck PerfumistoJune 11, 2010 at 4:54 PM
I can really see what you're saying about frags that don't get respect - in many cases BECAUSE they were decent frags - when being good, amazingly, wasn't enough.

But the historical record on some of these guys is really scant - so you're doing a very good thing by keeping it. Bravo! :beer:

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