‘We Love the City’ represented the most intense period of writing, thus far, for a Hefner album. The lyrics and tunes went under many revisions in the twelve months before recording. The recording itself was also very planned in contrast to previous Hefner albums. John and I had figured out most of the brass and vocal parts before we went into the studio. There was an almost conscious effort on the band's part to make quite a ‘lush’ or ‘produced’ record, not for purely commercial reasons, but because the ‘up’ nature of the songs seemed to demand it. It occurred to me that it was what was least expected of us, appearing to critics and fans alike as an indie band.
I like ‘We Love the City’, but was pretty certain I didn’t want to do an album the same way a second time. Around this time my friends Mark and Brian had both been telling me that they had been enjoying some of the pre-‘Breaking God’s Heart’ tapes (some of those songs appeared on ‘Soul’ and ‘Pull..’). Though unimpressed by the recording quality I was struck by how cavalier our approach to arrangement and sound was when we thought nobody was listening. The idea started to form that we should make music at home again; private music that isn’t made primarily with a listener in mind (at least not until final track listing).
I thought that to make an album purposefully lo-fi would be a contrivance seeing that we could afford not to, but at the same time I didn’t want hi-fi sound fidelity to be an issue that held us back creatively. The result was a fairly simple set up with a digital 8-track, valve compressor, a few decent microphones. The 8 tracks would be a big step down from the 24 we’re used to at Roundhouse, and we hoped the restrictions would force us to think laterally. When I was at art college, the tutors would often give us odd exercises to make us work within restrictions, like drawing without looking at the page, or not lifting the pencil from the paper. Once we had to paint for a whole morning with a bag of flour tied to our wrist, the idea being that as the arm got tired it would only be lifted when a mark was really deemed worth making. This is what the 8 tracks were going to do for us, no superfluous finger cymbals here, just the meat and bones. I felt I had developed a few engineering skills through recording some b-sides in the past but I also hoped that I could make my shortcomings work for us rather then against us, that there would be something unorthodox about me trying my best when there was an obvious gap in my knowledge.
I guess I was thinking quite a bit about Joe Meek and Lee Perry when thinking of this stuff, both legendary record producers who made fantastic sounds with only limited knowledge and equipment.
The band were also (and still are) listening to a lot of electronic music at the time. (Current stuff like ‘Mouse on Mars’ and ‘Plone’ but also ‘Kraftwerk’, ‘Human League’ etc.), and we had been starting to buy up old analogue synthesizers. We knew this factor would inform much of the sound of the next album.
Here is a list of all the songs, with notes, recorded for the Dead Media album. There are a lot and quite a few won’t be released for a while. They are placed in chronological order, so as to tell the story of the sessions unfolding.
Half a Life
One of the first we started, and strangely one of the most successful. All of the band appear though every one did their parts separately, in itself a new thing for us. Jack’s first lead vocal. An old analogue tape deck was used to reverse the tape to get the backwards synth/guitar solo, it took a whole day to synch it back into the song (and it still isn’t in time).
Dark Days
Currently not on the release schedule, this was the original title track of the album (after ‘Dark Days’ we went for ‘Love Your Enemies’ then ‘Dead Media’). At this stage we were filtering a lot of instruments through our Moog synth, creating those weird high end watery effects that can be heard on Alan Bean and ‘Half a Life’. Jack does a cracking ‘When Doves Cry’ guitar solo on this.
Alan Bean
The song pretty much only features me and Jack, (Ant does a backing vocal). A lot of these earlier songs were done in tandem with Jack’s solo album. Jack had been banned from playing Pedal Steel on ‘WLTC’ (due it not being a very London instrument) so he enjoyed to trying to make it sound like it was in outer space on this. Very definitely Joe Meek inspired this one, the lyrics are explained on the back of the single.
The Love has Gone
V. sad countyish song. John got an effect by playing the song through a speaker that sat on top of a snare drum, a mike was placed underneath that caught the delayed ‘flam’ sound.
The Nights are Long
Recorded on the same day as the above, this was the only time the downstairs neighbours complained about noise, maybe because Jack was using my entire bathroom as a reverb chamber for his guitar.
Home
Everyone (except John) gets a lead vocal. Quite a few weird instruments on this. Jack played his ‘Black Sun’ steel which is made from tin and has no sound hole. The rhythm track was taken from a strange Italian 70’s keyboard called a Giaccaglia. Xylophone was also a popular instrument around this time also. I once promised myself I would never write a song about being in a band or the music industry and I kind of broke that promise here. I won’t do it again.
Waking Up To You
‘A bit McCartneyish’ said Jack. That can only be a compliment to me. As many as 9 backing vocals bounced down onto one track for this. A love song.
Monkey Man
All of a sudden ‘Too Pure’ decided they wanted ‘Painting and Kissing’ as a single, (they later changed their minds). So this and the next three were recorded as b-sides.
This is a song made famous by Toots and the Maytals and also the Specials. A particularly bizarre arrangement in the middle by John, can’t explain, you’ll have to wait to hear it.
Hymn for the Telephones
V. old song, re-recorded.
Down St.
The only unreleased song that was written for ‘WLTC’. A waltz time song set in 1930’s London, with Jack on fiddle.
Louise
A cover of the Human League song.
Peppermint Taste
Call it cowardice, but half way through the album we decided to record a few songs (this and the next four) with Miti again at Roundhouse Studios. Oddly, everyone seems to agree that these recordings don’t necessarily sound more produced. This is a song about my first girlfriend at school, (Linda Brockbank if you’re reading).
Junk
This was one of the most fun times I’ve ever had in Hefner. We were waiting for Miti to fix something on the desk and John started playing this tune he had, within ten minutes I’d put some unused lyrics on it, and we were ready to record. It was so exciting to have something come from nothing so quickly. The brass section were coming in the next day anyway for another song, so we got them to add trumpets and whistling. My favourite song on the album.
Like many of the songs on Dead Media, this is about growing up, thinking about what truly matters in life.
King of Summer
A pretty shameless attempt by me to write a summer hit. I did write it on the beach in Barcelona though.
Can’t Help Losing You
An old time country style song with brass. This uses a pretty common Hefner arrangement trick which is to have almost every instrument playing the bass line, (see also ‘Thatcher’ and ‘GLR’)
All I Ever Need
Sad piano song about missing your honey. Written in somewhere called Aas in Norway (I think). We played to 8 people that night.
Trouble Kid
This is pretty shameless as well actually. Sometimes you just want to write a stupid dumb, pop song. Never has there been a more Gary Numan keyboard solo outside of a Gary Numan record, never has there been a more Billy Duffy guitar solo outside of a Cult record. I’m not proud.
Horror Show
Believe it or not I was trying to do a Missy Elliot style production here. At one point I thought this was they key to the whole album. Jack talked sense into me that it was a b-side.
Your Kitchen
An old verse from about ten years back, bolted onto a new chorus. My girlfriend thinks we’re stupid for not putting this on the album, let alone not a b-side. You’ll get to hear it eventually I’m sure.
Come on Sister
Song about (hey!!!) my sister. Just me and my synths (aahh happy times…)
Hymn for the 1950’s British Folk Revival
So bad I don’t think all the band have even heard it. If you ever see me release this, you know I’ve run out of ideas.
Just Take Care
So many people wanted this on the album but it just didn’t come out the way I’d planned it. Myself, Antony and Amelia had all tried singing this until eventually Kerry from Whistler got the job.
Dead Media
With the title for the album in my head I decided to make a song to go with it. Arpeggiating Korgs, I’m sure heaven sounds like this.
China Crisis
It seemed looking back that this rare Hefner song was the start of some of the Dead Media ideas. Playing it through on piano I thought how good it was and that it should be heard by more people. I wrote some more lyrics and got Amelia to sing with us on it. James from Whistler plays Viola.
A Better Man
Once again recorded with Amelia and James.
When the Angels Play their Drum Machines
Pretty much just me on this one with Antony programming the drums. Incidentally I can’t play keyboards as well as that solo. Each bar of it was recorded separately and cut together, it took me a whole day.
Charlie Girl
These last two songs were made to impress someone or other at the record or publishing company and perhaps sound like it. On this we were seeing if it was possible to sound more like the Rolling Stones then Primal Scream do.
Dirty World
The only time we probably resorted to Hefner by numbers for this record, fans of ‘Hello Kitten’ will undoubtedly love it, it does have a stylophone solo in it though.
Incidentally for those of you who find the idea of a synthesizer led Hefner a bit hard to take, be warned. After we finished the album I bought a ‘Prophet 5’, the mummy of all synths, get used to it kids
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It will be called In Rainbows and the way it will be released is quite interesting. First off, it will only be available on www.inrainbows.com initially. Secondly, it appears that they are releasing this album without a signed deal with a record company. Of course, many of us have been saying for years that they don't need EMI or any label.
If you go to the site now, you'll notice that there are two options for pre-ordering: Discbox and Download.
What is the difference?
DISCBOX
Hello everyone.
Well, the new album is finished, and it's coming out in 10 days;
We've called it In Rainbows.
Love from us all. Jonny
Yup, that's right. A new Radiohead album, out October 10! Nice surprise, huh? It's called In Rainbows, duh. And it appears that Radiohead have chosen to not sign with a record label and are releasing it themselves via their website, at least for now.
What can I say, everything you do is amazing!
Having finally got my hands on 'Kick, Snare, Hats Ride' I'm desperate to see you on the upcoming tour and can't wait for 'Table For One'.
Any news on 'Catfight' or has that been put on hold?
Good to see your on myspace. Any chance of a Hefner reunion at some point? I would pay good money to see that and especially a rendition of "you've been prayed for" Keep up your solo stuff it's ace.
Word life and whatever happened to "the french" i bought the 1st album and loved it.
