Back to the River - Draft 5 - No Vocals

The solemn tale of an outsider. Dave Hill recorded this in his basement and played bass.

Ted McDoon

Nelson Starr plays guitar and sing his original tune, I Need You. Doug Cooke, guitar, Dave Hill bass, Eric Starr, drums, Ron Eggleton, casio keyboard (and engineer- recorded in my bedroom in Kenmore, NY).

The Face I NEED YOU 1985

Ed Burns sings his original tune- "All of the Time." The vocals in this recording were overdubbed, so Ed was cracking up when he went to the chorus too early, and he never really recovered. Nelson is singing harmony and was not able to hold it together either. Somehow, something came up and we were never able to get another take, so this is what we have. Ed Burns, Fender Rhodes and lead vocal, Nelson Starr guitar and backing vocal, Doug Cooke, guitar, Dave Hill bass, Eric Starr, drums, Ron Eggleton, casio keyboard (and engineer- recorded in my bedroom in Kenmore, NY). I'm so glad we have this recording as it makes me laugh out loud every time I listen. Also, it brings a happy tear as I remember the fun times we had playing music in high school.

THE FACE All Of The Time 1985

THE FACE Driven To Tears 1985

Ed Burns wrote this song in 1983 or 1984 and proposed changing the name of the band from Spectrum (admittedly  lame) to Faces. Of course, that name was already taken by Rod Stewart’s band, so he changed it to The Face and we basically decided to not argue about it.

THE FACE Faces 1985

THE FACE Cant Explain 1985

Original solo tune written in 1984 and recorded in 1985. I play Casio 202 and sing, Eric Starr drums. This was a test recording- the basic track of drum and piano type keyboard recorded in my bedroom on mono Wollensak reel to reel, then bounced a few times back and forth to cassette adding second kb and two vocal tracks. I couldn't ever afford to do my own home true multitrack recording until I got my G4 mac in 2001. There is another version somewhere with bass and guitar, but I was always partial to this one. I recorded the vocals late at night and didn't want to wake the neighbors.

Chill Factor 1985

The Tails had been a band barely a year when they assembled this mix of cuts to distribute to clubs. College friend Dave Friddman was working at Select Sound Studios in Kenmore (a few doors down from Kevin's house). Recording "In My Hands" on the 16 track recorder with Dave made it cheaper. Earlier that year, Dave had recorded "Know Me" at SUNY Fredonia as a class project. "Still Loving You" and "You Don't Bother Me" were recorded the year before with Glenn Bernardis in his basement studio. All words and music written by Nelson Starr.
Nelson Starr: Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Kevin Boyle: Lead Guitar
Dave Hill: Bass
Eric Starr: Drums

The Tails 1988 Demo

SPECTRUM used this demo in 1984 to shop for gigs.
Recorded in Dave Hill's parents' basement with a pair of SONY mics plugged into a tape deck.
Ed Burns - vocals / keyboards
Nelson Starr - guitar / vocals
Doug Cooke - guitar
Dave Hill - bass
Eric Starr - drums
Ron Eggleton - keyboards / vocals

Spectrum DH Demo 1984

I've been making computer music since 1983 and video professionally since 1987. My home studio in hs consisted of a VIC-20 computer on which I wrote some BASIC sound generators, Casiotone 202, and an old Wollensak 1/4" reel to reel I would bounce to my cassette deck to "multi-track." Now I use Logic Pro, a Korg SV-1, and a variety of old beat up guitars. My first band was (is) Bloody Donuts with my buddy Grant on guitar. I've also recorded as Stinky Uncle Bungo and Uncle Bungo. (Bungo is an old nickname- some of my friends' kids call me Uncle Bungo). In high school, I played in a band called The Face, and later on some of those guys were in a band I managed called "the tails." Those guys are super talented, and I've tried to spend what energy I can promoting their projects.