Happy To Be Here – Song and Production Stories
With Brian Kehew at string overdub session
This album started with a rehearsal in January of 2001 and then
finally we began recording in June or July of that year. Recording
and mixing was completed by May 2002, with a couple of final bits
being added in December 2002. We recorded all of the songs in
batches of three (for example "I Wish You Would," "Strange Dreams"
and "See You Smile" were recorded in one five hour session). Strings
and horns were taped during one six hour session in February.
Brian Kehew, Ric Menck, David Nolte and I had a great time making
this album. We told ghost stories and ate some mediocre food.
A lot of the more tedious work was left to Brian and myself to
complete at his little rascal - OFR studio (any fans of Nitro
out there? - come on!). No computers, pro tools or anything vaugely
high tech was used (though we did check our email from a remote
location). Instead we used amateur tools (analog 24 track) and
Glade Plug Ins for the ultimate in freshness. Most of the outtakes
from these sessions appear on the ep Happily Ever After.
I Wish You Would: This started life as a slow folk song with different
lyrics, having been inspired by the Duncan Browne album Give Me Take You. I don't remember how it got to this arrangement or lyric change,
but I'm glad it happened. It was the first song recorded for the
album. Ric Menck doubled his drums on this track – very ELO? It
may have been a first take track.
Allyn White: This was written one night after a mixing session
for A Beautiful Story. I think it is about a space alien I met at a dance club (aren't
they all aliens). I was sitting in my dining room playing very
quietly and all of a sudden I had another song. My immediate thought
was, "What do I do with this?" The first album was such a pain
to complete and release, I wasn't sure I had the energy to do
another. Thankfully this turned out to be a much more enjoyable
album to record. I came up with the string gliss idea after Roger
Neill had composed a more elaborate arrangement (which we didn't
use). I got the idea from somewhere, but I can't really remember
where now.
High Tower: Written in my car driving around Los Angeles. Kind
of a love letter to a much maligned city. I had always wondered
about those songs that romanticized a little area of town, like
what the Kinks or Madness did – so this is my go at that. The
string quartet on this are great (though they wouldn't let me
take their picture). Roger Neill wrote a super set of charts and
spent hours and hours perfecting them. I remember telling him
what the song was about and how thrilled I was to have immortalized
this little street. He said, "So we're glorifying some crappy
little street?"
Strange Dreams: I wrote this when I came back from a trip to New
York partially to promote A Beautiful Story (I played a disastrous show there). On an album of personal songs,
this is one of the most personal. Kind of a follow on to "Dream
About You." Roger Neill again deserves a lot of credit here for
the great string stuff. In addition to guitar, I am playing a
tack piano through a Leslie speaker on this track.
He Can Fly: This was written about a much better dream I had of
my neighbor's cat – Duke – taking flight. It was one of the greatest
subconscious moments of my life. He later added his vocals to
the track after being plyed with cheese and cat treats. Also on
backing vocals is one of my musical heroes Tom Dawes of the Cyrkle.
He called me after he recorded his parts and said, "You wanted
my sound, so I'm givin' it to you." Did he ever! This whole recording
is literally a dream come true.
If I See You Smile: One of many things I wrote after renting a
piano. The trombone is great on this track. We mixed this at Capitol
to get that super Beach Boys vibe. The "rats scurrying across
the floor" sound at the end is actually just my nails on the harmonium.
It May Never Happen: Written with the intention that this would
be my folk rock album, which of course it is not. I was deeply
influenced by Dion & The Wanderers at the time (see next track).
Now: This fabulous song was written and recorded by Dion & The
Wanderers and has criminally never been issued on CD. My version
does not count – the original must come out someday for all the
world to enjoy. You may be able to find it on Dion's CBS vinyl
album Wonder Where I'm Bound.
Tears Anyway: This is a really old song of mine that I recorded
a few times before, but never released. This is by far the slowest
and best rendition. Roger Neill's arrangement on this is so stupendous,
I can't believe it. The French Horn player on this track was really
big and produced a remarkable sound.
Friend Of Mine: Maybe my fave track on the album. Written when
I was sick in bed thinking about a friend who was nearing the
end of his life. Rick Menck nailed the track in one take and Dave
Nolte added his bass at a later session. The fade has the last
dying moments of my harmonium before it had to go into repair.
Happy to say it is now all better.
Menck at the plush Rotund Rascal
Happy To Be Here: Written at the piano, this was the very last
thing recorded and mixed for the album. I was not sure about including
it at all, but I hope someone out there likes it.
