… 30-01-2005 00:00 …
Camera-ready mechanicals Youngster: Uncle Ricky, what’s a “camera-ready mechanical”? Uncle Ricky : Well, little Youngster, back in those pre-Desktop-Publishing days, it was like – a photograph – a glossy hi-res paper picture that we sent to the printer guy. It was made with a big machine and noxious chemicals by sweaty publications geeks who did that kind of stuff. That’s why we called them “mechanicals”. [By Uncle Ricky] And so it was. The more I listened to this 1980 TM Productions “Rock” demo, the more I want to be in 1980 again. Or maybe I just want to be 29 again. The “station image songs” really “grow on you” (or me, in this case), but I realize that contemporary hip-hop slopheads won’t get it. Who needs them, anyway? They’ll be in jail soon enough when they trip over their pants. But, there are some nice things here for those of us who remember a time when radio stations were “Places To Be”, and not just “Brands”. (Thanks to John Long .) I took this right off a 7.5 ips TM-issued tape, Orbanized it a bit, but there is one place where the tape drags for a fraction of a second, sorry! Such things make our exhibits even more exclusive. It would be nice to know more about this one – how many stations used it? Did KRBE (FM-104 in Houston, TX) actually use it? Who’s the narrator? He’s GREAT for this demo. “tell me that we’re more than friends, tell me that the music will never end..”
