Notes
Chorus in 7/8 time, verses in 4/4. Pulsing guitars, sustaining keyboards, offbeat bassline, jazzy middle section. Walter and I collaborated on the chorus lyrics, which are perhaps a little too busy. In the last couple of years I threw out the mediocre verses and replaced them with new ones that actually told a real story. Much improved.
I am very proud of the jazzy piano in the middle section, it took a lot of practice. Walter could have played something more interesting in just a few takes, I expect, but he wasn't around to do that.
Instruments
From the archives: Early Stages
(These tracks have been taken from a series of very old cassette tapes on which we used to record all our ideas, many years ago.)
The first relic features a Roland Jupiter 6 and Korg Polysix, neither of which we still have. Shame really - they made some pretty good sounds. The second relic demonstrates the power of the Korg M1 sequencer, if not the talents of the guitar player... for dedicated fans only, I'm afraid. The chord sequence of the middle section is the same, yet completely different.
Coming up with the riffs (1989)
Taking Shape (1989):
Lyrics
Across the room I saw your face
You caught my eye with a hesitant smile
I took you home, showed you the place
I remember your words, you said:
I'm painting abstracts, on location
faking a picture and signing my name
Painting Abstracts, no salvation
from the painful pictures that collect in my brain
Painting Abstracts, my creation
is the one way I know, and it's never the same
Painting Abstracts, one solution
is disolving the memories, and forgetting the shame
Under your sleeve I saw the scars
You told the truth and not the usual lie
a secret wrapped inside the past
a line was drawn, I turned and looked away
Across the years, I lost a friend
Not suicide, but a stupid disease
I should have seen you at the end
Regret is a stone, in my head
We're painting abstracts, on location
ignoring reality and enduring the pain
Painting Abstracts, on probation but
we're robbing the bank to keep playing the game
Painting Abstracts, our protection is
the color's so vivid we don't have to explain
Painting Abstracts, on location
we're taking a remedy, that is keeping us sane.
music & lyrics © 1990/2011 Colin Nicholls & Walter Nicholls
