Please note these are not definitive recordings. 'Proper' versions are on the records. Please buy them.
These mp3's are demo's, sketches, live versions and outtakes and as such the quality may be lacking sonically etc.
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A Godless Place
These songs were recorded in 89 or 90..I can't remember exactly.
The 80's! I was there, dude.
Andrew Haines played FRETLESS bass and on hearing these tunes for the first time in 20 years its his playing that stands out for me. This was a man who put a Picture of John Taylor in front of him when he did his hair. And it worked. Andrew had Great hair. Somehow this filtered through to the bass. Steve bees played Drums. he also played on 'To Stars'. (That was an act of Sentimentality on my part and musically a mistake). But in 'Misery' or whatever the band was called.... back in 1990 again, I can't remember- he was propulsive and inventive. Actually, I played drums on this. On many of these. Drumming was a fun I still miss but I guess I wouldn't have the stamina now.
Could
This was another song in its own right until Andrew came up with this Karntastic bassline.
I put the words from that o it and the original 'Could' remains unrecorded. (It was about an unrequited crush I had on a 6 form girl as I remember, one Linda Spiteri). Anyway. Glyn Kerry Groves plays Clarinet and Guitar on this and it still sounds Adrian Belewtasic. Sometimes he'd play them simultaneously. But then this was the 80's...
I cannot sleep vocal demo
I occasionally (TOO occasionally) get offered work to just sing and add lyrics to a tune. This was a South American chap and in the event he hated it. I guess he wasn't much of a Richard Butler/Andrew Eldritch fan.
I've Got A Crush On You
A demo from the abandoned 'Anatomy of melancholy' album, which would have been the next Jack album after The Jazz age.
This was about a incandescently beautiful east end girl who manned a car boot stall in Holloway market on Saturday mornings with her dad. They sold hi fi equipment and I was in love with her for a year. I never ever got the courage to speak to her. I wish I had.
Cowboy
In 2006, I think it was, I got a call from my friend/producer Julian Simmons.
He was working with Eddie Moran (A Girl called Eddie) on her demos for her next album, to be released on Anti. Apparently she was having difficulty with words and melodies. I spoke with her on the phone. The vibe was nice. (We'd met very briefly a year before in Manchester). She sent me some MP3's of her playing piano, sometimes humming melodies. Energized I worked like a bastard for a week putting words to melody, sometimes melody to chords and recording rough versions of me singing over Eddie's original demos. 'Cowboy' was the most complete and I was particularly happy with it because it was a new foray for me - it was about George Bush. My first 'political' themed song. I sent the tunes to Julian and Eddie. Julian was happy. I never heard from a girl called Eddie again.
Bourbon State Of Mind
I got deep into Country music in mid 2006. This was my last summer in the country.
I found that Bourbon suited my sad state of mind very well and also went great with C&W. I imagined Iggy singing C&W. I came up with this...
(You get me) To My Mind On Time
An Outtake from 'British ballads'.
This was me attempting to be The Electric prunes. Great band on this track but the mix wasn't right and we ran out of money...
Colin's Christmas Theme
Something cheery, recorded on my two farfisfa's, Christmas 2006…Voice and text by Mr Colin Wilson.
A Painter's Life - Rough Mix
Winter 2011 : My plan was to record some tunes with the lovely Martin Carr. I'd just done a new book deal and was gonna pay for it myself. The idea was to get in a real reggae group to do this tune. By the time it came to record the book publishers had gone bust and thus I had no dough. I decided to try and go for a sly and Robbie vibe anyway. I liked it - we were 60% finished I reckoned. But martin wasn't convinced and anyway the money had…one again..ran out...
kingdom Of Me
Written for my beautiful friends, Aleli and Eugenie of Buenos Aires…late summer 2011. Recorded by Eddie Mugford.
Easterners
Both these tracks were commissioned for a cathy Boyce Film project.
Slyly stones stoned improvised, I could ehar the bass part but didn't have a bass so got in peter morgan to do his thing ; which he kindly did at very short notice and for nowt.
'Easterners' was an excercise in Songwriting. I decided we needed a 'regular' song, went upstairs, opened an old copy of 'sight and sound', saw an ancient review of some obscure british film of the same title and wrote the song in 15 minutes. Unfortunately, it sounds like it.
'Love life'. Circa 1990.
This was a real break through in my song writing, due in part to my then recent acquisition of a 12 string Acoustic which seemed to make everything sound like immortal aural Gold.
I was pelased with the words too. It was recorded at a studio down what was then known as the docks. (Its been 'The Bay' for some time now) in cardiff.
Everyone in the then band chipped £ in and we even somehow- from an ad in the library i think - drafted in some string players which I directed by humming the part.
it was kinda a 'Live favourite' as much anything we did was then but for some reason i always felt it a little too adolescent to record much later on.
But then i was an adolescent when i wrote it...
(The chaps playing on it were - Andrew haines- fretless bass, Glyn groves- Clarinet - Steve bees- Drums - Myself- Vocal and guitar.
Phuel
This is from 1990. Recorded on borrowed equipment at my warm single room at 10 Partridge Rd, Roath Cardiff.
I'd always had a concurrent interest in instrumental music alongside songwriting.
This probably sounds like a million obscure groups I've never heard of but listening to it now after 20 years, I hear Grandmaster flash, Can and Dr calculus.
I PLAYED Misty for you
I found a new chord on my new piano.
And through this channeled the ectoplasam of waits, Coward and John Howard...
A song sang, played and recorded once.
All aboard for a taste of sunshine
I made this up as I recorded it, in late 2005. I don't know what it is, where its from, what its for and I don't like it.
Enjoy.
The others
I Sometimes write songs that are very fine, complete and good but that have no 'home' and thus are never recorded properly. I wonder why? here is one such example. A free fruit gum to the person who can tell me which Fuzzbox song this takes its melody from.
I will not say these lines Live on
A song written and recorded in 24hrs, late 2006 during a manic sucidal depressive period.
Written to myself but for the wonderful Andrea of the italian group 'Marti' to sing. Which he will, hopefully, in 2007.
On the otherside of Rain
I don't believe in death...I think there's no escape through killing anything, in the physical sense. But there are different realms we can elapse too...
2004:
A northern Story
This was inspired by my first visits to Doncaster and the Norfolk broads.
One for a funeral one for a Horse.
These places felt very English and made me feel very Non English.
They were also grim and oppressive places.
This was written and recorded within the same hour one rainy evening.
I neither like it nor dislike it.
Another girl, another Song.
I’ve written loads of songs like this. They come easy to me and as a consequence I’m not especially fond of them.
This was written in a flat off of Sloane Square in Chelsea, England, 1999.
Five uneasy pieces
One of my all time beloved films. Jack Nicholson is fucking great in this and the script and Karen Black and…
I’ve no idea what this piece is about though. Written for ‘fun’.
Some Summer
Written and recorded in the Spring of 2004. That year the Summer weather was crappy.
‘Summertime’ by Gershwin is a fave song of mine, in particular the wonderful Walker brothers version.
2003:
The first time saw Paris
I enjoyed the challenge of working with Franck Roussel-a French composer.
He was quite unlike any other person I’ve collaborated with. Something adult about him, even though I think he’s my age.
(Or was).
We did one song for his wonderful Debut album in 2000, (see Discography).
I decided to take this further and so we wrote via Cd’s and the postal service for a while.
At the end of the summer of…2003, I think, I visited him at his lovely house outside of Paris.
I quickly recorded vocals to about 6 pieces of music-songs we had prepared. Some were more successful than others.
Of the more successful songs, we circulated about five, I think, as a demo looking for a deal.
I was surprised that after six months we still couldn’t get a serious offer from any French or German labels.
Eventually an offer came through from an Italian label and we were all set to record in Italy during the summer of 2004.
This arrangement collapsed shortly after everyone had agreed on what was what.
I was pretty frustrated by this and it kind of took the wind out of my sails regarding the ‘Reynolds and Roussel’ album.
One demo was released on ‘neu York’ (Lush life).
The rest of the songs remain unheard.
This song was among my least favourites and not included on the demo CD but it’s worth hearing.
I miss France.
I am Salon.
Written for and about James Cook of Nemo and as a hark back to the silly and pretty ‘Romo’ Scene in London 1995.
I sometimes think it’d be fun to be in a band.
This feeling doesn’t last long though.
Superbachelor
I wrote the words to this in 1998 and gave them to momus as I recall-who was uninspired by them. I finally got round to writing the music to 'em last summer (2003) on a keyboard the size of a sandwich. I wanted it on 'neu York' but had run out of tape and so this was recorded on a piece of tape from the 60's. Thus the quality sucks. But a good song that should be done with a group-Isaac Hayes style
Dear Melvyn
My ‘thank you’ to mr Bragg.
This is the original (Live) demo for Secret crush and a weird ‘Alternative’ version that sounded too lo-fi for release.
Do the maggot
I came up with the idea for doing a ‘dance’ record while out of my gourd in Bennicasim, Spain in the summer of 2002.
This outtake is from the ‘neu york’sessions and the lyrics say all you need to know.
There is another dance song in waiting: ‘Bun the bun’. Unfortunately it sounds exactly like ‘can the can’ at present.
Some Are Bound To Fail I wrote this in the spring of 2003 and recorded it live to DAT on a Sunday afternoon before tea, in August.
Live to Dat.
2000:
That's the way we make it (demo) (A song that ended up on the final Jack album and one of my favourite to do Live. I always had a mixture of Otis Redding and Bowie's 'Absolute beginners' in mind when I sang it).
The Rock
The first song I wrote after moving to Dalston in 1999. I have a soft spot for the idea of MOR Guitar stuff-Lloyd Cole, Matthew Sweet etc-although I don't listen to it much anymore.
This was my take on that approach.
An outtake from the Jacques 'Happiness' sessions 2000
The Colours of stars
An outtake from my 'Grace' POP project, recorded at Nomis studios spring
1999.
Orange Grove Melody
A piece recorded for 'An Anatomy of melancholy' at Matthew's house in 1999.
The words to this were based in part on Klaus kinski's autobiography.
A Bachelor In London
A standing still moment in terms of Scott and I’s writing but I have a soft spot for this song.
Lyrically, this deals with my time as a ‘Superbachelor’ between ’97 and 98.
A song neither slow nor fast with a nod to Jeffrey Bernard at the end.
This demo recorded in Matthew’s flat in Turnpike lane.
You’re my weakness now and The sex life
Warner Chappell, my publisher at the time had lovely demo studio at Nomis studios which I’d use as often as possible. It was often booked full so I began using their ‘writing suite’ which was actually in their offices in Hammersmith.
It was quite weird to walk through desks of people etc to get to a tiny room with a 48 track studio at the end but I persevered and these two pieces came out of it.
There is a version of ‘sex life’ with A funky Slap bass on it by Colin Williams.
Somewhere.
(Written at 329 Holloway road in the summer of 1996. This version is from the 'To stars' sessions. John Griswell did a fine job with what he had but the drums are wrong and the Vocal far too Low).
The Rock
The first song I wrote after moving to Dalston in 1999. I have a soft spot for the idea of MOR Guitar stuff-Lloyd Cole, Matthew Sweet etc-although I don't listen to it much anymore.
This was my take on that approach.
An outtake from the Jacques 'Happiness' sessions 2000
1997:
I've Stop Searching (Live Outake)
This was recorded live during a break in the first 'Jazz age' sessions-in studios in Wrexham-a few miles from where I now live. We could never get the dynamics right in this song.
From Capricorn to cancer
Recorded on a keyboard no bigger than my thumb at 541 Holloway Rd, N19, 1997.
Live:
We can we will Live in Paris Cigale 1997(Jacques live in Paris)
Jacques toured with Divine Comedy and Orchestra in 1997. We were a three piece. I spent all of my Per Diems in one go on Coke and Ecstacy. The first night was horrific but I enjoyed it more and more as the tour went on. Little Neil was becoming succesful and the venues were grand. I loved opening our set with a low key, almost acapella song in a place like The Royal festival hall. Jacques on this occasion was Matthew, Ruth Gottlieb and Sarah Willson - on Cello for the London dates. This was one of two nights in Paris at LA Cigale. This song never worked live and was rarely performed. Which is why its here.
Wintercomessummer Jack live at the Paradisio in Amsterdam, 1998.
I think we played Amsterdam twice. I have very smoky memories of our trips there.
I do remember feeling at the time that this was a flat gig but hearing it again recently, it has a rough, bolshy and irrerevant energy. I guess we must have been (relatively) young or something.
Covers:
The streets of tremorfa
This is my take on Bruce Springsteen's 'Streets of Philadelphia'...I;m a long time fan. I had a crack at 'tougher than the rest' too but it sounded limp. heres my interpretation of another late classic Bruce tune...
I'll See You Then
A beautiful, beautiful, Jimmy Webb song that I heard Roberta Flack sing.
I did this version in late 2000, for the ‘happiness’ Jacques album sessions..
It was done with very little thought, just bashed out and the Vocal is probably a one take. But it has something, and I loved that band; Will foster on Piano, Bryan Mills on Bass, Paul Cook on Drums, Matthew on Guitar.
I would have probably added some atmospherics to it given the chance and done a more dynamic vocal.
Recorded by Richard Bell.
The Day Before You Came by Jacques, Live at the Scala, London, November 2000.
I love singing covers and this is one of my favourite ABBA songs ever.
The recorded version was a bit polite but this is more like it.
Coked up and playing to our own reflection from beneath a woolly hood and from behind aviator shades.
And that drumming, man.
Other:
Songs For Sketches (Click for more details)
I’ve always used a book to write lyrics in.
(A Sketchbook, actually. This way you can have big, long pages. I realised years ago that if I used a pocket book, the songs would be very short because I’d always try to fit the lyrics on one page. So, the bigger the page the more liberating it is. I also don’t use lined pages as these are constricting. And. I also need a book with a spine so that I can write the relevant year on it.
I keep all my lyrics filed in a cabinet, see. Now you know).
BUT-I would never write down chords to go with the words, relying rather on my memory box. But, as Alcohol consumption increased, so did my back catalogue and I eventually began committing sketches to tape as well as to the big book, as I’d have trouble remembering the tune.
Of course, I’d then forget everything. Ah well. Only the strongest will survive. But I will occasionally trawl through the tapes and present the best here, along with ideas for plays and films etc.
In conversation with Colin Wilson
I recorded hours of conversation during my stay with the lovely Mr Wilson.
Here's a snippet. Cornwall, March 2004.
Notes for ‘Dilemma’, ‘Fucking up the Orchestra’, ‘I hate it when people run from the rain’ , ‘Roses for ashes’ and ‘The love we do not make’
Around Christmas 2002 I was asked by a Website in Croatia to donate something unique as a prize for their yearly competition.
I recorded a ‘poetry’ CD of ten pieces direct to my hard drive, screwing with the pieces afterward, knocked up a custom sleeve and sent it off.
I called it ‘The Love we do not make and other poems’ and then knocked up another nine copies for chums and the like.
I’d gotten into poetry records in the last few years and this was my homage.
The title track also appeared on a Spanish compilation CD and a Japanese language version of ‘Roses..’ appeared on the Jacques ep of the same name.
Easterners
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Please note these are not definitive recordings. 'Proper' versions are on the records. Please buy them.
 "zoom :anthony reynolds Dalston 2000 By henrik Stromberg")
 "zoom :jacques in PAris mid 1997 by Helen tremaine")
 "zoom :ant fiona athens 2002")
 "zoom :ant and doug spain 2000")
