Songs written by me over the years. Some use expressions contemporary to their time, and not revised.
May also refer to sex, drugs, rock and likewise roll.
In alphabetical order of title.
(The) Donkey's Knob 1991 [ALK]
This 'rock ballad' was inspired by the sales chat of Jeff Pumfret of Machinehead Music.
The first verse is just how good the guitars were. The second references his expensive watch, his dog, Bella, and the case of FX pedals.
Dressed To Kill 1986 [ALK]
A motor bike song for motor bike people. The wearing of proper safety clothing, or otherwise...
Gentle Memory 2017
About the days when we were young, rode motorbikes and drank beer at rallies.
It's a song for an older ALK.
As well as recording it we "got the band back together" (or some of us).
After I'd made a little demo with Audacity
Fozdyke (who has the recording gear) did the drums and keyboard MIDI, and later some guitar stuff.
I then recorded guitars and bass plus a basic vocal line.
Later on, when he was back in the area, Sam recorded the 'proper' vocals.
In The Still Of The Night 1980 [721]
This 'rock ballad' has some fairly literal lyrics about moonshine.
I wrote it in 1980 and the key was C. Coming to record it in 2019, the key is now Bb !!
Or whatever the key was, a tone lower.
In Your Head 2016
I started writing this in 2016. It seems to be about depression.
I finished the words in 2018 as a friend had requested a performance for her birthday,
which as just me singing, an acoustic guitar, and a tablet with a drum machine app.
It got a lot more like my rock style as I started recording.
Lager Drinker 1986 [ALK]
A motor bike song for motor bike people. It's all about how bikers feel about non-bikers; ale vs. lager, rock vs. disco, etc.
Little Apple 1980 [721]
Probably about London (the Little Apple to NY as the Big Apple).
Livin' two weeks at a time 1987
About life on the dole. We never performed it as ALK but Spam and Mrs Ratty played it for some folk competition.
Maison Rouge 1980
Penned in the early '80s, a ditty about the fantasy (if not any facts...) of pubbing and clubbing in the North East of England in the 1970/1980s.
Money Matters 1988 [ALK]
In 1988 I was writing financial futures transaction software for a highstreet bank. So I write this song. It was played a lot by ALK in a very Hawkwind style, unlike all the various Hawkwind tracks we covered...
Pleasure Beyond Smile 1987 [ALK]
A motor bike song for motor bike people.
This was ALK's magnum opus.
No matter how far you've ridden and how bad the weather and the road were, and how tired you are, when you stop you know in the back of your mind, you'd rather be still riding.
Party In Princetown 1991
I started writing this on the M5 on the way back from Devon in 1991, on the
way back from a social weekend organised by my motorcycle club.
The words are very specific to that bunch of bikers and those 3 days.
The reference to "Kissing Willie" is about the song from the Rock Island album by Jethro Tull.
We had all been staying in the bunkhouse at a pub used by summer walkers
but available to us in February for free.
When I started recording this in 2019 I decided there weren't enough verses so wrote 2 more.
Scars On Your Heart 1987 [ALK]
Dedicated to 'Spider', a member of the bike club and ALK's kinda roadie. He got killed riding his bike. We all went to his funeral. The phrase 'scars on your heart' was used by the officiating priest.
Scrape, Rattle 'N' Roll 1989 [ALK]
A motor bike song for motor bike people. The metal toad refers to cars, possibly by V*lv* in particular, for no reason.