Echoes From England - Part 2
Let's Active Fanclub Digest, Issue #1, Fall '84
CYPRESS
The following is part II of the 11/16/84 interview with Mitch, Faye and the Let's Active fan club. This discussion focused on the new album CYPRESS, and on related topics. As mentioned in the interview, you will note that the British version is different from the domestic release--the English album ends with "Grey Scale", which on the American record is replaced by "Ornamental" and "Counting Down" (the latter was recorded in January '82). Also, the mixes on two songs, "Prey"and "Lowdown" are different.
FH: Now the record, something fun.
ME: Well we made all the basic tracks for the record in three days, but we kind of worked on it all summer. It all went pretty well. If anything was wrong with that, it was Sara also, because she just kind of punched the clock and did her bit, and left. So we really didn't work on it together, you know, all that much--which would had ben much more fun. But it was sort of like the two of us and Don Dixon. We had a pretty good time doing it, 'cause most of the work was just us--she just played her parts and left, really. But we did it at my studio and all was going along just fine until the lightning blew up the place at the end. That was sort of bad, but other then that, everything worked and we got some real good sounds. The only thing was, we were kind of really thing that song, "Whispered News" was going to be one of the big things on the record, and only after we got through with it did we realise that we had recorded a pretty bad version of it, and that's why we didn't use it.
FH: Yeah, the record company wasn't too satisfied with that version either. They had heard Mitch's demo, and it's great. It's going to be hard to live up to it.
ME: Actually, we might just put it out, work on it some, and put it out as a single.
LAFC: Would you think about doing it as a B-side?
FH: It's too good of a song.
ME: It's more of an A-side kind of song. It'll be good on the next record, really. I don't think this record really misses it not being there. But at first, that was like the big disaster of making the record, because we really expected that to be the big song.
FH: It will come out eventually.
ME: We ended up having to fix it at Reflection, which is where we did the R.E.M. records. And it's a real good studio, but it kind of threw us off a little bit at the end.
FH: Time wise, we had to get the thing finished, supposedly because the English tour was set up and they wanted it out.
LAFC: And you couldn't move those dates, naturally?
FH: No, no, not at all.
ME: And that's why the English version is different. It's because I went to California to work on this record , and when I went out I had to take the tapes of the record...
FH: Another record, not this record.
ME: Yeah...
LAFC: The Game Theory record.
ME: Right. And I had to have our record finished at that point. And so the thing that I had with me was the English version of the album--because the deadline was so early in England.
FH: And they just sent that right out and did it.
ME: We didn't even know what it sounded like what went to England.
LAFC: You never even heard the mix before it got to England?
ME: We heard it in the studio, but we didn't get to come home and play it on our home equipment...
FH: I haven't even yet had a chance to play the English record all the way through--I don't even know whether it's good or not. But let me see--"Prey" and "Lowdown" are different mixes on the English version.
ME: What happened is when I got back from California there were still a few days before the American deadline. I think I had it two days, so in one of those days I re-mixed those two songs. And they called up from the record company about not using "Grey Scale" and using "Ornamental" and "Counting Down" instead. So I said, okay, that's fine.
FH: Especially because if we didn't use those now, we probably wouldn't. They're not songs that will hold over, I don't think.
ME: Yeah, like "Counting Down" is an old song now that we need to go ahead and get it out.
LAFC: Is "Ornamental" an older song too?
ME: It's not that old, but it's just sort of, to us, a minor song. The only thing I like about that version of that song is the guitar break in it. That's all I can add about it. I mean, I like the song just fine, but it's not the kind of song we would have necessarilly put on the next record. We might have just forgotten it by then.
FH: "Waters Part" and "Blue Line" too, we didn't have planned to put on there. We thought we'd probably do them, but we did the whole record and then went back in one day and sort of saaid, 'let's record these'.
ME: That's true, they were the last two songs we did.
FH: We had a CRAZY day. It's like a million people showed up and his equipment blew up, and we had to fix it...
ME: It sounds like it breaks all the time, but it really doesn't...
FH: It's broken now [laughter] ...no, it isn't...We thought, God, what is this we've done? It was one of those things again where Sara is anxious to leave, so we just sort of did it and she left, and then that night we did finish those--and that's just funny 'cause...
ME: Yeah, it was sort of fun because we did "Blue Line" all that day; we did the whole song in one day...
LAFC: All in one day? Recorded it and mixed it?
ME: We didn't fix it, but we did all the tracks in one day. "Waters Part" went real fast too. By the end of the sessions I think we were getting better at it.
LAFC: So "Waters Part" is going to be put out as 12 incher?
ME: Well, it's going to be one of those merchandising 12 inchers. I don't think it's going to be for sale.
LAFC: Oh, a promo?
ME: Yeah, I mean I kinda' hate that. They're always just scared to put out singles, you know. They just don't do 'em. They kind of like wait for them to be number one before they actually make them.
LAFC: That's what happened to "Blue Line", right? That's not going to be put out as a seven inch?
FH: No, not now, they thought they were going to do "Blue Line", and then now they switched to "Waters Part." And now they're both going to be a twelve inch.
LAFC: But they're not going to be legitimate releases to the public?
ME: Not until they see a huge demand for them, which seems kind of backwards.
FH: They do that a lot. It seems like they should put out singles more...They did it with R.E.M., you know--the "Radio Free Europe" single. They waited until it peaked, and then they were mad because the single didn't do well.
ME: Yeah, they made it a single, but they waited too late.
LAFC: But you think they'd put out a seven inch in England to coincide with your tour and your album, you know...
FH: Well, the English office said they thought if they'd done that it would have done real well--but it was too late. And they weren't going to fool with it then.
LAFC: And people buy import 7-inchers here like crazy, you know...It's too bad.
FH: Yeah, I know, it's crazy. Maybe next time.
ME: We've done this video-tape for "Waters Part", so that could help it. I mean, if it actually got off theground and all, then they would release it as a single.
LAFC: Do you have a release date for the video?
FH: It's been given to MTV to review. I don't know when they're going to...
ME: They're going to try to get everybody to run it--all those video things...
LAFC: You mean all those network video programs and such...is Sara in it?
FH: A little bit.
ME: Briefly
LAFC: So it's not outdated by her departure?
ME: What it is, is a combination...It was all done on home video tape recorders, and it was done mostly two weeks ago when we were practicing for this tour. But we also have some home video tapes we made while we were doing that album, and the guy that did it just sort of looked through those and took a few scenes out of them.
LAFC: So they just sort of edited it all together?
ME: So there's some stuff that's got Sara in it. Which I think is fine; at this point, it makes sense for the video to be as confusing as possible, because it's a confusing time.
FH: It looks good though.
ME: It looks good in a low-budget way. I think it's nice; I like it.
FH: It's got a real home-movie look. I think it's neat.
ME: It's weird, because we spent all this money on the one in England, and it won't be used, and this one--which cost a fraction of that one--will be shown...
FH: And we did that one so fast, too. It was done while we were practicing with the new band. We only had one week to get everything together...
ME: I hope they do run it on MTV and stuff, you know, because I mean it is kind of just like our own video--it's just incredibly unlike anything else on there..
FH: Yeah, it's unlike anything else you'll see on there...so I think it'll stand out.
LAFC: Did IRS have that done for you, or did you have to do it for yourselves?
ME: Ae you talking about like conceptually or financially?
LAFC: The whole thing--both.
ME: Well, the first one in England was a real official record company kind of thing. In fact, because they already paid for it in advance and stuff is why we had to do it. It wa a real mistake. This new one was something that we just kind of set up, because Don Dixon knew this guy that did it, and he said we ought to get in touch with him, and we did. And we kind of got it all set up and told the record company that we wanted to do it.
FH: And they said fine. Financially, it's sort of split, I think. No, they pay for it now, but I think in the end our contract is that we have to pay for half of the video costs. Something like that.
ME: We have to pay half unless they find a way to sell it somehow. Like if it turns up on some kind of videodisc or something, then they can get their money back...
LAFC: You mean like they're doing now with 'Best Of MTV' sort of video compilations?
ME: I think so, yeah. I think if you get one on the NBC 'Friday Night Videos', or whatever that thing is called--they actually pay cash to run those things, so...
LAFC: Yeah! It's like being on HBO or something--I think they pay you too! Like if you're on that video jukebox on HBO--they pay real good, I hear.
FH: Yeah. It would be more money for that. So that might make it pay for itself.
LAFC: So that's really in the hands of MTV, so we could see that perhaps real soon?
FH: I hope. They were calling and asking if we had that.
ME: That's the thing. MTV likes us a lot better than radio stations do, and they've been like asking for this video for months.
FH: Like every week for a couple months now.
LAFC: No kidding! That is great. And you did an interview with them at Studio 54...
ME: Yeah, and also Cable News Network; and we did a third one for Campus Network...Meg griffin...
FH: Meg Griffin, right...we went by on MTV too, I remember. I don't know if you saw that. It was really horrible, too. Like I say, Sara quit four days before we left and we had to fly up to New York and do a bunch of interviews on MTV live--walk on, with Martha Quinn, to support the tour and album.
ME: And that was like the day she told us.
FH: She had told us the night before we had to do that.
ME: That was really horrible.
FH: It was like we just had to lie to everybody; ' Oh everything's just great...' She was supposed to do it, too; she was the one that was scheduled to go on there with Mitch.
LAFC: Would you want to comment on any other tracks on the album?
FH: I love "Flags For Everything." That's one of my favorites. "Crows On A Phone Line" was the one we were doing when the lightning hit.
ME: That one was fun to do, because we never played it or anything before we recorded it. It kind of got put together spontaneously.
LAFC: You just sort of worked it up in the studio?
ME: Yeah.
FH: There's a version of "Lowdown" you may never hear that's kind of neat because it's got this back up singing.
ME: That's true. The first mix on the English record they didn't much like at the record company, and she and Don did another mix...
FH: While he was out doing Game Theory...
ME:...that's got all these great back-up vocal parts--it's really cool.
FH: Yeah, maybe that can be a flip-side or something.
ME: Yeah, that would be nice. It's really different. It's the same track--it's just got this other stuff on it.
LAFC: That helps to sell records , too...
FH: Yeah, I know.
LAFC: Nuts like us go out and buy 'em right away. [laughter]
FH: Nuts? You mean our fan club is nuts? [laughter] They admitted it. They said it themselves--we didn't say it. [more laughing]
