Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish wondering where the damn evening has gone. It just flew by and suddenly it’s time to write these here notes. I just don’t understand it. I look at the clock and see what time it is. Then I look at it again and it’s two hours later. Is someone messing with my mind? Is someone trying to pull the wool or nylon tricot over my eyes. I someone trying to gaslight the old Jew? I mean, where did those two hours go exactly or even inexactly? Oh well, what can one do? What can two do? Time marches on. Time is its own master. Time does whatever the HELL it wants and doesn’t give a flying Wallenda about anything other than its very own time self. If anyone has a moment, perhaps you could tell me what the HELL I’m talking about, because I haven’t a clew. Otherwise, I’m listening to the whimsical Bernard Herrmann score for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho – oh, wait, that’s not whimsical – I mean, Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble With Harry. It’s a very nice score – bucolic, pretty, American-sounding. This is the re-recording with Joel McNeely conducting, on Varese Sarabande. It’s got that washy sound, but it’s better than some of the others. But that’s over and now I’m listening to an album called Titanic: The Ultimate Collection. I spent a long while looking for my copy in the garage but couldn’t find it. But leave it to the Tube of You to have it. I haven’t listened to this album in over twenty years, but I happened to watch the motion picture entitled A Night to Remember, the British film about the Titanic. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it past the first twenty minutes, although maybe I did. I’ve had the Blu-ray for ages. Well, let’s just see, shall we? I guess I did watch it, back in 2012, which, if you invert that number is 2021. Anyway, I really think it’s a pretty great movie. It’s nothing like the James Cameron epic – it’s just a gritty, black-and-white telling of the tale in a real meat and potatoes way, and it’s very powerful in that regard. The special effects are marvelous, too, as is the acting. And now, I’m listening to this CD I haven’t heard in over twenty years. It’s really very good. I forgot just how good it is. I wonder who produced it? Oh, yes, ME. You know, it has a lot of the James Horner score, but also music from other movies about the Titanic, including A Night to Remember, the Broadway musical, the Fox film, a TV movie, and more. And I very wisely included a piano-only version of Horner’s Rose because for whatever reason they didn’t put it on the soundtrack album and it’s what everyone wanted. This was probably the savviest album idea I ever had, and yet the person who ran Varese Sarabande didn’t want to do it. I went in one day, told him we had to do a Titanic album because everyone was doing really dopey knockoffs of stupid music just so they could slap the word Titanic on the cover – and they were all selling. I said we needed to do the RIGHT Titanic album and I explained what it would be. And he sat there and actually said, “Who’d buy it?” I said, everyone. I couldn’t get him to budge. I tried two more times to be met with his disgusting negativity and, well, there’s no other way to put it – stupidity. At that point, I was tired of the game and hired an orchestrator to do takedowns of the Horner score and to orchestrate the rest of the album. We set a recording date and I found a conductor I liked, the film composer Randy Miller. He began booking the band, which would be fifty players. I then walked back into the fool’s office and said these words, “You know what, we’re doing it. It’s already in the works and we’re recording in three weeks and it’s going to cost you $40,000 and you can thank me later. He looked at me sternly, and then replied, “Well, if you feel that strongly about it.” I said I did and reiterated he could thank me later.
We recorded it, but before we even did the recording, we got the booklet ready and printed so that once the album was done, we could get it out quickly. I think they’d already solicited the title. It came out and guess what? It hit the Billboard classical crossover chart at number two. Amazing. But not as amazing as it staying on the Billboard classical crossover chart for over forty-two consecutive weeks. It sold well over 80,000 copies, which means they made over a half a million dollars on it. And funnily, they did two more Titanic albums after mine, neither of which did anything because – they were copycat, crass affairs. Mine had a point of view and taste and a great concept. The end of the story? This guy never, not once, not EVER said “thank you.”
Anyway, I’m just enjoying it tremendously. It sounds great, too, the band is great and Randy Miller did a fantastic job. I’m not in love with the Horner music, especially when he used synth choir voices on Southampton, which we aped and which sounded awful on the soundtrack, too. The Maury Yeston music comes off really well.
Yesterday was a pleasant day, at least in part. I got seven hours of sleep, got up, shaved and showered, ascertained that the envelope I’m waiting for hadn’t arrived – I really need it to arrive today or this weekend is going to be VERY difficult – and then it was time for our second Kritzerland rehearsal. That all went very well, and two of our mystery singers came and ran their numbers. We finished up around four-thirty and by then I was quite hungry.
I went to Gelson’s and got a small rack of baby back ribs and a chicken Caesar salad, came home and ate all of that up – very good – and then I sat on my couch like so much fish and watched A Night to Remember. Then I had a telephonic conversation and then began listening to music.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll read through the commentary and finesse whatever needs finessing, I’ll hopefully pick up an envelope, I’ll eat, and then I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I’ll sleep in, and then at three we have our stumble-through, after which I’ll go eat and then relax and rest my voice. Sunday, I’ll relax and rest my voice, then it’s sound check and then we do our show. Afterwards, some of us will have a proper meal. Then next week I have a lot of stuff to do and a lot of catching up to do, too. A lot of that has to do with the good news I mentioned in passing last week.
The good news is that we’ve licensed A Carol Christmas for stock and amateur productions. We’re with a small but really good licensing group, the people who handle The Marvelous Wonderettes and other shows like that. He thinks we’ll do very well. So, we’re preparing all the materials. The good news for him in terms of selling it is that we have our cast album CD, we have tracks for those who can’t use real musicians, and we have the piano/vocal score for those who want a real piano. There’s really no way to make an orchestration, although if they want to pay for it, Richard could do one for about six to eight players. Doug and I get a tiny advance – that’ll buy a few dinners out and gas for the motor car and stuff like that. I also have to get our next two releases announced.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, finesse the commentary, hopefully pick up an envelope, eat, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, I have no idea. Blu-ray, I have no idea. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have heard the Titanic album after all these years.