General Zod said:
Hey Nick, can you comment on what role Ray played in the songwriting process? Did he merely come in and do the vocals, or was he an active participant in the songwriting/lyric writing process?
This time around, Ray primarily came in and did the vocals. He tweaked a bit of things, but part of the reason that he became involved was that he heard the finished pre-production music and vocal lines and on that basis was excited to be part of it.
As writing commences for another CD, I'm sure he will be more involved. At a minimum, it changes my approach to writing vocal melodies when I know who is going to be involved singing them.
General Zod said:
Also, from an artist's point of view, how do you take "the new disc is much better" comments? Do you see it as a compliment to your growth, an insult to your previous work, or some combination thereof? Thanks.
I think it probably depends on a variety of things, but in this case, and regarding this particular artist and work, I view it as a compliment/validation of my own thoughts on our growth.
I know every artist seems to say "this is our best CD ever!" whenever they release a new album. In this case, while it's convenient from a marketing standpoint, it also happens to be resoundingly true in my opinion.
From my perspective, leaving aside personal preference for a moment...
1. The vocals are empirically better on CD #2. I like Rick's delivery on the first CD but there are areas where it is simply not in tune. The beginning of Nocturnal is an example of something that needed to be fixed so drastically that it sounds like a vocal processor.
2. The production is empirically better on CD #2. I did a fair amount of the mixing and production on the first CD and it was done entirely in protools. Tommy Newton did the mixing on the second CD and it was done through tens of thousands of high-end studio equipment. The two situations are not comparable.
3. The performances are, I think, empirically better on CD #2. I played bass on the first one. I'm not a bass player. I can play the notes well enough, but I don't "think" like a bass player and guitarists who play the bass never do justice to the uniqueness of that instrument. It's not just a guitar with thicker, fewer strings. I have a "real" bass played on CD #2. Jason Rullo is an OUTSTANDING drummer but he didn't even have the vocals on the tracks he wrote so he didn't know when he was playing through a chorus, or a verse, or somewhere he could cut loose. He wrote his parts with one ear tied behind his back, so to speak. Chris didn't have this same limitation, and I think that shows in the creativity of his parts.
I believe I can make these three statements without bashing the first CD, which I still think has a lot of good qualities. I still think the chorus of Desperation II, for example, is pretty cool. And the last section of Something Wicked has a great melody line and a very strong performance by Rick. The question of whether or not the songwriting has improved is a more subjective one, and I wouldn't want to take anything away from either disk or from a listener's enjoyment of it. I have my own opinion on the subject, and I do believe my writing has significantly improved. That's all I will say on it.
The real test of your question will occur when the next CD comes out. I thought Window to Space and Something Wicked had their strong points, but I didn't think either of them were brilliant. Sapphire is, if I say so myself, a pretty damn good song. So I now have an expectation for myself and others that must be met since I have now established a watermark for my own songwriting.
I suppose the bottom line is you better have a thick skin as an artist. It also helps that I don't rely on this for my sole source of livelihood...that may give me a slightly different perspective on it.
Thanks for the question and the opportunity to blather on about it.
Best,
Nick
P.S. Somewhere I have a picture that I took with Terence Stamp (in a white dinner jacket no less) at the Cannes Film Festival a few years ago. I looked high and low for it to include it here, but to no avail.
