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Post by jackpunch on Feb 20, 2016 15:02:04 GMT
Hi there, just wondering if there's any developments. Would be great if you could get something out to coincide with the tour.
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Post by ShardEnder on Feb 22, 2016 3:43:16 GMT
Believe me, there have been plenty of developments since my last progress update...
First of all, my computer was attacked for the fourth time in six months, leading to all of its contents being encrypted by ransomware. Thankfully, I've long since learned to make regular backups of my work on external drives that are only connected to the main system when I'm archiving at the end of the day, so nothing has been lost - I won't be having to rewrite everything from scratch again, as happened on the second occasion (which also set my research notes back to square one). I'm eternally grateful to the person out there who helped me out with recovering about 99% of my efforts before, as it meant I was able to hit the ground running again.
More recently, I've been approached about the possibility of lending my writing to an official project that's due to come out later this year. I really can't say much more about this because it's still not yet been officially confirmed, but you shouldn't expect a long overdue release of the complete Secret Messages double album with yours truly providing the liner notes. Jeff still isn't prepared to let Beatles Forever see the light of day, and I declined the offer for very good reasons, anyway. Let's just say that Rob Caiger has already teased a new remastering campaign of all the main ELO albums to coincide with Jeff's upcoming tour, and now it's been revealed there will be a strictly limited repressing of The Move's Something Else EP for this year's Record Store Day. Could a similar treat for ELO fans be on the cards? That's not for me to say, unfortunately.
What I will say is that I turned down the chance to submit a draft of my book to Jeff's management for his approval because I don't want to edit my work to become a one-sided whitewashing of events as they really occurred. Although I started this project as a love letter to a little-known chapter in ELO's history for the 33 1/3 series in the hope raising the profile of Secret Messages might be enough to convince Jeff it is worth finally putting out in full, the scope of my research and subsequent collating of information from various sources has grown beyond my initial plan. Now, the book is a study of all the various factors that contributed to ELO's demise, and no one figure is portrayed as a hero or villain. In fact, while it was never my intention to tear down someone who I still regard a musical idol, there are at least a few chapters that will paint Jeff in a way that runs contrary to his own Mr. Blue Sky persona.
Of course, I'm being very careful not to simply publish a piece that could be interpreted as mere defamation of character for Jeff or any of the other major players that feature heavily throughout this period in the group's life. Naturally, Kelly's lawsuit will be taking up a large portion of the final page count, and I've managed to uncover a few tantalising details regarding just how conficted Jeff was in deciding whether or not to continue with ELO beyond their contractual obligations. In the end, Bev pushed to reform the group sooner rather than later (pun intended) and won, forcing Jeff's hand. From what I've been told, I get the impression Jeff never wanted to entirely leave ELO behind, looking to seize the chance of producing some of his own heroes before taking a well-needed break from the record-tour cycle then returning to the mothership that was ELO.
Whether a result of impatience on his part or a fear that being under Jeff's leadership again would see a repeat of the same problems that plagued the Secret Messages and Balance Of Power sessions, Bev used his leverage as equal stakeholder in the ELO name to hit the road without Lynne, resulting in the various agreements that saw him able to ultimately launch Part II. Curiously, this wasn't the first time Bev exploited his legal status to challenge Jeff, and I'll hopefully be sharing new insights into previous instances, assuming I can find a way to present the facts with references or some degree of context to offset the nature of certain aspects that could yet be regarded as all-out allegations.
As you can see, what started off as a book on the making of Secret Messages and the immediate aftermath of CBS reducing this down to a single disc has evolved into a far more complicated examination of the politics and personality clashes that saw ELO go out with a whimper rather than a bang, even if the material on its own very nearly achieved this goal. Just as it would be wrong of me to agree to a biased celebratory piece that follows one party line over the other, I certainly can't focus on the music alone, since there's a much greater story out there, and I'd always regret having to compromise in my own vision. I'll probably get one chance to do justice to this project, so I'm not too worried about missing the window to piggyback on Jeff's tour.
Besides, I've already said this won't be entirely about Jeff. If anything, I'd like to think the end result will be an impartial study of the facts as I've been able to present these to the best of my ability. Criticism for any personal actions need to be justified, and I'd rather not let my personal opinions cloud the quality of what readers take from this book. At the end of the day, my biggest dream is that both existing fans and newcomers alike will be able to form their own conclusions, with the only time I'm making a point from the heart whenever I feel the music deserves such attention. I don't plan on praising or punishing any of the people involved, rather it's a challenge to remain very much on the fence. Where I could be more critical is in reviewing the actual music, but again I'm trying to come at this from the perspective of pointing out how Jeff and the others achieved their results as opposed to why.
A sordid, tell-all tabloid style expose this will not be. There have been a steadily growing number of books on Jeff and ELO in general that don't need to resort to such sensational tactics, though admittedly a few are revelatory. I'll be happy if I can join such authors and perhaps show the world how fascinated I am when it comes to seemingly absorbing every last scrap I can find about this little band from Birmingham that took off in a very big way. Oh, and things would be a lot simpler if I didn't keep re-reading a certain novel while listening to the album it inspired on my smartphone whenever I'm lacking the inspiration to write myself. Trust me, it's a fantastic multimedia experience. I wonder if Jeff's tried this winning combination yet?
P.S. Ironically, I'm hoping to have the first edition of my book out there for the 33.3rd anniversary of Secret Messages, so it should only be a few more months. At the moment, I'm pretty much done with the researching stage, and I've got around 25% of the final text completed to a satisfactory standard. However, everything's always going to be up in the air as this is just a hobby for me. The day job's proved to be rather quiet lately, and I'm looking forward to a few weeks where I might be able to get a large portion of the rough draft typed up. Until then, I really need to stop distracting myself by giving away massive chunks over at the Steve Hoffman Music Forums, where I've also received fantastic support with my venture. At this rate, I'll have written everything two or three times before I even get around to doing it for real!
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Post by unomusette on Feb 22, 2016 21:56:28 GMT
Wow, this sounds extremely interesting, thanks for the update and congrats on maintaining your author's integrity.
The temptation to let Jeff read your work must be huge, but knowing his propensity to head for the law courts you made the right decision. And who's to say if he actually would have read it (or if it stopped at management level)?
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Post by ShardEnder on Feb 24, 2016 17:29:57 GMT
Now here's something that came from Out Of The Blue, if you'll excuse my pun...
A short history of Kelly Groucutt's life (including his involvement with the Secret Messages sessions) was shown over a vintage promo video on MTV that I didn't even know existed until I stumbled upon this just a few days after it was first uploaded:
What other ELO-related rarities could still be out there?
P.S. Bev appears to be dressed for the wrong gig, and you've got to join Lou Clark in grinning as he tries miming along to Richard Tandy's keyboard parts so unconvincingly!
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Post by vlogdance on Feb 24, 2016 18:22:21 GMT
This is very nice, thanks, ShardEnder . Agree about Bev's outfit, perhaps he had to rush out to meet Jeff's lawyers. And their back-up keyboard player is quite a "discovery".
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Post by fourlittlediamonds on Feb 27, 2016 4:28:07 GMT
Well, having ploughed through this thread, I have to say, what a revelation. I never would have guessed this album had such a complex and convoluted history, especially within the context of ELO's complicated politics and internal and external relationships both business and personal at that time.
Shardender is to be congratulated on what is clearly a massive and dedicated labour of love.It should be a fascinating read.
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Post by ShardEnder on Mar 15, 2016 17:12:26 GMT
Instead of another progress report, I have a few very quick questions:
Does anybody know if there are any interviews with Bev or Kelly circulating from around the release of Secret Messages? I've been informed that Bev in particular made some very negative remarks concerning how Jeff was treating him, though my search for these comments has so far proved unsuccessful.
Also, has anyone got the print ad for Secret Messages that was featured in several magazines at some point in early April 1983? From the descriptions I've read of this, it still mention the album as being a double LP scheduled for release on the 11th (which of course didn't happen).
Finally for now, can someone please help me confirm the exact release date for Secret Messages? Pretty much every source I've checked only identifies the month as being June 1983, yet I'm also in possession of chart records that suggest it wasn't released until the following month.
As always, your input would be massively appreciated - I'm currently in the process of finishing the research stage, so hopefully very soon I'll be able to move onto producing an initial first draft of my book!
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Post by jackpunch on Mar 15, 2016 18:27:06 GMT
4th June rings a bell in my head. But given its 33 years ago, i might be a day or two out !
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Post by f4monty on May 13, 2016 9:07:14 GMT
Back when Secret Messages was first released, I admit to being very disappointed. Being a fan of the mid-70s ELO, I thought Jeff had lost it with this album. I gave it a few listens and largely gave up, other than with the title track and Stranger. The album lay gathering dust and I didn't even give it a second chance when I woke up to Balance of Power many years after its initial release, and therefore also ignored the missing tracks. To me, Secret Messages sounded a little too 'empty' and the barking dogs, bells, whistles and squeaks that Jeff had pulled from his new electronic box of tricks just didn't work for me at all.
Then I started reading Shardender's brilliant contributions to this and other forums (fora, forii?) and I thought it was about time I gave Secret Messages another chance. This has been a long-winded way of saying 'thanks' because now I can't stop listening to it and I'm cursing my youthfulness of 1983 for being so closed-minded. I don't even mind the barking anymore!
Side 1 is fast becoming one of my favourite 'sides' of all ELO albums.
The point of all this is to say that I can't wait for Shardender's book. From what's been revealed so far, it sounds like it will be a fascinating read.
But second, what's the best place to dig out the missing tracks? Because I'm seriously getting into Hello My Old Friend and the Macarthur Parkishness (if that's a word) of Mandalay. I've found some versions on YouTube but the sound quality isn't good on my desktop. Eventually, of course, I hope like everyone that we'll get a release of the album as it was meant to be. But I can't really wait that long!
Thanks in advance.
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Post by jackpunch on May 13, 2016 9:25:17 GMT
Afterglow boxed set is as far as I'm aware the only release containing HMOF and Mandalay. Ebay might be your best bet, but ELO prices are inflated currently !
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Post by ShardEnder on May 13, 2016 13:15:41 GMT
If I've succeeded in getting just one person to reappraise Secret Messages for the artistically impressive swansong it nearly was (rather than as the weak, heavily truncated single album it became) then I'm doing a good job, so thank you very much for those kind words. Unfortunately, there really is no other source for either Mandalay or Hello My Old Friend except the Afterglow box, but even then the latter is presented in an edited form - this set is also the only place you can get an official digital copy of Buildings Have Eyes. Of course, for those with much deeper pockets, I suppose you could try contacting whoever bought the original unmatched acetates or see if Bill Bottrell would run you off a dub of his safety tape containing the full tracklist, since he's known to possess this holy grail!
To give a quick update for now, I'm seriously considering whether or not to delay the release of my book by no more than a few months at the most to see if someone I recently managed to get in touch with through an intermediary responds to a few questions I've passed on. I can't say much at this point, though I will hint that my project is now being helped by two people I consider responsible for doing more to keep the light on than Rob Caiger has. ELO's profile is at its highest in years, so why are hardcore fans not being catered to? Apart from the high resolution versions of the main catalogue, all future plans appear to be marketed towards the casual buyer, with the upcoming remaster campaign not providing any bonus content, and if we have to suffer yet another "greatest hits" type collection...
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Post by antpotter on May 13, 2016 21:34:36 GMT
If I've succeeded in getting just one person to reappraise Secret Messages for the artistically impressive swansong it nearly was (rather than as the weak, heavily truncated single album it became) then I'm doing a good job.. I think it's much more than just one person ShardEnder, you've got a lot people interested in the full version of Secret Messages. Thanks to your fascinating posts on the subject I was also inspired a few months ago to create the full double album running order and now I absolutely love it, so cheers from me too. Put me down for a copy of your book and in my humble opinion I definitely think you'd be wise to delay it for a month or two if you've got a new lead to add even more detail to the whole intriguing tale.
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Post by erchie on May 17, 2016 12:50:23 GMT
"I can do 'em quick, but it depends whether you want 'em good or quick!"
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Post by orangefiltersky on May 18, 2016 12:23:01 GMT
"I can do 'em quick, but it depends whether you want 'em good or quick!" This may be true, but I think that it`d be important that ShardEnder`s book is going to be released still in 2016, otherwise there is a danger that the interest he has been successfully generated could get lost. I`d like to give him the advice to set a deadline for himself and finish the work. But he can of course count on me: I will definitely buy it.
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Post by ShardEnder on May 19, 2016 9:40:57 GMT
Unless there are any major setbacks, I fully anticipate my book being available this year. Yes, it would be great if certain people I've recently been in touch with can reply before then, but I also have to appreciate that my project certainly isn't their priority, and there's always the option for a revised edition later on down the line - especially if too many errors slip through the net or my information needs massively updating. Of course, my intention is to get this right first time, even if I do have to make a few compromises along the way. If all goes to plan, I could very easily get the end result out by October, which just so happens to be when Secret Messages turns 33 1/3... Now wouldn't that be an ironic release window for several reasons?
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