Smoking And Driving - Muziek
Smoking And Driving by The Steinbecks
The Steinbecks
Biografie van de kunstenaar The Steinbecks
THE STEINBECKS Emerged Blinking From The Still-Smouldering Ashes Of The Sugargliders In 1994. The Sugargliders 3/2/89-10/6/94 Were The Creation Of Melbourne Brothers Josh And Joel Meadows Who Were Teenagers When They Started Playing Gigs And Recording For Indie Label Summershine Records. The 'gliders Went On To Become Part Of The Legendary Sarah Records Stable Releasing Ten 7" Singles And A Compilation LP We're All Trying To Get There SARAH619 Before Self-Combusting In June 1994. But Theirs Is Another Story. Music Press Interviews From 1994 Reveal Some Of The Thinking Behind The Brothers' Decision To Put The Torch To The Sugargliders And Become The Steinbecks. "The Sugargliders Were Developing Into Something Which Involved A Whole Lot More People " Joel Told Cameron Adams From Beat Magazine In November 1994. "We Had A Choice Of Trying To Change The Sugargliders Or Make A Clean Break And Start Something New." Beat 9/11/94 They Chose The Something New. The Brothers Meadows Joined Forces With Robert Cooper Who Played With The 'gliders On Their Last Three Singles And Was Also Bassist With Teen Sensations The Earthmen Guitarist And Trumpeter Adam 'AD' Dennis Captain Cocoa The Jordans Long-Time Sugargliders Collaborator And Audio Engineer And Drummer Bianca Lew From Young Guns Snowblind. Four-Track Versions Of Some Of The First Steinbecks Songs Such As 'A Fine Vehicle' And 'Smoking And Driving' Were Recorded At AD's Home Studio The Drawingroom In Late 1993 And Early 1994. The 5-Piece Steinbecks Started Playing Together Before The Final Sugargliders Gig. Rehearsals For The Last Ever 'gliders Performance At The Club In Collingwood 10/6/94 Became Preparation For Early Steinbecks Gigs And Recording. The Name Stayed Under Wraps Until August 1994. Four Sugargliders Singles 'Letter From A Lifeboat' 'Seventeen' 'Trumpet Play' And 'Will We Ever Learn?' Were Recorded At C'est Ca Studio By Siiri Metsar. The Steinbecks Turned To The Same Trusty Combination For The New Outfit's First Venture Into The Recording Studio. 'Geology' 'Snakes In The Grass' And 'Change The Weather' Were Recoded In August 1994. The Session Was Brisk And Happy And All Three Tracks Would Appear On The Debut Album At Home And Abroad With The Steinbecks SHINECD013 . But The Difficulty Of Recording All Instruments Simultaneously In The Small Collingwood Studio Convinced The Band That The Rest Of The Album Would Need To Be Recorded Elsewhere. Robert Cooper Had Recorded With The Earthmen At Top Studio Metropolis And Made The Initial Moves Towards A 'becks Recording Session At The South Melbourne Studio. Keen To Capture The Raw Organic Sounds Of The 5-Piece Band On Vinyl The Group Sought Out High-Flying Rock Wunderkind Mat Gearing Thomas As Their Engineer. Thomas Had Racked Up Hundreds Of "flying Hours" On The 1970s 24-Track Harrison Desk In Metrop's Studio 2 And Had A Deep Love For Valve Amplifiers. The 'becks Played Him Some Demos And Primed Him With A Sampler Cassette Of Big Star Television And Lloyd Cole And The Commotions. A Deal Was Cut. They Recorded Seven Songs In Three Days 'Settlement' '2-Star Motel' 'A Fine Vehicle' 'Smoking And Driving' 'The Needless And The Homely' 'Cosmo Cosmopolitan' And 'Listen To My Heart'. The Liner Notes For At Home And Abroad… Don't Reveal Much About The Session But The Sounds On The Debut Album Do. The Instinctive Pop Sensibilities Of The Band Collided With The Clear Loud Analogue Rock Production Of Thomas With Stunning Results. The Guitars For 'Settlement' Were Recorded Clean And With The Amplifier Volume High. An Old Zephyr Microphone Dug Out Of One Of The Studio Storerooms Gave The AM Radio Feel To Josh's Vocal. The Descending "steel Guitar" Line In The Verses Played By AD Was Achieved By Close Miking An Unamplified Maton Apollo Semi-Acoustic. Lew Added A Hired Ludwig Snare To Her Standard Kit For The Session And Tuned It Tight For The Rat-A-Tat-Tat Of This Track. Thomas Flipped The Tape And Josh Recited A Poem From John Lennon's A Spaniard In The Works For The Spooky Backwards Voice In The Song's Middle Section. It Wasn't Until They Mixed The Track That The Band Heard The Hidden Message "meet You Down The Napier" Amongst The Gibberish. '2-Star Motel' Benefited From The Wide Open Spaces Of The Big Studio. Bass And Drums Were Recorded As The Whole Band Played The Song Together Maximising The "live Feel" Before Guitars Were Overdubbed. A Lot Of Time Was Spent On The Thick Layered Harmonies At The End Sung By Josh Joel AD And Robert. The Meadows Brothers Were Enthusiastic Fans Of Matthew Sweet's 1991 Album Girlfriend Particularly Sweet's Use Of Heavily Compressed Multi-Layered Vocal Harmonies On Songs Like 'Evangeline' And 'Divine Intervention'. Their Admiration For Sweet's Recording Method Is Evident On '2-Star Motel'. Mat Thomas Was Meticulous About Recording Voices And Teased Out One Of Josh's Best Performances On The Lead Vocal. The Music For 'A Fine Vehicle' Written By Joel Was Recorded As A 4-Track Demo While Josh Was Away Walking In The Highlands Of Irian Jaya West Papua In November-December 1993. Joel Considered The Tune "a Fine Vehicle" For His Brother's Voice And The Name Stuck. For The Metropolis Recording They Borrowed A Set Of Clay Tablas From A Friend Richard Giliberto. Half Way Through Each Verse Lew's Tabla Tapping Is Joined By A Rhythmic Beating Played On The Side Of A Double Bass Giving The Track Its Distinctive Percussion. Cooper's Fretless Bass Is Accentuated Adding To The Otherworldly Atmosphere Of The Verses While Meadows Snr Half Whispers Half Swoons His Suggestive Sonnet. Only In The Coda - Played In 5/8 Timing - Does The Band Disrupt The Smooth And Sensual Mood. AD's Guitar Right Speaker Replies To Joel's Guitar Left Speaker While Robert And Bianca Grind Out The Choppy Unusual Rhythm. Engineer Thomas Added A Reverse Gate To AD's Guitar Line For The Swelling Volume. 'Smoking And Driving' Is A Playful Three-Minute Pop Song That Previews The Complementary Electric/acoustic Guitar Roles AD And Joel Were To Refine On Stage During The Summer Of 1994/95. Josh's Lyric Celebrates The Irresponsibility Of Youth "You Were Bold A Speedskating Star / No Crash Helmet No Holds Barred" While Pleading With The Kids To See Through The Youthful Rebellious Image Adopted By Multinational Corporations To Fatten Their Already Fat Bottom Lines "How Can We Be Different When The Dollar Sign Is In Our Mouths / And How Can We Lead The Way When We're Wearing Their Badge On Our Chests?" . The Band Wheeled The Big Steinway Grand Piano Out Of The Metropolis Foyer Past The Farnham And LRB Gold Records On The Wall And Into Studio 2 For The Piano Notes At The End Of The Song. Joel Plays The Steinway On 'The Needless And The Homely'. The Album's Sparse Single Verse Version Clocking In At Just Under Two Minutes Later Evolved Into A Live Full-Band Epic With A Second Verse. The Rambling 'Cosmo Cosmopolitan' Clearly Owes A Musical Debt To Mercury Rev's 'Carwash Hair' And 'Crooked Rain'-Era Pavement. The Song Had Been Roughly Rehearsed But Joel Was Keen That It Retain A Loose Spontaneity And Resisted The Urge To Record A Demo First. Most Of The Elements In The Recorded Version Developed In The Studio AD's Electric Guitar Interweaving With Joel's Twinkling Mandolin Over The Slow Opening Robert's Sawed Double Bass Josh's World Weary Vocals And Bianca's Crashy Drums Listen For Her Crash Cymbal And Stand Literally Crashing To The Floor Just Before The Four-And-A-Half Minute Mark! … All Coincide To Make 'Cosmo' Quite An Unusual Steinbecks Song. The Worldweariness Evaporates For The Album's Closer 'Listen To My Heart'. The Music Was Written By Ripe Now Moondriven Frontman Mark Murphy Who Gave It To The Meadows Brothers Saying The Infectious Tune "suits You More Than Us". Josh's Sincere Lyric Came Following His Visit To Irian Jaya West Papua In Late 1993 A Trip That Also Inspired 'Settlement' And Later 'All That Is Ahead Is The Future'. Bianca Beats The Tablas Again This Time With Special Bongo Sticks. Joel And AD Provide The Backing Vocals. The Call Of "last Time" Comes From Joel Unable To Make Eye Contact With The Other Band Members From The Acoustic Booth At The Back Of Studio 2. 'Which Part Of No…' And 'Same Light' Were Ready And Would Have Been Recorded At Metropolis But For Mat Thomas's Prior Commitment To Fly To Kuala Lumpur To Spend A Month Recording An Album With A Malaysian Cock Rock Band. The Steinbecks Were Itching To Finish The Recording Of Their Album And Chose Not To Wait For Thomas But To Return To Another Old Sugargliders Stamping Ground - And One Of Melbourne's Best Studios - Sing Sing In Richmond. Engineer For The Session Was Kaj Dahlstrom Who Also Produced The Last Sugargliders Single In July 1993. 'Which Part Of No Don't You Understand?' Is Probably The Most Ambitious Song On The First Album. It Is A Song Of Many Parts And Was Difficult To Rehearse Necessarily Getting Pieced Together In The Studio. It Combines Drum Machine Joel With Real Drums Bianca Wah Wah Guitar Josh With A Groovy Bass Line Robert True Acoustic Guitar Licks Joel With Proud Spanish Horns AD And Features A Fun Middle 8 With Mariachi-Style Guitar And Trumpet Which Dissolves Into Three-And-A-Half Bars Of Weirdo Timing Put Through A Suckwirth Phaser By Mat Thomas At Mixdown . The Lyrics Attempt To Equate Indonesia's Rule Over East Timor And Irian Jaya With Unwelcome Sexual Advances After A Suburban Party. Ambitious Indeed. 'Same Light' Was Well Rehearsed Before The Sing Sing Sessions. AD Who Wrote The Music Had Recorded A Slower 4-Track Demo That The Rest Of The Band Worked From. The Dahlstrom Recording Captures The 'becks' Live Sound Arguably Better Than Any Other Track On The Album. It Certainly Showcases Lew's Drumming At Its Wild Frenetic Best. The Tapes From The C'est Ca Metropolis And Sing Sing Sessions Were Brought Together And Mixed By Mat Thomas And The Band In Metrop's Dedicated Mixing Studio On Thomas's Return From Malaysia. By This Stage August 1994 Summershine Supremo Jason Reynolds Had Pencilled In At Home And Abroad With The Steinbecks For An October Release. Josh Flew To Sydney With The Tapes And Oversaw The Mastering Process With William Bowden On The Old Euri Machine At Festival Studios In Pyrmont. The Album Was Released In Australia On 17 October 1994. With The Album Recorded Mixed And Mastered The Steinbecks Started Playing Live Gigs Back In Melbourne. At Home And Abroad… Was Launched On 11 November 1994 At The Carlton Moviehouse Where Patrons Were Treated To A 40-Minute Steinbecks Set Followed By A Screening Of The Monkees' Psychedelic Celluloid Trip Head. The Band Enhanced Their Live Reputation With A String Of Gigs Through The Summer Months Including Shows In Sydney And Newcastle With Summershine Labelmates The Earthmen. A New Song 'All That Is Ahead Is The Future' Was Recorded On 4-Track At The Drawingroom A Warm Evening In March 1995. The Five Band Members Squeezed Into AD's Tiny Spare Room Studio And Recorded The Song Live To Tape. Josh Strummed And Sang Robert Gently Plucked The Bass Guitar Joel Played The Spine-Tingling Acoustic Guitar Solo Bianca Added Two Perfectly Struck Notes On A Bell And AD Twiddled The Knobs. The Song Was Complete. This Simple Stark Recording Had A General Release Five Years Later When It Was Included On The Compilation Fundraiser Indie Aid Abroad A Little Help For East Timor DRIVE42/shhh10 . The Next Steinbecks Recording Session Was On 9 April 1995 When The Band Recorded Their Contribution To A Go-Betweens Tribute Album Right Here A Project Masterminded By Melbourne Cult Figure Cousin Creep Christened Craig Barnes . The Album Features Cover Versions Of Go-Betweens Songs By A Range Of Australian Groups Including Frente The Earthmen Snout Tender Engines And The Blackeyed Susans. The Steinbecks Offered A Faithful Rendition Of 'Draining The Pool For You' Which Departs Significantly From The Original Only Towards The End With The Introduction Of Trumpets And A Swinging Carnival Atmosphere. The Track Was Recorded And Mixed In A Day At Richmond's Stable Sound Studios. Throughout This Time The Steinbecks Rehearsed Regularly Often At Their Favourite Space - Over The Water In Shed 11 At Victoria Docks. New Songs Emerged 'Dustbin Boutique' 'Mr Mutual Respect' And The Jangling Spangling Pop Punch 'Apollo'. Andrew Withycombe Friend Of The Band Regular Live Sound Engineer And Pop Star In His Own Bands The Cat's Miaow Hydroplane And Huon Recorded Live Demos Of The Three Songs Down At The Docks On 13 April 1995. Summershine's US Operations Were Just Beginning And Label Boss Reynolds Wanted To Release At Home And Abroad… To The American Market With An Extra Track. 'Apollo' Was An Obvious Single So The Band Returned To Metropolis In May 1995 To Record The Track With Mat Gearing Thomas Again Behind The Desk. At The Same Session They Recorded Live Favourite 'Mr Mutual Respect'. Both Songs Were Mixed At Metropolis By Thomas And The Steinbecks On 4 June 1995. On The Day Of The Mixdown Nick Cave Was Recording In An Adjoining Studio And Sat In On The Steinbecks Session For A While As The Band And The Engineer Placed Layer Upon Layer Of Jangling Guitar To Fashion The Poptastic 'Apollo' Soundscape. Whether The Song Left Any Impression At All On Mr Cave Is Unclear. Summershine Put Out The US Version Of The Album With 'Apollo' As The First Track. The Song Was Also Issued As A 7" Single With 'Mr Mutual Respect' On The Flip. The 'Apollo'/'Mr Mutual' Mixdown Was To Be The Last Time The 5-Piece Steinbecks Would Be Together In The Studio. On 20 July 1995 Cooper And Lew Announced To A Stunned Meadows Meadows And Dennis That They Were Leaving The Band. After Some Consideration The Meadows Brothers Decided To Continue The Steinbecks Story On Their Own. For The Remainder Of 1995 Josh And Joel Concentrated On Songwriting. 'Boy's A Dancer' Was One Of The Songs To Emerge From This Time. It Was A Very Different Sort Of Song From Anything On The First Album And The Brothers Knew It Would Need A Very Different Recording Approach. Simon Grounds Was Part Of Colourful 1980s Shock Merchants Shower Scene From Psycho. In The Late Eighties And Early Nineties He Quietly Carved Out A Reputation For Raw And Creative Analogue Production Through His Work With The Likes Of The Meanies Underground Lovers Tim Best Girl Of The World Hispana Tim And Snout. Best A Friend Of The Steinbecks Suggested Grounds' 16-Track Abbotsford Studio As A Good Place For The 'becks To Get The Sounds They Were After On 'Boy's A Dancer'. The Recording Process Started With Joel Laying Down The Main Guitar Track On 23 November 1995. Later That Week He Added The Electric Guitar Solo And Josh Sang The Lead Vocal. Then Summer Intervened. It Was 2 March 1996 A Bleak Day In Australian History With John Howard Winning The Federal Election Before The Brothers Resumed Work On 'Boy's A Dancer'. They Called On An Old Friend Darren Seltmann To Play The All-Important Drum Track For The Song. Seltmann Knew The Meadows Boys From His Days As Ripe's Drummer And Had Recorded With The Sugargliders On '90 Days Of Moths & Rust' And 'Top 40 Sculpture'. He Shot To International Fame In 2000/01 As A Member Of The Avalanches. Seltmann's Heavily Accented Drumming On 'Boy's A Dancer' Responds To Cues From The Guitars And Vocals Rather Than Laying Down A Conventional Rhythm For The Other Instruments To Follow. The Violin And Cello Were Added On 16 March By Amy Bennett And Sally Giljohann. Earthman Nick Batterham Helped With The String Arrangement And Joined J&J On Backing Vocals. The Song Was Mixed On 25 March. 'Colour O' The Harbour' And 'Sleepyheart' Were Recorded And Mixed Over Three Sessions With Simon Grounds In April And May. The Bulk Of 'Colour O' The Harbour' Was Recorded Live To Tape With Joel Playing Acoustic Guitar Josh On Electric Bass And Friend Andy Gosden Squeezing The Squeezebox For The Maritime Feel . The Whirring Sound Throughout The Song Was Achieved By Running Joel's Super 8 Film Projector In The Room While They Played. Vocals And Toy Piano From The S Grounds Toy Piano Collection Were Overdubbed. The Spooky Bit In The Middle Is A 4-Track Recording Made By Josh And Joel Played Backwards. 'Sleepyheart' Is Essentially A Simple Song Complicated Slightly By Its Unusual Timing. Joel Played The Acoustic Josh Sang The Main Vocal And Both Sang Backing. Gosden And Meadows Jr Cooperated On The Drums To Get The 7/8 Rhythm Right. The Band Imagined 'Boy's A Dancer' As The A-Side Of A 7" Single With 'Sleepyheart' And 'Colour O' The Harbour' On The B-Side But Jason Reynolds From Summershine Was Lukewarm About The Proposal. He Urged The Band To Record More Songs And Work Towards A Mini LP. JR Would Get His Mini LP. But In May 1996 Neither Band Nor Label Had Any Idea It Would Be Nearly Two Years Before From The Wrestling Chair To The Sea SHINEUS23 Would See The Light Of Day. As Winter Closed In Other Projects Beckoned. Mono-Appellated Melbourne Pop Figure Bart The Cat's Miaow Hydroplane Was Putting Together The First Bart & Friends CD 10 Songs About Cars & Girls DRIVE24 . The CD Comprised Collaborations And Co-Compositions Between Bart And A Range Of Friends Natch Plus 21 Bonus Cat's Miaow Rarities Outtakes And Live Recordings. Bart Asked Josh To Pen Some Words To Go With A Snappy Unnamed Guitar Tune. Josh's Lyric Was Untutored Backyard Philosophy "Life's A Maze / It's Just A Series Of Days / A Winter-Summer Haze" … With An Evangelical Touch … "Ah There Are So Many Ways / Of Singing Songs Of Praise / Oh What Songs We'll Raise!" . Josh Joel And Bart Recorded The Song At Josh's Rented Lodgings On 6 July 1996 With Andrew Withycombe Manning The 4-Track. At One Stage As They Were Singing The Backing Harmonies For The Middle 8 Withycombe Stopped The Tape And Asked The Brothers The Rather Personal Question 'Are You Guys Into Wings?' The Song Had Its Title. The "think It Over" Coda Needed Some Accompanying Ambient Sounds So They Dragged A Microphone Out The Front And Taped The Cars Swishing Past On Rainy Barkers Road. Another Interesting Offer Came From Mike Babb Founder Of Fledgling Grand Rapids Label Drive-In Records. Babb Proposed A Twin 7" Split Between Two Bands - The Steinbecks And Buddha On The Moon. The Double 7" Vinyl Package Would Feature One Original From Each Band And A Cover Version Of The Same Song By The Other Band. HK From Buddha On The Moon Had Already Recorded The Steinbecks' '2-Star Motel' So Babb Suggested The 'becks Tackle BOTM's 'How Near Or How Far'. Josh And Joel Liked The Idea And Set About Reconfiguring HK's Poem To A "dear Distant Friend". They Chose The More Conventional Pop 4/4 Time Signature Over The Original's 3/4 Tempo And Emphasised The Song's Latent Harmonies. J&J Recorded 'How Near…' With AD At The Drawingroom Over Three Sessions In August 1996. They Mixed The Track With Simon Grounds In Early September. The Double 7" Was Issued As A Joint Release Between Drive-In And Melbourne's Season Records. Production For The Steinbecks' Version Of '2-Star Motel' Is Attributed To Mat Thomas And His Alter Ego Hugh Jorgen. Other Enjoyable Extra-Curricular Activities Prevented The Brothers From Taking The Proposed Mini LP Much Further During 1996. Josh Was Playing Bass With Tim Best's Well-Dressed Combo Hispana Tim And Contributing To Recordings That Would Appear On Best's Solo LP Promising Boyfriend PARASOLCD042 . Joel Was Working With Iron And Steel Creating A Collection Of Innovative Lamps That Received Critical Acclaim When Exhibited At Hybridzo Gallery In Hawthorn In May 1997. And Both Brothers Devoted A Fair Degree Of Headspace To Following The Fortunes Of The North Melbourne Football Club As The Kangaroos Carved Their Way Through Stiff Opposition To Take Out The AFL Premiership In September 1996 The Club's First Flag Since 1977. In May-June 1997 The Meadows Brothers Started Rehearsing New Songs With Matthew Sigley The Earthmen Playing Bass And Darren Seltmann On Drums. Three Songs Stood Out As The Best Of The New Material And These Were Developed To A Point Where They Could Be Recorded For Inclusion On The Proposed Mini LP. The 'becks Booked Three Days At Seed Recording Studios In South Melbourne And Once Again Called On Mat Gearing Thomas To Engineer The Sessions. The First Song They Tackled Was The Weird And Wonderful 'Obstreperous'. A Trademark Joel Meadows Acoustic Guitar Line Opens The Track Atop A Funereally Slow Bass And Drum Rhythm Delivered By Sigley And Seltmann. The Words Seem To Tell The Story Of A Near Death Experience And Subsequent Road-To-Damascus Realisation That Life Is Indeed Precious. Soothing Verses Dissolve Into Discordant Choruses Featuring Energetic Drum Action From Seltmann And Droning Phased Vocals From Sigley And The Brothers. Not Long Before This Session Sigley's Beloved Rickenbacker 4003 Bass Guitar Had Been Stolen And He Had Just Replaced It With A Vox Semi-Acoustic Bass The Sound Of Which Is Prominent. Steve Lane Another Friend Of The Band Played The 'drunken Trombone' Solo In The Middle. 'The Lighthouse Act 1911' Starts Off Sounding Quite C&W With A Rimshot Snare And Country Bassline. Then Seltmann's Garage Drums Gatecrash The Pastoral Scene And Sigley's Whirring Vox Continental Electric Organ Sets The Lighthouse Swinging. Trainspotting Sugargliders Fans Are Given Cause To Smile With The Reference To "the Wrestling Chair" First Coined By Meadows Meadows In 'Aloha Street' SARAH67 Back In 1992. Thomas' Production Leaves Plenty Of Space In The Mix Allowing Each Instrument Room To Shine. 'Lucky Star' Also Borrows A Line Or Two From An Old 'gliders Song The Pre-Sarah Live Favourite 'Never Could Stand Authority'. Steve Lane Takes Care Of Bass Duties Leaving Sigley Free To Get The Best From His Vox Continental Organ. Seltmann Beats The Pagan Skins. Joel Runs His Maton Electric Through A Fender Guitar Amp And A Lesley Speaker For The Main Guitar Line's 'Beast Of Burden' Sound. Thomas Again Coaxes A Fine Performance Out Of Josh On The Lead Vocal. It Was A Happy And Creative Session That Yielded Three Strong Pop Songs For The Mini LP. Sigley And Seltmann Joined Thomas And The Brothers For The Mixdown On 29 October Across The Road From Seed In The Dedicated Mixing Studio At Metropolis. Summershine Released From The Wrestling Chair To The Sea SHINEUS23 On Compact Disc And 10" Vinyl In July 1998 To A Favourable If Somewhat Low-Key Response. The Band Played A Smattering Of Melbourne Gigs To Support The Release Culminating With A Record Launch At The Empress Of India On Friday 7 August. Line-Up For These Shows Was Meadows Meadows Sigley And Seltmann With Lane Also Playing At The Launch. The Seeds For The Next Album Were Being Sown Back In 1997 During The Recording Of From The Wrestling Chair To The Sea. 'Imperial' 'Rare Blood Group' 'Precious Burden' And 'The Long Walk' Were Early Compositions That Had To Go On Ice While New Songs Emerged To Join Them. In December 1998 And January 1999 Josh Went Back To Irian Jaya West Papua And Papua New Guinea Delaying Plans For Recording But Returning With Lyrics For The Forthcoming Album's Opener 'No Strings No Money No Worries' And Closer ' 85 K's From Vanimo'. Hopes To Record The New Album With The Old Firm Of Sigley And Seltmann Were Dashed When Sigley Left For London On A One-Way Ticket In April 1999 And The Avalanches' Increasingly Demanding Schedule Prohibited Seltmann From Committing To The Next 'becks Sesh. By May 1999 The Brothers Had Finally Assembled The Requisite Resources And Personnel To Hit The Studio. They Chose Rangemaster Studio And Audio Engineer David Carr. The Session Started On 21 May With The Drum Track For 'Precious Burden'. Rod Wilson Who Collaborated With Joel In Summer Holiday Band The Big Friendly Giants Played The Drums At A Lively Tempo With Brushes. Then They Turned Down The Tape Speed To Give The Drums The Slow Deliberate Shuffle They Have On The Album. Joel Plays The Faraway Twin Peaks Guitar And Delivers The Close Confessional Vocal "All My Life I Have Seen That Which Was Far Beyond Me / With No Great Clarity But Clear Enough Just To See / Such A Burden Brings Such Joy…" . Josh Plays The Bass On This Track. 'Monochrome' Is Part Smiths Part Monochrome Set Part Young Socialist Polemic. Wilson Plays Drums Lane Plays Bass Josh Sings And Joel Takes On A Variety Of Guitar Identities. The Third Song Rod Wilson Played Drums On Was 'Storm Boy' RMS's Single That Never Was. It Is One Of The Few Songs From The Album That Had Been Performed Live Before The Recording Sessions. Josh And Joel Wanted To Capture The Simplicity Of A Guitar/bass/drums Live Performance But Once Recorded They Felt It Needed More. The Slightly Dirty Hofner Guitar Added By Joel Made The Difference. The Ba-Da D-Da D-Da-Daa Vocals At The End Were Sung By The Meadows Brothers And Friend Joel Sprake. Ever Since They Recorded The Original 'Are You Guys Into Wings?' With Bart And Andrew Withycombe In July 1996 Josh And Joel Had Harboured The Idea Of Expanding On The Song's Brief "think It Over" Coda. At Rangemaster They Did So Enlisting Friends Brad Welsh Phil Lawson And Joel Sprake To Help Them Out On A Voices-Only Extension. It Appears On The Album As 'Are You Guys Into Wings? Reprise'. 'Are You Guys Into Wings? Part 2' Bears A Similar Title But Little Other Resemblance To 'Wings' Part 1 Or The Reprise. Quite Obviously A Summer Song It Began Life As A 4-Track Recorded At Joel's Place The Previous Year. For The Rangemaster Recording Joel's Lone Electric Guitar Is Joined By A Chugging Bassline And Carefully Chosen Drum Loop. Joel Sprake Played The Remaining Drum Tracks For The Album. A Long Time Confidant Of The Brothers Sprake Was A Singer And Guitarist In Another Band The Sunbeams Know In An Earlier Incarnation As Just . Sprake Hadn't Sat Through A Drumming Lesson In His Life But His Enthusiasm For The Music Of Pavement Cardinal And The Beach Boys And An Instinctive Feel For The Pagan Skins Convinced Josh And Joel They Had The Right Man For The Job. On 'The Long Walk' Sprake Captures The Requisite Carefree Vibe With Borrowed Sticks And Slengaland Kit. This Is The First Steinbecks Recording To Feature The Rhodes Seventy Three Mark 2 Electric Piano The Brothers Purchased Through Trading Post For AUD$300. Meadows Meadows And Sprake Had Recorded A Much Rougher 4-Track Version Of The Song - Then Called 'Autumn Walk' And With A Substantially Different Set Of Lyrics - Back In January 1997. By May 1999 The Song's Friday Afternoon Jingle-In-Your-Pocket Mood Had Firmed And The Accompanying Sounds Came Naturally. D Carr Plays The Solid '60s Bassline Lawson Welsh And Sprake Contribute Backing Vocals And A Breezy Sesame Street Harmonica Solo From Joel Completes The Scene. 'Rare Blood Group' Also Started As A 4-Track Recording. The Chorus/verse Parts Of The Song Turn On Joel's Big Octave Chords On The Rhodes. Steve Lane Plays A Seamless Weaving Bassline And Sprake Delivers An Impassioned Performance On The Drums Miked Simply To Emphasise The Whole-Kit Sound. The Song Lifts Off In The Middle 8 With Josh Mourning The Passing Of A More Graceful Era "But That Spirit Is Gone…" And The Swooping Backing Vocals Of The Two Joels Confirming The Same "It's Not Here Now…" . Josh Was Still Working On The Lyrics For 'Anna Karenina' While Joel Was Recording The Fierce Guitar Track With Lane Bass And Sprake Drums . Carr Pulls Off An Almost Steve Albini-Like Engineering Job On What Must Surely Be The Hardest Rocking Steinbecks Recording Ever. 'Imperial' Was Played Live By The Band During Their Wresting Chair Shows Of July-August 1998. The Recording Features The Sound Of A Univox Keyboard A Very Early Jennings Organ. Josh Sings Joel Plays Guitar Steve Lane Plays Bass And Joel Sprake Beats The Skins. The Album's Short Anthemic Introduction Was Written With Parts For Violin And Cello But Time And Monetary Constraints Made Their Inclusion Impossible. The 'becks Went Ahead And Recorded Without The Missing Elements. Hence The Title 'No Strings No Money No Worries'. Adam Dennis Contributes The Song's Magnificent Signature Fanfare On Trumpet Saving It From Also Being No Brass. Joel Plays Around On Rhodes Moog And Shortwave Radio Lane Again Takes Care Of The Bass Sprake Is On Drums And Josh Delivers The Vocal. Although The Song Clocks In At Just One Minute Twenty It Took Longer In The Recording Process Than Any Other Track On The Record. In Contrast The Album's Closer 'Vanimo' A Hopelessly Utopian Separatist Campfire Singalong Performed By 20 Young People From Melbourne's Outer Eastern Suburbs Was Recorded Very Quickly. Josh And Joel Were The Only Ones To Have Heard The Song Before It Was Recorded. They Didn't Want To Polish It Too Much So Recorded Straight To Tape With No Option For Mixing Sounds Individually . Two Microphones Were Set Up In The Rangemaster Kitchenette Josh Wrote The Lyrics Up On A Piece Of Butchers Paper They Practiced It Through Once Then Ran The Tape. Joel Meadows Strums The Acoustic Joel Sprake Plays A Bassline He Has Only Just Heard Josh Meadows Leads The Singalong. Phil Lawson Sat Behind The Desk. The Last Song Recorded Was Joel's Delicate Gem 'Karma'. He Had Been Playing With The Music And Words For Some Time But Only Completed The Lyrics On The Morning Of Recording. Straight Acoustic Guitar And Single Voice Tell A Tale Of The Regenerative Power Of Forgiveness "You Know I've Felt It / The Winter Sun On The Coldest Day / You Know I've Seen It / A Touch Of Grace In The Deepest Way" . In July 1999 Josh Left Australia To Work In Papua New Guinea For Two Years As An Australian Volunteer. Joel Meadows And Joel Sprake Mixed The Album At Rangemaster With David Carr In August. Some Time Between The Release Of From The Wresting Chair… And The Recording Of RMS Label Supremo Jason Reynolds Put Summershine Records Into Voluntary Indefinite Hibernation. The Steinbecks Found Themselves Without A Home Base. Fortunately Michigan's Own "global Leader In Recorded Sound" Was Ready To Come To The Party. And Armed With Balloons Streamers Fresh Doughnuts And A Bottle Of Pink Champagne. Recorded Music Salon DRIVE40 Was Released By Drive-In Records Early In 2000 On CD And Top Quality 220 Gram Black Vinyl. 2000 And 2001 Were Predictably Unproductive Years For The Steinbecks With The Brothers Living In Different Countries. Joel Did A Solo Performance Playing Many Of The RMS Songs Live For The First Time At The Launch Of The Indie Aid Abroad A Little Help For East Timor CD In March 2000. He Also Performed 'Karma' And 'Precious Burden' With Brad Welsh On Channel 31's Live-To-Air Local Music Programme New! Here! Now! Live! The Steinbecks Started Playing Gigs Again In November 2001 With Andy Gosden Bass/guitar And Joel Sprake Drums . They Did The Backyard Barbecue Circuit In January 2002 And Began Work On New Songs. One Of The First To Be Fully Formed Was 'Arafura Sea'. It Is Another Steinbecks Song Inspired By The West Papuan Struggle For Self-Determination. 'Arafura' Was Prompted Particularly By The Brutal Murder Of Chief Theys Eluay In November 2001. Eluay Was A Former Supporter Of The Indonesian Regime Who Had A Complete About Face And By The Late '90s Became A Prominent Advocate For Independence. The Steinbecks Performed The Song Live At All Of Their Gigs In 2002. In November Of That Year The Band Had An Opportunity To Record The Song For A Compilation Album West Papua Songs Of The Morning Star Being Put Together By David Bridie Not Drowning Waving And My Friend The Chocolate Cake . They Returned To Metropolis In South Melbourne And Recorded The Song With Trusty Engineer Mat Gearing Thomas. Earlier In The Year The Band Had Purchased A Black 1960s Premier Drum Kit In Superb Condition And Its Sound Is A Feature Of The Recording. Perennial 'becks Contributor Matthew Sigley Was Enlisted For The Husky Whirring Organ In The Choruses. When It Came To Compiling The Songs He Had Gathered Bridie Opted To Make The Morning Star CD A Collection Of Soundscapes And The Unashamedly Pop Format 'Arafura Sea' No Longer Fit The Bill. It Became The First Track Recorded For The Next 'becks Release. It Was May 2003 Before The Band Was Studio-Bound Again. Meadows Meadows Gosden And Sprake Who Was By This Time Going Under The Pseudonym Jerry Rinse Returned To Metropolis With Gearing Thomas Again Behind The Desk. Mr Rinse's Legal Representatives Want It Widely Known That Their Client Has Absolutely No Connection With Businesses Operating From The Cayman Islands Under The Names "Joel Sprake Enterprises" "Joel Sprake Quick Cash" Or "Joel Sprake Golden Windfall". Joel Meadows' Plucked Acoustic Lays The Foundation For 'Guilty Spring' A Tale Of The Useful Promptings Of Conscience. The Rhythm Section Is Solid As A Rock With Rinse's Drums A Giant Presence In The Refrain. Josh Plays The Slow Overdriven Lead Break. The Third Verse Is In Melanesian Pidgin-As-A-Second-Language And Tells Of The Regret That Often Follows Promises Of Keeping In Touch With Friends Overseas. The Steinbecks Once More At Home And Abroad. 'Morell Bridge' Was Probably The Most Complex Recording Of The Session. It Required A Tight Drums/bass/guitar Take Before The Overlay Of Several More Guitar Tracks And Joel's Lead Vocal. That Initial Take Took Some Time But The Eventual Result Was A Sparkling Stuart Copeland-Esque Drum Track From Rinse And A Wonderfully Fluid And Athletic Performance From Bassist Gosden. The Band Had Been Playing The Song's Chorus Quite Differently At Gigs - Fuller And More Anthemic - Before Settling On The Haunting Bass-Driven Version That Made It To Tape. Rinse Swapped Instruments To Contribute The "80s Guitar" Line In The Chorus. Joel's Guitar Solo Is A Highlight And He Delivers Possibly His Most Passionate Vocal Take To Date In The Middle 8. 'Song For Today' Is Delivered At Breakneck Speed. Rinse And Gosden Give The Impression They Are Auditioning For A Rhythm Section Vacancy In A Power Pop Trio. Joel's Electric Is Taut As A Tightrope And Josh's Vocal Walks The Rope Like An Apprentice Acrobat On Opening Night At The Circus. Nick Batterham Who Let The Band Borrow An Amp And A Guitar For The Session Later Wrote To The Brothers Saying He Was Pleased To See The Amplifier Returned To Him "with The Volume Knob On 7. Good Work." The Brothers' Rhodes Seventy-Three Mark 2 Electric Piano See 'The Long Walk' Honks And Clunks Through 'Mens Suit Hire' With Joel At The Keys. Brassman Adam "First Take" Dennis Weighs In With Pitch-Perfect Trumpet Lines. Josh Tries Hard At Being George Benson On Single Coil Electric Guitar. Kirsty Burn And Tess Hildebrand From Local Late Night TV News Connoisseurs Surrogate Turnip Provide The Essential Context-Setting Girl Vocals Towards The End Of The Song Before It All Wraps Up With An In-Studio Party. When Josh And Joel Wrote 'Trying Too Hard' They Envisaged It As A Short Organ-Driven Cautionary Folk Tale The Sort Of Song They Imagined Flying Nun-Reared University Students On New Zealand's South Island Must Sing Softly To Each Other In Front Of Roaring Log Fires On Those Cold Cold Winter Nights They Have Down There. The Brothers Wanted To Capture Something Of The Small Town Innocence Lost That Is So Vividly Conveyed In E.L. Doctorow's Beautiful And Disturbing 1979 Novel Loon Lake. Combine These Hopes And Motivations With A Slow Burning Passion For The Long Mesmeric Songs Of Unrest Yo La Tengo Felt And The High Llamas And You Start To See How The Song Ended Up Like It Did. At Nearly Eight Minutes 'Trying Too Hard' Is The 'becks Longest Recorded Song To Date. Meadows Meadows Gosden And Rinse Had Rehearsed The Body Of The Song Thoroughly Before Taking It To The Studio. Two Guitars Bass And Drums Were Recorded Together Before They Called On The Services Of Multi-Instrumentalist Matt Sigley And His Korg Mono/Poly. Matt Emblazoned The Track With The "Sigley Signature" Adding His Hideaway In The Country Autochord And Persian Marketplace Themes. They Let The Recording Settle For A Few Weeks Before Mixing The Songs Over Three Sessions At Casbah The Port Melbourne Studio Owned By Mike Brady Of 'Up There Cazaly' Fame In Late June And Early July With Gearing Thomas Again At The Controls. Song Order For The Coming Mini-LP Was Hotly Disputed 'Guilty Spring' Eventually Snaring The Coveted Track One Position. In August Melbourne Label Low Transit Industries "home Of The World Weary Balladeer" Expressed Interest In Releasing The Record. Arrangements Were Quickly Made Between Band And Record Company. The Steinbecks Had A New Australian Home. The Band Remained Loyal To Drive-In For Their American Releases But Changes Were Afoot At Drive-In's Grand Rapids Headquarters. Label Founder Mike Babb Was About To Launch Another Imprint Microindie Records And Asked The Band To Consider Making The Mini-LP The First Release On The New Label. They Said Yes. Branches And Fronds Brushing The Windows Microcd1/ltid010 Was Issued In November 2003 As A Joint Release Between Microindie And Low Transit Industries.The Band Supported The New Record With A Flurry Of Shows In Hometown Melbourne Including A Launch On A Friday Night In Early November At The Rob Roy Hotel. The Launch Was A Lavish Affair With Branches And Fronds Literally Adorning The Stage Guest Musicians Aplenty Keys Two Trumpeters And Real Live Girl Backing Vocalists And An Exhibition Of Historic Steinbecks Posters And Flyers. The Night Reached A Climax With Band And Guests Performing A Stirring Rendition Of The Love Classic 'Alone Again Or'. As The Australian Summer Approached - Often A Creative Season For The Brothers - The Group Started Developing New Songs. Live Performances Were Sporadic Throughout 2004 With The ‘becks Spending More Time In The Rehearsal Room Than On The Sticky Carpets Of Melbourne’s Live Venues. As The Year Progressed An Increasing Number Of New Songs Muscled Their Way In To The Live Set. In February 2005 The Band Recorded Demo Versions Of 11 New Songs ‘1987 1994 2004’ ‘Every Empire Must Fall’ ‘Sutton Grange’ ‘Selowiana’ ‘Blank Pages Are Starting To Fill ’ ‘Moon And Stars’ ‘Shin’s Journey’ ‘Bye Bye Baby’ ‘Sweepstakes And Cheapskates’ And Two Songs Co-Written With Tali White Lucksmiths Guild League ‘The Doppler Effect’ And ‘Have You Ever Looked After A Song?’ The Basis Of The Tracks - Drums Bass And One Guitar - Were Recorded In A Single Session At Revolver In Prahran. Vocals Keys And More Guitar Parts Were Added A Week Later At The Home Studio Of Long-Time ‘becks Collaborator Matt Sigley. --
Declan Weismuller And Kylie Stuyvesant
Melbourne
March 2005
50 Vergelijkbare nummers:
Shisho - Rock 'n' Roll Is Here To Stay Stellar Young - We Own Nothing Love Is All - Early Warnings Justine Electra - I Feel Like Crying A.C. Newman - Be Not So Fearful The Pooh Sticks - Working On A Beautiful Thing The Figgs - Inside The Disco The Figgs - I Was Dreaming Love Is All - Vans Vans Vans Ratcat - That Aint Bad Little Birdy - Dark Of Night The Lodger - A Free Period The Lodger - Bye Bye All Mankind - Magic Moment Augie March - O Mi Sol Li Lon That Dog. - This Boy Boyracer - Fuck Clapton, Fuck Hendrix... Little Birdy - Crazy The Matches - We Are One Teenage Fanclub - The Sun Shines From You Tullycraft - Leaders Of The New School The Go-Betweens - German Farmhouse God Help The Girl - I’ll Have To Dance With Cassie Youth Group - See-Saw Everybody Else - Born To Do The Go-Betweens - You Can’t Say No Forever Death By Chocolate - Tell Me What You See The Rentals - Move On Youth Group - The Frankston Line The High Water Marks - Suicide Jaws - Let It Ride The Wrens - Built In Girl Tar...Feathers - Counting Sheep Baby Bugs - He Loves Me He Loves Me Not Snipe Drive - Cuts The Barlights - When I'm Bored Ayça Şen - Aptal Gibi Sounder - It's Just A Sound Like Any Other Sound The Barlights - No Guarantees Jenny Toomey - Every Little Bit Hurts Elora Danan - Sinking, Always Sinking Jenny Toomey - Only A Monster Polock - Defenceless KaiserCartel - Already Gone KaiserCartel - Wherever You Go Lowgold - Counterfeit Throw That Beat In The Garbagecan! - When She Sings Washington - Navy Blues Easyworld - 'Til The Day The Driver Era - Feel You Now
POPULAIR
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MIXEN
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Video 1 : 50
Tag musicali per The Steinbecks:
Biography - The Steinbecks
THE STEINBECKS Emerged Blinking From The Still-Smouldering Ashes Of The Sugargliders In 1994. The Sugargliders 3/2/89-10/6/94 Were The Creation Of Melbourne Brothers Josh And Joel Meadows Who Were Teenagers When They Started Playing Gigs And Recording For Indie Label Summershine Records. The 'gliders Went On To Become Part Of The Legendary Sarah Records Stable Releasing Ten 7" Singles And A Compilation LP We're All Trying To Get There SARAH619 Before Self-Combusting In June 1994. But Theirs Is Another Story. Music Press Interviews From 1994 Reveal Some Of The Thinking Behind The Brothers' Decision To Put The Torch To The Sugargliders And Become The Steinbecks. "The Sugargliders Were Developing Into Something Which Involved A Whole Lot More People " Joel Told Cameron Adams From Beat Magazine In November 1994. "We Had A Choice Of Trying To Change The Sugargliders Or Make A Clean Break And Start Something New." Beat 9/11/94 They Chose The Something New. The Brothers Meadows Joined Forces With Robert Cooper Who Played With The 'gliders On Their Last Three Singles And Was Also Bassist With Teen Sensations The Earthmen Guitarist And Trumpeter Adam 'AD' Dennis Captain Cocoa The Jordans Long-Time Sugargliders Collaborator And Audio Engineer And Drummer Bianca Lew From Young Guns Snowblind. Four-Track Versions Of Some Of The First Steinbecks Songs Such As 'A Fine Vehicle' And 'Smoking And Driving' Were Recorded At AD's Home Studio The Drawingroom In Late 1993 And Early 1994. The 5-Piece Steinbecks Started Playing Together Before The Final Sugargliders Gig. Rehearsals For The Last Ever 'gliders Performance At The Club In Collingwood 10/6/94 Became Preparation For Early Steinbecks Gigs And Recording. The Name Stayed Under Wraps Until August 1994. Four Sugargliders Singles 'Letter From A Lifeboat' 'Seventeen' 'Trumpet Play' And 'Will We Ever Learn?' Were Recorded At C'est Ca Studio By Siiri Metsar. The Steinbecks Turned To The Same Trusty Combination For The New Outfit's First Venture Into The Recording Studio. 'Geology' 'Snakes In The Grass' And 'Change The Weather' Were Recoded In August 1994. The Session Was Brisk And Happy And All Three Tracks Would Appear On The Debut Album At Home And Abroad With The Steinbecks SHINECD013 . But The Difficulty Of Recording All Instruments Simultaneously In The Small Collingwood Studio Convinced The Band That The Rest Of The Album Would Need To Be Recorded Elsewhere. Robert Cooper Had Recorded With The Earthmen At Top Studio Metropolis And Made The Initial Moves Towards A 'becks Recording Session At The South Melbourne Studio. Keen To Capture The Raw Organic Sounds Of The 5-Piece Band On Vinyl The Group Sought Out High-Flying Rock Wunderkind Mat Gearing Thomas As Their Engineer. Thomas Had Racked Up Hundreds Of "flying Hours" On The 1970s 24-Track Harrison Desk In Metrop's Studio 2 And Had A Deep Love For Valve Amplifiers. The 'becks Played Him Some Demos And Primed Him With A Sampler Cassette Of Big Star Television And Lloyd Cole And The Commotions. A Deal Was Cut. They Recorded Seven Songs In Three Days 'Settlement' '2-Star Motel' 'A Fine Vehicle' 'Smoking And Driving' 'The Needless And The Homely' 'Cosmo Cosmopolitan' And 'Listen To My Heart'. The Liner Notes For At Home And Abroad… Don't Reveal Much About The Session But The Sounds On The Debut Album Do. The Instinctive Pop Sensibilities Of The Band Collided With The Clear Loud Analogue Rock Production Of Thomas With Stunning Results. The Guitars For 'Settlement' Were Recorded Clean And With The Amplifier Volume High. An Old Zephyr Microphone Dug Out Of One Of The Studio Storerooms Gave The AM Radio Feel To Josh's Vocal. The Descending "steel Guitar" Line In The Verses Played By AD Was Achieved By Close Miking An Unamplified Maton Apollo Semi-Acoustic. Lew Added A Hired Ludwig Snare To Her Standard Kit For The Session And Tuned It Tight For The Rat-A-Tat-Tat Of This Track. Thomas Flipped The Tape And Josh Recited A Poem From John Lennon's A Spaniard In The Works For The Spooky Backwards Voice In The Song's Middle Section. It Wasn't Until They Mixed The Track That The Band Heard The Hidden Message "meet You Down The Napier" Amongst The Gibberish. '2-Star Motel' Benefited From The Wide Open Spaces Of The Big Studio. Bass And Drums Were Recorded As The Whole Band Played The Song Together Maximising The "live Feel" Before Guitars Were Overdubbed. A Lot Of Time Was Spent On The Thick Layered Harmonies At The End Sung By Josh Joel AD And Robert. The Meadows Brothers Were Enthusiastic Fans Of Matthew Sweet's 1991 Album Girlfriend Particularly Sweet's Use Of Heavily Compressed Multi-Layered Vocal Harmonies On Songs Like 'Evangeline' And 'Divine Intervention'. Their Admiration For Sweet's Recording Method Is Evident On '2-Star Motel'. Mat Thomas Was Meticulous About Recording Voices And Teased Out One Of Josh's Best Performances On The Lead Vocal. The Music For 'A Fine Vehicle' Written By Joel Was Recorded As A 4-Track Demo While Josh Was Away Walking In The Highlands Of Irian Jaya West Papua In November-December 1993. Joel Considered The Tune "a Fine Vehicle" For His Brother's Voice And The Name Stuck. For The Metropolis Recording They Borrowed A Set Of Clay Tablas From A Friend Richard Giliberto. Half Way Through Each Verse Lew's Tabla Tapping Is Joined By A Rhythmic Beating Played On The Side Of A Double Bass Giving The Track Its Distinctive Percussion. Cooper's Fretless Bass Is Accentuated Adding To The Otherworldly Atmosphere Of The Verses While Meadows Snr Half Whispers Half Swoons His Suggestive Sonnet. Only In The Coda - Played In 5/8 Timing - Does The Band Disrupt The Smooth And Sensual Mood. AD's Guitar Right Speaker Replies To Joel's Guitar Left Speaker While Robert And Bianca Grind Out The Choppy Unusual Rhythm. Engineer Thomas Added A Reverse Gate To AD's Guitar Line For The Swelling Volume. 'Smoking And Driving' Is A Playful Three-Minute Pop Song That Previews The Complementary Electric/acoustic Guitar Roles AD And Joel Were To Refine On Stage During The Summer Of 1994/95. Josh's Lyric Celebrates The Irresponsibility Of Youth "You Were Bold A Speedskating Star / No Crash Helmet No Holds Barred" While Pleading With The Kids To See Through The Youthful Rebellious Image Adopted By Multinational Corporations To Fatten Their Already Fat Bottom Lines "How Can We Be Different When The Dollar Sign Is In Our Mouths / And How Can We Lead The Way When We're Wearing Their Badge On Our Chests?" . The Band Wheeled The Big Steinway Grand Piano Out Of The Metropolis Foyer Past The Farnham And LRB Gold Records On The Wall And Into Studio 2 For The Piano Notes At The End Of The Song. Joel Plays The Steinway On 'The Needless And The Homely'. The Album's Sparse Single Verse Version Clocking In At Just Under Two Minutes Later Evolved Into A Live Full-Band Epic With A Second Verse. The Rambling 'Cosmo Cosmopolitan' Clearly Owes A Musical Debt To Mercury Rev's 'Carwash Hair' And 'Crooked Rain'-Era Pavement. The Song Had Been Roughly Rehearsed But Joel Was Keen That It Retain A Loose Spontaneity And Resisted The Urge To Record A Demo First. Most Of The Elements In The Recorded Version Developed In The Studio AD's Electric Guitar Interweaving With Joel's Twinkling Mandolin Over The Slow Opening Robert's Sawed Double Bass Josh's World Weary Vocals And Bianca's Crashy Drums Listen For Her Crash Cymbal And Stand Literally Crashing To The Floor Just Before The Four-And-A-Half Minute Mark! … All Coincide To Make 'Cosmo' Quite An Unusual Steinbecks Song. The Worldweariness Evaporates For The Album's Closer 'Listen To My Heart'. The Music Was Written By Ripe Now Moondriven Frontman Mark Murphy Who Gave It To The Meadows Brothers Saying The Infectious Tune "suits You More Than Us". Josh's Sincere Lyric Came Following His Visit To Irian Jaya West Papua In Late 1993 A Trip That Also Inspired 'Settlement' And Later 'All That Is Ahead Is The Future'. Bianca Beats The Tablas Again This Time With Special Bongo Sticks. Joel And AD Provide The Backing Vocals. The Call Of "last Time" Comes From Joel Unable To Make Eye Contact With The Other Band Members From The Acoustic Booth At The Back Of Studio 2. 'Which Part Of No…' And 'Same Light' Were Ready And Would Have Been Recorded At Metropolis But For Mat Thomas's Prior Commitment To Fly To Kuala Lumpur To Spend A Month Recording An Album With A Malaysian Cock Rock Band. The Steinbecks Were Itching To Finish The Recording Of Their Album And Chose Not To Wait For Thomas But To Return To Another Old Sugargliders Stamping Ground - And One Of Melbourne's Best Studios - Sing Sing In Richmond. Engineer For The Session Was Kaj Dahlstrom Who Also Produced The Last Sugargliders Single In July 1993. 'Which Part Of No Don't You Understand?' Is Probably The Most Ambitious Song On The First Album. It Is A Song Of Many Parts And Was Difficult To Rehearse Necessarily Getting Pieced Together In The Studio. It Combines Drum Machine Joel With Real Drums Bianca Wah Wah Guitar Josh With A Groovy Bass Line Robert True Acoustic Guitar Licks Joel With Proud Spanish Horns AD And Features A Fun Middle 8 With Mariachi-Style Guitar And Trumpet Which Dissolves Into Three-And-A-Half Bars Of Weirdo Timing Put Through A Suckwirth Phaser By Mat Thomas At Mixdown . The Lyrics Attempt To Equate Indonesia's Rule Over East Timor And Irian Jaya With Unwelcome Sexual Advances After A Suburban Party. Ambitious Indeed. 'Same Light' Was Well Rehearsed Before The Sing Sing Sessions. AD Who Wrote The Music Had Recorded A Slower 4-Track Demo That The Rest Of The Band Worked From. The Dahlstrom Recording Captures The 'becks' Live Sound Arguably Better Than Any Other Track On The Album. It Certainly Showcases Lew's Drumming At Its Wild Frenetic Best. The Tapes From The C'est Ca Metropolis And Sing Sing Sessions Were Brought Together And Mixed By Mat Thomas And The Band In Metrop's Dedicated Mixing Studio On Thomas's Return From Malaysia. By This Stage August 1994 Summershine Supremo Jason Reynolds Had Pencilled In At Home And Abroad With The Steinbecks For An October Release. Josh Flew To Sydney With The Tapes And Oversaw The Mastering Process With William Bowden On The Old Euri Machine At Festival Studios In Pyrmont. The Album Was Released In Australia On 17 October 1994. With The Album Recorded Mixed And Mastered The Steinbecks Started Playing Live Gigs Back In Melbourne. At Home And Abroad… Was Launched On 11 November 1994 At The Carlton Moviehouse Where Patrons Were Treated To A 40-Minute Steinbecks Set Followed By A Screening Of The Monkees' Psychedelic Celluloid Trip Head. The Band Enhanced Their Live Reputation With A String Of Gigs Through The Summer Months Including Shows In Sydney And Newcastle With Summershine Labelmates The Earthmen. A New Song 'All That Is Ahead Is The Future' Was Recorded On 4-Track At The Drawingroom A Warm Evening In March 1995. The Five Band Members Squeezed Into AD's Tiny Spare Room Studio And Recorded The Song Live To Tape. Josh Strummed And Sang Robert Gently Plucked The Bass Guitar Joel Played The Spine-Tingling Acoustic Guitar Solo Bianca Added Two Perfectly Struck Notes On A Bell And AD Twiddled The Knobs. The Song Was Complete. This Simple Stark Recording Had A General Release Five Years Later When It Was Included On The Compilation Fundraiser Indie Aid Abroad A Little Help For East Timor DRIVE42/shhh10 . The Next Steinbecks Recording Session Was On 9 April 1995 When The Band Recorded Their Contribution To A Go-Betweens Tribute Album Right Here A Project Masterminded By Melbourne Cult Figure Cousin Creep Christened Craig Barnes . The Album Features Cover Versions Of Go-Betweens Songs By A Range Of Australian Groups Including Frente The Earthmen Snout Tender Engines And The Blackeyed Susans. The Steinbecks Offered A Faithful Rendition Of 'Draining The Pool For You' Which Departs Significantly From The Original Only Towards The End With The Introduction Of Trumpets And A Swinging Carnival Atmosphere. The Track Was Recorded And Mixed In A Day At Richmond's Stable Sound Studios. Throughout This Time The Steinbecks Rehearsed Regularly Often At Their Favourite Space - Over The Water In Shed 11 At Victoria Docks. New Songs Emerged 'Dustbin Boutique' 'Mr Mutual Respect' And The Jangling Spangling Pop Punch 'Apollo'. Andrew Withycombe Friend Of The Band Regular Live Sound Engineer And Pop Star In His Own Bands The Cat's Miaow Hydroplane And Huon Recorded Live Demos Of The Three Songs Down At The Docks On 13 April 1995. Summershine's US Operations Were Just Beginning And Label Boss Reynolds Wanted To Release At Home And Abroad… To The American Market With An Extra Track. 'Apollo' Was An Obvious Single So The Band Returned To Metropolis In May 1995 To Record The Track With Mat Gearing Thomas Again Behind The Desk. At The Same Session They Recorded Live Favourite 'Mr Mutual Respect'. Both Songs Were Mixed At Metropolis By Thomas And The Steinbecks On 4 June 1995. On The Day Of The Mixdown Nick Cave Was Recording In An Adjoining Studio And Sat In On The Steinbecks Session For A While As The Band And The Engineer Placed Layer Upon Layer Of Jangling Guitar To Fashion The Poptastic 'Apollo' Soundscape. Whether The Song Left Any Impression At All On Mr Cave Is Unclear. Summershine Put Out The US Version Of The Album With 'Apollo' As The First Track. The Song Was Also Issued As A 7" Single With 'Mr Mutual Respect' On The Flip. The 'Apollo'/'Mr Mutual' Mixdown Was To Be The Last Time The 5-Piece Steinbecks Would Be Together In The Studio. On 20 July 1995 Cooper And Lew Announced To A Stunned Meadows Meadows And Dennis That They Were Leaving The Band. After Some Consideration The Meadows Brothers Decided To Continue The Steinbecks Story On Their Own. For The Remainder Of 1995 Josh And Joel Concentrated On Songwriting. 'Boy's A Dancer' Was One Of The Songs To Emerge From This Time. It Was A Very Different Sort Of Song From Anything On The First Album And The Brothers Knew It Would Need A Very Different Recording Approach. Simon Grounds Was Part Of Colourful 1980s Shock Merchants Shower Scene From Psycho. In The Late Eighties And Early Nineties He Quietly Carved Out A Reputation For Raw And Creative Analogue Production Through His Work With The Likes Of The Meanies Underground Lovers Tim Best Girl Of The World Hispana Tim And Snout. Best A Friend Of The Steinbecks Suggested Grounds' 16-Track Abbotsford Studio As A Good Place For The 'becks To Get The Sounds They Were After On 'Boy's A Dancer'. The Recording Process Started With Joel Laying Down The Main Guitar Track On 23 November 1995. Later That Week He Added The Electric Guitar Solo And Josh Sang The Lead Vocal. Then Summer Intervened. It Was 2 March 1996 A Bleak Day In Australian History With John Howard Winning The Federal Election Before The Brothers Resumed Work On 'Boy's A Dancer'. They Called On An Old Friend Darren Seltmann To Play The All-Important Drum Track For The Song. Seltmann Knew The Meadows Boys From His Days As Ripe's Drummer And Had Recorded With The Sugargliders On '90 Days Of Moths & Rust' And 'Top 40 Sculpture'. He Shot To International Fame In 2000/01 As A Member Of The Avalanches. Seltmann's Heavily Accented Drumming On 'Boy's A Dancer' Responds To Cues From The Guitars And Vocals Rather Than Laying Down A Conventional Rhythm For The Other Instruments To Follow. The Violin And Cello Were Added On 16 March By Amy Bennett And Sally Giljohann. Earthman Nick Batterham Helped With The String Arrangement And Joined J&J On Backing Vocals. The Song Was Mixed On 25 March. 'Colour O' The Harbour' And 'Sleepyheart' Were Recorded And Mixed Over Three Sessions With Simon Grounds In April And May. The Bulk Of 'Colour O' The Harbour' Was Recorded Live To Tape With Joel Playing Acoustic Guitar Josh On Electric Bass And Friend Andy Gosden Squeezing The Squeezebox For The Maritime Feel . The Whirring Sound Throughout The Song Was Achieved By Running Joel's Super 8 Film Projector In The Room While They Played. Vocals And Toy Piano From The S Grounds Toy Piano Collection Were Overdubbed. The Spooky Bit In The Middle Is A 4-Track Recording Made By Josh And Joel Played Backwards. 'Sleepyheart' Is Essentially A Simple Song Complicated Slightly By Its Unusual Timing. Joel Played The Acoustic Josh Sang The Main Vocal And Both Sang Backing. Gosden And Meadows Jr Cooperated On The Drums To Get The 7/8 Rhythm Right. The Band Imagined 'Boy's A Dancer' As The A-Side Of A 7" Single With 'Sleepyheart' And 'Colour O' The Harbour' On The B-Side But Jason Reynolds From Summershine Was Lukewarm About The Proposal. He Urged The Band To Record More Songs And Work Towards A Mini LP. JR Would Get His Mini LP. But In May 1996 Neither Band Nor Label Had Any Idea It Would Be Nearly Two Years Before From The Wrestling Chair To The Sea SHINEUS23 Would See The Light Of Day. As Winter Closed In Other Projects Beckoned. Mono-Appellated Melbourne Pop Figure Bart The Cat's Miaow Hydroplane Was Putting Together The First Bart & Friends CD 10 Songs About Cars & Girls DRIVE24 . The CD Comprised Collaborations And Co-Compositions Between Bart And A Range Of Friends Natch Plus 21 Bonus Cat's Miaow Rarities Outtakes And Live Recordings. Bart Asked Josh To Pen Some Words To Go With A Snappy Unnamed Guitar Tune. Josh's Lyric Was Untutored Backyard Philosophy "Life's A Maze / It's Just A Series Of Days / A Winter-Summer Haze" … With An Evangelical Touch … "Ah There Are So Many Ways / Of Singing Songs Of Praise / Oh What Songs We'll Raise!" . Josh Joel And Bart Recorded The Song At Josh's Rented Lodgings On 6 July 1996 With Andrew Withycombe Manning The 4-Track. At One Stage As They Were Singing The Backing Harmonies For The Middle 8 Withycombe Stopped The Tape And Asked The Brothers The Rather Personal Question 'Are You Guys Into Wings?' The Song Had Its Title. The "think It Over" Coda Needed Some Accompanying Ambient Sounds So They Dragged A Microphone Out The Front And Taped The Cars Swishing Past On Rainy Barkers Road. Another Interesting Offer Came From Mike Babb Founder Of Fledgling Grand Rapids Label Drive-In Records. Babb Proposed A Twin 7" Split Between Two Bands - The Steinbecks And Buddha On The Moon. The Double 7" Vinyl Package Would Feature One Original From Each Band And A Cover Version Of The Same Song By The Other Band. HK From Buddha On The Moon Had Already Recorded The Steinbecks' '2-Star Motel' So Babb Suggested The 'becks Tackle BOTM's 'How Near Or How Far'. Josh And Joel Liked The Idea And Set About Reconfiguring HK's Poem To A "dear Distant Friend". They Chose The More Conventional Pop 4/4 Time Signature Over The Original's 3/4 Tempo And Emphasised The Song's Latent Harmonies. J&J Recorded 'How Near…' With AD At The Drawingroom Over Three Sessions In August 1996. They Mixed The Track With Simon Grounds In Early September. The Double 7" Was Issued As A Joint Release Between Drive-In And Melbourne's Season Records. Production For The Steinbecks' Version Of '2-Star Motel' Is Attributed To Mat Thomas And His Alter Ego Hugh Jorgen. Other Enjoyable Extra-Curricular Activities Prevented The Brothers From Taking The Proposed Mini LP Much Further During 1996. Josh Was Playing Bass With Tim Best's Well-Dressed Combo Hispana Tim And Contributing To Recordings That Would Appear On Best's Solo LP Promising Boyfriend PARASOLCD042 . Joel Was Working With Iron And Steel Creating A Collection Of Innovative Lamps That Received Critical Acclaim When Exhibited At Hybridzo Gallery In Hawthorn In May 1997. And Both Brothers Devoted A Fair Degree Of Headspace To Following The Fortunes Of The North Melbourne Football Club As The Kangaroos Carved Their Way Through Stiff Opposition To Take Out The AFL Premiership In September 1996 The Club's First Flag Since 1977. In May-June 1997 The Meadows Brothers Started Rehearsing New Songs With Matthew Sigley The Earthmen Playing Bass And Darren Seltmann On Drums. Three Songs Stood Out As The Best Of The New Material And These Were Developed To A Point Where They Could Be Recorded For Inclusion On The Proposed Mini LP. The 'becks Booked Three Days At Seed Recording Studios In South Melbourne And Once Again Called On Mat Gearing Thomas To Engineer The Sessions. The First Song They Tackled Was The Weird And Wonderful 'Obstreperous'. A Trademark Joel Meadows Acoustic Guitar Line Opens The Track Atop A Funereally Slow Bass And Drum Rhythm Delivered By Sigley And Seltmann. The Words Seem To Tell The Story Of A Near Death Experience And Subsequent Road-To-Damascus Realisation That Life Is Indeed Precious. Soothing Verses Dissolve Into Discordant Choruses Featuring Energetic Drum Action From Seltmann And Droning Phased Vocals From Sigley And The Brothers. Not Long Before This Session Sigley's Beloved Rickenbacker 4003 Bass Guitar Had Been Stolen And He Had Just Replaced It With A Vox Semi-Acoustic Bass The Sound Of Which Is Prominent. Steve Lane Another Friend Of The Band Played The 'drunken Trombone' Solo In The Middle. 'The Lighthouse Act 1911' Starts Off Sounding Quite C&W With A Rimshot Snare And Country Bassline. Then Seltmann's Garage Drums Gatecrash The Pastoral Scene And Sigley's Whirring Vox Continental Electric Organ Sets The Lighthouse Swinging. Trainspotting Sugargliders Fans Are Given Cause To Smile With The Reference To "the Wrestling Chair" First Coined By Meadows Meadows In 'Aloha Street' SARAH67 Back In 1992. Thomas' Production Leaves Plenty Of Space In The Mix Allowing Each Instrument Room To Shine. 'Lucky Star' Also Borrows A Line Or Two From An Old 'gliders Song The Pre-Sarah Live Favourite 'Never Could Stand Authority'. Steve Lane Takes Care Of Bass Duties Leaving Sigley Free To Get The Best From His Vox Continental Organ. Seltmann Beats The Pagan Skins. Joel Runs His Maton Electric Through A Fender Guitar Amp And A Lesley Speaker For The Main Guitar Line's 'Beast Of Burden' Sound. Thomas Again Coaxes A Fine Performance Out Of Josh On The Lead Vocal. It Was A Happy And Creative Session That Yielded Three Strong Pop Songs For The Mini LP. Sigley And Seltmann Joined Thomas And The Brothers For The Mixdown On 29 October Across The Road From Seed In The Dedicated Mixing Studio At Metropolis. Summershine Released From The Wrestling Chair To The Sea SHINEUS23 On Compact Disc And 10" Vinyl In July 1998 To A Favourable If Somewhat Low-Key Response. The Band Played A Smattering Of Melbourne Gigs To Support The Release Culminating With A Record Launch At The Empress Of India On Friday 7 August. Line-Up For These Shows Was Meadows Meadows Sigley And Seltmann With Lane Also Playing At The Launch. The Seeds For The Next Album Were Being Sown Back In 1997 During The Recording Of From The Wrestling Chair To The Sea. 'Imperial' 'Rare Blood Group' 'Precious Burden' And 'The Long Walk' Were Early Compositions That Had To Go On Ice While New Songs Emerged To Join Them. In December 1998 And January 1999 Josh Went Back To Irian Jaya West Papua And Papua New Guinea Delaying Plans For Recording But Returning With Lyrics For The Forthcoming Album's Opener 'No Strings No Money No Worries' And Closer ' 85 K's From Vanimo'. Hopes To Record The New Album With The Old Firm Of Sigley And Seltmann Were Dashed When Sigley Left For London On A One-Way Ticket In April 1999 And The Avalanches' Increasingly Demanding Schedule Prohibited Seltmann From Committing To The Next 'becks Sesh. By May 1999 The Brothers Had Finally Assembled The Requisite Resources And Personnel To Hit The Studio. They Chose Rangemaster Studio And Audio Engineer David Carr. The Session Started On 21 May With The Drum Track For 'Precious Burden'. Rod Wilson Who Collaborated With Joel In Summer Holiday Band The Big Friendly Giants Played The Drums At A Lively Tempo With Brushes. Then They Turned Down The Tape Speed To Give The Drums The Slow Deliberate Shuffle They Have On The Album. Joel Plays The Faraway Twin Peaks Guitar And Delivers The Close Confessional Vocal "All My Life I Have Seen That Which Was Far Beyond Me / With No Great Clarity But Clear Enough Just To See / Such A Burden Brings Such Joy…" . Josh Plays The Bass On This Track. 'Monochrome' Is Part Smiths Part Monochrome Set Part Young Socialist Polemic. Wilson Plays Drums Lane Plays Bass Josh Sings And Joel Takes On A Variety Of Guitar Identities. The Third Song Rod Wilson Played Drums On Was 'Storm Boy' RMS's Single That Never Was. It Is One Of The Few Songs From The Album That Had Been Performed Live Before The Recording Sessions. Josh And Joel Wanted To Capture The Simplicity Of A Guitar/bass/drums Live Performance But Once Recorded They Felt It Needed More. The Slightly Dirty Hofner Guitar Added By Joel Made The Difference. The Ba-Da D-Da D-Da-Daa Vocals At The End Were Sung By The Meadows Brothers And Friend Joel Sprake. Ever Since They Recorded The Original 'Are You Guys Into Wings?' With Bart And Andrew Withycombe In July 1996 Josh And Joel Had Harboured The Idea Of Expanding On The Song's Brief "think It Over" Coda. At Rangemaster They Did So Enlisting Friends Brad Welsh Phil Lawson And Joel Sprake To Help Them Out On A Voices-Only Extension. It Appears On The Album As 'Are You Guys Into Wings? Reprise'. 'Are You Guys Into Wings? Part 2' Bears A Similar Title But Little Other Resemblance To 'Wings' Part 1 Or The Reprise. Quite Obviously A Summer Song It Began Life As A 4-Track Recorded At Joel's Place The Previous Year. For The Rangemaster Recording Joel's Lone Electric Guitar Is Joined By A Chugging Bassline And Carefully Chosen Drum Loop. Joel Sprake Played The Remaining Drum Tracks For The Album. A Long Time Confidant Of The Brothers Sprake Was A Singer And Guitarist In Another Band The Sunbeams Know In An Earlier Incarnation As Just . Sprake Hadn't Sat Through A Drumming Lesson In His Life But His Enthusiasm For The Music Of Pavement Cardinal And The Beach Boys And An Instinctive Feel For The Pagan Skins Convinced Josh And Joel They Had The Right Man For The Job. On 'The Long Walk' Sprake Captures The Requisite Carefree Vibe With Borrowed Sticks And Slengaland Kit. This Is The First Steinbecks Recording To Feature The Rhodes Seventy Three Mark 2 Electric Piano The Brothers Purchased Through Trading Post For AUD$300. Meadows Meadows And Sprake Had Recorded A Much Rougher 4-Track Version Of The Song - Then Called 'Autumn Walk' And With A Substantially Different Set Of Lyrics - Back In January 1997. By May 1999 The Song's Friday Afternoon Jingle-In-Your-Pocket Mood Had Firmed And The Accompanying Sounds Came Naturally. D Carr Plays The Solid '60s Bassline Lawson Welsh And Sprake Contribute Backing Vocals And A Breezy Sesame Street Harmonica Solo From Joel Completes The Scene. 'Rare Blood Group' Also Started As A 4-Track Recording. The Chorus/verse Parts Of The Song Turn On Joel's Big Octave Chords On The Rhodes. Steve Lane Plays A Seamless Weaving Bassline And Sprake Delivers An Impassioned Performance On The Drums Miked Simply To Emphasise The Whole-Kit Sound. The Song Lifts Off In The Middle 8 With Josh Mourning The Passing Of A More Graceful Era "But That Spirit Is Gone…" And The Swooping Backing Vocals Of The Two Joels Confirming The Same "It's Not Here Now…" . Josh Was Still Working On The Lyrics For 'Anna Karenina' While Joel Was Recording The Fierce Guitar Track With Lane Bass And Sprake Drums . Carr Pulls Off An Almost Steve Albini-Like Engineering Job On What Must Surely Be The Hardest Rocking Steinbecks Recording Ever. 'Imperial' Was Played Live By The Band During Their Wresting Chair Shows Of July-August 1998. The Recording Features The Sound Of A Univox Keyboard A Very Early Jennings Organ. Josh Sings Joel Plays Guitar Steve Lane Plays Bass And Joel Sprake Beats The Skins. The Album's Short Anthemic Introduction Was Written With Parts For Violin And Cello But Time And Monetary Constraints Made Their Inclusion Impossible. The 'becks Went Ahead And Recorded Without The Missing Elements. Hence The Title 'No Strings No Money No Worries'. Adam Dennis Contributes The Song's Magnificent Signature Fanfare On Trumpet Saving It From Also Being No Brass. Joel Plays Around On Rhodes Moog And Shortwave Radio Lane Again Takes Care Of The Bass Sprake Is On Drums And Josh Delivers The Vocal. Although The Song Clocks In At Just One Minute Twenty It Took Longer In The Recording Process Than Any Other Track On The Record. In Contrast The Album's Closer 'Vanimo' A Hopelessly Utopian Separatist Campfire Singalong Performed By 20 Young People From Melbourne's Outer Eastern Suburbs Was Recorded Very Quickly. Josh And Joel Were The Only Ones To Have Heard The Song Before It Was Recorded. They Didn't Want To Polish It Too Much So Recorded Straight To Tape With No Option For Mixing Sounds Individually . Two Microphones Were Set Up In The Rangemaster Kitchenette Josh Wrote The Lyrics Up On A Piece Of Butchers Paper They Practiced It Through Once Then Ran The Tape. Joel Meadows Strums The Acoustic Joel Sprake Plays A Bassline He Has Only Just Heard Josh Meadows Leads The Singalong. Phil Lawson Sat Behind The Desk. The Last Song Recorded Was Joel's Delicate Gem 'Karma'. He Had Been Playing With The Music And Words For Some Time But Only Completed The Lyrics On The Morning Of Recording. Straight Acoustic Guitar And Single Voice Tell A Tale Of The Regenerative Power Of Forgiveness "You Know I've Felt It / The Winter Sun On The Coldest Day / You Know I've Seen It / A Touch Of Grace In The Deepest Way" . In July 1999 Josh Left Australia To Work In Papua New Guinea For Two Years As An Australian Volunteer. Joel Meadows And Joel Sprake Mixed The Album At Rangemaster With David Carr In August. Some Time Between The Release Of From The Wresting Chair… And The Recording Of RMS Label Supremo Jason Reynolds Put Summershine Records Into Voluntary Indefinite Hibernation. The Steinbecks Found Themselves Without A Home Base. Fortunately Michigan's Own "global Leader In Recorded Sound" Was Ready To Come To The Party. And Armed With Balloons Streamers Fresh Doughnuts And A Bottle Of Pink Champagne. Recorded Music Salon DRIVE40 Was Released By Drive-In Records Early In 2000 On CD And Top Quality 220 Gram Black Vinyl. 2000 And 2001 Were Predictably Unproductive Years For The Steinbecks With The Brothers Living In Different Countries. Joel Did A Solo Performance Playing Many Of The RMS Songs Live For The First Time At The Launch Of The Indie Aid Abroad A Little Help For East Timor CD In March 2000. He Also Performed 'Karma' And 'Precious Burden' With Brad Welsh On Channel 31's Live-To-Air Local Music Programme New! Here! Now! Live! The Steinbecks Started Playing Gigs Again In November 2001 With Andy Gosden Bass/guitar And Joel Sprake Drums . They Did The Backyard Barbecue Circuit In January 2002 And Began Work On New Songs. One Of The First To Be Fully Formed Was 'Arafura Sea'. It Is Another Steinbecks Song Inspired By The West Papuan Struggle For Self-Determination. 'Arafura' Was Prompted Particularly By The Brutal Murder Of Chief Theys Eluay In November 2001. Eluay Was A Former Supporter Of The Indonesian Regime Who Had A Complete About Face And By The Late '90s Became A Prominent Advocate For Independence. The Steinbecks Performed The Song Live At All Of Their Gigs In 2002. In November Of That Year The Band Had An Opportunity To Record The Song For A Compilation Album West Papua Songs Of The Morning Star Being Put Together By David Bridie Not Drowning Waving And My Friend The Chocolate Cake . They Returned To Metropolis In South Melbourne And Recorded The Song With Trusty Engineer Mat Gearing Thomas. Earlier In The Year The Band Had Purchased A Black 1960s Premier Drum Kit In Superb Condition And Its Sound Is A Feature Of The Recording. Perennial 'becks Contributor Matthew Sigley Was Enlisted For The Husky Whirring Organ In The Choruses. When It Came To Compiling The Songs He Had Gathered Bridie Opted To Make The Morning Star CD A Collection Of Soundscapes And The Unashamedly Pop Format 'Arafura Sea' No Longer Fit The Bill. It Became The First Track Recorded For The Next 'becks Release. It Was May 2003 Before The Band Was Studio-Bound Again. Meadows Meadows Gosden And Sprake Who Was By This Time Going Under The Pseudonym Jerry Rinse Returned To Metropolis With Gearing Thomas Again Behind The Desk. Mr Rinse's Legal Representatives Want It Widely Known That Their Client Has Absolutely No Connection With Businesses Operating From The Cayman Islands Under The Names "Joel Sprake Enterprises" "Joel Sprake Quick Cash" Or "Joel Sprake Golden Windfall". Joel Meadows' Plucked Acoustic Lays The Foundation For 'Guilty Spring' A Tale Of The Useful Promptings Of Conscience. The Rhythm Section Is Solid As A Rock With Rinse's Drums A Giant Presence In The Refrain. Josh Plays The Slow Overdriven Lead Break. The Third Verse Is In Melanesian Pidgin-As-A-Second-Language And Tells Of The Regret That Often Follows Promises Of Keeping In Touch With Friends Overseas. The Steinbecks Once More At Home And Abroad. 'Morell Bridge' Was Probably The Most Complex Recording Of The Session. It Required A Tight Drums/bass/guitar Take Before The Overlay Of Several More Guitar Tracks And Joel's Lead Vocal. That Initial Take Took Some Time But The Eventual Result Was A Sparkling Stuart Copeland-Esque Drum Track From Rinse And A Wonderfully Fluid And Athletic Performance From Bassist Gosden. The Band Had Been Playing The Song's Chorus Quite Differently At Gigs - Fuller And More Anthemic - Before Settling On The Haunting Bass-Driven Version That Made It To Tape. Rinse Swapped Instruments To Contribute The "80s Guitar" Line In The Chorus. Joel's Guitar Solo Is A Highlight And He Delivers Possibly His Most Passionate Vocal Take To Date In The Middle 8. 'Song For Today' Is Delivered At Breakneck Speed. Rinse And Gosden Give The Impression They Are Auditioning For A Rhythm Section Vacancy In A Power Pop Trio. Joel's Electric Is Taut As A Tightrope And Josh's Vocal Walks The Rope Like An Apprentice Acrobat On Opening Night At The Circus. Nick Batterham Who Let The Band Borrow An Amp And A Guitar For The Session Later Wrote To The Brothers Saying He Was Pleased To See The Amplifier Returned To Him "with The Volume Knob On 7. Good Work." The Brothers' Rhodes Seventy-Three Mark 2 Electric Piano See 'The Long Walk' Honks And Clunks Through 'Mens Suit Hire' With Joel At The Keys. Brassman Adam "First Take" Dennis Weighs In With Pitch-Perfect Trumpet Lines. Josh Tries Hard At Being George Benson On Single Coil Electric Guitar. Kirsty Burn And Tess Hildebrand From Local Late Night TV News Connoisseurs Surrogate Turnip Provide The Essential Context-Setting Girl Vocals Towards The End Of The Song Before It All Wraps Up With An In-Studio Party. When Josh And Joel Wrote 'Trying Too Hard' They Envisaged It As A Short Organ-Driven Cautionary Folk Tale The Sort Of Song They Imagined Flying Nun-Reared University Students On New Zealand's South Island Must Sing Softly To Each Other In Front Of Roaring Log Fires On Those Cold Cold Winter Nights They Have Down There. The Brothers Wanted To Capture Something Of The Small Town Innocence Lost That Is So Vividly Conveyed In E.L. Doctorow's Beautiful And Disturbing 1979 Novel Loon Lake. Combine These Hopes And Motivations With A Slow Burning Passion For The Long Mesmeric Songs Of Unrest Yo La Tengo Felt And The High Llamas And You Start To See How The Song Ended Up Like It Did. At Nearly Eight Minutes 'Trying Too Hard' Is The 'becks Longest Recorded Song To Date. Meadows Meadows Gosden And Rinse Had Rehearsed The Body Of The Song Thoroughly Before Taking It To The Studio. Two Guitars Bass And Drums Were Recorded Together Before They Called On The Services Of Multi-Instrumentalist Matt Sigley And His Korg Mono/Poly. Matt Emblazoned The Track With The "Sigley Signature" Adding His Hideaway In The Country Autochord And Persian Marketplace Themes. They Let The Recording Settle For A Few Weeks Before Mixing The Songs Over Three Sessions At Casbah The Port Melbourne Studio Owned By Mike Brady Of 'Up There Cazaly' Fame In Late June And Early July With Gearing Thomas Again At The Controls. Song Order For The Coming Mini-LP Was Hotly Disputed 'Guilty Spring' Eventually Snaring The Coveted Track One Position. In August Melbourne Label Low Transit Industries "home Of The World Weary Balladeer" Expressed Interest In Releasing The Record. Arrangements Were Quickly Made Between Band And Record Company. The Steinbecks Had A New Australian Home. The Band Remained Loyal To Drive-In For Their American Releases But Changes Were Afoot At Drive-In's Grand Rapids Headquarters. Label Founder Mike Babb Was About To Launch Another Imprint Microindie Records And Asked The Band To Consider Making The Mini-LP The First Release On The New Label. They Said Yes. Branches And Fronds Brushing The Windows Microcd1/ltid010 Was Issued In November 2003 As A Joint Release Between Microindie And Low Transit Industries.The Band Supported The New Record With A Flurry Of Shows In Hometown Melbourne Including A Launch On A Friday Night In Early November At The Rob Roy Hotel. The Launch Was A Lavish Affair With Branches And Fronds Literally Adorning The Stage Guest Musicians Aplenty Keys Two Trumpeters And Real Live Girl Backing Vocalists And An Exhibition Of Historic Steinbecks Posters And Flyers. The Night Reached A Climax With Band And Guests Performing A Stirring Rendition Of The Love Classic 'Alone Again Or'. As The Australian Summer Approached - Often A Creative Season For The Brothers - The Group Started Developing New Songs. Live Performances Were Sporadic Throughout 2004 With The ‘becks Spending More Time In The Rehearsal Room Than On The Sticky Carpets Of Melbourne’s Live Venues. As The Year Progressed An Increasing Number Of New Songs Muscled Their Way In To The Live Set. In February 2005 The Band Recorded Demo Versions Of 11 New Songs ‘1987 1994 2004’ ‘Every Empire Must Fall’ ‘Sutton Grange’ ‘Selowiana’ ‘Blank Pages Are Starting To Fill ’ ‘Moon And Stars’ ‘Shin’s Journey’ ‘Bye Bye Baby’ ‘Sweepstakes And Cheapskates’ And Two Songs Co-Written With Tali White Lucksmiths Guild League ‘The Doppler Effect’ And ‘Have You Ever Looked After A Song?’ The Basis Of The Tracks - Drums Bass And One Guitar - Were Recorded In A Single Session At Revolver In Prahran. Vocals Keys And More Guitar Parts Were Added A Week Later At The Home Studio Of Long-Time ‘becks Collaborator Matt Sigley. --
Declan Weismuller And Kylie Stuyvesant
Melbourne
March 2005 read less
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Declan Weismuller And Kylie Stuyvesant
Melbourne
March 2005 read less
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