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 | Shades (4:56) |
| Technical Data |
| Mark Burgess: Bass, voices, lyrics All songs written and performed by The Chameleons with additional vocals, lyrics and percussion by Kwasi Asante © 2001 Artful Records LTD. ARTFULCD39 |
Comments by Mark Burgess
Comments by StrangE TimeS
Comments Mark Burgess
Mark E. Smith once said, while discussing his band 'The Fall', that regardless of what critics might tell you a band doesn't survive for ten years in this business if what they produce is crap. Around the same time Pete Shelley from 'Buzzcocks' said that no matter how hard the struggle to establish oneself might become, if an artist makes a truly great record it will be heard. Both statements struck a chord with me at the time and now here I am, some twenty four years later, a member of The Chameleons, writing the sleeve notes to our fifth album (all the others were retrospectives and therefore don't really count). Not a prolific output compared to some I grant you but significant never the less. The fact that a few records made by four scruffy lads from Middleton, Manchester (no, that's not fair, John could never be described as 'scruffy' and besides, he comes from Tameside) could touch so many hearts and minds the world over amazes me. Especially as Dave seems to be the only universally attractive one, but they did, so there we are. I say 'amazes me' because I'm the only member of the group that wastes time thinking about stuff like that, at least openly. If you were to ask us outright (and many have tried), what lies at the core of The Chameleons all you'd probably get would be a giggle and a bewildered glance. The truth is we don't know. One might as well ask why, from all of the millions of people in the world, only a handful emerge to capture our hearts so completely. Why do we cry when we see them born? Or cry when we lose them? We can label it 'this' or call it 'that' but in the final analysis why call it anything? It just happens. In order to make things happen though, one sometimes needs help. So! Thanks to Dave Allen for all the fun and frolics; and to John down at Woodbine for helping mix the sonics. To 'Arc' and 'The Chapel' who provide the electronics; To Stany Stan the man who can for all the Rolling Rockets; To Boomer, Dougie, Will and Shan for nursing alcholics; to Simon Lawlor management for all the Gin and Tonics; and to you and others like for reaching for your pockets. Finally a very big thanks to our special guest and close friend Kwasi Asanti who provided additional percussion and some great vocals, Raster Master!
Mark Burgess, Six o'clock in the morning, Corfu, 2001
A Race Commodity
P.S...Reg! What a face! Nice one nutcase!
The Chameleons in the year 2001 have changed their sound leaving in a secondary role the bass and drum lines and giving priority to crystal and acoustic guitars, vocal harmonies and backing vocals.
The album opens with Shades, the strongest and catchiest song, first candidate to be the single, with weak lyrics but a sure opener for the gigs. The following songs grow in lyric depth which dive us in quiet and intimate ambients where the vocal harmonies are the main instrument.
As it was being a general rule in the solo works of the bassist of The Chameleons after their splitup, Mark Burgess gives more importance to the vocal line than to the bass line, and new sounds are added to the songs like a hammond organ or the reggae voice of Kwasi Asante. On this, the fourth studio album, we have the delicate harmony beauty of Music In The Womb with its sad organ or Lufthansa, the long ambiental evolution of Miracle and Wonders with reggae rythms and chorus fusion, the harmony experimentation of Truth Isnīt Truth Anymore nearer to a progressive rock style and the last chorus line of Dangerous Land by the rest of the members of The Chameleons.
The album includes a revision of Indian, originally included on Strip and now called Indiana which includes more rythmical and melodic arrangements.
In short, a great change in the evolution of this band who doesn´t want to look back at the past, opening their musical style to sounds that didn´t belong to the band years ago.
Why Call It Anything Lyrics
Shades
One day I will move the stone
One day I will move the stone
One day I will take you home
One day I will take you home
If you can pull the shades of grey together
Pull the shades of grey together
If you want to live forever
Let's pull the shades of grey together
Do you know what I mean?
Do you?
One day I will move the stone
One day soon I'll take you home
If you can pull the shades of grey together
Pull the shades of grey together
If you want to live forever
Let's pull the shades of grey together
Together
Get it together
Together
Bush is back
It's a matter of fact
Bush is back
It's a matter of fact
Spark up a light
Angel it's alright.
Spark up a light.
Angel it's alright.
Oh and you're the light on me
Oh and you're the light on me
And anyone with eyes can see
I am not afraid with you
Anyone with ears to hear
I am not afraid with you
Anyone alive
Can feel the storm clouds gathering
What have you got?
Does it seem like a lot?
What have you got?
Well to some it's a lot
Where do you go?
Well I think I know
Above and beyond the energy flow
Mouth to mouth with the feminine glow
Oh you're the light on me
Yeah pour your light on me.
Anyone with eyes can see
I am not afraid with you.
Anyone with ears to hear
I am not afraid with you
Anyone alive
Can feel the storm clouds gathering in
'Cause anyone with eyes can see
I am not afraid with you
Anyone with ears to hear
I am not afraid with you
Anyone alive can see
I am not afraid of the storm clouds gathering in.
Sing it to the children
I have you.
Indiana
I see what you see
Yeah I get what you're after
Visions of something
It turns out to be
Shades of Limboland and MTV
Don't rationalise
Your sentence lies so tenderly
She was a girl who could turn you in time
Morons they wanted more, more, more
I saw her lead the dance across the floor
Amongst the flowers and ivory towers of long ago
Hey hey, hey Anja
He, hey, hey Anja
Hey, hey, hey Anja I see what you are after
You feel it in my laughter I know
I know it's late but I don't want to go.
The fragrance and the radiance and the afterglow.
The afterglow.
I don't want to go.
Hey, hey, hey Anja
Hey, hey, hey Anja
Hey, hey, hey Anja
Oh Anja
Lufthansa
I'm in a spin
I won't let this darkness in
Turning around
Grinning as I leave the ground
Wanting it all
I'm tearing right through that wall
Once and for all
I'm tearing through that wall
Taking it out
A little rain's going to keep on falling on me
I'm going to keep on calling to you I'm in a spin Spinning at the speed of sound
I'm in a spin
Hanging with the lost and found
I'm on fire rushing on my way to you
I'm on fire rushing on my way to you
Checking it out
A little rain's going to keep on falling on me
I'm going to keep on calling to you I'm on fire
Beside you
I'm on fire
The air is threatening
His head is a maze
And every little thing It seems out of place
I dreamt about you last night
Why I don't know
With all the cigarettes
The pills and the shakes
With all the hypocrites
The liars and the fakes
I dreamt about you last night
Why I don't know
And his eyes are in his back
Kept his soul in a sack
And always he comes bouncing back
And truth isn't truth anymore
He's never free of it
Beyond it's command
Beyond the ravenous final demand
I dreamt about you last night
Why I don't know
And his eyes are in his back
Kept his soul in a sack
And always he comes bouncing back
And truth isn't truth anymore
Yeah his eyes are in his back
Kept his soul in a sack
And always he comes bouncing
A white ball bouncing
Back to the busted door
And truth isn't truth anymore
With his heart on his sleeve
And his soul in a sack
I dreamt about you last night
I dreamt about you last night
