Studio Diary
by Craig Bartock, Co-Producer.
November 17, 2003
Ok everyone, it's time to let the cat peek out of the bag just a little bit.
I'll be here from time to time to give all of you updates on the new Heart CD.
I'm co-producing and co writing it with the girls, and I have to tell you, it's
quite an experience! Their creativity so amazing these days, and their voices
are better than ever. It's quite wonderful to go to the studio day in and day
out and work with so closely with them. They are such incredible people. I'll
be monitoring the board from time to time, so if you want to ask me any
questions, do it there.
First off, a little history. I met Nancy last February in Los Angeles for the
first time. We immediately hit it off and wrote three songs together, one of
which was "Love You" (which they performed live this last summer).
"Move On" came next. Since then, Ann, Nancy and I have written close
to twenty five songs. We wrote "The Perfect Good-bye" right before
they left for the tour. The writing process didn't stop when they were on the
road. We exchanged tons of emails and phone calls and got lots of work done.
Writing with these girls is pretty amazing. Their ideas and creativity seem
endless.
So here is where the actual recording is right now. We have finished the
"basic tracks" on the seventeen songs that we picked from everything
we'd written. Basic tracks means, Drums (Ben), Bass (Mike), and guitars (Nancy
and me). We are now starting the overdub phase. That means lots more guitars,
keyboards and tons of Nancy's amazing mandolin stringed instrument parts. (And
yes, all of the band members from the last tour are contributing to the
overdubs.) This process is going to be about two weeks. Next comes vocals. This
is the fun part. Imagine sitting in a studio and hearing those voices coming
out of the speakers every day. What a wonderful job!!! I can't really get into
too much detail about the music right now, but I can tell you that it's a
collection of incredible contrasts. It's real rock and roll. Anyone who saw
them over the summer knows what I mean. This CD has tons of edge to it and yet
at the same time it has very beautiful acoustic moments too. They are writing
some of the deepest and meaningful lyrics I've ever heard. So there is this wonderful
contrast. It sort of reminds me of later Beatle albums like St Pepper where you
can get "A Day In The Life", "She's Leaving Home" and
"Lucy In The Sky" all on the same CD. Right now, it's feeling a bit
like an audio movie of sorts. It has everything the fans want and much more.
Well, that's about all the beans I can spill for now. Like I said, I'll keep
checking the message board from time to time and answer any questions I
can................................. Until next time!!!
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Recording Studio Diary
LETTERS FROM THE FRONT
by Craig Bartock, Co-Producer.
November 19, 2003
Hellooooooooo all. Here's the latest word from the studio. The new CD going to
be called "Jupiters Darling", and work is going wonderfully. We're
still here in LA still doing the overdubs. Nancy has tons of very eclectic
stringed instruments and we're making some very cool moments in the songs. One
in particular called "I Need The Rain" has a mandolin, an autoharp
and a little tiny acoustic guitar called a "Papoose" in the intro.
It's a beautifully aching ballad that is pure magic from start to finish.
Nancy's voice sounds completely angelic floating over the top of it. Nancy and
I did this trick with the piano where I hold chords down and she leaned inside
of it and plucked the strings with a guitar pick. The end result is sort of
"harp like" but feels like rain in the song. It matches the mood and
the lyrics beautifully. Another song that Ann and I wrote called
"Enough" starts with an acoustic guitar and a mellitron (the same
instrument you hear at the beginning of "Strawberry Fields
Forever")., and is another very personal moment ......... such a beautiful
song. One one can sing a song like Ann! It's so amazing to hear these songs
taking shape.
"Love You' has been changed back to it's original title when we wrote it.
It's now called "Oldest Story In The World". The title has changed
back and forth three times now!
Nancy played a electric dulcimer on a track yesterday, and it turned out very
cool. Another song, "Led To One" has a chello and indian tablas in
it. It's a short sort of "interlude" song, but it's one of my
favorite moments on the CD so far. So many wonderful moods and rock moments!!
All I can say is that I'd buy a copy of this CD in a minute. (But I'll probably
get one for free!!!!)
Until next time!!
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Recording Studio Diary
3
LETTERS FROM THE FRONT
by Craig Bartock, Co-Producer.
November 24, 2003
Ok, there has been a lot of speculation as to the meaning of the new title
"Jupiters Darling". I asked Nancy and here is an exact quote from
her.............. "Jupiters Darling is the story of a temptress who
dallies with the men in power in order to avoid war in ancient Roman
times". There you have it. I can tell you that there is NO song on the CD
with that name. I know some of you wanted to know about that.
We're still knee deep in overdubs, mostly guitars. There are a lot of serious
ROCK songs on this CD and we're spending a lot of time getting the sounds
right. On some songs, we're doing a lot of experimenting with instruments by
putting them in places you wouldn't expect them, like a rock song starting out
with a Dobro. It sounds mellow at first and then takes you for a real musical
ride. Very cool stuff.
We still have about one more week of overdubs and then it's off to vocal land.
Ann and Nancy are still doing little last minute changes to some of the lyrics.
One song called "Vain Glorious" has gone through about three rewrites
now. It turned out pretty amazing. It feels like it wouldn't be out of place on
Led Zeppelin 2, or maybe even a early 70's Stones album. It's a great rock
song.
Everyone is in great spirits and we're just all loving every part of making
this CD. It has so many great moments. And yes, there is a bit of "Vintage
Heart" in these songs. Of course it's all new, but there is something very
special and comforting about the music. Someone in an earlier post really
nailed it when she described the four new songs she heard this
summer...............
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