Well, dear readers, here I sit, trying to prepare, I don’t know, about eight projects, plan the next Kritzerland show, keep up with endless liner notes (including a project we’ve been sitting on for three years that is now on the fast track so it can be released with two other titles), as well as make a decision whether to do this Follies remix. Now knowing what’s on the eight-track tapes we’re just going to do a test run on the Prologue and Beautiful Girls to see how much better we can make it. I cannot imagine that it was recorded this way on eight-track tapes – I’m convinced it was sixteen-track and bounced down to eight, from which the two-track tape was made, so I’m going to ask them to search one more time. Although, who knows – maybe this IS how they recorded it, but it’s VERY weird what they have on these tapes. But the engineer agrees that the vocals are all over the place, level-wise and it’s rough and the way they’ve panned the vocals is so weird – hard-panned to the extreme left and right occasionally – that’s okay if it’s a duet or something, but when it’s someone doing solo lines of any length from only on the left, it drives me batty. So, that’s one thing I know we can do differently and better. The more I think about it, if we can’t find anything else, I’ll probably do the remix and include the original album from the original two-track tapes. We shall see. So, my head is doing a Linda Blair and I’m just trying to keep everything straight. I think today I’m going to make a graph for all these projects so I can see exactly what is where in terms of production. Yes, I think that’s the ticket.
Yesterday, which I thought might be a relaxing day, was anything but. I got up too early, but fell back asleep, thankfully. I got up, answered e-mails, and had a few telephonic conversations, then I went and had a sandwich and no fries. After that, I picked up a package (there would be two more later in the day), came home, and found the approval for the Wayward Bus packaging, so that’s gone off to the printers, along with the Blu and Ray packaging for Junior High School. I then had to write the CD liner notes for that title, which I finished. Then I had a telephonic conversation with David Wechter telling him what I needed him to bring me today, so I can get everything up to the mastering engineer. And then I decided that we’d finally, after more than three years of putting it off, do the reissue of the Bay Cities Baja Marimbas CD, as Julius Wechter wrote the score for Junior High School – it all ties in nicely, and we have some fun bonus tracks for the CD (not from our session – these are other things we found) – the Blu-ray, soundtrack, and Baja CD will all be part of the same announcement. Then I looked at cover ideas for five projects. Then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched almost an entire motion picture on Blu and Ray, entitled Project X, a 1968 film of William Castle. It’s one of the few Castle movies I’ve never seen. Well, I tried. I sat and watched seventy minutes of it, but it’s truly awful and hardly the “classic” noted on the back of the packaging. It’s point and shoot directing, a bad script, and actors trying to speak lines that are simply impossible to speak. I finally gave up the ghost and shut it off. The good news is that the transfer is terrific, with excellent color and detail. There are a lot of opticals in the film and of course those look as they always have.
I then had to watch another motion picture on DVD – it’s one of our upcoming releases, so I had to do some homework on the score and its use in the film. It’s a very short score (it will be coupled with another score by a different composer) and in the film it’s performed by three solo instruments. But we found an alternate version of all the score cues, these scored for small orchestra, so we’ll include both versions of the score – so, it’s very interesting. The film is a classic and that’s all I’m saying.
After that, I just took a hot shower, sent David Wechter my notes for the CD, which he loved – he made a few adjustments where I had a couple of facts wrong. Then I sat on the couch in the book room like so much fish and finally began reading the Rear Window screenplay that I got a few weeks back. It’s so beautifully written, and so much of Hitchcock’s direction is right there in the script. As I may have mentioned, one early scene takes place outside of Stewart’s apartment – when he has the phone call at the beginning of the film, we actually see the person he’s talking to in his office. Hitchcock wisely decided not to do that and keep everything in the apartment. There are some interesting lines that didn’t make the film, too, and I’m having a good time reading it.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get these here notes posted and get some beauty sleep.
May I just point out that it’s almost the end of June? Yes, soon June will no longer be busting out all over and it will be a new month. June has flown by, like a gazelle eating a peanut cluster. Today, it’s another very busy day. I will make my project graph in the morning, then I’ll do some errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up some packages, and then we have a three or four hour rehearsal with the East Coast Singer. After that, I’m sure we’ll sup, unless I end up eating prior to the rehearsal. Also, it’s David Wechter’s birthday and if he and his family end up dining in the Valley I may go stop by and join them for a bit.
Tomorrow is even busier, with a rehearsal with the East Coast Singer, a rehearsal for the Kritzerland show, and then supper with Miss Kay Cole. Friday is sound check and the East Coast Singer’s first performance at the Gardenia. Again, any of our West Coast dear readers who’d like to attend, just drop me a note – you’ll be the guest of the East Coast Singer. Saturday morning I’m hoping to see dear reader Jane, then we have our stumble-through, then it’s the East Coast Singer’s second performance. Sunday it’s our sound check and show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up some packages, have a rehearsal, eat, and maybe drop in for a birthday dinner for Mr. Wechter. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where I hope my Linda Blair Spinning Head by Ronco Toys will stop spinning.