Announcements - what I hate and what I wish

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I'm getting fatigued with the "Band X is coming out with a new album" announcements. First of all, there are so many of these announcements. When I see them, there's nothing I can do. I can't go order the album. I can't go hear it. All I can do is try to lodge in my cluttered brain that this is coming and try to remember to come back and check it out in the future. Second, how many times have we seen such announcements only to have the band never actually release the record? I won't call out any bands here because I think there are legitimate reasons why this can happen, but still its frustrating.

What I wish is that we would only ever heard "Band X has a new album out!" announcements. I remember about this time last year when Letter 7's new album came out. I hadn't heard a peep about it. It came out of nowhere, but I was able to go immediately get it and loved it. Bands should do more shutting up about their intentions and do more recording and mixing and mastering before they announce to the world what they're up to.

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I think it's just the nature of things with the technology we have now. People want to stay informed,  so we get the "writing for the new album" followed by "new album is written", then "rehearsals for new album", so on and so on. No longer is the label the only source of promotion, but the band, it's members, writers, and the fans. Factor in the many avenues of communication used by all these sources and we get pummeled with information. I get your point, but if I had to choose, I think I would prefer to be informed.

FoJ..

I post info on bands working on albums all the time, after all, this is a music board.

Some people may be like me. I want to know in advance so I can follow the band's progress as they make the album.

For example, I have been following Armageddon's progress on their Facebook page ever since they announced it. I have seen behind the scenes photos of them working on it, samples, interacted with them, and have felt like a part of the process.

That to me is cool.

That is what adds a personal touch to the music for me.

I recently posted about Philadelphia and Stairway working on new albums. Sorry if this bothers you, but maybe others are like me and want to know so they can follow the band's progress too.

Just my opinion....

+1

I don't mind if a band posts that they are releasing a new album soon, and they actually release the album within a 6 month period.

What I am sick of is "Hey we are getting together and recording a new album" kind of news and then not seeing a new album for 2, or 3 years ....or (more likely) never.

Maybe bands announce their intentions on getting back together and recording to gauge response and see if anyone even cares.

Without interest by the fans, I would assume it would be hard to stay motivated and make the monetary and time sacrifices necessary to do a new project after years of being out of it. Maybe that's why some of these announced reunions fall apart and never materialize.

and it also stops the posts asking if so and so band is still active as we have not heard anything from them for like ages.

+1

Staybrite wrote:I don't mind if a band posts that they are releasing a new album soon, and they actually release the album within a 6 month period.

What I am sick of is "Hey we are getting together and recording a new album" kind of news and then not seeing a new album for 2, or 3 years ....or (more likely) never.

+1,000

I understand where Follower of Jesus is coming from. I have a list of around 55 CDs that I am trying to get and at least 10 of them are upcoming CDs that will be out this year or next year:

Impellitteri - Venom north America April release
Joahua - Intense Defense rerecord
Whitecross - not sure if this will ever happen
Petra
Worldview - to be released in 2015 or 2016
Whiteheart
Sacred Warrior
Stryper - Fallen
GX Project third album Raze Some Hell
Theocracy

I don't mind these announcements if it is confirmed that the album will be released on a certain date. When it is delayed into the next year that gets annoying. I'm like why did they bother to announce it in the first place? I understand band members have regular jobs, families, etc, but I prefer if they make a firm commitment and stick to it.

Staybrite wrote:I don't mind if a band posts that they are releasing a new album soon, and they actually release the album within a 6 month period.

What I am sick of is "Hey we are getting together and recording a new album" kind of news and then not seeing a new album for 2, or 3 years ....or (more likely) never.

Agreed.  You guys heard of the Fall of Vegas, an alleged "supergroup" that was supposed to make things happen in '13? Dug Pinnick producing, with the original Guardian vocalist, Ez Gomer on bass, and the third dude (whose name eludes me) on lead guitar.  Nothing ever transpired from this.

I personally like to know what is coming out only because so much stuff is and it's a good way for me to make a list and keep informed. As many of you said though, it should only be announced if they are actually going to release an album and if it were like say, three months before instead of a year plus... I cannot remember what's going to happen in a week let alone a year...lol.

What's this about a Joshua re record?

kethdredd, a couple of years ago Joshua Perahia bought the rights from RCA records to the Intense Defense album. He is in the process of rerecording certain parts like the bass line where on some parts of the album you can't hear it or it's not there at all I think. I have the original RCA records version of the album. He did a similar thing with Surrender when he was approached by Freddie Piro of Ocean Records to rerecord the album which was rereleased in 1992 on Ocean/Word Records and the original was released in 1985. Here is the info from Scott's No Life Til Metal website:

 "...in 1992, Freddie Piro, the producer of many fine bands and owner of Ocean Studios contacted me, and made an offer I couldn't refuse. He loved the album "Surrender", and wanted to release it on WORD records. He got a very good budget offer from WORD records, and asked if I would like to come to his studio, and re record many parts of the album, to update it. This was more than a great idea because the money they were offering would totally improve the album that was initially recorded at a very low budget. I wanted to have the vocals removed from the 1985 version of LOVESHOCK, because Jeff Fenholt did not sing that one song, and it needed a much more professional vocalist to bring it up to Jeff Fenholt's incredible vocal power. Jeff was not able to sing that song because he was tied up with Tony Iommi's new album. That album became another Black Sabbath album called Seventh Star. Vocalist Robin Basauri came to the studio to sing it, and sing a bonus track called "Show Me The Way to Your Heart. I also came in with 15 other singers for background vocals. Many of these singers were from churches in the area, and old friends. As for lead guitars, I did change and add some solo's, because of the extra time factor to work peacefully in a great environment. The studio is state of the art, with a large room for big amplifier rigs like mine. I added more "hammer on riffs" in songs like "Back to the Rock". I added a solo at the beginning of "Rockin' The World". I also added a new main solo to that song that meets up with the break down in the middle of the song when Jeff Fenholt rips his awesome style, "I hear a Light in the Distance". Throughout the album I added faster and slower solo's because of the great opportunity to bring some live feels we had played on stages around the world. I really wanted to fatten up the rhythm guitars also, so I did. There were a few places throughout the album that needed some different bass guitar parts to match new drum parts, so I played the bass there too. Drums were added by a great friend of mine Joey Tafoya. He is blessed at double kick drum style. There was just a little of everything added and a better mix, that completely changed "Surrender" for me. I never liked the Simmons electronic drums that were put on the original album. It was a pleasure to remove them all. The only tracks that remain to this day are the lead vocal tracks of Jeff Fenholt."


I haven't heard the original 1985 version of Surrender but I would like to. It would be cool if some here had the original song files to the original 1985 album that they can share with us who bought the more recent versions of Surrender. I only have the 1992 burgundy Ocean/Word Records version. Based on what he explained, where he improved Surrender, just imagine how good Intense Defense will sound once it has been rerecorded.

Staybrite wrote:I don't mind if a band posts that they are releasing a new album soon, and they actually release the album within a 6 month period.

What I am sick of is "Hey we are getting together and recording a new album" kind of news and then not seeing a new album for 2, or 3 years ....or (more likely) never.

I don't mind periodic updates if the band really is working on the album.  However, I don't need a complete play by play of every little thing they do.  Promoting an album is good, but you can definitely overstay your welcome with it.

I had heard about the potential rerecord of Intense Defense but I hadn't heard much lately.  ANy news on this?

alldatndensum wrote:

Staybrite wrote:I don't mind if a band posts that they are releasing a new album soon, and they actually release the album within a 6 month period.

What I am sick of is "Hey we are getting together and recording a new album" kind of news and then not seeing a new album for 2, or 3 years ....or (more likely) never.

I don't mind periodic updates if the band really is working on the album.  However, I don't need a complete play by play of every little thing they do.  Promoting an album is good, but you can definitely overstay your welcome with it.

+1

More press is always good for me, since I can't spend every waking hour online looking up bands to see if they came out with a new album.  Often I don't find out one came out until a year after, for lack of press.  The more times someone posts about an album coming up, in progress, or released, the more chances I'll see it during the 5 mins I have here and there to jump online for news.  If I've already heard that an album is coming, it only takes a millisecond to ignore the same news so I can't relate to the original poster's frustration.  You're just a click away from solving that frustration.