Al Stravinsky
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Falling apart Falling apart
Maybe it's my age or simply the company I keep, but I do seem to lose a little bit of me somewhere everyday these days, and once lost they are gone forever: I'm terminally depleting. The song has Beatle influences I suppose...
Roll the dice Roll the dice
This is about wanting to be somewhere, anywhere you're not. I wrote a line about a bed, toast and crumbs and had an idea for a shuffle rhythm and jazzy ooh and aah harmonies.The sax solo on day five (Friday 27th January 2006) was the finishing touch
Big Girl Big Girl
I wrote the biggest part of this 30 years ago about a girl in the pub I frequented; I would have asked her out but I heard some guys making unkind remarks about her weight and I just didn't have the bottle after that. Shame on me, for she was lovely
Are you there? Are you there?
With the advent of the internet and sites such as Soundclick and Myspace there are many more opportunities for us to 'meet' and 'get to know' people from all over the planet. In this new world we can be whatever we want to be... and so can they..
Fridge says Fridge says
The song is about a real fridge but the idea came from: I downloaded a 'fridge door' to add to my Myspace page on which you can write messages with 'magnetic' letters - it took me a while to realise I was sharing this fridge with someone else.
You make You make
This song is about creation and inspiration. Apart from 2 acoustic guitar tracks, the music is totally sequenced in Reason with lots of percussion, fretless bass, guitars, piano, violins and cellos. There are 8 backing vocals and a single lead vocal.
About love About love
This 'power ballad' just came to me as I was doing the washing up, so I quickly scribbled it down with wet hands before the bubble burst and I forgot it...
Shallow water Shallow water
I saw the line from the chorus in a book of Zen wisdom I picked up on holiday. My computer broke down when I got back and so I had several weeks to form the song in my head...
Break these chains Break these chains
A song about breaking free from whatever it is that keeps us down; be it physical or mental subjugation, an addiction, a fear, an illness or disability, or simply a state of mind. It's in the style of a rock/Evangelical song.
Sixty-second song Sixty-second song
It lasts a minute and says all I wanted to say. It's made of bass, piano, metronome, strings, vibes playing 'Westminster chimes', choir, synth and vocals; took me about 360 minutes to go full circle, from first thought to finished mix.
One Christmas One Christmas
This is not a Christmas song: it just uses Christmas as a reference point to show how time is passing. As I played a progression of seventh chords on the guitar, a couple of lines of lyrics came to mind and I took it from there.
Butterflies Butterflies
A return to a seaside resort brought back images of an event that I'd mainly forgotten with the force of a blow. This folk song is based on a poem I wrote in 1988.
It's over It's over
This is a waltzy thing, about a failed affair and the aftermath. I recorded several acoustic guitars, and then sequenced Hammond organ, piano, tremoloed Rhodes, double bass; then added a vocal and lots of harmonies over a 4 bar brushed drum loop.
Cry for England Cry for England
The expression 'cry for England' has enough double-meaning to at least attempt a song about this once proud nation. There is barely a square inch of this globe that this old lady hasn't pillaged or nurtured, loved or hated.
Your sister's wedding Your sister's wedding
An entirely fictional story woven around a very real, recent event. It's a song written as I drove home from a gig in late May 2005; and if it's of no other value, it at least helped keep me awake.
Lift Lift
A song about a lift (elevator). We can choose to get in or not but don't forget: what goes up must come down. The music is totally sequenced using Reason, with its great modules and powerful automation capabilities, plus lots of vocal harmonies.
Keep the love in your eyes Keep the love in your eyes
This is a jazzy, latin-influenced love song - yet another one that came to me virtually intact while I was struggling with something else...
Subway song Subway song
A song sung live in a subway... you might care to stop, listen and throw a coin or two as you hurry by. I wrote and recorded the best part of this (acoustic guitar - capo 6th fret - and vocals) in 2 hours on 19th December 2006.
You would never believe You would never believe
Is it really 'better to have loved and lost...'? This song was inspired by the accompanying picture by Kurt Bujack (used by permission), a wonderfully talented artist and musician. See (and hear) more of his work at http://myspace.com/life9music
Mirror/Since you asked Mirror/Since you asked
I've applied the fairy-story magic-mirror principle to a tale of modern love, turning two songs into one. 'Mirror', a folky ballad, tells the story of a relationship over a number of years; 'Since you asked' is the mirror's stark point of view.
