This Or That? (Part 2)

[Charger]

Few covers with buddies for sure!


Film the hometown show for a live dvd or record it for a live album?

[Zzzptm]

People still buy DVDs? How about we record it for the live release...


... and the sound quality is poor in a number of tracks. Let it go out as is and say we're being honest and all or patch it up in the studio like everyone else does?

[Vyn]

Patch that crap up. And be honest about it so we don't end up like Little Feat/Waiting for Columbus, and every other live release known to man. Cut the gossip off from the get-go.

New record is a success, record company wants more tunage, we've been hard at it and want a break before we break-up from the stress.

Keep grinding in the studio or take a six month hiatus?

[Zzzptm]

Announce a break-up now, take 6 months off, and by the time the record company is going nuts with reunion offers, do the reunion with a renegotiated contract.



Paul McCartney shows up and says, "I've written a hit song for you!" Thing is, he's right. This is an awesome song, perfect for the band and very much in our style. Catch is, if we do it, it'll be misery in the studio as we do it EXACTLY how he wants it.

Take the song and do what The Beatle says OR see if The Devil has a better offer that doesn't involve cramping our studio style?

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

It's probably a great song the way Macca wrote it, you'd probably mess it up if he doesn't pull the strings in the studio.



You find a long lost tape with previously unheard riffs by Iommi, they're really, really good, do you:

Use them for your own songs   or    get in touch with him and give them back?

[Zzzptm]

It's a small world, let's have our people contact his people.



While we're recording, Peter Green and Syd Barrett show up. They look about as stoned as they can be, but they can still play and offer to jam. We cut some tracks and they're awesome.

Do we come out and say that they're on the next album, or do we let the rumor mill handle that task?

[Charger]

Let the rumor mill do the job and then surprise the fans....although in this case I'm not sure if it's gonna be a positive one.


The Green/Barret track turns out to be an 8 minute prog wankery which lost some of it's original magic of the sessions. Barrett insists it can't be shortened but if left like that there's no way it'll go down well with the fans.

So say screw it to Barrett and cut it down to 4 minutes and put it out as a single or give in to Barrett and just put it as a last track on the album with a snooze warning?

[Zzzptm]

Last track, but with a twist - we double-groove side two like what Monty Python did on their Matching Tie and Handkerchief album. Most of the time, you get the main set of tracks, but every now and again the needle hits the right groove and you get THE SECRET TRACK. That way, no matter how bad it is, fans will think they've discovered some kind of treasure.


Somehow, one of our albums is hugely popular with tape-trading rock fans behind the Iron Curtain. Someone suggests making a deliberate bootleg tape for them, with encouraging messages in Russian, Polish, German, Czech, Magyar, and Romanian, the major languages of the Warsaw Pact nations.

Do a jam as a one-off for the kids or make it into a serious concept album about how rock and roll leads to freedom and stuff like that?

[Vyn]

Do the jam. Not ready to become CSN&Y yet.

Singer wants to do a solo album. He doesn't seem to be suffering from Sting-itis or anything, but concerned his head might get so big he'll float away.

Support his endeavors or tell him to make a choice?

[Charger]

Support him...let him get it out of his system so that he can again fully commit to the band.


The record company wants a best of collection.

Do a single cd greatest hits thing or a double cd with some rarities and demos?

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

True fans will already have your records, a greatest hits is purely for the casual listener, they won't want the rarities and oouttakes, and the true fans would prefer to get those on remasters and deluxe box sets! So a single disc.



The driving force in you band has just been convicted of treason... do you:

Disband the group    or    Continue under a new name

[Zzzptm]

New name. Anyone still playing together needs something unattached to the criminal element. Yes, we're bad boys of rock but not waiting to be executed boys of rock...



We want a fresh start and a new beginning and stuff like that. Rehearse for the new album in a chilly Scottish castle or in a vacation lodge in Colorado that's closed for the winter?

[Charger]

Scottish Castle! Should get some good doomy vibe.


So the singer in the band got sent to gitmo for supporting some bad dudes from the middle east...so for the new album you need a new singer...

Look for a clone or go totally different direction and get a girl?

[Zzzptm]

Let's get a lady and be sure she's moderate in her political views.



Do we also take this opportunity to bring in another guitarist or do we stay with the one?

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Ok... the new lady singer, has to look good and be able to play rhythm guitar... oh and she must be able to sing!



The PR team want you put your brand on a drink, you have two choices:

Real Ale    or    Malt Whiskey