The Dyslexic Carp-
The Happy People Album (
January 2009)
Welcome to the third of 10 full albums being uploaded as part of the "
Tales From
The Big Band Room" collection.
Originally album 33, this is disc nine, and consists of the following tracks:
1—
Happy People (00:00)
2—
Suicide Bomber (05:07)
3—
Hunter and the
Haunted (11:39)
4—
All Along The Watchtower (16:01)
5—Planespotter (21:32)
6—
Bag Lady (25:06)
7—
Caledonia (28:57)
8 – Contented (35:32)
This album changed the way we recorded albums, in the main; instead of lengthy writing and recording practices, we would jam, write live, record live, and do minimal, if any overdubs.
Vocal and solo parts would be done a maximum of twice, and if the second was poor, either the song was scrapped or the duff notes remained in. We were pleased with it, and still are.
The original sleeve notes contained my thoughts, although quite brief; this might be where the format of the sleeve notes was devised.
Enjoy:
The Dyslexic
Carp
Present…
Happy People
The genesis of this album was the best
New Year’s Eve party ever, hosted by Bob and
Allison in the wonderful world of Gallacher
Green.
At this party I played the acoustic guitar for perhaps 2 hours, playing songs picked by
Scott Philp, and some of which were brand new to me. At one
point, I was asked to play something of my own. I, of course, explained everything I had ever written was miserable. They insisted. I played “
The Roadie Song” and “
Rachel”, both off the “
Life’s No
Dress Rehearsal” album. They went down well with the generous audience (hardly an audience really—they were the lead vocalists!). I decided I would sit down and write a less miserable album. The title was the first thing I came up with. When I played a riff with the line “I’m a happy man”,
Sarah came up with the line “since I found
Islam” (“Suicide Bomber), and so the full idea was conceived.
Sometimes the happiest of people do things that make them look miserable, but really it is the pathetic eyes and mind of the viewer that is seeing what they want to see, rather than what is there. For instance, most homeless people actually choose to live that way.
The final idea was to record the album live, rather than record each individual instrument separately.
It’s a tricky prospect, but this is what was done. There are absolutely no overdubs, although some sections were removed during the mastering process.
Happy People (
CDL) -
I’ve used this riff before, as have a whole host of other bands. This is the story of 2 Signallers who are poles apart when it comes to being lucky. One is “The
Bigot” (supposed to be me) the other a happy go lucky person called Joe (who is actually me!). I think it sets the scene for the rest of the album quite nicely.
Suicide Bomber (CDL) - The lyrics are the thoughts of a suicide bomber, as imagined by “The Bigot”. They are pretty tasteless, and childishly funny, but the real tour de force of this track is the guitar solo outro.
Hunter and the Haunted (CDL/
HST) -
The music of this came really quickly once I read the lyrics. The lyrics were written by
Hunter S Thompson (
Fear and Loathing in
Las Vegas) days before he killed himself. The music, though is uplifting, as HST was happy, I imagine, at the very end.
All Along The Watchtower (BD) -
Bob Dylan wrote this beauty, and doing it differently that everyone else is nigh impossible, but I’ve had a go anyway.
Planespotter (CDL) - What one person thinks is mad is another’s hobby.
I am the planespotter, and “my good friend from the
North” is Scott Philp.
Bag Lady (CDL) - another character assassination from the Dyslexic Carp. The song is again sung from The Bigot’s” perspective.
Caledonia (DM) - This Dougie Maclean song was covered after the New Year’s Eve party. The
Scots, when they sing this, sound like an army going to war—stand well clear! Originally, this track was recorded for a limited edition EP for Bob and Allison on their 10th
Wedding Anniversary.
Contented (CDL) - this is the big guitar moment I guess, but it also ties the entire album up. You see, I’m not “The Bigot” - he is just a character in a story. Here it is explained to him why actually everyone is happy, or striving for happiness, and it is only “The Bigot” who seems to enjoy wallowing in pity.
I guess what the album is designed to do is mix the mad and the melancholy, the happy and the sad, the minor and the major (as far as the keys are concerned). I hope you are not offended by what is presented here, and that in fact you enjoy the album.
CDL,
February 2009
- published: 24 Jul 2015
- views: 18