This song was written in 2019 after seeing a post by an American trucker I know on Facebook. The post was a highway shot with the caption "Thank goodness I'm out of Texas" with no further explanation. It sounded like the title of a song, so I set about writing it. This was recorded by Henry Sparks in his kitchen studio in November 2019. Alan Prosser is playing guitar, Bing Lyle is playing bass guitar and accordion, and I am singing and playing the violin part.

Thank Goodness I'm Out Of Texas

Hocu Boys is a song written and recorded on a home 4-track cassette recorder in February 1991, and relates to my colleagues working at Hocu in Utrecht. The singing and all instruments are performed by myself.

Original Recordings

HOCU Boys, 1991

East Europe '89 was written during the dramatic autumn of 1989 as communist regimes in Eastern Europe fell one by one, climaxing on Christmas Day with the overthrow and death of the dictator Ceaucescu in Romania. Recorded on a cassette 4-track in 1990, all parts are played by myself.

East Europe '89

The Cripple was written in 1989, and recorded in the same year on a cassette 4-track recorder. Erwin Blom takes on the lead singing. All other parts are played by myself.

The Cripple

This is a collaboration with Erwin Blom of Eton Crop. In Amsterdam in the early '90s he was experimenting with the new House music. Recorded in 1991, this piece is an attempt to combine a traditional Irish sounding tune with contemporary House music. I composed the tune and play violin, bass and electric guitar. Erwin composed the rhythm track.

The Irish House

This song was written and recorded during my time with the Amsterdam post-punk new wave band Eton Crop in 1989/1990. 

Fiddler In A Punk Band

As the name suggests, this song tells the story of my farewell to truck-driving in 1991 with the final trips from Holland to Sweden. Recorded in the same year on a cassette 4-track recorder, all instruments are played by myself.

Farewell to the Road, 1991

Two original hornpipes recorded at home on violin and piano accordion in 2014.

The Iron Goddess Of Mercy & Out On The Bosphorus

This song was written in February 2013 following the death of my father, and recorded a month later. Violin, guitar and singing played by myself. Kindly recorded by Henry Sparks in his kitchen studio.

Don't Read, Just Burn

This is a song written back in the early '80s. This version was recorded in 2013 with Henry Sparks on guitar and harmony singing, and myself singing and playing violin. It was recorded in Henry's kitchen.

38 Tons (2013)

This is a collection of some of the songs and tunes that I have written over the years, and deposited here for posterity. It isn't about the the quality of the singing, playing or recording ; all these items are home recordings, many of the earlier ones recorded on a Tascam Porta One cassette four-track. It is about the songs and tunes themselves. They span the period from 1982 to the present day, with the most recent tracks at the top.

Adrian Hackford

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