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July 1, 2013:

HAPPY JULY

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, it’s July.  Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it’s July, a month of fun fireworks and merriment and mirth and laughter and legs.  And might I just say that it is my fervent hope and prayer that July will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.  There, I said it and I’m glad.  And what better way to start the first day of a new month than with a wonderful new Kritzerland CD release, our first John Williams soundtrack.  It’s for The Missouri Breaks and this release, a two-CD set for a one-CD price is the very first release of the original film tracks.  The original LP release and then the two CD releases, first by Ryko and then a clone of the Ryko by Varese Sarabande was a re-recording done by John Williams in Los Angeles.

As he likes to do, he rearranged the cues into a more cohesive listening experience, but with few exceptions they didn’t reflect the sound or the way the music was used in the film.  Yes, it was a smoother recording, but the film is anything but smooth and the original film tracks, recorded in New York, were leaner and meaner and an entirely different listening experience.  Ryko (and Varese) included as a bonus three of those original tracks, but they were, funnily, three tracks that matched their LP counterparts exactly, which was more than a little peculiar.  They also didn’t sound very good, but I found that with most Ryko releases, several of which we’ve reissued and improved greatly.

So, for the first time, the complete original film tracks to a great John Williams score, including a cue not used in the film (well, actually there are two cues not used, but one of them was on the LP re-recording anyway), and some fun bonus tracks.  That’s the entirety of CD 1.  CD 2 contains the LP re-recording, but I pulled the album masters and we remastered from scratch and in my opinion it sounds a lot better now.  We upped our usual 1000 copies to 1200 and I’m sure even that number will irritate a lot of people, but I base these things on consumer behavior, and when you go to the next number it’s not only hugely more expensive but this odd collector mentality sets in that everyone suddenly thinks there’s no hurry in ordering and you end up selling even less, which is not a good thing for anyone.  So, I do think the 1200 will go very quickly so don’t tarry or dally or even dally or tarry and get your orders in while the getting is good.  Here’s the cover art.  The CD will be available for pre-order at six in the morning.

KL_Missouri_Breaks_Cov72

The last day of June was not exactly a relaxing day.  I had many telephonic conversations and a lot of listening, all due to my perfectionism and wanting to make sure everything is as good as it can be.  All is well now and I’m very happy.  I did a three-mile jog – it was a completely weird day weather-wise.  It started out blazingly hot and sunny but by the time I did the jog it was completely cloudy and overcast – still hot but not as bad as it’s been.  After the jog I went to Hugo’s – haven’t been in quite a while and I had the pasta papa, of course.  That was quite good and quite filling.  Then I came home and began doing the busy work that had to be done.  That took hours, but I got it done and on its way.  More to do, but not until Tuesday.  Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Piano.  I’d only seen snippets but I thought I might enjoy it because I like all the actors in it.  But it’s a bit of a slog, I’m afraid.  I know it was all the rage back when it came out, an Oscar-bait favorite.  A very young Anna Paquin deserved her Oscar – she’s terrific and so is Holly Hunter, Sam Neill, and Harvey Keitel.  But it’s all veddy veddy arty and veddy veddy long – not much story but lots of “pretty” shots and plodding scenes.  In the end, it just doesn’t add up to much, at least not for me.  The transfer seemed fine.

After that, I began trying to figure out an upcoming release.  It was previously released on CD (and a very quick sell out), but they’ve done some funky things to it, at least according to the cue sheet, so I now have to do that detective work and find out what cues were combined and why and whether I can actually pull them apart and present them as they should be presented.  I have no problem combining cues, but I NEVER do it without using ALL the cue titles involved and I never do it out of order if I’m combining.  But times on the cue sheet don’t match up to times on the CD and several cue titles are missing.  So, I began watching the film and making notes.  So far (and I’m only fifteen minutes in) I’ve found one twenty-five second cue that was tacked onto the end of an early cue but which has yet to appear in the film.  So I know I can move that one easily to wherever it belongs.  Then I got an e-mail from my pal John Sloman – he’d been watching TV and snapped a photograph whilst doing so.  Here’s what he was watching.

bk-happy days

Today, I shall be up at six to announce our new title and then I may or may not go back to bed.  Hopefully I will print a LOT of orders, I’ll do a jog, I’ll eat, hopefully I’ll pick up some packages and then we have our first rehearsal for next week’s show, which I’m very much looking forward to.

Tomorrow, I have a lunch meeting and then the rest of the busy work, some of which I can finish and some of which will take till the end of the week.  Wednesday we have our second rehearsal, Thursday is a holiday, and Friday is off, too, so I’m hoping I can get some relaxing done.  Saturday is our stumble-through, and Sunday is sound check and show.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, announce our new title, hopefully print out a LOT of orders, do a jog, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and have a rehearsal.  Today’s topic of discussion: What are the most moving motion pictures you’ve seen – the ones that always reduce you to a puddle of emotion?  Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, ready for July, and might I just reiterate that it is my fervent hope and prayer that July will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.

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