Previews of FREAKED, GHOSTBUSTERS, and THE WIZARD OF OZ
We joined Mo Shafeek and Spencer Hickman from the Mondo Music Group as they discussed how they approach creating new art work for soundtrack reissues from concept to completion. They were joined on stage by Jon Dobyns founder of Anime label Tiger Lab and artist Alan Hynes who discussed his artistic process designing record packages for Mondo. Look out for new title announcements and some teases of forthcoming artwork. After a 60-minute panel discussion, the floor was open to audience questions.
- The panel kicked off with a discussion over the ambition of Mondo music to try and launch a new release every month. They stand in mid-September of 2019 and have 16 releases to fit in before the end of the year.
- For the most part, the panel served as a “coming soon” presentation, while occasionally dipping into some of the problems (legal and technical) with releasing certain scores.
The Boys
- The crew were approached about doing the release, and after being shown the first two episodes they fell in love with it. The vinyl, with artwork by Jack Hughes, should be available in November.
Ghostbusters
- Mondo music recruited Paul Mann (who did excellent work for their release of the Buffy, Once More with Feeling LP) to tackle the artwork on this one.
- The release brought up some information concerning limited vs. mass releases. For the latter, a larger amount of money is needed to secure the license, and more people (everyone featured on the score/album) must be paid. So in some cases, it simply isn’t feasible to do a large release. Basically, Ghostbusters by Mondo will be online only, a small release that won’t hit stores.
Freaked
- The score for the cult classic from Alex Winter is coming to vinyl!
- Music-wise, it’s a bit of a treat as it compiles a number of never before released songs from the Butthole Surfers and Henry Rollins along with an unreleased alternate score. More than this, apparently Iggy Pop once composed a theme/song for the film that was never used, that’s also included.
- The package itself is also something special. The incredible opening credits for Freaked were designed and executed by David Daniels using a technique called ‘Strata Cut’, an intricate form of Clay-mation. They got him out of retirement to put together new art for the cover and gatefold, resurrecting his old technique.
The Wizard of Oz
- This was something rather special. The idea stemmed from a proposal Alan Hynes made for a studio-mandated project for a package that was very restrictive in terms of using materials from the film. It didn’t go anywhere, but with The Wizard of Oz, they saw an opportunity to re-purpose it.
- Hynes put together a ‘proof of concept’ video, which was shared with the audience. It was incredible to see, even if it was slightly tricky to snap images of.
- The cover-slip obviously resembles the yellow brick road, but it’s when opening things up the magic starts to happen.
- The album opens to show a vista, a progression through the various area of Oz Dorothy & Co. encounter, channeled through the colors of the rainbow. This central portion is structured like an accordion and can be pulled out, creating depth within the nestled image
- The package also has props at the back to position the whole arrangement, as well as a shelf where a small light could be positioned to illuminate the whole affair. It’s a play off a shadowbox, and looks absolutely delightful
