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Post by jefflynnenut on Mar 3, 2015 20:13:51 GMT
Oh Shardender NOW THIS IS THE MEAT AND GRAVY MAN!!!!!! Ye don't want to buzz over to Ireland tonight for a couple of pints? Spare bed available!
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Post by nicolas on Mar 4, 2015 16:02:42 GMT
ShardEnder, I have still no answers to my questions... You talk about the original "Secret Messages" album but there were 2. Did you know? And did you hear them?
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Post by 88keys on Mar 4, 2015 19:43:22 GMT
Awesome sauce! I'll read it!
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Post by ShardEnder on Mar 4, 2015 20:01:54 GMT
With the exception of Beatles Forever and the first side of the album (which remained completely unchanged), I've only heard the later LX 527 mixes and outtakes from Secret Messages as they appear on Afterglow, Flashback, etc... I certainly don't want to shoot myself in the foot by asking Bill Bottrell for a copy of his safety tape, especially if this means any future communication is jeopardised.
However, I do plan on asking him to relay specific details about the versions used any the exact segments featured between songs - vague descriptions such as the "three second wind intro" mentioned by the seller of those acetates just won't do for a project this comprehensive! As for my other contributor, the intention is more to see if Dave Morgan can provide any new insight into the personal and political background of the Wisseloord sessions, not to mention recollections of this period that expand on his autobiography, as the end of 1982 going into the following year was only covered in brief there.
For the record, I'd give anything to have even a poor quality transfer of either the acetates or the reference cassette, never mind the masters, but as I said before, I don't want to push my luck. The point of this book is to hopefully educate a few people enough that they add their names to a petition, leading to an official release as opposed to using the opportunity as an excuse to secure access to the material in a roundabout way, as I just wouldn't feel right taking up the time of such busy people for personal gain.
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Post by skyclad1904 on Mar 5, 2015 0:08:18 GMT
ShardEnder, your writings are fantastic! will your book make a note on dave edmunds and the everly brothers? i always felt like "slipping away" was a secret messages outtake and the recording of information must nearly be the same period as secret messages. also "story of me" sounds like it was written during that period...
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Post by ShardEnder on Mar 5, 2015 5:17:40 GMT
Those songs that Jeff produced for Dave's Information album weren't just recorded at the same time as the Secret Messages sessions, but they were cut in the same studio! Clearly the two exchanged a lot of ideas, as so much of their material from this period sounds as if it could have been made by the other, so of course I'll be covering this particular collaboration. As for Jeff's work with the Everly Brothers, this will also be featuring in brief along with a few of the more notable artists whose work I feel helps paint a more detailed picture of the story behind this particular album's creation...
Apart from the brief excursion into reggae in the middle (which is a VERY Jeff thing to do!), does anyone else think Let It Run would have been right at home if released as a Dave Edmunds track? Also, would Send It and all Jeff's later ventures into rockabilly exist were it not for Dave influencing him? Actually, wasn't "techno-billy" the name Jeff put on tape box of the triggered drum experiment that led to Send It being created? If not for anything else, Dave should be thanked for passing on Jeff's number to George Harrison, as the rest really was history, so to speak!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2015 5:11:49 GMT
Well, let me think about it... Okay, I'm in!
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Post by Helmut83 on Mar 28, 2015 20:37:31 GMT
I cannot buy the book except in case you edit it in Argentina (which I doubt), but I really hope you get to work and succeed on your project. I'm sure I'd find a way to get it and read it. Good luck, ShardEnder! (sorry, ShardEnder, allow me for a small parenthesis on your thread) BSJ, unomusette, Horacewimp & Co.: you probably didn't understand why I said this. Now you know I wasn't just giving an excuse for not buying the book.
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Post by unomusette on Mar 28, 2015 20:43:47 GMT
If it goes on Kindle maybe? Or perhaps some other online solution? I'm sure there'll be a way somehow
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Post by BSJ on Mar 28, 2015 22:39:52 GMT
Helmut83, just one more ELO item you will receive in your gift bag, when we all meet up in the USA!
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Post by ShardEnder on Mar 29, 2015 8:45:30 GMT
I can assure you all that no matter who puts the end result out, digital distribution will definitely be on the cards...
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tl77
Full Member
Posts: 62
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Post by tl77 on Apr 1, 2015 18:08:22 GMT
Yes, yes, yes, YES!!!!
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Post by queenofthehours on Apr 12, 2015 18:34:38 GMT
I would definitely buy a book on the making of Secret Messages . 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. I've heard only good things about the books in the 33 1/3 series. Though I've yet to read any myself, I've seen them on my local library's shelf - one on Bowie and another, I believe, on the Velvet Underground - great company for ELO to be among!
It would be wonderful to have some contributions from ELO's top brass but one of the main reasons I think Jeff would not be keen on contributing is the issue of time. I remember reading that Paul McCartney once backed out of helping on a biography because he believed that the little time he could give wouldn't be enough to do the project justice. I think Jeff would be more interested in contributing something if it was made totally clear to him that the questions would be entirely technical and not enter into the dangerous territory of "relationships".
Good luck ShardEnder! ELO is seriously under-represented in literature.
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Post by ShardEnder on Apr 12, 2015 20:04:50 GMT
I've been reliably informed that Jeff would be highly unlikely to provide any information for my book... In fact, someone has even warned me that he may very well try blocking it later unless I'm very careful to be impartial, especially as ELO is still an ongoing project. However, that shouldn't be a problem. If anything, I've covered Kelly Groucutt's departure and issues with another member so Lynne isn't explicitly vilified.
My purpose is to provide all the necessary backstory, historical context and critical analysis to encourage a wider reappraisal of Secret Messages, as I get the impression most people consider Time the last great ELO album - probably not helped by some of Jeff's less enthusiastic comments about his output during this era, dismissing the work as "push button music" created by a "secretary" to use some of the better-known quotes.
The issue of being able to commit a large amount of time to contribute anything has already come up with Bill Bottrell, and I'm not surprised at all by the fact Dave Morgan also goes quiet for lengthy periods. While I appreciate anything either can bring to the proverbial table, I have to respect they are both very busy in their personal and professional lives, with my project hardly up there in terms of being a priority.
P.S. If all goes to plan, I may have just gained another valuable yet highly unexpected figure to add their perspective in a way you could probably never imagine. Contact has now been initiated, but at this point I can't really say much except that it's a good thing my end product isn't going to be 100% official, as they can shed light on Secret Messages in a way I don't suspect Jeff Lynne, Rob Caiger or Craig Fruin would entirely approve of.
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Post by unomusette on Apr 12, 2015 20:18:34 GMT
Oooh! This is exciting news - can't wait to read
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