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Assembled Sketches Developed

Assembled Sketches Developed

Some thoughts Jenny had on Love & Hate.

These are a mixture of tracks; some developed from riffs which would inevitably crop up whilst we were jamming, as far back as the three of us, Larry, myself and Vin in Larry's attic bedroom, with views of far out into the countryside through one window and way over to a busy, hippish at the time, pub through the other (though during the summer this one tantalisingly obscured action slightly. )

I always thought, depending on the collective mood of the group at any given time, our music either meandered melodically or attacked frenziedly, the more ferocious of the two being demonstrated in the main at gigs or taped band rehearsals and which I never felt quite came out in recording sessions at a studio. It was an altogether different flavour once on vinyl. This bothered me and I was never heard to be completely satisfied with the result.

However more than 10 years on, I wonder whether we tapped into something specifically because the germ of our music could not be pinpointed. The lyrics sought out an understanding and left a struggle. Can one be confused and enlightened? No I hear a million voices (I'm rather hopeful there with the number) hum in unison. Ah well climb to far up your own bum and you reach shit!

Sweet Forgiveness

This was partly inspired for my part by The Hunger by Gustav Klimt

Bad News Week

In the beginning it was Boogie Beat. It must have been 1983, around the time when we practised at Singleton Street, a huge, what seemed to me, part derelict building, but what in actual fact was just and still is an old warehouse with crumbly paintwork. That is not to lessen the creepy fascination this building held for me.

The room we rehearsed in was big with an open fire and stone floors, we had old rugs hanging on the walls to try to help deaden the sound. We were surrounded by guest house landlady neighbours from hell. This is why we eventually gave up hiring it out as a rehearsal rooms. Petty, picky people posing problems. A pretty puzzle!

(Editor's note: I went out with the daughter of one of those landladies and when I mentioned casually that I used to watch and listen to my favourite band practise in the warehouse at the back, she was less than amused her daughter now sought to associate with such types!)

Then we recorded it as singe at Yellow with Bernard from New Order, I was still breast feeding (that if my daughter was) and Boogie Beats became Bad News Week with an altogether different drum beat and rhythm.

We kept in coughs and sniffs as I remember simply to save time, but the effect was comical as well.

Crazy Wisdom

This one is complicated for me. It was about two things which coincided. One of them was the wars going on in the name of Go. The ridiculous paradoxical notion of Holy Wars! It made me angry.

And the second - all around me friends were trying to free up their minds with Buddhism. This on the one hand and Catholicism from whence they came and which was reluctant to let go of them, on the other.

Larry and I have never seen eye to eye when it comes to God. When I met Larry my view of religion as an irrational, irrelevant irritation supported itself, I thought. (I am no longer so dissmissively arrogant). We had endless discussions about the existence of God and Larry's line that you have to believe something exists before you can argue its non-existence would drive me nuts.

I was brought up not believing in God and when I discovered at the age of about nine that there was a title for me - atheist - I was adequately satisfied. I would feel strongly and state proudly that I did not believe in God and secretly enjoyed the unusual status this brought to me; I remember being taunted by my best friend telling me that if I hadn't been Christened then I didn't really have a name and me saying well actually I must have been Christened as I had a birth certificate but hat I had just not been baptised. The derivation of “Christened” lost on me.

And then I had this other friend who tinkered with people's heads. (He was older and wore e mantle of a wise man) He became the guru in our area and my friends, eager for something, flocked I don't think he was disingenuous but he was controlling in such a way that it could never be pinpointed. The all became so wrapped up in themselves they could not see further than the ends of their noses. They could not see the pud for the peas!

Everyone's kneeling if they could see themselves afraid to stand up.

Dabbling piously dipping a mere to into dark water. It made me angry. I knew. My father had died New Year's Day 1979 and I had seen this body being carried away on a stretcher in deep, crisp white snow through glorious dazzling sunshine and realised I had to pack all my realisations into that moment then panicked because the moment was too big and I knew I would never see him again. That was frightening. This was crazy wisdom.

This one is about new wave revelation - religion.

Trees they all paisley.

Guitar Waltz

Flute added by schoolteacher Andrew?

Always wished I was better on the guitar. Someone read my lyrics note book and added…was it you?

Sprinkling Petals into Hell

Should really have arranged this one properly.

Warhead

My favourite from this tape. Larry wrote this about war, mainly the genocide which was taking place in Cambodia. This was written before I joined the band but we played it live right across America and in Europe.

Tim Lick my Knees, Please

A take on ‘eric Sati (sp?) Somehow this turned out very badly in the studio.

Shit Creek No Paddle

This one too. I think I was nervous. It all went wrong and I wanted to do it again, but Larry could see nothing wrong with it. Needless to say he won. The bass guitar in the middle is good.

Conquer Me

As time flies by never to return that's the hardest lesson to learn. Words may be false and so full of art' cos sighs are the natural language of the heart .

I wrote the lyrics for this in the studio. It was my guts.

Last Man in Europe

I would dearly like to redo this properly or forget it.

Car Crash

Encompasses the Hate part of the title.

We're killing time so wistlessly. It' a time that's killing you and me.

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Section 25 Christmas Party, Jenks, Blackpool
Section 25 Christmas Party, Jenks, Blackpool
29 December 1979 (I think!)