All music written and performed by Simon Eli Milliman
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Simon Eli Milliman
Published by Urban Jack Productions 2021
Notes:
Hey, Lover boy! Won’t you come out and dance with me?
Quite possibly the corniest line I’ve ever included in a recording and that’s how I chose to begin my final album in this 12 album in (a few more than) 12 months project. There’s a reason this album is called, Bad Records…
This album is possibly my silliest and possibly my most political and possibly my most humanist and possibly my most spiritual and possibly my most paranoid and possibly my most nostalgic. I believe it has to be all of these things to be an homage to so many great songwriters, bands, and artists that have inspired me since my youth. Sometimes I can’t even figure out why these people have inspired me so. That first line in the album… I’m singing it directly to, Johnny Thunders. If I had ever met Johhny Thunders in person I have this feeling that I wouldn’t really like him very much. From the outside he seemed very self-obsessed but not self-aware. Yet, Johnny taught me to play guitar loud. Johnny taught me to play with reckless abandon. Johnny taught me how to Glam and how to Punk. Johnny taught me how to put the snarl in a love song, the anger in a coy wink. Johnny Thunders taught me all about the self-importance that is Rock & Roll.
There are too many little nods throughout the album to those who have inspired me (The Ramones, David Bowie, Robert Louis Stevenson, Tom Waits, Charlie Watts and the Rolling Stones, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground…) to describe in detail and be able to keep these notes brief, but I’ll mention one or two more.
The title track, Bad Records, is my feelings of simpatico with, Leonard Cohen. Cohen suffered deep depression throughout his life. I understand that struggle. I’m sure many of us understand the feeling of toiling away at our crafts, our passions, for years without end only to look back at our works and wanting to toss them all on a funeral pyre. How could life be such a waste of time?/Squandered years/Making bad records. This isn’t a pity party. More like a confession that I know I’m dysfunctional and I know I’m not always easy to live with. I’m working on it: I don’t want to only make mistakes/But sometimes I have cement blocks on my feet.
When my oldest child was born I brought one collection of music to the hospital. I wanted the first music that her ears would hear outside of the womb to be special. In that small room overlooking Northeast Portland I wanted to imprint upon my daughter the passion I feel within my soul, my lust for life. So I held that baby in my arms and sang along with, Otis Redding. Baby girl, I’ve got dreams to remember, too. So will you. I’m no Otis Redding. When it comes to singing I’m not even in the same universe as Otis Redding, but I attempt to express a similar passion in the track, Easier Than Holding On. With both the lead vocal and the backing vocal I only allowed myself one take each. Anything else would be a lie. Otis Redding is The Truth. This home is ice/And my heart’s on fire/ You want to stay safe/I want desire.