IT WORKS FOR ME

EXTENDED ALBUM NOTES AND LYRICS

 

LYRICS AND SONG NOTES

It Works for Me -- I’ve got a ‘65 Plymouth with a 318, It’s got a little bit of rust but the inside’s clean, It’s got a hole in the muffler makes it sound kind of mean, It’s not as fast as it used to be, burns a little oil but it works for me - I’ve got an old Schwinn Breeze that I use to ride around town, The frame is red but the rims are painted brown, It looks like 10-speed since I turned the handlebars upside down, It’s only got one speed whereas it used to have three but one is all I need so it works for me - I’ve got a jap. guitar I got for forty bucks, It’s got a really cool tone but the action sucks, Sometimes I haul it out a gig for yucks, It’s not a Strat or a Tele, Les Paul or SG, It’s got no name at all but it works for me - It works for me, It works for me, It doesn’t matter what it is or what it’s supposed to do, You can’t complain if it works you.

This is pretty much all factual, or was at one time. I had the verse about the Plymouth bouncing around for years. I finished it when I needed a song to test my 8track deck. The bass part comes from a Boss Octave box which was driven by the electric guitar that appears to be doubling it. Fiddle was left over from a previous recording on the tape. I achieved the vocal sound by singing with laryngitis. 8track - S. Buchanan St.

Wonderland - I often wonder when I'm readin’ the paper if the world'll see another year, I often wonder when I'm out at a party should I go and get another beer, I often wonder why I play in a band and I wonder if I'll be a star, a sense of wonder can be fine for a while but you can take it just a bit too far, I'm off in wonderland - I often wonder if I'm doin the right thing and I often wonder what to do, I often wonder if there's someone in side me and I wonder if it may be you, I often wonder how you could criticize me, turn around and say your love is blind, I wonder why you never say what you mean and then expect for me to read your mind, I'm off in wonderland with you - I often wonder if I wonder too much and if I'm thinkin' more than I'm allowed, Somebody stop me if I start to go crrrazy and I start to talk alot out loud, Like I'm in wonderland again.

Uses an open tuning (D?). For that reason I haven’t played it since I recorded it. 2x4track - N. 19th St.

Always Rainin' on My Street - You're looking for an explanation, I think I need a long vacation

Need a vacation, I think I've earned my ration, I'm not complaining I'm just explaining, You see it's always raining on my street - It’s like a job where you get no money, It's a joke but it's not that funny, Not that funny, So why you laughin honey? I'm not complaining I'm just explaining, why it's always raining on my street - You see I need you but I won't shout about it, So what you think now? Now you found out about it, I wanna love you but I won't hove you, And I won't put you out about it - I’m thinkin’I could be your fella, Do you think you could be my umbrella

Think it’s Amore, sing "faita bella", I think you got what it takes to dry up the lakes, from all this raining on my street, I'm not complaining I'm just explaining, You see it's always raining on my street

First song written and recorded on Swarthmore Drive. Reverb courtesy an empty room w/ hardwood floors. 4track

Come As You Are – Call me up you can call me anytime you want to and I will be there on a kitchen chair it's only fair that you call me, You and me we've been up a creek without a paddle so paddle me now but don't have a cow if I don't ask you to ball me - I gotta learn to watch it with the juice, It always seems to knock a few words loose, Yeah when the elbow bends I might be elbowin' friends - Call me jerk, you can call me anything you want to, I wouldn't care take it as a dare it's only fair that you call me - I shoulda kept the bottle to my lips, It mighta caught the words that I let slip and maybe in the end I'd still have you as a friend - Pay a call, you can see me anytime you want to, come as you are, you can be the star that's called to bow at the curtain, Yeah come as you are, but leave the bar at home for some other person, Yeah come as you are, you can use my car if your's isn't workin'

This was written in ‘86 so, no, I didn’t steal the title from Nirvana. 2x4track - N. 19th St.

Written on My Heart -- I can see it says "property of my baby", I can see it written on my heart, I see it every day I don't need an X-ray, I can see it written on my heart-I may travel all around the world I know where I belong, I see lovers fallin' all apart but we just get stronger-Can you see it tell me what does it say?, Can you see it written on my heart?, I know she won't be givin' it away, no, I can see it written on my heart-Other women all around the world know where I belong, Other lovers fallin' all apart but we just get stronger-I can see it says "property of my baby", I can see it written on my heart, I see it every day I don't need an X-ray, I can see it written on my heart.

A rare positive love song. I think I was experimenting with recording everything on this track with an EV 635A mic, normally used by news reporters as a hand-held field mic.

Probably not the best mic to use for recording entire band. Some bass and vocals added later at Tony’s. 4track & ADAT - S. Buchanan St. & Tony’s

Walkin' Next to You – Wrote a song that I can't explain, You don't know so you can't complain, Before I say somethin' to catch you unawares, I'll sing to the boys upstairs-And if I sing and I say that I feel like lyin' on the floor, Gotta know that it ain't like I never felt that way before, And if you think I ever had my doubts, And if you think I need a talkin' to, Then you should know that all I ever wanted, Was to be walkin next to you-I'll talk to you, I'll talk to anyone, I'll talk from mornin' till the day is done, And if I seem to be talkin' to the kitchen shelf, I'm only talkin to myself-I'm awake but I'm dreamin' and you're poundin' on the door , and my thoughts, like the Sunday paper, scattered on the floor, And then you tell me that I can't go back, As if I ever said I wanted to, When all I ever really wanted, Was to be walkin next to you-There's a hole where my head should be, I can't recall what you just said to me, Still I remember lots of other things, I remember what the next guy sings-And if I remember a kiss from long ago, tell me this, does it matter if it's someone that you know, I guess I never really thought about it, I guess I never really wanted to, I guess that all I really wanted , Was to be walkin' next to you-They say that if you got it then you gotta flaunt it, And if it ain't you gotta want it to, I tell 'em all I ever wanted , Was to be walkin next to you.

Yes. I know the intro sounds like "Street Fightin’ Man." 8track - N. 19th St.

One of Those Lives – Have you ever had one of those days?, Well I'm having one of those lives, Do your problems all come one after another?, Well my problems all come in fives, And it seems like I only get one of them solved before the next group of five arrives., Have you ever had one of those days?, Well I'm having one of those lives-Have you ever had one of those days?, Well I'm having one of those lives., Have you ever had a girlfriend that drove you nuts?, well I've got one of those wives, And some folks wish they had a fancy car, I'd be happy with a car that drives., Have you ever had one of those days?, Well I'm having one of those lives.-Oh Woe is me, Oh I think it's a curse, Anything you can do I can do worse-Have you ever had one of those days?, Well I'm having one of those lives., If things don't start gettin' better real quick I'm afraid I'm gonna break out in hives., And some folks were born with a silver spoon, but I got a mouthful of knives., Have you ever had one of those days?, Well I'm having one of those lives.

Someone once asked me if this was a Roger Miller song. That’s one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received. 8track - S. Buchanan St.

Really Didn't Try That Hard - He walked out at midnight, just like walkin' straight outta jail, He tried callin but she didn't answer and the blues fell down like hail, First he flew off the handle, but then he counted right up to ten, he said I ain't done tryin', if I'm lyin' I'm dyin' gonna get her back again, He walked straight, across the yard, She tried, but she really didn't try that hard - He never really trusted, Though he knew that he could throw her far, He knew a place where he could get some money and he borrowed someone's car, He drove outta Missouri

He drove straight across Tennessee, He drove all the way to Alabama with a shotgun on his knee, He drove straight, across her yard, He tried but he really didn't try that hard - All his life, She was all of his like and, All her life he wanted all of her life - He walked out at midnight, just like walkin' straight outta jail, They tried callin but she didn't answer and the blues fell down like hail, He tried runnin through the shadows, he tried runnin' from the sun, He tried runnin' 'round the world to make it endless night but that's a little too far to run - He walks straight, across the yard, She tried but she really didn't try that hard

This turned out much darker than I had intended. 4track - S. Buchanan St.

Unk-Shus – Instrumental

Telecaster direct through a compressor and a delay. Little teeny breast pocket harmonica. 4track - N. 19th St.

¿Que Sera? - There comes a time in lots of fella's lives, When they think about some kids and tryin' to find a wife, But I don't know, I dont think thats's me right now, It'd be like flyin' out to Vegas to try to find a sacred cow - So que sera ? What will be ? I'm no psychic so I'll have to wait and see, ya see... I've got a knack for shootin' off my mouth a lot, And when you 've got a foot in there you don't have to be an expert shot to... Blow off a toe, blow off a couple more, and a Two-toed gimp ain't too attractive to the girl next door - So que sera ? What will be ? I'm no psychic so I'll have to wait and see - I know what you know and I know, You can't see time through a window - Now I could tell you all a thing or two, About how to find a monkey when your down at the zoo, But what good is that, When you're down and on the street ? I try to keep lookin' up but all I see's my feet - So que sera ? What will be ? I'm no psychic so I'll have to wait and see - I know what you know and I know, You can't see time through a window

I was about to record this when Steve Woehrle happened to show up. I talked him into playing drums and singing backup. His drum part completely changed the groove from what I had intended. Good thing. 2x4track - N. 19th St.

She's My Secret -- She's my girl , She's not here right now but she's always on my mind, I'm in love for sure, 'Cause she's somewhat sweet and kind, With a heart so pure, and a steel trap mind, It's tojours and not dujour, She's the best that I could hope to find, And no one knows, She's my secret-So I zip my lip , and keep it to myself no matter who I'm talkin to, Though my heart's so full, That I don't know what to do, When I feel her pull, Like a moon that's new , Pullin' on the tide, And I feel my heart might break in two, Still I keep it all inside, She's my secret-And I might spend my whole night talkin' to her, Get up and talk to her all day, But I'd tell no one that I knew her, 'Cause if I did I'm sure that they'd try to take her away -She's my girl , and she's all I got so I'm not inclined to share, So I'll follow her everywhere, She's my secret-And I might spend my whole night talkin' to her, Get up and talk to her all day, But I'd tell no one that I knew her, 'Cause if I did I'm sure that they'd try to take her away -She's my girl, I wont tell a soul even though I love her so , so no one know's , she's my secret, no my friends don't know, she's my secret, no she don't even know , she's my secret.

Because I ran out of tracks I had to add the vocal live while mixing. This explains the lousy mixing job resulting in the overpowering nylon-string guitar. 8track - S. Buchanan St.

Lemon Shark '69 – Instrumental

8track - S. Buchanan St.

Mark Trail -- Well he's a world famous writer for an outdoors magazine, He's the cleanest and the keenest that you've ever seen, He's got a St. Bernard named Andy and a Dalmatian Pup, He's got a little kid named Rusty who never grows up, He doesn't know the meaning of words like fail, I guess that everybody knows that I'm talkin' about Mark Trail-He can walk into the bushes and bring back lunch, He can knock out all the bad guys with just one punch, If you've got evil intentions then you'd better beware, 'Cause he can tell that you're a bad guy by your facial hair, He can be rough & tough, still he's a sensitive male, I guess that everybody knows who I'm talkin' about Mark Trail-Every guy who meets him wants to be his pal, And every girl who meets him wants to be his gal, A lot of women want try his brand of good clean fun , But he tells 'em that his Cherry is the only one-There's never any doubt about who's wrong or right, Cause Mr. Elrod puts it down in black and white, And every Sunday afternoon while I rest at ease, I can find him talkin' all about the birds and bees, He doesn't know the meaning of words like fail, I guess that everybody knows that I'm talkin' about Mark Trail.

If you haven’t come to grok the Zen beauty of Mark Trail I suggest you start reading it right away. 4track - S. Buchanan St.

Bone Tag - Instrumental

4track - Buckingham & Atlas Bldg.

Gonna Break Some Hearts Someday - Mary's lyin in her baby bed, Giraffes and elephants circle all around her head, Yellow blue and red, Mary's crawlin on the kitchen floor, somebody stop her she's headed for the door, Give her an inch and she'll want more - And I say oh oh oh stars above, Mary is the one that won my love, I say hey hey she's gonna break some hearts someday - And when she's playin with the neighbor boys, it seems they always want to share their toys, One reaches over and he gives her a kiss, His mother says "Get ready 'cause it's always gonna be like this" - Mary's sittin on the porch outside, waitin for the boy who’s gonna take her out for a ride, If I said I didn’t care i lied, Junior pulls up in his daddy's car, he says, don't worry mister, we're not goin that far, Give him an inch and he'll want more - And he says oh oh oh stars above, Mary is the one that won my love, And I say hey hey hey she's gonna break your heart someday, And I say oh oh don’t you know, Mary is the one that loves me so, He says hey hey hey she's gonna break your heart someday, Hey hey hey she's gonna break some heart someday

A song of well-placed paternal possesiveness. This contains an example of a guitar sound I used to use a lot -- overdriving the input of the 4track by boosting the input level with a compressor. 4track - N. 22nd Rd.

Lookin' for a Jackalope - Lookin for a Jackalope in central park, Squeeze a cup of coffee from a stone, Try to feed a cookie to a tiger shark, Or do the bunnyhop all alone - Pagin' Aunt Jemima to the telephone, Lookin for a rainbow in the dark, Combin' out my hair with a jellyfish bone, Try to teach a pig how to bark - Got no room in my drawers for my pants and socks, Got no room in my room for a dresser, Got a family of four in a cardboard box, Its a room like tomb, like the broom closet room in the church where the priest goes to hear the confesser - Pagin aunt Jemima to the telephone, Lookin for a rainbow in the dark, Combin' out my hair with a jellyfish bone, Try to teach a pig how to bark

The verses are sort of about things that are impossible on multiple levels. The chorus came from the frustration of trying to live and record in a small apartment with a family -- which can be impossible on multiple levels. More laryngitis vocals. 4track - N. 22nd Rd.

Two Halves of a Broken Heart - You and I walk apart, Two halves of a broken heart, Not to have, not to hold, Not to love 'til we both grow old, I've never been a gambler, I'll never be a PhD, I've never been a hero, But I'm not tryin' to be - Tell me why, I don't know, Why it hurts to see you go, I came in on my own, And it looks like that's the way I'm goin', I've never been Prince Charming, I'm not the prince of anything, And I guess that I'm not ready, to feel like anyone's king - Now I don't mean to bore you, You heard this all a couple times, And I know it ain't much easier to hear it when it rhymes, You and I walk apart, Two halves of a broken heart, Not to have not to hold , Not to love 'til we both grow old, Two halves of a broken heart, Two halves of a broken heart.

The obligatory hard rock anthem. 2x4track - N 19th St.

H.S. Reunion -- I couldn't help but overhear you, you said you always remember everyone, I don't suppose that you remember there once was a time that you called me the one - But now I feel as though your stalling while searching your brain for a frame of reference, I know you find it all appalling, so I'll bow and retreat all in deference to you-I think of reasons why you do the things you do, explain away the things you say and turn it all around until it turns into "I love you" but then I come back down again-Can't help but feeling that I'm falling right down through a hole that your trying to rise above, I try to figure what you're feelin' I don't know what it is but I know it ain't love-I think of reasons why you do the things you do, explain away the things you say and turn it all around until it turns into "I love you" but then I come back down-I'd kinda like to think that someday you'll open your eyes and see me standing here, I know it will not be tomorrow, If I said I knew when I would be insincere-I couldn't help but overhear you, you said you always remember everyone, I don't suppose that you remember there once was a time that you called me the one.

8track - S. Buchanan St.

Beach Blanket - Instrumental

Originally titled "Beach Blanket Disaster Party Weekend," a phrase uttered by my friend Les, describing an actual trip to the beach which he had the misfortune to take. 8track - S. Buchanan St.

(I Wish You Had An) Answering Machine -- I wish you had an answering machine, I wish you had an answering machine, 'Cause if you did I'd call you up, And leave a little message., If you had an answering machine, If you had an answering machine, I'd call you up when you weren't home , And say how much I love you , If you had an answering machine-I know lots of people hate 'em, And sometimes I do too, But I know you wouldn't use it, To keep me from gettin' through, Sometimes I like to imagine , The sweet look in your eyes, When you come home and turn it on, And then find my surprise.-I wish you had an answering machine, 'Cause if you had an answering machine, Honey I'd be there when you come home , Like a post card in the mail, Only waitin in your answering machine, Only waitin in your answering machine, I'd be waitin' there when you came home, To say how much I love you, If you had an answering machine.

The parenthetical portion of the title is to avoid any confusion with Paul Westerberg’s masterpiece on (the Replacements) Let it Be. The backwards guitar was already on the tape from a previous recording and I decided to work around it. Hopefully that amount of weirdness keeps it from going totally over the edge into saccharin hell. 4track - N. 19th St.

BuzzCutt - Instrumental

Buzzy sound on verses comes from doubling guitar with trombone. Lead guitar was through a cabinet with two 15" PA speakers, which gave it a weird midrange honk. I’ve since replaced those speakers. Features my daughter on outro vocals. I also sampled her singing "la" on a cheesy sampling keyboard and played along with one of the guitar riffs. She was in the intro too but that got axed in mastering. 4track - S. Buchanan St.

SFX Song (Let’s All Go To The Lobby) – Instrumental

The parenthetical portion of the title was suggested by Kevin Johnson, who feels this makes good intermission music because it reminds him of dancing cokes and hotdogs. Recorded in the basement, living room and kitchen of the house on N. 19th st. Thanks to Peter Gilstrap for the use of the cornet, to Alan Brace for the use of the mandolin and to Grayson J. Rowney for the microwave and silverware. Listen closely for the Neighbors sample in the fade. 4track - N. 19th St.

 

DISK 2

Balancing Act – Baby's callin' me home, she blew the speaker out the telephone, I got an invitation to go and swill and scream, the threads are rippin' at the seams, it's time for the balancing act - I ain't been this way for a month or two, but now some debts are comin' due, they're pulling from the east, they're pulling from the west, I wish that they would stop so I could get some rest, it's time for the balancing act - 'times you gotta grease a squeaky wheel, sometimes you've got to wheel and deal, That's when it's time for the balancing act - I knew a man who juggled well, he could juggle a watch and a dinner bell, he could juggle a guitar and a bed and a jug of wine, but he never learned to juggle time, he never learned the balancing act.

Music came from experiments with a new reverb unit and an accidently detuned guitar. Lyrics inspired by a phone conversation with Steve Woehrle midway through the recording. 4track Atlas Bldg.

Generation Loss – Last night I saw a movie that a friend said can't be beat, He'd made a copy from a copy from the Erol's down the street, But the dubbing upon dubbing made the quality so poor, I couldn't tell Bo Derek from his partner Dudley Moore, Generation loss, Can't tell the women from the boys, Generation loss, For all the glitches snow and noise, Ever since the world began an ugly part of nature's plan is generation loss - Well I paid a guy a fortune to research my family tree, But it was worth it when he told me that I come from royalty, And if this was 1600 I would have been a prince, But there's just been too much poor folk in my family ever since, Generation loss, I should be upper class, Generation loss, Instead I'm workin' pumpin' gas, Ever since the world began an ugly part of nature's plan is generation loss - Well I sent my love a message by my uncle Fudd, But Fudd was really busy and he sent my cousin Bud, But Buddy was too lazy and he told his sister Kate, And Katy swore she'd call her but the hour got too late When the message finally reached her through a grocery clerk named Rose, My love got very angry and she punched me in the nose, (Generation loss), That wasn't what I said, (Generation loss), Ooh, my achin' head - We were workin on an album on a sixteen track machine, And the bass was soundin' groovy and the snare was sounding mean, And when we finally finished it, we knew we had a hit, But when we put the record on it sounded just like shit, Generation loss

The record sounded lame, Generation loss, And you know what was to blame, From the master to the mother, from the mother to the mold, Generation loss, Generation loss, Generation loss, Won't somebody help me understand, how can this be natures plan?

This could be subtitled "The Entropy Song." I made two passes at the vocal/lead guitar track, then kept both. Above are the new, improved lyrics. 4track - N 19th St.

Popeye Got Married – Well I’m Popeye the Sailor and I used to be a happy sailor man, I used to get in lots of fights but now I’m happy to see Brutus when I can, You see me and Olive Oyl we got married at the courthouse last July, She said I do then I did too then she said "oh Popeye..." - But now she’s always sayin’ Popeye don’t do this and Popeye don’t do that, get your elbows off the table when you come inside take off that stupid hat, i want you to do the dishes when you’re finished that take out the garbage can, Oh the way that woman treats me it’s a wonder I can still feel like a man - When she wakes u in the morning the first thing that she does is start to bitchin’, first she’s bitchin’ in the bedroom then she’s bitchin’ in the bathroom then she’s bitchin’ in the kitchen, Well she bitches all through breakfast she’s still bitchin’ when I’m walkin’ out the door, I’ve had about all I can stands and I can’t stands no more - Well I’m Popeye the sailor and I used to be a happy sailor dude, Me and Olive Oyl got married don’t give me no shit I’m in a rotten mood, One of these days so help me if I can’t make that skinny bitch behave, I’m gonna eat a can of spinach and I’m gonna put her six feet in the grave.

In the grand tradition of getting-married-followup-songs ("Peggy Sue Got Married," "Johnny B. Good Got Married," etc). Only here she turns out to be a bitch and he turns out to be a wife beater with a spinach abuse problem. 2x4track - N. 22nd Rd.

Oh Little Girl, Hey Little Girl -- Oh little girl, precious little girl, Momma's little girl, Gonna make you mine.-Hey little girl, Can you come and play little girl, Tell me you will stay little girl, Gonna spend some time.-One and one make two, Can I count on you, Don't know what I'd do if you say we're through-Hey little girl, Tell me you will stay little girl, I'll never go away little girl, And that ain't no line-One and one make two, Can I count on you, Don't know what I'd do if you say we're through-Hey little girl, Tell me you will stay little girl, I'll never go away little girl, Gonna make you mine.

This was an attemt to write a song so silly, syrupy and cliche-ridden that went beyond the far side of bad and came out cool. Influenced by songwriter-extrordinaire Ben Vaughn. 4track - N. 22nd Rd.

Samuel -- I can remember when you were born, I can remember the day, When I shook your hand on an August morn, And we all pronounced you OK-Well you took your time, you were oversized, But everything turned out alright, And Dad rolled the tape while you blinked your eyes, And tried to get used to the light-Samuel, Samuel, you're alright, Samuel you are OK, Stretch out your fingers and slap me five, Samuel take it away-Someday you may think your folks uncool, Hear what I say 'cause it's true, I've never known either to act the fool, And I've known 'em longer than you-Samuel, Samuel, you're alright, Samuel you are OK, Stretch out your fingers and slap me five, Samuel take it away.

A true story. Recorded on 4track at Bill William’s house in Arlington

We Own a Baby Now -- We used to go to parties, We used to spend our weekends in bed, We used to own a lot of stuff, But now we own a baby instead-We own a baby now, We own a baby now, Ain't no maybe now, 'Cause now we own a baby now-We own a baby now, Made it ourselves from scratch, She scratched my back and I scratched hers, And now we own a baby now-We used to have a job apiece, but now there’s only one between the three of us, We used to get some time apart , But now it seems we're hardly ever free of us-We used to go to eat at fancy restaurants, We used to go for spicy Indonesian cuisine, But now it seems its rice and beans and mother's milk, And that's the way it'll be until the kid is weaned the bank account is cleaned-We own a baby now, there can be no doubt, Went to the doctor and worked real hard, Until a little baby came out-We used to have a life apiece, but now there's only one between the three of us, Our friends are there when they pronounce us men and wives, and that's about the last they ever see of us-We own a baby now, We stayed up all night to make it, Now that it's here we're still stayin' up, Please try not to awake it.

I wrote it based on experiences of a friend (see "Samuel," above) while we were expecting ourselves. I recorded it one day to test out my 8 track deck after having serviced it. Guitars were recorded direct via a solid state Peavey bass head. Couldn’t find a slide so I had to use a bottle of head cleaner. 8track - N. 19th St.

Acupuncture - There's a doctor with an office, Above a chinese restaurant

and they say he's got a treatment, and it sounds like what I want, Well you lay down on the table And you tell him where it hurts, And he sticks you full of needles, And they say it really works -

I need accupuncture, Stick a needle in my heart, I need accupuncture baby, Ever since we've been apart - Well I went down to his office, And I was standin' out in front, And I glanced in through the window, Of that chinese restaurant, And I saw you at a table, And you were with another man

And I know he weren't your cousin, 'Cause he was kissin' on your hand - I need accupuncture, Stick a needle in my eye, Since I seen you with that man, That you been seein' on the sly - I need accupuncture, Stick a needle through my head, ever since I met you baby, You've made me wish that was dead - I need accupuncture, Stick a needle through my head, ever since I met you baby You've made me wish that was dead

4track - N. 19th St.

When I Come Home – Well I'm way away from home, away from you, When I come home, I'll come runnin' to your door, and I won't leave until you ask me to - When I left you babe I knew I'd miss you, but I never thought it'd be like this, When I come home, Im gonna hold you, and I will give to you my sweetest kiss - When I come home, When I come home - Well I'm way away from home, away from you, When I come home, I'm gonna hold you, and I won't leave until you ask me to

Probably the oldest song in this collection. Written in 1977. Recorded in 1988. 2track - N. 19th St.

Blue Samba ala Addis Ababa – Instrumental

2x4track - N. 22nd Rd.

Crow Wing County Girl – She was just a summer love, But that was just the start, Then she took a purple crayon and she colored in my heart, She said that's what you get when you put together red and blue, And the red is for the heat and the blue, that's for leavin' you, Now I'm goin' back - Yellow sun and a double yellow line, Black and lemon yellow diamond deer crossing sign, Past the tall green grass and the dark green pine, To a Crow Wing County girl that I want for mine - Engines runnin' hot and the tires are whinin' loud, Under dark blue summer skies and under high white summer clouds, Sixty miles an hour on an old county road, With a U-haul on behind but I can't even feel the load, Cause I'm goin back - Yellow sun and a double yellow line, Black and lemon yellow diamond deer crossing sign, Past the tall green grass and the dark green pine, To a Crow Wing County girl that I want for mine - She was just a summer love, But that was jst the start, Then she took a purple crayon and she colored in my heart, She said that's what you get when you put together red and blue, And the red is for the heat and the blue, that's for leavin' you

Written/recorded on summer vacation in a cabin by a lake in Aitkin, MN. I sang quietly (into a cheap microphone) because people were napping in the next room. Thanks to Bill Williams for the loan of drum machine and the X-15 cassette multitracker.

I Recall Thinkin' -- I was standin' just outside your door, When I heard you complain to the wall, And I recall thinkin' "just what good is that?", cause the wall can't hear you, And I just don't care at all, - I was sittin' with pen in my hand, And tryin to write down a song, And I recall thinkin' "just what is the point?", You can write all you like, But writin' won't right any wrongs, - All of this thinkin's got me drunker than drinkin', I don't think I'll think any more - I was thinkin'... and I don't mean to preach, And I know you don't want my concern, but what you were doin', Is what did you two in, And while that's less than profound, It's a lesson that’s true, but one that's too late to learn - All of this thinkin's got me drunker than drinkin', I don't think I'll think any more.

Mis amigos Eric Brace and Last Train Home recorded a really nice version of this. 8track - S. Buchanan St.

Things I'm Not -- Don't think I don't understand, I've had it happen more than you would have thought, You got tired of your last man, And went lookin' for the things that he ain't got, You don't want me for the things I am, You just want me for the things I'm not-You had Mr. Safe & Sane, You wanted Mr. "Where's the Party?", Got tired of Good Time Charlie, And went lookin' for Jean-Paul Sart-ie, You don't want me for the things I am, You wanna Super Glue a broken heart-Maybe you need me just to prove you don't need him, Maybe you just don't want to be alone, It doesn't matter if I'm John or Joe or Jim, It doesn't matter if I'm Al Capone, All of my life I've been Mr. Nice Guy, When they're in trouble I'm the one they run to, Prove to themselves that they can get a nice guy, Dump me for Jack the Ripper when they're through-When I was young I had a baseball glove, Bounced a tennis ball off the wall, The tennis ball was not in love with the glove, It was on the rebound that was all, You don't want me for the things I am, I'm just a glove to catch you when you fall-Don't think I don't understand, I've had it happen more than you would have thought, You got tired of your last man, And went lookin' for the things that he ain't got, You don't want me for the things I am, You just want me for the things I'm not-You don't want me for the things I am.

I was on a business trip in Seattle and Mr. Jed Critter was kind enough to let me stay at his place. I wrote this song there on a 12 string formerly owned by the late great songwriter Jimmy DeSilva. 4track - S. Buchanan St.

Open Circuit -- We got an open circuit , the love I give ain't comin' back around, maybe its all goin' to ground, We got an open circuit-We got an open circuit, It's not workin like it's s'posed to be , No 'lectricity is comin' back to me, We got an open circuit-Maybe there's a short somewhere-Its not for lack of juice, I got more than I can use, Tell me baby what's your excuse, Is it just a blown-out fuse?-We got an open circuit, Don't need to be certified to see, There's no energy flowin back to me, We got an open circuit.

Electrical engineers seem to like this song. 8 track - S. Buchanan St.

Baseball Bat – Well she said she's comin' over, She's gonna be my lover, I feel like runnin' for cover, That girl has got me pinned against the mat, Well she told me she loves me, and then she said that she needs me, You know it's startin' to bleed me, Somebody hit me with a baseball bat

I can't afford another night of love like that, Another night of love like that - It was late in the evenin', and I dreamed I was dreamin', Yeah, and I woke up screamin', She sat there grinnin' like a cheshire cat, She's a fingernail scraper, And I can't escape her, Can't even read my paper

Somebody hit me with a baseball bat, I can't afford another night of love like that, Another night of love like that - Well she said that she needs me, Lookin' like drowned rat feelin like welcome mat, She 'n' me were never meant to be, that's that, Well she promised me earthquakes, But she ain't givin me no breaks, And it's givin' me headaches, Somebody hit me with a baseball bat, I can't afford another night of love like that

This isn’t about what everybody thinks it’s about. 4track - N. 19th St.

Aside from That, What Has He Got That I Ain't Got? -- I know he makes a lot more money than me, and he's Hollywood pretty just like I'll never be, and he makes love a like printing press only all night long , and he knows the guitar parts to your favorite song, And he's all the things that I sure am not, Aside from that, what has he got that I ain't got-I know he's got a brand new Mercedes Benz , that he lets you use when you go out with your friends , He's got signed first editions up on his shelf , and he buys real good drugs that he won't use himself, And he's all the things that I sure am not, Aside from that, what has he got that I ain't got-He fixes faucets and he unscrews lids, and he's good with his hands and he's good with kids, and he graduated at the top of his class, and he's got great big pecs and a tight little ass, And he's personal friends with the Grateful Dead, And his erections are the size of a loaf of wonder bread, And you say that he wants sex just as much as you , Which only means he doesn't want it when you don't want him to, And he's all the things that I sure am not, Aside from that, what has he got that I ain't got.

All guitars direct through distortion box. 8track - S. Buchanan St.

Somethin' Shakin' -- There's somethin' shakin' that I ain't been told, You cast a shadow that's real enough to hold, There's somethin' shakin' my faith in you, It has something to do with something you do-There's somethin' shakin' in the way you walk, There's somethin' shakin' and it's makin' people talk, You got it shakin' from side to side, So you tend to cut a path about six feet wide-My knees are knockin' and I'm losin' power, my..., self-esteem is losin' steam, I'm weaker by the hour, My heart is shakin' 'round inside my chest, Like a piece o' chicken shakin' in a bag of flour-There's somethin 'bout you that's sweet but cold, and it quivers and it shakes like a jello mold, and I shiver and I quake when I get too near , but bein' too far away is what I truly fear-My knees are knockin' and I'm losin' power, my... , self-esteem is losin' steam, I'm weaker by the hour, My heart is shakin' round inside my chest, Like a piece o' chicken shakin' in a bag of flour-I hear it shakin' like a rattle on a snake, I feel it shakin' like a San Francisco quake, There's somethin' shakin' 'round inside my head, I think it's somethin' that you said-There's somethin' shakin' bout the way you make love, There's somethin' shakin' that I just can't shake my love, There's somethin' shakin' round in side my shoe, Still I'd walk across the state for you.

Electric sitar-sounding electric is through the fuzz portion of a Jimi Hendrix fuzz. I use one of my favorite tricks, which is to record and use two different solos. Hopefully you’ll be listening to one when I play a flub on the other. 8track - S. Buchanan St.

Spilt Peaches - Instrumental

Based on a nurse rhyme I leaned as kid and taught my daughter, in which the farmer goes gallopy, gallopy, gallopy and spills his peaches all gone. The day we recorded this we only had enough tape left on the 8-track tape to record half this song. We recorded the outro bit first. Then recorded the melody section and the solo section. On the solo section we recorded sax and guitar solos on 2 different tracks. When it came time to mix it I first mixed the melody sections, then the solo section with the guitar up, then the solo section with the sax up, then the melody sections again, then the outro. Then I cut it all together with a razor blade so it sounds like we actually played it all the way through. This was back in the olden days before doing such things on PC was feasible. 8track - S. Buchanan St.

Tonight I'm Gonna Watch a Movie – I've gonna knuckle down and practice I'm gonna teach my dog some tricks, I'm gonna finally do my taxes, I'm gonna get my muffler fixed, I'm gonna buckle down now and do the things I ought to do, I'm gonna pay back all I borrowed, I'm gonna treat my body right, I'm gonna start for sure tomorrow, I've got other plans tonight, Tonight I'm gonna watch a movie, drink a beer and think of you - I would love to hear you say you love me just the way I am - I'm gonna learn to control my temper, I'm gonna give up throwin' fits, I'm gonna get a shave and a haircut, Shave and a haircut tomorrow, Tonight I'm gonna watch a movie, drink a beer and think of you - I can still recall you say that I should go away, I am, but - I'm gonna head on back tomorrow, I'll be knockin' on your door, I'm gonna be so goddamn perfect, You will take take me back once more, Tonight I'm gonna watch a movie, drink a beer and think of you, You said you didn't want to see me, So thinkin's all that I can do

4track - S. Buchanan St.

Fuzz -- Fender Mustang through a Fender Champ, Quart of beer on every amp, Vocal master turned up to ten, Wish I was 15 again-Spring reverb, & tremolo, All turned up and nowhere to go, Maestro phase shift & a mosrite fuzz, that was the year that was-Makin' tapes on a one-track, One mike and a Wollensack, Songs with three chords that you could play all day , Wipeout, Smoke on the Water, G-L-O-R-I-A-Short on chops, long on feelin', We had no mike stands so we hung 'em from the ceilin', P.A. squealin' like a train about to wreck, Everything was high impedence, everything was so low-tech-Makin' tapes on a one-track, One mike and a wollensack, Songs with three chords that you could play all day , Wipeout, Smoke on the Water, G-L-O-R-I-A-Blue Kustom amp with a purple pilot light, Metal flake upholstery-covered, such an awesome sight, Telephone guitar cords and Super Slinky strings, These were a few of my favorite things-Fender Mustang through a Fender Champ, Quart of beer on every amp, Vocal master turned up to ten, Wish I was 15 again.

Dedicated to anyone whose first band was in 1972, plus or minus 20 years. Guitar (bass too?) was through a Boss Turbo distortion direct through the board. Flanging done by an old MXR outboard box. 8track - S. Buchanan St.

All Gone Now – I recall the day I met you, Still can see your face, Felt the ground beneath me vanish, Left me out in space - Standin’ on the street together, Thinkin’ this felt right, Would you like to get together, Maybe Friday Night - All gone now, All gone now, All gone now - I remember Sunday morning, Watched you waking up, Sunlight through the window warming, Pretty hands on a coffee cup, All gone now, All gone now, All gone now - I recall the day you left me, Still can see your face, Felt the ground beneath me vanish, Left me out in space - Standin’ on the street together, You said this was right, And sometime we should get together, I just said "yeah right" you know it’s - All gone now, All gone now, All gone now

The most recent recording in the collection. I like the sound of the rhythm guitar - a Danelectro through a Mig 60 head. I realized later that the sound was due in part to the fact the tubes were bad and just about to implode. I replaced the tubes but the amp never sounded quite as nice after that. 4track - Swarthmore Dr.

The Big Mistake (Was Yours) – You came awfully close to lovin' me, But in the end the big mistake was yours, 'Cause you held yourself above me, And I closed the door - You came awfully close to needin' me, But in the end the big mistake was yours, 'Cause I warned you but instead of heedin' me, You said bye-bye - You came awfully close to wantin' me, And once or twice I think you might've, But if you ever thought of stickin' 'round, Well that's a thought you must've lost your sight of - I made a slight mistake in lovin' you, But in the end the big mistake was yours, 'Cause you held yourself above me, And I closed the door

Later recorded by my friends in the Grandsons. 4track - N. 19th St.

Wouldn't Be Easy – I didn't know that it wouldn't be easy easy easy doin' without, Gettin' along with all the things that I got, Just for a while I thought it'd be easy easy easy I didn't know, Once I had learned but o'er the years I forgot - All the hours that I'm awake, Outside I'm calm inside I shake, And you'll never know the dreams I make - I wasn't sure but now I know why, no I know I gave it a lot, It comes and it goes but it's never too far, Turn it around but it never stops turnin', turnin' hurricane in my heart, Slammin' the door that I had left ajar - All the hours that I'm awake

Outside I'm calm inside I shake, And you'll never know the dreams I make - I didn't know that it wouldn't be easy easy easy doin' without, Gettin' along with all the things that I got

Just for a while I thought it'd be easy easy easy I didn't know, Once I had learned but o'er the years I forgot, Once I had learned but long a go I forgot.

People seem to like this song. Kevin Johnson recorded it on his record The Rest of Your Life. 4track - N. 19th St.

Short Song - Short song, a minute long, walkin' to the Metro hole, Short song, you can't go wrong, whistle to your fishin'pole - Short song, I bought a bong, filled it full o' chocolate milk, Short song, I took a hit, listened to some Lawrence Welk - Short song, a minute long, sing it through a garden hose, Short song, you can't go wrong, sing it while you pick your nose

Recorded guitar in Buckingham on an old AKAI sound-on-sound deck. Added vocals, trombone and mixed at the Atlas Building. I always thought the part about bonging through chocolate milk and listening to Lawrence Welk was a rhyme made in heaven.

GENERAL NOTES

The songs on It Works for Me were recorded roughly between 1986 and 1999. Some of them I can guess at the year in which they were recorded and I’d probably be accurate plus or minus a year. These songs were recorded pretty much entirely in basements and bedrooms. Recording locations are provided in the song-by-song notes above. What follows is some background on the locations.

Buckingham is a garden apartment complex in North Arlington. It was built at the end of WWII for the huge influx of government workers and servicemen’s families. I lived there for about a year from 1986-87(?).

The Atlas Building is at the corner of 9th and F St. NW DC. I was in a band called the Neighbors that rehearsed and recorded demos there for a few years. The building was being rented as studio space to artists. The owner couldn’t tear it down because it’s some kind of national landmark. The place was not in great shape but was strategically located between dc space (nightclub) and the old 9:30 club. The ground floor of the Atlas Building was filled with peep shows and sex toy shops. Many’s the night we arrived back at the Atlas at 3:30 am, drunk and tired after a gig, and loaded drums, amps, PA, etc. up five steep flights to our studio. I don’t miss that.

I moved out of Buckingham and into a corner of a basement in a musicians group house on North 19th Street in Arlington. The Neighbors moved their rehearsal space into the same basement at roughly the same time. I awoke every morning and stepped out of bed and into a room filled with musical instruments and recording gear. I kind of miss that.

I got married in June 1989 and moved into the upper level of a duplex on North 22nd Road in Arlington. While there I bought an 8track deck but had no place to set it up at home. So I set up the 4track in our bedroom and kept the 8 track back at N. 19th St. After a while we had a kid. The downstairs neighbor man was never too fond of noise, be it music or a teething baby crying in the middle of the night (I don’t miss that) so we high tailed it out of there and rented a bigger place with a basement on South Buchanan Street in South Arlington.

On S. Buchanan St. I set up the 8track and recorded myself and friends for a few (~6) years. When I had time I used the 8track. When time was tight (as it tends to be for parents) the 4track was more convenient for quick demos.

After a while we decided we shouldn’t be throwing money away on rent and bought a place on Swarthmore Drive in Alexandria VA. That’s where we are now.

 

GEAR

Four-track recordings were mostly recorded on a Tascam 34B. Where the song notes say "2x4" that means we recorded to one 4track, then mixed down to two tracks on a second 4track (Tascam 22-4) and continued from there. The eight-track is a Teac 80-8. Four-tracks were recorded either by plugging the mics/instruments straight into the deck (34B) or with a Teac 2A mixer (22-4). The 2A was also used for mixing/preamping into the 8-track.

Drums on the 8-track stuff were generally recorded using 2 tracks for drums left, drums right and kick. This came from an X-Y pair of SM58s over, or in front of, the drums and another SM58 in the kick. Generally an SM57 was on the snare and it was given its own track. I usually run drums left and right through an Alesis Microlimiter while mixing. Drums on the 4-track stuff are usually mono when I do the drumming; when others drum I record drums in stereo with an XY pair in front of the drums and play rhythm guitar along with the guitar amp off to one side so it ends up panned to one side of the mix. Mono drums on these recordings are recorded using a cardioid or omni a few feet in front of the drums.

Microphones were mostly SM57, 58 or Radio Shack PZMs. Occasionally strange cheap mics were used. Compression on earlier recordings involved an MXR noise reduction that wasn’t really intended as a compressor. Later I compressed by running the mic through a Boss CS-2 stompbox. Finally I picked up a little dbx "overeasy" compressor that I used a lot for vocals, acoustic guitar & bass. Bass (mid 70s Fender Precision) generally goes direct. Electronic keyboard parts are a cheesy (vintage?) Casio MT45 from the early 80s. Acoustic piano is a console upright that I inherited from my grandmother via my dad. Acoustic guitar is the world’s most beatup Epiphone FT 145. It’s the first guitar I ever owned, got it in 1972. Electric guitars are whatever was around including Les Pauls, an ES175, an SG, Telecasters, a Strat and often a Hagstrom II solid body that Karl Straub left at my house without a case for about 3 years. The e-guitar is often recorded direct through effects boxes. This is not because I prefer doing it that way but is a concession to the fact that I live with other people, and find myself recording in the room under my daughter’s after she’s gone to bed.

On the 4-track stuff and much of the 8-track I save tracks and generations by recording harmony vocals simultaneously with other tracks. This takes a little longer to get good takes but I figure since I’m supposed to be able to play and sing harmony live I should be able to do it in the studio (a.k.a "basement"). On 4-track recordings I usually add the bass and harmony while mixing down. This means that I don’t have a hand free to adjust levels while mixing. This makes it advisable to adjust levels while playing the parts, just as you would live (e.g., turning up for solos, down behind vocal sections). It also explains why some recordings sound like they could have been mixed better. Outboard effects consist mostly of an Alesis Microverb I and an old Yamaha analog delay. Mixing was done on a Tascam M208, usually through an Alesis Microlimiter, to a Revox B77 Mark II ½ track deck, a cheap cassette deck or straight to HiFi VCR. Some 4track recordings were originally mixed to cassette. Rather than use cassette masters for this CD we took the 4track tape to Tony Flagg’s house, copied it to ADAT, re-recorded bass and vocal parts that had originally been added during mixing, and remixed.

-Scott McKnight 4/27/00