The Undecidable - 1986 album flac

Tracklist

1

For Now And For Then

8:36

Notes

I recorded this track in 1986, on a Fostex 4-track cassette recorder, in my parents basement, in Toronto.

I actually recorded over 50 songs in my last year of high school (1985/86). I'm currently trying to decide which songs from that period to let people hear. It might take me a while. I'm a bit busy with other things.

The drum machine I used for all my high school recordings was made by Mattel, and sold in the toy section of a local department store. It was called "Synsonics Drums".

I wrote all of my songs spontaneously, as I recorded them. Every night, I would program the drum machine for an hour or two, as the song took shape in my mind, writing it on the spot. Then I'd spend an hour or two writing and playing bass, then guitar, and then record the vocals, before racing upstairs to watch David Letterman, before falling asleep. I did that over 50 times in my last year of high school. So my lyrics are pretty weak, because almost every word was written on the spot––often as the tape rolled. But I'm frankly amazed at some of my guitar ideas. So, for that reason mostly, I overlook my weak lyrics, and other weaknesses, when I listen to this stuff. I realize that I can't expect other people to do the same.

I never put any copies of my high school music in stores. I gave tapes to people who wanted them. There was some airplay on college radio in London, Ontario, over the next few years, while I attended university there. Many DJs regularly played my music, and some of my recordings charted in the monthly top 5. My high school recordings have also been played on college radio in Toronto, but I'm not sure how often. Otherwise, I didn't send my high school tapes outside of Ontario. I know that some people made copies of my tapes over the years, and I've met fans of my music who were friends of friends, but I have no idea how far copies of my tapes have travelled.

By the way, I wasn't called The Undecidable back then. I used a different name for every cassette I made. One of those cassettes was named BOB. That was the one that a close friend of mine had, and so she referred to me as BOB whenever the topic of my music came up. Because of that, some people remember my high school recordings as being made by BOB, not realizing that I intentionally had no single, stable bandname. It made sense to eventually call myself The Undecidable.

Will I ever change my name again? Maybe. But either way, I'm just glad to be uncertain.