Track listing and release information for the album release followed by a self-critique on listeing to it 9 years after it's release:
v32unes
by BRAD RIESAU
rtRECORDS v32-001
original release on CASSETTE only
December 25, 1984
v32unes…
a collection of songs
written and performed
with a little help from
my friends…
I hope you like them.
Christmas 1984
Recorded 11/17-19/84 at Sinking Ship Sound, Boothwyn, Pa.
Production, Engineering, Mixing by V32.
Original recordings on 4-track rented Tascam.
All songs written by Brad Riesau and 1984 Brad Riesau
except by Ted Moreno/Paul Codiga/Brad Riesau
by Brad Riesau/T.J. Hill
by Brad Riesau/Steven Monkarsh
Official release: 12/25/84. Limited Edition of 100.
As of 2/1/93 records lost but approx. 60 given out.
Cover artwork: David Ragan (a line drawing of V32 taken from an original
12"x12" album cover and printed on yellow bond in black ink. Drawing is split in half with one side of each face on each outer "face" of the insert.)
Handlettering: V32 (V32unes printed on outer exposed face of insert and on
"spine" of insert in black ink. Each tape has individually handlettered
track listings on the inner insert)
Printing: Sprint Printing, Talleyville, Wilmington, DE.
Tape duplication: Sinking Ship Sound
Originally available in two different versions.
V32001A on C-90 cassettes. V32001B on C-60 cassettes (?)
Version one was limited to less than 10 of 100 copies.
The tape was accompanied by a booklet of lyrics and liner notes
approx. 8½" x 6½" and was given out as Christmas presents 1984.
side A | side B |
COREY'S TUNE | COWBOY SONGS |
GET OUT | RIDING THE CURVE |
RECLUSIVE SUSIE | YOU'RE MISS UNTOUCHABLE (I'M MR. CLEAN) |
MENTON / LA GRANDE CORNICHE | RIVERS OF GOLD |
NOT BEST FOR YOU | PHILOMENA |
SMOKER'S PARADISE | HURRICANE HEIGHTS |
FUNNY PAPERS | GONE TO THE FAIR |
THIS COULD BE L.A. | WHERE'S THE CHAMPAGNE? |
FOLK JOKE | |
DRIVING TO SEE YOUº | |
TOMMY'S GONE CRAZYººº | |
POPºº | |
PASSENGERS (ALONG FOR THE RIDE) | SUCH A CRIME |
MIRRORS OF STONE | |
HOLE IN MY CHRISTMAS STOCKING |
PERSONNEL:
Brad Riesau: Acoustic lead, rhythm & slide guitars; Lead and backing vocals; harmonica; bongos; maracas; handclaps; keyboards; turntable & tape machines; arrangements.
Eric Gross: cameo vocal on "Smoker's Paradise"; handclaps & extra backing vocals on "Hurricane Heights".
Ken Cable: Trumpet solo on "This Could Be L.A."
##
Notes: This was my 1st experience with a 4 track and it was quite exhilarating. I rented it from Al Bien's Music in West Chester on a Friday morning. I took the instruction book to work at Videofrequency and scanned it during the day anxious to get started. When I got home at about 10 pm I started fooling with it. It took me most of the night just to figure out the bare necessaties and get one song under way. Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, I had a trove of originals that I wanted to commit to tape. Having not played most of them anyway except solo (occassionally with TJ) I really had no concept of arrangements or direction so I did each song separately. Occassionally, I'd overdub a part later after having tried something on another song and lit a spark. That first night I stayed up until 6 am and was so excited I woke up at 9 am Saturday morning and got right back into it. No breakfast. Barely a piss. I fueled the entire weekend on Rum and Cokes. I worked straight thru just pumped full of adrenalin. I felt speedy and awash with ideas. Little did I know that if I would've taken even twice as long with each song I would've come up with less tunes but a more fully realized work. I'm listening as I write this (1/31/93) after having not heard it in a long while and the memory is fond tho' some of the music or should I say production is painful. Quite a few of the songs are still among my favorite originals tho' oddly enough I don't perform ANY of them with the band only pulling them out when I play solo. I'm listening to V32001A which is the long version, I believe, and opens with "Corey's Tune" which was a heartfelt reaction to Corey's being born but which I hate now due to the miserable production values and BAD vocals. Oh, well..."Get Out" was my 1st greatest hit. It was the 1st song I wrote that I really liked alot. A bit hard to play in public due to my fear that people will think that the macho-dumb-shit posturing in the song is my point of view as opposed to the character's. This arrangement is interesting in that it's guitar, vocals, harp and lots of percussion, handclaps, and Oscar, my cheesy primitive drum machine making his best realized appearance..."Reclusive Susie" is still a favorite of mine. This version is basically the way I still perform it...A note on the overall quality of the sound. H-E-L-P. NEEDS TREBLE. NEEDS LOW END (Altho' there's not much low end on it). NO DOLBY. NEEDS SOMETHING TO REDUCE HISS. THIS APPLIES TO THE WHOLE TAPE...One great thing about this process was I was learning how to arrange, produce, and even play stuff like slide guitar, percussion, keyboards (borrowed from Ken "Spicoli" Cable..."Menton/La Grande Corniche" I love tho' the distortion is a bit troublesome. My first recorded instrumental. Nice ideas..."Not Best For You" is a song I've never given it's due. I think it contains some really good lines and I love the melody. Here I add a bit of that Foreign Film keyboard sound and it fits. I rarely sing this because it needs to be played often to pull of the vocal and guitar without mistakes and I always chicken out..."Smoker's Paradise" is also a lost classic. A anti-cig song that silenced an entire crowd of smokers at O'Friel's once and since I've opted for applause over lessons in living of this sort. It features a cameo voice over by Eric Gross who also contributes handclaps and maybe a backing vocal on a couple of other tunes. The keyboard figure sucks tho'. .."Funny Papers" is another favorite song that I've always heard as a Graham Parker- like rocker which this is far from being. The harmonies and oohs were first take (then again most of the takes here were 1st stabs) and the cheesy Oscar didn't cut it here. I do have trouble with most of the vocals on the tape. I really hadn't played any of these songs enough or even sang out enough to really be able to do this but I'm sure glad I did.
..."This Could Be L.A." I like the song alot and I like the idea of a trumpet solo where Ken Cable Sr plays it. The vocal phrasing sucks tho'.
..."Folk Joke" I like alot. Too bad it's the most dated subject matter and virtually unplayable in the post-Reagan times. I've often thought about a re-write, maybe environmental. I like the slide even in it's imprecision. I was trying for a FOR YOU BLUE feel. I had a grand time playing this at O'Friel's a couple times when Ron & Nancy's little mini-series was on the air.
…"Driving To See You" I set some of Ted's lyrics to music and I like it basically. I don't sing it because I'm not really comfortable with the "Don't tell my bride" dishonesty premise but the lines are good and the playing was really fun. I was barely beginning to play leads and really this is the only chance I ever got considering with everyone I ever played with up until Butch I was really the one who knew the songs and had to keep things going rhythmically. Oh, it even fades out. How high tech of me.
..."Tommy's Gone Crazy" also written during the Elvis Costello period like "Funny Papers", "Miss Untouchable","Hurricane Heights" etc. I pulled this together with mostly moral support from Mono one wasted night in the Canyon at his house.
..."Pop" was an instant song. I wrote most of the words about Dave Ragan's problems with Laura and that night TJ and I did a chord structure based on a bass line of his. This is a basic solo version. I never have recorded it with bass unfortunately. ..."Passengers.."has a vocal a bit too buried but I always liked the song. A song about a remembered relationship that never really happened at all. I think about Sinda when I sing the Raymond Chandler line. A bit dusty and sandy this mix is in need of clarification.
..."Mirrors Of Stone" I always thought of as Stillsian tho' you'd be hard pressed to find that here.
..."Hole In My Christmas Stocking" a poor stab at a Christmas song, in fact I had no recollection of it until I heard this tape again. I think on VERSION B this and "Corey's tune" are dropped with perhaps another?
I really need to write a POSITIVE holiday song. Tho' I finally like "Red & Green Blues" let's get a little festive here.
SIDE B starts with another song I'm not real happy with. I obviously was trying too hard to write a “Cowboy Song” and it's a bit stilted. Maybe this didn't make the "B" cut either. Let's hope I was that smart. The chord progression is cool and the idea is okay I just have to change some of the references.
..."Riding The Curve" I really like alot. The vocal could be redone but the arrangement with the accordion sound and the guitar playing I really like alot. The mood is perfect for it. Maybe re-do it with a big tabla thing at the end or something.
..."Miss Untouchable" was a big hit in the living room whenever we'd all sit around and party. This is about Sue Kurpakus who I always wanted so desperately. It's hard to sing those high notes anymore.
..."Rivers Of Gold" is one of my favorite chord progressions I've written. The lyrics written while taxi-ing into LAX and finished as soon as I hit Temple City. I like the stripped down arr. and most of the guitar ideas were nice. I never do this and I realize I've never tried to fingerpick this since. I'll have to pull it out.
..."Philomena" I always wanted to sing with Dusty but there are a couple of lines that I've never reconciled as singable: "paid by the call she'd sit there cryin'" I dislike muchly.
..."Hurricane Heights" I always have a soft spot for because it was writing a type of song I hadn't done much. I really like the bridge and the structure of the tune. This developed quite a bit thru playing it alot with TJ. It's a shame I don't play many of these anymore. It's like not seeing old friends for a long time.
..."Gone To The Fair" written from a dream we also played alot. This is a really fun song to play. Kinda Prine-ish. One of my favorite lines I've written: "Montgomery stands with that look on his face / of total disgust and partial disgrace...some folks have more
patience than me / but I've got more than Montgomery.."
..."Where's The Champagne?" is a song that was written in reaction to the bombing in Beirut which if I edit the verse about "bringing the boys home" and maybe lower the key so it's singable I would like to do it again. The arr. no actually the playing and singing is sloppy but the champagne cork effect at the beginning is neat ( from a FX album).
..."Average Joe" is another fave that is just too weak here to be taken seriously. I like tha maraca idea but this is way too slow and the guitar needs more balls (remember I was a year away from any delay pedals even).
…"Wooden Kimono" by far the oldest song here was always too short but I like it. It reminds me of Mono and living on 55th Street and listening to Tom Waits alot. Even with a wrong chord in the instrumental and an early lyric I've since changed just after the break I've always liked this.
..."The Wait" in spite of it's overly familiar title, I still like alot even tho' it may need another verse. Craig likes it too so we may work it up more often. I like this version alot. This was a first take and I had never played lead to it before so I was very happy. I might like to re-do the vocals.
..."Foot High Fence" I've always loved and God knows I'd give big bucks to hear this with a real squeeze box on it instead of my valiant stab at "mouth accordion" (echo harp).
..."Such A Crime" I believe was a new tune at the time and this is awful. I think this should be a fast, bluegrassy number. Here it's dirge-like pace is brutal.
..."Saving It Up" is a big fave. I had so much fun putting the sound effects on it. I'd love to re-mix this bringing the FX down in points and maybe adding some percussion and a bass line...Not as frightening as I thought for a first effort.
ORIGINAL RELEASE was on cassette only and given in limited edition to friends
an 8.5” x 5.5” b&w Xeroxed booklet with lyrics and notes.
Notes and performance: (p) © 1984, 1993 v32unes
