about The Stan Laurels...

[hooper]

Samaanya, Bosko Schwartz, John Lathrop.... Look what you have done!

Yes, I'm late to the party.  But I expect there will be more parties for The Stan Laurels.  I have started, numerous times to Reply to one of the threads already 3 pages deep that document the first emergence of The Stan Laurels into this little niche of cyberspace.  Alas, all of the best superlatives have already been used and I find myself at a loss for words. 

Rather than being introduced to these song gems one at a time, I first stumbled upon The Stan Laurels as a partial collection of songs already packaged as a concept album (or is it a rock opera?)  called 'Death of the Sun'.  Wow!  This is already the most musically interesting amateur or professional new collection that I have heard in quite some time.  Though the songs are fresh and original I've been immediately comfortable with them, possibly because they have been so wonderfully influenced by such 'dear old friends' as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Yes and of course The Zombies.  I hope that someday the upcoming CD will find its way into the hands of some of these guys.  I know it would make them smile.

I have been riding around in my car for the past few weeks with a bootlegged CD containing some of the songs from 'Death of the Sun'.   The songs on this little EP are:
* Samaanya
* Gone
* Birth Of The Sun
* Klaatu
* If I Walked With The Dead
* Love Birds

You know, it's astonishing when you read the little liner notes on an album or CD and realize how many people were involved in the making of it: the songwriters, musicians who specialize on one particular instrument, singers, the recording engineer, the producer, the mixing engineer and more.  And then it's even more astonishing to realize that this extended musical masterpiece was conceived and put together over three years by one guy in Texas who calls himself Bosko.

There is a remarkable consistency to the sound of the album but the songs do not sound alike.  Part of that consistency exists because Bosko has assembled and then stayed with a custom palette of sounds to paint this picture. Sounds such as: the signature vocal which is now instantly recognizable as 'Bosko', the rhythmic device where the guitars and piano bounce along sometime together... sometimes in syncopation, the flutes and reeds, the washes of vocal harmony. The arrangements never follow a traditional verse|chorus|bridge structure.  However, they often are arranged in 'movements'.... reminiscent of orchestrical compositions. The sophistication of these songs, especially in the writing and arranging is going to give them a long listening life.  These are not the kind of songs I will quickly get bored with.

I understand that 'Death of the Sun' is currently being mastered and preparations are being made for sale and distribution of the CD.  I plan on obtaining one as soon as they are available.  Yep, I'm already a Stan Laurels fan. Congratulations to you on this fine work, Bosko and best of luck with your plans for release of the CD!

best regards,   

Hooper   
 

[Bosko Schwartz]

Wow, Hooper, I don't know what to say.  I am humbled beyond belief.  As you know, I am blown away by your musicianship and production talents, so to read these words, and to know they were written by you, is just an amazing feeling.  This kind of unsolicited praise is something the amateur musician just doesn't encounter very often.  And I want you to know how much I appreciate what you wrote, the time that you spent writing it, and simply the fact that you felt inclined to unabashedly "tell the world" how you feel about my music.

These are the kinds of comments I do not take lightly.  These may just be typed words in the vast void of cyberspace, written by an incredibly talented guy who calls himself "Hooper," who I will (sadly) probably never meet in real life, but to me, these are the kinds of comments that are actually significant and important to my life, most notably, my musical career.  These are the kinds of words that give me hope and help me believe in myself.  They give me the confidence I need to push on, despite the sometimes seemingly insurmountable obstacles against me and against all of us who wish to one day possibly take this dear hobby and make it something more.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your astoundingly kind words of encouragement and support.  I will not forget this post.

[indierik]

Hooper said it much more elegantly and articulately than I could ever dream, so I am writing just to concur with him, especially when he said "The sophistication of these songs, especially in the writing and arranging is going to give them a long listening life.  These are not the kind of songs I will quickly get bored with." Precisely!

John, I hope you've properly prepared yourself for a successful career in music, because as soon as this CD falls into the right hands you'll be huge!

Your friend and fan,

Erik

[Bosko Schwartz]

Thank you, Erik.  You know how much I respect you as a musician and a person, so it is with great humility that I accept this praise from you as well.  I, too, consider you a good friend and I am definitely a fan of your music.

As for being successful, unfortunately, a lot of that depends on my skills as an internet marketer/promoter.  And I am very new to this game and have no idea where to even begin.  It's just baffling to me that the "end" (finishing my album) was just the beginning.

Thank you so much for the well wishes!

[Ferryman_1957]

Can only agree with the guys. Was listening to all the SLs tracks I have on the plane over to the US today and really enjoyed them all. I realise that I keep humming snatches of them, the vocal part from Samaanya has really got inside my head, or inside my hat to be in keeping with my new avatar.

Best of luck with the SLs CD. In the days when I was trying hard to make it, everyone used to say getting a deal is only the start of things. You are right - if you want to be serious about this (and you should be), this is just the beginning of a big journey.

BTW, where does Bosko Schwartz come from? I know that's not your real name....

Cheers

Nigel

[Flash Harry]

Yup, it pretty much goes for me too.

[Oldrottenhead]

ditto from me too. hooper i thought you weren't good with words...........you should have a try at writing some lyrics..........this post is so eloquent and well put.
oh and boscko put me down for a cd when it comes out.

and hoop we have done 9 songs together so a cd shouldnt be too far off for us.