A Look Inside the Process

Hi, I’m Kevin. I’ve blogged here before, but have never really introduced myself. I’m uPlaya’s Chief Architect, which means I manage the development team, and help figure out how to build all the crazy stuff we’re working on. I’m not a musician, have never played in a band (I did a lot of plays and sang in choirs in high school, but I don’t think that’s the same thing), and don’t play an instrument. I’m a fanatical music listener. I’ve listened to music every work day, 8-11 hours a day Monday through Friday and some weekends, for over ten years. My iTunes library is overflowing. My headphones cost more than my cell phone (I certainly use them more).

So, what am I doing babbling here? I want to praise the process of songcraft… something I know very little about. But, I love seeing how songs get put together, listening to live and alternate versions and getting a peek inside the minds of the people who create the music I love. This week, Morphine’s At Your Service was released. It’s a dual disk of alternate mixes, live performances and tracks that didn’t make it on to their studio albums. Morphine’s lead singer and main songwriter, Mark Sandman, died over a decade ago and their last studio album was released after his death. I've been a huge fan of the band for over a decade and put them near the top of my all-time list (or at the top, I can't really pick among the top five or six).

What made this disk possible was that the band recorded everything. Every time they were in the studio, the tape was rolling. What you hear in the collection is a group of musicians who love playing together and experimenting. Listening to the album version of Buena or Empty Box when compared to the alternate versions, you can see how minor differences in emphasis and the mix can change the whole mood, and even meaning, of the song.

Buena goes from a little coy and charming, a fratboy story of conquest, in the album version, to sexy and dirty on the alternate take. The bass is the lead in the alternate version, and everything’s darker and slower. The words don’t change, but the emotions behind it are more predatory. The album version of Empty Box is a lament, sad and slow. The alternate version, with the addition of a new spoken word introduction, is much much darker. It’s bitter and noir, a surreal Raymond Chandler novel.

And some of the songs that didn’t make it on to the studio albums leave me curious as to why they didn’t make it. 5:09 is a brilliant noir mystery wrapped around a driving road beat. How did that not make it onto an album? The same question gets an easy when listening to Come Along though. It’s a song the band often used to open their live shows with, and it’s a brilliant live song (check it out on Bootleg Detroit). The studio version has none of the momentum of the live performance. It’s a song that just doesn’t work in the studio for some reason – and it’s clear why it wasn’t included.

As a music lover, it’s an intimate look inside the process of putting songs together. It makes me appreciate how much work goes in to producing great songs – and gives me a better idea of the thought process behind deciding how a song should sound once it’s down on paper.

To all the musicians and songwriters out there – you have my respect. It’s why I joined the company last year. I love music and want to help people find music that they’ll love and help talented musicians find fans. The current system is broken and the wrong stuff gets bubbled up to the top. The music industry is ripe for change, and I want to be a part of making it happen. I hope you’ll follow along and join the revolution.