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remiered at the internationally televised celebration of Ron’s Birthday in March of 1986, The Road to Freedom became an unparalleled musical event for Scientologists worldwide. In addition to the release of the album itself and the debut of Ron’s "Thank You for Listening," the evening featured live performances by several of those involved in the recording. What was not, however, widely appreciated, particularly in light of the fact that The Road to Freedom subsequently went gold, were the details of how that album came to be.Although such an album might normally consume three to four months, work on The Road to Freedom factually began on February 2, 1986 -- or a mere five weeks before the planned release date for Ron’s Birthday Celebration. To accomplish such a feat, a truly inspired effort was organized. Teams of accomplished arrangers, including Grammy award-winning David Campbell and Peter Schless, were enlisted; while such internationally acclaimed musicians as Chick Corea and Julia Migenes, were likewise pooled. Production was then timetabled on a twenty-four hour basis, with arrangements, performances and mixing actually progressing simultaneously -- all of which was, in no small measure made possible, owing to the unique design of L. Ron Hubbard’s music studio. But just as important was the underlying spirit, captivating all, and best summed up by an assistant producer, who explained: "The point is, our love for LRH and his music literally inspired miracles -- in terms of dedication, volume of work and, most of all, creativity."
Of the mood through those four memorable weeks, composer-arranger Peter Schless spoke of a truly unprecedented "spirit of creativity that we all felt every working minute. To be able to arrange a piece of music, and hear it performed within minutes in the adjoining studio was an experience I’ll never forget." Also unforgettable, he added, was the sheer artistic magic in every
L. Ron Hubbard composition. "To put it bluntly, I have never arranged a melody that was so thoroughly well-conceived; as a matter of fact, the arrangements almost wrote themselves."
Similarly, the sound engineer spoke of an "infectious excitement and supreme dedication shared by all at work on Ron’s music." After all, he explained, "we were suddenly in a unique position to help bring LRH’s Scientology music to the world -- and that counted for a lot."
Reiterating those sentiments was Emmy award-winning composer-arranger Misha Segal, who proclaimed his work on the album to be, "The best thing that’s ever happened and a joy to be a part of." Also lending creative talent as a vocalist was John Travolta, who likewise declared his involvement to be, "One of my favorite creative experiences." While the Grammy award-winning Julia Migenes remembered the extraordinary creative intention behind every note in every performance.
How it all came together as a cohesive product on March 5th -- including final mix, mastering, album pressing and jacket design -- was yet another story of unwavering creative intention. Or as Jazz great Chick Corea -- himself responsible for 53 albums in his thirty-year career -- so appropriately put it, "It just shows what is possible when Ron becomes the source of inspiration."
