Open Thread

[filkertom]

Lots to do today. Still on the adrenaline jag from having finished the album. (Okay, here's some blatant begging for validation. Seriously, those of you who have it -- what do you think of it?)

Have fun, play nice.

Comments

[braider.livejournal.com]

I keep reading this at work. Would I be able to download it both at work and at home?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Wherever you can get the secure e-mail. It's good for a week. If you have it both at work and home, go right ahead.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Celebrated this morning, and got myself two DVDs. Ella Enchanted (http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/liveaction/ellaenchanted/ella.html), which is just sweet and fun and pretty much a live-action Shrek (although Anne Hathaway is waaay easier on the eyes) and has the line "LADIES! Stop tonguing the foyer!"

The other is part of a new product line called "TV Premiere DVD". Instead of hard cases, the DVDs are in cardboard sleeves. They've got things like the first two episodes of Gilligan's Island, the first episode of The Flintstones, "The Gathering" (the pilot of Babylon 5)...

And the pilot episode of Kung Fu.

I started watching it and was instantly taken back to the Shaolin Temple. It holds up incredibly well.

$3.99.

[barbarakitten-t.livejournal.com]

you deserve to celebrate. i'm listening to you now... (and lady cheron squealed when we downloaded it to her computer....)

where did you find the tv premier dvd????? sounds cool!

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Found it at Target.

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

downloaded yesterday and listened to it in the van driving to work...
love Sir Rupert the Swishy....and the Fight song...
but the Dragon's Lullaby, while good, differs from the old one (that was on mp3.com? I can just remember it) I'm not sure which I prefer...but I do like the version on this disc.
(hey, I split my sides to "Badger Pajamas" so what do I know?)

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm really fond of "Rupert", and putting all the SFX into the Fight Song was Just Plain Fun.

Re: A Dragon's Lullaby -- I did a much fuller arrangement of the music-box for the album. The original was a quick-off with the internal MIDI noise, and using a piano part rather than the music box voice (which actually was the "Ice Bells" on my Korg X5DR). You don't have to prefer one over the other. This is just the one I put on the album. ;)

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

mmmmmm tinkly....(sorry!)
it has wonderful lyrics...speaking as a dracophile....

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

BTW did I hear an old Wile E Coyote from one of his battles vs Bugs? and a Marvin the Martian in there somewhere?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Indeed. And I also did The Brain, and got the Martian heat ray machines from the movie of War of the Worlds, and a really good Godzilla clip....

[kender42.livejournal.com]

I shall give you a harsh review:

So far, I like it. :) The only song that took a long time to grow on me was Howie's Norwegian Blues, and it's the puns that finally got to me. The TPU fight song and Illuminati Polka have me singing along and laughing each time. Dark Country kinda reminds me of some of the more serious stuff you did on Domino Death (HoTB and HoFtDoT) and it's a nice change from silly (which is your forte, IMHO).. :)

I won't go through it song by song, but Rich Fantasy Lives is probably my favorite song. It almost generates tears because it touches a chord (or three), so it rapidly became a must-play and already went on the iPod. :)

$20 well spent in my book. :)

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Thanks much. And re: "Rich Fantasy Lives" -- partiallyclips will be pleased to hear that. He wrote the lyrics, and a version is going to be on his new CD, too.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

Like just everything else of yours I could manage to download or rip from CD's that I bought fair and square, it's already on my iPod. What a great song. *touches heart* Are the lyrics online anywhere?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Actually, I put them up on my site (http://www.tomsmithonline.com/lyrics/rich_fantasy_lives.htm).

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Thanks, all

[partiallyclips.livejournal.com]

I'd been too busy putting up new pages on my site the last few days to read my friends' LJs, but Tom clued me in to this thread. It's really gratifying to hear that you guys were tracking with Rich Fantasy Lives, because even though the tone is light, I was really pouring my heart into those lyrics. I love Tom's tune, and the result was so nice I decided to make it the title track of my CD.

RichFantasyLives.com

Anyway, when I heard the first version of Tom's tune I made a few changes, and then he made some more changes to his version when he heard mine, just to differentiate his recording from mine. I wasn't going to release more than one complete sample song, but for readers of this thread ONLY, here is my version:

Rich Fantasy Lives, by Rob Balder

I'll prolly take that down pretty soon, so grab it while you can. And here's the other complete sample song I released:

Come Out and Play (Federation Style)

Short snippets of the other tracks are all available at the CD site. Thanks for all your help, Tom.

Re: Thanks, all

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Yowzah! Thanks, Rob!

Oh... My... God...

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

[pant] [wheeze] [pant] Just [pant] just listened to [huUUHHHH] sample from [pant] "Always A Goth Chick" [pant]... couldn't stop laughing for two minutes solid....

Re: Thanks, all

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

I took a quick listen and bought this too. I need more filk in my life!

Re: Thanks, all

[partiallyclips.livejournal.com]

W007! Spread the love. Or at least the sf-based sarcasm. :)

Hey I haven't announced this yet but I'm actually going to get to take the stage at Dragon*Con and do my own set. Not once, but twice! Apparently Boogie Knights cancelled right before I sent D*C my offer to perform. Finally, finally, some good timing in my life.

I'll have CDs to sell at Tom's table: the special home-spun Dragon*Con edition with the crappy black-and-white labels but filkaoke versions on there as bonus tracks.

[barbarakitten-t.livejournal.com]

okay, i just listened to the whole thing (while i was working on record corrections and other mundane library stuff). FANTASTIC! (the moonwulf song made me LASTS (laugh and scare the students).

i really wish i was going to OVFF, but it doesn't look likely...

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Kewl. I sang the song for Wolf when I wrote it for him, but I want to be there when he hears the recorded version....

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

And I'm tremendously sorry you won't be at OVFF. MarCon???

[ruisseau.livejournal.com]

Yesterday, my husband (popefelix) turned me to me and said, "I'll forward it to you."

I had no idea what he was talking about because I check my friends page oldest to newest. I checked my emailed and Squee'ed with delight.

I love "The Great Moonwolf Trap," "The Illuminati Polka," and "The Ballad of Rupert." I've only listened to it once though, so that's just a first impression.

I'm always pleased when I can get my hands on new music by you. Thanks for another great album.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Always happy to make a fan Squee. ;)

[ladymer.livejournal.com]

I hate it. It's the worst stuff I've ever heard.

Oh, sure, I've been listening to it almost non-stop since yesterday. Sure, I sing along with Talk Like a Pirate and Illuminati Polka. Sure, Rich Fantasy Lives touches a deep chord inside me, Bullet Time makes me want to play Max Payne and Dark Country makes me want to watch American Gothic.

But apart from all that....

Seriously, I love it. It's a great big bunch of fun, and I'm making my gaming group listen to the Illuminati Polka this weekend.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Kewl kewl kewl. Thanks. All of you, thanks a lot. I was rolling big on this one, and I'm finally beginning to think I came up with a seven.

[arucartoonguy.livejournal.com]

pretty snazzy trick on only one six-sided dice....

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

What snazzy? Ya never got a +1 bonus to your saving throw?

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

Are you familiar with the term "rock candy on a stick!"

I loved the album. Specific comments:

And They Say I've Got Talent: A beautiful send-up of style, form, and the lack of substance.

Howie's Norwiegen Bluess: I laughed hardest at the "slits" jokes and the Garrison Keillor ref. All I know about Norweigen immigrants I got from Garrison, so...

Happy Conception Day: Scary stuff, that. It's almost too good; I can hear the Religious Wrong calling to ask for the tabs.

Trans. Poly. U Fight Song: I LOVE THIS SONG. It's hilarious. I've lost count of the number of times I've listened to it in the two days since I got the album.

The Illuminati Polka: Absolutely (fnord) hilarious.

Dark Country: I've never watched the show, but the song makes me want to.

The Ballad Of Rupert: Very nice. Reminds me of Allan Sherman's "Sir Greenbaum."

Bullet Time: Sweet stuff. A big improvement over the first cut you released, and very dark.

The Great Moonwolf Trap: Hilarious, and it makes me wonder even more who this wolf guy is.

A Dragon's Lullaby: Another big improvement and a wonderful style.

Rock Me Amidala: Yet another big improvement. One gripe is the lack of "James Earl Jones" live, but I've mentioned that before; otherwise fantastic.

Talk Like A Pirate Day: I'd thought you couldn't improve on something so great, but the studio version blows the older out of the water. Highlights are the last speaking bits and the improved multiple-vocals.

Rich Fantasy Lives: The anthem of all of us. Makes me want to cheer.

Denoument: Hee.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! A couple of quick comments -- I can't remember if I'd mentioned before, but I wrote the James Earl Jones thing out at the request of Gary Wood of Woodworks Films, mostly because JEJ isn't in Saving Star Wars and David Prowse is. And I especially appreciate the comment on the vocals for TLAPD -- I worked really hard to fix those up.

Hee.

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

You didn't previously mention the Jones/Prowse bit, but that does explain that.

As to TLAPD: "Alpha...Romeo...Romeo...Romeo" cracks me up. Actually, like I said, every bad "arrr" joke in the last thirty seconds cracks me up.

[colinmo.livejournal.com]

I've been waiting for Illuminati Polka ever since you put the lyrics on your site.

It's everything I wanted in it, for $20US.

_PLUS_ It comes with so many other songs for nuthin'. It's a great deal.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Yeah! I can just sell each song as a collector's CD, with a bunch of bonus tracks. The Magic-The-Gathering crowd will shell out (quick math) $280 per album! BRILLIANT!

Seriously, thanks a bunch.

BARRRnacles?

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

I need to stop working on this at work. Whooping with laughter, alterately with sniffling with tears, is not condusive to getting anything done.

Fantastic work, you... you... you.

Arrrr.

Re: BARRRnacles?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Aye, me fine wench. I've got some more jokes hidin' in the wings -- just wait till the 19th.

[nuveena.livejournal.com]

So I'm coming to this rather late, since I was not speedy on the download, but WOW I love this album. I scared my toddler, I was laughing so hard.

Great, great stuff.

Tom and Rob, you wrote fandom's national anthem with "Rich Fantasy Lives." Frankly, if I ever get to either of you perform it live, I'll be the tall blonde at the back holding up a cigarette lighter.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Dragon*Con? :)

[nuveena.livejournal.com]

Sadly, no. :)

I'm in Albuquerque (cue tumbleweed, shoot person about to make joke about left turn), and the chances of me being able to make it to Atlanta are very small indeed...