GS: There are lots of recorded versions of "Clear Day" by the 3-piece version of Cold Sky, many of them good. Some are favorites because they show off the structure of the song beautifully; others because one or all of us were particularly on the ball that day, and played something memorable and worth making available for repeated listens. The structure is open to improvisation, the solos change most of the time, and there would never be two identical versions. Even so, I didn't want to pick one unless it stood out in some way. In this case, the structural representation is pretty mushy, not solid enough that I would consider it "definitive"; not a big deal though, since that has been handled well elsewhere.
There is something of historical note, in that Hyam hadn't yet decided he was going to compose and repeat the same 16-bar drum solo; that came later, and survives as part of the song to this day. Beyond historical differences, the band's energy here is very high with the three of us just tearing through the piece, which I think will make it an enjoyable listen for people. I think the standout on it is George's bass solo, which is probably the best we ever got on tape. It's lyrical and inventive and also, thankfully, totally audible.
HS: Even though this is early in our history of playing the song, I’m surprised at how closely this version of “Clear Day” sticks to the way Greg and I have played it in various bands ever since. Regarding the 16-bar drum break, after listening to dozens of versions of the song on tape during the Cold Sky and early Dog Neutral days I felt that it required a drum break with a definite structure and musical shape that would form a natural bridge back into the head at the very end. Most of the time my improvised solos simply didn’t cut it (they tended to be musically too unfocused) so I composed a solo that I thought worked and have played it verbatim ever since.
credits
from Cold Sky/In Process,
released April 25, 2014
Written by Greg Segal. Arranged by Cold Sky.
