Already in the early days of vinyl records, expensive recording projects were occasionally financed by subscription, i.e. by customers paying in advance.
Today, we call this preordering, a concept similar to crowdfunding. The label His Master’s Voice, for example, launched extensive subscription projects in the 1930s, such as the “Beethoven Sonata Society”, for which the pianist Artur Schnabel recorded all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas – on 204 shellac sides.
The preorder model has also become an option for independently producing rock bands. In 2009, the American prog rock quartet Spock’s Beard appealed to their fans all over the world to buy the band’s next album (their tenth) in advance and thus cover part of the production costs. Subscribers were promised not only an exclusive deluxe version of the CD, but also a very special thank you on the album. The names of the supporters were not only to be mentioned in the booklet, but also honored musically in a special song. Spock’s Beard announced: “This song will include a vocal part in which your name (or a fantasy name of your choice) will be sung by the band. It will be a full song with lyrics that require a long list of names.”
Was that a good idea or maybe not? Of course, this was wildly discussed in the prog rock community. Some feared that this thank-you song would just be an embarrassing gag, a superfluous filler and an artistic failure. Even when the album X was released (only the first edition contained the special song), the discussions continued. Opinions differed – but the song was by no means a stupid gimmick. Quite a few consider “Their Names Escape Me” to be the strongest song on the album.
What makes it special is its mood: a mysterious, magical world of sound into which wind instruments, strings, vibraphone and mysterious choir voices play at the beginning. Over the course of the piece, there are several instrumental episodes, including electric guitar, organ and synthesizer. “Stand! said the oracle, and speak the truth!” – this is how the lyrics begin (at 0:40) and immediately transport us to a mythical world. A dissidant (or a druid?) is dragged before the oracle’s tribunal and told to reveal the names of his co-conspirators. The alternating vocals and the magical scene briefly bring to mind Uriah Heep’s “The Spell” or “The Magician’s Birthday”. The accused asks God for forgiveness for revealing the names – and then (at 3:39) he begins to list them all. The co-conspirators are – you guessed it – the subscribers to Spock’s Beard.
The litany lasts four minutes – Nick D’Virgilio sings it with impressive clarity and melodiousness. It’s exhilerating to hear: the sheer crowd of dissidents, of prog rock conspirators! And what crazy names there are among them, from all over the world! One listener writes: “I still shudder in some places, knowing that there are real fans behind the names.” The sung list is underpinned by wonderful music with piano and strings, which increases dramatically, with more and more instruments, in a mixture of despair and triumph. And then the break, exhausted (at 7:42) – and a psychedelic finale with jazzy rock drumming underneath. Wow.