Here are three tracks that we released on I Wish I Had a Raygun that we redid for the CD. These were all recorded at the same studio, but we’d beefed up our sound considerably and we pushed the 16-tracks as hard as we could.
Clueless:
Featuring a guitar solo from Lou that is pretty close to what Jeff played on the original. I love the beefed up horns. The tempo is slowed down substantially from the original and I think it’s better as a slower song.
Direct download: Swim Herschel Swim – Burn Swim Burn – Clueless (MP3, 320kbps constant)
Compare to original here.
Chevy Bossa Nova:
You can really hear my custom programmed synth sound this time. Plus, Kent had this thingy on his bass that he’d flip and it would drop the low E string down a few steps so he could play the bassline an octave lower. Super awesome. Instead of the ponderous and horrid fake timbale solo, the horns stepped in to add a really nice bridge on this version. I’ve always loved Pat’s playing on this song as well. Something about a lighter touch on the skins… The tempo is noticably slower, which probably cost us at least 30 minutes in studio time with me arguing with Pat and anybody else that this song should be slowed down. We had that argument quite a few times.
Direct download: Swim Herschel Swim – Burn Swim Burn – Chevy Bossa Nova (MP3, 320kbps constant)
Compare to original here.
Baby Babaar:
A more metalized version, particularly at the end. I believe that Merkley sampled the backing vocals from I Wish I Had a Raygun and laid them into this song.
Direct download: Swim Herschel Swim – Burn Swim Burn – Baby Babaar (MP3, 320kbps constant)
Compare to original here.
In the weeks of listening to these songs I’ve been struck at how much personality Rod has in his singing. I believe we owed a great deal of our success to his stage presence and persona, particularly as the band got harder. Good lead singers are hard to come by. You want somebody who can put on a show. Rod did that. I’ve given a lot of props to others in these posts, but I should really give the most ups for Rod. He drove from Salt Lake City to Provo three nights a week to rehearse, while working a demanding day job. He and Pat carpooled, but Pat wasn’t working as stressful a day job as Rod and I think Rod paid a particularly personal cost with the band. That is entirely speculation on my part…
More to come over the weekend unless Heather kills me or gives birth.
STILL NO BABY.