The YouTube channel of EclecticWarrior is always worth a look – David Milner did the videos for the Squeeze Spot the Difference Tour – and very good they were too! He’s now done a collaboration with Squeeze bassist John Bentley
A collaboration with Mr John Bentley is always a thing of joy….and here we both cross that wide Atlantic and tackle the almost genocide of a race of proud people.
Here’s what John has to say about the track:
The track has a long long history.
At the time of its creation – I’m guessing about 17 years ago! – I wrote a whole bunch of tunes based on overdubbing samples, and Civilisation Ho! was one of them.
It was originally recorded on a Tascam Portastudio. That is an analogue 4 track Cassette Recorder. George Harrison used the Porto studio for his demos – and I think Glenn used one for quite a few of his too! I recently had to go on E-Bay to buy another Portastudio as my old one stopped working shortly after recording Civilisation Ho! and I haven’t been able to play any of my hundreds of old recordings.So having revisited the track I decided that it was worth revamping, and transferred the four tracks onto my Digital 8 track.
Track 1. Electric Guitar
Track2. Samples and Piano
Track 3. Drum Loop
Track 4. Bass GuitarThen I overdubbed a live drum kit and some trance style keyboards. Although on this version the live drums are very low in the mix. I re-recorded the piano and the Bass. The sound of the guitar is fantastic – partly down to good old fashioned analogue recording. So that remains unchanged.
The samples – which were the inspiration for Civilisation Ho! are all lifted from an album by the Firesign Theatre called “Waiting for the Electrician or somebody like him”.
David Milner’s contribution adds a bit of cinematic magic to the whole thing, and I am very pleased with the end result. I’ve been getting quite a bit of positive feedback about the track!
Enjoy!
Here are some more of John’s songs and David’s videos.
is there such a thing as perfect timing, who knows, this seems very 2012 poignant, moving, awakening, & inspirational, we can no longer sit back & think it is all going to be alright, it simply is not….just last week a Brazilian elder received the tragic devastating news.the chief of the Kayapo tribe received the worst news of his life: Dilma, ‘The new president of Brazil, has given approval to build a huge hydroelectric plant (the third largest in the world).
It is the death sentence for all the people near the river because the dam will flood 400,000 hectares of forest. More than 40,000 Indians will have to find another place to live. The natural habitat destruction, deforestation and the disappearance of many species is a fact. ‘
What moves me in my very bowels , making me ashamed of being part of Western culture, is the reaction of the chief of the Kayapo community when he learned of the decision—his gesture of dignity and helplessness before the advance of capitalist progress, modern predatory civilization that does not respect the differences …
But we know that a picture is worth a thousand words, showing the reality of the true price of our bourgeois “quality of life”
This song & the moving images speaks volumes – please peace brothers & sisters