Recording in the 1990s - Second Project

 We didn't do too much with out first cassette release. We had to reproduce it ourselves utilizing a double cassette recorder. As for "artwork," we settled on just a picture of the dusk sky I had taken printed on various colored paper using a copier machine. The insert (such as it was) was merely a song list and contact info (phone number). We got a local used record store to keep a stack at checkout. I don't know what any of us were thinking.

For our next project, we set our sights a bit higher. We felt as though the newer material was stronger and our playing more confident. We also purchased a better 4-track recorder. The first project, we felt upon reflection, was a bit dry in production. This focus of the production would haunt us on our final two cassette projects until we finally moved to studio work and CDs.  

This project took a bit longer than the first. In fact, quite longer. There were some legitimate reasons for that such as working a little more on backing vocals and laying down guitar solos. We listened more closely to individual tracks and re-recorded certain part. The other reason raised its head when it came time for mixing and mastering (as it were). 

We had untrained ears. And to untrained ears, the more you listen the worse it can get. We had to step away to get a fresh start several times. Each member of the band was focusing on his individual contribution. That's not a slight. It's absolutely normal. But wen it came time for the mix, we were hearing the tracks differently mixed in our individual heads.

We were also very aware of the dry nature of the first project and leaned more heavily on effects. This was natural in some ways as the tracks called for more effects. But even after recoding with effects, we ran individual tracks through further effects.

I purchased a 16-channel EQ and ran the "best mix" through a number of different settings. I don't remember how we got to the final version, but we got there.

The release was titled, "Get It While It's Hot, Get It While It's Buttered," which is a line from a Bugs Bunny cartoon, Rabbit Punch. The listener is invited in with the audio. The explosion that ends the Looney toons scene leads into the opening track, The Mirror. 

We were in a Looney Toons phase at the time. A longer cartoon clip, this time from Rabbit Seasoning, was used to kick off our live show. For the live show, we started from the audio into the song "Rapture."

On the cassette itself, after the intro (from Rabbit Punch), this is order of songs:

Art of Aesthetics, although quite prog, would stay with us for our full run. It required multiple effects on the guitars which led to some of the earlier mixing issues. During the extended guitar solo, I take the bass and do two lines of the main bass riff in Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall. The recordings have such a wash of sound, you have to listen to for it. But once you hear it, it can't be unheard.

I had moved up through a Yamaha to my Rickenbacker 4001S for this project. Th McCartney latter Beatles and Wings bass. a much better instrument. The pictures in the previous post are from the sessions for this project. The one below features me and the Rick overdubbing. 

Pieces was re-recorded and the latter version was much harder than the first, partly due to the addition of effects. The Mirror had become a staple. The reprise (in the tradition of the reprise on Sgt Pepper) was an uptick from the opening track version. I remember laying down the vocals for that one very late night. Branon and I got back to his house and he just wanted to knock it out. 

That night he also laid down the vocals for Scott's Only a Matter of Time. There is a faint burp which bled from the vocal track which can still be heard near the beginning. After we deleted it from the main vocal track, we noticed a weird echo on one of the music tracks. 

Now He's Dead was my next contribution to the band. Not the next song I wrote, but one that Branon agreed to let Craig and me add to the project. I later recorded it on my own using a programmable keyboard. That allowed me to add sound effects. It was my first sad attempt at a Pink Floydish track. 

Nobody is ever going to write home about my bass playing, but it was better on this project than on the first. 

The cover is a play on the cartoon intro. The logo (skywriting) artwork was supplied by a friend of Branon's. We had fun doing multiple versions of the shot. The final employed a road hazard flare (we didn't use actual dynamite!). We also added a Special Thanks section. 

We had a lot of room as we included all the lyrics on the insert which we had printed by a real print shop. The picture side was glossy with the lyrics on the matte side. Craig and I had fun trying to decipher some of Branon's hand-written lyrics. 

This is a version of another Bugs Bunny quote

Being at a university with a Broadcasting and Cinema program was good for us. One class had to create a music video, but they had to use copyright-free music. Three of our songs were used in that class! We had just started the second project, so we only had one song to offer from that. The other two were from the first go. One just used a song with her own imagery. Another used Confusion from the first project and just featured Branon and shots from around Greensboro. 

The only thing that survives is a copy of a copy of a copy of a video which featured the original version of Pieces. I later dubbed the updated version (which explains why the timing is a little off with the original video). I also added a looney toons intro when I put it on YouTube. It made it more personal! We had a ton of fun in the recording process. There is a lot of good material which ended up on the cutting room floor! 

We dubbed it, "Four Guys, Three Wishes."