THE NEW (3RD) ALBUM WILL BE RELEASED BY RAVING POP BLAST! ON JUNE 30TH 2020.
VINYL LP, CD & DOWNLOAD. PLUS A LIMITED EDITION ORANGE & BLACK MARBLE VINYL.
WE DECIDED TO DO SOME PUBLICITY OURSELVES.
WE ASKED ARTHUR TO GIVE US SOME INFO ON THE NEW RECORD.
THIS IS WHAT HE SAYS...
THE RECORDING OF THE THIRD ALBUM:
I’m not great at being technical when it comes to recording, I am well aware of that, but I don’t really want to be. I come from the school of DIY, which was for me all about making something out of nothing.
I am in the minorities that hate to have to use computers when it comes to recording. Yes, computers have made it easier for people, to a point, and cheaper, and I have to use them up to a certain point, but I refuse to go the whole way. I can hear the difference. I get told you have to ‘gate’ drums and piss about with the sounds and what have you. Sod that, gates are for fields not drums.
We put some mics around them and what get’s recorded is the drum sounds. I listen to so many other bands recordings these days and I can hear the technology more than I can hear any good tunes. A Flat-ness in the sounds.
With our stuff I try to avoid all the ‘you must do it this way’ advice, and I think it sounds more, open and free, you can feel the room in the recordings. It might well be all in my head, but that doesn't even matter. What matters is I feel I've made some kind of human effort. Not just letting the machines do the work for me.
THE LP'S DIRECTION.
I probably shouldn’t tell people stuff like this as it leaves us wide open for comparisons, or accusations, but… The third LP while making it, I was sort of imagining it was an LP by The Eyes. Why I picked The Eyes, I don’t really know. I’d been listening to them quite a lot, and I guess I just liked the way their records sounded…
I find it’s a good way of working, because I’m too timid in real life, but if in my head I can pretend it’s not me then it just makes it easier. Anyhow, the finished result doesn’t really sound like The Eyes or anyone else for that matter, even though all the obvious pointers are there. I think we’ve developed a sound that is TTR. I suppose that’s kind of a good thing.
There's no really massive direction change from the other two records, this is just a continuation. Maybe the songs are stronger. I think they are.
It’s pointless making promises as none of us can see into the future, but I hope, that this third LP will be end of part one, and maybe the start of us pushing the psych part a bit further, without losing the Garage, Punk edge. I don't want to take the obvious 'modern psych' path, which I don't really have any interest in.
I don’t know if it’ll happen. I tend to change my mind often, and songs sometimes just fall out of the sky and land . I have no real control over what style of song they are. I guess time will tell what will happen.
I’m a firm believer of the ‘one take’ if possible, three max. You need to try and capture the freshness. However just because something might be recorded fast, it doesn’t mean it’s simple. The actual mixing and production can sometimes take ages. Sometimes it takes a great deal of skill to get something to sound like it was just knocked out.
I think this LP really benefits from being listened to at a loud volume. Either on headphones, or place yourself in the centre of the speakers and just let the sound swallow you up.
Of the fifteen songs, which I think are all good, there are 6 that are my favourites, and 1 which is the very best song I've ever been on I think.
THE SONGS:
Gravy.
This is my favourite song on the LP, and I think the best song I have ever been on, out of everything I’ve ever done. I think if I had no history hanging over me like a massive big black cloud, making people assume things about me, or pre-judging me, my whole musical journey could have been very different. But it’s no good wishing, you can’t wipe the past away sadly.
At first this song had me a bit concerned because it reminded me of something which I still haven’t figured out what, but then i thought, really, so what. It doesn’t matter. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything by anyone that hasn’t reminded me of something else, and it’s never bothered me.
I was astonished by my guitar playing on this. All that screaming wah-wah stuff…one take! The temptation is always to go ‘I’ll do it again’, but not this time. It just kind of fell out of the guitar and it was wonderful. Mark’s jagged rhythm guitar, and Tom’s drums...wow!
The words, are about stuff that happened in or around the year 2002. I don’t want to go into detail, and it would make no sense to anyone else anyway. Let’s just say It was an experience of great highs, in a time of massive lows. But the words are not that important. It’s the whole package. Turn it up loud and lose yourself in the middle of this brilliant sound.
TOP 6, TOP 1.
Drilling Holes Into The Sky.
Thin! That was the main point here. I kept on thinking it was too big, too fat sounding. I wanted thin. So Pete changed the bass playing, to higher strings, and I took away a bit of my rhythm guitar, and it thinned it out nicely. The thing that makes that ‘Boing Boing’ kind of electro vibration noise in the background took me ages, putting sounds through various amps in different rooms, and re recording them. I probably could have just pressed a few ‘modern buttons’ and achieved the same effect, but where’s the fun in that?
The words, well again I don’t think it’s really that important, but in my head it’s about manipulation by our lovely media. But it’s done without standing on a soap box shouting “Tories are bad, The Daily Mail is bad” …I prefer it if people don’t know what the songs are about to be honest. But now you do…
Too Late, I’m Gone.
Our pop song! Yeah, it’s a bit Beatles/Monkees mash up, which is weird because my notebook notes stated early on it was to be a bit like ‘The Seeds’… but somewhere it got twisted in to The Beakees. But what’s wrong with that?
Tom wasn’t happy when I asked if he could use a cowbell on it! But calmed down when I pointed out the use of cowbell on albums like 'A Hard Days Night' …and he admitted it worked well. It’s a song about not being able to get someone out of your head. A love song if you like. I like it a lot. Don’t think it’ll be a big favourite of ‘the fans’ (if we even have any) but if I took notice of what others said, the whole LP wouldn’t exist!
If I Get Too High.
Another of my favourites. Two minutes of sheer bliss. Pete calls it the cousin of ‘The Legendary Orgasm (Everything In My Mind Is Groovy)’ off of the first LP, because it’s got a similar rhythm, and chord sequence. It reminds me a bit of Love (the band). And that can only be a good thing.
It was quite hard to sing, and there’s points where you can hear it wasn’t easy, but some of the best records ever made have bits like that on them including the first Love LP.
It’s easy to listen to someone else struggling to hit notes and go “Yeah, that sounds ace” but when it’s your own voice…well…yeah…it’s not easy… Ha ha.
The words might sound like it’s a drug inspired song, and it might even be… but it’s more about people who can’t ever praise or give a compliment. They have to make some kind of put down.
For years I thought I had a problem. Then one day I realised it not me, it’s them. They’re so insecure it’s the only way they can cope.
I must stop saying what I think the words are about. Forget everything I said!
It’s about a horse stuck at the top of a ladder.
TOP 6
She’s Gotta Go-Go
Mmmmm, I thought it might be just too much of a pop song. A step too far. The others talked me round. And yeah I get it, It could be a Billy Childish song.
It’s a song for dancing to.
A big 60’s inspired Garage stomper.
I think it’s pretty obvious as to who inspired the words. But she went before we got chance to release the song. But fortunately the song could just be about anyone who can’t dance very well, but likes to go-go.
Fly (Lost In Time / Party Nine)
Another song, well it’s 99 percent instrumental really, where you can hear my vocal chords tearing as I scream over the Keith Moon style drums, and Townsend-esq power chords…
It sounds so vibrant and alive. I never hear anyone these days with that kind of vocal on a record.
Then it kind of goes into the riffing…the Hawkwind/Stereolab style powering along chords.
The fact it sounds nothing like Hawkwind or Stereolab is not the point, people will still say it does. I like the words on this. But no, I’m not saying what they mean. Listen. It’s obvious.
Ooobeedoobeedoobee
A simple rock and roll song. I guess about lust. I made this up when I was about 13 or something, and it’s so basically simple and perfect.
It’s what rock and roll music should be. I see you, I fancy you, My mind is full of dirty thoughts about you. The only thing that’s wrong with this is it makes too much sense.
I quite like the idea of songs like ‘Roo-buh-doo-buh-doo’ (by The Statesmen) where the lyrics are reduced to the most basic nothingness. I’ll get there eventually.
Caravan
This was a hard one to do. The first attempt was so poppy and clean, it sounded lovely, but it didn’t have any darkness to it, and the words of the song which is all based on a period in my life, needed to be a bit darker, without being gloomy.
So it was stripped back, and the droney feedback guitar put on, and it suddenly captured what I was after. Like a lightweight happy time, with a darker underlying sense of creepiness. I like this one a lot.
It’s like Spacemen 3 playing The Zombies. – I’m not really sure what I mean by that. It’s just a very good song.
TOP 6
Weeds
I love this song. Mark’s crazy screaming guitar is amazing. And the drumming is terrific. It’s so just there. We didn’t even have to think about it. It was just kind of pick up a guitar and wham-bam!….there is was…done.
It was nearly called ‘Brain’ but a quick survey on Facebook, ‘Weeds' came out on top.
It’s a great song, the sort of song you rarely hear any more, but then that could be said about all the songs on the record. What's it about? 'Brains and weeds. Listen to it, it's obvious.
TOP 6
Next Time I See You Around.
Pete pointed out the ‘Satisfaction’ in this song, which I have to be honest, never even crossed my mind.
It’s another of my favourites.
I like the sound of the room on this one. Listen. You can actually hear the room. It’s part of the song now. It’s stuff like that that makes some records special. A garage rocker this one. Love the organ on this. Just gives it that little something extra. I guess the words are quite amusing. But if they’re not, no doubt someone who is far superior to me at lyric writing will enjoy telling me (yawn…).
TOP 6
Tracy Said.
It’s another one I thought might be a step too far into the pop world, but it’s been played live quite a bit and everyone likes it. I thought the words could be seen as too comedy, but I’ve been assured they’re not, even though there is humour in them. Humor in songs is very tricky. It's fine line. It's okay, we are on the right side of the line.
A Garage Rocking Smash. Fab guitar solo.
Fyne Good Kynd Lovin’
This was supposed to be a bit Buddy Holly plays Bo Diddley. That’s what happens when you spend too much time listening to Pebbles LP’s…
But it’s more like a bunch of amateur musicians in a shed somewhere making a racket (so very much like Pebbles LP’s then!).
I think the lead guitar is another one where it just happened, kind of out of my hands, as though some ghostly spirit just leapt in and took over. It’s perfect. I can’t believe I played it. And in one go as well!
Listen for the rattle from the amplifier I was using for the one string guitar overdub, as it was breaking down during the song. It’s a horrible sound that was coming out. So horrible it had to stay on the record.
Tom inspired the idea of the spelling of the title.
Enough.
A cover version. I played the original to the others, being how it’s one of my favourites, and everyone fell in love with it. It’s very hard to take something that is perfect and do it better. But we did a very, very, good job of it. We changed it ‘Enough’ to make it ours without altering the general brilliance of the original. You have to wonder why this wasn’t a huge hit it’s such a great song.
The guitar solo is brilliant. Markie claims he’s rubbish at doing solos, but he worked it out, and it’s really quite tricky, I couldn't get my fingers to cope with it. And he plays it brilliantly.
It'll be the song everyone likes the best, mark my words. That's the trouble with covers! Let's hope we don't go down the UB40 road...
Ain’t Gonna Lie To You (I’m Gonna Lie To You)
Someone said (at a show) this song made them think of The Prisoners. I can’t and won’t argue with that. (Why would I, I’m not mad! What a compliment!!) I really like this one a lot. Love Pete’s bass on this, it sort of keeps the song moving along.
And the discordant guitar part that sits with Rok’s organ, they sound so good together.
I think if it was by The Prisoners, it would be hailed as some sort of classic. Maybe it still will be. It deserves to be.
A mod-garage-pop-blast. More of this kind of thing please.
Obvious as to what it means. It’s someone being open and honest to someone else.
TOP 6
Distress Signals From A Planet On The Edge Of Destruction (Party Six)
Nearly got it perfect, just not quite. Lots of sounds on this, which made it quite hard to be mixed. My insisting it had to be mixed to tape probably didn’t help.
It’s a riffy song. They are quite good fun to play because you don’t need to think too hard, you can just relax and play.
But it was a killer to record.
Again, I probably could have made it easier by using modern day equipment, but all loops and noises I made by hand, so to speak. I don’t know why really. It’s not like anyone listening really cares that much about how it was done. But it does keep me entertained, and maybe one day someone somewhere will reward me with some kind of prize. Who knows.
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