So I walk out my front door to leave for work this morning and there's a huge box on my doorstep. Addressed to me. I bring it inside and open it up - two "Songs From Lonely Avenue" Deluxe Box Sets and four picture discs!!! Yeaaaah!!! I immediately bust open one of the box sets.... which has my photo on the back. OH MY GOSH! And look at that picture vinyl! Holy Crap!!!!

The box set is a thing of beauty. Really gorgeous, incredible quality. So much cool stuff in there. I can't wait to sit down and pore over it closely tonight when I get home from work. The picture disc... I don't even know what to say about that. Speechless.

I brought the multitracks with me in the car - they're wav files (!!!) so wouldn't play in my car CD player, but the first thing I did when I got to work was pop it into the CD drive in my computer and listen to the isolated vocals for "Dimes in a Jar."

Oh baby.

This is gonna be a whole new dimension of enjoying Brian Setzer.

It's like listening to a completely different set of songs, they sound so different in all their parts. Listening to each individual track for each song.... many times over... is gonna be such a luxury. Then of course I'll import 'em all into Adobe Audition and play with 'em to my heart's content.

Karaoke anyone? Maybe I'll stand in for Julie and duet with Brian on "Rhythm." Maybe I'll sing with Eddie Nichols on "King!" Hell, maybe I'll try my voice on ALL the songs - I can make all sorts of duets and stuff! Guitar players can pull out Brian's guitar and tear it up themselves with the whole freakin' BSO backing them. This is gonna provide *hours* of entertainment. Who needs a television?!

This is absolutely amazing. Once again, I am SO overwhelmed to have even the slightest thing to do with this project.

Hey that sounds cool Andi, I'm glad they provided the files as wav and not mp3.
When you've had a chance to listen through them all, it would be great if you could post a list of what tracks are available for each song please.
(I know you're up for the task )

I really can't afford the deluxe set at the minute but depending on how much multitrack material is provided, I might have to do something about it.
I've been praying something like this would eventually be released!

I've heard the multitracks for Bohemian Rhapsody (24 seperate tracks)
and it's a masterclass in the art of creation, just so insightful.
So I can tell you that once you've soaked up each track,
listening to the songs goes from almost black & white to technicolor.
(I don't mean that it'll destroy the sense of noir
although I feel the album is more crime jazz than noir)

Cheers, have fun!

The cool thing is each one is provided as separate left and right channels - so for example for Lonely Ave you have 14 tracks:

Trombones L, R
Guitar L, R
Rhythm Section L, R
Sax L, R
Strings L, R
Trumpet L, R
Vocals L, R

Every song is broken down like that (minus the strings, obviously, and in the case of Surfer/Jazzer/Elena, minus the whole orchestra!) I haven't listened to find out where the vibes fit into that, rhythm I guess?

I'll post more when I can, especially after I've been able to listen to everything!

That's great Andi, thanks alot.
So the drums & bass are on a shared track, left and right channel?
Unless you're saying that the instruments in the rhythm section
each have a seperate track and also L & R mixes ( I hope that's the case)
I guess you could file the vibes under Orchestral Percussion or Rhythm Section.

Cheers, looking forward to your next report

Ho Ho by my China Chin Chin!!
That means that the pictured LP and the box are on their way to Spain as well??? AAYYEEEE!!!

I got today the promotional copy that I requested after being asked whether I wanted it or not... that was another nice gesture from Surfdog.
Can't wait to listen to those multitracks!!

Thanks Andi for your comments!!

Here are the multitracks:

That's great, thanks Andi

A little taste of the fun to be had:

Dimes.mp3 - horns and vocals only (23 sec.)

Rhythm.mp3 - rhythm and guitar solo only (42 sec.)

cool,
is a special software necessary to use the multi tracks?

Brett, they're wav files so you can listen to them on most any audio player on your computer. If you want to manipulate the files - make edits, play only certain tracks together, record other tracks with the Setzer tracks, etc - you'll need a multitrack audio editor. A good, powerful free one is Audacity.

Andi, be honest, did you find time to work at all these past couple of days?

Thanks Andi,



can`t wait for my Set....

Dave, it's been an epically lousy couple of days and work has indeed suffered, but the multitracks have been my saving grace! Forgive me if I'm focusing all my happiness-energy on them right now. Lately Setzer always seems to have a way of providing a ray of sunshine when I need it most I spent several hours late last night messin' with the multi-tracks, it's good fun!

On that topic, something that occurred to me when listening to the tracks:

I really dig the count-in to Love Partners in Crime and the laughter at the end of Gimme Some Rhythm Daddy. Somehow it feels like you're getting a tiny bit of behind the scenes stuff (radio people are forever cueing past those kind of ins and crossfading the outs, just further proof that this record was not done with radio in mind. F*&k 'em, they don't deserve a record this good anyway.) That behind the scenes look is way more behind the scenes when you listen to the multitracks. You can hear horn players clicking their valves. People stomping their feet, keeping time. The bleed-through from the different sections. The reverb effect on Brian's voice, but not on Eddie Nichols' during "King of the Whole Damn World." Every breath Brian takes as he sings, the control he has when he croons, the power as he belts it out from the gut (not to mention that sexy "s" slur, clear as day... rowr. But I digress.) After listening to the isolated vocals, I really strongly disagree with anyone that says the boy's voice is getting weak. Like hell it is.

Anyway, you can almost picture the recording sessions taking place, it's like you're in the room(s) with 'em. I'd love to see a few pics from the sessions, just to see if the rooms were set up as I envision it in my mind. Mark Stockert of Underwood Studios in Minneapolis, who recorded and produced some of the record, friended me on Facebook last night.... I'll see if he might have some photos he can share!