Dot Wav

• This collection of songs was the companion piece for Welcome to Venus. It has four mulligans on it, re-do's from earlier volumes of tunes with tracks that were re-recorded in the new walkingstar studio. If you take those out, it a pretty small collection of new material. Some of it was from the last of the Fist Full of Lizard days with Mark Gillespie, when things sort of bounced into Crunchberry, but the lads didnt have much to do with these tunes so they landed here.
• (1) Have i told U? This was recorded in transit between apartments. I moved 5 times in 2 years and getting all the gear set up and moved and broken down was getting to be a pain. This was directly inspired by the Beatles She Said She Said. I had seen Classic Albums Live in Toronto and the live version of it knocked me out. Hence this tune. The drums were recorded at the Lizard Lounge and got a great 70's sound. These were Frankie's Slingerland kit. Great sound.
• (2) Cotton on Hook I recall working on this tune sitting on my balcony in one of my apartments. It was summer and i just plunked out there and noodled away. It's a bit oddball, with the harmonium sounding thing playing. I recall i had an amp modeler that i was just beginning to putter around with and got this kind of fender tweed solid state sound i liked.
• (3) Illuminated I redid the drums on this track. I have a thing for goofy Ringo Starr backbeat snares and this fit right in there. A nod in the chorus to one of my fav's, Sloan, including happy claps. Wish i could redo the vocals now. Still like it. It's got the ol' backwards guitar solo on it!
• (4) Carrie Anne This was one of the first songs i was really happy with. I re-did the vocal tracks and it has my simmons drums on it. There seems to be some kind of phase on the vocal tracks but i usually overlook it. I don't remember writing this or recording the original. I was afraid it was going to sound too much like The Hollies, but it didn't. I still would like to re-do the whole thing but who has the time!
• (5) What may never be I re-recorded the drums on this tune at the Lizard Lounge. There had been a programmed track on it initially. Funny thing is the feel might be better but i think the programmed drums came out better in the mix. I was right into the drop D tuning for a long time, mostly ripping off Cream's Badge. You can clearly hear it here.
• (6) End of the road This was written after a road trip to Point Clark lighthouse on Lake Huron, in the dark days of the unravelling of my marriage. I'm pretty sure i pinched the main chord pattern from some Canadian alt-rock artist at the time, but who it could be now is beyond me. This is one of the mulligans i did. I re-recorded the vocal tracks. The drums were done using my simmons electronic kit at the same old apartment. Sorry downstairs neighbours. Maybe that's why they went away once and let their clock radio alarm blare for 2 days.
• (7) Down by the sea I can't remember what the motivation for this song was, but the gist of it is that this guy catches wind that his wife was having an affair by the seashore. I guess it comes from my "divorce' period. Makes sense. Don't like the bridge part anymore, would cut it out if i could, but i'm still pleased with the rest of it.
• (8) Organic This tune was recorded in the Lizard Lounge. Somehow i ended up with this huge drum sound. I tried for ages to get it again, but i couldn't. Maybe the mics were in a sweet spot, or i somehow added some effect i can't remember. In any case, i added the guy talking at the beginning because i thought he sounded ominous and creepy and disturbed. Overall it sounds pretty depressing, like i was suicidal or something, but i wasn't. Just good imagery.
• (9) The One (Remastered) This song was one of the covid remasters that i did. I always liked it but thought the original production on it was too flimsy. It was written and submitted for a songwriting contest at Mix 99 in Toronto that year. Obviously it didnt win if you're hearing it here. Pretty sure it's about wife number two.
• (10) And so it goes... (Remastered) A part of my 'Sloan' period and now a covid remaster. I had a friend who was having troubles meeting someone that he enjoyed spending time with and when i was living on my own, it got me thinking. Ain't that the truth about the world? Ask around... most people suck... BUT... i think there is someone for everyone.
• (11) God LP (Remastered) This song was written in a bout of insomnia one summer. I had an apartment on the top floor, the 22nd floor, and the air conditioner was a window unit in the other room, so i would either sleep on a pull out sofa, or stick an industrial fan in the hall and try to blow the cool air into the bedroom. At the time, it seemed like i was up all night. I probably wasnt but it felt like it, so i just lay on the bed sweating and plunking about on a small acoustic guitar. In the morning, i recorded it. The original vocals are still there, but it was remastered with some strings and a new guitar track. It was called God LP because the orginal tracks were so lo-fi it sounded like a scratchy album. I had been up all night after all.
• (12) Left foot lead (Remastered) I don't recall the inspiration for this number. It was remastered to get rid of some seriously questionable vocal and guitar parts. I had an old Danelectro Hodad guitar with a Bigsby Tremolo that did not stay in tune very well, the strings would get caught on burrs on the tremolo and not go back, so the guitar was redone as well. You can hear the old Alesis D4 drum module and simmons Pads on this as well... that takes me back!