DIAMOND AGE - BEGUILING THE HOURS

After much deliberation, I've decided to give this album away again...If you feel inclined to support the label and the artist, purchase a Deluxe 320kbps Download with artwork

Beguiling the Hours was released JAN 31 2009 by life and living records in the UK as a 320 kbps download with a 12 page PDF file of liner notes. I'm not even sure how many downloads it had over the year, especially from the US. Originally, this was available for free download via Bird and Whale for a short while in its unmastered state.

This is a "reinterpretation" of Gareth Williams and Mary Currie's "Flaming Tunes" album. If you haven't heard the original, you should give the recent reissue from life and living records a listen (in the US go to RER USA, other music or aquarius records)...or check the flaming tunes website. I am actually waiting on a box of them from the label to distribute like a traveling salesman around select independent record stores in the US...

I found a bootleg of this impossible to find cassette-only release from the ex-This Heat member a few years ago ( the "After the Heat" bootleg, which was misleadingly said to have been unreleased This Heat material and later via the mended records blog). In depth information on Flaming Tunes can be found HERE

Late in 2007 I decided to record a track from it myself with similar "restrictions" of the original. I recorded with an old 4-track and minimal mics, etc... This eventually morphed into tracking 1/2 on 4 track and 1/2 garage band and became a full blown experiment in obsessive compulsive behavior re-recording (covering) the entire album.

I had initially made contact with Chris Cutler at RER who had just facilitated the This Heat Out of Cold Storage Box Set and Charles Hayward (This Heat / Camberwell Now etc...) in an attempt to find out about the reissue that hadn't happened yet. I was surprised at the quick response from both of them. I told Charles Hayward about the version of the album I made and he requested I send 3 copies to him and that he would give one to Charles Bullen, Mary Currie, and Mick Hobbs (from the bands the Work, the Momes, Officer!, and Family Fodder, etc.) who was working on the reissue for his label (life and living records). It was through contact with these people that I got an offer to release this record almost in conjunction with the reissue of the original. I would not have released this without this type of encouragement or endorsement.

I recorded the album entirely by myself with the exception of help on "B to A" from two great musicians/friends Jason Reimer and Steve Hill. It was mastered by David Willingham.

I am proud of this album, for what it's worth.

I suppose it's worth the time it takes for you to download it...

This download does not include the liner notes...you will have to contact me or purchase a download from Life and Living for that!

thanks for listening.

AS OF 10/03/2012:

DEAD LINK

BUY IT HERE