A Worm's Eye View on How Records Are Made Today.

You record a CD, the next day it comes out and is a massive hit. You start living large until you are impossible to take and kill yourself because no one understands you. It's the American success story we all long for. Well, that's how it goes in the movies and a very special episode of "The Partridge Family".

In the past record companies might help you (on your path to oblivion), but the world is changing and most of the truly talented artist want the creative control of doing it all themselves. Besides, they all have horror stories of being ripped off and ignored by the man.

Reading blogs by REAL musicians I find that recording the CD is just a TINY part of the process. I wish someone would write a book or make a movie about what really happens: meetings with prospective publicists, distributors, Internet marketers, a manager, planning a tour, rehearsing for a tour, setting up interviews. How does one distribute a CD yourself? Get it into the stores? How does one advertise it? How do you get the thing played on the radio? Where do you buy the cocaine and hookers for payola? Oh wait, they did make a movie about this. It was called  "Spinal Tap" and it happens every time you release a CD. It's enough to make you leave your laptop on a New York train.

Well, one artist going through the wild ride of releasing her own record, Jill Sobule, got her laptop back. Apparently the guy didn't find the movies of her LSD fuelled orgies. Some people's home movies are just better than your aunt Missy's trip to the Grand canyon, aren't they?

And what do you call the CD? Bea Arthur's Pantsuit? My LSD orgy? LA is Killing Me? And what songs do you use and what order will they be? For that at least Jill has people who contributed to the CD.

At www.jillnextrecord.com Jill asked our opinion and forgot to push "the block user; Vincent Blackwood" button. Brave woman! Good news -- EVERYONE had an opinion. Bad news -- they were all over the map.

I saw no consensus on what the favorite songs are. A good sign -- they are all strong songs. She still doesn't know what to call the CD. Like a fan-boy hopped up on caffeine and sugar, I insisted she use one of my favorite tracks; "Nothing to Prove". I thought it was so positive.

Well, one person thought that was a good idea. Only one. Another felt it was an awful song (mostly because Jill cusses on it -- and he feels that is wrong. I guess he hasn't heard THAT many songs by Jill.) Someone else thought it was a good song but a really bad recording with poor use of studio echo.

Tony (Jill's webmaster, live recording engineer and the man who picks up her laptop from guys on New York trains) chimed in; he feels that the echo may, or may not work, but he does like live versions of the song better (Yep, Jill is just always best live) and perhaps they should use one on the CD.

Jill mentioned that she likes the song too, but doesn't want to call the CD after it. That would give it more weight than it deserves (and might lead people into thinking it is a happy record!) She wrote it while hooked up to a morphine machine in the hospital -- so doesn't actually recall writing it. To her, it seems too much an anthem -- too much "I am Woman". Ohh, I see her point. Yeah, THAT is a song that has stood the test of time REALLY well!

Jill concluded by thanking us all -- but her head was swimming with all the comments. I had no idea it was so much work. Amazing.

Below is a link to grand comments by the always funny Jill Sobule about each song and the CD itself. (I swiped the LSD fueled orgy joke from her. It isn't JUST one of my sick fantasies about what the rock world must be like. No, it is so much more.) I maintain Smoke Dreams which is a community of Jill Sobule fans at Live Journal. I didn't start that fire. I just gather logs and make sure the flame keeps burning.

http://community.livejournal.com/jillsobule/25545.htmlcutid1