M.I.O.N. - The Rising Baboon Project

Photos of Studio T

2007-10-06T07:58:00.001-07:00

A Fistfull of Demos

2007-03-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

Here are the first three demo tracks for the album. The opening track is one of two bookends that kind of reflect back to the early albums. I call it 'En-trance'. The second demo is 'Poseur'. The first half is coming together nicely. The second half? Not so much. It's pretty gritty. The third song is 'My Name is Raul'. There are no vocals yet, but if you've heard the original, you can probably guess that that's not going to be a big deal. The bass lines and most of the synth/sample work on these are pretty rough. They'll be cleaned up, and Guitar (and maybe more drums) added. I wanted to put all three up, because I think they make the direction of the album seem pretty obvious, even if they're (very) rough at this stage.

En-trance (Demo).mp3
Poseur (Demo).mp3
My Name Is Raul (Demo).mp3

Give a listen. Let me know what you think. Unless what you think is, "Thom's strange..." You don't need to let me know that, because I already know that.

SOTP! State of the Project!

2007-03-02T12:04:00.000-08:00

So from the perspective of the blog, February seems like it may have been a pretty inactive month for the MION RB project. Fortunately, looks can be, and in this case, are, decieving. Things are happening on two fronts. On the one hand, I'm in the process of acquiring gear...primarily for the purpose of getting some decent drums recorded, but also because I love new gear. I've got an Alesis Multimix 16 on order, and have seriously been looking at both new keyboards, and also the possibility of an electronic drum kit.

At the same time, I haven't slacked off writing, either. Poseur is, for all intents and purposes, finished. I'll put up a clip of it later tonite, so you can hear a rough version of what it sounds like. (At this point, all of the recordings I'm making are demo recordings, not the real deal yet. I have chord structures for 'My Name is Raul', 'Creation', and 'Trashcan Blues' and hope to record demos of Raul this weekend. There's also a bridge between Poseur and Raul that I've been thinking about.

Although I haven't given much thought to some of the later tracks, the album is starting to form in my head, and it's really becoming more of a pseudo-concept album. By pseduo-concept album, I'm thinking in the sense of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or Zappa's You Are What You Is, where each song isn't necessarily about the same topic, but there's some unity and flow from track to track. ...I'm not, by the way, comparing the *music* I'm coming up with to either of those fantastic albums.

And so it goes...

2007-02-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

I spent part of this weekend tracking drums and writing a bass line for the first revamped, song, "Poseur". I've actually been pretty good about writing notes and ideas down while I was going through listening to the tracks, so I had an idea about what I thought the music should sound like.

One of the obstacles I face when I write music, however, is that I'm primarily a bass player first, guitar player...like...8th. This is not to say that there's anything wrong with being a bass player. I LIKE being a bass player. The problem with it in regards to song writing is that I'm a very drum focused bass player. My lines will invariably follow what the drums are doing. (The most important job of the bass player is, in my opinion, merging the percussion with the melodic instruments.)

So without drums, I have a hard time coming up with interesting bass lines. This makes the drums the first task for any given song that I want to create. Remember when I said I was a bass player, not a guitar player? Well, I'm also a bass player, not a DRUMMER. In the old days, we used 'Bill the Drummer' for everything, which made things easier.

Bill the Drummer (We called him something else on the first album, but I believe he was Bill the Drummer after that...) was the Yamaha SHS-10 keyboard. It was actually a 'keytar,' really. (Trivia: When I first fell upon doing this project, I was going to buy another SHS-10 and use it's generic drum beats for all of the percussion on the album. This plan was scrapped when I found out that the Yamaha SHS-10 was selling for 150-250 bucks on ebay. I should have kept that thing.) We'd pick a beat set the tempo (usually really fast) and start recording. (You can hear how 'quality' this method was in the first couple of tracks I posted about earlier.)

For this project, though, I've got a couple of friends who actually play drums who are going to help me out. Rather than just have them come over with their kits and jam while I come up with some interesting music, however, I'm trying to come up with general representations of what I feel the beat will end up being. This gives me something to play bass along with, and it'll give them an idea of what I want them to play when we record them.

So, the long and the short of it is that I spent the weekend banging out drum lines on the keyboard, going into staff view (in Sonar) and 'fixing' the time on them so that they actually sound coherent.

For the record, here's a clip of the drums I did for "Poseur" which amply demonstrates that I am not, in fact, a drummer: WhyIAmNotADrummer.mp3

Track 15 - The Flight for Height

2007-02-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

Here are the lyrics to "The Flight for Height" off of the Friendly Agrarian Tower album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in 2005:

Remember the silos from before
I can see them outside my door
They store the grain and maybe seed
But elevation is what we need
I see them rise, everywhere
But they just don't surge
Like the one in the 'Burg
All of the farmers in the land (egos abound)
Want the tallest silos in demand (all around)
When it is all said & done
There is only but one
They can try to make theirs high
But the grain elevator
Can't be denied

And here is an MP3 of "The Flight for Height" that Mark pulled off of the CD:
TheFlightForHeight.mp3

This little ditty is off of the first and, I'll wager, only concept album written about the feed mill that stands in the middle of Harrisonburg, VA. It's a sad testament to nature of Harrisonburg as a 'city' that this building is (by far) the largest man made structure, and I believe that the second highest building is also a grain elevator as well. Interestingly, I believe that part of the problem with the economy in Harrisonburg (indeed, in the United States in general) is that agriculture is become less and less of a viable means to make a living, and the farmers seem to be vanishing, as is the need for feed towers. I'm not actually sure if the one in Harrisonburg is even used anymore.

Anyway, enough about that, onto the song. What can I say? It's a song. It's metal. It's about a feed tower. And egotistical farmers. I'm considering recording this as a 'doo-wop' number. Maybe lay down a bit of harmony on the vocals, and make it (largely) acappela. Seriously. That's what I'm considering. Is this the way the album ends, not with a bang, but with a doo-wop? We shall see, my friends. We shall see...

In any event, this wraps up the 15 'song' posts concerning the new album. The creation of 'new stuff' has already begun in earnest. Expect to see some sound clips, video clips, and image scans of content being liberally dumped into this project in the near future.

Track 14 - Dorothy's Peculiarity

2007-02-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

These are the lyrics to "Dorothy's Peculiarity" from the Megland album, as originally transcribed by Mark Rathke in 2004:

Dorothy - your so beautiful
With your yellow spots and white gloves
Dorothy - wearing you're summer hat
And nothing else and that's a fact
But Dorothy I've just gotta know
Where did your lower jaw go?
Dorothy - with you're sharp teeth
You're Australian accent is really neat
Dorothy - just 5 years old
Not extinct, but rather bold
When you eat you're roses how do you chew
Without a lower jaw, I'm really confused
Dorothy's teeth shine so bright
But there's something that's just not right
Peculiar as I've said all along
Her lower jaw seems to be gone

And here is the mp3 of "Dorothy's Peculiarity" that Mark pulled off of the original album:
DorothysPeculiarity.mp3

I like this song a lot. Granted, I won't pretend to understand what it's about. It almost sounds like it's about a fossil or something. We'll have to get Mark's input on the lyrical meaning. I like the first guitar riff, and the synth work is interesting. It seems a bit stilted, flow-wise, but that almost works with the lyrics. The song is a bit...unsettling. It kind of reminds me of one of Danny Elfman songs off of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It brings to mind one of those situations where you feel like you should know what's going on, but you clearly don't.

In fact, the whole Megland album is like that. I'm pretty convinced that it's Mark's best solo work to date. Almost all of the songs have that same whimsical feel about them. In terms of the remake, I want to keep the guitar progression at the start, the synth feel, and of course the kid saying, "Dorothy! He-he!" I wonder if Mark still has that kid? In a dream situation, I'd also get a recording of Larry G. saying "Dorothy! He-he!" I doubt that'll happen, though.cd

Track 13 - The Riddle of the Septadigit

2007-01-31T20:22:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "The Riddle of the Septadigit", from the Element of Suprise album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 2002:

The second glass of milk
In the second letter round
It turns out to be the one
That makes this very sound
The prefixed situation
A deuce sandwiched between
A pair of rotated infinite signs
That's the digital scheme

And here is a copy of the "Riddle of the Septadigit" MP3 that Mark pulled off the original CD:
Septadigit.mp3

This is, presumably, a song about Mark's telephone number. I'm not really sure of the how or whys of the whole thing. The song itself is a bit heavy for my taste, but I like the intro and the coda. In fact, I REALLY like the intro and the coda. Perhaps Mark can shed some more light on the subject of the lyrics. They're trippy and abstract. I dig them. They're the reason I picked this song off of this album. (Stereotype being a close second.)

That said, I really didn't see myself doing a song about Greenpeace, or Rastafarians, or Mark's brand of reality, or Double H... Actually, I was a bit disappointed when I realized that Double H referred to a person, not a cup size. In any event, Septadigit is what I picked, and Septadigit it will be.

Track 12 - The Rising of the Baboon

2007-01-31T08:36:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "The Rising of the Baboon", from the Baboon Rising album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 2000:

Over all the years some things stay true
Fads they come and go, others they stay new
Time and time again hobbies never die
Though mediocre perseverance lies
All joking aside more are to come
Sloppiness is to blame that's what makes it fun
The epitome of nausea not likely to get known
Stripped of any dignity all that left at home
What should be embarrassing is embraced with joy
Rising up like a baboon in what makes no sense at all
Things all thrown together like a dumpster at the mall
It's not the most talented act at the show
It never would have even made it in the know
As bad as it is and as sick as it sounds
Time has a way of sticking around
Though this is the case of the rising baboon
There is more to this animal than you hear in a tune

And here is a copy of the "Rising of the Baboon'" MP3 that mark pulled off the original CD:
TheRisingOfTheBaboon.mp3

This track is a fantastic demonstration of the 'new' Baboon Rising sound, versus the old one. The same irreverent lyrics about an inconsequential topic (in this case, Baboon Rising itself) are there, but the tone of the song is a lot more serious. In fact, I'd wager that if you heard that song playing in the background, and couldn't make out the lyrics, you'd probably think it was about something a bit more serious than it actually is.

It's also interesting that the lyrics of the song are so dismissive of the musical construction and content of Baboon Rising overall, yet at the same time, given the history of the band, this song itself stands out as a contradiction to that. It's actually well crafted, well played, and well recorded. Even the vocals, while not my cup of tea, are well done. Was it recorded with that irony in mind?

I've said before that Baboon Rising reminds me a bit of Ed Wood. The passion becomes more important than the output. Ed Wood movies are interesting, however, primarily for just how awful they are. BR can be pretty awful sometimes, but the difference being that the Wood movies were attempts at legitimate film, whereas Baboon Rising not only recognizes it's sloppiness, but in fact (often) relishes in it. Or, as Mr. Rathke put it, "Sloppiness is to blame, that's what makes it fun!"

Track 11 - Helen, My Drummer's Illin'

2007-01-28T19:16:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "Helen, My Drummer's Illin'", from the The Politics of Pungency album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 1999:

Grit teeth, back beat everyone knows
Sure shot, back slot there goes the phone
Helen, my drummer's illin'
Somewhere, I think I'm failin'
Can't seem, to get it chillin'
Mark's axe, is now a wailin'
See me, back here in town for the show
Watch me, stay clear, it's all going to blow
Get down, shake down along with the band
High speed, break down make your own stand
Kiyard karma, a quizzical man
Buddhist dharma, you understand

And here is a copy of the "Helen, My Drummer's Illin'" MP3 that mark pulled off the original CD:
HelenMyDrummersIllin.mp3

This song, like Flushboy, is another one of those later BR songs that has a feel of the older stuff to it. In fact, I'm not sure whether it's the original recordings or what, but this one is even clipping like crazy! It's bad to the point of being ALMOST unlistenable. Fortunately, what the song lacks in audio Fidelity, it makes up for with some very amusing vocals ramblings.

I particularly like how I talk over the guitar solo, and the bit at the beginning of the song where I spend the first 30 seconds of the song talking about how I'm ready to start singing the song whenever it starts. I'm pretty sure that this is a one-take recording with regards to the vocal. I like Mark's mix on it, too. The panning, and the delay is pretty good stuff, too.

After a careful listen of this, I think that I may have been making the vocals up on the spot. One of the things that give it away is the fact that one of the lyrics is "there goes the phone" and if you listen, the phone starts ringing, and I start laughing right before I 'sing' that. Hey, I don't know what to tell you. That's just the way Baboon Rising rolls.

"Okay, here's the problem...the chorus is coming, but I have no idea when..."

Ahahahaha. Classic, my friends. CLASSIC.

Track 10 - Ripkile Evanderlou

2007-01-25T19:51:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "Ripkile Evanderlou", from the Into the Eye of Ripkile album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 1998:

Underneath the chalk eraser
We can find the mutilator
Underneath the carpet sweeper
We can find the Oscillator
Channeling the residue
No one knows what to do
Channeling a guy named Lou
No one has any shampoo
Sitting up on number 9 cloud
Belittled blue sky shroud
Sitting thinking this is too loud
Belittled by what you've vowed
Stunning views of the wasteland
Fearing for what was in your hand
Stunning views of eyes in the sand
Fearing for what is now bland
Fluid fills all of the boundary
Nothing left of the foundry
Fluid fills your adversary
Nothing left of Frankenberry
Ripkile Evanderlou
Frankenberry left her shoe

And here is a copy of the "Ripkile Evanderlou" MP3 that mark pulled off the original CD:
RipkileEvanderlou.mp3

If I've told you kids once, I've told you a million times! DO NOT leave the carpet sweeper on top of the oscillator! Seriously, though. I have no idea what's going on in the lyrics of this song. I had nothing to do with its creation. I had nothing to do with its creation. HOWEVER, I do have a standing belief that ANY song about Frankenberry is a good song.

Channeling a guy named lou? We were playing "Rayman: Raving Rabbids" on the Wii last night and played through a beat game that involved bunnies singing "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" in a high pitched voice. What's the connection? Well, FIRSTLY, Captain Lou Albano played Cyndi Lauper's dad ("Oh daddy dear we're not the fortunate ones!") and SECOND I watched that video more than once on "Friday Night Videos" back in the day. Mark will deny this, I'm sure. He'll tell you that Metallica is the 'softest' music he's ever listened to, but that's a damned lie.

This was also a BR attempt at philosophy. "Fluid fills all of the boundary" and "Fluid fills your adversary" ... The subtle implication? That your BOUNDARIES are your only adversary. Well, that and everyone else in the world who wish you ill will. Those are your adversaries. And people trying to kill you, too, I guess. They're adversaries... and business competitors.

Anyway, I'm hoping Mark will give us the low-down on this song a bit, since I really didn't have much to add to it. What's the scoop, yo?

Track 09 - Flushboy

2007-01-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "Flushboy", from the Out of Balance album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 1997:

Flushback-baby please don't go
Flushback-lets us out the door
Flushback-worldwide travel bureau
Flushback-sing like Elvis don't you know
I'm gonna sing that pure sweet sound
Ever since we came around
When you find them in my hands
Twice the melody is what I cram
Some sing with a joyful noise
But not me, I make an awful noise
Alby the Krul loves to drool
All over Mohammad
Alby the Krul wasn't such a fool
To use Honey Hump as a tool
I'm not much of a singer
But if saw you'd say I was a real dead ringer
For that guy in that movie
About that girl with a dog
And they say..
Flush Flush back, baby don't go
Flush Flush back, I said no
Flushboy-where did you go?
Flushboy-they'll never know
Flushboy-I don't even care
Flushboy-Sing in spite of me
Flushboy-We've lost all track of the melody
Flushboy-There's even no sense of the harmony

Here's a copy of the "Flushback" MP3 pulled off the original CD by Mark.

Flushboy.mp3

Okay, I'm as surprised as anyone else to hear myself singing on this song. For some reason, I had completely forgotten about it. In fact, I really don't remember anything about this recording session at all. It seems obvious that a) Mark had recorded the basic music on his own, and b) I didn't bother listening to it (or reading the lyrics) before I recorded the vocal track. I assume I recorded this while I was back in VA for vacation or something.

There are a number of homages (intentional or otherwise...) The spoken word bit at the beginning (and several other times through the song) sounds like a Arlo Guthrie thing. There are a couple of points where I'm doing a Frank Zappa thing... "That's right! He's WHACKING it!" It's funny that I'd forgotten this song, because this is probably the best recording of early Baboon Rising that you're likely to find. I know. I said early BR and this song is mid-BR, but it really sounds like something we'd have recorded in 1987 if we' d had the equipment. In other words, in my mind, this is what we WANTED the 1987 stuff to sound like.

I think the re-vamp of this will have to incorporate the music changing all of the time without the vocalists knowledge. That's some pretty funny stuff. I also like how Mark and I attempt to harmonize on this. I think that might be a first. Hopefully Mark can give some insight into this one. This is TRULY a gem. I'm off to go listen to it again.

Track 08 - Clusterjunk Manik

2007-01-19T08:42:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "Clusterjunk Manik", from the Benevolent Creation album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 1997:

There's pizza in the underworld
Anchovies make your hair in curls
My tongue is twisted on a railroad tie
Nothing combusts like a flea in a pie
I can not wait to get my check
I'll mark off what I haven't done yet
Sit back and relax in your chair
I'm going to the john to get some air
Run amuck across this land
If you keep going you'll hit sand
Bowl a "10" and don't ask why
My 9-pin printer is 90 dpi
There's something fishy in my desk
It's a four-pound bass put to the test
A yellow Jacket just buzzed by
He caught and ate a horse fly
There's a lot of stuff around here
Some of it you like to keep dear
Don't fret about your guitar
It's in the back of your uncle's car

And here is a copy of "Clusterjunk Manik" that Mark pulled off the original disc:
ClusterjunkManik.mp3

Let's be honest. The 'dark' vocal stylings of Mr. Rathke are quite...urm...dark? But the REAL seller for this song are the lyrics. There's pizza in the underworld? Combustible fleas? Yellow jackets eating horse flies? There's some bizarre imagery going on here, and I approve. I might change this up a bit, but there's a lot of trippy stuff to keep. The original vocal line kind of reminds me of a metal version of the Charlie Daniels Band's "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", but, you know, metal.

I had nothing to do with the Benevolent Creation album. It seems like Roger might have been missing for this album as well. I'm not sure when he stopped participating. It may have been here. (I thought he was on more albums, but perhaps not.) Anyway, I'm not really sure what direction this song wants to go. Any suggestions?

Track 07 - Your Love (Pennywaste)

2007-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "Your Love (Penny Waste)", from the Pennywaste album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 1995:

There was a time when I thought you cared
Now the pain from losing you is all I teddy bear
I sent you flowers and treated you nice
All I got from you was confusion and strife
But, don't worry, your not the only one
Others have disemboweled my feelings for fun
Your love is like a stiff elbow in the cold
Your love is like getting old
Your love is like the timing in this song
Your love didn't last very long
Your love is useless can't you see
You never had any love for me
You were as warm as the inside of a frozen food truck
Your tender kindness like a chameleon with it's foot stuck
Love to you is standing me up on a date
Talking to a wall helps me to relate
Can I ever trust again?
My heart is Titanium alloy

And here is a copy of "Your Love (Pennywaste)" that Mark pulled off the original tape:

YourLovePennyWaste.mp3

Oh, MAN! This is GOOD STUFF. The original emo Baboon Rising song! Sure, "Love is a Cracked Head Gasket" is the one that everyone always remembers, but before there was "Head Gasket", there was "Your Love," the angsty ballad of love gone wrong! Mark would later revamp this song for an EP about failed love.

The remake sheds some light on this song (as well as the title of the album) pertaining to a lovely young lass named Penny, who, it seems, broke young Mr. Rathkes heart. On top of that, though, she appears to have also...you guessed it, WASTEd his time! Thus 'Pennywaste'.

His remake seems to be missing what I consider to be the best part. The coda that talks about Titanium Alloy. That will DEFINITELY be in my new version of the song, as will the Chameleon, also missing from the They Never Cared EP. (The original seems to try even harder than this version to take itself seriously...)

I picture a remake of this being somewhat akin to Frank Zappa's "Any way the wind blows..." Probably even with a silly voice. I might break out Henry Kissinger for this one. Perhaps Mr. Rathke will enlighten us with some inside information about this track. I was in Colorado when Pennywaste was recorded, and don't actually appear on any of the tracks.

Track 06 - Cheese with Lint

2007-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "Cheese with Lint", from the Flabby Road album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 1993:

Cheese, cheese, cheese with lint
Cheese, cheese, cheese with lint on top
Cheese, cheese, cheese with lint from the dryer
makes me happy
Cheese, cheese, cheese with lint feels
so soft and sappy
Please can I have some lint, oh can I have some please?
Lint, lint, need lint, need cheese with lint
Nothing is more divine
Nothing fills my tummy like some yummy
cheese with lint,
Luvy cheese with lint on it
It's divine I say

And here is a copy of "Cheese with Lint" that Mark pulled off the original tape and I've cleaned up a bit.

CheeseWithLint.mp3

Flabby Road marked my return to Baboon Rising, for one last complete album before I moved to Colorado. The album was recorded over a couple of months, and marked my first attempt at multi-tracking. I'm not sure whether Mark and Roger multi-tracked on Operation Kiyard or not. Anyway, "Cheese with Lint," off of Flabby Road, is a great song that definately takes advantage of this newer 'technology'!

The interesting introduction that has little to do with the rest of the song is kind of cool. It's almost like we were just jamming a bit before the actual song starts. The guitar and the bass almost work together. We assembled a 'drum kit' from buckets, pots, and pans around the house, which Mark played. I'm pretty sure the vocals are all free form. I don't think they were written down before hand, which seems to work more often than not.

Lint, on my cheese, please! Aahaha. Fantastic! I think I'll work to get some drums that actually mimic something of the original song. I like the Ahhhhhhhhhhhhahahaha! bit right before the sort of drum solo with spoken word over it. That point almost sounds like the song is disintigrating around the listener....then it goes sort of staccato over the linnnnnnnntttttt....bit, then it really breaks up over the 'luvy cheese with lint on it bit....'

Anyway, I really like the original version of it. I may try to keep some of the delicious cheese with lint flavor in the revamp.

Track 05 - Operation Kiyard

2007-01-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "Operation Kiyard", from the Operation Kiyard album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 1991:

Kiyard (over and over again)

And here is the original copy of "Operation Kiyard" that Mark pulled off the original tape.

OperationKiyard.mp3

I picked this one, I'll be honest, mainly for the title. I thought it'd make a cool name for a 'spy song'. If you listen to the beginning of it, it actually originally started out sort of like a spy song. It gets a little metal towards the end... This is the first non-Thom and Mark Baboon Rising album, and it features Roger on vocals. And someone else, maybe? Or perhaps they're double tracking it. I'm not sure who's on the track that sounds like a 12 year old. I'm not sure where I was during the making of this album. It was probably more my opting to not participate, rather than a lack of invitation from Mr. Rathke.

Again, the vocal transcription again doesn't seem to be 100%. He's definitely MOSTLY saying 'kiyard' over and over again, but there are a couple of places where he seems to be saying more than just that.

This sounds like it was mostly an instrumental with someone shouting 'kiyard' again and again over it... I'll probably keep it instrumental, and put slightly less 'kiyards' in it than the original had.

Track 04 - Trash Can Blues

2007-01-15T08:31:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "Trash Can Blues", from the Boglore album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 1989:

I woke up one morning ,
I couldn't get out of bed
I boxed outside and my hampster was dead
I had made up a song, but I had writers block
I looked outside
There was nowhere to hide
Unfortunately, it was true
I got the trash can blues
My room was a mess, you couldn't see the floor
Garbage stacked to my knees,
I couldn't get out the door
All this trash in my yard,
I had to get it out of my house
Everything was buried including my hampster called Mouse

And here is the 'cleanest' copy of "Trash Can Blues" I could come up with after messing with the MP3 Mark pulled off the original tape.

TrashCanBlues.mp3

Wow. This is a gem. Actually, I picked it out because I liked the lyrics. Particularly the part about "I boxed outside" that Mark incorrectly transcribed. It seems pretty clear to me that I'm saying "I looked outside and..." Anyway, I like "I boxed outside" better. I also like the hamster named mouse.

The song itself reminds me of a game of 'rumor', where one person tells another person who tells another person who tells another person what the blues sound like, and the final person in the chain actually tries to record a blues song. Some of the elements of blues are here, but I'd almost bet that it was recorded as a blues song because we had a harmonica and blues songs are what harmonicas are for.

I'm not sure who's playing the harmonica in this, but it's great. The keyboard just seems to be happily chirping along in whatever discordant fashion it fancies, which is also kind of cool. The entire song just seems to be spitting in the face of music theory: chromatic scale for the win!

Track 03 - My Friend Creation

2007-01-13T09:27:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "My Friend Creation", from the Songs of the Second Sun album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 1988:

I am the creation
I am the last born
I shall coexist
Even when war torn
I have what this is about
But you don't see Kiyard Pout
I have created my own clayman
Dedicated to the kingpin
I am the creation
I am your leader
That's why you must
Pay the parking meter
I don't understand about this
This song is about, misssss
I hope you don't car, sir
But I'm just forced to quit here
TTHHHHEEE EEEEEEEEENNNND
MMYYY FFFRRRRIIEEENNND

And here is the 'cleanest' copy of "My Friend Creation" I could come up with after messing with the MP3 Mark pulled off the original tape.

MyFriendCreation.mp3

Okay, if you actually bother to listen to it, you'll notice that there seem to be some integrity issues regarding this song. First, there's a false start. That was actually probably on the tape to begin with. It sounds cleaner, it's a pity that take didn't make the final cut. Second, you'll notice that the song drops out for a few seconds and there's some backwards content. As near as I can tell, that isn't supposed to be there, and may not have been on the original recording. When I reversed it, the non-vocal noise is clearly the keyboard, and as near as I can tell, the vocal is me singing, "Why? Because I want to!" If the accuracy of the lyric transcription is to be believed (it's probably not to be, though...) than about half the song is missing. There's nothing about clay, and there's nothing about the kingpin...clearly that section of the song is gone.

It's interesting that the bits of the song that do survive are just me singing in a ridiculous voice along with the drum machine. No pretense of 'playing' the keyboard, and (interestingly) no guitars. Mark doesn't seem to be around at all on this track.

"My Friend Creation" was written about this little clay head that I made in art class in high school. I still have both Creation and Creation2, locked safely away in a chest at my parents house. They both had mohawks. Kingpin refers to Ms. King, our art teacher.

Sometimes I still talk with the 'voice' I use to 'sing' this song. It's a variation on a Henry Kissinger impersonation, and also those guys that have their voice boxes removed because of cancer and have to talk with little electronic things. Like that old guy on "My Name is Earl".

Track 02 - My Name is Raul

2007-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "My Name is Raul", from the Truth, Justice, and the American Way album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 1988:

My name is Raul. I am the king of Norway.
My name is Stuart. I am the king of Ireland.

And here is the 'cleanest' copy of "My Name is Raul" I could come up with after messing with the MP3 Mark pulled off the original tape.

MyNameIsRaul.mp3

I picked this song largely because I vaguely remembered it as being slightly trippy. After I got the mp3, cleaned it up a bit, and listened to it a couple of times, I've changed my mind. It's actually VERY trippy. The unintelligible vocals with boatloads of delay. Multiple, sometimes discordant guitar. Multiple drums with varying (and conflicting) tempos.

I'm not really sure how this was multitracked. I remember this early tapes being recorded on a single stereo cassette deck. Clearly there was something else going on that escapes my memory, because there are multiple tracks of both guitar and drums. (Possibly vocals, too, but it's hard to tell...)

It's a shame that the original source is in such bad shape (lots of clipping) because I'd actually like to pull some guitar and vocals off of this and stick in a new version. I might have to play with it and see if I can't clean it up some. I particularly like the coda...and the section (about 40 seconds before the end of the song) where the two guitar tracks seem to come together and play something that almost sounds like "Mary had a little lamb".

Track 01 - Poseur

2007-01-11T07:34:00.000-08:00

These are the original lyrics to "Poseur", from the Figwart album, as transcribed by Mark Rathke in the liner notes, circa 1987:

There was a time on Earth
When the vilest of all creatures
Were the dinosaurs
Now, there is another vile creature
That stalks Earth
This creature is called.......
The Poseur
They're coming to the street
Get them now
They're coming to the street
Get them now
Poseur, Yeah
Oh come on please look you see
Attention you are giving me
A bluu bluue blee we bleee
Poseur
(baboon noises)
Poseur, Poseur, Poseur

And here is the 'cleanest' copy of "Poseur" I could come up with after messing for a few minutes with an MP3 pulled off the original tape by Mark.

Poseur.mp3

I'm not sure what to make of the second half of the lyrics with regards to the original recording. I think that Mark probably made them up when he was writing the lyric sheet, because after the first 'spoken word' bit of the song, I can't make anything out of it other than screaming and 'baboon' noises. I chose the song because of the lyrics, so I'll probably use them anyway. The 'runner up' for this album was "Hillbilly Man", since Barney had already been hangled (that's a cross between handled and mangled...) on the 2000 Decimation compilation. "Democracy in the USA" was Mark's answer to "Anarchy in the UK," and "Kill Damian" was only unintentionally funny, not intentionally funny.

"Poseur" was written about this fat kid who had a half pipe but never skated. I can't remember his name, but I think he lived with his Grandma or something. It was right next to The Bar-B-Q Ranch, in Fort Collins. It's also funny because Mark and I were kind of "Poseurs" as far as skating went, too. That is to say, we weren't very good. It's also amusing because (as anyone who listens to the song will discover) we were posing as musicians, too.

I'm not sure that the Dinosaurs were every really that vile. That whole bit at the beginning reminds me of Spinal Tap's introduction to "Stonehenge" (A movie which, despite having been made three years before this recording, I wouldn't see until 3 or 4 years after Figwart had been made). I think this song might be slower with less screaming...I can almost hear Thom Yorke sort of vocals on it. :)

The Magic Fifteen

2007-01-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

These are the 15 songs. There may be more components of other songs added into the mix, but essentially this will be the track list for the album.

"Poseur" Figwart (Miller, 1987.)
"My Name is Raul" Truth, Justice, and the American Way (Miller, 1988.)
"My Friend Creation" Songs of the Second Sun (Miller, 1988.)
"Trash Can Blues" Boglore (Miller, 1989.)
"Operation Kiyard" Operation Kiyard (Rathke,1991.)
"Cheese with Lint" Flabby Road (Miller, 1993.)
"Your Love" Pennywaste (Rathke, 1995.)
"Clusterjunk Manik" Benevolent Creation (Rathke, 1997.)
"Flushboy" Out of Balance (Miller/Rathke, 1997.)
"Ripkile Evanderlou" Into the Eye of Ripkile (Rathke, 1998.)
"Helen, My Drummer's Illin'" The Politics of Pungency (Miller, 1999.)
"The Rising of the Baboon" Self-titled (Rathke, 2000.)
"Riddle of the Septadigits" The Element of Surprise (Rathke, 2002.)
"Dorothy’s Peculiarity" Megland (Rathke, 2004.)
"The Fight for Height" Friendly Agrarian Tower (Rathke, 2005.)

The Rising Baboon Concept

2007-01-09T13:34:00.000-08:00

It’s been 20 years since Figwart, Baboon (Rising)'s freshman album of (largely) irreverent music. Mark Rathke and I recorded the tape for a group of our skater friends in high school. Figwart marked the first foray into music production for both of us. The lyrical content? Silly. Our musical ability. Non-existent. The amount of fun involved in making it? Immense. In fact, some 20 years later, Mark is still churning out albums, albeit with a much heavier edge.

Many bands, when the 20th anniversary rolls around, just slap a bunch of "hits" from previous albums together onto a disc and call it good. With regards to my own commemoration of the Baboon Rising’s 20th, there are four problems with this approach:

First, Baboon Rising is, and has been for about the last 14 years, a Mark Rathke production. Although I’ve appeared on a few tracks over the last decade or so, the last album that I was a real contributor on was ‘Flabby Road,’ in 1993. It would be dishonest (from my perspective, not from Mark’s) to include them, yet also dishonest to exclude them.
Second, the early tapes are extremely rough sounding. Before ‘Flabby Road,’ all the music was single tracked onto stereo 1/8 inch tape, and the recording quality was pretty bad. Even on ‘Flabby Road’ about half the songs are clipping because we didn’t know how to use the reel-to-reel properly.
Third, there are no hits.
Fourth, and most importantly, the idea of creating such a compilation strikes me as absolutely dull, creatively speaking.

Instead, what I’ve decided to do (with Mr. Rathke's blessing) is to re-record one song from each album recorded over the last 20 years (excluding the 1996 compilation EP ‘They never cared’ and the 2000 compilation LP Decimation).

Rather than simply cover the songs with any notion of somehow recreating the original sound or feeling, instead I’ve decided to approach this from a fresher perspective. Key, melody, and tempo changes are all to be expected. Genre changes are to be expected. Although I chose the 15 songs based largely on lyrical content, minor alterations to the lyrics can be expected (to make them work with new melodies).

Rising Baboon might be considered something of a What-If album. What if I had participated in those later albums? What if we had better recording gear and musical equipment back in the day? What if Baboon Rising had gravitated more towards acid rock than metal? What if I had been the primary creative force behind the band? Rising Baboon is Baboon Rising from some sort of twisted, alternate universe, where everyone has a goatee.

This blog and associated media and links will serve as a journal of the creative process for anyone who wishes to follow along.