This DAT tape is from the pre-AS ONE AFLAME LAID BARE BY DESIRE era.

The first 5 tracks are “LIVE IN THE STUDIO.” This is myself on vocals & electronics, Mera on cello, Lisa on backing vocals, and Dominque on vocals (on #6). We were either rehearsing or recording specifically to create some bonus tracks. This was before I enlisted Julianna to sing on the album. This is different from the version of “broken shells” that was the bonus track on the “Aflame” single.

You will recognize many of the tracks in the NEW WORK section. Back in the day before I recorded to a computer and could do mixes anytime I wanted, I would roll rough-mixes off the 8-track multi-track tape, so I could listen to the pieces I was working on. That’s what track 6-19 of DAT#23 contained. Along with the tracks you know, some of the DAT contains material (the ones without names) that was started but never completed. None of these have the other band members (strings or vocals). So, for example, you hear “Russia” as an instrumental with just my parts.

“The passage” (#11) is 16:36, while the album version is 15:48. This is the same version as on the album, just slightly longer and without the final EQ (and unexpected stops at 9:58, 12:48). This was an unusual song for me. I had recorded a longer song into the sequencer of my ESQ1 (which used MIDI to controlling my EMAX which was making the sound). I found that if I started-and-stopped-and-restarted a short segment (maybe 10 or 15 seconds) of the longer track, while slowly changing the speed at which the notes were played, as well as the parameters on the EMAX, it has a really nice after-glow mood. This one was recorded direct to DAT, with no multitrack tape. I don’t think I ever recorded the full piece that it came out of. I remember bringing a CD-R of the track over to my friend Steve Jones (of AREA)’s house, to do some edits. This was 1998, I didn’t have software to edit audio, Steve did. That’s how I got rid of those unexpected stops, and some of the hiss in the quiet ending; and explains why this version is longer than the album version.

On #13 “Entr’acte,” that’s my EMAX’s clarinet sound, later replaced by Melinda. You can hear that I had the melody already composed.

Some of the unfinished tracks (DAT23-7, DAT23-15 + DAT23-16) remained unfinished because the rhythms are samples from a middle-eastern musician’s CD. The plan was to replace the percussion / instrument if I decided to finish those tracks. Ultimately, that seemed like too much work…. so I just dropped them. They are played directly out of the ESQ1 / EMAX without being put to the 8-track tape. DAT23-15 + DAT23-16 sound like they would have fit in with songs on THIS LUSH GARDEN WITHIN.

Yes, that last track is only 4-seconds long. Just a little remnant on the end of the tape.