I first met Diggy Kat via a social network site about classic rock, which is kinda odd ball thing. He's about twenty years younger than me but he has a love of music and creating it, so I consider him a son I never had. I did mentioned that I was in a band and he wanted to hear how I sound. I gave him a copy of These Things Must Pass. And he's been my biggest supporter ever since.
Even twenty years ago, details are getting hazy, but 1995 was a year in transition for me. I was a year into being with Clarise and things were still going great. We shared some wild and crazy nights at the old place she lived in Wellington Heights, one of the worst places in town. The street was the main place to get drugs and the undesirables hung around the corner and off the complex she lived at. Doors would opening and slamming at ungodly hours of the night and the cockroaches were terrible. She would eventually move to a better place across town. Looking back, I think she was a angel of sorts, she still was a band supporter and left me to my own devices on the making of These Things Must Pass. The term being a comment that it was time to let things go and these things of the past that you remember must pass while looking for the future. It really wasn't taken from the George Harrison All Things Must Pass album.
Brian Mullahan returned back to co produce and the record showed a better production as well. But I noticed that the music was a bit more harder rocking than Modern Problems or Drive In Blues was. Brian was more of a pop oriented producer rather than hard rock and this kinda conflicted in the making of the record. The near Heavy Metal of Best Of Me, the Crazy Horse influence of A Picture Of Someone Not Worth Remembering, or turning the Rolling Stones' Play With Fire into something Metallica would have done, didn't sit very well with him, and half the time we were fighting over direction of what the album was going to be. If anything, These Things Must Pass was even more schizophrenic than Weather On The Nines. Nevermind of the love songs that was I Just Might See Her Tonight was about going to Clarise's place and making whoopie. Or I Am (the reason to be your man). The record also had other observations: In This Town was a statement of purpose, of being a loner in town with something to say. Or the sadness of Fatherless Children, a story about a child being born out of wedlock and his original dad leaving town. It did hit close to home, it was dedicated to Jessie, the third boy born into my girlfriend's family. Jessie is now 21 years old and I haven't seen him since breaking up with Clarise in 1998. Looking back, I think she protected her boys knowing that we may not be together. And I commend her for being a great mom.
For the first time, These Things Must Pass had cover versions and we settled on six of them. You Tell Me Why was a cover of the Beau Brummels single, originally on the cassette but it was edited out on the CD, nobody could hit the high notes on the bridge. Heart Of The City, was a Rockpile number done both by Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds. I love Rockpile and both Dave and Nick brought their own sound to both bands and I wished I could have another person in the band to be that Nick Lowe. Much Too Much is off the first Who album My Generation and we worked our butt off trying to get right. Again it saw life on the cassette version but the CD version I left it off. I Know You, is a B side to either Bits Or Pieces or Glad All Over by The Dave Clark Five. The DC5 made some great songs, however they failed to include this on their CD best of. It's simple and fun to do. And finally The Rolling Stones Play With Fire with an interesting guitar riff by Geoff Redding. Alas, Surfin Bird totally sucks. It sounded like a good idea at that time and also made it to cassette, but Clarise didn't like it much and told me to take it off the CD version.
No Mystery is a hoot. Back in the old days I did the echo phonic recording of one take one song and see where it leads, and No Mystery is drums only. Brian didn't think much of that one either and wanted it off the record but I overruled him. Everything As It Was is 3/4 type of waltz that I never tried before. The herky jerky rhythms is damn impossible to play.
Work on These Things Must Pass started on February 20, 1995 and concluded on March 19th. Basically a revolving door of players came to play. Jack Orbit, did a couple songs, and bass was split up by Ken Miller and Peter Shamrock, a local who played in a country band known as the The Five Of Hearts, not to be confused with the 5 of Hearts band that still plays from time to time. He lived in Fairfax and had a car repair business. We talked about having him as part of the new Townedgers band but he declined citing band conflicts. I think he eventually moved to Minnesota soon afterwards. Geoff Redding and I traded plenty of ideas over this month's worth of recording, and I have to say that this album is one of the more varied of styles. But the overall, when I compare this to the other Mullahan produced efforts, this one is the more looser and radical. I'm sure he wanted to ring my neck on doing Surfin Bird but at least he didn't vetoed doing it. However, I really think that Spirit Of 76 was yet another song about going back to a time that doesn't exist anymore and thinking of some girl who didn't care anymore I was repeating myself and not in a good way. Or Do Your Drugs, which was basically an ode to Kurt Cobain and to what he left behind and could have been. But I think looking back, fame may have trapped him and he couldn't escape anywhere but out of this world with a shotgun. Last Dance with Mick Ray Page playing drums on this number, is the same throwaway as Spirit Of 76, instead I was writing and singing about going to a high school dance alone and wishing to dance with somebody and going home alone. I think the record does fall apart towards the end, concluding with an instrumental Take Me Home Again. But I thought enough of the record to give to Diggy Kat and thus beginning our friendship into music and record collecting. Diggy remains a big supporter of the music of the Townedgers I only wish there were a few more like him around to keep the love going.
That said, These Things Must Pass, is an interesting but uneven effort that showcases we can do anything within reason and vocal range, but it does pale in comparison to Modern Problems or Diamonds In The Skies. The next album would focus more on our strengths while going through a few bumps on my road of life and a couple of them big potholes damn near finished me in this life. More about that later.
Technical Notes:
11 sessions were done in the making of the album. Richard Dennanbaugh back behind the sound board to record it. Dates of songs are noted in the recording book.
Picture Of Someone Not Worth Remembering (Session 1-Feb 20, 1995)
I Am, In This Town (Session 2-Feb 23)
Spirit Of 76 (Session 3-Feb. 25)
Everything As It Ever Was/Heart Of The City/I Know You (Session 4, Feb 28)
This Is This/Living A Lie (Session 5, March 5)
Home By The Interstate (Session 6, March 6)
Fatherless Children/Play With Fire (Session 7, March 7)
Do Your Drugs (Session 8, March 8)
Last Dance/Best Of Me (Session 9, March 18)
I May Just See Her Tonight (Session 9, March 18)
No Mystery (Session 9, March 18)
Take Me Home Again (Session 10, March 19)
Drum tracking (Session 11 March 20)
Best Of Me was originally called Wacky Wafer Woman.
The Album and Song Listings:
This Is This (R.Smith) 3:40
Best Of Me (R.Smith) 3:13
Spirit Of 76 (R.Smith) 2:40
In This Town (R.Smith) 2:15
House By The Interstate (Smith/Orbit) 4:04
I Am (R.Smith) 4:14
Fatherless Children (R.Smith) 4:35
Play With Fire (Nanker Pledge) 3:27
Living A Lie (R.Smith) 2:30
A Picture Of Someone Not Worth Remembering (R.Smith) 2:23
No Mystery (R.Smith) 2:40
I Just Might See Her Tonight (Smith/Orbit) 3:23
Everlasting Thoughts Of Everything As It Ever Was (Smith/Redding) 5:14
Heart Of The City (Nick Lowe) 2:45
I Know You (Dave Clark/Mike Smith) 2:40
Do Your Drugs (Smith/Redding) 3:35
Last Dance (Smith/Orbit) 4:10
Take Me Home Again (R.Smith) 3:45
Produced By Rodney Smith And Brian Mullahan
Recorded By Richard Dennanbaugh
This Is This and Living A Lie-Recorded By Hugh McConnell
Recorded at Broadcast Manor, Cedar Rapids IA Feb-March 1995
Participants: Rodney Smith, Geoff Redding, Jack Orbit, Peter Shamrock, Ken Miller, Mick Page
Special Thanks: The Smith Clan (Ma, Pa, Bro, Pepper, Red), Bruce, Erin and Jerry at Relics Records, Merrill and Shawn at West Music (Coralville), and to Jack, Geoff, Ken, Peter, Ken, Mick and Brian for your help. And of course to Clarise Musel for being the inspiration of some of the music at hand. Keep an eye out on the new Maierburg Rocker in Jessie who at 9 months is already banging on pots and pans. Look out world!
This album wouldn't be possible without the help of God. Thank you for being a loving and caring God and forgiving my shortcomings and endless cussing.
Song lyrics by Rodney Smith, Music by The Townedgers (C) 1995 Townedger Music Emporium with the exception of Play With Fire, Heart Of The City and I Know You, which was written by The Rolling Stones, Dave Clark Five and Nick Lowe himself.
Album released as Radio Maierburg/Maier Records RMR-24955 These Things Must Pass
Released April 1995
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