From left: Paul Staack (eventually joins “Silver Laughter”), Mick Orton, Dave Neumann and Craig Hute
Click on the link above to hear this original song that I wrote this song while I was with The Contents Are:. As a rocker, it was always a pretty big hit with our audiences. I don’t think some in our band liked it much because the words weren’t deep or meaningful enough as some of the others we were performing. This is an extended version, and if memory serves, Dave Neumann and Craig Hute traded off leads on this one.
At the time of this recording, I don’t think my voice was as strong as it became from performing every night with Silver Laughter. And Jon and I were always challenging each other to do better and better at singing, both when we sang together or separately. Another thought is that though there are some flat notes here and there, I do not remember having great monitors in The Contents Are:… if any. Besides, we almost certainly overplayed them with our instruments’ volumes.
If you would like to hear the Silver Laughter recording of this song, it was on the “Handle With Care” album which may be found here for sale in CD and LP format. It is a little punchier and has a middle 8 that Jon and I added to differentiate it from The Contents Are: version.
Something was said to me by John Galobich (The Contents Are: manager) which I will always remember. In the studio I was very conservative on my bass playing because my goal was to make the song sound the same on the record as when we did it live. Nothing disappointed me more than hearing a band do its own material live, changing some of the stuff that gave it its magic in the studio.
But Galobich made me think by saying something like this, “In a live performance they have you to watch and keep it exciting. On the record, they need something to make it interesting so they keep listening.” I took that to heart and tried ever since to spice up my bass playing, whether live or in the studio!
Mick Orton
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