bird in a box (remix)volume 1 number 15
in keeping with our policy of making available the dust material
which was already released on
coming attractionsas a
FREE download, here's one of my personal favs from
mr. music head.
there were many unique techniques used in making the original track.
the piano was played like a percussion instrument by hitting the strings
inside the piano with a set of soft mallets.
the string bass part was played on a cello.
the percussion was a mix of drum machine and japanese fans played with a pencil.
the "bird wing flapping" sound (which begat the title) was produced by rubbing the guitar strings with a cloth and running the sound through an Eventide processor
and the raging guitar solo sound was made by...gee, I wish I remembered.
ooh, I'm not a free lunch box car parked in the seat
dead end streetcar of desire caught by the tailpiece
I'm a jiffy pop tarts are bad for your teen-aged beef
well there's a mandoLinda Evans talking on the phone call
a Porter Wagoner tailor-made underwear
every dog has his Dayton, Ohio Hitler
says to button your fly Tijuana make a Bette Midler, oh...
drop dead lock stock and bugle coral reefer man
every Marlon Brando gave him a great big handstand
what a lumpy Guy Lumbago embargo fish pants
is there a Groucho Marxist doctrine in the house calls
about a lost set of Keystone Cops out the same way
you came in through the bathroom window look,
a rock and roller skate and skate slowly
hey manatee bone state of the aren't you gonna finish your bird in a box
hey man your witness to the standstill shoulder to shoulder the burden a box
hey man you're eatin' Colonel Sanders daddy was a thunderbird in a box
loose tooth three of a perfect pair of diced onions
cheese and beings from another planeTeri Garr* oil change
every two thousand smiled at Linda Evans called
again singin' happy birthmarkthe absurdist wordplay was created by taking an ordinary phrase
say, "a free lunch" then altering it by adding a word
"free lunch box...box car...car parked" and so on.
loads of fun, but a lot of work.
*
one night while dining at L.A.'s oldest restaurant Musso and Frank's I saw Teri Garr sitting in a booth with a male friend.I happened to have a copy of mr. music head in my bag.I sauntered over to Ms. Garr and gave her the copy, telling her that her name was mentioned somewhere on the record. I've always wondered if she ever figured it out.guitar, drums, string bass, percussion, piano with mallets, "e" voice: adrianengineer: rich denhartassistant: dan harjungrecorded at Royal Recorders in Lake Geneva, Wis.sometime in early 1989 remixed at StudioBelew by ken latchney in 1999length: 3:39