'Child Of Nature' / 'Here Comes The Sun' (Home-Recordings)

This month I've been going back and forth between angry protest rock and sweet Beatles-covers. Tossing a coin on which ones to 'entertain' you with (first), the choice fell on the Beatles-covers. Lucky you! Maybe because there has been a lot of sunshine over the weekend? ...

Anyway - time for a thematic 'virtual single', I thought. Or afterthought, it was. But is somehow seemed to fit ...

A. Child of Nature (Lennon)

Or 'Jealous Guy', as most of you might know it. I started to record this song as 'Jealous Guy', but these 'great classic' compositions are always a bit daunting to pull off. I found that once I decided to re-instate John Lennon's original 1968 lyrics, suddenly things were a whole lot easier: now it made sense to have a sitar in the arrangement and to replace the whistle-solo with a vintage synth sound. At least, that's what I thought.

The vocal is way too high for me, but as usual, I did't let that stop me ...

B. Here Comes The Sun (Harrison)

Finding that I was able to play the acoustic guitar riff of this one (after 15 years of looking for it, haha), I gave it a quick recording. The sound turned out quite nicely (despite the barking dogs outside and the crying daughter in the background), so taking my cue from the original Beatles arrangement (not trying to copying it, but thinking of this as a quiet acoustic song with some surprisingly robust band-backing), I added drums, bass, percussion and synth.

Let's see whether you can spot the dogs and the daughter! 

 

'I Want You' (Home Recording)

After a long wait, here's a new song - recorded last Friday!

'I Want You' has always been one of my favorite Elvis Costello songs, and I even managed to include it in the early setlists of The Absence. Its moody, bombastic, pathetic protagonist sort of fits my singing style :)

Despite its repetitive chord-sequence and length (at more than 6 and a half minutes this is one of my longest recordings ever!), I believe that it holds some wonderful musical tension, that carries the listener all the way through. At least, *I* don't tire of it. Let's see what you think. (For those who don't know the song: don't worry, the acoustic, cheesy-folky introduction is TOTALLY different from the main body of the song)

What have we got? Acoustic guitar (in the intro only), electric guitar (through 2 effect pedals at the same time), real bass, two quiet organs, a crazy 6-second solo-guitar (expressing utter desperation) and drums. I meant to do this with live-drumming, but the sounds kept triggering badly, so I had to revert to finger-drumming on the keyboard. Nevertheless, the initial kit-drumming had given me a few idea, which I then imitated on the keyboard, and which I would not normally have doned had a started straight from the keyboard (for one thing: the bass-tom fill-ins).

Here it is:

"KISS (Club Mix)" (Studio+Home-Recording)

Two band-reunions in one song? Everything is possible these days!

Last week I saw Tim B. again - as some of you might now, he is the co-founder and erstwhile bassist of The Absence. The band that rocked Leeds between 1999 and 2003.
Despite one or two attempts, Tim and I never got round to recording anything new after 2003.

But this changed, when last week he handed me a copy of the demo-CD his new band had just finished recording in a proper studio. This new South-English band goes by the name 'Imaginary4', and consists of him on bass and two old friends of his on guitar and vocals.
Old friends yes, because together they used to be called 'The Honey Street': Tim's acoustic folk band from the early 1990s.

One listen was enough to find that they have changed completely! They are now playing their own tight, electric pop-songs with a hint of 1980s Goth and Siouxsie and The Banshees. Cool!
They have one problem though: they are looking for a drummer. And they can't find one. So the four-song demo-CD ended up drumless ...
Until I laid my hands on it ...

In true EMF All-Stars fashion, I overdubbed the existing recording, adding drums and a few more things here and there. Just for the fun of it.
Here's the first song I tried: 'KISS'. With all its talking about iphones and texting, I thought I'd give it a modern backing. Perhaps more modern than Tim would have liked?
It's got drums played on keyboard (I tried on the kit, but that was just too hard ...).

There you have it: Imaginary4 featuring Ymaginatif - in a reunion of The Honeystreet and The Absence! Exlcusive to Plug Me Inc.



PS. For more information on Imaginary4, go to http://www.myspace.com/imaginary4band

"Hope!" (Home-Recording)

I can already play my own 'oldies' :)
"Hope!" was written back in 1990 – more than 20 years ago! Shock horror.

It was one of the first real songs I was able to put together, and featured heavily in Meander's early repertoire. We've busked it on the streets, practised it in basement rehearsal rooms, and recorded it in radio-studios (though not on air). It's a song with a past ...
Dozens of versions of it were recorded, and this is the most recent one – done on the digital eight-track in February this year (2011).

It had a little touch of Muse in the original idea I had for this arrangement, but that quickly disappeared. That aside, it combined a neatly rising chord-sequence for the chorus with a chunky guitar-riff for the verses (based on Bruno vanden Broecke's (who was the band's co-founder) bass-riff for that song).
Ah yes, I'm afraid I had forgotten the chords of the middle bit, which here morphs into a semi-improvised new-wave coda. ... And it ends with big drum-fest on the toms.

 

"Go!"(Home-Recording)

Now here's a little joke song!
When the electronic drumkitlet (it's only a small one) first arrived (December 2010), the second thing I recorded was this: 'Go!'

Its basis was a simple drumloop, with multiple layers of live-drumming and percussion overdubbed. I added some random piano-playing, as well and a few further instruments. The main ingredients though were the vocal samples that came the kit, and that were triggered by hitting the pads. That explains the earnest and insistent 'go!' chorus, the wry laughter in the contrasting bits, and – best of all – the Maceo 'huh' in the middle! Yes, I now have my own Maceo at home! :)

"You Won't See Me" (Home-Recording)

Every now and again I have to return to The Beatles.
Yes, it is something that started 24 (!) years ago, and which I still haven't got over. I first started to sing to The Beatles (in the attic, where I thought nobody could hear me) and a few years later I first started to play the guitar from the 'Beatles Book'. It was The Beatles that started me off collecting music. And it was The Beatles that made me form my first band. All that is bound to leave an imprint.

This particular song, 'You Won't See Me', is from 1965 and a rare occasion of McCartney in a negative mood. Things were not going to well with Jane ...
When they came to record it, The Beatles gave it a light, countrified arrangement, and added rather silly ooh-lalala backing vocals. The result was a pleasant mid-sixties pop-song, but detracted, obviously, from the song's black mood.

So, when it was my turn to have a go at this one, some time earlier this year, I thought I'd give it an edgier treatment. No more backing vocals, but a garage-band guitar/bass/drums approach, which adorned the song with squashed chords (nothing fancy), a much faster tempo, plenty of distortion on guitar and bass, and some frantic kit-drumming.
It turned out to be rather hard to keep up the vocal. Especially since the key doesn't suit my voice very well. In the end, I went for the low snarl rather than the high shriek ...

"Offence" (Home-Recording)

'Offence' – perhaps one of my favorite obscure compositions. It was originally written around 2001 during The Absence days (but never intended for the band) and fully re-written in 2007, with a little help from Mrs Y on the lyrics.

In 2007, I was recording some songs with a female folk singer, and wanting to drag her a bit more into the pop-world, I revisited 'Offence'. I gave it a higher melody line and a truly Elviscostellian sarcastic and biting lyric.
In the end, I never really suggested it to her, fearing it didn't suit her voice after all (and that the 'I' didn't sound too womanly after all), but recorded my own version soon after that (May 2007).

The result was a rather carefully crafted acoustic song, with gritty electric guitar and some very expressive drumwork (still drummed on the keys of a keyboard in those days).



Who does the song address? Whoever choses to take offence :)

"Nu Geen Liefde Meer" (Home-Recording)

This is a re-make of an older song of mine (written 2003 or 2004) I did last month, mainly to have a go at making a funk-song with live-drumming.
I ended up playing about 3 minutes of constant fill-ins, which was way easier than keeping a strict rhythm going. That pedal-work is killing me!
I'm not sure whether it's holding together, but it's got some nice bits - so let's see what you think.




Since it was a sort of anti-ode to my old band, it was only suitable for it to be in Dutch: 'Nu Geen Liefde Meer' ('No More Love Now').

"Chevrolet" (Home-Recording)

Time for a serious flashback? How about one of the old Meander songs then?

In 1989 I started my first band together with Bruno Vanden Broecke. After a few name-changes (one of them being The Knockles --- if the Bangles could rip off the Beatles by changing the first half of their name into a synonym, why couldn't we?), we decided to call ourselves Meander. This is where I learned to play the guitar, write songs, do gigs and everything. The band eventually fell apart in 1997 when I moved to the UK.

The recording I'm serving you today, is not played by Meander, but it was one of the songs we used to do – before we had the native-language-only rule. It's a funny bluesy song written by Bruno Vanden Broecke as a teenager together with his neighbour.
I recorded this off the cuff version some time in 1994 or 95, with a 1960s microphone plugged into the 1970s stereo-system in the living room. That produced a rich ever-so slightly distorted sound, which I've always liked.

I play acoustic guitar and sing, while my brother provides percussion (hitting a tambourine with two pens) and backing vocals. It's a nicely exuberant version.




PS This track is dedicated to scoop and his love for formerly Eastern-European cars :)

"Gett Off (Mace2theO Mix)"

Over the weekend, this splendid 5+ minutes remix of my version of "Gett Off" (posted here last week) reached me!
It was done by the famous Maceo2theO, captain of EMF Radio station (http://emfradio.blogspot.com/) and one of the original EMF All Stars members.

Not only did he use the original multi-tracks to create a whole new mix, he also doubled the song in length and added his own vocals (introducing Violet The Organ Grinder)!

 

"Gett Off" (Home-Recording)

"So what is an Ymaginatif to do with an army of 'Hip-Hop' sounds," I hear you ask ...

Do I listen to hip-hop ... not particularly

Can I rap ... not at all!

So what do I do with it then? Ever since the beginnings of my music-playing in 1989, I have been looking for ways to sound more 'modern'. With my firm groundings in Beatles music and just an acoustic guitar available (not to mention a recorder, a harmonica, and a banjo), all of my songs tended to have a sixties vibe.

With the arrival of the synths and keyboards in the Y-household, I slowly moved up into the seventies, sometimes even managing to hit that eighties feeling by accident. But that seemed to be the limit for a long time, in spite of all the odd drum-tracks I threw together or weird effects I added.

Finally, with the introduction of this ‘new’ sound-card (with its phat loops and beefy basses), I am able to jump a decade, and make it all the way to the 1990s! Even though that’s still 10-20 years off of being actually up to date, it opens the doors for me to a sound I quite like. Yes – the days of wild of Prince! Grinding funk and pounding beats. Sweet!

To prove that point, I plucked up the courage to embark on a bold cover version of ‘Gett Off’ – a pretty raunchy one-chord vamp in the original. Why not ...

After recording the multi-dimensional drumloop (together with a loose guide-vocal), I overdubbed a real bass, two electric guitars, an array of sound-effects, flute (synth), and a distorted vocal (to ensure at least some anonymity). The result was ... relentless.

 
Can you dig it?

Expansion Boards

When I started playing the Roland JV-90 keyboard back in 1995, I always was intrigued by the word 'expandable' written in big lettering on the side. I liked the sound of that: just the feeling that more COULD be done, should I want to ...
However, over the years, my non-technical brain proved to be too inflexible to be wrapped around the idea of what this 'expansion' actually was or, even less, HOW to actually bring it about. So I always left it the way it was.

That is, until about half a year ago, when I was strolling through ebay and actually found the key to that which expands the keyboard! To my delight, I found it was possible to buy 'cards' that, exciting exciting, add new sounds and instruments to the keyboard. They go by the name 'Expansion Boards', and it turns out that there are about two dozen different ones, such as 'orchestral', 'vintage synth' or 'world'.
Evidently, production of these JV-keyboards and of their expansion boards stopped about a decade ago ... Which means shops don't sell these anymore ...

Off to ebay it was again, only to find that there is a blooming market of people selling these second-hand for quite inflated three-figure prices.
Nevertheless, I bided my Ebay-time, and eventually bid on (and won) a more affordable (and less popular) expansion board: 'Hip-Hop Collection'.

The card arrived in the post, and consisted of a mere piece of metal with some funny transistors and sockets sticking out at the back.

This had to be inserted in the inside of the keyboard: yes, I had to unscrew a few back-panels and stick my hand into the inner workings! But if the Roland-manual itself told me to do this ...

Switched it on, and yes: 255 new sounds in the can, including exciting selections such as 'Funky Voxy', 'Freakout Sax', 'Plop Bass', 'Phuzzphat', 'Ya Mon' etc. etc. For a complete list, I refer you to http://www.planet-groove.com/roland/sr-jv80-12.txt

- to be continued

"Pills And Soap" (Home-Recording)

This is one from a year and a half ago. It started as a cheesy instrumental on the keyboard, which then, I felt, needed a bit more.
By mere chance, the lyrics of the Elvis Costello song `Pills And Soap`were lying nearby, so I started to half-rap, half-sing them on top of the finished instrumental. Funnily enough they fitted ...

So, I present the world with the first Costello-Ymaginatif original!!



PS (Update) funny how Elvis Costello musc have picked up this idea, and four years later used exactly the same process to rcord his collaboration with The Roots: 'Wise Up Ghost'

"Charmingly Mystified" (Home-Recording)

Let us turn our attention to another Y-original pop song.

This one was written in 1996-97, when I was still a paying member of Meander (the band). At that time, membership required a use of the native tongue (Dutch) exclusively! So there I was ... studying English language and literature, and being heavily influenced by Elvis Costello word-antics ...
I had to find an outlet for that and a way out - so after hours, after rehearsals, and after gigs, I spent most of my time writing English pop-music by combining as many different chords as I could find with odd and hopelessly bombastic self-penned lyrics.

This one, which has more bits and bobs than a Maceo-compiled album but still lacks a decent chorus, never made it beyond the demo stage, and although it was tried out early on with The Absence (with different lyrics) it never found a home.

Fast forward a decade, and in the summer of last year (2010) I decided to revisit this little beauty, and to give it a rather lush and laid-back arrangement instead of its early snarling tone.

For your enjoyment, the original text has been left untouched:

Charmingly Mystified

You keep hanging onto tradition -

That's not what I meant to say ...

You're more than a second-hand compromise:

You're entitled to stick around with wide-open eyes.

Excuse me if ever I did offend you

With rude words and sexual innuendo ...

Life is short, a minute is easily spent

Abbreviated to a middle bit with fringes of contempt.

SO WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO MEND YOUR HEART?

IT'S LIKE A PROBLEM YOU WERE BORN WITH

I THINK OF PHOTOGRAPHS I SADLY MISPLACED

WHICH MAKES ME WONDER

WHICH MAKES ME SMILE

WHICH MAKES YOU CHARMINGLY MYSTIFIED ...

Therefore I figure I must be grateful

For fractions of constant disbelief

Speak your mind, it's finally justified

To reveal any discontent or damaged pride.

SO WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO MEND YOUR HEART?

IT'S LIKE A PROBLEM YOU WERE BORN WITH

I THINK OF PHOTOGRAPHS I SADLY MISPLACED

WHICH MAKES ME WONDER

WHICH MAKES ME SMILE

WHICH MAKES YOU CHARMINGLY MYSTIFIED ...

How you still cope with me

How you still cope with me

How you always seem to do it gracefully ...

How you still cope with me

How you still cope with me

How you always seem to do it gracefully ...

"Suffragette City" (Home-Recording)

One nite alone ... I sat down with my electric guitar, almost two years ago now, and figured out the chords to this classic David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust song.

When I had more or less got them, I put the lyric sheet in front of me, put the drum-machine in the right gear, pressed the overdive pedal down and shot forward.





This rather frantic and muddy one-take (as usual) version was recorded sitting cross-legged on the floor and with a two-year-old sleeping next door. I bet you can't hear that :)