8. Questions (Faces Of Rapa Nui)

5. Lethal Dose

A bit political this one...

ISRC UK57A1500002

2. I Blame You

10. Roaring Whisper

Childhood memories of growing up in the 50s and 60s...

ISRC UK57A1500007

7. Mourning For A Lost Age

11. Journeyman

John Coffey, the fictional character from "The Green Mile"

ISRC UK57A1500003

3. The Ballad of John Coffey (Let Me Be)

Watch a video of kittens playing on YouTube, with the sound turned off and this playing...

ISRC UK57A1500006

6. Kitten Rag

The first section of this piece, "SOS", was written and recorded around six months after the accident which led to me being paralysed for some time, with two years of rehab to follow, including four months in hospital and hours of physiotherapy.

It involves some audio 'imagery', a Morse Code 'S O S' motif.. and tells the feelings I experienced in the immediate aftermath of my fall. 

My playing wasn't so hot at this time, but I have decided to leave the track as recorded - it's an important and very personal 'document' for me.

The second part.. well, it's fairly self explanatory!

ISRC UK57A1500004

4. SOS - Morphine

9. Guilty As Charged

12. Morphine IV

In the early hours of December 27th 2012, Guitar-vocalist Paul Needs was carrying his equipment out from another successful Boxing Day show in Cardiff.

Four steps from the bottom of the staircase at the Cardiff Bus Sports Social Club, he missed a stair & fell headlong to the bottom, tipped over by the gear he was carrying, & severely crushing his spinal cord in the process.

“While it was all incredibly scary, & somewhat undignified in being fed, catheterised & using a bed pan, I was really happy to be there. The staff were all absolutely incredible – in all departments – the nurses were amazing & took fantastic care of me, & physiotherapy got me on my feet & using at least one of my arms again”.

“For a while, I was unable to hold a guitar – or even touch the strings as my fingers are hyper-sensitive – touching anything was pretty painful.

Paul continues to recover, his playing being, “no way up to my pre-accident standard, but improving each time I play”.

Paul is working on a multi-song project he’s calling “Only Music Can Save Us Now”. A fairly loosely blues-rooted collection of songs, it’s pretty much how he sees his life.  “The overwhelming and number one target I had while in hospital was to be able to play again. So in a way, music has been part of what has helped me to recover. I’ll never be as physically able as I used to be - for instance I can’t stand and play guitar - but I can sit to do so.”

Paul Needs

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