Notes on Rumble
Well, it’s been a long, hard haul, but our first full length, self financed CD album is here. It is entitled Rumble as a tribute to Link Wray; because it contains a few instrumentals; and as an acknowledgement, nay, a celebration of the lo-fi sound quality (although thanks to Matthew Barwick’s miraculous mastering process it sounds a lot cleaner than it has any right to!). It was initially recorded on 4-track cassette, although some of the field recordings were recorded on tape or mini-disc. A few overdubs were performed at BigSqueak studio, as was mixing and mastering. The cover photo was taken many years ago by David Williams, and shows Whitstable harbour in a storm.
Track details:
Godfrey’s Grave (Williams)
The album begins with a short, vaguely psychedelic piece of slide guitar recorded in my back garden, with some “abstract” overdubs. “Lying in an orchard near Faversham in August, watching UFOs come in to land…” (Pay attention at the back!) Written 2001.
Dance of the Midwich Cuckoos (Williams)
Instrumental. Rock! Written summer 2000.
What’s Under The Stairs? (Williams)
An all-new version, with both eight and six-string basses, more sub-octave fun and games, more Burns and more fuzz. This song originally dates from October 1996. The rhythm track was recorded on minidisc at Mik’s workshop on the Wilson estate. Overdubs were done on 4-track, with final vocal overdubs done at Bigsqueak.
ES-40 (Williams)
My Unemployable Git anthem, written in January 1997. Eight-string Marathon bass with through Boss DS-2 and Octaver! Vocals through HH amp and 1×12″ speaker. Burns Vibra-Artiste, Laney amp, mucho fuzz. Like “What’s Under The Stairs?”, this was started in Mik’s workshop and finished on 4-track.
Cocoon (Williams)
Band version, twelve-string guitar, four-string bass, and drums. There is also an alternate, percussion-less, version featuring Liam Robinson on accordion that you will find if you look hard enough. This version also features e-bow/wah-wah/tape-echo guitar (listen very carefully before the solo and you’ll hear me whack the machine on). Written early 2001.
I’m Not Ready Yet (Williams)
An apocryphal tale of hypochondria and general paranoid anxiety induced by living in Reading. Features Liam Robinson on Harmonium (it is made in Pakistan — with the lid down it resembles an ornate coffin for a pampered dog!); and backing vocals from Abi Baker. The night after recording this I dreamt a three-foot Raven with demonic eyes had nested outside my kitchen window. Vocals re-done and backing vocals added at Bigsqueak. Written spring 1999.
Dracula’s Guest (Croft)
Scary instrumental (we hope), written and played by Dave on guitar and embellished by me (guitar) and Mik (drums). Two Masquerader six-strings and drums; no bass! “Peter Green jamming with Slint, with Ennio Morricone arranging”? Well, we’d like to think so. Written May 2002.
Clutching At Shadows (Croft/Williams)
Developed from one of Dave’s chord patterns and combined with some ideas that have been cluttering my brain for a couple of years. The lyrics started shouting in my head at about 11:30pm a couple of weeks later when I was trying to get to sleep. Drums from the redoubtable Mik. With eight-string sub-bass! Written summer 2002.
Closing Time (Croft)
Another one of Dave’s many throw away ideas, fortunately, I caught it! Blink-and-you-miss-it instrumental: Masquerader six-string, WEM amp, and Yamaha electric piano.
A Beautiful Hypothesis Destroyed By An Ugly Fact (Williams)
Techno-Varese-Krautrock-Sonic Youth! Concocted 2001. Triple e-bow guitar, some field recordings from the archives, and the funkiest damned Casio drum machine through a Peavey bass amp you ever did hear (I kid you not). Carefully designed to simulate the sort of noise you might hear emanating from a souped up Vauxhall Nova!
The Medway Crab Fisherman (Williams)
Don’t take this entirely seriously. Originally written at the suggestion of the shadowy genius behind the Chatham Girls website, this is a completely new version. Features my great-grandfather’s banjo (again!),the three-quid Burns Vista Sonic, and Michael playing the drums with beaters!
It’s A Small Town (Williams)
A brand new song! No prizes for guessing the subject matter. For this song and “The Medway Crab Fisherman”, drums were recorded at Michael’s workshop on the four-track. I added eight-string Shergold bass when I got home. The rest was recorded at BigSqueak. This track features the recording debut of the Rickenbacker (”Make it squeal!”, said Barwick)and more vocal support from Abi Baker.
Put Your Weight On Me (Williams)
Sex, death, and religion. I couldn’t fit war or drugs into this one… One tiny guitar overdub added and vocals re-done at Bigsqueak. Written Spring 1999.
Bass VI (Williams)
Instrumental: origins obscure. About a million years ago (well, 1997) Dave and I had planned an EP of very noisy but very dynamic instrumentals. This is the only tune (for want of a better adjective) to progress beyond scribbled chord boxes and illegible scrawled reminders in one of my overcrowded note books! Thanks to Phil Davis for the DD3. File Under Free-Jazz-Surf-Psychedelic-Stravinsky-meets-DJ Shadow-Fugazi-Travels-In-Nihilon-Booglaloo! Loose The Dogs Of Rock!
CREDITS:
Alex Williams: guitar, vocals, keyboards, bass, production, stuff…
Gavin Robinson: bass and engineering ( tracks 3, 4, 5 and 6)
Michael Atkins: drums
David Croft: Shergold guitar (tracks 7, 8 and 9)
Liam Robinson: harmonium (track 6) and accordion (track 15)
Abi Baker: vocals (tracks 6 and 12)
Matthew Barwick: mixing and editing
Richard Kilner: mastering
Recorded on manky analogue 4-track Porta-studio and new-fangled mini-disc in Al’s garage and Mik’s workshop in Whitstable, Kent, May to October 2002; Track 1 recorded in Al’s back garden, July 2001; tracks 11 and 12 added 2003, with overdubs at Bigsqueak.
Guitars made by Shergold, Burns, Alistair Atkin, Ibanez, Hohner, Westone, Fender and Rickenbacker, and generally knackered by Alex Williams; amps by Laney, WEM, HH, Squier and Peavey; diatonic accordion by Castagnari.