Friend of the forum Ed Bicknell asked me to post this to the thread on his behalf:
Hi there pop pickers,
It’s CAL anniversary time.
A few fact checks as requested, by numbered responses ( and from memory).
P2. Absolutely classic re the 45rpm. ..the first time an AMIT post has made me rush to the toilet and pass gas.
An aside…many ( many ) years ago the then presenter of the Old Grey Whistle Test (UK music TV show), one Richard Williams, REVIEWED the drone on the BLANK side of a Lou Reed vinyl test pressing in the Melody Maker music rag and never lived it down ( mind you I can understand why).
P4. That would have been the film editor filling an empty space on the credits roll.
P5. Correct. What is used on film is RARELY what appears on the soundtrack album, Vangelis’ brilliant score for the first Blade Runner is a classic example.
You’ve mentioned 2 others.
That’s to do with test marketing and re-editing of pictures.
P8/9/13 Alan and Hal were “moonlighting” with Tina who was opening act on a Lionel Richie tour ( of US I think) and from memory that overlapped with the Cal recording and C and J.
BUT you could flip that round and ask WHY AC would have been on it even if he had been available?
He is a piano/organ player and doesn’t know any Celtic jigs so might not have fitted the musical bill in any event.
In 1983-4 I was dating the delightful Anne Marie Mackay who was managing Guy who I seem to recall was tinkling the synthesised ivories with Roxy Music at the time.
One evening as we enjoyed a Wimpy burger and fried egg she mentioned him to me. Coincidentally MK had been musing about where we might find someone who might know how to plug his Synclavier in since he couldn’t follow the instruction booklet.
BE BOP A LULA.
Incidentally we had stopped using third party producers by then., Making Movies was the last time.
Since Guy was really inexpensive it was logical that he’d join DS and thence to a lifetime of helping MK with instruction booklets eg How to Install a Microwave Oven …which is the real source of the MFN lyric, not all that rubbish about going to a NY electrical store and seeing Motley Crue on 50 TV sets.
Anne Marie went on to run a VERY successful LA Video and Film production company ( they made “So Far Away” for instance…Propaganda I think they were called. ).
P16. Back then albums were generally released Worldwide simultaneously.
Movies NEVER are.
In fact I don't think Comfort and Joy was released ANYWHERE other than the UK, which is why no one had heard of it in Rome.
I would usually schedule the soundtrack release to coincide with the FIRST territory that released the film which in the case of Cal was the UK.
WHAT have I told you about believing Wiki entries?
I doubt very much that a movie or that ST would have come out in mid August anywhere let alone UK and neither the film or the ST were ever commercially released in North America despite that Wiki entry.
I don't think it came out ANYWHERE other than UK and maybe Eire.
So September is much more likely.
The movie completely bombed and was one of the factors in the production company Goldcrest going bust ( not the only reason).
But we did get to meet and know Helen Mirren so it was all more than worthwhile and MK came up with some nice tunes which 40 years on are still giving pleasure, which is more than will be said about Oh Ay Sis 4 decades from now 🥁
