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| "We had a great time
working with Dennis, so much so that we had to be banished from
the mixing room. The amount of talking and drinking going on
may have contributed to the lack of work being done. We had
a good laugh, thanks again Dennis for a great job!" |
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The new debut from usm, titled "Silver
Step Child", is a rich and thoughtful offering with a new unique
sound. Encapsulating many of the rock elements, this ballsy melodic
collection of songs paves the new direction, a blend of melody and
grit.
Released on Massacre Records on 18th September
2000, the album has recieved some blistering reviews
already. The recordings took place over a period of time when Tony
was looking at things in a new way. Producing at POD and Summit
Studios in London, Lionel moulded the ideas along with Tony to produce
the concept, and was made in much the same intricate fashion as
those engineered by Balance of Power. The tailor-made process. a
tried and tested one,and familiarity breeds content! Mixing took
place at The House of Audio in Germany with Dennis Ward (Pink Cream
69), contributing to the rich powerful sound.
The tracks from the new CD have come from
many influences, anything from deep within to far out there, there's
no doubt that Tony's lyrics are drawn from a unique perspective.
Tony offers some background to the songs.
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1. Beneath the Low
We opened the album with this track because it comes straight
to the point. A very concise, no frills cool riff with a hooky
chorus. It's about all the bad feelings we have inside and how
it talks to you sometimes. |
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2. Silver Step Child
This one is a very positive song, even the title suggests "second
place", it reflects doing or making something that you love
then setting it free or "the ugly duckling becomes a swan".
When writing the lyrics I wanted to portray my hopes and dreams
for USM so I guess it's almost autobiographical. |
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3. Believe it or Not
Imagine, if you will, two children playing hide and seek. The
boy loves the girl who is completely unaware. She hides and
he can never find her! Years pass and the young man still follows
the woman. Feeling neglected and regardless, he carries his
love for her with him. Classed a stalker, she is unaware of
her pursuant. How far will he take this? Does he seek revenge
or acceptance? Who knows? |
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4. The Times of Our Lives
This is the very first song I wrote when I left BoP. I had
found a new way of looking at life, not just from a vocalists
perspective, but one with all these new possibilities. A strange
euphoria set in, and this song offers what I felt at the time. |
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5. It's All Over Now
One day someone realises that the only reason they ended a bad
relationship was because they were too afraid to walk away.
This song expresses the relief from a weighty burden being lifted
from your shoulders followed by the excitement of something
new about to happen. |
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6. Kiss the Sun
We had a version of this song in Kid Wicked several years ago.
Pete, Lionel, Bob Duffy and myself wrote it a few years ago
and we promised ourselves that one day we would make something
of this one. Co-written with Pete, Lionel came up with the intro
piece in the studio giving it an epic feel. It's great to see
this song finally taking it's place on an album instead of being
left to memory. |
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7. The Wierd and the Wonderful
For this song, you have to imagine a small movie. Enter the
circus freak in the trailer; he's sad and depressed. He asks
himself, "Who is the fool, him for looking stranger or the paying
customer?" Just every other human being except Mother Nature
made him look different. What is second nature to the Freak
is certainly not to others. For doing nothing of effort, he's
paid by the others, who is the weird and who is the wonderful? |
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8. Terrorphobiac
If there's a kind of person that enjoys fear and the thrill
it should be labelled a Terrorphobiac. Being one of the heaviest
pieces, this song gets to the point, good for "Air Guitarists"
everywhere. |
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9. The Other Side of Paradise
The original idea for this song could well have been on
the latest BoP offering "Ten More Tales of Grand Illusion".
This one didn't make the album and I felt it needed another
shot. Even though it sounds different, the feel and the lyrics
is taken from a BoP viewpoint. |
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10. That Paranoia Thing
This one started with a guitar riff. It inspired me to think
weird, like a Marylin Manson kind of feel. This brought me to
the paranoia idea and the voices some people hear. In short,
it's a song in praise of the Paranoid!! |
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Update: We shall soon have downloads of selected
tracks available very soon! Watch this space!
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| Available
at Balance of Power web site |
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