I dreamed I was back in the garden of my old school one summer’s day. The quarter bell of Holy Trinity Church sounded as it always used to, and for some reason somebody started practising music in our Lower Court form room, as they occasionally did. As I walked closer to listen, I wondered where those days, and those familiar places, had gone. And I wondered why the memories are still so compelling, and what it is I’m really looking for. I seem to have remained in that dream since last September…
Thanks to:
Claire Sharp for playing flute on Hungry for You.
Members of Plumptre Lane Dawn Chorus for birdsong.
Andrew Ducat, Danbury Mission and Simon Schultz for loan of keyboard, mic and Proteus respectively.
Chris Spring for drum samples.
Nigel Garvey for the wonderful arrangement and midi parts on Still the World is Sweet.
Tex Makins and Dave Hyde for original bass and lead parts on We Don’t Want You.
Phil Joslin and Phil Loose for core arrangement on Gone is the Past.
Christian Koolstra for suggesting the ending.
Jim McCaughan, inventor of the 100 watt Jew’s Harp Stack and Exec. VP of Principal Financial Group, Manhattan, for inspiration on 2 songs.
George Brassens, Gordon Giltrap, Gordon Harvey and Lyn Howe for inspiration on Love You Now.
Mr Kalanowski, lab technician at Guildford Grammar School, for teaching me balalaika.
Henry Pether (deceased) for the front cover, Old Guildford 1849. Back cover is Guildford High Street, unattributed.
Cynth again for photography and ever more support.
Instrumentation:
1968 Tatra Classic Guitar
1968 Ariana 3104 Acoustic Guitar
1976 Epiphone FT-150 Bard 12-string Guitar
1983 Lowden S22 Acoustic Guitar
1984 Tokai Goldstar 1957 Stratocaster Electric Guitar
1993 Alvin Davies Pacific Resonator Guitar
2003 Alvin Davies Electric 12-string Guitar
c1950 German fiddle (no maker’s mark except “Antonius Stradivarius”, whoever he was)
2002 Eb Jews Harp
1975 Spear and Jackson Electric Spoons
E-mu Proteus/1 Plus Orchestral Synthesiser
Creative Soundblaster Audigy Synthesiser