I began writing and recording songs for what would become Machine Dream in early 1997, but my efforts soon came to a screeching halt when my Fostex 4-track cassette recorder started malfunctioning. I got back on track with the purchase of a new, and much fancier, Tascam recorder, but this was a time of major life changes, and it was a further two years before I finished recording.
Though this was my sixth solo album, it was a first in several ways. It was the first album where I felt there were no clinkers; I liked all the songs and the performances were of a higher standard. It was the first album where I utilized a computer; I sequenced most of the drum parts and all of the keyboard parts using a program called Cakewalk (which I continue to use, in its latest incarnation, to this day). It was the first album where I invited an outside musician to contribute; i.e. my friend Joe Arrington, who contributed backing vocals and mandolin. It was the first album I released on CD rather than cassette. And it was the first album to have any kind of public release; previous albums had been copied and shared with only a few friends. For a brief time MP3.com was a place where indie musicians could upload their music and get it reviewed and listened to by other musicians. I sold a CD or two there and got some kind and encouraging reviews. I was hoping that this increased exposure might lead to something more, but alas, no.
It was also the first time I commissioned an artist to do an album cover; my friend Michael Puckett drew it. He and I had both been aspiring artists in high school, and had even had a small business for a while selling drawings to our classmates.
A couple of decades later and several albums later, I began to contemplate releasing some of my older songs through CDBaby for availability on many digital platforms. I found that I still liked Machine Dream and thought it deserved a second chance. But I wanted to improve the sound quality and the drums, tweak a lyric or two, and fix a few mistakes. Unfortunately that meant largely re-recording the album. I did still have all the Cakewalk files, so I was able to preserve the original keyboard performances while upgrading the sound quality. And I ended up using many of the vocals and a few guitar tracks. The only track that uses the original recording entirely is “Around the Block.” I did the re-recording in 2023 and released the 25th Anniversary Edition in early 2024.
Be First to Comment