Chapter 9 -- Billy and the Recordings
Everyone was up by 8am, was coffee'd out, had eaten breakfast and introduced themselves to the gym for a good morning workout. This would actually be the routine they'd follow while they were at "The Ranch", as they had now begun to refer to it. The girls have always been early risers. Bob's time was dependent on the night before. The girls would soon learn that sometimes the music took them into the next morning -- after the sun had come up.
Billy arrived fairly early the morning after the others arrived and had gotten things set up. Well, it was like 10am, which for Billy is very early.
He's generally a night owl like most musicians or people that deal with them. All of them will get into that mode after a few weeks then have to acclimate back to somewhat normal hours for the tours. With the studio they didn't have to worry about disturbing any neighbors, so if they wanted to play at 4am there were no issues with them doing just that, and they did on more than one occasion.
The girls hadn't known that Bob recorded their session the day before, but as is their usual habit, played like it was "for real" so the recording was probably pretty good. He mentioned it to Billy when he got there much to the surprise of the girls.
"You recorded our practice last night?" asked Maryanne.
"That's pretty sneaky bucko," Michelle commented.
Heather just sat there with a grin on her face, and Janell just shrugged her shoulders.
"I want to get some raw sound while you guys don't know it's happening. When you know a recorder is on, you will tend to play a little more reserved. At least most people do."
"We only know how to play one way Bob," Janell finally decided to say something. "Honestly, I don't care if there's a recorder going or not, I'm not going to change how I play."
Bob got nods from around the table and Billy chuckled, "Well, let me go up and see what you got. If it's anything like the last set, it'll be worth mixing down."
Bob nodded, "You know where it is. Number one should be pretty close to ready for you. The equipment arrived yesterday afternoon and the troops have been in unpacking and wiring things but it may take them a couple days to get it all completed. We're putting in a lot of state of the art stuff they've never seen before.
The recording should be in number 3 and I left the pots where I recorded so you'll know the input levels. You can move the disk over to number one if you can, and re-set number three for recording.
If number one's not ready, just split the boards and you can use one with the recording of the session. I would like the main board and the recorder free to pick up today's session. I think we're going to work on a longer session today.
You may have to do some initial set up in number one if the crew has it far enough along. You know the crew, they'll do the best they can but it's up to "us" to make it the way we want. Like I said though, they haven't seen a lot of this stuff before. Hell, Bill maybe you can help them figure it out since you've got that kind of gear in LA."
Billy nodded enthusiastically and asked, "Have you given much thought to doing the album before touring? Depending on what is on yesterday's recording, I may have enough to put a double together already. I will need Heather and Janell for a couple really short fills, but other than that, it's show quality."
All the girls' mouths dropped in surprise but Bob asked seriously, "What about releases? Have you been able to work them all out?"
"Yep, except the two assholes we talked about the other day, so just drop their stuff from your lists. Realistically, you don't need it and they're the ones who will regret it later, especially when they try to jump on the wagon and we tell them it's already left the station!"
Bob just chuckled, "The one bunch are mostly jerks anyway, but the other one surprises me. I've played with some of them, and figured they'd go for it."
"It was their business manager not the band directly. He wasn't having any part of a shared royalty, so I just told him that's the way it was going to be, take it or leave it. He decided to leave it so I just picked up my offer sheets, and walked."
"That's too bad, I'd have liked to promote some of their stuff, but yeah, we'll just drop their stuff. I think it only amounts to six or eight numbers, and it'll be no big loss. How about the others?"
"Carte Blanche, you can do anything they've ever done at the shared one percent we talked about," Bill said. "Oh, I sweetened the pie just a tick by offering them a flat, no share, tenth of a cent per CD sale. They all figure that's where they'll really make out. Most everyone was pretty jazzed when they heard the prelim that I played for them."
"Excellent," Bob said quietly. Then looking at the girls, "It looks like most of the music you already play is a go, so other than the stuff those two negatives put out, we're in like Flynn."
To that he got smiles all around, while Billy did an about face and headed up to the studio. Nobody but Heather noticed where Maryanne's eyes were. She smiled knowingly because she had already figured out there might be something happening there.
"We'll be up in about an hour Bill, is that enough time?"
"How long is the recording?" he asked looking back.
"About two hours maybe a little more. Like I said, just transfer it over to number one if you can. If the mastering stuff is installed and ready you can work on it there without being disturbed. We're going to use number three again. If you need any replays let us know and we can teach them how we do fills."
By the time Bob had finished, Billy was already well on his way up the hill.
"What was all that about?" asked Michelle.
"Hmmm?" Bob was already lost in thought. "What do you mean?"
"Doing replays or fill in or whatever. What is all of that?"
"Oh," he responded with a strange faraway look, "When Bill mixes the stuff down for 'public consumption' he does what I showed you in the garage. He'll listen to each of you individually and note the input levels so that when he puts it all together he can adjust the sound to what he wants to hear.
I recorded all of it at a neutral position, but Janell may be too loud on the base recording to use, so when he mixes it he'll just turn her down to the level that best balances the overall sound. It's the same with all of us, what we hear while were playing may sound good to us but it may sound like shit on a recording.
If there's one part where, say, Hey misses a couple notes in a riff, she can go into that room where all the partitions were," noting they all nodded, "Billy will do a playback of the whole band except for her part, and she'll play along with the recording while setting down another lead track. He already let you know that he needs Heather and Janell for some shorties. It may not be anything you played wrong or bad, just something he wants to try."
"How can she listen and play," Maryanne wanted to know.
"Bill will play it back for her and she'll wear a set of very high quality headphones. She'll hear all of you without her part, and she'll play her part again as Bill mixes it in, but it's mostly for raw sound. Bill will put it together with the part that she'll be listening to, and when he's done, nobody will ever know that it wasn't done at the same time."
They all smiled, as he added with a grin, "Well nobody but us, and we ain't tellin'."
"Which reminds me," he said looking at Janell. "You will probably be in headphones pretty much all of the time Jan. That way you'll hear what's going on. It sometimes helps in keeping the beat in time. Give it a whirl, and if it doesn't work for you, that's fine."
Janell nodded, "There are times when I can't hear what's going on with everyone so it is hard for me to tell if I've messed up the timing. I try to keep it with Maryanne's bass so if the bass messes up, so will I."
"Ha... and sometimes nobody notices," chuckled Bob while Janell nodded her head with a big smile.
"Oh no, trust me, they notice," she said with a grin. "Usually it's Chelly." Looking around all of the girls were nodding their heads. She finished, "Just like she caught you yesterday, she'll do the same to me, so don't feel like we're 'pickin' on the new guy'."
They all got a good chuckle out of that comment, but they all agreed.
So they sat at the table and went over the playlists again, scratching the tunes that they couldn't get clearance for. Of the 1200 songs on the master sheet they chose 200 to work with. The others could be used for filling in if the mood struck them.
Bob couldn't help dwelling on the two that didn't get on board. He knew that if he talked to the band members, they would overrule the business manager, but that could cause political problems for everyone. He'd mention it in passing if he could, but it's just the way it is in this business.
They would regret their decisions when the first album came out, and the girls were on their way. The bad part is the boys in the band probably won't even know the offer was made because their manager is such a prick.
They took the hike up to the studio to get on with that day's practice session and to "bug" Bill working in the mastering room. He looked up with a smile and a quick wave but was dancing around the studio with a set of headphones covering his ears.
Everyone continued on past to studio number 3 and did a few minutes of turn on and warm up before joining Janell in front of the drums for their stretching exercises. They chided Bob trying to get him to join in, but he had avoided the routine thus far. He was sure he'd end up joining them at some point, but for now he figured he was limber enough. Besides, he'd done his morning workout in the gym, but so had they.
When they took their lunch break, all wandered down to the house to see what they could scare up to eat. Bill joined them as well. Unnoticed was the animated conversation between Heather and Janell. They weren't arguing about anything but it was a lively discussion out of the earshot of the others. The others were used to seeing Hey and Janell talking. Heather was kind of the "boss", and Janell was the keeper of the beat, so they conferred a lot; it wasn't unusual.
When they were all assembled in the kitchen and munching, Bill got everyone's attention by tapping his glass with his spoon. Everyone looked up meeting Bills grin with smiles of their own.
Bills grin got even wider as he looked over at Bob and said, "So... you fucked up a couple yesterday, aye big fella?"
Bob's jaw dropped and he blushed. The girls laughed because it was the first time they'd ever seen Bob really blush. "Uh...Yeah. I didn't think so but they insisted we do them again."
"Well 'they' have good ears my friend. Both errors were REALLY hard to pick up, even on the recording. I had to go back and really listen a couple times before I really heard what they were telling you, but they were correct," he chuckled looking at Bob.
"We're used to Maryanne," Chelly interjected. "Something just didn't sound right to me." It was Chelly that had caught both of the errors.
Billy nodded, "You have an incredible ear young lady. You may want to consider doing some sound engineering and producing somewhere down the line. If you have any interest, I'll be happy to spend the time to show you the ropes."
Then turning back to the rest, "When I heard them explain it to you and you argued the first time I went back to listen, sure enough, there it was. I probably would have let it slide in a mix, because I figure if I can't hear it, nobody else will either. I think these girls are going to bust my ass too." Bill looked around and chuckled at the looks he saw on the girl's faces.
"But what I really wanted to tell you all is that we've got enough good recording to do a double CD set as the first offering. You'll have to tell me if you're happy with the mix of tunes, or if you'd prefer to include something else. It's no big deal."
The girls let out small gasps, but Bob just said, "Cool," with a big smile.
"Yeah, this afternoon I want to do a couple of quick fills. I may not use them, but I'd like to take a couple runs at them. The initial cut is excellent, I just want to see if Heather and Janell can do it again, maybe a little different. I'll explain when we go to do it."
"Great idea Billy. I think while you're doing the fills the others can observe for a little while so they all learn what it is and how it's done."
Then looking at the girls Bill continued, "It doesn't mean that you did something wrong or badly. The producer hears certain things that we probably don't and his thought process is, 'Hmm. I wonder if they could do it this way.' It won't deviate from the original music that much, if at all, because the goal of this group is to match studio recordings, but there may be a note here or a bar there which will enhance the finished product."
He looked around the room noting that everyone was paying close attention. "Like Bill said, it doesn't mean that something is wrong, only that he wants to hear something a different way and may not use it because what he's thinking may not work in the end."
They all nodded. Heather observed, "So we just sit in the little cubie thingie with a pair of headphones and play our piece to the rest of the recording?"
Bill answered, "That's about right Heather, what I do is run the music through your headphones minus your part from the original. What you'll hear is what you are playing right then, mixed in with everything else. I won't be actually doing the mix at that point, but just getting a raw recording of your piece, maybe a couple of different ways, then I'll listen to all the composites I make and choose what I think is the best."
Heather nodded her head, "Ok, I think I get the idea. You say that you want it done a couple different ways. What do you mean by that? I usually only play a song one way."
"That's going to be your challenge Heather. I'm going to suggest you do something a little different, and it's up to you to figure out how to work it. You're the expert with the guitar, not me. I just want to hear something and I'll do the best I can to explain it to you, but in the end you're the one that's going to have to come up with it. The thing I don't want is for you to get frustrated with me for asking you to do it over and over and over. You may get it out the first run through, and you may take ten, so you just have to bear with me. I may ask Maryanne or Bob to come in and play it the way I want it, but I doubt I'd ultimately mix that in."
"Bob's been down this road before, so I may be able to get it through to him," Bill joked with a grin. "If he can do it, then he may be able to explain it better from the perspective of another guitar player. Though Maryanne hasn't been down this path, she may be able to figure it out on some instrument or other and again, be able to explain it better than me."
"I'm not a musician guys, I couldn't play a note if my life depended on it, but I know what I want to hear in my head."
"So you're saying I may not be able to do it the way you want to hear it?" Heather asked.
"Yeah I guess so. You are so used to playing something one way it may not 'feel right' for you to do it 'my way'. It's like the forest for the trees thing. It's not your fault."
She nodded her head to him, "Ok."
"One frustration point for you guys," he said looking around the table, "And Bob is already familiar with this one, is that after all the shit I put you through, we may not use it in the end."
Bob just chuckled, "I did a couple fill ins on the last album with the band and Bill ran me through the same thing for two days straight. Then when we were all done, he said he liked the original the best."
The girls mouths just dropped and Janell gasped, "Two whole days, and then it wasn't used?"
Bob nodded slowly.
"I think that would piss me off," noted Janell.
Bill looked at her, "Jan, that's exactly what I mean. I don't want you getting pissed off. That's why were discussing this so you'll know how it works. Live performances are different and so are studio runs, but fill ins can be really a pain in the ass. Not just for you!"
She nodded her head and smiled, "It just seems like a lot of time for nothing."
"Sometimes it is, Sweetie, but it's how we strive for absolute perfection, and I know you all can relate to that. It shows in your music."
"Oh, one more quick thing," Bill threw out to the group. "In the next couple sessions if you could run through the Beach Boys Medley once or twice with added or removed tunes it would be really cool. I think the tempo of the way you have it set up is really great, but the Boys did a lot of music that's really good, and you guys don't play it. If I like it," he said with a grin, "We might put it in as a bonus disc just for fun. We'll see."
They nodded and said they'd work on it.
The rest of the lunch break was pretty much silent. The girls contemplating the afternoon session, Bob thinking about some of the business angles and Bill mentally coming up with a fill in plan that wouldn't frustrate the musicians.
When break time was over and they all wandered back to the studio there was a little apprehension in the air, but between Bill and Bob they put it to rest fairly quickly with a little humor. They also were totally up-front with the young women so they totally understood what was going on. There were no hidden processes, nothing that they were going to try to slide in on the girls or anything like that; it was all straight up.
Trying not to trip over wires they all gathered in the mastering room where Bill ran them through the process. He played the existing composite, then he played it the way Heather would hear it in her headphones. After a couple of runs through that part, he played the original part by itself and stopped to replay the piece he wanted to hear differently.
When he explained it, Heather just nodded her head and said, "I can do that... I think."
When he was done with Heathers part of the fill in, he did the same with Janell's part in the same sequence. When he explained to her what he wanted, he played the section as it was.
Janell nodded slowly saying, " I think I hear what you want Bill. I may have to run through it a couple times to get the sequences right, but I hear what you're asking."
"Muy Buenas chicas," said Bill. "You four seem like you are going to be a joy to work with. I know it's painful being a perfectionist, but that makes six of us striving for the same goal. When everyone is on the same page, it makes it a whole lot easier."
Bob interjected, "Don't think it's always going to be this easy or straight forward. You guys are all very mellow, tolerant women, but you are also human, subject to human emotions. Just understand that when you're being asked to re-do something that you feel is already as perfect as it's going to get, that it's not personal. Neither Bill nor I will ever demean anything you ever do. As far as we're concerned, and we've talked about it, you four are already the best of the best. The diamonds just need a little buffing."
They all nodded, and a whispered "Thank you" was heard from all corners. There were very serious faces in the mastering studio at the moment.
"Ok," said Bill, breaking the mood. "Heather, you want to get started?"
She looked up at him and nodded with a smile.
"Good, grab your guitar out of studio three, the one you were playing yesterday afternoon and the one you played in the garage session."
"They're the same Billy," Heather told him with a grin.
"Cool, down that short hall you'll find a door with "Fill" on it. Go into that room, move all the way forward..."
"I'll show her Bill, Bob interrupted. "I'll get them set up for their first runs and then vacate."
"That works," said Bill.
"Janell, why don't you come with us? You can do a final setup adjustment on the drums in the fill room while I'm getting Hey ready."
Janell nodded, "Do I need to move them from the play room?"
"Nope, it's a whole separate set."
Her eyes grew, "There's another set?"
"Sweetie, there are four sets right now, and there will be at least five before we're done."
"The crew looked at your setup in studio three yesterday evening after we were done, so with any luck you'll only have some minor adjustments to make on the other sets. When we go on the road, there will be a roadie or two assigned to you. You'll need to train him or her to set you up exactly as you like it. When you get to a sound check there should only be some minor adjustments you'll have to make. After a few shows, you won't have to make any adjustments because they'll have it done for you."
"Really? Wow, that's totally cool," Janell commented.
Bob gave her a grin, "Sweetheart, you're in the big leagues now. People will take good care of you if you let them. Some musicians get some ego attitude and push it out to the roadies and they don't appreciate it."
"Well, yeah. I don't blame them."
"The people we'll hire to go on the road with us will be professionals. They'll know the stage setup inside and out. All we need to do is stay out of their way, then be there for the sound check and the show. When we're done they'll dismantle, pack, and load all of the equipment we need for the next performance. We just need to show up and make small tweaks. They'll even tune the instruments if we ask them to."
"Make sure you tell Hey about them tuning Bobby. She can get a little possessive of her guitars and likes to take care of them herself."
"Thanks for that heads up Jan," Bob smiled. "I'll be sure to go over it with Heather before we hit the road. If you figure out the tune you like on your drums, you can ask your roadies to check and adjust. I'm going to try to make sure we get the same team every time we go out, so we'll make those relationships. They'll know us, and we'll know them." Then with a wink, "We'll also take very good care of them."
Janell looked at Bob with a new respect. He said he'd take care of them, and that's exactly what he is doing. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Her kiss was hot, juicy and soft. It was pretty damned close to a "fuck me" kind of kiss, but wasn't quite there.
When their kiss ended, Bob looked at her with surprise making her giggle. Her eyes met his with a shy smoky look.
"Damn Jan, that was hot."
She lowered her head but allowed his fingers to pull it back up so he could make eye contact again. "Jan. It was great. I just never expected a kiss like that from you. That's my bad!"
She smiled at him and whispered, "S'okay!"
They walked into the "Fill" room and found Heather already working on setting up for her short session. She looked up and seeing the look on Janell's face, smiled brightly.
While Bob was distracted she made a sneak attack. Putting her arms around him and giving one ear a quick lick, she whispered softly, "Honey, if Jan gives you the "signs", make it very special for her."
Bob, with widening eyes, looked at Heather, "You're kidding me, right?"
Shaking her head she continued her whisper, "We've talked about it for the last couple days and even though she's never been with a man, she is curious. She's not really attracted to men, but she says she sometimes gets that little itchy feeling inside when she sees you or thinks of you in a sexual way. It may only be an experiment on her part. Only she'll know but she trusts you Bob, you need to keep that in mind. Make it extra special."
"You're really good with this?"
"Hell yes. I don't see Janell as competition, I love her like a sister; she'd never do anything to hurt either one of us.
"She's curious Bob, and she's never felt comfortable with a guy. You're somehow different in her eyes, she loves you very much, and so you need to be very careful not to let her down."
He looked into Heather's eyes and nodded his head with a serious look.
"Don't take it that way Baby, just be yourself. You'll know if she's willing, and she knows you won't do anything that will make her uncomfortable. I will tell you she's a little apprehensive about intercourse and may not be willing to go that distance. She is technically still a virgin," Heather expressed to him softly.
Bill called her over the intercom letting her know he was ready, so she gave Bob a quick kiss and walked over to the cubicle where she'd set up her guitar.
Bob followed her in and before she put the headset on asked, "You all good, Sweetie?"
"Oh yeah. I figure I'll just do what Billy tells me to do and we'll work at it until he either likes the old one or one of the new ones the best."
Bob smiled, and over the intercom Bill said, "I like that attitude Heather!" He was giving her thumbs up and smiling at them through the glass that separated the mix room from the studio.
Bob gave Bill a quick thumbs up in return and turned around to leave. On his way he grabbed Janell so they left together making sure there was no other sound in the room except Heather and her guitar.
By the time the two of them got back into the mastering room, Bill had Heather all set up and was going over what he needed, and how she could give it to him. Bob and Janell just stood in the background so they didn't interrupt.
"Ok Heather," said Bill calmly, "You hear the whole thing?"
Heather nodded her head. Bill moved a couple knobs and one of the sliders, and then asked again, "Now you hear it without your lead part correct?"
Again Heather nodded her head.
"Super. Now I'm going to start it at the beginning. I want you to play your part like the others are in there with you. If you need to close your eyes or if it would be easier for you with the lights more dim, just say the word, Ok?
Again Heather nodded her head with a big smile. She was obviously getting into the process.
"We already talked about what I'm looking for so as you come to that section, try to think it a little differently and play it like I asked."
"Got it," came from the studio, "Let's give it a shot."
Bill pushed a couple buttons and through the monitor speakers Bob and Janell could also hear what was being done. The first thing they heard was Janell's clicking the sticks giving cadence, and right on "cue", all of the music started, even with Heather.
Janell watched intently because she was next. Watching Heather play all by herself was a little strange, but she was playing it like all the rest of them were right there playing with her.
When the run through was finished, Bill got back on the intercom and told her, "That was great Heather, now let's just do the section we talked about."
Heather acknowledged his request. Bill then asked, "Is fifteen seconds enough for you to synch or do you want it a bit longer for the lead in?"
"Let's try fifteen seconds Billy. I can wave you off, Right?"
"Absolutely Sweetheart, if you're not comfortable with anything just stop and say something. It's not a big deal, we'll just do it however you're comfortable."
"Ok, here it comes Heather. Just begin playing along whenever you feel it."
He'd started it about thirty seconds from the end of the tune, and after it had played for maybe five seconds, she was synched up and playing her part. When it came to the part she was supposed to try differently, she played it exactly as Bill had requested without hesitation.
Bill looked at Bob with a huge grin. "She's a dream Bobby, we're done." Then looking at Janell, "You're up Sweetheart. Let me know when you have yourself set and we'll run it through exactly the same way as we just did with Heather."
Janell nodded, took a deep breath, and turned to go, Bob in tow. As the door was closing they heard Bill talking to Heather, "That's it Heather, we're done. Janell is on her way in. Thanks Sweetie, that was perfect."
Heather gave him a big smile through the glass and picked up her instrument, unplugged the cord then made her way back to the drums. She found Janell and Bob in the final adjustment phase. Bob was being a mother hen, making sure Janell was comfortable with what she was going to do.
"It's gravy Jan," Heather said to her. "Just think of it like we're all in here with you and play normally. The way Billy gives it to you on the headphones makes it easy."
Jan looked up at her with a grin, "You made it look really easy Hey, I was a little nervous before, but I'm good now."
"You'll do fine sweetie." Then Heather turned and left the studio to Bob and Janell.
It only took another few minutes for Jan to have her drums set the way she wanted them. It was really nice having the staffs do a preliminary set up. She only had to move a couple of them, and really could have played them the way they had been set, but she was finicky.
She grabbed a set of sticks and sat up on her throne. She played around the horn listening to each drum, and then smiled at Bob. "All set."
Bob smiled, Jan put on her headphones and things were ready for Jan's fill in.
Bill gave her the same kind of instructions that he'd given to Heather, letting her know what he was asking for. They did it the same way, where Bill started it at the beginning so she could play the entire song, and then picked a couple spots where he had an idea for a little change.
Since the drums were at the rear of the room in a big cubicle, they couldn't see each other through the glass, so it was all done verbally.
"Ready?" Bill asked.
"Ready," answered Janell.
The next thing everyone heard was the recording of her clicking the cadence then everything started just as it had with Heather. Jan played it all the way through without any problems putting in the two changes that Bill had asked for.
"Super job," said Bill in his calming voice.
"We can try fifteen seconds on the sectional lead in Billy, I think I can do that," Janell said before he could suggest it.
Bill looked at Bob in the booth and smiled. "Fifteen seconds it is darlin'. Have you got what I'm asking for?"
"Yeah, I think so Billy. I tried to put them in on the full run, so you'll have to listen to see if it's what you wanted. Are we going to do it twice since there's two places you want the same thing, or just once?"
"We'll do it twice Jan. Even though it's the same ditty, each will sound a little different because it's in a different place in the tune and it should sound a bit differently."
"Ok," she responded. "I'm ready any time you are."
"Ok sweetheart, here we go...fifteen seconds."
Bill started the playback where he wanted her to pick it up which she did flawlessly and when it came to the place she needed to change it up a little, she did it, then stopped suddenly moaning.
"I fucked it up Billy. Let's do it again, Ok?"
"You're the boss, Sweetheart. Here we go, three, two, one..."
The second run through she did it to her satisfaction, and Bills. They took care of the second place in one take, then Bill just said to her, "We're done Jan, you can just hang the headset on one of the stands and leave everything exactly like it is."
She joined the others in the booth with a huge grin on her face. She had obviously enjoyed the exercise.
Heather looked at her with a smile, "Toleya."
Janell gave a mock sock to the shoulder and laughing said, "Yeah ya did."
Then looking at Bob and Bill, "That was totally cool. I can't wait to hear what it's all going to sound like."
"Weell leetle derlin'," drawled Bill, "If'n ya kin gimme another ten seconds or so, I mite kin make dat happen fer ya..."
Janell and Heather both laughed and waited patiently for Bill to do what he was going to do. When he turned to them with a grin, they knew it had to be good.
"This is the original you guys did all together in the other studio," he said pushing a button to begin the playback. The girls knew to listen for the areas they had modified, though it wouldn't be in this run.
When it had played through, Bill pushed another couple buttons, and just before pressing "Play", he said, "This is the "new and improved" version that you two just made.
They listened with practiced ears while the song played, both hearing the changes Billy had mixed in. They looked at each other with wide eyes, and then turned to Bill and Bob who were standing at the board looking at them with Cheshire grins.
"Well?" Bob asked. "What do you think?"
Heather answered first, "I think that's fucking amazing."
"Yeah," said Janell. "I'd have never thought that two minor beat changes or in your case Hey, a note or two, would make that much of a difference."
Bob chuckled, "That's why Bill gets the big bucks."
With huge smiles, they all made their way to studio number three where Maryanne and Michelle had been working on some programming issues with the Roland's. It was a little different from the Korgs, so they just had to figure out how to tell the synth what they wanted in the language it would understand.
They looked up when the others came in the door. Both noticed the happy looks on their friend's faces, and gave them questioning looks.
"It was great, man." Janell said, "We just did a couple runs and you should hear the difference."
"Can't wait," chuckled Maryanne.
Then looking at Bob, "I think we can try "Nights in White Satin" now. Chelly figured out the sequence and we just finished setting up the programming."
Bob smiled widely, "Great, we can start with that if you all want. It's a great tune. Don't forget, we need to run through the Beach Boys stuff a couple times as a medley. It's on record so Billy will be able to work his magic if he wants. You might expect a few fill-in's on that one too."
The session was almost four hours this time. It took them three runs with the Moody Blues tune before they got comfortable with it. Chelly had the synths programmed perfectly and while she played the entire London Philharmonic Orchestra, Maryanne filled in the other keyboards.
Billy couldn't believe what he was hearing and made them do it again later in the session just so he could record it "his way". It would make it to the debut CD, though he did pull Bob and Heather in the vocal studio to re-do the vocal part. Then he asked the other three to do the same with the back up vocals. The end product was a masterful mix.
When the Moodies played it, Justin Hayward did the vocals by himself with some back ups from the others, but in the "Girls" version, Bob and Heather did the vocals in perfect harmony with the other three girls doing background vocals.
When they finished it was well past dinner time, so they scared up some chow and all sat around the table trying to come down from the music high they were all on. Adrenalin can be a wonderful thing.
They adjourned to the play room for a while and all migrated around the couch and chairs. Chelly followed a few minutes later with a tray full of glasses.
She placed a glass in front of everyone then without any fanfare, began pouring some excellent Napa Cabernet into the glasses. She smiled at Heather and Janell who had closely surrounded Bob, but gave Hey a special look that only she noticed.
Maryanne and Bill were in deep conversation about something musical. He was explaining to her what the fills were and how he'd worked them in. After about fifteen minutes, they excused themselves and headed up to the studio so that Bill could play the examples.
Chelly looked at Heather knowingly, and they both did a Vulcan mind meld, and through the ether floated the phrase, "Yeah Right, goin' to play the music. I believe you. Uh huh!"
Both giggled together and Michelle plopped down on the couch hip to hip with Heather who turned to kiss Chelly warmly. They separated themselves a little from Bob and Janell giving the two of them some space. Michelle knew from chatting with Heather earlier what was in the works and neither wanted to do anything to make Jan uncomfortable.
Jan had intertwined her arm with Bob holding him closely. She was shyly staring into his eyes then would lower her head looking away.
Michelle and Heather were noticing the interaction and chuckled to themselves watching Janell's nervous actions. They knew what she wanted, but also that she really didn't know how to make that happen because she'd never anticipated any kind of activity with a male.
They had both told her, separately and together, that all she needs to do is think of Bob as a woman with a penis. Heather told her that Bob will make love to her much the same as any woman would with the exception that he'll have something to scratch that itch at the end if she wants. Chelly's version was a bit more base than that, but essentially said the same thing.
Jan could do it, she was just unsure of herself. She didn't want to disappoint Bob or do anything wrong. She'd been told short of biting his dick off she really couldn't do much wrong. Jan wanted it all, but wasn't sure how to get it.
In her eyes, Bob saw a very unsure, very nervous young woman. She didn't loosen her grip on his arm so she wasn't shying away from physical contact. He decided a direct approach would probably be best in this case.
Looking at her sympathetically he whispered softly, "Jan, Heather told me about what's going on in your mind."
Her return look showed him a desperate fear of rejection. She didn't know how to deal with him knowing what she was thinking. She quickly lowered her face shyly so he couldn't see what was going on in her eyes. It was too late.
While her face dropped Bob quickly moved a couple of his fingers up under her chin lifting gently so that both were once again making positive eye contact.
To the panic in her eyes, "I love you very much Janell. I will never do anything that you do not ask for, and if by some chance we get to a place where you are not comfortable, please, say so. We'll stop whatever it is and retreat back to something that is comfortable."
She whispered, "Thank you, Bobby." After a short pause she continued, "I'm really not sure what I want, well, I guess I am, but ... I'm very confused but curious at the same time."
"I've never had any kind of feelings for a man until you came into our lives. I know that you and Heather are 'attached at the hip'," she grinned shyly, "but Hey has said it's ok for me and you to... well, you know."
"Yes she has Jan, but we don't have to do anything at all if that's what happens. It won't change my love for you or how I feel about you in any way, so don't think you'll be causing some kind of disappointment or angst on my part if you suddenly get cold feet. It will not be an issue."
"Heather and I are very trusting in our love for each other. How Chelly saw that in the both of us, I'll never know, but I will be eternally grateful. Heather has told me she wants to share me with Chell. I don't know how that's going to work, but I'm certainly willing." Bob smiled wryly and continued, "She also wants to add you to our love." To the shocked look he assured her, "Jan, she knows you will always prefer women, but wants to leave the door open for you to have a loving relationship with me if you desire. It will always be totally up to you, but understand that you are welcomed by all three of us."
Janell smiled at him, "Wow, that's really loving of Hey."
Taking a deep breath and letting out a very heavy sigh Jan continued, "I don't know how it has happened but I love you a lot Bobby. I've never, ever, felt this way about any man, so I have to go with those feelings. I'm not sure how it will work out because honestly, I'm very scared, but those things I'm really afraid of don't raise their head with you. I believe Hey, you, and Chelly will love me no matter what. Maryanne too."
Then she observed, "Chelly wanted you bad for a long time."
"I know she did, and I have the same feelings towards her," he said softly.
Jan looked surprised, "But how can you..."
"Chelly and I understand our love Jan. She knows I love her very deeply, but she also recognized that Hey needed someone in her life. She just decided that Heather needed me more than she did."
"Yeah, that's the way I understand it too." Then with a big chuckle, "Something about lust and getting her pussy stuffed."
They both chuckled heartily, stealing a quick glance at Chelly and Heather.
She turned her face up to his moving forward to meet his lips softly. They kissed tenderly for a long time and when finished kept their faces close together rubbing noses. Jan giggled a little when they began, but quickly found the sensuality in that activity.
Heather and Michelle were in a strong embrace on the other end of the couch, and noting the activity, stood up and said their good nights, giving both Jan and Bob a hug and a kiss.
Heather put her lips right at Janell's ear and whispered very quietly, "Enjoy him sweetie. He'll take very good care of you, but you need to let him." Then she pulled her face away a little and met Jan's eyes with hers seeing a nervous smile in them. She gave her a knowing smile, pecked her on the lips, and quietly said, "G'night you two."