BOC: workshop

[John A Swartz]

I'll follow up on a few of ROBODUDE's excellent comments:

> Original cover art would've more exciting...a mystical cover like BOC or T &
M would've done the trick...

I kept turning over differnt images of what the cover might've looked
like, but I think the actual cover was o.k.  I was just glad it wasn't
a picture of the logo in flames ;-)  Original artwork?  Well, since
this production isn't exactly original . . .  But, maybe they should've
asked Melne to do up something.

(Jean asks) >Notice the writing credits?  ;)

yes!  good eye!  wondering why the Cities on Flame version wasn't from Live
Bootleg...kinda odd to exclude 25% of Live Bootleg from this CD set...



I caught that one too, and I definitely agree that the missing track from
the Live Bootleg should've been on this set.  I do like the original
studio version, though - it was a nice solid way to open up a package of
BOC's greatest hits.  I wouldn't have minded if they had both versions on
the disc -- it would've been preferable to leaving off the Bootleg EP
version.

>I have this on the truck-stop cassette, which also has the single version of
Career of Evil...that version should've been used on this CD, so now I gotta
get On Flame With Rock n Roll to get that track on CD...

What?  You don't already have it? ;-)  The other "flaw" with that version
of "Career of Evil" is that it is missing the second verse - the one
that starts:  "Pay me I'll be your surgeon - I'd like to pick your brain"
Al tells me that this line hadn't occured to him when he was trying to
figure out what to call his new band - even though "Career of Evil" was
one of the first songs they worked on.  He told me this about a year ago
I believe -- it's kind of a neat connection though.

>...no tracks from Imaginos of course...

This isn't obvious to me.  Did the band have a certain say in what went
into this record?  I figured that even so Sony would want to represent
this album, which as far as I know they've got the right to publish songs
from it.  It strikes me as strange that they wouldn't, unless there is a
legal reason for doing so.  I'm not aware of one, but perhaps someone
else can enlighten me.  Yes, I'm aware of the fact that Albert really
made that album (at least the "core" of it - some tracks were obviously
re-done prior to it's release), but I'm looking at this from the record
company's point of view -- and I doubt that the matters between Albert
and BOC surrounding Imaginos would be any of their concern.  What am I
missing here?

(Bryan, then Jean, then Robo say):
>> I hope that this "Tyranny & Mutation" set is a real thing, with the
>> SFG material on it.  But then, who doesn't?
>
>Ditto.

Ditto : P


And a double ditto for me too . . .  But not just the SFG stuff, I want
the original Soft White Underbelly stuff that was done with Les Braunstein.

>* Last Days of May was excluded from the set!

How could I have forgotten?  This track definitely should've been
included!  (again, I figured they needed to at least make this a *3* CD set).

>* the B side of the 12" Burnin for You contained live versions of Dr Music
and Flaming Telepaths, which were not on the set...


Yeah, I thought ALL of the a-sides and b-sides were gonna be included.
I recall also that there's a b-side of a live version of "Stairway to
the Stars".  And - what about the promo-only live version of "Godzilla"
(It's not Raymond Burr . . . as Eric says in the intro)?  And I believe
that there is an extended version of "Shooting Shark" which could've
been used.  Finally, there's the semi-acoustic version of "The Reaper",
plus "Gamera is Missing" which are on the "Guitar for Practicing
Musicians" CDs, which I believe Sony owned the rights to.  These all
should've made the cut (again, probably needed that 3rd CD).

>* Joan Crawford was left off...

Oops, forgot about that one too.  A live version of that one would've
been good to show off more of Allen's piano-work.

>It would be nice to see a video sidekick for Workshop of the Telescopes, as
well as seeing a "new" video (perhaps Born To Be Wild) promo for the CD set
itself...


Excellent idea.


>I hope to see a "genuine" box-set in the future...SFG, unreleased tracks,
live tracks...and I nominate Bolle Gregmar to put this together!

I'll second that - but I'm not sure I'd want to have another collection
with some of the stuff that's on *WOTT* - perhaps they could release a
companion set to *WOTT* (like a part 2) which could include the stuff
that we've mentioned.  Then, have them make an offer for folks that have
both *WOTT* and the follow-up to get a special "box" to put the whole
thing in for a really cool package (I have this vision of a metal box
with either a metal or jeweled hinge shaped like the logo which either
turns or lifts up to open the box).  But I dream again . . .

John