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Dec 19 2020

TO WHERE I AM NOW

So after yesterday, I slept for 13 hours and then spent the rest of today getting over the long sleep. It’s incredible how tired sleeping makes you. My head was hazy, headache from sleeping, dry throat, so thirsty and when I did finally get up it was 4 PM. I missed the Liverpool game that they won 7-0 against Crystal Palace away, what an unfortunate game to miss. I suppose that’s why once you’ve got your lottery numbers, you have to do it every week, just in case those numbers come up, you have to go with the disappointments or the misses and patiently wait for the success or the jackpot. You have to remember that nothing is impossible even if it’s unlikely such as Liverpool being 3-0 down to Barcelona and winning 4-3 in the next match. Or losing 3-0 in the first half to AC Milan in the Champions League final and scoring 3 goals in 10 minutes in the second half and going on to win on penalties. Or playing the guitar like millions of others do but somehow being one of the lucky ones who got to make records.

I almost thought that it was enough when I made my first demo in a proper studio in London in the late seventies. It was the True 100’s, named after a cigarette in an American magazine. Our mate Biggles who we knew from Ealing where he hung out had us go into the studio in Elephant And Castle where we recorded I’m Not Your Doctor, Judy Ludo, and Cliches. Dare and I wrote the first track, me the second and Dare the third. It was just a demo but it was a first step to greater things. I think we had Justin Webster on drums and was it, Del, on bass, hm, hazy after all these years. Anyway, nothing happened and then the opportunity came up to go to Sydney with my girlfriend at the time, Lucy.

In Sydney, I joined the ex-band soon after arriving there, did home-recorded demos, and got signed (this is the very short version of course). I remember the day I got that first 7-inch single on Parlophone. She Never Said and In A Heartbeat, that was it for me, all ambitions were satisfied, I’d made a record, I had no idea that this was the beginning of making records forever. I’d come from Liverpool and had a single out in Australia on Parlophone, The Beatles’ label. Although I do remember there being some disappointment because it was the orange label and not the black label, they finally agreed to let us use the black label although I think the first pressings of the second single The Unguarded Moment were still on orange.

Then it was albums. But if you want to read about my experiences of recording those albums up to Priest=Aura then go to my website and click on the sleeve notes page and you’ll find about 40,000 words that I wrote for CD reissues. I don’t have much more to say about all this here, right now, this is just me writing things that have come into my head on a day where I didn’t do much between the snooker, Everton vs Arsenal (Everton won and are now second) and contemplating this, the last day and night in the apartment in Ribeira by the River Douro before we move into the flat in the centre of town at 3.30 PM tomorrow.

It’s going to be a busy day as I have a sesh with Arctic Lake’s Tony at 11 AM. He is up in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney where they have just had a big Covid outbreak and they are returning to a lockdown after reporting no cases for weeks. Then it’s moving, then it’s Space Summit Jed in Minneapolis at 5 or 6 PM and then Doug in Wappingers Falls at 9.30 PM. Somewhere in there, I have to make sure I don’t lose my spot in the French Duolingo Diamond League as I approach 200 straight days of learning. Then it’s Christmas week with six sessions in the first two days and then the wedding anniversary. I should be happy to be kept busy, happy to have never been bored in my life, and might have been resistant to Punk Rock, not for the energy, the simplicity, the fashion, the great songs but for the message of boredom. How if you live on Planet Earth could you be bored?

Music today comes from David Crosby and his classic album If I Could Only Remember My Name released in 1971. It’s come up twice, once with MRB in the northeast of the USA and once by CM in the southeast of the USA and I felt the urge to listen to it all the way through as should you, another essential classic.

Music Of The Daze

Written by Marty Willson-Piper · Categorized: Blog

Missing

This is my stolen 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string, serial number EB157. If there's any chance of this guitar coming back to me before I go to meet my maker, then that would be wonderful. Please contact me if you have any information.

11209512_1669022976719710_7288437867089763325_n

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Thanks to The Wernickis for a little glimpse into Thanks to The Wernickis for a little glimpse into their new New Mexico listening space 🌵 #nightjar #schoolkidsrecords
Redeyed lad of the lowlands 🎵 📷 @oliviaelek Redeyed lad of the lowlands 🎵

📷 @oliviaelektra 

#danelectro #danelectrobass #redeyerecords #pleasantrylane #pleasantrylanestudio
You usually don’t spend the day in the studio an You usually don’t spend the day in the studio and the night at a gig but if you put the studio next to the gig then there’s a greater chance. So @salimnourallah did just that, he put the gig and the studio next to each other and made it possible for me to spend the day recording and the evening playing live 🎵

📷 @drewliophoto 

#galacticheadquarters #happinessarecordlabel #pleasantrylanestudio #salimnourallah #oliviawillsonpiper
TO WHERE I AM NOW A visit in the studio today fro TO WHERE I AM NOW

A visit in the studio today from old mate Mark Burgess from The Chameleons who has been hanging in Texas recently. I was thinking about the two of us growing up in the northwest of England and all these years later finding ourselves in such an unlikely spot together. We fixed a few issues in the universe and I carried on recording some guitars until Mark had to leave. Mark had played at the Galactic Headquarters next to the studio this year as Olivia and I had four years ago and this reminded me to remind myself to remind everyone to remind their friends that we will be playing there with Salim on Saturday, New Year’s Eve, for the ultimate in intimate performance. You can get tickets here (follow link below).

CONTINUE READING: https://martywillson-piper.com/2022/12/to-where-i-am-now-1045

KEEP IN TOUCH: https://linktr.ee/mwillsonpiper

📷 @salimnourallah 

#markburgess #thechameleons #chameleonsvox #pleasantrylanestudio #happinessarecordlabel #martywillsonpiper #oliviawillsonpiper #moatband
📷 @argirgirl 📷 @argirgirl
TO WHERE I AM NOW Sadness manifested in a buildin TO WHERE I AM NOW

Sadness manifested in a building, today we went to visit Paisley Park. Prince built Paisley Park in Chanhassen, about twenty minutes southwest of Minneapolis. It opened in 1987 and he recorded his later albums there. Apart from Prince, REM also recorded and mixed Out Of Time there, recording Kate Pearson’s vocal on Shiny Happy People vocal. Madonna had Prince play guitar on three songs from Like A Prayer and the two co-wrote Love Song, finishing it remotely due to Madonna not being able to stand the cold weather and the rather desolate location of the studio. Of course, there are things around but it’s not in the city and it’s not in the countryside, it’s in a suburb, no distractions, just what Prince wanted.

CONTINUE READING: https://martywillson-piper.com/2022/12/to-where-i-am-now-1032

KEEP IN TOUCH: https://linktr.ee/mwillsonpiper

📷 @argirgirl 

#paisleypark #prince
Marty & Pablo! 📷 Rod MacQuarrie Marty & Pablo!

📷 Rod MacQuarrie
At last, a proper door stop. 📷 @judgeschamber At last, a proper door stop.

📷 @judgeschamber 

#grammysitting 👵
🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵 31 December - DALL 🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵

31 December - DALLAS
7 January - CELINA
12 January - HOUSTON
14 January - AUSTIN
15 January - SAN ANTONIO

With @salimnourallah and @joereyesmusic

More info here: https://mailchi.mp/e47ede06acd6/texas-acoustic-dates
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"These are awesome sessions that I highly recommend for guitar players of all levels. Very informative, frank discussions on everything related to guitar and music in general. Definitely a must for anyone pursuing songwriting."
(Stephen G., VA, USA)

"Marty knows how to bypass scales and get to the heart of feel and timing. His musical knowledge spans multiple cultures and genres. Perhaps most importantly, Marty is a cool dude. I highly recommend his guitar guidance." (Jed B., MN, USA)

"Ok, so you’re sitting in your home and Marty is across the world but is actually right here teaching you how to play guitar and write songs. He is a delight to talk to and he is your teacher, meaning he wants to see you get something out of his lessons. You know he’s paying attention and wants to steer you in the right direction. I am so grateful and humbled that he offers his time in this manner. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who admires anything from his enormous body of work. How often do you get to learn from somebody that inspired you in the first place? Amazing." (Ann S., CA, USA)

Missing

This is my stolen 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string, serial number EB157. If there’s any chance of this guitar coming back to me before I go to meet my maker, then that would be wonderful. Please contact me if you have any information.

11209512_1669022976719710_7288437867089763325_n

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