Late last night I sat and looked at the new Apple set up. A very clean and soulless visual amount of new technology in front of my eyes. This is the system which will record our new songs. Songwriting has been pretty frequent again over the last few months. Well, on realisation, since last September. September was the time when I was asked to join a project. To reform The XCerts band I played bass for (and sang in) in the 1970s. We wrote all our own songs.

Back then recording songs involved standing at a microphone, singing out loud to compete with the high volume of guitars and drums. Going through each song to capture the sound of driven energy on a four track tape machine. Microphones and leads were everywhere. The aroma of tea, coffee and smoke from my brother Kev’s roll ups accompanied the noise produced. Sometimes the smell of a bag of chips after a visit to a takeaway. Well….if we could afford them. Huge guitar amplifiers and a vocals’ amp/cabinet set up of Marshall and Fender cabinets encompassed and snuggled us in that basement rehearsal room. They were like large plinths of volcanic/plutonic plugs of hard, igneous/metamorphic solid rock. Now I own a small, lightweight, beautiful Fender Rumble. The sound is phenomenal.

Now? All is so much a gently flying solo scenario in my room called The Den. To sit and practice and revisit the bass notes and guitar chords from old songs we once wrote, or create new ones. This is the experience and considered affair with my current musical songwriting journey. An iPad with its inherent microphone, an acoustic six stringed 1979 Guild dreadnought guitar and a quiet singing voice warbling my self penned tunes into the seemingly simple, yet inherently complicated, technology of a modern everyday item that everyone in my social circle owns. An iPad. Energy over the last months has been gentle and thoughtful. But…..it always seems to be a calm before the awaiting musical storm. If I were a singular singer/songwriter on an acoustic guitar practicing to perform to a pub audience, it would be singing out loud to The Den’s enclosed space. A lyric just came to mind, typing this observation, from a song I wrote called Faded Velvet Suit.

‘Four grey walls are false security.

That’s no life. It’s obscurity……’.

I suppose those 3 small little lyrical lines are going to be the scenario to avoid in recording now in this room. False security being the one to truly ponder upon. When I spoke on the phone to my guitarist brother Steve last year, after asking him to join me in music again, he said something that I have now considered again. He said his experience of sitting with his electric guitar, for the past few years, was basically listening to what he was practicing/playing through headphones. Playing in a band, playing live are very distant memories. The closest equivalent to getting back to those days for myself was a day’s rehearsal down in Coventry with Steve and John. A three piece who had only practiced our each individual parts separately for months regarding all the songs. But the energy was completely there. Albeit a scenario of a new ‘tread gently and analyse’ endeavour to work the songs out collectively, find positivity and succeed in creating something to build on. No wham, crash, bang familiarity that existed in our old band days. But still really enjoyable.

This brand new way of Apple technology recording is strange. I have watched numerous YouTube videos regarding this technique. I have recently listened to Ian Hunter’s two Defiance albums (#1 and #2) where, on Defiance #1, the contributions from extremely well known guest musicians were sent from distance. They recorded their parts in their own studios. I think it was recorded in the height of the initial Covid period. Despite this personnel separation, the albums are blistering masterpieces. I suppose you sit listening to the contributions, through headphones, and play as if they were in the room. I haven’t done that as yet, so have no insightful experiences.

The other strange vibe about this new technology is ‘perfection’. Watching a YouTube video with the excellent presenter (Fil) ‘Wings of Pegasus’ he provides lots of musical insights. This one, in the below link, is regarding modern ‘pitch perfection’ vocal recording.

Instruments can be ‘embellished’ to provide drive, softness, clarity, dynamics, etc. Similar to a guitarists effects pedals. Similar too, as Fil/Wings of Pegasus above describes, in regarding embellishing vocals belonging to great singers. Embellishment brightens up the original skills. Works alongside true originality and skills. With this other ‘perfection’ technology? It changes to a whole different concept. False. The word False comes to my mind. You can imagine a resulting finalised digitally ‘perfected’ song being so far removed from original intentions to be painfully soulless. If I record a Saxophone or Harmonica player into my 1970s Shure microphone in The Den, playing with beautiful breath filled dynamics and intonation, why would you change it to squeaky nursery rhyme clean?

Francis Dunnery.

I have listened to the songs and watched most contributions to music and philosophy regarding Francis Dunnery’s current and back catalogue. I have most of his CD’s. Some, I don’t have, are rare now and can cost the price of a guitar! CDs and vinyl from the early It Bites band days to now. I rewatched a few of his advice videos on one of his YouTube channels this morning. You can never really find an upload without his lovely use of the ‘F**k’ word….but that’s Francis. A gem of a guy. With a complete overall reality look at life. And a songwriter who is sublime. I love the guy.

(This link above does have the ‘F’ word a fair few times. Well worth his insights to recording music nowadays. He has three differently themed YouTube channels and each are really great watches).

I recently watched him explain vocal dynamics. Getting to the true sound of his playing and singing. He did say he changes his voice on backing harmonies to create a different vocal/tone sound against his normal singing voice. As he says, if he sang all the harmonies in his same voice it would sound very strange. But, no plug in changes for alteration I would think. He is singing in his own voice still. Albeit in different delivery styles. He has the female vocalist, Deanne Blazey, in his ‘Call Me the Comeback Boy’ song (and other songs too) who sends chills and adds an absolute priceless addition to the song.

I do love various vocalists who put a distinct/unique style on their delivery to set them apart. Happened many times in my listening to glam rock and some punk singers in the 1970s. But my preference is for singers like Paul McCartney, Roddy Frame, Nick Heyward, Harry Nilsson and Francis Dunnery who sing in their own voice with different adopted delivery styles and timbre depending on their song.

I am no amazing singer. Nowhere close. Well…..maybe after a few bourbons. Then I listen back on the iPad the next day and quickly delete the evidence. But, I don’t actually want others singing my songs. So my limited voice skill is going to have to do. I am selfish in the fact that this is part of me. Stories, lyrics and melodies that I write, which are personal and that I simply want to own. If others take or leave the results? It is something I am extremely comfortable with. I would love, at times, a male or female singer singing vocals alongside or creating harmonies on songs though. The same as adding a keyboard, tambourine, percussion, etc. If appropriate it would add depth and resonance.

So. The back to the current project that is FRAIL AUTUMN. Technology here we come. But not to the point of annihilation of our songs.

SPEAKING OF OLD RECORDING METHODS!

SONGS BELOW RECORDED ON TO AN OLD PENTAX OPTIO DIGITAL CAMERA. A LITTLE VIDEO TOOL INSIDE WITH A ONE MINUTE POSSIBLE RECORDING OPTION. THEN LOADED UP FROM CAMERA ONTO AN OLD LAPTOP. THEN POSTED ON TO FLICKR PHOTOGRAPHY SITE. THEN DOWNLOADED INTO THE IPAD. AND NOW UP TO WP.

THESE TWO BITS TO ‘NOVEMBER, THE STEREO AND YOU….MY FRIEND’ WERE RECORDED ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO. SOUNDS VERY DIFFERENT NOW SUNG AND PLAYED OVER A BASS PATTERN RECENTLY WRITTEN. NOT SURE WHAT STEVE WILL COME UP WITH ELECTRIC GUITAR YET.