Chris Watson former member of NWOBHM band Black Rose has recently completed a 13 track album which he intends giving away free. The album is available at this link:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YVLY1CM4
The pack contains the mp3s, artwork and sleeve notes. Please take a listen.
Chris Watson www.chris-watson.com
1.Breeze
This is more a demo of the Sustainiac pickup in a Jackson guitar that I bought than a written track. For the uninitiated, the Sustainiac pickup gives you harmonic sustain at the flick of a switch. It even sustains when it’s not plugged in…which is very weird! I loved the potential but hated the neck. I recorded this one the first night I had it and sold it within a week. I used a backing track for this recording.
2.Armadillo Butter
Inspired by the Ibanez RG470 that I’d just bought, I recorded this one wet afternoon. It came together pretty quickly and the whammy bar would NOT go out no matter how hard I tried. Kudos to whoever recorded the original.
3.High 5
One of my few originals. I was listening to a lot of Doug Aldrich and was trying to get his blazing blues scale licks off though a few people have said the middle section is very Steve Vai but I can’t hear it. PODxt for the guitars, Behringer Bass V-Amp Pro for the bass and the drums put together with Acid Pro and EZ Drummer.
4.Reach
I have recorded about 6 different versions to this backing track and have never been 100% happy with any of them but this one is the best of a bad lot. All the tracks I am listing here were recorded with a Line6 PODxt. Mine is 5 years old and getting a bit grumpy but it works for me.
5.Slowburn Sunday
A bit different for me. This superb backing track is itching for a Jeff Beck style solo over it. I was looking more for a SRV vibe. I used a Levinson Blade Texas Deluxe on this and was able to coax some lovely tones using the tone boost switch. I love to play to this track.
6.Believe
Same as ‘Reach’…I’ve never done a version I can say I’m 100% happy with but again a great backer to play to.
7.Pacific Highway
Again a backer, this was one of the first things I recorded when I got my PODxt in 2004. I always thought it sounded like a theme for a driving or fast car program and the Pacific Highway is somewhere I’d like to drive with the top down.
8.Vegas Viper
Recorded about the same time as Pacific Highway, I always thought this track had a heavy Hendrix vibe to it. This one really annoys me as I’ve never been able to repeat the run at 1:17 since I recorded it. Damn! One of the few tracks with wah wah which completely baffles me as to why I get the nick name. Peavey Wolfgang Goldtop on this.
9.Time To Go
Another original, I wrote this after returning from my Grandad Ernie’s funeral. My son who was only 7 at the time came with me and it really hit home how one generation goes as another arrives. It came together pretty quickly once I realized I wanted to write something as a dedication to him.
10.Heal The Poor
Only realized a year or two after recording this that it was in fact a Robben Ford track. I’ve never heard the original but I imagine it’s a lot bluesier than this version!
11.Stevie’s Dream
Another original but this one was written backwards! I had a decent drum track I’d put together for another song which got binned and thought it was a shame as a lot of work had gone into it. So I put a bass line down and the guitars were written around that. I enjoyed playing the snot green bass on this one and this was another one with the Levinson Blade.
12.Inner Demons
Originally done as a guitar dual with the incredible Jeremy Martens (J-Mart), this was called ‘Riding Higher’ and recorded in 2005. I found a version I’d originally sent to Jeremy with the gaps for his blazing work and thought I’d fill them with a different tone so it still sounded like two guitarists. I’m not sure I managed it but it was fun trying. I tuned my guitar down a whole step to D for this one and the strings were flapping about. It was very easy to get the harmonic ‘squeals’ due to the tuning.
13.Trapped In Ice
An original with some acoustic guitar in. I like the middle section where the drums bow out and when they come back in with the guitar riff, it sounds very like a march to war…or at least it does in my head!
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YVLY1CM4
The pack contains the mp3s, artwork and sleeve notes. Please take a listen.
Chris Watson www.chris-watson.com
1.Breeze
This is more a demo of the Sustainiac pickup in a Jackson guitar that I bought than a written track. For the uninitiated, the Sustainiac pickup gives you harmonic sustain at the flick of a switch. It even sustains when it’s not plugged in…which is very weird! I loved the potential but hated the neck. I recorded this one the first night I had it and sold it within a week. I used a backing track for this recording.
2.Armadillo Butter
Inspired by the Ibanez RG470 that I’d just bought, I recorded this one wet afternoon. It came together pretty quickly and the whammy bar would NOT go out no matter how hard I tried. Kudos to whoever recorded the original.
3.High 5
One of my few originals. I was listening to a lot of Doug Aldrich and was trying to get his blazing blues scale licks off though a few people have said the middle section is very Steve Vai but I can’t hear it. PODxt for the guitars, Behringer Bass V-Amp Pro for the bass and the drums put together with Acid Pro and EZ Drummer.
4.Reach
I have recorded about 6 different versions to this backing track and have never been 100% happy with any of them but this one is the best of a bad lot. All the tracks I am listing here were recorded with a Line6 PODxt. Mine is 5 years old and getting a bit grumpy but it works for me.
5.Slowburn Sunday
A bit different for me. This superb backing track is itching for a Jeff Beck style solo over it. I was looking more for a SRV vibe. I used a Levinson Blade Texas Deluxe on this and was able to coax some lovely tones using the tone boost switch. I love to play to this track.
6.Believe
Same as ‘Reach’…I’ve never done a version I can say I’m 100% happy with but again a great backer to play to.
7.Pacific Highway
Again a backer, this was one of the first things I recorded when I got my PODxt in 2004. I always thought it sounded like a theme for a driving or fast car program and the Pacific Highway is somewhere I’d like to drive with the top down.
8.Vegas Viper
Recorded about the same time as Pacific Highway, I always thought this track had a heavy Hendrix vibe to it. This one really annoys me as I’ve never been able to repeat the run at 1:17 since I recorded it. Damn! One of the few tracks with wah wah which completely baffles me as to why I get the nick name. Peavey Wolfgang Goldtop on this.
9.Time To Go
Another original, I wrote this after returning from my Grandad Ernie’s funeral. My son who was only 7 at the time came with me and it really hit home how one generation goes as another arrives. It came together pretty quickly once I realized I wanted to write something as a dedication to him.
10.Heal The Poor
Only realized a year or two after recording this that it was in fact a Robben Ford track. I’ve never heard the original but I imagine it’s a lot bluesier than this version!
11.Stevie’s Dream
Another original but this one was written backwards! I had a decent drum track I’d put together for another song which got binned and thought it was a shame as a lot of work had gone into it. So I put a bass line down and the guitars were written around that. I enjoyed playing the snot green bass on this one and this was another one with the Levinson Blade.
12.Inner Demons
Originally done as a guitar dual with the incredible Jeremy Martens (J-Mart), this was called ‘Riding Higher’ and recorded in 2005. I found a version I’d originally sent to Jeremy with the gaps for his blazing work and thought I’d fill them with a different tone so it still sounded like two guitarists. I’m not sure I managed it but it was fun trying. I tuned my guitar down a whole step to D for this one and the strings were flapping about. It was very easy to get the harmonic ‘squeals’ due to the tuning.
13.Trapped In Ice
An original with some acoustic guitar in. I like the middle section where the drums bow out and when they come back in with the guitar riff, it sounds very like a march to war…or at least it does in my head!
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