I flew up to Auckland but two carpenters were building a room three metres away from where we record (Steve's wife is an artist and was having her own studio built). We were laying down tracks in between hammer-blows and circular saws. I did what I could then flew back to the South Island.
On my second stint I set aside 8 days to record and mix. Around 9.30 on the Sunday evening of the first week, Steve called to say the computer had crashed. The worst scenario was that we' lose the week's work. His voice was shaky. I decided to reserve my self-annihilation procedures until it was certain. On the phone Monday morning the Computer Company walked him through damage-control, without success. He bundled up the machine and took it into the company. Four thirty Monday afternoon he rang to say they had retrieved the work. We'd only lost one studio day, but poor Steve was up till 3 a.m. reloading - ready for work again first thing in the morning.
This is my fourth collection of songs with Baha'i themes. I think of them as a songwriter's notebook. My father used to say 'there are real pianists, and there are piano-players', and he described himself as a piano-player. Similarly there are real singers, and writers who perform. I look forward to the day when a real singer might...
Like a living things, this recording had its delivery groans and smiles. More smiles. I set it forth in the world to spin. It has become a world of its own. You'll find inside the booklet simple guitar chords with the song lyrics if you want to play any of the songs. I hope you enjoy them.
Kindest regards, Grant.
