​Philip S Smith

Essentially, on a weekend of cards, games, walking and - inevitably - drinking, Caroline (then Stewart, now Porter) suggested that I do some more recordings. This was back in 2011 (I think). So this was what I started to mess around with. Originally called "Back in the Game", the riffy rhythm guitars represent the game itself, the solos are supposed to be playing the game (though God only knows what the game would be for them to be appropriate – table football, perhaps?) and the quiet bits are supposed to be when you've been knocked out of the game and are waiting for a new game to start. Hence the original “I'm back in the Game” vocal when the riff-re-emerges (now removed, 'cos it just didn't work).

 

Alternatively: it's a drinking weekend and getting “Back in the Game” refers to drinking on a hangover. You decide...

 

 

Recording Notes

I played around with this one for about 8 months. It's quite hard to record a riffy hard rock track in a room on your own. It went through three complete re-recordings – that's two more than usual... The song didn't quite have the right punch though, so we tried adding the shout "Back in the Game" (Tamlan, Chris and I, mostly in key, I think). That didn't work - though it was oddly catchy. 

 

The vocal introduction was recorded about a year later down in Swindon, where Chris agreed to do some shouting in key for a different song in return for a supply of rum (or was it whisky?). And then he just went into a odd rant about stuff. So this M.L.K. impersination is completely off-the-cuff nonsence.

 

Later still, Tom added the Violin (improvised). It was an attempt to pep up the middle. It makes it slightly more interesting I guess.