Guitars: Darlene Jones
Keyboards & Samples:  Vivien Tattersal
Percussion: Strawberry Jefferson
Bass: Monkey-Joe Richards
BVs: Cindy Bishop / Darlene Jones
Vocals: Colin Hilton
Recorded at Poplar Studios Richmond 16/10/2013
Written by David Bowie 1974

Diamond Dogs

Written, performed and produced by Colin Hilton 
Copyright Colin Hilton  © 2020


Vocals          Colin Hilton
Bass              Keith Horne
Drums           Ricky Lawson
Keys              Jeff Young
Piano             Jeff Lorber
Guitars          Michael Thompson
Guitars          Greg Moore
Guitars          Jack Pearson
Guitars           Colin Hilton
Saxophones  Eric Marienthal


The song “Now Voyager” delves into themes of personal transformation and liberation from societal norms. It portrays Charlotte Vale, initially confined by rigid societal and familial expectations, as depicted through her conservative upbringing and attire. The lyrics suggest her journey towards self-discovery, symbolized by questions like “are you lost at sea?” Transitioning through phases of psychiatric counseling and embracing fashionable lifestyles indicates her break from tradition. Ultimately, the song celebrates her newfound independence and defiance against social conformities, encapsulating her transformation into a free, autonomous individual, metaphorically represented by an ocean that is now free.



NOW VOYAGER
Combed with starches and dressed for marches 
the closet life of Charlotte Vale

Single minded and laymen hearted lips that never tell a tale

Oxford blouses and horn rim glasses cardigans of pale Fair Isle

A stolen chance from cold stern glance a matriarch of cruel denial 

With boarding schools and convents glazed
Like stately homes of made up yesterdays now voyager are you lost at sea?

From psychiatric counselling to wide brim Derbys glitz and fashionable sins now voyager this ocean is free
This ocean is free

Health magicians make fake decisions tear upon your every word

A slight of hand and a shift of sand and reasoning that's quite absurd 

Weekend Dolls have protocols that swimsuit's knitted not for salt
Valparaiso sun then lidos innocence becomes a cult

With boarding schools and convents glazed like stately homes of made up yesterdays now voyager are you lost at sea?

From psychiatric counselling to wide brim Derbys glitz and fashionable sins now voyager this ocean is free
This ocean is free

Transformed resplendent independent with A-Line hitched and silks on thigh

Beauty's whit is counterfeit a currency for stings and bribes

Defiance found her brief encounter more or less what Boon would write 

Candled evenings a captain's seating a turn around the deck tonight?

With boarding schools and convents glazed like stately homes of made up yesterdays now voyager are you lost at sea?

From psychiatric counselling to wide brim Derbys glitz and fashionable sins now voyager the ocean is free
This ocean is free

Colin Hilton 
© August 2020

Now Voyager

The song is a critique of contemporary societal and political issues, touching on themes of racism, the erosion of truth and decency, the influence of money in politics, and the dangers of extremism. It uses vivid imagery and allusions to critique leaders who manipulate and divide, the spread of misinformation, and the societal divisions based on race, religion, and ideology. The repeated references to "gaslighting," "the Klan," and "Wicker Man" suggest a condemnation of creating fear and division for power. It also highlights the impact of these issues on real lives, mentioning gun violence, the media's struggles with truth, and the manipulation of patriotic symbols for nefarious ends.

Live Masters

Mr Strong (Live September 2024)

Standstill Satellite

The song is about personal transformation and challenging societal norms, using the character of Mary Magdalene as a metaphor for breaking away from traditional gender roles and expectations. It celebrates the strength found in vulnerability and the profound connections that can happen even in moments of despair, such as a 4am call to a trusted friend. The lyrics intertwine themes of resilience ("Pride absorbs the pain") and self-realization ("Tungsten blasts of yellow cast the woman within"). The repeated references to vaudeville and theatrical imagery ("Tap your stick hand on the till, You reinvented vaudeville") suggest a reinvention not just of self, but of performance art, highlighting how the persona onstage can reflect deeper personal truths and transformations. The song is both a tribute to enduring friendship and a provocative challenge to rethink identity and performance in life's grand stage.

The Rules In Your Brain (Live October 2024)

I was sitting on the breaker wall listening to tunes in a modern way
With my shoulders back i closed my eyes i smelt the salt and let my body feel the oceans spray
The distant screams of children's laughter melted into gulls that swooped and dived on junk food prey
But every time i thought I'd caught your smile a wave would flip your hip and our footprints would catch the wash and fade away 

And when you're at sea what do you dream about?
When your hair caught the breeze and i saw you laugh out loud 
I wouldn't believe there's a song about it 
would not bring a new dance to town 
cause you rock in Pebble Bay 
when the moon is up and the surf don't bring you down

The waves began to fall in time with every breath and sigh I couldn't hold
Maracas stones and shaker sands
Waded up to my waist my heart began to sink so in I rolled 
Beneath the waves there's clarity 
Where women are half women and the other half have tails 
The sirens scream emotional wrecks
While the mermaids just sit and paint their nails bright red

And when you're at sea what do you dream about?
When your hair caught the breeze and i saw you laugh it out loud 
I wouldn't believe there's a song about it 
Would not bring a new dance to town 
cause you rock in Pebble Bay 
when the moon is up and the surf don't bring you down

And your phosphorescent glow
Would un-cripple Freda Karlo
So paint your pallet blue
Paint your pallet blue

Copyright Colin Hilton 2020

Pebble Bay (Live October 2024)

Colin Hilton's Ophelia is a dark reflection on fame, beauty, and the illusions that captivate us. Drawing on Shakespeare’s tragic muse, the song reimagines her as a modern idol — adored, exploited, and ultimately lost beneath the weight of her own image. It’s a meditation on how desire and innocence collide in a world that mistakes performance for truth.



OPHELIA
You stand like shadows on a bleached black chequered stage
Dance unspoken lines of love
Your voice like a lantern shines darkly through a cage
Conjuring words from a paperless age

Ophelia, ten thousand screaming girls will hide
Ophelia beneath this moral suicide
I've nothing to say to you you've caught their minds with beauty that's untrue 
Ophelia are you gonna break their hearts
And all that is left's a childhood memory

Each lyric burns a secret fire for a secret lust
Each twisted gown dressed to undress 
The world now scorns our fierce desire and turns to a cow girls past
Milking the moment to the last

Ophelia, ten thousand screaming girls will hide
Ophelia beneath this moral suicide
I've nothing to say to you you've caught their minds with beauty that's untrue 
Ophelia are you gonna break their hearts
You're gonna suppress their childhood memories

Ophelia, ten thousand screaming girls will hide
Ophelia beneath this moral suicide
I've nothing to say to you you've caught their minds with beauty that's untrue 
Ophelia are you gonna break their hearts
You're gonna suppress their childhood memories

Ophelia

“Without Me” is about coming to terms with the end of a relationship — but in a deeper, more existential way. It’s not just about missing someone; it’s about questioning the meaning of words, art, and even the self after love has gone.
It captures the sense of someone trying to reconstruct themselves in the absence of a partner who once gave their life coherence and inspiration.


WITHOUT ME  

I've written and recorded a song based on moments that took me far too long
To mean anything to you
Now you're without me

Collected some words from the street then
Furnished my shoes with crocodile feet 
That walked a thousand miles across Basque mountains 
And all to be without you

I've frowned at all the hairbands and frocks
Ran Olympian speed from olive oil soaked blocks
To turn and stare at pistol smoke
Through a barrel aimed at me

But my love for you is deeper than these words 
deeper than the meaning of this verse 
Deeper than the signified
Beneath the essence of the sign

I've wrestled all my friends to be proud 
Was always up when they were really quite down
They looked on me for inspiration
Which i always had when you were with me

So I tore up these words like a book
Of meanings misquoted & so misunderstood
I cut them and read them backwards to see 
What it might feel like to be without me

I listened to the whispering leaves
Fallen from rows of towering telegraph trees
The words didn't hide me or bruise me or cheat my honesty
Sweet tastes like poison when you rang to raise a glass to memories

My love for you is deeper than these words 
deeper than the meaning of this verse 
Deeper than the signified
Beneath the essence of the sign

Tomorrow brings another backward thought of Memories that are borrowed from what's slackened then pulled taught 
Of memories distorted by a time 
When all was not consuming like this poetry that's fighting for a rhyme 
 
We built this house with only our hands 
Suffering the time hungry gravity of sand 
Now the winds of complacency spin the weather vane
As you try to live without me

Loving you's like swaying through a train with lost stability
Connecting doors below the metal clashes with insanity 
Sunlight flashing on two steel veins 
though a tunnel brings on a yellow flame 
Like the gentle warning whistle of your name 

My love for you is deeper than these words 
deeper than the meaning of this verse 
Deeper than the signified
Beneath the essence of the sign 


ENDS

Without Me

Written, performed and produced by Colin Hilton
© Copyright February 2019


Vocals         Colin Hilton
Drums          Ricky Lawson
Bass             Freddie Washigton
Guitars         Greg Moore
Guitars         Colin Hilton
Guitars        Brent Mason
Keys            Jeff Young


The song explores themes of artistic struggle, identity, and emotional turmoil through vivid imagery and cultural references. It portrays an artist grappling with modern fame and traditional craft, set against a backdrop of solitude symbolized by minimalist settings like backstage with a cigarette. The song incorporates nods to Alphaville and Donny Hathaway, highlighting timeless musical expression and personal challenges. Through metaphors like “flex like a Moscow mule” and “sorrow’s an unhinged Salome,” it conveys feelings of rigidity, intoxication, and chaotic sorrow. It delves into personal relationships, incompleteness, and intimate yet troubled interactions, culminating in an introspective chorus that reflects on lost identity and fate.



DEALING THE CROUPIER 

I'm waiting in the wings of a viral click
Where my only prop is a cigarette
And the words in my mind
I'm growling out the lines like Alphaville
And wondering if poets still take pills to
Make their words rhyme 
Lets call it a payment in kind
While I work on your mind . . .

I'm not Donny Hathaway 
I've lost my soul to luck
Its not just your face that says you can't dance
You flex like a Moscow mule
Your sorrow's an unhinged Salome
I'm dealing the croupier and boxing the cards

She can smile with Mona Lisa's charms
A lost embrace in Milo's arms
A suffering muse
She's the final call in a glass of gin
A guilty glance and a naughty grin
Smoking for two
As she tries on her mistress' shoes 
I can't have love in your mind . . .

I'm not Donny Hathaway 
I've lost my soul to luck 
Its not just your face that says you can't dance
You flex like a Moscow mule
Your sorrow's an unhinged Salome 
I'm dealing the croupier and boxing the cards

© Copyright Colin Hilton 
February 2019

Dealing The Croupier

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