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Post by cleldo on Oct 16, 2022 16:16:12 GMT
Watched the beginning of Xanadu on BBC2 the other night and was intrigued by the music over the opening credits, including a guitar solo of the Xanadu chorus, any info if this is available or info on who created and played on it.
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Post by Timeblue on Oct 17, 2022 14:30:55 GMT
Watched the beginning of Xanadu on BBC2 the other night and was intrigued by the music over the opening credits, including a guitar solo of the Xanadu chorus, any info if this is available or info on who created and played on it. This was in the film? If its on catchup I'll take a look.
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Post by ShardEnder on Oct 17, 2022 17:39:25 GMT
I'm not convinced that opening instrumental guitar-led version of Xanadu is one of Jeff's productions, but it's claimed a few other pieces heard throughout the film (including the lengthy synth-heavy intro to I'm Alive) were from a scrapped early version of the film where he did a lot more than just submit the six released ELO songs and the brief closing reprise known on the original tape box as Xanadu Overture, which later became the foundation of Love Changes All. Ideally, we're long overdue a complete soundtrack that restores everything, adds in those countless early mixes from the pre-launch reel and even digs into the demo archives for Jeff, if not John Farrar as well, since I know there's at least a version of Magic with his guide vocal present. From what I've read, negotiations between the various parties had been ongoing for about a decade, but Olivia's team lost patience and decided to move ahead with their own expanded edition that would be part of her ongoing catalogue overhaul, though in the wake of recent events, I'm not sure what the status of this project might be. If all else fails, I'll give a mention to the exhaustive 24-hour playlist assembled by the Xanadu Preservation Society for the film's 40th anniversary. I suspect that's more than enough Xanadu for anyone, but due to its sensitive nature, it's probably best I don't directly link to this - I'm sure a combination of keywords in the right search engine will help point those curious in the correct direction.
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Post by helpless on Oct 18, 2022 10:54:39 GMT
If all else fails, I'll give a mention to the exhaustive 24-hour playlist assembled by the Xanadu Preservation Society for the film's 40th anniversary. I suspect that's more than enough Xanadu for anyone, but due to its sensitive nature, it's probably best I don't directly link to this - I'm sure a combination of keywords in the right search engine will help point those curious in the correct direction. Thank you - it worked! The most interesting thing I've heard so far was the demo version of "The Fall". I like it better than the original!
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Post by ShardEnder on Oct 18, 2022 12:17:44 GMT
Well, it's great to know that worked. The home demo you mentioned was recorded at some point after the conclusion of the '78 tour, and it had the working title of (I Take) The Fall. I'm not sure if I ever shared this one, but I was told a fantastic story about something that happened during this period from none other than Bill Bottrell himself...
In the months before he purchased Walsh Hall, Jeff was mostly in Los Angeles either staying with Don Arden or renting out a local hotel room. As a side note, Richard was nearby moving into a flat just off Sunset Boulevard, supposedly because he'd made so much money from his band salary (including what I've seen described as a retainer to reflect his musical contributions), the recent massively successful run of live shows and endorsements from instrument manufacturers that he either needed to relocate or risk staying in the UK, where he'd suddenly entered the highest tax bracket, but I digress.
Anyway, with this being early into the production cycle for Xanadu, the film's choreography team asked Jeff if he could quickly put together a guide track for helping plot out a key dance sequence. Away from his usual home recording setup, he made an assistant phone ahead at very short notice - in the middle of the night, to be precise! - with instructions to have a room at nearby Soundcastle Studios ready for the following afternoon. Turning up with what they called "The Dream Machine" (which was likely their new CS-80, bought directly from the Yamaha factory in Japan between live commitments earlier the same year), Jeff and Richard quickly assembled an early version of All Over The World, and it's this preliminary take from October '78 that could subsequently be heard in the Xanadu production reel.
When sharing that memory, Bill also mentioned that he was more than happy to drop everything at such short notice because of how much he already loved ELO's music, knowing that it was Jeff in particular responsible for so much of the sounds he painstakingly spent an entire morning trying to recreate through microphone placement and even a few ideas of his own, since Jeff apparently likes if engineers aren't entirely passive to an artist's demands. I can definitely see why they hit the ground running and worked together again on Time, Secret Messages, Balance Of Power and the first Traveling Wilburys album - they were such a great match, with that guitar-heavy sound carrying over to Jeff's more recent output!
As one last ironic twist, the radio alarm clock that woke Bill on the day of his first ELO session played a certain weather-themed hit single. Was that a sign or what?
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