I'm King Hennery the 8th I am

I can sort of see the chink of light at the end of the album producing tunnel. I very nearly have 10 finished tracks. It was 9 last week, but I had an unexpected flash of inspiration whilst laid up with the flu.

Whilst messing around with the most excellent Spotify, I found myself checking out a certain Mr Blackmore's Renaissance widdlings on 'Under a Violet Moon'. A seed was sown, so to speak and I found myself spending the next 10hours going Renaissance minstrel crazy.





By the end of the evening I'd not only taught myself to play a scale on my daughter's long discarded Descant recorder, I'd recorded my own version of Pastimes with Good Company complete with haunting cathedral rhubarb, recorder harmony, and blackmore'esqe nylon strung tinkerings. He was a good writer, that Henry VIII, it's a banging toon, and also serves as the perfect preamble to In the Sea as it also starts off in Dm. So there we have it. In the Sea, now becomes 'Return to the Sea' Part 1 and 2.

Here's the running order:

1. Who will you Serve
2. Sins of the Father
3. Evolution Railroad
4. A Day on the Moon
5. Return to the Sea -Part.1 (Pastime with Good Company)
6. Return to the Sea -Part.2 (Forget the Earth)
7. Flowers in my Hair
8. La Iglesia
9. Ministry of Failure
10. The Dark that Follows the Light

I'm hoping to finish recording tonight then onto mixing. Maybe I'll be ready for release end of October?

Long time no Recording

Well it's been over a month since my last update.

I'd like to say a lot has been happening on the album front but it hasn't. Holidays, a mega DIY project , and general malaise has resulted in slow progress.

Tools were picked up again last Sunday where I got to spend a whole day recording and mixing. Loads got done, a lot of stuff that was looking impossible to finish like the stringing together of the 10min prog rock epic ' The Dark that follows the Light' into a coherent track. The fine guitar work of my good friend Steve Dunn (Also Eden) is sounding fabulous, the vocals are larely done bar a short phrase and we are nearly there with this one.

Some drumming problems were fixed on 'Heard you were going' and I even managed to get 'Who will you serve' in the bag, after a titanic battle with a mix of 4/4 5/4 and 6/8 time in the same track.

The good news is I'm done writing for this album!! 9 tracks written and recorded. On now to last few overdubs and mixing.


Oh and the DIY project is going to be a brand new sound proof recording studio, at the bottom of the garden.

Work in progress (left).

It's going to cost a small fortune and hopefully be done by Xmas.

Artwork, and CD distribution options also to be explored next


So much to do, so little time.

P.S. Almost forgot to say 'A Day on the Moon' was broadcast on Radio Caroline on the 20th August 2009 on Tim Charles Magic Carpet Ride show. What a thrill getting airplay alongside one my great guitar heroes Ritchie Blackmore with a Blackmore's Night track being played just before mine!.