Monday, October 14, 2024

Crazy, but This Is Cool

February 27, 2014

My life is Crazy... but if my life wasn't Crazy, it wouldn't be my life.

For the last few weeks I've been recording a new CHIC album, but what's Crazy is: most of the songs are made from unreleased demos and outtake recordings I cut with Bernard Edwards and Tony Thompson, who were my original bandmates. Both 'Nard and Tony aka "Dip", passed away many, many years ago.

The source materials range from demos for my 1st solo album, to songs I would have submitted to 'Nard for CHIC... but we got dropped from the label and the songs were never developed.

As luck would have it, some film scores I'd been tracking down for years were found at the Warner tape locker... and inside some of those boxes were other missing tapes I'd forgotten about. Crazy.

I didn't know what condition the tapes would be in or if they'd even play, so we took steps to have a master tape technician see if they were in need of baking, or if we could play them and digitize them before the music was lost forever.

Not only do all of the various analog, two inch multi-track, cassette, and 1/4 inch two-track tapes play, they sound excellent... a testament to the aural delight of analog tape. Even the hissy cassettes sound pretty awesome.

The pleasure of listening to my Crazy groove ideas played by my ex-bandmates is a sheer joy. It was hard for me to decide to finish some of these ideas because I love music for music's sake. It does not have to be finished, commercial, or heard by anyone other than myself to satisfy me.

That said, I've been playing and even sharing some of these recordings with other artists, and that's inspired me to finish some of these songs. I couldn't be more excited!

Yeah, my life is Crazy, but This Is Cool.

 


Me, Tony Thompson, and Bernard Edwards on a classic CHIC groove


I found an 80's outtake cut with almost everyone in this picture, including the CHIC Strings


The core of the CHIC Org back in '82 on a TV show called All My Children, around the time we made some of these demos


Me, Tony, and Bernard back in the day - of course I had a drink in my hand, even outdoors


I overdubbed on one of the tracks with the Martinez Bros - the look on our faces tells you how the session turned out


Film scores I'd been tracking down for years were found - inside some of those boxes were other missing tapes I'd forgotten about


Fonzi Thornton with me and a couple of the CHIC String girls


Me and Alfa Anderson back in the day at a CHIC Concert


Luci Martin, Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, & Alfa Anderson in Rio


CHIC Stringer Karen Milne, Luci Martin, and the entire CHIC Org in San Remo


Luci Martin and Michelle Cobbs getting ready for a CHIC show


Yeah, my life is Crazy, but working in the studio on this music Is Cool