March 12th 2007

After a long delay, there's still no definite date for the release of this much-anticipated work, although it's likely that it will be launched online rather than through mainstream distribution.

Barry was interviewed for a podcast by producer Scott Kuchler recently and gave some wonderful insight into the musical theater scene in the late 1960's. The podcast features some independent MP3 tracks first, followed by the interview which ends with a great description by Barry of how he first heard of JCS. You can hear or download (big file - over 40MB) the podcast by clicking the link on the right.

October 14th 2005

It's taken longer than expected for this CD to hit the stores, but Scott Kuchler's Fluxedo Arts team is still highly committed so we do know it's going to happen.

According to Barry . . .
"I was going through some of my audio archives and came across this amazing recording of Murray just strumming a guitar and humming a melody." he said. "There were no words yet, in fact this was a real work-in-progress with breaks and background noises. You have to hear it . . "

It's an extremely rare piece of musical history - Murray Head actually composing a song. Barry was generous enough to give his permission for us to put it on the site for download, so here it is (you'll need an MP3 player to be able to hear it). An absolute gem for Murray Head fans. This won't be included on the Diminishing Perspective album, so this site is probably the only place (except for a limited number of promotional EP's) you will ever find it. Enjoy!

Incidentally, we'll stay close to Scott Kuchler and the Fluxedo Arts team so as soon as Diminishing Perspective is finished and available for releaae, you'll be able to get it here.

Press Release of March 11th 2005 from Fluxedo Arts -

Stage Veterans Barry Dennen & Murray Head
To Release Lost Rock Musical

Musical theater veteran Barry Dennen has joined forces with former KOCH Progressive Label Manager Scott Kuchler to produce a rock musical titled Diminishing Perspective.

The piece, originally written in 1967 and only recently rediscovered, features lyrics by Barry Dennen and music by Murray Head - both of whom went on to be featured in Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's classic "Jesus Christ Superstar".

Says Dennen; "I was having lunch with Scott one day, and I happened to mention this project that I had begun over 30 years ago. It was abandoned right after Murray and I signed on to do "Superstar." When Scott asked if it still existed in any format, I dug into my archives and found not only the script, but also the original demos that we recorded for the project - 8 songs in all with Murray singing and accompanying himself on acoustic guitar."

New instrumental tracks have been added to the original performances by several musicians including Ted Mason (Modern English) and Jason Camiolo (Fuzzbubble).

"I'm quite pleased with the project." says Murray Head. "It's interesting to go back and rediscover these songs after so many years. We're different people now, really - but I'm proud of these songs and I think people will be surprised at how progressive this music is."

The album, scheduled for release in June of 2005, will be followed later in the year by a New York stage production. Diminishing Perspective traces the rise and fall of a rock band in the mid 1960's, with particular focus on the band's charismatic frontman and his struggle to maintain a hold on reality in the carnival atmosphere of 60's rock stardom. "People will undoubtedly see similarities in our story to those of a few legendary rock personalities," says Dennen "but honestly, this story was written before any of that actually happened to anyone." The coincidence may seem remarkable, but if one considers when and where the material was written the mystery is somewhat dispelled. "It was 1967 and we were young men in 'Swinging London', pursuing theatrical and musical careers." says Murray. "The overindulgences were plain to see, and the consequences weren't difficult to figure out. Sooner or later, something had to give. Perhaps we picked up on a vibe."

For his part, Scott Kuchler is particularly enthusiastic. "I'm thrilled to be invovled with this project. Barry and Murray are two of the most influential figures in rock theater and the rediscovery of this project is like finding buried treasure." CD Release Date: June 20th, 2005

CLICK HERE FOR PODCAST

Diminishing Perspective CD cover artwork

Here are some of the artwork concepts that didn't get used (thanks to Fluxedo Arts for sharing them)