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It became this one:
http://www.thethirdending.com/2012/06/0 ... n-transit/

Hi folks,

I really should check in here more often...  :?

Anyway, we're doing a little remix comp over at thethirdending.com - full stems are available for two of our 2012 tunes (Frame by Frame and Belong to Me) and we're trying to spread the word as far & wide as possible. I know there are some very talented Frost*ies hereabouts, so I'm vaguely hoping we might be able to tempt one or two of you to try your hands

http://www.thethirdending.com/2012/11/1 ... youve-got/

Cheers,
Nick

OSX can open & create ZIP files by default. Just double-click them to unpack, or select a bunch of files and then right-click (or option-click) and select "Compress xx items"

Courtesy of command-C and command-V

Hey guys - I've hit a bit of a busy time at work tonight, so I'm not going to be compiling the final vocal mix until tomorrow morning. Soooo by my estimation you've got about 12 hours left in which to sneak a submission.

Thanks to everyone who submitted tracks - it's sounding great!

Although that explains why all the submissions for the high part have consisted chiefly of giggling...

[sing]

Oh, and just with regard to the topic heading, probably best if you sing the backing vocals - we don't really have a huge contingent of deaf listeners.

Thanks Pedro - I popped in to mention this, but you've beaten me to the line

Thought I'd come in and shill for myself this time around

The May tune is up in all its acoustic guitar-y splendour. Also, for the first time in this round of songs, a guitar solo!

http://thethirdending.com/2012/05/03/belong-to-me/

I just sent you a PM with your codes. Sorry about this

Heh

Did you get the email ok?

Hi Mikey,

We've had a couple of ecommerce teething troubles, and yours seems to be one of them! For some reason your order is dated the 30th of November 1999... that's certainly a unique one

I've pushed through your email, so you should be ok now. If it doesn't work, drop me a line and I'll sort it out.

mailto:nick@thethirdending.com">nick@thethirdending.com

Actually if you could shoot me a quick email if it does work, that would be great too.

Cheers!
Nick

Hey guys,

Bang out of the gate with a fresh new tune, an interesting new approach to releasing music, and a hearfelt apology for taking so fecking long about the whole palaver.

http://thethirdending.com/2012/03/03/th ... -are-back/

Huzzah!

Hey guys - thanks for the continued interest in spite of our catatonic state

2011 was a funny old year for us. Between us we've had a job loss, and new business venture to build, massive additional work responsibility, a baby girl, months overseas, and more.

And being completely honest, we all got a bit burned out on the process. Some of these songs have been 90% there for years now, but that final 10% has proven to be a bit of a motivational/operational Everest. I'll step up to the line and admit that I'm probably the #1 culprit on that front. Reasons and excuses are legion, but they don't get the job done!

In any case, I just slapped the vocal and keyboard takes up onto our shared space for critique, and the Gods of criticism (ie Knotty) willing, I am done. Then it's just off to the inestimable Mr. Curtis to incorporate them into the final mixes, and our parents' sibling is Robert (as they say in the lesser quality classics).

Despite some occasional lapses in enthusiasm in the past, I am absolutely loving these new pieces. Quite a bit less keyboardiness on this one, instead we've ramped up some of the vocal harmony malarkey to add some of that sonic shimmer... it's hard to explain.

I'm determined to finally get my own website up to scratch for details on this sort of thing (plus my various and sundry other crap), but in the meantime twitter is probably the best bet for "unofficial" news. Also probably worth heading to the website at www.thethirdending.com and signing up to the mailing list there. I'm not running that side of things, but it should ensure you get to find out when/where/how the EP is available.

Cheers!

IIRC the last lady to sing for Frost* (on The Dividing Line) was this one:



Fat lady? I think "no"  

This is a fascinating topic to explore. Particularly the notion of trying to take an unfinished work and add our own 'frog DNA' (Ref Jurassic Park) to make a viable creature.

Mmmmmnnnniiiinteresting.

I must confess that none of my imaginings of a Jem-less (or Jem-lite) Frost* continuation/second coming ever incorporated half-finished work being handed over. But that said, I suppose why not? If there's to be a passing of the torch as it were, a piece that was neither quite old-guard or new-guard would make for a fascinating transition piece.

The temptation to repeat/re-cycle stuff is enormous - can anyone who is not Jem determine what really does happen next?

Repeat/re-cycle is not in and of itself a bad thing though. I had a fresh skim through the "View from the Cube" blog entries during the recent drought, and I'm reminded of his comments about the influence that Pallas' Ronnie Brown had on Jem's style. Beatles/Lennon's "Hide your Love Away" is one of my favourite songs of all time, and it's basically Lennon trying to ape Bob Dylan (who I don't really like all that much). I wonder if the key isn't perhaps not being a perfect mimic, so you're forced to incorporate your own ideas as well. I suppose that only works if your own ideas are up to scratch also

Interesting ideas by all, especially for Jem to have suggested franchising Frost* in the first place.

Yeah, I must say the only reason I even feel comfortable discussing it is because it was his idea.

unless we're talking about a tribute act (and I hope we're not) then how to write new material in the style of a certain Jem Godfey (let alone play the bugger!)? Is it such an emotional thing that analysis and reverse engineering it would destroy it?

The thing is whatever Jem records has an indefinable 'Jem-ness' to it, wether it be Frost*, ELO covers, top 20 chart singles or funny stuff. How do you follow that?  

I think the key to something like this would be to avoid doing a Jem Godfrey pastiche, and just strive forward with the same "Prog Rock with a capital PROGRESSIVE" ideology & sense of fun.

There's no perfect analogy, but the closest I've been able to come up at this point is Doctor Who. The creative team and the cast of the show have changed scores of times over the last 50 years, but heart of the show, and the underlying premise of "eccentric multi-centenarian travels time and space in a blue box having adventures" is still there. When I was a kid watching Tom Baker I would never have imagined that there could be a Doctor better than the fourth. But I'm a complete and unabashed Matt Smith/Steven Moffat fanboy now.

if such a project consciously strives to meticulously tick all the Frost* boxes it will probably sound quite laboured and sterile, - if on the other hand, it carried on in the SPIRIT of Frost*, it would have the freedom and vitality which Jem originally found - but now feels that he has lost - when he started writing his fledgling prog album all those years ago.

That's pretty much how I see it as well  I would expect that any Frost*-2/Frost*-TNG would incorporate a few tips of the hat to the aesthetic that Jem established, but ultimately if the baton is to be passed, then the new person would best serve the legacy by following their own muse. Extending the Doctor Who comparison; look at the tonal shift that the show has undergone since Steven Moffat took over last year. It feels markedly different to the Russel T Davies era, but still maintains its "Doctor Who-ness".

*shrug*