first take acoustic track: She’s Dead.

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You’ll understand, if you’ve listened to any of my music or watched any of my videos, that I am a fan of the “wall of sound”!  I have many a studio trick up my sleeve.  The videos are documenting the creation of the latest Eleventh Hour song – and it is set to be another epic.

I thought it might be fun to play with a few ideas in the meantime.  I wondered if I could just pick a song that has meant something to me in my lifetime – and record it in one take.  Just me and a guitar.  Why not?

So, I’ve plucked “She’s Dead” by Pulp out of the ether and given it a go.  I haven’t ever played or sung it before.  I don’t know the chords and I haven’t even listened to the song recently… but that makes it all the more enjoyable!  Ha ha!  And it’s one take – the first take.  With none of my usual production trickery!  Just me.  I thought this could be something I could do more often when I get a spare moment (like now where I’m waiting for Bill to send me vocal tracks).

Anyway… forgive me for singing in the afternoon (evening/nighttime is when my vocal chords are at their best!!!).

Enjoy (or not):

Writing a Song PART IV

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… and just in case you want to listen to the actual mix of the song I produced during this 4th part of the documentary I present it in its full glory here:

Writing a Song PART I

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Okay… here’s a new one.  I thought it would be interesting to any aspiring songwriters out there to show how I create a song.  I intend to show how I produce a song from an initial idea right through to the final product.  This could work… or it could be a complete disaster!!!  Ha ha!

Anyway… I picked up the acoustic guitar this morning and tried to come up with the foundations for a new song.  The difference this time was that I recorded the process every step of the way.  I will try and do this every time I work on this particular song.  Then… it will be interesting at the end to watch them one after the other – especially if you have heard the final piece.

Until then… here’s part 1.  The recording of the first idea.  The bedrock of any song!

Do you remember the first time?

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So I hear the news today that Pulp are reforming.  The ‘proper’ line-up – with Russell Senior!  A line-up that hasn’t been seen since the mid ’90s.

Pulp are a band close to my heart.  In my opinion the greatest of the ‘Britpop’ era bands (although their roots extend much further back) and an important band in terms of my own musical trajectory.  I first fell for the band when I heard babies and it skewed me in the direction of  ‘the indie-kid’ for a fair few years.  The band had a freshness and a zest of the ’70s.  I hold His ‘n’ Hers and Separations aloft as absolute classic albums.  Separations has a few misfires, so if you’re only going to give one album a go make sure it’s His ‘n’ Hers.

I went to see Pulp’s Christmas concert at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London in 1994 (I think).  An era defining moment.  It was before the release of their most acclaimed album “Different Class“, but they were already playing Common People.  I suppose that is the song that came to define them.  It’s not one of my favourites… but even back then I could appreciate that this was going to be the making of them.

There followed the decline… incidents with Michael Jackson and the usual rock and roll lifestyle stuff.  Jarvis becoming a celebrity didn’t help.   And so ended the story.  I always stick up for the memory of Pulp though.  One of the greatest bands of all time.  And it is going to be with a great sense of nostalgia that I will see that formidable line-up return to the stage.  Do I remember the first time?  Only just… but yes, I do.