Hi everyone,
Just some more ramblings again.
When I was 11 and I decided I wanted to be a rock star rather than a professional footballer (Just as well as I was not very good) I decided that writing my own songs was an important factor. As I have mentioned previously this is something that has always been crucial to me in being some form of musician.
I actually wrote my first song at that time even though I couldn’t play an instrument. It was called “Dirty Soap” (hey I was 11) and was obviously it was not very good. No I won’t be recording it anytime soon.
Since then however I have always written songs, most of which I think are ok, otherwise I throw them away. They don’t all fit into specific genres either they are quite mixed and generally fit in with how I feel at the time.
Some will have been heard when I played them to people, some have been given away on cassettes or home burnt CDs and others haven’t made it past my ears.
Believing that there is no point in recording a song if no-one gets the chance to hear it I decided to put a few of my earlier songs, some recorded in a studio others on a home 4 track cassette or some other basic equipment out for general release. It’s unlikely they will ever see the light of day again otherwise.
Therefore from Monday 17th February you should be able to buy/stream “Memories Remain – A collection of early demos and home recordings” released under my own name – Craig McDonald
I am not expecting this to set the world on fire but it is what it says it is – A collection of early recordings and home demos which otherwise will be lost forever.
Here’s the track list and some notes for those interested.
- Memories Remain. – I wrote and recorded this this circa 1990, recorded in Dead Sound studios Chester. Gavin Gill was the producer/engineer and it was just the two of us doing everything. I recorded the song again later and it has been played live where it proved to be quite popular but this is the original (and to my ears the best version- so far).
- Sunrise – An instrumental track in two parts which I was originally going to call Sunrise/Sunset. Recorded by John Oliver circa 2006 I quite like this track even if some bits are derivate. Part 2 has about six layered guitars by the time it reaches the end.
- Tears in Your eyes – Another recorded by John Oliver around the same time as Sunrise. John added the keyboards. The lyrics are fairly self-explanatory. If memory serves me correctly and no guarantee of that, the electric guitar solo is quite rare as it was played on my Les Paul which I have since sold?
- Seasons – The original demo as recorded on my Fostex X-28 4 track Cassette, early 90s. This was actually played live quite a lot during the 90s when I was with Glassback. The “twelve string” is actually my Strat through the pitch shifter on my Zoom 3030 effects processor.
- Slider – Another instrumental but I can’t remember when I actually recorded it although it sounds like a digital recording and my ovation acoustic so early 2000s perhaps? Just an idea I was trying out and I quite like the end result.
- Whispered by the Wind – Not really sure what this is actually about although I am sure I had something in mind when I wrote it. No matter, I quite like some of the guitar work and the tune is not too shabby. The electric guitar is another rare recording for me as once again I was using the Les Paul.
- Long Ago – This is definitely from the early 90s and recorded at home on the Fostex. The guitar is quite heavily phased. I suspect I was going for a “Catch the Rainbow” type of feel overall but not sure that is how it turned out.
- Electric Dream – This is a just a bit of self-indulgent ad-libbing really. Recorded at home in the early 90s playing my Strat through a Marshall Valve state amp and Zoom 3030 Effects processor. I simply set the drum machine going, found an interesting patch on the zoom and started playing. Later I added a very basic bass guitar. I think there are some quite interesting things on there, well I would wouldn’t I? I am not even sure how I got some of those sounds/effects. I am sure some parts would actually fit in well in a live situation with the Clan.
Well there you have it. As the album is only available on download or streaming I didn’t really bother too much with artwork. It’s simply a live photo of me. If it were to be released on CD/Vinyl I would have to do something more involved but that is highly unlikely to be honest.
Next up, hopefully some new Clan recordings, the long awaited “Rise Up” album perhaps or maybe just a couple of individual tracks.
Watch this space,
Keep Rockin’
Craig