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I have decided to keep you informed as to my progress or lack of it as we move into record mode. I will try to explain how decisions are made and how I arrive at the treatment a song gets.

• 5 June 2010

It's been several weeks since I wrote last. Much has happened, some good some not so good.

It is always adviseable to have a rest between mixes.(This word refers to the positioning of instruments in terms of volume and equalisation of sound relative to each other. It also concerns close examination of detail wrong notes, reverb lengths and types and stereo imaging, and this is before you enter the daunting world of digital editing)

One of my many faults in the studio is making myself believe something is alright based on the effort put in. It really doesn't matter how hard the work is if it fails in the end to do what it was supposed to do. So to get the bad news over first, there was a casualty after the enforced break. The original recording of The Cajun Moon in June has been discarded. This is because there was a fault in the early tracks which has been exacerbated by over dubbing. These days hardly anything is laid down live, with the possible exception of Bob Dylan and Jazz artists. The reason for this is that by layering of instruments one at a time the sound engineer can EQ each instrument without affecting other instruments that would have been picked up on open mics. It also is some safeguard that each layer is perfect.

This system undoubtedly works but can often lead to a rather stilted sound to my ear. Having said that most people in the recording world would admit that 90% of all recording is now done like this.

Because almost everyone hears the beat of a song slightly differently, if something is not quite perfect on the initial basic track there will be unwanted pushing and pulling and no amount of quantising or digital manipulation will put it right.

I love this song so yesterday I began it all again with foot taps triggering a bass drum and snare drum. I then did some backing vocals after singing live and added a bass from my keyboard. Over the reflective sections I added some more keyboard sounds and for the first time since Lay Your Money Down in 1971 I have a track where I have played everything.( I bet someone will point out that I have done others, “I think you'll find....”)
Actually although it mentions Cajun music and was voiced in that style, the main message of the song required a more reflective mode in the choruses and perhaps now it is better defined than before. Unfortunately we have run out of time and I cannot now get into the studio for at least four weeks.

Maart Allcock's arrangements have come back for The Break of the Union and after editing the back track I have re voiced it with a re-written verse three. Without doubt this song has taken the longest to satisfy me in terms of the poetic aspect an tying myself to the rhyme scheme of line on rhyming with line three and line two with line four. I chose the metaphor of a marriage beginning to break up and it proved a little too simple to express the depth which pondering on this subject produced in me. I suppose to really explain all the allusions and slightly cryptic terms, I would need to write an essay. However I think this is what certain lyrics should do. i.e. Allow the reader/listener think through the words and interpret what the writer is trying to say. In the end I think the hours have been worth it and Maart's orchestral work is superb.

Lantern Slides
This is the story my mother told me about her visits to her grandparents house in the village of Evenly near Brackley Northants. It took a lot of work and was not going to be on this album until my daughter Leah heard the demo and insisted that I should finish it.

It is something of an epic at over six minutes and just like some of my most enjoyable writing experiences, it wrote it's own ending when I truly did not have it planned.

Maart has done a superb arrangement around the narrative, weaving in and out of the verses. In some cases literally illustrating the descriptions with sounds and in other parts colouring the story with beautiful sensitivity.
On my first hearing of the score over the internet via computer I was quite overwhelmed and nearly had to go and have a herb tea to steady myself.

Part of the song required some children's voices and it just happened that Louis and Isabelle (two of my grandchildren were here this week. I taught them the song and we went to the studio where Isabelle stood on a case to make her the same height as her brother and they provided the song. Perfectly!
Recording is not something I particularly enjoy. It is like photos of yourself when you can't always chose the one you like best and it is you and your voice guitar and life's work being played back,to say nothing of intellect or poetry, expertise and execution. However this album, drawn from writing and ideas from the last ten years has been great to do.

Not the least reason being where I am recording. Beautiful Cornwall,! Spring has unfolded during the months we have been working. Where I drive down lanes to the village where the studio is and return in the evening with bird singing and up until the last week, very few cars and traffic.

I would like to think I will resume more regular recording now and this experience has sharpened my resolve to be back in the studio a lot quicker than the last few years.

There is an Autumn tour shaping up nicely and I will definitely be playing a couple of these new songs. Hopefully we will avoid the panic of meeting deadlines for release by finishing around July. It will be great to get back on the road and I am really looking forward to it.

• 29 June 2010
There has been an enforced break in recording as John is booked elsewhere but expects to be able to do final mixes this week.

I have had time to listen to what we have done so far and there are three tracks to re mix ….. so far.

Somewhere down the road I need to change the reverb sound on the lead guitar and to add Bass from half way through. This track will close the album and I want it to fade up after the penultimate song so I will need a longer intro. Once at correct volume the song will begin and then fade out at the end. This I hope will give the impression of someone emerging, making his point and then moving on.

This is the essence of the song. I may need to to edit the guitar solos out but we won't know until I try.
The Break In The Union has a new Piano part. This is a real grand Piano which John has got a friend to play in another studio. It really is hard to tell the difference these days with such great digital sounds available but we felt this “truly organic sound would help the track.

I haven't yet heard it so I won't disclose the pianist's name until I do in case it does not end up on the album. This may entail a new vocal to suit the new “feel” of the track. Again we will have to see.

Cajun June and a Moon In Tune. ( I quite like this title because it sort of acknowledges the cliché) This has been entirely re done as I explained earlier. Chris Parkinson has added his accordion again and I know it will be better for his contribution. This song has come to mean more than the original Cajun style bash and I really think the new sections that have been re-voiced (literally) have improved the depth of the lyric. It also comes in at just over three minutes so it should be radio friendly.

As the end of the recording draws nigh! There are the usual feelings of doubt, excitement, the need for approval, about the work in general, coupled with the art work design and all the technical finishing and mastering to get through. Peter Thaine is well advanced on the overall lay out and I have to proof all lyrics as I am hoping to include all of them in a booklet to go inside the sleeve. I am also trying to make them readable without glasses1 Some of the lyrics included in CDs are written in field mouse script, mine will at least be water vole size.

I have been watching the world cup and in response to a friend wrote down this comment which he suggests I include so here goes...

Dear MIke,
I have only ever played football at Sunday morning level. I was in a league called the Octopus League , so named because there were ten teams in it. It was one of the most enjoyable diversions in my life and we were laughingly called the Blue Moon All-stars.

The array of talent was thin to say the least. There were possibly three very good players three who could "read" the game, and no-hopers like myself who were directed by the readers and bumbling coach/manager the late Jonah Jones.

I think I must have been in my late thirties or early forties, fitness was an issue, yet somehow by dint of friendly ref decisions, incomplete teams turning up to play us, cheating, and a modicum of luck, we made it to a cup final which we lost by three goals to one.

I have never laughed so much on Sundays before or since, as we drove to pitches with broken glass and dog shit on them, Flooded centre circles, blocked showers, no toilet facilities. etc etc.
I wrote two treatments for a TV series after this experience and would not have missed these days for the world.

I learned a little more about football. I have been watching this England side and sometimes wondered if the experts were watching the same team....They are not very good.

There are problems in every department, but the worst thing about them is that they do not play like a team. I have seen more understanding between players on any given Sunday morning pub match.

The England supporters are just as naive as the English Boxing fans. I love boxing, (I know I shouldn't but I do)
The same naive support actually thought Henry Cooper (dear old Henry, with one of the worst boxing records ever) could actually beat the genius of Mohammed Ali.

Talk of that third round knock down is pointless. Yes Henry had a formidable left hook but how often do you see the picture of what Ali did in the ensuing rounds when Henry's superb ability to bleed profusely from cut eyes, splattered him all over the front row supporters.

To believe fish chips and beer loving, man of the people, Ricky Hatton was a match for the superb Mayweather, or that we could produce anyone to match Hagler ( Minter) or Sugar Ray Leonard? The fans allow optimism to overtake judgement.

The English team struggled to beat Slovenia and when Cappello said , and i paraphrase "Now I have my team" my heart sank.

The Germans played superbly well. They simply stuck to the basic fundamentals. Here I paraphrase Billy Connolly when talking about the Scotish team under Ally McCloud)

“The idea is to kick the ball through the two white posts at the other end. The oppositions will try to stop you and kick the ball through the two white sticks at the opposite end.
If someone annoys you by trying to take the ball off you, give it to one of your mates until one of you has a sight on the two white sticks and then kick it through.
This is called scoring a goal.

The team that has the most goals at the end is the winner. Simple!”

England v Germany

1. The opening goal was a typical Sunday morning effort that you see pub teams using. Our international defence got caught out.
2. The Germans had forwards who refused to fall over in the penalty area. Even with Upson hanging on to him the german? pressed on and scored
3. Courage, when putting on the shirt for your country this quality did not seem to be there in the right proportions. I will not name offenders, they know who they are.
   One good chance we had, the forward pecked as the Keeper rushed out to meet him and in that split second his chance was missed.
4. Not all goals against us were unstoppable.
5. Selfishness, when this comes off it is considered great oportunism, when it does not it is considered glory hunting, we had this to contend with too.
6. Terry should have remained captain. To bring moral judgement in a game full of cheating, shirt pulling and rule bending was hypocritical and pointless. He still has leadership qualities and in spite of a poor game in his terms, I think he would have been more inspirational
7. Rooney?
8. Joe Cole?
9. Johnson. One great pass in an earlier game.
10. Milner likewise
    

It doesn't seem much point to go on. I thought the squad were inadequate, uncreative, reactive not proactive and hopelessly predictable. Compared to Germany, Netherlands, Mexico, Paraguay, Spain,Uruguay, Argentina and even America (new to the game but passionate and athletic) and Japan played out of their skins in the game I saw. There was /is no POETRY to our game. No creativity to our play.

We need to mature and promote real natural talent, less money and more pride. Sounds hopeless doesn't it? The Germans cut us in half. Maybe they cut us down to size.

Loving the game doesn't mean anything if you cannot produce a team, just look at Scotland. Can any country be more passionate and more often denied.

When will we ever learn. Let's get back to basics. Well there is my rant over I shall be back at Fulham next season, I hope Roy Hodgson will be there too.

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