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Old 10-19-2017, 07:50 AM   #7
Cool As Ice Cream
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Location: František! How's the foot of your turtle?
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06/05/2009:
Quote:
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
ARCHIVE NEWSLETTER #8

Hello SP World!

I want to give you all the weekly scoop on everything archives. We're rolling up our sleeves and digging in the archives in order to prepare for the first release to come out this fall. I'm assembling photos from the band from the Gish era (send me your pics if you have any! - see my last newsletter/blog). The idea is to use those pictures in the artwork and packaging for the physical releases. We also made a short list of shows to listen to so we can decide which one to put out first. Mind you, these shows don't even have dates on SPFC! While this is going on, we're putting together ideas for the fan club, and looking at CD pressing manufacturers. Once we pick which recording to release, we'll have it mastered in the studio, put together the packaging and the artwork, and have it pressed up. Then once the fan club is set up, it'll be available for all of you to check out. We're essentially building all of this from the ground up. I'll let you all know what kind of material we're looking at once we get closer to having it all ready for you.

We're still talking about the idea of providing digital releases along with the hard copy releases for the fan club. It basically all comes down to cost, and if it will be viable to provide both to the members of the fan club. We're not trying to limit access to anybody. Like I said in the blog, we're looking at three different cycles of releases. Free releases that are accessible to everybody, obscure releases that are available in limited editions to the fan club, and releases that would appeal to everybody that are going to be available to the general public. Using those formats, we hope to get everything out from the archives in a way that will be accessible to everybody around the world.

Yesterday, I was digging through a few things and I found some of the original artwork screens used to make the cover for the Limited Potential I Am One 7" Single. I was surprised that it still existed, and it was in excellent condition. Also, in the same case, I found some of the original artwork for the Siamese Dream CD booklet. I'm unearthing different relics from the band on an almost daily basis. I even found the letter from the city of Chicago, denying the band's request for a free show in Grant Park during the Adore tour. Those are some of the things that will be part of the exclusive digital content in the fan club. This week, I'm interested in what features you want to be part of the fan club. That will help us determine what direction to take it in. I've been a member of a few different fan clubs throughout the years. I've been a member of some of the biggest ones, Dave Matthews Band Warehouse, Pearl Jam Ten Club, R.E.M.'s fan club, and U2's fan club. I see what each one is good at, and I also see what each one is lacking. I think by combining the archives with the fan club, we can produce a unique experience that other bands are not providing. One common trend with some of the above fan clubs is a lack of information. Sometimes months would go by without a piece of new information. When you pay a yearly membership fee, you should receive updates and news on a regular basis. I can tell you that with the SP fan club, we are going to be in touch on a regular basis. If we find a good balance between what you all are interested in and what we can provide, I think we can make this into a successful project that will last for many years to come.

Frank
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The information provided in this email newsletter is not to be re-published on any other website and is meant for your personal enjoyment. Please do not copy and paste this onto the web in any form.
14/05/2009:
Quote:
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
ARCHIVE NEWSLETTER #9

Hello SP World,

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I've been working nonstop in the archive. I've had a few meetings with people that we might work with for the fan club. We're getting there! Before anybody sends me any disgruntled e-mails, we are going to be putting out both studio and live material! I want to talk about the live side of the archives in this e-mail. I've been listening to some material that we might be putting out, and I do have to say that it's going to rock your socks off! Listening to them play these complex songs with the energy that they have really shows you that there is something special. I was really surprised that they played with the level that they did while only being in their second year as a band. Even if you aren't really into live material, I think you'll find this stuff appealing. If you approach it with an open mind, I think it will be very enjoyable. Just try to imagine being in the audience and seeing this band perform early v

I hope you all liked the picture that I posted in my blog last week. I know the thing that caught a lot of people's eye was the setlist. That was from the 12/2/00 Metro show. The board and tiles were used to plan out the setlist for that show. You'll notice the letter to the left of the setlist. If any of you were at the Tinley Park, IL show during the Adore Tour, you might remember the City of Chicago declaring 7/7/98 "Smashing Pumpkins Day". That letter is from Mayor Daley, and it was presented on stage to the band during that concert. I literally find a new gem or artifact every single day. I even found some of the materials that they used to make the Machina 2 vinyl releases. I talked about posters a month or two ago, and we just uncovered a lot more! My job is to catalog everything and preserve all of it. Don't worry; I'm working on a way so that all of you can see some of these artifacts. It will be tied into the fan club or archival releases in some way. We have to see everything that we have first.

I'm also working on a more detailed version of the tour history. SP.com has a tour history database set up, but you'll notice that only 2007-2008 are complete (as well as an '89 tour date). I'm going to be plugging in the gaps as I go through the archive so we can have the most complete tour history. SPFC does a great job at keeping up with the tour history, but I found a few inaccuracies between what they have and what is in the archive. The reason why I'm doing this is because there is an audience that seeks out that information. The hardcore fans that would want to buy old demos and obscure shows are most likely the ones who would like to read about the different venues and setlists that the band played throughout the years.

If any of you have any questions about what I'm doing and the fan club/archival project, please send them in and I'll try to answer a few of them in upcoming newsletters.

Frank
[email protected]


The information provided in this email newsletter is not to be re-published on any other website and is meant for your personal enjoyment. Please do not copy and paste this onto the web in any form.
24/05/2009:
Quote:
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
ARCHIVE NEWSLETTER #10

Hello SP World,

How is everybody doing? I hope you're having fun this Memorial Day weekend. PMM writer Sven posted a very insightful article about the band's posters over the years. I've been making very high-resolution scans of everything that I've come across since I started. I'm building a massive digital catalog of all of these handbills, ticket stubs, posters, etc. I talked a little bit in my blog about putting together a concise history of the band. The story that I told in the blog about the band That Petrol Emotion kicking the Pumpkins off of the bill is one of many stories from the early days. I have even found a contract from the 8/26/89 show at Edge of the Lookingglass. I've been looking at how other bands have released archival print material, and I think we can do something cool. You can look at the Beatles Anthology or U2 by U2 and see different examples of how other bands did it. What I think will set the Pumpkins apart from projects that other bands have done is that we're going to ******* some sort of interactivity with the fans. We're already doing that now by having blogs, newsletters, and being responsive to feedback from you all. I'm still exploring different options about how to deliver that alongside the archive releases. For those of you who are interested in seeing this material and reading different stories from the beginning of the band, please tell me how you would like to receive it.

I know that everybody can't wait for something to get released. I receive many comments and e-mails from people that are very excited. We're still listening to material, and we're trying to work out the behind the scenes details of the fan club. It takes a while to set that up. I've had meetings with providers that do other band's fan clubs, and we're still in that planning stage. This is the first time that the band has ever done anything like this. I want to make sure that we do it right, and I want to make sure that you all get an enjoyable experience from it. I think the worst thing that can happen is that you pay your money and we're not ready. I don't want that to happen. We're in phase 2 of the archive project. Phase 1 was trying to figure out what we're going to do. You all have been part of that by giving us your feedback. We really appreciate that. I know that there have been a few of you who have been VERY vocal about what they want, and I appreciate that too! I want more feedback. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please e-mail me! Also, ask me any questions you have and I'll ******* them in a future newsletter.

Have a safe holiday weekend!

Frank
[email protected]


The information provided in this email newsletter is not to be re-published on any other website and is meant for your personal enjoyment. Please do not copy and paste this onto the web in any form.
03/06/2009:
Quote:
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
ARCHIVE NEWSLETTER #11

Hello SP World,

I just want to update all of you on what's going on with the archives. We've been keeping very busy lately on getting everything in order. We're still developing the fan club concept. I've also been tracking down recordings that we don't have for possible future inclusion into the project. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback about the box set concept that Billy announced last week. I've also seen some comments from people that have gotten discouraged because the details of the project have changed throughout the past few months. When projects are developed, they often make many changes between conception and the final result. This can happen with basically anything. There are even examples with SP albums where they take a life of their own along the way. The only difference with the Archives project is that we're keeping you up to date on what that direction is. We started in March with a subscription service concept, then that transformed into offering individual releases. We thought that was a great idea. Once I started coming up with a plan, we realized that we would eventually run into a wall. Promoting every individual release would be a logistical nightmare, especially with keeping in mind that this project has to be self-sufficient. This is why a box set-type of approach makes a lot more sense. This will give us more options to make something very special that you all will really be into. We will even provide a lower cost digital download option that will feature a compilation of material from the box set.

I would like to answer a couple questions that you guys have sent in.

Brian Muelhaus asks: How much video stuff exists from the early days?
I've been tracking down video footage from the early days. There is not a whole lot that exists. When the band was starting out, video equipment was pretty scarce. When it was available, it was very basic compared to what we have today. There are a few pieces of video material in the archives from the early days, but we're still looking for more material.

Alexandra Schaepe asks: Do you intend to release audio/video interviews?
That is a very good question. The band has done numerous interviews throughout the years. If we happen to find something good in the archive that isn't out there, we might ******* that in one of the releases or as part of some digital content for the fan club.

Keep those questions coming in!

Frank
[email protected]


The information provided in this email newsletter is not to be re-published on any other website and is meant for your personal enjoyment. Please do not copy and paste this onto the web in any form.
10/06/2009:
Quote:
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
ARCHIVE NEWSLETTER #12

Hello SP World,

I hope everyone is doing fine. We've been burning the midnight oil with the SP Archives. We've been able to track down a few things from the early days that will excite you all. The project is coming together very nicely. The biggest thing that will keep this project alive is your support. You are the audience. You are the ones reading this. You are the ones who are interested in the archives. One of the ideas we've been kicking around is to offer a pre-order for the box set. Other artists do pre-orders when they have new releases like Prince and Pearl Jam. We would need to sell a certain number of pre-orders in order for it to be a success. If we don't have enough pre-orders in a designated period of time, then the project would probably be shelved. I know that there are going to be some people out there that might wait until the set gets released to decide if they should buy it or not. We would reward those who pre-order by offering an extra disc in their set. This way there is an incentive for you to jump on the pre-sale and show us that you support the archives project.

In the past few months, I've mentioned some of the interesting things that I've found in the archives. I would like to talk about the Machina concept. There is a PMM article that was put up yesterday about the Machina mystery and some of the alchemy ideas. I went through a lot of reference material that the band used to make the artwork for the Machina album. I've come across numerous sketches by Vasily Kafanov. I even found an original painting that is found in the Machina album booklet. The reference material that I came across is really interesting. There are many works of art by Marc Chagall, and other works of art from the 15th and 16th century. If you're interested in looking at some of the art that influenced the Machina artwork, you should check out the book 'Alchemy: The Secret Art' by Stanislas Klossowski De Rola. Part working on the archives is seeing the original ideas and the thought process that went into the band's music and art. It's one chapter that is part of the big picture of the Smashing Pumpkins.

Here are some more of your questions:



Chris Morin asks: Does SP record (video and/or audio) for EVERY show they do? If so, when did they start?

The band has recorded a lot of shows. Billy even recorded the very first show at Chicago 21. There is quite a bit of material from the early days of the band. The band really started getting aggressive about recording shows and rehearsals around the time of Mellon Collie. Pretty much every single show after that has been recorded and there are also quite a few shows that were videotaped. There is video footage from many shows from the Adore tour in the archive from the Adore Documentary project.

Tom Woo asks: Are there many demos, instrumentals, or Billy solo recordings from Gish, Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie, and Adore that aren't circulating?

There is a ton! The amount of demos that are in the hands of the fan community is a very small fraction compared to what is in the archive. Just browsing through, I've seen different acoustic and alternate versions of songs that nobody knows about!

Dylan Hill asks: Is there or isn't there a live recording of Tales of a Scorched Earth?

That's a question that has been floating around the fan community for many years, but to the best of my knowledge they haven't played that one live. I've looked through the archive for a live recording, and I have yet to find one.

Thanks for your questions and comments. Please keep them rolling in, and I'll feature some of them here.

Frank
[email protected]


The information provided in this email newsletter is not to be re-published on any other website and is meant for your personal enjoyment. Please do not copy and paste this onto the web in any form.

 
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