Among the few thousand independent LPs that made their way into record stores during the mid 1980s was an electronic music recording I produced with my friend and keyboard wizard Walter Whitney. Dreaming In Colors was
the fifth, and last, vinyl LP released on Multiphase Records. The music received good reviews, including from
critic Dean Suzuki, writing for Option Magazine, described the album’s guitar and electronic landscapes as, ”smart
and well-crafted . . . fabric of elegant sound”.
However, within months, Dreaming In Colors sold out, as did our main distributors, NMDS and GEM in New York. They went Chapter 11, pocketed our receipts and disappeared with what inventory they had left. With no income from sales, Dreaming In Colors went out of print. Only 1000 copies were pressed.
Despite its short run, Dreaming In Colors continued a life of its own. Over the years the music has appeared on radio, internet broadcasts, record auctions, news groups, and music blogs.
Walter and I have kept in touch, and we even released a second recording, Primitive Earth (CD1989), which is still available. Last year I retrieved and listened to the master tapes of Dreaming In Colors, and was inspired to release the music on CD. I sent a copy to Walt, who in turn mailed me a disc of orphaned songs that we hadn’t used (due to vinyl time limits) on the original release. Teaming up with producer Noah Perry, we spent several weeks remastering the analog tapes to 24bit digital. With the new material added to the lineup, the CD now includes all the tracks produced for the original album.
Finally, the reissue also features a gift from writer/producer Dean Suzuki of KPFA-FM. Upon hearing a demo, Dean graciously agreed to write a new set of liner notes, which follows up his original 1986 OP Magazine review.
Dreaming In Colors is now available direct from Multiphase Records, or on CD and MP3 from CDbaby and Amazon.
the fifth, and last, vinyl LP released on Multiphase Records. The music received good reviews, including from
critic Dean Suzuki, writing for Option Magazine, described the album’s guitar and electronic landscapes as, ”smart
and well-crafted . . . fabric of elegant sound”.
However, within months, Dreaming In Colors sold out, as did our main distributors, NMDS and GEM in New York. They went Chapter 11, pocketed our receipts and disappeared with what inventory they had left. With no income from sales, Dreaming In Colors went out of print. Only 1000 copies were pressed.
Despite its short run, Dreaming In Colors continued a life of its own. Over the years the music has appeared on radio, internet broadcasts, record auctions, news groups, and music blogs.
Walter and I have kept in touch, and we even released a second recording, Primitive Earth (CD1989), which is still available. Last year I retrieved and listened to the master tapes of Dreaming In Colors, and was inspired to release the music on CD. I sent a copy to Walt, who in turn mailed me a disc of orphaned songs that we hadn’t used (due to vinyl time limits) on the original release. Teaming up with producer Noah Perry, we spent several weeks remastering the analog tapes to 24bit digital. With the new material added to the lineup, the CD now includes all the tracks produced for the original album.
Finally, the reissue also features a gift from writer/producer Dean Suzuki of KPFA-FM. Upon hearing a demo, Dean graciously agreed to write a new set of liner notes, which follows up his original 1986 OP Magazine review.
Dreaming In Colors is now available direct from Multiphase Records, or on CD and MP3 from CDbaby and Amazon.
1 comment:
Carl --
Please register with SoundExchange. You are owed royalties from digital streams between 1996 and 2000.
http://soundexchange.com
Here's an article from the L.A. Times about SoundExchange:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/12/business/la-fi-ct-music13-2010mar13
Also, please contact me at tonyrenner97@webster.edu. I'm teaching a course on music marketing and I'd love to tell my class about your experience with SoundExchange.
-- Tony Renner
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