Given the weather we have experienced in the UK over the last few weeks, you might be forgiven for thinking it was in fact nearer to Christmas than it actually is. For me this concept has been accentuated by plans currently afoot to record a Christmas album in August and the few days recently spent in the studio recording and orchestrating a new Christmas song for my friend Tessa Cox.
Recording Christmas albums in the middle of summer is nothing new. When I was at University some years ago we recorded a Christmas CD in June. At the time I assumed it was because the current final year choral scholars were potentially far better than the incoming ones and therefore the album would sound better recorded in June rather than October. There may of course be an element of truth in this. But also I’ve found that recordings can sometimes take rather a long time to put together.
I know of some recording companies who require at least six months to produce an album from initial recording to final produced CDs. Of course sometimes it will take that long as there are so many people involved and depending on who has the final say, and indeed how many edits there are to be done this could further extend the time needed. That said I’ve produced albums in anything from a few days to a few months.
The song I’m currently working on with Tessa is intended to be recorded in August with the hope hat the album will be ready for sale in October. And actually, by then it really won’t be that long until Christmas. Are we aiming for a Christmas number 1? In all seriousness, no probably not. But nothing ventured, nothing gained.