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Always Look On The Dark Side Of Life

by Greg Segal

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1.
2.
Cold Sky 05:44
3.
4.
Introduction 02:07
5.
6.
So Far 02:34
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
The Taker 07:30
12.
13.
14.
Honor 03:21
15.
Motifs 04:50
16.
17.
Demolished 03:42
18.

about

selected recordings by Greg Segal, 1984-1993

The songs on this compilation were recorded over a nine year span, but counting time for writing and revision, it really covers a period more like 20 years.

This material was originally distributed on cassette; played on college radio stations around the US, played in vans and on boom boxes, on walkmans and cheap stereos. I was sometimes surprised at how well these tapes made the rounds, as when a young women I'd never met sent me a fan letter from a mental hospital in northern California. And at other times I felt like I was the only person listening to them.

I have always made music that I would want to listen to, whether or not it was in fashion. I still believe this: make honest music first, make your sales plans after.

The Albums:

from Night Circus (tracks 1-4):

Night Circus is a concept album about the end of civilization being brought about by angry spirits. They give a young man strong powers and manipulate him into using those to wipe out most of the world. He is then kept alive indefinitely to wander the earth and destroy any corrupt "infestations" of humanity that are deemed too poisonous to continue existing.

Written between August 1980 and August 1985; recorded May 1984- August 1985; mixed June 1-4, 1987.

from A Man Who Was Here (tracks 5-8):

This is the only one of my albums to have been recorded in a regular studio. I took my tax return and went in to attempt to record a full album myself- not even any roadies- in two 10 hour sessions. Even though I was recording Night Circus at the time, this was the one I was banking on to get picked up by a label. It had more commercial elements and, I assumed, better sound quality. But it was out of step with the times, which seemed to demand either Glam Metal or New Wave. This was neither. My goal was to make the kind of record that could comfortably have been put out between 1968 and 1973. While the rest of the world was waiting to rediscover its enthusiasm for that type of music, I'd never let go of it, and it was my belief that there were others out there starved for something like this. Still, there were elements of a more contemporary sound, as "So Far" shows. Then, as now, I saw no reason for a wide range of styles and approaches to be bad news. A&R folks of the day apparently did not agree, and the tape was consigned to Indie land.

Recorded on April 21st and 22nd, 1985 by Chris Wooley at Clean Machine Studios, Canoga Park. Mixed once in '85 by myself and some guy whose name I forget (I was charged for time I couldn't use and it seems to have impaired my memory), then re-mixed in '87 by GS (these are the versions you will hear).

from Experimental Guitar (track 9):

Chronologically, this one could have been placed elsewhere, since it covers material from almost as wide a time range as this compilation; but the majority of work on it comes from February 1986, shortly after buying a 4-track cassette recorder. In a way, this material was a reaction to the failure of "A Man Who Was Here" to catch any interest. I went as far away from conventional song structure as I could, and decided to make another kind of music I loved to listen to- experimental/avante garde. I knew the guitar was a great tool for this and I'd always meant to do something along those lines, almost from the time I'd started playing.

The compilation called "Experimental Guitar Sampler" didn't come about until March of 2000. I was doing a solo show of experimental guitar and was convinced by those around me that I ought to have something to sell at the event, even if it was "just a tape". So I took pieces recorded between 1982 and 1999, made a master, a cover, and a new collection was born. Some of these pieces have been remastered and are now available on "The Fourth Of The Three".

From Water From The Moon (tracks 10-13):

I was going through a rough time when most of this was written, and my dreams were very vivid. The lyrics were primarily based on them, and I wanted the music to reflect that. In imagining what I should shoot for before recording started, I thought of what to some might seem 3 very incongruous influences: the Syd Barrett solo records, the Bee Gees "First" and "Horizontal" albums, and the third Peter Gabriel record. All of them seemed to me to have a kind of quiet, weird, haunted quality, and that's what I wanted for this; unexpected access to some private world. The end result is often a lot more dark-edged and sinister than these influences, with the possible exception of Gabriel, might at first suggest.

I couldn't use my drum kit because of the circumstances of recording- I couldn't get loud. I figured there were a lot of types of music to try that didn't involve drums- acoustic music, electronic music. So I went with electric and acoustic percussion instead. I was very interested in doing some more stripped-down sounding pieces, especially based around acoustic guitar.

Lyrically, this one's a personal landmark. Something must have clicked because I found my voice as a writer- I was no longer swimming in my influences and experimenting with popular styles. Following on my disillusion with shopping around "A Man Who Was Here" and the fact that Paper Bag was beginning to get successful- we got signed to SST, for example- I decided I didn't have to worry quite so much about accessibility. I really thought SST would pick it up. In retrospect of course it's a good thing they didn't.

Recorded 12/86 - 3/87 at Phantom Airship 1. The music was all written in the same period; a lot of the lyrics precede it and some go as far back as late '84. (The oldest one of them is the title track. Confused Celine Dion fans please take note. This is not a cover tune.)

From Darkland Express (tracks 14-18):

Darkland Express is a continuation and expansion of concepts explored earlier on "Water From The Moon". Old songs are mixed with new songs but none were previously recorded. Some of the material goes back to before I played an instrument. Many of the songs were based on dreams and share a common theme, the dark and repressive side of modern life; about being trapped in it, what it does to people , and their attempts to escape it.

This is probably the most complete and ambitious of the solo albums. It covers a lot of styles. Also, I was a more experienced arranger by the time I did this and I believe it shows.

This was the hardest album to choose songs from because there were so many I wanted to put on.

Recorded 6/91-3/93 at Phantom Airship II and III, and at McKeever Manor and the Dogpit with the Airship Mobile. Some vocals re-recorded at Phantom Airship IV, along with one additional track ("Apartments- instrumental").

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released September 18, 2015

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Greg Segal Portland, Oregon

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