All songs published by Homo Poeticus
All songs written by Man, except 'The Price' (Man/Ellis), 'Jumpin' Like a Kangaroo' (Ace), 'Circumstances' (Leonard/Simmons).
This album is dedicated to the memory of George Jones.
As you may have noticed, this is our first album for quite some time. The reasons for this are legion, not the least being our own bloody-mindedness, which I have always regarded as one of our more appealing traits. We are a democratic band and everyone has the power of veto, so to find something that will get past our collective musical inquisition is a long and painstaking process, but, given the choice, we will always take the scenic route. Another of our more appealing traits, I think.
By the time we got to the studio, the savage in-fighting that characterises our writing sessions mutates into an unbreachable, mule-headed implacability. We lock antlers in the control room and, after much blood letting, we manage to put nature just enough out of wack to sneak something through. After what seems like centuries we finally have it in the can and everybody is moderately happy in a grudging sort of way. For a while. About two weeks. At best.
All the songs were written by the Manband with three exceptions. 'Jumpin' Like A Kangaroo' was written by Martin alone. 'Circumstances' was written by me and Paul Simmons, our ex-tour manager who married the lovely Loretta and now lives in wedded bliss in Baltimore. 'The Price' was co-written by the band and Martin Ellis, a Welsh actor you may have seen as Giorgio in the BBC TV series Rockliffe's Babes. He also played Paul McCartney in a West End musical, and at the time of writing, is back there, this time in Les Misérables, a good story marred by some dreadful songs. There's nnothing worse than an actor singing. All those years in drama school belting out ghastly trash like A Chorus Line must, sooner or later, affect the sensibilities. Amazingly, Ellis seems to have survived this ordeal relatively unscathed.
This album was recorded and mixed, during the month of September '92 at Scarf Studios, Furze St. London E3. It was produced and refereed b Peter Ker, an impossibly tall greybeard with a biblical aspect. He was as remorseless as us in extracting his pound of flesh. A sonic Portia. A perfect combination of tower of strength and pain in the neck.
The great Larry 'Born To Mingle' Wallis turned up during the mixing, accompanied by Alec, his representative on earth. As the founder of The Church Of The Clouded issue, he had much wisdom to dispense. We discussed the essence of music, the politics of mingling and recalled journeys we have taken together on the midnight train to Bow-Wow City. After much laying-on of hands he departed, leaving us giants refreshed, so to speak.
We would like to thank Simon hart and John Tobler from The Road Goes On Forever for catering to our merest whim during the making of this album, although we would like to remind them that the thirteen Japanese schoolgirls have yet to arrive.
Above all, we would like to thank Michael Heatley for his friendship and counsel. His generosity of spirit is only matched by his stature as a man.
John Eichler.
As for The Twang Dynasty, its fate is now in the fickle arms of providence. We send it off into the ether with boundless optimism and not a little pride. If it's a success we, the Manband, promise you that we will retire to a Spanish Castle in the company of four nymphomaniacs, and die of excess, like all good rock'n'rollers should.
Don't Look Down,
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