The 11th solo album...

This is actually a heavily edited reworking of a 90-minute cassette album I recorded back in 1996 on a 4-track recorder, with inferior sound quality and background hiss, etc. So I have dragged a selection of these songs kicking and screaming into the 21st century, updated and rewritten some of the lyrics, and re-recorded them with modern instruments and technology.

In addition, I asked some of my talented musician friends to contribute a vocal or instrument or two to some of the tracks via the long-distance power of the internet. It was an unusual and interesting experience for a creative control freak like myself, surrending a little control over the finished arrangements to the contributing musicians. But, despite the frustration of the additional time it took to complete the album, it was ultimately worth it, as their splendid contributions brought a new dimension to my usual arrangements. I tip my hat to them in gratitude!

These songs all originated in the mid ‘90s whilst I was living in a near-derelict mobile home. It was merely one notch up from being homeless, and a very strange place to live (I describe my neighbours in the song ‘Tinned Freaks’ – and, believe it or not, it’s all true!) I used to nickname it Twin Peaks, such was its weirdness - and much of the subject matter of these songs is about that very place and the interesting years that I lived there.

The Victorian lady on the album cover is my great grandmother Louisa, and her ‘child’ is my great uncle Roy...whose head I have replaced with that of a crow...and given him a ruff to wear. As you do. I hope they don’t mind, and don’t haunt me for my bastardisation!

I recently bought a rare expansion card for my keyboard from New York via Ebay, and it features lots of delicious retro beauties of the ‘60s and ‘70s (which I absolutely love!) So forgive me if I’ve gone a little Hammond heavy, but I got rather carried away when playing the keyboards for these songs. I had to try and restrain myself from putting them where they didn’t belong!

I've also included the album artwork (which should automatically download with the album).