Retrograde Pop
4,966 plays
32,098 views
32,098 views
In my teens, I wrote songs like a madman. In one year, when I was 16, I produced 11 albums worth of material. During the 6 year period between my 16th and 21st year, I produced approximately 700 songs. I have a hard time believing that figure myself, but at one point in my early twenties I counted them up and it came out to something slightly in excess of that figure. Since I've long since lost all the recordings and most of the written documentation, I can't go back and check the figures any longer.
Now, admittedly, much of the material was truly, utterly terrible! It had to be; I started writing with a guitar in hand before I knew how to play chords! In fact, the first four albums were all noise, some of it very interesting noise -- at least we thought so.
I say WE because I wasn't working alone; my best friend Steve MacKay was my partner in musical mayhem. Our band was called Garbage and that pretty much says it all. In fact, we knew we were horrible and reveled in the fact. Our attitude towards our music was interesting. We thought we were geniuses, but we also were scornful. The attitude was similar to how we felt about movies. We loved cheese. Japanese horror movies, Charlie Chan flicks -- anything horrible, we loved.
As to our recordings, I knew every nuance of sound on those early tapes intimately well, because I listened to them endlessly. The first track we recorded was called Toilet Symphony. It had three principal parts. The first involved these soaring electronic sound effects we had recorded at The Ontario Science Centre; the second part involved sounds and music speeded up four or five times, so that it sounded like the flickering tinkling of a wind chime. The final portion was a native choral group chanting. You can see why that track -and indeed most of those tracks - are not now in existence.Band/artist history
Ha! It's called growing old!
Instead, a further note about the songs on this page. In some cases the lyrics and music are exactly the same as the originals, except much better produced. (Working on a reel to reel tape recorder, meant that each overdub compromised the quality of the previous track. Only the last two tracks -- left and right -- where pristine. I don't understand those who long to return to analogue, that is like longing to walk across Canada.)
What I really wanted to say is that some of these songs are based on the songs from my teens and not exact. This is because much of the lyrical content is now forgotten, and other lyrical content was so embarrassing that I decided to make alterations. However, the best tracks on here are pretty much exact, for example 'Down Empty Streets' and 'Musical Friend' are verbatim. On the other hand, 'Race Driver' and 'Dinner at the Ritz' are derivative because I recall only a few lines from each. The tunes, however, are as I remember them, or the best approximation I can now create.
Finally, I want to note here that some of my very best songs on my main page were either inspired by the songs of my teens, or are derived from those songs. I will list them here:
Heaven Breaks Tomorrow (Weekday Blues)
Ticket to a Miracle (The Long Long Road to Nowhere)
In Your Modern World
The Fallen Idol
Bees Knees Baby
Romeo and Juliet
Angel Song
Saviour of Mankind (Lady of the Wall)
Read the Rain
Albert Ball
Musical Friend
Down Empty Streets
The Street Where I Lived
Day after Day
Amy's Mist (Yesterday was her Birthday)
This Time Around
Winds of Change
It's Getting Hard to Breathe Every Day
You Know that it's Easy
The Home of the Lord
Whirling WheelsHave you performed in front of an audience?A few times, yes. It's no joy for me to do so, because the only time I'm nervous in front of others is when I'm playing. I do recall playing in a mall one time, and that it was broadcast on local TV. Two of my songs have been played on the radio. I played a coffee house one time as one of three performers. So, it's very scant.
Your musical influences
Dylan, Lennon, McCartney, and Cohen. But I think I could list dozens of others, whom I admire and who inspired me.What equipment do you use?
I've always used Cakewalk in various forms and guises: SONAR and now Cakewalk by Bandlab. I'm all about saving money when it comes to pursuing my hobby.Anything else?
While the songs of my adult yeas have frequently been about my Lord, Jesus Christ, these songs were written when I was either questing or running away. I think both of those are accurate descriptions.singer\songwriters
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Greatings faneeboz. We are likings your shirt. Can we buy it pleese. We will xchange fishs fors it.
We are thinkings you hav a great beerd. You are lookings like the Messyaya. Blesings.Hi Cam! Your track "Face in a Mirror" has indeed been selected as a "runner up" for June's FAM, and may be hosted on MySpace until such time as permission has been received from the artists of other selected tracks. (This also permits more active rotation) ;)
So YES! :D I WOULD like to have an mp3 emailed to me, if at all possible. My direct email: fam@scfam.com has sufficient room for receiving tracks.
I'll post links and a blog on MySpace reflecting your bandpage link here at SC, as well as being added to the FAM Stations here:
http://members.soundclick.com/station/543956
and here:
http://members.soundclick.com/station/543954
A WONDERFUL track! :D I absolutely LOVE the vocal delivery and overall sound on this. :D
SharmaHi CAM! :D
Your track "Face in the Mirror" has been added to the SoundClick FAM Review Station. At the end of May (for the month of June) three to four tracks will be selected to be displayed on both the SoundClick MySpace page and the SoundClick FAM VIP account. You would need to provide us permission to do this, of course, should your track become selected.
Excellent track. Voted "Hot."Hi, Cam. I'm checking out "In a Little While" - nice Lennonish mood here, like your production angle. Found you in the SC Seniors forum (I'm a 'senior' as well). You sound cool!
JohnnyAll comments (13)
4,966 plays
32,098 views
32,098 views
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Cameron
@Captain3
I love this tune Cam!!! Now, how can I stop singing it...it's infectious!!