“Inheritance” Release Date 18th October
It’s almost reached that time when all the recording, editing and mixing is out of the way and the new record is ready to master and send out to the duplicators so that physical CDs drop just before the release date. “Inheritance” is done, and I’m hugely proud of it, for so many reasons.
The songs on “Inheritance” are much more personal than in my previous works, because some are about me or things in life that I can relate to, the things that make me tick, where I came from, and who I have become. Writing about family and ancestry adds an extra responsibility to get facts right or interpret them with sensitivity. I am lucky to have a wealth of written and photographic evidence to support the substance in the songs, and to be able to relate some incredibly interesting stories from the real lives of immigrants, adventurers, rogues, and survivors.
While my previous works have had the cittern as the main instrument, “Inheritance” was written and recorded with a guitar I’ve had with me since 1977. The guitar bed track for each song was recorded in one hit, so that the album carries something of a live feel about it. One or two of those guitar tracks were really challenging, so I played them endlessly in my attic before taking them into Ali Karim’s studio. We may edit one or two short sections, but overall, what you hear is what I played.
Vocally everything was fine until I was recording “Peace” on 26th of July. Everything had gone well until mid-afternoon when I felt depleted of energy. I should really have seen the warning signs when I arrived at the studio demanding ‘something sweet’ to eat, because that generally means I’ve recognised I need a kick! So I demolished half of a breakfast cereal that was not unlike Sugar Puffs. The following day I was at A&E having tests on my heart after severe chest pains and breathlessness, which may have been asthma or angina related or could indicate heart disease. I will find out more at an outpatients appointment today but I’m happily optimistic.
So the vocals for the final two songs “Montevideo” and “Woodpeckers” had to be recorded in one hit because I didn’t have enough breath to sing for too long. Rehearsing in the attic was interesting as I whispered along to the guitar tunes, or sometimes just thought the lyrics. On each of those recording days I had another mid-afternoon dip in form but since then I have felt much better, as is normally the case when I’m about to go for a medical consultation.
Duncan spent a day with us adding backing vocals, and Matt added his violin and viola magic to both my album and Duncan’s new songs. Having my son on backing vocals felt appropriate for an album called “Inheritance”. As we sat there discussing the epic final song on the album “Tablets of Stone”, Ali decided it sounded like the last song I would ever record. If it is I’d be happy, but it isn’t intended to be. As well as being an honest deconstruction of me, it is also possibly the most direct and at times vicious attacks on injustice that I will probably ever achieve.
We took an early decision to minimise sounds that were not at least generated from real instruments, so you will hear me playing n’goni, wah-wah cittern, a very special lap steel guitar, and take on simple keyboard parts for the first time. But don’t go away from this article thinking that means “Inheritance” is deviating from my folk roots. These are probably the best songs I have ever written.
So please give it a listen via https://johnreed.bandcamp.com after its 18th October release, or you will be able to hear a few tracks on some of the fabulously supportive regional folk stations in the weeks leading to it. All musicians will tell you that their latest work is their finest yet, but actually when a record is complete that judgement is up to you.
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