Not Bloody Likely

More DisGuise era songs performed by DisGuise era people with the DisGuise type spirit in the post DisGuise era.

Unreliable Recollections from Jimmy McKenna (subject to amendment as better facts come to light!)

So as I was sorting out my sock drawer I came upon another bunch of recordings. These have been reconstructed and augmented as follows:

The Beat Goes On – DisGuise attempted this in rehearsal in 1978 but it was never played live (like many others). This version was made by me and Alan Scully in 2009 from a recording session in which I wore Alans arms out playing a lot of song ideas. Originally this was meant to be a DisGuise reunion session but That Peter Scott decided not participate at the last moment.

Easy Lie – a DisGuise mkIII song which I am rather proud of. This recording has Mike Dixon on bass, guitars and original engineering. The original multitrack Portastudio tape is missing in action so I’ve used some modern jiggerypokery to pull it apart and subtly reconstruct the key elements. There is a live video of us playing this at Hartlepool College of Art in 1985.

Lovers Epitaph – this Peter Scott song predates DisGuise in that he came up with it c1969. DisGuise played this a lot in 1977 and this is my easy listening version.

45 RPM – yes we did play this live in the midst of punk (no wonder they didn’t like us!). This Portastudio recording has Peter on guitar and there is an obvious pun in the title. There is a reference to this song during our late 1978 interview with Phil Sutcliffe for Out Now magazine.

Another Miserable Song – originally written in 1976 this is the revisited version with Jason Bell on drums recorded in 2005, before I discovered that the 1977 recording was rescuable. This is a more measured performance though the emotion is still there. It is another song where, if the December 1977 recording had sounded as it now does then I might never have felt the urge to revisit it.

It’s a Joke – some time in 1984, I was round Peter Scott’s home, his Mam had just brought in a pot of tea and a plate of broken biscuits – a special treat for me (a lyrical mention of this is in the song Nursery Rhyme on the Nudist Guys album). Peter and I had guitars in hand with his Portastudio ready to record anything of note. Peter was complaining that his love life was a joke, and suddenly this song popped out. I have added additional bits and pieces to compliment the vocals, Peters’ spacey guitar and my bass riffing. There is a live video of DisGuise mkIII playing this at Hartlepool College of Art in 1985.

In my Dreams – once the tea was drunk Peter and I came up with a second instant song. It is so instant that at times we are not sure were the chord sequence should go, whilst the words are off the cuff and err blurred. Peter plays some lovely atmospheric guitar however and I have resisted any temptation to add other instruments.

Falling in Love for the Very First Time – another Peter Scott song from 1978, this is my version based on my interpretation of the Disguise arrangement.

Climbing up the Stairs – this is me and Alan in 2009 attempting to recreate the 1978 DisGuise arrangement which was one of our epics, including little snippets of ‘March of the Siamese Children’ and ‘The Dying Swan’. There is also a spaceage version on the Artistic License album with Gavin Bell, Jason Bell and Mark Hand.

June Will Come Again – a throwback song, from watching the ‘Good Old Days’ on TV. Peter and I did a version during our 1981 Two Tape Recorder sessions, and this 2009 version has Alan performing polite drums.

It’s a Shame – an early 1977 song (punk funk anyone?) which Alan and I revisited in the 2009 session. Inspired by the antics of a crazy mixed up teenager, though in retrospect all these years later I am probably being a little harsh on her, but then songs do take on a life of their own.

Be My Little Baby – another super pop song from Peter Scott, we did a version of this during the 1981 Two Tape Recorder sessions and this is the Portastudio version a few years later.

My Leader – another pre DisGuise song which we played on a couple of early gigs before we adjudged it to be too slow (and gloomy). This 2009 version has Alan making a row whilst I get a little err hysterical.

Windowledge – one of my favourite Peter Scott songs from 1978, inspired by playing gigs at The Old 29 pub in Sunderland where the stage was a glorified window ledge. This version was begun in 2005 with Jason Bell on drums. One of my epic arrangements, in that it became a Kitchen sink production (everything and the).

There’s a Man Up There – from one extreme to another! This is the original version of this song as rattled off during the 1981 Two Tape Recorder sessions, with some splendid lead bass and keyboard playing by Peter. It was later revisited and reggaefied by the MkIII DisGuise on the Historic Days album.