It will be called "Sasquatches And Synthesizers" - and it's gonna be a wonderful work of art,mainly with piano and strings.
I had the honour to contribute the artwork. What do you think?
The album is still in progress and will be available on iTunes and similar services this year.
...the first seven songs are finished... (12June2017) and number five to seven are songs with vocals! Finally Andy is going to sing again. And I hate to keep it for myself because it is so wonderful but I have to!
ANDY PAWLAK's compilation of demos "Blood And Feathers" and his pre-Shoebox demos "In The Kitchen" are now available on iTunes and Amazon as downloads.
By the end of summer "In The Kitchen" will be available on vinyl as well as a strictly limited and numbered edition on FIRESTATION RECORDS from Germany.
The cover of "Blood And Feathers" is hand painted by ANDY PAWLAK himself.
The track list of "Blood And Feathers": 01 Edith 02 Fumes 03 Girl In The Rain 04 Losing The Feeling 05 Walking 06 Wish You'd Believe 07 Blood And Feathers
Check Andy's website for future information on the vinyl release here.
Today 30 years ago, the great ANDY PAWLAK recorded his wonderful, wonderful demos and we all would love to celebrate this day and say "Thank You!"
ANDY would like to add this:
"I remember doing the demos like it was yesterday, they were recorded in my tiny kitchen in my bedsit in whitley bay. I borrowed my mate Johns ghetto blaster and stood and recorded all the songs live straight onto cassette. no overdubs all live. I suppose those demos pretty much changed my life really. Not long after I signed to Chrysalis publishing and Phonogram Records. great times and great memories. I wish I could do the whole thing again. All the best Andy"
I know that a lot of readers are keen on more songs from great ANDY PAWLAK.
Some interesting background information from Andy:
"Is it is full of dropouts and pops 'cos it really is a DEMO but I totally dig the song. This is the type of thing that was going to be on the album after "Shoebox". This one managed to survive and not get destroyed."
So you might get an idea of how the album would have sounded. Download from Andy's site here.
Dear listeners, followers, friends and ANDY PAWLAK-addicts.
As announced ANDY wanted to take the chance to answer a few questions that are frequently asked here.
"Any plans to record something in the future?"
The simple answer is I just dont know. I was pretty badly burned by Universal after "Low Beat Folk" and I just thought fuck it.
I have always tried so hard with my songs and I thought enough is enough. I ain't touched a guitar in a while but you never know the feeling might come back. That's the strange thing about song writing - it comes when it comes, I dont really have any control over it,
I'm just the sucker who gets to write it down.
"Why was there no follow up after Shoebox?"
There was! and it was good but the record company didn't like it. It was a lot of very hard work wasted. It was more guitar based than "shoebox" more mature and tougher. There was some good songs that will never be heard. I was so upset I destroyed all the demos.
Thats when I decided to fuck off for a few years and went to San Francisco to do my helicopter stuff. (From an earlier mail: I had just got out of my first record deal with Phonogram and fancied a change of direction so I grabbed my suitcase and a guitar and moved to San Francisco to to go to flight school. It took 7 months to get my commercial licence then I trained to become a flight instructor.I stayed in California about 5 years then came back to London and signed with Island Records to do Low Beat Folk. I had many amazing adventures flying, one of the best was flying to Michael Jacksons house (twice), and spending the afternoon pissing about in his golf cart around the ranch in never never land.)
"Why was Low Beat never released?"
Well for me that's the big question. I did 5 or so years in California and started to write again so I moved back to London to get a deal.
One of my dreams had always been to sign with Island Records, so I finished the album and put a band together called "Monkey".
Island went for it and" Low Beat Folk" was recorded. It took 3 years to write and record and I was so proud of the work we had all done..... Then out of the blue, Island were bought out by Universal and they dropped the project after spending a lot of money on it. I was so fucking gutted. I went to New York and secured a deal for it within 2 weeks. The contracts arrived, and I was about to sign, when I got word from Universal legal dept that they would not allow the recordings to be used. The Mother Fuckers effectivley shut us down. It broke my heart...
Thanks so much, Andy! If you readers have any more questions let me know.
Today's song...:
This one is an incredible song from the album "Tales From The Monkeyshed" recorded under the name SUBDELUXE.
The album is available at iTunes (here) or sooner or later on THIS IS INDIE. Of course with ANDY PAWLAK's permission.
A very poetic piece of art. It's just a feeling I get It's just the way that you move It's just a feeling I get I'll be left in your fumes...
From the "PS1 sessions"...: "Me and Scott did this DEMO called "Fumes" in his bedroom. I think its quite a good song. We found the drums on an old playstation 1 game so we looped them for a laugh. Obviously the drums are far too loud for the track but it is a VERY rough demo. We set the playstation away and just played over the top, good fun. Anyway let me know what you think." - And that means YOU READERS!
Another song to be presented for the first time ever to the astonished world of ANDY PAWLAK fans.
What I can tell you about the circumstances of the recording is: "We (Andy & Scott) found the drums on an old playstation 1 game so we looped them for a laugh. I sampled an accordian from a Edith Piaf song and we played over the top. It is a VERY ROUGH DEMO but the song is ok."
There is no such thing as an unreleased ANDY PAWLAK album called "BOUNCING OFF THE SATELLITES". Well, it is - if you prefer it like this - unreleased AND not even recorded and not planned. (There is one from the B-52's.)
To quote Andy: "I have heard about Bouncing Off The Satellites but it was not me, pity cos it's a good title!"
But to give you some comfort in your grief, let me offer you this unreleased wonderful song from ANDY PAWLAK - On A Spinning Rock (download mp3)
EXTREMELY rare stuff from great ANDY PAWLAK!!! These songs are demos from 1985 and have never been released except on a tape that was sold by ANDY PAWLAK personally. The songs are not available anywhere else and haven't even been released in different version.
The download will be available for a limited time only. For hardcore collectors!!!
ANDY PAWLAK - In The Kitchen (1985) 01 Sunhine Girl 02 Waiting For The Fire 03 Blue and Grey 04 Perfect Days 05 This Our 85 06 Jazz Guitar
This record is the last but one post feat. ANDY PAWLAK.
He recorded this record under the name MONKEY "Low Beat Folk" with SCOTT DONALDSON but never released it.
Now the songs are available on his myspace website under the name SUBDELUXE "Tales From The Monkeyshed".
I prefer the SUBDELUXE artwork... (though it's really small)
MONKEY - Low Beat Folk
01 Caving In
02 Hole
03 I Will
04 Slow Dance
05 Hurt
06 You Got Me
07 Seven Days
08 The Act
09 Everything Mends
10 Bullshit & Dreams
11 Subside
"...I've seen what men can do to men..."
I have recently heard that Andy is a driving instructor now in the UK. Rumours...
My gift for you on Christmas Eve...
The most moving and beautiful pop album ever recorded.
Music for lovers, music for christmas, music from and for the heart.
ANDY PAWLAK once supported THE POGUES on a tour and the audience started throwing bottles at him while he stood on the stage solitarily.
He started playing his songs on his acoustic guitar and soon the audience stopped throwing and simply listened to his music, wouldn't even let him leave the stage.
This record is unique, special, a milestone!
ANDY PAWLAK - Shoebox Full Of Secrets (1989)
01 Secrets
02 You And Me
03 Mermaids
04 Best Regards
05 Forever
06 Mother’s Day
07 All That’s Left Of Me
08 Eskimo Kissing
09 Love Letters
10 For Better Or Worse
11 White Eagles
12 No Compromise
13 Wintertime
Godlike ANDY PAWLAK again with very rare stuff unavailble elsewhere than on this very single. Different versions than on the longplayer (to be posted in a few days).
The first 2 songs of this post belong on the single cd "Secrets".
Where and when the other live recordings where made I have no idea.
I think I found them on a long deleted website.
But anyway - enjoy ANDY PAWLAK - Secrets (1989) plus
01 Bulldogs
02 Lullaby
03 Mother Waved Her Flag Again (live)
04 White Eagles (live)
I really appreciate that you get in contact with me and ask for my support. It makes me feel good to see that THIS IS INDIE is followed all over the world.
The thing is, I get an awful lot of mails and I hardly find the time to go through them all, not mentioning downloading stuff and listening to it.
I posted 3 newcomer bands so far and there will hardly be any more.
The main purpose of this blog is to let the world have a share in my favorite music that I already own and there is still much to be posted.
So please understand that I will not post any more new bands at the moment and also will not have the time to answer your mails. Not by record companies and not by bands or managers.
I'm sorry but I simply have to be this direct as I get flooded with mails at the moment and I simply have to delete them unread.
