A word from the artist

So why this release after so many years?

Regrettably, it seems that some of our best material was never captured on vinyl and the songs that did make it seemed to somehow lack the delivery, spark and excitement for which our live gigs were renowned. After 30 years collecting dust in the vault this first collection of re-recorded songs speaks for itself. After not having heard the originals myself for many years, they leapt out as having memorable tunes and poignant 'of their time' lyrics while also sounding strangely contemporary.

My task on ‘A Stab in the Dark’ has been to assemble a collection of ten songs from a mass of old live recordings and rehearsal tapes. During that process, with my creative juices running wild, I couldn’t resist adding some new parts and changing others. I’d like to think that the finished result is how the songs might have sounded if the band had had the musical and technical ability to deliver what the four of us had been hearing in our heads back in 1980.

Like seeing an old photograph for the first time after many years, a song has the power to instantly transport the listener back in time. For me, that trip was like a rush of blood to the… well let’s just say at the very least it was a rush! They were a pleasure to revisit so I hope they have a similar effect on you. If you were there with us in the early days, turn your hearing aids up and check it out. If you weren’t, then take a trip to a Life on Mars …. this was Auckland 1980/1, as I recall it.

Skeats