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about

14/03/21

I rose with an idea in my head re a new track ("Emperor 2") sent to me yesterday by Edward Spark for thoughts/comments...

It had a, to me, not very good (to him super-scary), spoken element in the middle of it - so, I excised that and was left with a good four minute piece...
Firstly, I worked out the tempo (even though there was no rhythm track)...

I added my own rhythm track and, lo, it was good...

then I started humming a wee tune to it...

So I took a Whatsapp message from Mr S to me, in which he was trying to explain the piece and his thinking behind it...

I turned that into a 32 line lyric...

I loaded the edited piece, with the new rhythm track, into the iPod and went down to the kitchen at 7am with the recorder, required leads, two sets of headphones (buds to monitor the backing track, full size to monitor the voice), lyric sheet etc etc...
Recorded my vocal - the second take was spot on...
Back upstairs and some mixing...
A track done before Anne was even awake (luckily she did not hear any singing coming from the kitchen!)...
Sent the results to Sparky and headed to the shops with Anne...
Home for breakfast, then, more work - an alternative rhythm track used...
... just after 3 and, with one "Future Man" watched but, with Anne eschewing a second, in favour of rugby, I got the guitar out and recorded a quick track to add to proceedings...
And so, by close of play, I had a six track EP based on Mr Spark's piece - with which we were both pretty pleased...
Not sure how it might make its way into the world yet - it will probably need to wait till Ed has issued his work...

7/4/21

Unfortunately Ed nixed his collaboration, opining it has too much of his own track in it - which he will release later this year and doesn't want to pre-empt that...

So, to work and, after a couple of hours, a brand new version created - his synths being replaced by my own manipulated Frippertronics...

A thumbs up hoped for tomorrow...

He was watching the darts...

Erm...

lyrics

I thought it would be so easy
Because I was so good
But you're not obliged to love everything
When it's all a bit abstract
The story's in my head
It's just not on the page
The Emperor was dramatic
Reigning on his stage

He got too big, he got too big
And his dreams were just his dreams
So I'm bringing him right back down
Right back down to Earth
The Kingdom now has fallen
This is that fall from grace
He's fallen at that first first hurdle
So works the witch's curse

And so I'm not the best I know
Even though you know I'm good
I bet you wish you'd never asked
Although I knew you would
And so it's really all just me
And my big imagination
I'm having fun, I'm playing with stuff
An enjoyable situation

It'll sometimes clash, it may not fit
It may not go together
But the same applies for my blue music
And the vocal on "The Curse"
Now don't you steal or change this round
Don't take it for your own
Cos I'm still working to make it better
And I'm working all alone

credits

from Sparklemusik, released May 7, 2021
David Reilly - Vocals, Guitars, Rhythm Bed, Short Wave Radio
Edward Spark - Very Distant Piano, Lyrical Inspiration

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Cloudland Blue Quartet Edinburgh, UK

A quartet in name only, initially influenced by Fripp & Eno's "No Pussyfooting" and The Velvet Underground's debut, songwriter & soundscaper David Reilly started musicking in 1977 by creating drones using sellotape on the keys of his dad's Bontempi Organ. The subsequent junk shop purchases of an electric guitar & fuzzbox and the acquisition of an old Beatles songbook, led him into songwriting... ... more

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