You’d think that once the music is in the can an album is virtually finished… right? Well that’s unfortunately not the case with the Damned’s most recent - So, Who’s Paranoid?’ which took getting on for a year before it was mixed, mastered and ready to go with a finished sleeve. My problem is… (no laughing at the back) that I’m constantly searching for flaws - my aim being to one day make the perfect record. I couldn’t stand it when one of my favourite bands included a ‘filler track’ on one of THEIR releases… two duffers would end up in the record getting banished. Likewise I’m utterly uncompromising with things I’m involved in, taking particular care over ‘Paranoid’. If there’s a weak song - for me it’s ‘Nothing’ - but which was Nina from Skew Siskin’s standout track.. so it can’t be all that bad after all. The backwards guitar in the half timed sections would’ve sounded better with saxophone though if you ask me, but it’s a bit late now. There’s no going back - that’s why you gotta get it right before you depart the studio. Now if only someone could find the multitracks for ‘Music For Pleasure’ so THAT could get a more inspired mix…. (sigh!) Anyway - here are some of the potential So, Who’s Paranoid?’ sleeve ideas from various band members and artists… some of which are really very good indeed and which with a tweak or two might’ve gone on to make great covers. The final mirror concept was Mr Vanian’s in a “Who’s Paranoid?” “well, take a look in the bloody mirror” way. Not entirely what I had in mind however seeing as we are all sleepwalking into a surveillance state that could very well turn out to be exactly the nightmare that George Orwell warned us about in ‘1984’. But all in all I really like the album… especially Dark Asteroid pt2 which as a freakout reminds me of some of the mad jams Pink Fairies, Neu and Hawkwind used to treat the audience to in the early 70s. One day music like that may come back into fashion… and we’ll all be wearing bright orange loon pants again. Not arf, pop-pickers!
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 00:15:41 +0000
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