22 episodes
This podcast is only temporary Andy White
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- Music
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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Belfast-born Melbourne-based songwriter and producer Andy White has a new podcast series based around the writing and recording of 'AT', the album he released with Tim Finn earlier this year. As in the first series, when he went track by track with latest solo album ‘This garden is only temporary’, Andy looks at a song a week to show how layers of lyrics and music work together, ideas appear, and surprises are welcomed. In both series, Andy plays excerpts from the master tapes and discusses process, influences and inspirations. Each episode ends with a different version of the song from the one you'll find on the released recording. If the underlying theme of Series 1 was "How to make an album", Series 2 is "How to co-write an album". There are even more ways to write songs or record when two people are involved. And if you are old friends and bandmates, you don't need to be in the same room together."If you want to express something but don't know how to express it—tell the truth. This is powerful."
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The Sea Holds the Memory
The podcast is back! This is the first episode of Series 2 which looks at Andy White and Tim Finn's 'AT' album song by song. Andy has dug out their original writing demos plus some of the emails that whizzed back and forwards across the Tasman Sea between the two pals.
This week you'll hear what inspired Andy and Tim to get writing and how this first song came into being – an interview their ALT band mate Liam did with a Dun Laoghaire magazine, a couple of poems, and how they dragged Brian into the studio from the betting club down the road to finish the initial recording.
During each episode you'll hear each song several times in different ways but not as many times as we did (or John). Why? Because it is fun and this winter is very very cold. If you subscribe wherever you find your podcasts you will get an episode each week, as if by magic.
The Sea Holds the Memory by Finn/White
Played and recorded by Andy and Tim in Melbourne and Auckland
Podcast artwork by Sebastian White
Listen to and/or order Andy White and Tim Finn's 'AT' album on their Bandcamp
Listen to and/or order Andy's 'This garden is only temporary' album on his Bandcamp -
Three Sheep Grazing
After The Sea Holds the Memory, Andy and Tim started writing Three Sheep Grazing straight away. It started after a conversation with a friend about the village green and globalisation. Find out more in this second episode of the new series and hear the mysterious and marvellous musical elements that contribute to one of the lads' favourite songs on the 'AT' album.
Andy mentions two Oliver Postgate TV series he watched when he was a child (and perhaps more recently) Camberwick Green and Trumpton. Radiohead used Trumpton as the basis for the Burn the Witch video. The instrument that started the string arrangement is the Mellotron.
After you listen, do check out the video of Three Sheep Grazing. Directed by Sebastian White and animated by Kai Higham it is the cutest clip ever made. Can you spot the starfish?
Please share and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Enjoy the ride and see you next week!
Three Sheep Grazing by Finn/White
Played and recorded by Andy and Tim in Melbourne and Auckland
Strings by Jonathan Dreyfus
Podcast artwork by Sebastian White
Listen to and/or order Andy White and Tim Finn's 'AT' album on their Bandcamp
Listen to and/or order Andy's 'This garden is only temporary' album on his Bandcamp -
Bundle of their Dreams
Three tracks into the AT album and Andy steps up with a song that started in a similar way to I Decided to Fly from Altitude. This time, Tim and he go back and forward writing a song about their parents, although some of it ends up being about a certain Irish mongrel.
The latest dive into the AT master tapes reveals Bundle of their Dreams' relationship to Seventeen and uncovers the secrets of the dreaded Melodica. But most of all, that writing around a theme close to your heart is a good thing to do.
You'll hear demo versions of the song as a work-in-progress and the bundle they sent to John Leckie to mix. Plus Andy's toy piano. The only unanswered question is—why does he have a toy piano?
Please share and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Enjoy the ride and see you next week!
Bundle of their Dreams by Finn/White
Played and recorded by Andy and Tim in Melbourne and Auckland
Sebastian White on drums
I Decided to Fly by Finn/Ó Maonlaí/White
Played and recorded by ALT in Melbourne
Podcast artwork by Sebastian White
Listen to and/or order Andy White and Tim Finn's 'AT' album on their Bandcamp
Listen to and/or order Andy's 'This garden is only temporary' album on his Bandcamp -
Everything Twice
In this episode Andy turns his attention to Everything Twice, the fourth song he and Tim Finn wrote for the 'AT' album. The three previous songs had worked – the two chums were doing it again, and that was how the songs started. You can do it twice.
You'll hear how the song started with one phrase and a method songwriters use for jotting down a melody. Then a variety of increasingly crazed story lines before coming back to the original one. Doing it again, in Melbourne and Auckland.
If you are interested in Molly Bloom, there is a cute video guide to Ulysses here. 'You Know My Name Look Up The Number' is here.
As ever, you will hear early demos of the songs with alternative lyrics and a beautiful vocals-only recording of the song. At the end of the episode there is the final version they sent to John Leckie to mix.
Please share and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See you next week!
Everything Twice by Finn/White
Played and recorded by Andy and Tim in Melbourne and Auckland
Podcast artwork by Sebastian White
Listen to and/or order Andy White and Tim Finn's 'AT' album on their Bandcamp
Listen to and/or order Andy's 'This garden is only temporary' album on his Bandcamp -
Save me a Weekend
Sometimes everyone is too busy to talk. Or to meet. Andy has reached Save me a Weekend, the last track on side one of 'AT', the album co-written with Tim Finn. In Episode 5, the pals start off with one of them feeling grumpy and end up writing a wider lament.
Thankfully, Andy has edited out the update on his tooth situation, but there are digressions on singing harmony and Harriet the double bass. You can listen to her on I Will Wait and One in a Million. Poetry fans will be all over pathetic fallacy.
As always, you will hear early demo versions of the song as a work-in progress and one of the final rough mixes before it was sent to John Leckie to mix.
Please share and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See you next week!
Save me a Weekend by Finn/White
Played and recorded by Andy and Tim in Melbourne and Auckland
Podcast artwork by Sebastian White
Listen to and/or order Andy White and Tim Finn's 'AT' album on their Bandcamp
Listen to and/or order Andy's 'This garden is only temporary' album on his Bandcamp -
My Regeneration
"Hotels." No, "old hotels". "Thick walls." No, "thick thick walls." Pericles, a caterpillar and dashboard lights. If you have only heard the single version of My Regeneration, you will find the whole story here. Andy is halfway through his exploration of the 'AT' album he wrote with Tim Finn.
The sleep-inducing yet fascinating BBC series Andy mentions is In Our Time. The other Shakespeare plays are The Winter's Tale and The Tempest. We have no links for Andy's bass playing digression or his lack of interest in The Who. At least he sounds like he is having fun!
As ever, this episode contains a version of My Regeneration you won't have heard before. Changing your life is hard. There's only so much affliction you can choose to ignore. Hesitation and then … regeneration.
Please share and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See you next week!
My Regeneration by Finn/White
Played and recorded by Andy and Tim in Melbourne and Auckland
Drums and podcast artwork by Sebastian White
Listen to and/or order Andy White and Tim Finn's 'AT' album on their Bandcamp
Listen to and/or order Andy's 'This garden is only temporary' album on his Bandcamp