Mainstream

..A Fate Worse Than Death, or simply provocative and silly like Mama,
Did Jesus Wear Makeup?, but there’s no discernible trend as far as
I know – apart from avoiding the bleeding obvious, of course. Perhaps perversely,
(or of course perversely), while I’m quite comfortable playing
certain songs for years at a time, I’m not happy with utterly predictable
set lists and scripted patter, which means I have to rely on my natural wit
and charm – and that often relies on my mood to make an appearance. The
result is, when I’m inspired, I’m very, very good, but when I’m
not, I’m taciturn and arrogant, and of no help at all to the casual listener.
(Actually, I’ve been told I come across as arrogant either way).
The one constant is the music, which I like to think doesn’t fluctuate
in quality too much, at least in terms of effort put in.
Anyway, here we all are, with Spectrum’s historic double album Milesago,
the product of a serious band of young men given quite a deal of free rein in
Bill Armstrong’s studio by producer Howard Gable for EMI’s Harvest
label some thirty-six years ago, sharing the stage with Breathing Space,
the first of a projected series of four EPs produced by the twenty-first century
cottage-industry version of the very same band. Ian McCausland being responsible
for the cover art on both projects complements the circular nature of the concept
perfectly.
Perhaps I should explain the idea behind the Breathing Space EPs. It
goes without saying that we’ve not recorded for some time, (and then we
largely confined ourselves to the blues), so there’s been a build-up material
that we’ve featured in our live shows for some time and that we know people
like, but that remains unrecorded. (Actually, that’s not quite true. Some
of them have been recorded before, and more than once – the opening track,
Second Coming, for instance, being featured on a couple of live compilations,
but I think you’ll appreciate what we’ve done with the studio version).
It would be true to say that none of songs planned for the first three EPs are
going to be brand new, with at least a couple coming from the WHY repertoire
in the ‘80s, but to all intents and purposes, none of them have been given
the opportunity to breathe in the creative environment of the studio. And if
anything’s changed since those halcyon days of the original Spectrum line-ups,
it’s that we now have the opportunity to use the studio as a creative
tool on our own terms, through all the processes of recording to the manufacture
of the final product.
While it’s true that this has been forced on us by circumstance, at least
we have the choice. Being ignored by record companies in the past meant the
effective end of your recording career, but with the accessability of the appropriate
technology, now literally anybody can do it. (Which is another problem, but
I digress).
By Breathing Space EP number three there could be an opening or two
for some brand new songs, and maybe this is an invitation to continue rolling
out EPs and keep the creative juices flowing. I guess it depends ultimately
on how they’re received, but I like the idea of churning out material
on a regular basis. It seems to fulfill some sort of charter in exchange for
being allowed to live so long.
It’s also been suggested that we might have a vote as to the most popular
tracks when all four EPs have been released and then produce a ‘best-of
Breathing Space’ album, which sounds pretty modern and possibly
has some merit.
So, the notion behind the Breathing Space EPs is a mixture of the pragmatic
and perhaps the visionary – although it fails to address the question
you’re all dying to ask, namely: why do I bother at all, when it’s
obvious that nobody gives a rats?
In part, I blame you. If it were true that absolutely nobody gave a rats, it
might give me pause for serious thought – well, more serious,
serious thought. But, the fact is that enough people like you, (at gigs and
via this website), give me the palpable impression that you actually like what
we’re doing and think that it’s worthwhile. (I hope this doesn’t
sound too Sally Fields).
But, the most important reason to release an EP just now is just to release
something, anything really, and create some much-needed momentum. There are
lots of things that Spectrum should be doing as a tried and tested living slice
of Oz rock history, but it’s an unavoidable fact of life that people tend
to forget. If all these EPs do is remind people that we’re still around,
they’ll have served their purpose.