The Regular Friday Post
Rando Lyric: 'Til I satisfy my soul
Last week’s rando lyrics: The lyric, “It remains somehow indifferent” is from the song "Pullman, Washington”, by Deep Blue Something, written by Todd Pipes - the song is Track 12 on the album “Byzantium” released in 1998 (sorta - see below for its tortured history) on Interscope Records in Japan only, in the US on Kirtland Records in 2007. Produced by Charles Fisher.
Links (Wikipedia): Deep Blue Something Byzantium (album)
Welcome to The Regular Friday post!
From Wikipedia (see the “Byzantium” link above, emphasis mine):
Byzantium is the third studio album by alternative rock band Deep Blue Something. It was released on Interscope in 1998 only in Japan and some European countries. According to Spotify, it was released in the United States in 2007 by Kirtland Records. (Ed. Other sources say 2014...)
Deep Blue Something is one of those bands that are easy to think of as a one-hit wonder group because of the chart success of just one of their songs, “Breakfast At Tiffany’s”. It probably didn’t help much that they broke up once for 12 or so years. It was made a LOT worse by the actions of their label (Interscope) in releasing this album, Byzantium, pretty much only in Japan, which led to even more lawsuits with the label and was finally released on a label (Kirtland) owned by their drummer, John Kirtland in 2007, or maybe 2014. Whatever. The album is definitely worth the listen, though - the songs are really good and I think Deep Blue Something is kind of a hidden gem (though I am sometimes critical of the effects that get in the way of the actual music…just sayin’…).
So the band is apparently pretty much still performing together as their original lineup after regrouping in 2014. And they’re from Texas. Of all the things I didn’t know about them, the fact that they’re not just a one-hit wonder, and that they’re from Texas, where they appear to all have day jobs, and that they’re still performing is pretty cool. The very most cool thing is how GOOD they are! I’m certain they have a devoted core of fans, but I’m also pretty sure most people would think they were long gone from performing. Nope, and if you’re looking for a very cool, but underrated band, these guys are worth listening to.
Some Stuff
The “biz”:
How Much Are Music Copyrights Worth?
From The "Huh? I wonder What That Could Mean?" Pages
More Stuff:
A Song To Play…
A little unusual for a pop/rock ballad, Chordify hears the song in 3/4 time - 3 beats to the measure/quarter note gets the beat. I’m a bit skeptical, but I can’t find a different sheet music source to confirm or not, meh. For now, even though I have a hard time counting a 3/4 beat when I listen to it, I’ll just go with it. 3/4 time is usually thought of as “waltz” time and has that 1-2-3, 1-2-3 sort of feel. Cool though, because it is a bit unusual. A very fast 176 BPM (though it doesn’t really seem to play that way - Chordify may be hearing the riffs that are very quick, but the drum beat seems noticeably slower than a 176 BPM - though 3/4 time can be deceptive). The Key is most likely EMajor, but it’s possibly the relative minor of C#m. Hard to say, and the single Eminor chord in the 3rd measure could be Chordify errata. Doesn’t really matter, but I think EMajor because the song begins and ends on the EMaj chord, that’s usually a good indicator as to the key.
Lyrics
(From Genius) Link>Pullman, Washington<
Crawl to the window Whisper to me if it snowed We'll plot to murder each other And I'll be your alibi Bind me with wire Tell me your favorite vice And I'll discuss my childhood If you need a sedative [Chorus:] I like rain The innocence in praying The faded faintly childhood Smell of plastic When it's set to burn Angel dust, the two of us Fresh-faced reminders Of lessons that we'll Never learn I see you're sleeping You always can cry if it helps My soul is by the telephone If you're needing sympathy And the rain won't wash away All that you hold to be true It remains somehow indifferent Regarding the weatherman [Chorus] I like rain The innocence in praying The faded faintly childhood Smell of plastic When it's set to burn Angel dust, the two of us Fresh-faced reminders Of lessons that we'll Never learn (Outro)
Some Links For Today:
(If the link description sounds interesting , click on it.)
*From Blues Guitar Unleashed:
*From Speed Songwriting:
*From Songtown:
*From Disc Makers:
ED. None of these result in compensation to me in any way, and I’m not endorsing any of them, but some of my readers may find them as interesting as I did…
The “ME!” Section…..
What I’m Listening2: The “Where Ya Been?“ playlist…
Shameless Self Promotion Section:
My song is out! Link: “>Long Road Back<”click on this link for streaming options, then scroll down for links (or just click on these links) to Amazon, Apple, Pandora, iTunes and even Spotify
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This Substack is free, I receive no compensation of any kind from companies or products I mention. Some linked or quoted material may be copyrighted by others, and I credit them. I rely on the “Fair Use” doctrine for educational purposes (Link: Fair Use). *I do not use AI for any of the text that’s found here, things I link to (such as some images) might…
-Michael Acoustic
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This Week’s Conversation With Mika, The Cat:
Me: “Yes, THAT’S RIGHT!! - you had better be paying attention, young lady, that is NOT how we behave!!”
Mika: (thought bubble): (hmmm…I’ve seen stuff like this on the thing with the pictures that move around - the human seems to be having some sort of aneurysm or something…I’ll watch him carefully in case he requires medical intervention…)
Cheers and keep playing!!
Michael Acoustic
“It’s never really final - you just run out of things you can bear to change…”
Those lyrics do not at all remind me of my time in Pullman.🤷
Good stuff, Michael! I can just see you wagging your finger in Mika's direction, and she, of course, just has that nonplussed expression. As for "Byzantium," I immediately did a double-take, because I had the Byzantium album in 1972 (I was 17). The group had their self-titled debut on Warner Bros. Records (A&M in the UK).
https://www.discogs.com/release/2309168-Byzantium-Byzantium
They're notable for having whelped at least 3 musicians who went on to greater fame (including guitarist/keyboardist, Chaz Jankel playing in Ian Dury's band). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantium_(band)
I don't remember much about how they sounded, but that cover is unforgettable, and I had it in my collection thru my mass eBay sell-off at the turn of the century (this one)!
I wonder if anyone in Deep Blue Something ever had that album, or heard of the band. DBS formed at N. Texas State, almost 2 decades after I attended for a year (1973-74) as my first college right out of my Houston high school!