Time Out of Mind:
My Entry
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Following on from...
http://musicmusingsandsuch.wordpress.com/2014/09/28/the-problem-an-invisible-illness-a-way-through-time-out-of-mind/
....I shall get the ball rolling...
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Okay peeps. If you have read my previous blog post- proposing an Ice Bucket Challenge-esque endeavor- then you may be thinking: what am I going to do?! Well, in the spirit of getting things going, I am posting my ‘thing’- my Time Out of Mind entry- it took a staggering 14:31 to complete. Disclaimer: I am counting the time publishing this blog as a business expense- no technicalities here! The song itself took under 15 minutes to think of/type/complete- here are some more details.
Before I go on, I have donated a tenner to Mind- put a little message in and mentioned what I am doing. This song was written between 10:00-10:14 at a coffee shop in Guildford (all glamour me- you can keep Paris!). Surrounded by screaming kids and babies (my least favourite sensation on earth), it perhaps inspired a lot of the process (in a good way too). The track is influenced by the likes of Royal Blood- their fusions of Hip-Hop and classic Rock. The song has that feel and draws in the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Soundgarden, Led Zeppelin (and Royal Blood themselves). Most of the song is an assault of guitar/bass/drum riffs and signatures; with some exceptions...
The Classical Break will consist of two violins; cello; oboe and viola- it will be romantic and quite sweeping. Containing some passion and tenderness it has some irony to it. The verse that starts “Breathe out and suck it all up” is presented as an Electro-Swing passage. Backed with skiffling and dancing electronics; some ‘20s and ‘30s sounds- it is a distinct and unique passage- the vocal will have that classic and almost ‘elegant’ sound. The second Musical Break will see all the instruments come together in a flurry of fury and trippy diversions. It is the most electrifying and swaggering part of the song. By the end, the instruments die one by one to be left with guitar, bass and drum- each in turn dies to be left with a vocal snatch. At the very end, there is a nod to Queens of the Stone Age- and their song Feelgood Hit of the Summer. Whereas they listed a cocktail of drugs; I list one of illnesses and ailments.
I hope it makes sense and tracks to a point, but it took less than 15 minutes- go easy on me (and that is part of the challenge!). I am very proud of it at least, and it will be the first song I record- the lead-off track from the album Marriage: The Beautiful Revenge (hopefully will drop in the next couple of years). This endeavor has compelled me to get a band and lay this track down- I am excited by it, and by setting myself a limit, I have ended my writer’s block- it does work. In order to get over and conquer stage fright, it has been good to focus on music- take a step for a great charity that means a lot to me. Whether you connect with what they do in an edifying sense; or just want to do something different and fun (to help a lot of people)- hope come up with something yourselves!
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Black Majesty Blues (Citizen Arrest) (8:27)
Intro.
Hard to be a gentleman when manners are bleeding
Throw away the atom bomb
And use your mouth instead
It you’re "sure-as-hell not listening"
You better know that I’m still speaking
Don’t let my bad mood let you down
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I got the kind of face only a mother could love
And luckily she was yours
In the night we confused science and religion
With the ceiling and the floor
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Hold open the door just to slam it in my face
Make an unwise statement on behalf of the human race
You don’t have to scream to make your voice heard
Take care of your health and don’t give a shit about anyone else
These Black Majesty Blues, yeah
Going to get to you
Going to get to you…soon
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Stripped bare like an animal in the wilderness
I write my most romantic for the right to impress
You say that you’re in love, girl
But you kiss me with barbed wire
And don’t stick around to hear me weep
If they call that politeness then don’t hang around
I got the kind of body research science would love
And they’re researching a stone-cold gentleman
If my bones don’t make it right down to hell
My soul sure as hell will be heaven-sent
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Hold open the door just to slam it in my face
Make an unwise statement on behalf of the human race
You don’t have to scream to make your voice heard
Take care of your health and don’t give a shit about anyone else
These Black Majesty Blues, yeah
Going to get to you
Going to get to you…soon
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Vocal and Instrumental Break
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Breathe out and suck it all up
Let go and don’t take it in
Push away and don’t pull your weight
Loose tongue to communicate
Stand up but don’t walk away
Drop the ball and never pick it up
I’m blind but I hear you've seen it all
Alone in crowds and pushed away
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I walk through the city and the masses walk by
Technology more important than the look in my eye
When a poor men begs here you walk away and laugh
A drunken generation with a hurricane for a heart
You say I’ve got a face perfect for radio?
A radioactive missile to blow you away
Your songs buy you diamonds; mine earn me respect
Well I cried when I wrote this line
What the hell did you expect?!
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Classic Break
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You think you’re Florence Nightingale and Mother Teresa in one
Stuck inside your vanity suckling on smoking guns
She was just Hey Nineteen
You know what I mean?
Would you rather be the fool in a love story?
Or a hero in the war?
I'd talk to God but he stopped believing in me
I'm no bigger than my sin so what's a boy to do?
Sing a ring of roses and a pocket full of poses
You got nothing on me, that much is true
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Hold open the door just to slam it in my face
Make an unwise statement on behalf of the human race
You don’t have to scream to make your voice heard
Take care of your health and don’t give a shit about anyone else
These Black Majesty Blues, huh
Going to get to you
Going to get to you…soon (real soon, sugar)
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Musical Break 2
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How you feeling now?!
Pink eye, diabetes, hemorrhoids, syphilis, peptic ulcers, genocide
Pink eye, diabetes, hemorrhoids, syphilis, peptic ulcers, genocide
Oh…
Pink eye, diabetes, hemorrhoids, syphilis, peptic ulcers, genocide
S-s-s-s-syphilis.
Pink eye, diabetes, hemorrhoids, syphilis, peptic ulcers, genocide
Pink eye, diabetes, hemorrhoids, syphilis, peptic ulcers, genocide
Repeat to fade.
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Whether it's a song, a walk; a poem- maybe a short film or video message, the idea is to get involved and keep the word going. Donating is the most important thing, so as long as that is done as well- hopefully we can raise a lot. If you are in a similar boat to me, the process can be cathartic and releasing- I have had a much better day today (than I have for a long time) x
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11:35
To: saml889@hotmail.com
Dear Sam
Thank you for deciding to support Mind with your kind gift of £10.
Mental health problems can affect anyone - rich or poor, young or old, shattering the lives of those affected and the lives of people close to them.
Your contribution will help us continue to offer vital services for those experiencing mental health problems as well as to their friends and family.
On behalf of all those whose lives your gift will help, thank you so much.
Thanks again for your support.
Mind
----------------------------------------------------------- Email: contact@mind.org.uk Tel: 020 8519 2122 Web: http://www.mind.org.uk/ Address: Mind 15-19 Broadway, London E15 4BQ