Taking Note (2003) – I wrote this in about 20 minutes when I first tried using my PowerBook for music. I didn’t have any kind of outboard gear, so I was trying to plug my guitars and microphone straight into the line input of the Mac (which doesn’t work very well for guitars and almost doesn’t work at all for a normal dynamic mic). That’s why the guitars and vocals are so distorted, to cover how badly I recorded them in the first place. I needed to shout to get the mic to pick me up at all.
Now that I have my MOTU Traveler and Logic Express, I’ve gone back and recorded a new bassline with the StingRay (which sounds pretty damn fine to me), doubled the vocals in the chorus, added another guitar line and completely remixed the track. It’s gone from something that I’ve always been a little embarrassed about to a track that I kinda enjoy in that big dumb way.
you’ve got another thing coming to ya if you think
that life comes with a tidy string, picket fence, wedding ring
i’ve been taking note of the places
that you’ve been telling folks your disgraces
and when the final score is determined
you might beg for more if you’re learning
don’t step on a crack
your mother’s back has lost the track
what comes around will come around
and drag you down without a sound
paul – vocals, guitars, bass, synths
