I'm in the studio this week and next week (YEAH! a REAL studio!) and I'm trying to narrow the CD down to 8 songs. Just 8. Now, like all of you, I think each and every one of my songs is a brilliant masterpiece displaying the amazing range of talent that I may (or may not) possess; every song is a facet of the diamond that is Otan The Brilliant.

Therefore, whittling it down to 8 songs is a hell of a challenge. I kid about the brilliance and shit, but honestly, I love my songs! I've narrowed it down, barely, to 10 so far and I just don't can't pick any songs NOT to include.

Here's the goal of the CD:
- NOT a showcase for my talents. I want to put together a real Album - like they did in the old days where the record flows from start to finish; it's not just a group of jams or radio-targetted hits. Think about Controversy or Dirty Mind - "Sister" was never intended for radio, nor was "Ronnie Talk to Russia" or "Jack You Off"; they were just oddball neato songs that were determined to flow with the rest of the album. So it's NOT a "greatest hits" record, not a "most sales-worthy" record, but something more like a "great collection of songs that carry you through the record".

That said.

you know me, I like the funky jams and that's mostly what I churn out. And I've narrowed down the jams - "Oh Face", "Too Rich For Me", "Whatchagonnado", "Superhot Ladycop" and maybe two or three others. Well here. Here's the tracklist (again, if you're NOT totally fascinated by this, honest, don't feel compelled to read any further, I'm just asking people's opinions about the collection of songs...)

- Iwannabetheone
Everybody Everybody
She's Too Rich For Me
- Can I Get Some Lovin
- Behind Bars
Whatchagonnado
Nevergonnaletyoumakemehatemyself again
- Sometimes I Cry
Superhot Ladycop
Oh Face

Now, if you're following along with your Otan: The Work series, you'll notice that I've left out "Star 69" and a bajillion others. After looking at all the songs, I felt like some songs sounded very similar, so, what's the point of putting two "twins" on the same record. (Star 69: Nevergonna: Iwannabe);

anyhow. The songs marked with hyphens are the oddball songs (in that, they're not funky jams).

Where am I going with this ramble. Oh. What do you think? Just put together a record of jams and forget how much they sound alike? Or should I push for even more diversity on the record, to the point that it's schizophrenic? I mean, hell, I got stuff with 7/8 time sigs, 5/4, I got country, I got a capella, if I add it all, but, like I said, I'm keeping this thing to 8 songs.

AUGH! What should I do? I'm going in tonight to start the whole project, so I'll tackle the definite tunes first, I'm just wigging over the secondary tunes, (secondary? hell, I think they're just as awesome as the bigguns, just, maybe it's just me?)

Augh. HELP! I need an A&R rep to direct me on this or sumpm.

what about recording them all and decide afterwards?
this way you've still got some leverage.....

I think you're on the right way: Asking questions about why should it be like that. An album is only a real album if there's a reason behind the selection of songs. Your criteria determine the content.

I could imagine that it's pretty difficult to make an album with a bunch of songs originally not planned to be on one record. I prefer to develop songs for an album, makes it a little bit easier.

Have fun with the puzzle!

Alright Beau, do all of your songs. I like them all, especially "Star 69", that is one of the definite hot jams. Do all or at least 15 and put some of your great anecdotes (life jokes) as segways in between and make it a double cd greatest hits once and for all master training cd. I know for a fact u have enough quality material to make at least a 4 or 5 cd set. Do your thing bro, I can't wait to get mine.

talmuzic said:

See, my logic there is, when WB calls up and says "hey those are great, but, let's see if that's the best you GOT, or can you put something together on the fly?" I can pull out any of the 2nd Tier Slams. Or something. Hell if I know. I'll definitely keep you in the loop Tal.

Thanks for the input y'all. I was in there last night doing the vocals for the first song. Holy crap, it's amazing what $5000 between you and the console can do. $2000 mic, $3000 compressor, and my scratch-n-sniff voice. Rrrrr.

alrighty then....

Seems a good strategy to think of the Album content as a cross section of your styles; with a layer of similar tracks as a backup for the future. Your 'Home' recordings are so professional, I can't wait to here a fair dinkum studio collection. Who's producing it? Are you going on the road to promote it? Is this the Quantum leap we've been waiting for ?
Whatever, your judgement generally is spot on. Good luck , and as SimonaleX says :

FLUX said:

Co-Sign!

Just enjoy the process Bro!
Remember, you're telling a story straight out of your own personal diary..

so, what do you want the world to know about you?
dig?




jshua

Need an update, Otan, I missed this

See my post under "Studio Day 5". I'm still on break. I think I go back in tomorrow to start the guitars and basses.

And I've decided to create a 2-parter CD; the first 10-11 tracks will be from the studio, and then there'll be another 4-5 of the jams - from "Everybody Everybody" to "Star 69", "Nevergonnablablah" if Bumper okays my using his music, and a couple more oddball things, and the CD will clearly state somewhere - "okay, enough with the high-brow music, here's the shit I jam out to".

That's my plan for now, at least. But honestly, I hate buying a CD with TOO MUCH music. A new listener just can't take it all in, no matter how good it all is, (heh, that was a back-handed pat on the back). Prince proved that with Ecrapcipation. I still hate the CDs, and probably for the most part because the dude couldn't keep it simple. So, I'll keep rolling it around, see how those 4 stack up behind the studio stuff, see if it all feels good bundled together, or should I put out a second CD in 6 months of the jams, I dunno.

I'll post updates as they occur. But I dont know if I'll post any actual tracks. I'm fearful of posting anything and then getting wrapped up in trying to please everybody, or freaking out over some negativity shed on a song. I think I'm going to keep these under wraps until they're done. But I could change my mind in 3 days. It's happened before.

My advise: keep the album short and use only the new studio recordings so you will have unity in sound. Otherwise your album might end up incoherent.

(BTW, if you wanna use "nevergonnaletyadothatcrapagain" anyway: you have my permission.)

Thanks Funk - you're right. I'm now starting to understand why Prince ended up with so many great songs "in the vault". I want to include a bajillion songs on this CD - I love all of these songs and when I play them for peeps, they're shocked that I'm not including them on the disc.

And then, let's fast-forward a year, to when I'm getting ready for the next CD. Will I pull these out of the box of forgotten jams, or will I prefer to put my newest tunes on THAT record? And there you have it. Songs get left behind. EVEN WORSE - I know I'll play these tunes live, and they wont be on the disc.

But I digress. You're right. I'm going to keep it to 10 songs and leave it at that. Maybe I'll put the others on a disc and send it out to record companies for a publishing deal or sumpm.

Thanks for you permission Funkaholic. The song just aint the same without your contribution.

otan said:

Otan,

That's always such a very hard call as to what to do with all of those songs. I completely understand where you're coming from. Its funny but oftentimes, one does find themselves with so much good quality material that they can make another album off of the one's that didn't make it. As you well know, The Rollings Stones did it with the album Emotional Rescue and had enough left over from those sessions to put together Tattoo You a year later. I agree with you that in this day and age, as society speeds up more and more, that its hard to digest great music if it goes on for too long, no matter how good it is. Maybe a two parter is the best way to go, besides one of the fun things about what you're doing is going through the rest of your vault to make another without having to record and sweat in the studio.

Good luck with everything and please continue to update us!

1.618

Otan remember that you can always do another C.D. It doesn't all have to be on this set. Do what you feel is right now. In six months or a year do another. You can put out a "favourites" or, Best O Beau later . Have a ball doing what your at now man as there's more oppurtunities to hone your catalogue in the future. Just my opinion.
Don't get the Analysis Paralysis syndrome. I know where your at trying to get it all out there, but you already seem to have decided to do more studio sesssions , so look at the big picture . If your not 100% happy with song selections on this cut, there's always another time. Easy for me to say, yeah...

otan said:

You are welcome man. If you ever hit it bigtime with the song I trust you to send me a small piece of the pie.

And yes, better keep the album short and tight like "Dirty Mind" instead of long and incoherent, like The Symbol album for instance.

funkaholic1972 said:

Dirty Mind is one of those records I keep looking at as a "roadmap" of sorts. It all sounds coherent, but it's hardly funk funk funk. Sister frinstance. Whoa. That's no funk.

otan said:

Great album and great roadmap!

1.618

Dirty Mind was the album that nailed it for me. I played that cassette so much it burnt up.