You know Mr Digwell, That ain't Bad.......

An old song by Bart Izoard on vocals recorded thru Martin Hannett's old AKG D25 onto a Studer A-807, loaded with a new roll of SM911 1/4" tape for the occasion, then reworked on Logic Pro on Mac for a quick digital mastering.

TIME TO JIVE - NO MORE RAT RACE BARTY

9. Love Song To A Bicycle

[based on Flann O’Brien: The Third Policeman (1967). Originally commissioned by Orlagh Kelly, The Reading Room Bookshop, Carrick on Shannon]

It was late one early afternoon, still bright, if a little dark, still night, if a little day, it was dawn, it was dusk, I was dead, that’s all I knew for sure. I wandered aimlessly along an old country road, aimlessly I wandered, aiming my aim at nothing, and I continued in this fashion until I was fashionably late in the early afternoon at dawn, at dusk, for nothing.

I was confused. How could anyone not be? It was a confusing situation. But then, suddenly, in the corner of my eye, something caught my attention which didn’t entirely displease me. It was a lady. No. It was a bicycle. 

I moved in for a closer look, and was immediately struck by the singular beauty of her silhouette as she leant awkwardly, lonelily, I thought, against the rusted iron gate. Oh I loved her then, I love her still, I will love her yesterday as I did tomorrow and the day after the week before: “I love you” I shouted to her, from the internal rooftops of my mind, for I had not yet found the courage to speak those sacred words aloud. And so internally I continued, and I continued as follows:

What do you say, babe? You and me, me and you, you and me, me and you? 
What do you say, babe? Would you be my love?

At this stage in the race, an element of doubt began to creep into my weary, weary bones. I was dead after all, she was a bicycle after all, it was unlikely, after all, that this.. was going to.. work. But who knows? Like Montague and Capulet, animate and inanimate, who knows? And why not? In any case, being dead, I wasn’t entirely animate anyway - inadequately animate at best. And though it’s true she was entirely adequately inanimate, an object, she was hardly. “I would never objectify you, our love is pure, our love is true”, I shouted to her from the internal rooftops of my mind, and I continued as follows:

What do you say, babe? You and me, me and you, you and me, me and you? 
What do you say, babe? Would you be my love?

At this point in the proceedings, it came to my attention that while my internal monologue passionately raged, for all my love knew, for all my new love knew, I had some sort of medical staring issues. I panicked: “Oh Christ, how long had I been there? Oh Christ, what was I at? Oh Christ, what if she thinks I’m a weirdo?”. But no, my love she looked at me, my love she looked at me, she looked, her eyes, absent, from not having any, but still she looked at me, she looked at me and said: “Come, come, come, come”. So I moved a little closer and this is what she said: I think this is what she said:

What do you say, babe? You and me, me and you, you and me, me and you? 
What do you say, babe? Would you be my love?

And I said: “consider it done”.
__________________________________________
Ailie Blunnie: Piano, Vocal, Electric Guitar
Daragh Dukes: Percussion
Aideen Rickard: Backing Vocals, Trombone
Vyvienne Long: Cello
Neville Lloyd: Double Bass

Music & Lyrics by Ailie Blunnie
Produced by Daragh Dukes, Limerick
Mastered by Richard Dowling at Wav Mastering, Limerick

Love Song To A Bicycle

8. West To The Evening Sun

So long, old comrades, I’ll be on my way,
There’s a restless wind blowing, it’s calling my name,
No talk of tomorrow, ‘cause time it is come,
I’m going west to the evening sun.

It’s summer in Sydney and winter in Spain,
But back here in Dublin, it’s nothing but rain,
And I’m soaked to the bone and I’m tattered and torn,
I’m going west to the evening sun.

When first that I kissed him, I thought it were true,
It was soft, it was kind, it was careful and new,
Now it’s lonelier with him than being without,
So I’ve packed up my things and I’ll figure it out, 
I’m going west to my freedom and west to the evening sun.

Nobody there gives a damn what I do, 
So I’ll build a big, big fire, and I’ll dance, and I’ll dance,
And I’ll let it burn, let it burn, let it burn until dawn
I’m going west to the evening sun.

Sooner or later you’ll find your way home,
And who knows, maybe then, we could dance a while more,
But at least for the moment, our day it is done,
I’m going west to the evening sun.
I’m going west to my freedom and west to the evening sun.
___________________________________________
Ailie Blunnie: Vocals, Piano, Body Percussion
Eoin Coughlan: Guitar, Bodhrán, Body Percussion, Backing Vocals 
Aideen Rickard: Backing Vocals
Daragh Dukes: Wind Chimes

Music & lyrics by Ailie Blunnie
Produced by Daragh Dukes, Dukes Productions, Limerick
Mastered by Richard Dowling, Wav Mastering, Limerick

West To The Evening Sun

7. And So To Sleep

Sleep..

He looked at me, 'am I going down?'
He said to me, 'am I going down?'
He clung to me, 'am I going down?'

Can I go where you are, where are you?

Sleep..

He looked at me, 'am I going down?'
He said to me, 'am I going down?'
He clung to me, 'am I going down?'

You don't know me at all, you don't..

The pull of your empty sorrow, it was vacuous, it was gravity to me,
The chasm between our bodies, it was ravenous, it was majesty,
The pull of your empty sorrow, it was black, it was vast, it was black,
It was a black chasm between our bodies, it was cavernous, majesty,
The pull of your empty sorrow, vacuous.
_______________________________
Ailie Blunnie: Vocals, Piano
Aideen Rickard: Trombone 
Vyvienne Long: Cello
Neville Lloyd: Double Bass

Music and lyrics by Ailie Blunnie
Produced by Daragh Dukes, Dukes Productions
Mastered by Richard Dowling at Wav Mastering, Limerick

And So To Sleep

3. Row Out To Sea

A couple of drinks at the end of the day,
It’s funny how quickly life gets in the way.
But I’m hardly the first one to think that the world,
Would open its arms to me, fend for me, sing me to sleep.
I’m going to do it, I’m going to get out of this town,
I’m going to do it..

I’ll buy me a boat and I’ll paint it up nice,
Start at the river, maybe yellow and white,
I’ll fend for myself and I’ll sing to the wind,

And I’ll row and I’ll row and I’ll row and I’ll row out to sea,
I’ll row out to sea.

And you won’t see me,
It’s getting late, but it’s never too late.
I’m hardly the first one to think that the world,
Would open its arms to me and sing me to sleep..

I’ll buy me a boat and I’ll paint it up nice,
Start at the river, and into the night,
I’ll fend for myself and I’ll sing to the wind,

And I’ll row..
__________________________________
Ailie Blunnie: Piano, Vocals
Daragh Dukes: Percussion
Vyvienne Long: Cello

Music & Lyrics by Ailie Blunnie
Produced by Daragh Dukes, Limerick
Mastered by Richard Dowling at Wav Mastering, Limerick

Row Out To Sea

1. Beat Of Your Heart

There was a silence on the stillness of the sea beneath a sad lament..
There was a girl, she wore a yellow sunhat,
And she swore to God,

It was solitary starlight right at the beat of your heart..
It was the loneliest starlight right at the beat of your heart.

There was a silence on the stillness of the sea beneath a sad lament..

It was solitary starlight right at the beat of your heart..
It was the loneliest starlight right at the beat of your heart.

We walked out along the harbour at Howth, 
There was a sea mist that day, it was grey,
Then I took your hand and we rode our winged horse,
From the eastern to the western seaboard, 
And there I dropped you cold,

In the waters of the Yeatsian sea..

There was a silence on the stillness of the sea beneath a sad lament..
It was solitary starlight right at the beat of your heart..
It was the loneliest starlight
_________________________________
Ailie Blunnie: Vocals, Piano, Electric Guitar, Body Percussion: 
Aideen Rickard: Backing vocals, Trombone
Daragh Dukes: Electronics
Eoin Coughlan: Electric Guitar, Body Percussion
Vyvienne Long: Cello
Neville Lloyd: Double Bass

Music & Lyrics by Ailie Blunnie
Produced by Daragh Dukes, Limerick
Mastered by Richard Dowling at Wav Mastering, Limerick

That Ain't Bad

Bradley Digwell

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