If you’re wondering about the story behind any of the tracks on Bits and Bobs, I go through them all:
Big Beats Go on Day after Day
This was intended to be the opening track of an album, supposedly an arresting number that would make people want to listen to more. Apart from the fact that it got overtaken as frontrunner for Something for Everyone by Every Day I Read You Like A Book, I was never satisfied with the arrangement.
Here, I have added some electric guitar parts to flesh it out and given it some kind of structure. BTW – the ‘day after day’ part of the track title is because I can hear the melody to Ferry ‘Cross The Mersey in my head towards the end of the piece. ๐
Oh Raging River
This was going to be some minimalistic track with a striking drum beat, but I just couldn’t develop it as far as it probably needed to go to make it onto Something for Everyone.
I’ve turned the track into a nonsense verse monologue, but with carefully-chosen ‘non-wordsโ. I particularly like ‘lol explankers.’ I think explanker should be a new word for someone who always has to explain the … obvious. And that should make anyone lol!
808 Forever
The title of the track kind of speaks for itself (the Roland TR-808 is a legendary drum machine from the early 1980s). I love early synth music and came up with this short but sweet idea one day. As with so many pieces of music I start, I just reached a dead end.
We’ve Been Deciding
Of the early(ish) synth music I like, my favourite exponents are New Order. Say no more! The lead guitar towards the end is an addition to the original recording.
The “lyrics” for this and some of the other tracks on this album are the words I came up with when I was working out the melody. I’ve simply kept them as a bit of insight to how I work.
Drummers Drum
Another intended minimalistic track with a striking drum beat. I couldn’t work out where to go with it, so put it to one side.
To get it ready for Bits and Bobs, I added the electric guitar parts you hear.
I Forget All the Woes of Life
I came up with a funky rhythm and nice bassline and dropped a cool vocal sample alongside it but, once again, I could think where to go next. But I like the vibe.
I added the “four, three, two, one” and I like the speaker’s accent.
Solo Jam Espaรฑa
I had been recording an acoustic guitar part for one of the tracks on Something for Everyone and this idea came into my head. As the guitar was still mic’ed up and ready to go, I pressed record and this is what happened.
BTW – I called this ‘Solo Jam,’ but apparently that is “too generic” to be allowed as a track title on the major music platforms, so I had to change it. Quickly. You can judge for yourself how Spanish it sounds. ๐
Early Maybe I’ll Lose My Mind
We’re in the middle of an acoustic guitar section of Bits and Bobs now.
As the title says, this is an early version of Maybe I’ll Lose My Mind, which features on my album Something For Everyone. The other version won out, but I still quite like this. The guitar playing towards the end is something I’m quite proud of.
The “lyrics” are just the words I used to write the melody, hence they don’t always work! One-take unrehearsed singing too.
The Red and The Blue Waltz Time
I’d forgotten about this until I reviewed all the sessions for Something for Everyone. I must have entertained the idea of the song being in waltz time.
As with the previous track, this one gives a different perspective on a finalised track.
How Soon is This Tremelo Guitar idea?
Yet another track where I got to a point where I did not know where to go next with the music.
This is a track that wears its influences on its sleeve IMO.
Soul Train
Soul Train is a track that got mangled when I was writing it. I accidentally moved one of the parts to the “wrong” instrument within the software I use. It sounded kind of ok and I would never have come up with it otherwise, so I kept it and doubled it with a sample electric guitar part. And that’s as far I could go at the time.
As I considered the track for Bits and Pieces, I searched for an Apple loop that might work and found ‘Boogie Right Vox Synth’, which is the wonderful sound you hear next. I like the key change between that and the rest of the track.
Strength, Peace and Love
Did I mention I like New Order? ๐ Can anyone work out which of their albums influenced this? ๐คซ
I recorded a vocal to put on top of the music. I had a ball singing it, imagining I was in a tiny recording studio in Salford on a cold wet day … even though I don’t think NO recorded in such a place.
Excellent Idea
When writing Something for Everyone, I was a bit obsessed with minimalist tracks. Here’s another one.
I added vocals to complete the idea I had so far.
The Future’s Here To Stay – I Want To Put It Right
This is an ending to a track on Someone for Everyone that didn’t work with how the earlier part of the song developed. I really liked it, so I’m pleased to be able to feature it here.
I’m really proud of the three-part close harmony I added. I hope you like it too.
The Darkest Hour
I had this mournful synth part that didn’t go anywhere. But I liked it for what it was.
What could be more mournful/sad than the period from Christmas 2020 when the UK went into lockdown for Covid-19 for a prolonged period? This track is intended to evoke the worst times of Covid-19 in the UK.
It may be too soon for people to listen to. Or it may be exactly the right time. It’s why The Darkest Hour comes after all the other tracks on Bits and Bobs.
Brian Silk