This is becoming more of a project diary than anything else. New album of material has shifted away from song approach into more soundscape territory. More atmosphere and less vocal? Certainly won't be any more "rock" songs. Came up with a few "vignette" type pieces that work really well. Wednesday night this week we did a new one. Gothic blues would be a good description for it. Also Mark edited previous recording of a dreamy ballad that's going to be a really good one. The basics of two or three more to be recorded and then I think it might be time to see where we're at with it all. Looking forward to working again on some of the earlier ones. Probably in the new year now. These things take time! Using a Guild bass for these tracks. Great woody sound played by the too talented Mark Elliott. D.K.
New project songs are coming along. Six recorded in basic form and potentially five new ones in the pipeline. Lead vocals are being recorded remotely and the whole album will be put together later in the year in a few big sessions hopefully. Melodic, but will be a bit heavier than 'Apex Creatures' and a lot more produced. Exciting stuff to be involved in. Still deciding if I should post up some 'Mother Of Pearl' tracks. Some of the later live stuff still sounds OK. I won't be putting up our demo's because they we're all so so. Not sure why? We must have thought the material was good enough at the time! Bad move going to Island Records with them. After being asked to pop along by one of the A&R guys. Some label scout had seen us live in North London. As soon as A&R man heard a demo song that was it. Ta ta. He just banged on about how he signed 'The Verve' via a tape demo. Remember those? Sorry lads thanks for coming. Hard not to be a little bitter about life's follies.
D.K.
Mother Of Pearl Live at 'The Bear Cat Club' Twickenham. 93/94.
The follow up to New Lamps For Old album 'Apex Creatures' has been tentatively put on hold. This is because I have teamed up with a well known vocalist. (Best if he remains anonymous at this stage.) Lyrics and music have been exchanged and one unfinished track recorded recently came out so well that we have agreed to do an album together. Logistically I can't do a NLFO album at the same time. So the rest of this year at least will be dedicated to this new project.
Thinking about releasing first NLFO ep 'Alpha' this year, if I get time to edit a few things and re-master it.
If you visit this blog and want to hear some very cool music from any time in the last four or more decades. Why not visit and join the Song of Songs facebook page. You might discover some new artists and get the chance to post some of your own favorites too.
After a self imposed decade long recording break. New Lamps For Old began again this week (Tuesday) at the wonderful EMP studio in Hadleigh Essex. One new track emerged sounding very promising after four hours. New material will probably be a mix of instrumental tracks and songs. Less poppy than 'Apex Creatures'? A long way to go to get an album's worth done but it's a start. Great to be working with the brilliant Mark Elliott again.
Song of Songs has now become it's own record label. After a very long time in limbo New Lamps For Old's album Apex Creatures was finally made available for download via cdbaby and iTunes on the 24/01/12. Here's a list of other places soon to be offering it for sale. Amazon, Emusic, GreatIndieMusic, iHeartRadio, Lastfm, Myspace Music, Napster, Nokia, Rhapsody, Simfy, Spotify, Tradebit, Verizon, Zune. Promo CD copies are available to reviewers who get in touch via this blog.
Recording with The Auctioneers began for me in a sixteen track
Southend studio. 'House' is the only one of the three songs we did that I enjoy now.
The other two in my opinion we're not thought out enough before and during a typical rushed recording attempt. Some nice parts but the whole lets them down.
I remember the band working on my initial idea for 'House' and being very happy with it when we pulled it into shape. Our man at EMI publishing rated it the best demo of that year 1987. At least that's what he told us!
Even after the positive response to the 'House' demo's playing live didn't seem to be working. We even had a ludicrous two week officially announced name change until someone saw the light and it was swiftly changed back. By this time London based ex Doctors Children Keyboardist Matthew Woodman had joined as it was decided we needed to fill out the live sound. He came in via another Melody Maker ad. I remember rehearsing a lot with him in south London in the summer and not playing live too much for a while. When we did start again I thought it sounded a lot more confident and together.
The last demo's we recorded were with Matthew in Peckham south London. I was happier with all three tracks this time. Everyone seemed to be into it and playing and singing well. 'Watch It All Come Down' I really like. I got a very over driven guitar sound for a change via the studios Marshall amp. 'Wire' and 'Violent Kisses' I think are good songs that again could have benefited from a little more time spent on them. 'Wire' has quite bad tape hiss at the beginning that maybe I should try and remove one day.
Unfortunately behind the scenes the original band members decided that after all the keyboard wasn't a sound they wanted. The main complaint was that it made us sound too obvious. Too much rock n roll. Not only that but 'The Auctioneers' was a band they didn't want to do anymore either for various reasons and called it a day. They went on to form another band soon after with a heavier 'Pixies' type sound. Sorry guys can't remember the name! Listening back after all this time I think stopping at that point was a mistake. We should have carried on a while longer and built on all the hard work.
Afterwards I found out that our manager had been asked by EMI publishing for my phone number. They were interested in me as a potential replacement for Terry Bickers in The House Of Love. She mysteriously told them she had lost my number. Finding it later when I got a call from her about joining her sons band! I could have been a contender? I'll never know. Beware management types and their 20%. Lesson learned trust no one.
I'm still in touch with half the band. Chris Clarke is currently not involved in music I'm told. His brother Martin Clarke has never stopped making music and is one prolific musician. Now working with prog/pop project 'Those Men' amongst other things. Martin Temperton runs a restaurant in Maldon in Essex. Mathew Woodman now lives in Cornwall and fronts a Paul Weller tribute. And I'm writing this and remembering. DK.
The Auctioneers were a band from Southend. In action from about 1985 - 90. Featuring Martin Clarke - vocals & guitars, Chris Clarke - bass, Darrall Knight - Guitars, Martin Temperton - drums. After moving to London in late 86 I spotted an ad in Melody Maker. Mainly due to the name and obvious REM connection plus they had management. I was offered the vacant guitarist job after a meeting and an audition. I thought their demo was great and still like the songs all these years on.
We gigged in all the right places at the time for an unsigned band. Dingwalls, Marquee, lots of central London pubs. A couple of memorable trips to Wales for university gigs. Picked up a few decent reviews and a few not so good ones. Got quite serious publishing interest from EMI for a while only for them to turn around and say the image was wrong. Music was right but... Why we just didn't self release something I don't know. A bit of general disdain for the business side if I remember rightly. A downside of having management is that you leave it to them to do it all. Or not enough as it turned out.
Demo tracks Drainaway, Honeypot, and Mystery Girl we're all recorded in Southend and I think had Martin Temperton's brother on guitar as well. (someone correct me if I'm wrong.) After I joined things started to go in a slightly more rock direction. Which with hindsight was inevitable but probably not quite right. I still like most of the songs I recorded with them. I was coming up with a lot of music ideas and Martin was writing lyrics to them. But we did lose the pop appeal that I find in these great Martin Clarke written tracks.
If any ones got any Auctioneers press clippings or photos could you please let me know.
