|
Post by erchie on Mar 1, 2015 7:51:43 GMT
I would definitely buy this!
Have you thought about contacting Louis Clark? I know he has been under the weather lately but it might be worth giving a shot once he recovers.
|
|
|
Post by Southernman on Mar 1, 2015 9:42:37 GMT
Not that I'm recommending it, but it occurs to me you'd sell more books if you got one (or both!) of Jeff's ex-wives to spice it up a bit with some personal insights... ;-p Given he referred to one of them as an Evil Woman on Storytellers, I'm sure you'd get a good response. Now, if only Dennis the barking dog was still with us... oh the stories he could tell...
|
|
|
Post by ShardEnder on Mar 1, 2015 14:22:51 GMT
Strange as this may seem, "Dennis" may very well still be with us since this wasn't the name of a dog belonging to one of the ELO members, but was actually Dave Morgan's synthesiser! I'm yet to find out the exact breed (Synclavier or Fairlight), though based on the evidence so far I've a feeling it was the latter...
For the record, it was also Dave's own personal vocoder that you could hear on the Time Tour, the band's handful of 1986 shows and even Secret Messages sessions outtake, Tears In Your Life, which was originally sung in its entirety through a vocoder until Jeff later reworked the verses into being three part harmonies.
Here's another quick tease for you all - is the reason Hello My Old Friend wasn't on the 2001 remaster because a certain Mr. Lynne doesn't like how the song ends? If his problem really is the climax building up to nothing, is that in reference to the edited Afterglow mix or the complete double acetate version, and could this explain why Rock 'N' Roll Is King wasn't just on the earliest test pressing in this place, but also restored there on the eventual single album?
P.S. Due to a combination of unfortunate timing and my publishing schedule being so tight, it doesn't look as if I will be able to make contact with Louis Clark, although I agree he would be interesting to speak with, especially as he'd just returned to the band after not arranging Time, plus this would be his final studio album (obviously not counting the Balance Of Power era promotional appearances, many of those being playbacks).
|
|
|
Post by jefflynnenut on Mar 1, 2015 16:50:27 GMT
My personal opinion is if you managed to interview Louis, Bev, or in fact anyone connected to the "mess" that was ELO pt2 or the Orkestra would automatically destroy your chance of any solid and major important characters that I imagine that you would really want to interview. The fact you have Dave Morgan on board "who is incidentally still working on side projects with Mr. Tandy" is fantastic and I cannot but help imagine if you were to have any luck with a possible conversation with magic fingers it would/could be through Dave? Anyway I am really looking forward to reading this project and I'm so enthralled at the lil gems you will eventually uncover.
|
|
|
Post by nicolas on Mar 1, 2015 18:03:41 GMT
Did you hear the 2 original "Secret Messages" albums to make an anlysis in a book?
|
|
|
Post by unomusette on Mar 1, 2015 21:17:10 GMT
Sorry I'm late to this, been away, but I'd like to add my support and encouragement. I agree with jefflynnenut that any involvement with the ELO Part 2/Orkestra crowd could scupper your chances of contact with more choice interviewees, but would you tackle all the aspects and not avoid the parts that might offend Jeff's camp? Bound to be a good read anyway, best of luck to you
|
|
|
Post by Helmut83 on Mar 1, 2015 22:25:11 GMT
Sorry I'm late to this, been away, but I'd like to add my support and encouragement. I agree with jefflynnenut that any involvement with the ELO Part 2/Orkestra crowd could scupper your chances of contact with more choice interviewees, but would you tackle all the aspects and not avoid the parts that might offend Jeff's camp? Bound to be a good read anyway, best of luck to you Totally agree with Uno here. The more versions you've got, the better - particularly if they are from both camps.
|
|
|
Post by ShardEnder on Mar 2, 2015 0:15:15 GMT
Of course my absolute dream would be to have Jeff on board, though I fear his responses would either follow his idea of the official ELO party line (in other words, dismissing Beatles Forever in particular) or be as pointless as the "liner notes" he contributed to the remastered edition of Secret Messages and the Flashback collection - I'm still upset at his commentary for the Time album, especially that for The Lights Go Down!
The fact Dave Morgan has shown an interest is mind-blowing enough for me, never mind the fact I've managed to secure a very enthusiastic Bill Bottrell to lend his technical insights into the Wisseloord sessions, which I don't believe we've ever really known until now. Furthermore, as someone who stepped in late during the making of Time and engineered the initial batch of rcordings, I have the potential for wide crossover into other close periods that I will naturally be covering in brief for the sake of providing historical context.
Since it's unlikely that Richard would be prepared to say anything that may affect his continued affiliation with Jeff (even though I suspect he'd be a brilliant source of background on what is very much a high tech album undoubtedly shaped by his input), I could look into making contact with Bev. On the other hand, wasn't it claimed that the ice between Jeff and himself had recently started to thaw? I'd hate to destroy a rekindling connection between two old friend by coming between them, as it's already known that Bev's role in the group was being tested around this time.
While I'm here, does anyone know where I could find a high resolution copy of the original 1983 promotional poster or the pictures taken by the German fan club members during their visit to Wisseloord in late '82? Also, has anybody ever been able to identify who shot the promo clips for Rock 'N' Roll Is King and Secret Messages or when these were filmed?
Despite the fact my primary publisher has been quite outspoken about me not being able to use images due to licensing issues, I'm still considering the possibility of releasing the end product through alternate distribution methods, including self publishing and even crowdsourcing websites, as this would mean the resulting book can have more visual content assuming targets are met or paying for rights is even necessary... surely a fair use disclaimer is enough to protect me?
Having taken a few days to really think about the options available, it might actually make sense in the long term to avoid such compromises altogether, as there's a lot more I could do in terms of pictures, from sleeve covers to band photographs and even a few surprises I don't want to give away just yet in case things don't work out.
|
|
|
Post by pikerman on Mar 2, 2015 11:48:39 GMT
Id buy it deffo.any idea what outlets it will be purchased from.
|
|
|
Post by janne on Mar 2, 2015 19:31:31 GMT
I have bought a few ELO books in my time, but honest to God, I have never read anyone of them, except for Bev's book.
|
|
|
Post by ShardEnder on Mar 2, 2015 19:57:13 GMT
I really don't want to tempt fate by revealing too much at such an early stage in the event things change significantly, but the plan is for my book on the making of Secret Messages to be released through Bloomsbury Publishing as part of its 33 1/3 series, where each new volume is dedicated to scholarly analysis of a single album with a little surrounding history to provide context if needed.
Alternatively, should this fall through for whatever reason, I've got a second offer (through another publisher I've been in contact with about a fiction book I'm also writing) that would see the end product released as an ebook. On the other hand, if it's possible to "fairly use" pictures, I might even consider putting an improved edition out myself via Kindle Direct Publishing.
In other great news, Bill Bottrell has now replied to my first of many questions, and while his answer will be helpful to explain how he came to be involved with ELO as their new engineer after Mack's departure, the other information he provided can't really be used, though I'll gladly share it here because this is truly revelatory...
The first session Bill ever had involving ELO happened when Jeff and Richard dropped into the Los Angeles based Soundcastle because it was the only available studio with specifically requested equipment - a Harrison console and UREI monitors. As the go-to person when a client turned up without their own engineer, Bill took on the session, which he recalls being on a Tuesday night, starting at 7PM promptly.
Already a massive fan of ELO and even The Move before this, having loved Out Of The Blue, it's safe to say that Bill was in Cloud Nine at getting to engineer for Jeff Lynne. Apart from their combined proficiency at stacking vocals on the 24-track tape, his most vivid recollection is that of a huge synthesiser Jeff brought in called the Dream Machine, which he recalls immediately being able to produce so many sounds used in the band's music. Could this have been the Yamaha CS-80, perhaps?
He even remembers the song that was being recorded then, which they started and finished all in the same day - All Over The World! I'm guessing this was just the basic track and not the string overdubs, but incredibly, there was no sign of Kelly or Bev, with Jeff playing the drums himself. As if that wasn't mind-blowing enough, he dates this song to long before it was supposedly written for the Xanadu project, which didn't yet exist.
Actually, it seems as if All Over The World pre-dates even the Discovery sessions, since it was recorded in 1978! Yes, you read that right - a whole two years before we orignally thought! If this is even a fraction of the information Bill could offer for my project, I'm going to be chewing my hands off in anticipation at some of his revelations about later sessions, as I'd knew I could rely on him for exclusive technical talk of the Wisseloord and Compass Point sessions...
Has anyone ever heard of a rehearsal space known as the Rat Club? This was supposedly Jeff's name for a converted barn at his house used by ELO in December 1981, presumably to practice The Way Life's Meant To Be for its inclusion on the European leg of the Time Tour, as it was soon to be released as the group's next single. Unless they were also using his home recording setup (assuming "Posh Studios" even existed at this point), I think I've uncovered the exact location for the mythical Garden Rehearsals.
On the other hand, it's also known that some rehearsals previously took place at Dave Morgan's studio in Birmingham and even Jasper Carrott's Solihull-based club, The Boggery, before they flew out to a sound stage in LA to practice with the full Time Tour lighting rig (which is when the other members first met Fred and Kelly infamously fell off the stage between songs when the lights went out).
|
|
|
Post by BSJ on Mar 2, 2015 21:53:06 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Horacewimp on Mar 2, 2015 21:54:39 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Chippa on Mar 3, 2015 6:02:17 GMT
This sounds like a massive undertaking, on your part. I hope everything falls into place, for you. Keep us posted!
|
|
|
Post by erchie on Mar 3, 2015 10:24:59 GMT
While I'm here, does anyone know where I could find a high resolution copy of the original 1983 promotional poster or the pictures taken by the German fan club members during their visit to Wisseloord in late '82? You mean poster of your avarar picture? I got that poster from Ebay few years back. I could try to take some pictures for you.
|
|