I'm in a Lather

[Debrakadabra]

My Dear Frankie!

I hear that you have not had enough to do here.  Time is weighing heavy on your hands or something.  I must not allow that to continue!  So, here I am!  I have missed you, but, you know, my computer has never been the same since that fateful night nearly a year ago that brought us together for such a brief time on this plane.  I know, a return engagement is not to be contemplated.  But, I still retain a vestige of my attraction to you.  Sigh!  Anyway, my computer keeps coming down with viruses and all sorts of shit, so I have not been able to come and chat with you and enquire of you.  But, like I say,  "Here I am!"  And with an honest to Goddess question.

As you may know, Frankie, Lather is my most favorite of the collections of your work.  Now, I have recently had the opportunity to listen to Sleep Dirt for the first time since I became a fan(atic).  The thing that I find disturbing about it is that I think that all the songs on it are longer versions than those that are on Lather.  Excepting Regyption Strut and the song Sleep Dirt which does not appear on Lather at all.  I like the longer versions, they seem to embody your style more completely.  The versions on Lather seem too tight and conventional when I listen to them now.  On the other hand, Lather has all the little mumblings and sound effects in between the tracks, reminiscent of Sheik Yerbuti and in addition some bonus tracks.

Now, Lather was released some time after you had left this sorry plane (1996?)so my question is: Is this final version of Lather what you envisiged it to be originally or at a later date.  Or is this something that has been edited without your knowledge and does not reflect what you intended to release?  Are the versions on Sleep Dirt the way you wanted them on Lather?  And why the hell were they edited if the longer versions are what you wanted?  There certainly was enough room on the three CD's of Lather to have the full versions on it.

It puzzles me and saddens me that perhaps your wishes were not carried out.

Till next time, mon ami,
Debk

[Frankie]

My Dear Frankie!
DK! How very cool to hear from you again!
I hear that you have not had enough to do here.  Time is weighing heavy on your hands or something.  I must not allow that to continue!
What? Oh, you mean my bitch regarding only having to respond once a month - if that, and not checking in as often? Hey, no biggie... It actually allows me to persue other projects.
You know that I'm only truly happy when I have something to gripe about. You also know that time is irrelevant, and carries no weight - so you don't need to feel an obligation to keep me "occupied". You can always pop in, for whatever reason.
"Here I am!"
"Whaddya say, fellas? Nice setta mugs?"
(LMFAO!)
Is this final [CD] version of Lather what you envisiged it to be originally or at a later date?  Or is this something that has been edited without your knowledge and does not reflect what you intended to release?
Woa, DK, you just crammed a lot of inquiry into a short bit of questioning... But I think I get what you're driving at. A lot of desparate nuances exist between ALL of it at some point, with the remastering work done in the late 80's/early 90's. So the CD reissues, don't match their original release, which differ from the original vinyl, etc. True, some of the changes are barely perceptable, while others might be called "glaring"...
Two things to remember, 1) remixing the separate albums into the Lather set created one set of concerns - coherence, continuity, time, etc. (I believe you're most concerned with what appears to be the "shaving" of tracks on the Sleep Dirt release - as compared to the same tracks on the Lather CD; yes?); and 2) unless you have one of the original test pressings, what you know as Lather is not exactly what I wanted released (it was 1996, btw).
The entire story is too long to relate here; if you have any specific questions regarding the Lather set as originally mixed, I'll do my best.
But here's the raw poop (pencils ready, class?):
Those 4 recordings, LINY, Studio Tan, Sleep Dirt (I wanted to name it 'Hot Rats III'), and Orchestral Favorites were created as separate releases. I delivered ZINY to Warners; against the terms of my contract, they held up the release. I then turned in the remaining 3 titles to fulfill my contract; again, they held up the release...
Now, I once enjoyed of few of Life's little drawbacks - like debt, and hunger. I was not making any money from the hard work I'd done. The answer was to try and get those recordings released. The folks at Warners said something when I dropped off the 3 remaining albums to the effect of "You want us to release this altogether?" - which, to me, sounded like a good idea. And then someone (Gail? I don't remember; it was someone close) asked who I'd made those recordings for. Well - duh - the fans, naturally... "4 different sets of fans, or the same fans?"
Now this gave me pause. Yes, the same people, after all, were going to buy them. The concept that all - or most - of that music could be remixed into a cohesive whole was really intriguing. And it gave me, what I thought, would be an answer to the fact that I'd turned the master tapes for the set to Warners.
So, in answer to that question, what appears on those recordings - the 4 separate, and the Lather set (vinyl pressing) were miixed by me, and were intended for release in that form. What appears on the Lather '96 release may well hold some tweasage that I was not a part of.
It puzzles me and saddens me that perhaps your wishes were not carried out.
Then be puzzled and saddened no more! My advice is to acquire and listen to how the music is presented in both contexts, and choose which redition you like best. IMO, they're all great!
Till next time, mon ami,
Debk
Stop in any time, DK. It's always good to read ya! And, thanks for writing,
Frankie

[Debrakadabra]

DK! How very cool to hear from you again!
It's good to be here!

You also know that time is irrelevant, and carries no weight - so you don't need to feel an obligation to keep me "occupied". You can always pop in, for whatever reason.
To you maybe time is irrelevent.  Here Time is Money. (hehe)  Anyway, I am glad you take the time (irrelevent or not) to be here and chat with us.

"Whaddya say, fellas? Nice setta mugs?"
(LMFAO!)
Nice of you to notice!  Oh you said mugs! Wait a minute, how did you know about my FZ mugs?  I don't think I mentioned them to you.

Woa, DK, you just crammed a lot of inquiry into a short bit of questioning... But I think I get what you're driving at. A lot of desparate nuances exist between ALL of it at some point, with the remastering work done in the late 80's/early 90's. So the CD reissues, don't match their original release, which differ from the original vinyl, etc.
That was something I had forgotten  There are very many versions of these songs floating about on various media.  I believe what I have is the original vinyl, because it is minus the vocals that were recorded on the CD by Thana Harris.  But it is also minus Time is Money.

Two things to remember, 1) remixing the separate albums into the Lather set created one set of concerns - coherence, continuity, time, etc....
This is the hardest I have ever had to listen to music. Frankie.  I am not even sure of all the names of the pieces, because while I listen to Lather every day it is usually in the car so I can't  keep checking the titles (without killing somebody!)  BTW it makes great driving music.  Where I notice the most difference is on Flambay which is 4:45 on Sleep Dirt and 2:05 on Lather and on Ocean, which is 13:20 on SD and 8:31 on Lather.
 
But the problem is not just that the pieces are longer on my version of SD.  It seems like there are important sections of the songs missing on Lather.  One thing that I think of as a hallmark of your "style" is that you use a collage method of creating.  "Tunes" are either layered one on top of another or laid next to each other in time.  They may seem to meander or turn abroupt corners.  A very extreme example of this is RDNZL.  Musical phrases and even styles may change very swiftly creating a dizzying change of color and emotion.  It is one of the things I love about what you have done.
 
Those pieces (Flambe and Ocean) have so much more of that on SD than on Lather that it makes them almost new pieces.  That is about as precise as I can get without taking all night to write this.

 and 2) unless you have one of the original test pressings, what you know as Lather is not exactly what I wanted released (it was 1996, btw).
Yes, I guess that is my TS.  

Those 4 recordings, LINY, Studio Tan, Sleep Dirt (I wanted to name it 'Hot Rats III'), and Orchestral Favorites were created as separate releases. I delivered ZINY to Warners; against the terms of my contract, they held up the release. I then turned in the remaining 3 titles to fulfill my contract; again, they held up the release...
So, in answer to that question, what appears on those recordings - the 4 separate, and the Lather set (vinyl pressing) were miixed by me, and were intended for release in that form. What appears on the Lather '96 release may well hold some tweasage that I was not a part of.[/color]
I can certainly relate to the debt and hunger part!  Artists and muscians have a lot in common.  But,I hate to say this, Frankie, this is not the story Gail tells.  She insists that the Lather as released in'96 is exactly the way you wanted it and was the original idea from the beginning (minus the bonus tracks, of course.)  And who should know, if not Gail?  Unless she has some reason for saying what she did.  I am also aware that this is a matter of great debate among your fans and that even if you were to appear bodily and tell them exactly what was what, there would always be some who wouldn't believe it!

My advice is to acquire and listen to how the music is presented in both contexts, and choose which redition you like best. IMO, they're all great!
That is good advice and it keeps things going.  But I think the after life has mellowed you much more than you are aware! (hehe)

Stop in any time, DK. It's always good to read ya! And, thanks for writing,
Frankie

As ever, it's been special!  
DebK