General »   BOB Demos 1985 - 1995

I have more to say, but this bleedin' forum is a turkey. I'll get back to you...RvB x

Thank you kindly, sir! I wrote something of an essay to start this thread off, but fell victim to the vagaries of the forum. But, in essence, it was to introduce these 10 songs, recorded at Harlow's Square Club, where Chris Fallon, our sound man of the era, worked doing live bands upstairs and recording them downstairs in their 16 track. We hired the place with money from Notting Hill Music and recorded the songs over a couple of days. The backing tracks were recorded live with Chris at the controls, then we overdubbed vocals and a few bits 'n' pieces, and then I mixed it all-in-a-rush with some band or other thundering away in the venue upstairs.

The versions you're hearing are from a cassette of the original digital (DAT) master. I'm hoping to locate that DAT, otherwise these versions won't be improved until I bump into someone with a Fostex E16 or similar!

As some of you will know, the plan is to remix/remaster all of the demos we made during the period, but I can't start that in earnest 'til I move into my new studio (a rented, old, granite pig shed overlooking Cape Cornwall...amazing) in a month or two. In the meantime, I'm going to be bunging my collection of 'metal cassette'(!) original mix masters into the MP3 player for your perusal.

As I add songs to the archive, or replace existing items with improved versions, I'll be posting news of it up here. Of the songs in the player at the moment, some are from a 2nd generation cassette copy sent in by Ally, some are from the re-mixes Simon and I made 10 years ago, and a few are from the Nothing For Something b-side mixes.

Anyway, more of that later. At the weekend, I'll try and get the ball rolling by writing a bit about how we ended up with free unlimited access to a neat, simple 8-track studio in Banwell, Somerset, and made reasonably good use of it over the period!

It was easy to date this session...I can only have written Green Pepper feast after Smells Like Teen Spirit had been released. Ooops. ;)

Enjoy, I hope.

RvB x

The session in general sees BOB essentially picking up from where the album left off, in spikier mode, darker and more contemplative than ever. It also sounds confident, with the band very evidently 'match fit' and able to lay down release quality versions of most of the tracks straight off the bat.

The stand-out tracks for me, so far, are 'Plastic', 'Howl', 'Green Pepper Feast', 'Now', and 'Don't Kid'.

'Plastic' is a belter, a real obvious single contender. (I assume the title's inspired by the 'Plastic Soul, Man' comment The Beatles once made during studio chatter) Great riff, classic Bob verses, infectious boy-annoyed-by-girl energy. I reckon this would have been a real favourite. I love the droning harmonic feedback howl where it lingers on the same note. Perfect summer Bob pop.

'Howl', another angsty Simon number sees him 'Howl for all that I've lost' has a bit of a saucy swing to it, complete with a smoky blues progression and dirty Hammond. It's another of those later Bob tracks with a classic sound that hasn't dated at all, and lollops along with menace, and it fun to hear Bob rocking out with an extended guitar outro as well. Probably the darkest track in the canon, with such choice lines as: "My friends try to help me / And I know they mean well /But how can I tell them /Now I'm living through hell..."

'Green Pepper Feast' kicks off with a carbon-dated 1992 grunged-up guitar lick, but very quickly slips into crafted harmonious pop territory with an on-the-money nod that "fortune and fame are a lifetime away", no doubt facing the grinding reality that momentum and circumstance were getting in the way. Nice little mini-guitar solo near the end, chaps.

'Now' dives back to 'Nothing For Something' territory, with typically catchy chorus, Hammond swirls and one of those guitar riffs you can't help sing along to.

'Don't Kid' sees Simon back in 'Sink' territory with another great combination of biting break-up lyrics and yet another one of those delicious riffs that formed Bob's trademark. And then, completely out of the blue the track spirals off into almost prog territory! I wonder what Simon was listening to at the time :)

Hiya, Rich and all - Thanks for all the hard work that's going into this - I'll add my bit when i've had a chance to listen to all this a bit more. I've not had a copy of the Harlow stuff, so hearing it all now will take a bit of digestion...

I think it was a bit of a dark time in all sorts of ways, not least the weather on the days we were at the Square recording - and that comes over. What you've got is definitely a touring band here. When you're playing live you want a lot of loud, fast stuff and subtlety goes out of the window a bit. Some of the songs that came after this were a bit more considered, but that's for another day.

Great to have it all out there dangling in the wind at last...

Thanks again, Rich - the site's looking top.

More soon, S.

Have also just listened to BOB live in Lucerne, 1992.

Very tight, very dour!

Dunno what we're gonna find on the Live in Berlin 1993 video.

Probably a band very near the end of its collective tether!

We never got a penny for the 5000 pre-sold copies of LTSLB, and there was no way we could afford to re-press the record after those 5000 sold. So, we had a big bill for recording the album, and had to tour until it was paid off. Not great.

RvB

And a happy new year to one and all. Still checking the site for more action. You've gone a bit quiet Richard - how's it all going, and what's the plan for the site this year?

Dear All

I have been most remiss. Sorry.

Brimming with resolutions not to take on too much stuff in the New Year, after a busy 2009, I've thus far spent 2010 running around like the proverbial headless capon. Still, as a consequence of that, I have managed to be on the brink of bringing a new record into the world, and, by submiting a 3-year project to The Virgin Earth Challenge, I have also let myself in with a slim chance of a 50% share in the potential prize money of 25 million dollars! I'm not holding my breath though...our proposal is somewhat radical :)

The album I've been working on is by current band 'Ethatone'. Please do check out the band website...just launched: www.ethatone.co.uk

Once I've discharged various promotional duties and got the launch concert out of the way, I'll be very much back on the case with new uploads here. Honest.

Lovely to read your comments, as ever. Please do keep it up!

Richard

ps. Heard a session version of 'It Was Kevin' on BBC 6 Music last night...Gideon Coe's evening show.