:jawdrop: Ever listen to Barenaked Ladies Song “Box Set”? Well, its done.. the biggest project I’ve ever attempted that absolutely no one will know or care about.
Polishing the turd – (pawlisheeng th(schwaa) terd) – V. The act of endeavoring to make something that isn’t that good to begin with appear better than it is, usually futile.
I have recorded 193 tracks of music since I started in 1990 at the age of 13. And most of them suck. Yup, most of them are so unlistenable that we would have to be quite close before I would ever let you hear them. And yet, I have spent close to 100 hours in the last year or so cataloguing and remastering all 193 tracks.
I got the idea when, on a whim, I spent some time remastering the first Wayward Sun album (the results of which are on the music section of Barnson). It was cool to have the old tape on CD and on my computer to play whenever I wanted. I thought.. well, it would be cool to do that with all my old stuff…
So I searched through tapes, recorded them into the computer, took out the hiss, remastered the songs, divided them into their original “albums”, and put the albums in Chronological order. Then I did the same stuff for all my digital work, all the CDs up through the newest one (which you can download at http://www.timpane.com/mp3 ) and now I have it.
Some stats: 15 Albums 193 Different Tracks of Original Music 110 Original Songs plus Four Original Scores 27 Remakes Of Earlier Songs 16 Collaborations with Other people 3 Writing Collaborations with Matt Barnson 1 Song Lost Forever 1 Song Retired Forever 2 Songs Written entirely by Someone Else 4 Different Recordings of Holdin Hearts holdin Hands 4 Different Recordings of Kelly’s Song
The funny thing is – no one will care right now. My brother laughs at me because it seems like such a self-centered waste of time. And to be honest, I’m trying not to agree with him.
Here’s why: 1) Posterity. I didn’t know many of my Grandparents that well, and one not at all… and I know nothing about other ancestors. Heck, I only really know my Dad as my Dad, and have no real idea of what he may have been like when he was younger. With a kid on the way, I want this to be around for my brothers and sister and my kids and Grandkids.. i want this put in some family Vault – and hopefully one day it will be unearthed like the letters my one living Grandparent finds when she does Geneaology – its really my heart and soul put into music, its my diary, even if a lot of it sucks.
2) Reflection. I like listening to my old stuff.. its like therapy. I listen to what I used to write vs. what I write now and I try to gauge how I’m doing as a person. Its like rereading an old diary, and I think that has value.
3) Novelty. I can think of about 10 people who will actually want this, and about half of them will probably listen to it a lot – people I grew up with who listened to these songs when they were new.. and a couple who have really been requesting this.
I think it was time well spent, and its good that I’ve finished and can finally put one more thing behind me on my list of “things I want to do before the baby is born”. Now.. about that next album… :jawdrop:
Um… wow.
I actually almost did this, a few years ago. My sister requested a Wayward Sun box set for her birthday, and I set about making a set of tapes (this was before fancy digital technology) of all of the Wayward Sun recordings, alphabetically. I got up to the Cs before giving up, when the multi-track recorder developed a short that I’ve never been able to fix.
But good for you, buddy!
— Ben
I have always said…
I have always said (well, since I started listening to him in earnest) that most of Beethoven’s stuff really wasn’t all that good. But what did he have over the unknown artists of his day?
He was prolific. He wrote, and wrote, and wrote, and then when he was deaf and in great pain, about to die, he wrote some more!
These days, I’m just not that driven. Haven’t been for about ten years. Mostly, I just want it to be quiet……
—
Matthew P. Barnson
There’s an old saying…
There’s an old saying… everyone wants to be a writer, but very few want to write.
You actually want to write, Justin. Frickin’ blows my mind. I’ve always been very impressed by that.
I bow down to you
So, I was struck by curiosity, and I sat down to make a list of all the songs I’ve written. My list pales in comparison to yours.
Since 1988 (age 13):
36 songs 33 between 1988 and 1996, 3 in 2005 9 collaborations with Sammy G 2 collaborations with Sammy G & Ed Copeland 3 collaborations with my sister Katy 1 collaboration with Dani 1 collaboration with Tim Miller (now deceased)
This doesn’t include multiple recordings, since most of these songs were recorded more than once. Still, it’s not nearly as impressive.
To be fair, there’s a nine-year hiatus between A Better Mind (May 1996) and Sidewalk Chalk (February 2005).
In the interim between 1996 and 2005, I also wrote:
8 art songs (set to poetry by Edith Sitwell, Dylan Thomas, e.e. cummings, etc.) 3 choral pieces 1 10-minute mini-opera
— Ben
There’s Got To Be More
Ben, we wrote more than 9 songs together, yes?
You tell me
This is all I could come up with.
Chica’s Rag Come and Get It Compulsive Fire Destination: Nowhere Dirty Shoe Funk (also w/Ed) Hoped to Be House of Dreams Now or Never (“Matthew was a man on a mission…”) Order of the First Verse (also w/Ed) Wayward Jamboree No. 1 (*snicker*) Worlds Collide
Am I missing any? I thought there would be more.
— Ben
EDIT: Oops, make that ten. You and I cowrote A Better Mind.
Megan
Whatever happened to Megan? Is that song still stuck in your grandmother’s basement?
Thats’ the only song I had anything to do with! I’d like a copy so when you guys break famous in your different pursuits, I can say you all were in a band together, and I knew you, and I wrote songs with you.
My wife and children will be SO impressed!
All kidding aside, you need to get that junk digitized and posted. Law school/schmall school. Time is relative…
My $.02 Weed
To Add
-A Famous Band -Bad In Practice -Better Mind -Big Picture (was that just you?) -Conditional Love -Fearless Animosity -Goes Around Comes Around -Hamlet In My Mind -If Tomorrow Never Comes -Nicki -Pushing Us Down -Rhythm & Rhyme -Shared Word (?) -Megan -Pot of Gold -Rise over Run
heh, I’d forgotten some of those
I don’t think I contributed anything to Goes Around Comes Around, If Tomorrow Never Comes, Nicki, Pushing Us Down, or Rise Over Run. And what is Shared Word?
Megan was an awesome song – I did forget that one. It’s actually in my basement now. I need to get off my ask and see if I can get the multi-track recorder repaired. Or maybe I’ll finally mail the whole thing to Matt and let him figure out what to do with it.
— Ben
What’s the make and model
What’s the make and model of your multi-track recorder?
I can see what’s available on the net…what’s a few $$$ to recover som of those songs?
My $.02 Weed
Multi-track
It’s a Sansui WSX1 6-track multitrack recorder. They don’t make them anymore. In 1989, when it was new and state of the art, it cost $2100.
Thing is, I suspect that whatever is wrong with it is pretty fixable, but I’m no good with that sort of thing. Anybody good with electronics?
— Ben
I’ve told you before 🙂
I’ve told you before that I’m handy with a soldering iron. I bet dollars to donuts that I could get it repaired in just a few hours.
However, the deal is that you send me all the old recordings, too, so I can remaster them 🙂
I’ll PM you my address and phone again.
—
Matthew P. Barnson
Sansui WS-X1
Hi,
I found a WS-X1 today and I have some problems to understand all these switches and buttons. Where to find some doc about this beast ?
I have an old Korg DSS-1 and a Wavestation EX.
Richard
i see your post was awhile
i see your post was awhile ago, but if you’re still out there, i can copy and send you the manual
75 songs in total
Ben, I count that at least one recording was made of 75 distinct, original tunes under the Wayward Sun name during its 8 year existence.
The list:
A Day that Ends in Y Afterlife All Over Again Back to Basics Bad in Practice Better Late than Never Better Mind Big Picture Breathless Chica’s Rag Come and Get It Compulsive Fire Conditional Love Crying in My Dreams Dani’s Song Danielle Debi Destination Nowhere Dirty Shoe Funk Don’t Let the Song Pass You By Famous Band Fearless Animosity Goes Around Comes Around Hamlet in my Mind Here Comes the Rain Hoped to Be House of Dreams I Will Wait For You If Tomorrow Never Comes Into the Night Jane Jennifer Just A Moment Away From You Just as I See You Kathryn Kevin Leave it All Behind Leave the Past Behind Liftoff Love Junkee Lullaby for Kim Mad Mad World Madness Megan My Father’s Tears/When The Sun has Set Nicki Nightmare Not So All Alone On My Way One Man Order of the First Verse Poet’s Hands Pot of Gold Pushing Us Down Rhythm and Rhyme Rise over Run Seasons Change Shadows on the Wall Shared Word Slip Away Slowly but Surely Somewhere Else in the World Song for a Friend Spoken Echoes Starting over Again Sweet Lory The Effect of Time The Final Say The Sky Is Always There Waterfall Wayward Jamboree #1 Wayward Sun Wherefore Worlds Collide Wrong Words
Don’t Forget..
The Floogie..
Visit the Official Justin Timpane Website Music, Acting, and More! http://www.timpane.com
And more!
A Funk Thing Back to Reality Just a Little Bit of Paradise Sad Anger
There’s probably more that we’re forgetting. (And of course, I only contributed songwriting to about half of those.)
I put on some old Wayward Sun in the car this morning and had a daydream about a WS reunion — a full set with Matt and a full set with Ed.
— Ben
More
You’ll See the Sun Rise O.C.D. (Is it stupidity?) You and I (a Matt duet, if I remember correctly)
— Ben
Kudos
Justin, that’s a great job with an important purpose. It’s wonderful to catalog your writings because you are someone who will always write and will thus always benefit from looking back on your prior musings, both literary and musical.
Thanks!
I appreciate the encouragement… Although, I am struck by how many of your earliest songs I really like. Many of my early stuff really is.. REALLY REALLY bad.
Still.. there are lyrics I am still proud of, so that’s cool… and I should tell you that if it weren’t for you and Matt and to a lesser extent Ben and Kevin, listening to my crappy stuff and giving advice.
I still submit that I would invite any collaboration with anyone on this board – Matt, that means I help you finish this darned album. Ben, this is easy, write a song and we’ll sing together.. Sam, its more complicated, but its easy enough.. just let me know before you come into town.. ROWAN – its about time.. thats all..
And it would be so easy to do a Wayward song now.. it could go like this.. Matt writes a chorus, Sam writes the bridge, Ben writes the the verses, Matt arranges it on cakewalk in utah and emails me the arrangement, where I can import it to the laptop and get get Ben and Kevin to sing on it.. then I send a bit to Sam and he sends it back and I send it off to matt, who produces it.
Just a thought.
Visit the Official Justin Timpane Website Music, Acting, and More! http://www.timpane.com
Hrm..
This listed as a new post.. Don’t know why.
But still.. SO SO easy.
Visit the Official Justin Timpane Website Music, Acting, and More! http://www.timpane.com
Random comment…
A John Q. Random offered to send Ben a copy of his manual for the old Sansui 6-track recorder.
—
Matthew P. Barnson