Imaginos :Black & Silver

[DFrost8547 at AOL.COM]

What you could have heard were Albert's unmixed work tapes. They are hardly
"significantly" different in the basic feel or texture, because those are
indeed the feels and textures that exist on the final album. Certain parts
have been raised or lowered, numerous effects added, and of course, some of
the lead vocals have been changed, and in some cases, a guitar lead changed
(but not too many).The "differences" in feel or texture between any final
product and what you heard is like the difference between tasting a cake
before it's risen completely and the cooled item on the rack, complete with
trim and frosting. Or it's like seeing a movie, before the final cut, with
all of the added effects. Or-- just another example for you non-musicians,
who seem to have little experience dealing with the nuts and bolts from  riff
to wrap-- seeing a house under construction before the final paint and
details are put on. The basis of the final album is exactly what Albert and
the musicians under his direction-- Thommy Price, Kenny Aaronson, and several
different guitarists, laid down. And in only a couple of instances were the
overdubbed lead vocals not following his original ones fairly closely. This
is not to say that in some cases the overdubbed vocals are not an improvement
(in some cases, they're not) or that some of what you may also perceive as
"texture" is not only the result of varying levels of the unmixed tape, but,
on the final product, the result of the master having eroded due to overuse--
and certain things may also be out of phase on the final album due to poor
engineering and mix technique.