CaB: The Album

[The Masked Unit]

How's this for an idea - 12 or so people who make music of any description agree to submit a track to an album, and we randomly assign each person to a track number 1 through to 12. The way it works is that let's say I make track one; I then submit my track to the next person in line, who's brief is to make something that they feel is in some way a natural progression from my track. He then passes his track only to the next person, who makes a track that nicely follows on from track 2. At the end of the process we will in theory have a lovely cohesive album which none of us have heard yet have all contributed to, and which can be premièred on CaB radio.

Each track would also be passed to an "executive producer" who's only job would be to keep everything in one place. Preferably somebody who is not part of the creative process, but ideally somebody who would be able to make all the tracks hang together in terms of making sure the volume levels all being roughly the same etc.

We could also randomly pick track names in advance from the front page of Wikipedia or something, and original tracks only please - not something you've picked out of the archives.

When I say that each track should in some way be a natural progression from the last, all I really mean is to be mindful of the idea that we're trying to make something that is the product of the CaB hive mind, so that we don't just end up with CaB: The Compilation, which is what the Post your own songs thread is all about. It doesn't have to be in the same key or be stylistically the same, but on the other hand you wouldn't necessarily want an acoustic guitar piece sat right next to a happy hardcore track (but hey, maybe the more talented among us could make that work too!)

So...

Who wants to submit something and would have the time to do so over the next 2 or 3 months??

Who would willingly act as executive producer?

What time period should we allow for each person to submit something?

Needless to say, the whole thing would probably fall off the rails after track 2, but that's no reason we shouldn't give it a go!

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I am up for this. Yes.

[alan nagsworth]

If I was in any way creative these days, aside from that one-off track I made recently in t'other thread, I'd be up for it. Sadly, though, I am not. Unless you want to use my tune as the first track on the album. ;-)

[Jaffit]

Great idea. Count me in.

[purlieu]

Me.  I can even co-ordinate a release on my 'net-label'.

[NoSleep]

Who would willingly act as executive producer?

I can do this.

[The Masked Unit]

Thanks NoSleep; was hoping you'd say that!

[The Masked Unit]

Me.  I can even co-ordinate a release on my 'net-label'.

Excellent!

[Johnny Textface]

Can I play?

[chand]

I can even co-ordinate a release on my 'net-label'.

I bet you use this as a chat-up line.

[hummingofevil]

I'll have a go if allowed! Maybe. Unless I start to panic at the possibility of what is presented before me.

[Beagle 2]

I love doing stuff like this and would love to be involved in this.

[waste of chops]

*raises hand*

Sure, I'll have a bash at it.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I'd like to do this

[Lfbarfe]

Thanks NoSleep; was hoping you'd say that!

So was I. Have you heard his mix of the cover version of the Alan Price song Papers that a few of us put together? Nige has the magic ears.

[The Masked Unit]

Well that's nine so far. I reckon we could have ourselves a full line up by the end of the day.

If you don't make music but would still like to contribute then feel free to suggest in what way - maybe a bit of cover art or something.

[The Masked Unit]

Shit. I've just been listening to some of the stuff you lot have done and have realised that I will have to raise my game by approximately 6000%

[lazyhour]

I'd like in, please.

[Phil_A]

I'll have a go.

[rudi]

I'd be happy to have a go if it's after August.

[small_world]

Am I too late?

I'd like to give this thing a shot.


I like the rolling through idea, but it'd be a shame to have whoever chooses the last track wait so long to play their part. [nb]I'm guessing the allowed period for each piece would be around a month, if not more.[/nb]

[The Masked Unit]

It's a good point about how long this could potentially take, and a month would be too long in my opinion - I would say two weeks tops.

What I would propose is a tweak to the initial format. Rather than assign people to a place in the sequence at the outset, each time a track is finished I will ask in this thread who would have the time to get a track together next in a reasonable amount of time. If we assemble a pool of 15 or so people in order to create a 12 track album then in theory there should always be somebody available. If once we get to 12 songs the three or so remaining people really want to contribute something and have the time to do so then we'll simply extend the track listing.

For me, the whole thing is only exciting if each person who contributes has only heard the track they'll be following, and anything else would just be a random compilation. It might take a while to finish but I think that'll just make it all the more rewarding at the end.

To get the ball rolling, who is willing to do the first track and is confident they've got the time to get it done preferably within the next week or so?

[chand]

It's a good point about how long this could potentially take, and a month would be too long in my opinion - I would say two weeks tops.

Might even itself out though, some people will inevitably do it in a couple of days, while others take longer.

[lazyhour]

If this is successful, we could try a hermetically-sealed remix album next, a la Chinese Whispers:

The remix album with no composer...the track with no name. Unlike other remix albums Chinese Whispers is a hermetically sealed cyclical recording remix project, but with no original track to begin with. All the artists participating had no idea who they were remixing. They were working in the dark, samples arriving anonymously. All they were aware of was who was involved, who these audio snippets might be from. Stereolab provided the original unconnected miscellaneous samples (ie not from an existing track) to start the ball rolling, and nine remixes later were given the final samples from the last artist's track (in this case T Power) back, to create their final track.

...or am I getting ahead of myself?

[lazyhour]

....is this happening, then?

[The Masked Unit]

I'd still like it to but I for one am too busy to get the process started at the moment. Do you fancy doing the first track, Lazyhour?

[lazyhour]

I could start it off, but I was all excited by the idea of creating something that fits in with the previous track. If no-one else comes forward in the next few days, I will start it off with pleasure. I can see how doing the opening track is kind of the hardest/least appealing thing to do -  maybe whoever starts the album should finish it too?

[NoSleep]

Yes, make the album cyclic. For instance, I loved how Television's Marquee Moon worked as a 7" single as they split it into part 1 & 2 on the A & B side, then end of the song sounds like it's starting up again, so it leads back to the A side.

No reason you can't have a rejig on your track so that it becomes a set of bookends for the album.

[lazyhour]

I'll do it!

In fact, I've just realised that this is great for me, cos I get to set the tone for the whole album.

I'll try to put something together this coming week.  Who would like to follow me?  How's it going to work?

[falafel]

Is it too late to join in?