This was the first track of my never-to-be-completed Sci-Fi epic in which an alien invasion descends while our hero is eating his TV dinner. Marc Ward and Jon Wilkins recorded the acoustic guitars/vocals at Elegbaland in 2006 (I think). And then the song just sat on my hard drive in all it's unfinished sci-fi glory with just the vocals and acoustic guitar track that you are hearing now.
Fast forward to 2015 (THE FUTURE IS HERE!). I played the song for Chris Wood. Woody said, "I got you covered on this man" (loose translation). Next thing I know he is hauling handbells, semi-hollowbody basses, and organs into the friendly confines of Hitsville, Fla. He also played the fantastic electric guitar you are listening in on.
Then, when Woody found out that Steve Copeletti was coming by he said, "We gotta get him on this track" (loose, very loose, translation). So the drums you hear are the rock solid 70's Laurel Canyon stylings of the incomparable Steve Copeletti.
Woodrow brought Elliot Shaw by one night to play the organ. This guy can play! Two takes later we had our organ track. It was the rug that tied the room together.
Now, I've had this old Sony reel-to-reel hanging out ever since Greg Lovell and I found it in some thrift store. And when I ran the final mix through it and played it back at a slower speed - I knew this sci-fi epic about a man getting defeated by aliens and turning into a fish wouldn't be complete without it. That's what you are hearing at the end. Along with some backwards masked church bells.
It's ok though, folks. Our hero makes it back to human form on one of the later sci-fi epic installments. I'll have to see about finishing those up.
lyrics
When the paratroopers (stunning!!) made their way down to me, honey, I was eating TV dinners
beneath their flight. By the time I saw them touching down my hopes had fallen. It was far too late
for me to hit the lights.
You know that I would never lie. Well, at first I thought I'd die. But then I thought: "Damn! I'm a
man!" And I fought them back to heaven in hand-to-hand. Hand-to-hand.
The next thing that I know I am awakened by a blow from the last of my assailants from the sky.
He was badly beaten too. Yes, I matched him black for blue. And I held my breath to brace the
blinding lights.
The second shot turned day to night and I swam in it for miles. At first I thought: "This isn't bad..."
but I fought that thought back to heaven in hand-to-hand.
Well, I never do remember being born. But now I am an underwater form. And I miss the way the
sun shone in my eyes. And I guess that most of all (to no surprise), oh, I miss my hands. Two
hands. Hands, two hands.
credits
from Golden Greats Vol. 4,
released April 16, 2015
Produced by Chris Wood
Engineering at Elegbaland Studios: Marc Ward
Drums/Percussion: Steve Copeletti
Organ: Elliot Shaw
Electric Gtrs: Chris Wood
Hand Bells: Chris Wood & JR
Photography: Monica McGivern
Layout: Jacob Kaplan
Handwritten Font: Bailey Kaplan
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