Another Day, Another Dolour

Ian S.

Cemental Health Records EEG09

All tracks written by Ian Shuttleworth, © control Anal Memoranda, except 
Strive Stephen Lamont, © control PRO-Canada; The Groper On The Dancefloor Walker/Shuttleworth, © control Mad Arab Music/Anal Memoranda; "Heroes" Bowie/Eno, Bewlay Brothers Music/Fleur Music/E.G. Music.

Recorded March–June 1983 at Ghetto, produced and engineered by Ian Shuttleworth, 
except The Groper On The Dancefloor vocal recorded and produced at Downtown by Davy Sims, and where noted elsewhere. 
Mastered at Ghetto June 1983 by Ian Shuttleworth.
Digitally remastered November 2004.

Great Cthulhu’s Starry Wisdom Band appear by arrangement with Obed Marsh.

To the Death’s Head and the Sickly Child.

Another day, another dolmen: 
cover courtesy of Iain Walker/Demented Nihilists Inc.

This title (P) 1983, 2004 Cemental Health Records.

Ian Shuttleworth plays electric guitar (although sometimes he doesn’t plug it in), bass guitar, a couple of synthesizers and (for about 16 bars) a Casiotone, and gives voice.  The drum tracks are from a machine kindly lent by the Otis Bongo foundation for Waifs, Strays and Media Manipulation.

EXCUSES
After putting out Chew Bastille Relevance (EEG02) I joined a band or two, played at a couple of events, got radioplay (once) and all of 2’20” on regional television.  Some notice was being taken, so with my faultless business sense I decided, rather than plugging C.B.R., to put out another album.  Most of these tracks were lying around waiting to be unleashed, the rest were “put together in the studio” as we musos say.  I’m not at all sure about this album; including what was on its original cassette release an entire side of instrumentals tends to suggests no ideas for words, and I’ve also been fighting a running battle with my tape machine to record without distortion.  Some of the tracks are definitely worthwhile; I’m too close to the others to be able to judge them objectively.  At any rate, 60 minutes on tape only cost as much as 6 on vinyl in the olddd dayyys, and 80 minutes on CD costs even less in comparison now.

Ian Shuttleworth is available to play at parties, bat mitzvahs and holocausts.
 
 

TRACK LISTING

ORIGINAL
 
  • Scrambling After Snatch (5:00): jolly, if disposable.  Sometimes you just gotta wear your heart on your keyboard, bud.
  • Vientiane (4:30): if you put an infinite number of monkeys in front of an infinite number of Korg MS20s they will eventually reproduce the entire recorded output of Japan.  Including the outtakes.
  • At Least I Pay For Mine (6:30): the title comes from a remark made one night by some drunk woman on the Dublin Road, but that’s got nothing to do with the track. In fact, not much has.
  • Sellout Three (4:03): one of my earliest instrumentals, comprehensively updated and jollified.  The first known example of barrelhouse synth, or what Vince Clarke might sound like if he came from New Orleans.  Maybe.
  • The Wicked Bible (4:45): ethnological forgery series no. 59: Dave Formula.  The Wicked Bible was a 17th-century edition famous for its misprints, including the commandment “Thou shalt commit adultery”.  Charles I had to buy the whole lot.
  • The Phantom Clitoridectomist Of Old Khartoum (4:52): a direct lineal descendant of Annoyance Factor off The Twinkie Plea (EEG05).  Meant to irritate.  Female circumcision still goes on in Sudan despite a government ban.  Oops, moral conscience.  At least no sermonising lyrics.
  • Tinged With Regret (1:12): the track off C.B.R. that most people raved about was Christ.  They shouldn’t’ve.  Short (1:12), totally meaningless, and fairly self-conscious.  Ah, I can still do it.
  • Shone (5:06): somehow this ended up musically and lyrically worlds away from what I’d intended.  Trite, but at least knows it.  And all right, Copey, you can have your horns back now.
  • Strive (4:02): Stephen Lamont’s original version of this is available on Exhibit A by This “Blue Piano“ (EEG06).  This version’s more an existential ache than his scything agony (ooh dear me).  On reflection, I should really have asked him what the first line was before I recorded it.
  • Baby German Bight (5:00): written for, but never played by, The Baby Vultures.  Inspired by the shipping forecast, the title sounded so Birthday Party that the song had to be anything but.  What a silly Cnut.
  • In A Canyon (6:32): hardly What Punk Was All About, but I like it.  You meet the strangest people at parties, especially if you’re propped up against the wall opposite the toilet door.  Well, it was the only spare wall.
  • The Groper On The Dancefloor (Cthulhu Rap) (5:28): Iain Walker’s wonderful homage to H.P. Lovecraft performed by Great Cthulhu’s Starry Wisdom Band: Andrew Benson (bass), Lewis Oriel (guitar), Roy Watson (synth), I.S. (lead vocals), and The Dhol Chanteuses (backing vocals).  Potential hit single.  No, really.
 BONUS
 
  • Sellout III [1981 demo] (2:10)
  • “Heroes” [1982] (6:26)
  • Shone [1984 re-recording] (4:43)
  • In A Canyon [1985 re-recording] (6:27)