Posted by Brian (S.D. assistant engineer) on March 10, 2002 at 18:46:37:
In Reply to: Split Decision posted by Webmaster on March 10, 2002 at 12:44:10:
I'm glad it's finally almost release time!
Listening to the MP3's just isn't the same thing as having the real CD in the changer and having un-interrupted SMB tunage for almost an hour. I've actually not heard the CD after mastering (Steve offered, but I'm patient and can wait until I get my grubby mitts on a released copy)... MP3's while giving people an idea of what's in store is a great thing, but there was a lot of work the band put into the entire work as a whole, and it's really best of viewed like a movie, rather than just an overview of some of the scenes, the pacing is important on this one. Instrumental disks for me are sort of unlike a pop record where I'm more apt to have favorite cuts, on this CD I like everything equally depending on my mood. Split Decisions is sort of concept CD (not like Tommy by the WHO, or The Shaming of the True by Kevin Gilbert (which everyone should own too www.kevingilbert.com), but in terms of mellow song-rocking song alternating for a musical experience. So it hangs together and there is a path of musical ebb and flow of continutity running throughout this work. It's impossible to form an accurate overall opinion by listening to the MP3's so I have mixed feeling about them on instrumentals in particular. It's sort of funny, Steve's working titles and the actual song titles are so different, I'm just starting to remember what is what now. A Rock, Slow Trio, Fast Intro, etc... are the names I'm more familure with, as the working titles. I thought that was strange because usually I know the titles before the song is tracked, and these were almost done before they had names. But then Steve never takes short cuts to doing things, and maybe it's better not to get married to a name until the music inspires one that fits... Usually people just take the hook from the chorus, but there aren't lyrics... well not that I know about anyway.
I'll check back and see if anyone has any questions I might be able to answer in mid-April when we all should be able to buy it at our local "happening" CD store. I found Major Impacts at the most obscure tiny record store in the middle of nowhere USA so I'm imaging that it's getting distributed throughout the US again at finer stores anyway at least one or two copies. Maybe it would make sense to bug them now so they order more than a couple.
A friend of mine said something I wish I'd said. He said "All American people should be forced to listen to the SMB and Dregs so that they would know what actual great music sounds like"... After leaving CD stores empty handed countless times, I'm really proud to have been a part of something that I think is essential listening for fans of instrumental rock music. Steve Vai's Passion and Warfare CD and Joe Satrani's Surfing with the Alien sold well over 2 million copies combined, and to me this is another killer disk that shows the SMB can deliver that same kind of magic. Hopefully it will find a home next to those killer disks for everyone. Please spread the word, and let's show the band and Magna Carta how we much we appreciate them and their dedication to art for us! I don't know about where you live, but where I live the radio is a constant reminder of why I love instrumental rock music as being the greatest musical artform there is.
Peace and best wishes all,
Brian