Tom: I used a bunch guitars for this record, including several Fenders (’58, ‘64, and ’65 Stratocasters and a beat up 70’s Telecaster), Gibsons (’65 SG Special, 70’s Goldtop Les Paul, and a Korina Flying V), and an old metal body Dobro and a couple more. For amps, an old Vox AC-30 (thanks Roy Goode), several Fenders including a ’56 tweed Bandmaster, a ’66 Vibrolux Reverb and a ’62 white Bassman (thanks Analog Mike), a 70’s Marshall 50 watt, a ‘62 Gibson Discoverer, and a few Ampegs (a V-4 and a Reverborocket) were used. Outboard effects include a Thomas Organ Cry-Baby, an Ibanez TS-9, a Maestro Echoplex, a Leslie, an Orange Squeezer, and an MXR Flanger.

Scott: 10 years ago, we were mailing a cassette tape back and forth with songwriting ideas. Now we e-mail MP3s. Much has changed since those days, and the progression of the songs and recordings have evolved as well.

 

SONGS:

 

Habits of Mine

Scott: Tom and I both saw Ian Hunter play back in 1982 when he came to Hartford. We were both fans of him before we met each other in college. It's fitting that we had a song that was influenced by his band Mott The Hoople as our first song released together as a band. We also had Billy Squire's keyboardist sitting in, which sort of happened by accident.

Tom: This was a riff that I gave Scott, with the repeating melody played through a Leslie, which you can hear on the right channel.

Crazy Girl

 

Scott: What would Springsteen sound like if he listened to a little punk now and then?

Tom: This developed out of a sort of punk / surf rock riff that I had given Scott years before. Played the '58 Strat clean through my '56 Fender tweed Bandmaster for this cut, and amp that later was sold to J. Geils.

Monkeyfinger

Scott: I wrote the lyrics about Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots. I like their music at times, but it was usually overshadowed by the singers' annoying demeanor and self-destructive behavior. The song sounds like a sludgy Kiss tune. We had Rick Derringer sit in on guitar. He and Tom dueled it out. I sing like some sort of a satanic wild beast at times. Other times, I am just a pop star.

Tom: Featuring Rick Derringer and me on guitars, I play the main riff on my '76 P90 Goldtop through a '65 Vox AC30 TB, and Rick plays the counter riff on his custom shop strat, tuned to D, through my '66 Vibrolux Reverb using my TS9 Tubescreamer. I play the solo on the end of this one using a '70's Strat with a whammy bar setup.

Devil Moon

Scott:I often found myself shaping some of the vocals to fit the songs. Since then, I tend to stick to my own style, but back then... I didn't really have one singular approach for this band yet. I thought about Box-Tops-era Alex Chilton on this one.

Tom: Played the whole song on my '76 P90 Goldtop through a '65 Vox AC30 TB. We mic'd the top and bottom of the snare drum to give a more snappy sound on this.

Slipaway

 

Scott:One of Tom's songs, and he wanted the vocals to soar a bit more than his. I felt like Bono in a Manchester (UK) band on this tune.

 

Tom: Used a more melodic approach on this, tried to approximate George Harrison on the slide solo. Used my J200 Gibson acoustic on this, with the rhythm and lead being played on the '58 Strat through the Vibroloux Reverb. Mike Hayden used those chopsticks on the drums.

Tomonga Street

 

Scott: A cautionary tale about looking for bad things on a shady street. Crazed, sloppy, Stones/NY Dolls influenced rock.

Tom: This was (bassist) Kenny Aaronson's favorite track off the cd, and told me we should write the entire next album in the key of Open G tuning to give it that Stonesy sound. I played the '58 Strat through an Ampeg V4 for the entire track. Future Mambo Sons' drummer Joe Lemieux played on this track.

I Go Wild

 

Scott: One of Tom's songs from "the Bones". I changed the lyrics to be one of a sex crazed guy cruising in his car and meeting a girl, who loves him long time, and then winds up on the pavement in the morning. Tom has pointed out that I have written several songs with the formula/theme "guy meets girl, guy makes it with girl, girl robs guy blind."

 

Tom: I had this riff leftover from my old band "The Dirty Bones" and Scott wrote some new lyrics about one of our favorite subjects, getting thrown to the pavement by a woman! Played a reissue Gibson Firebird through the Vibrolux for this, although everyone swears its a Strat. Bass was played by Gina Gunn.

Naste'Shonde'

Scott: Okay, Eddie Grant and Shabba Ranks are not my favorite vocalists. Not even close. But Peter Tosh? Tom and I both saw him in concert in the early '80s, and viewed him in a a god-like manor. Tom wrote a reggae song, and I felt we needed to do a tribute to Peter instead of Bob Marley... which everybody has done already.

Tom: Our fun, experimental reggae track. I just played keyboards on this and wrote the horn arrangement.

Give Me the Party

 

Scott: I got the title from a slogan within a book by Lester Bangs. He referred to music, and he wanted it to be honest, exciting... and a little empowering. I caterwauled on this one quite a bit.

Tom: This was played on the Goldtop through the Vox AC30 cranked. I liked playing th is live, but we dropped it from the set shortly after doing it because it required 2 guitars (the middle break is in open G tuning).

Everybody's Got a Little Judy in Them

 

Scott: Tom's first venture into singing lead vocals. I sing backgrounds. I sound like Axl Rose at times on this one. Not intenional. 

 

Tom: I made my singing debut on this and I still cringe when I hear it, but this tune is the most downloaded song out of any of the Mambo Sons cds. I played this on the '58 Strat, and Jimi Bell played the lead guitar part - his G&L Tele through my Vibrolux Reverb..

It Was You (featuring Rick Derringer)

 

Scott: I wrote this song with a band up in Boston called "The Kingsleys." I re-wrote the lyrics and we added another guitar punch by having Rick sit in on guitar again. We let him fly.

Tom: Another track featuring Rick Derringer, who masterfully plays the lead guitar on this tune, which went from a funky tune to sounding more poppy ala Steve Miller. I played my goldtop through the Vox AC30 and Rick played his custom shop Strat through my Vibrolux Reverb, using a TS9. Jim Rosati guested on funk bass here..

The Power of Time

 

Scott: There is a place up in New Hampshire called the Cathedral Of The Pines.

 

Tom: Our big acoustic number for this track, played on my Gibson J200. I like the tone we got on this. Alan St. Jon played some nice, Van Morrison like keys, and this almost featured Zanny Gaudet from Eight to the Bar on vocals, but after several attempts, it just didn't sound as good as Scott singing solo.

 

Other Details:

Rick Derringer played his white Fender Custom Shop Relic Stratocaster through a mid-80’s Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamer, into the ‘66 Vibrolux Reverb.

Jimi Bell played his lefty G&L w/ P-90’s, directly into the Vibrolux Reverb.

Kenny played Fender Precision, Rickenbacker 4001, and Ibanez basses through an ART tube preamp directly into the board. Slap bass effect on Track 10 achieved by miking the bass neck.

Mike played Slingerland drums and Zildjian cymbals

Gina Gunn played her ’66 Fender J-Bass (nice candy apple red!) through an ART tube preamp directly into the board (see Gina's website at www.ginagunn.com).

All vocals recorded via Audio Technica mics through tube preamps

Alan St. John played a variety of keyboards including a Hammond B-3

Freddie Mac used a Hammond XB3 and a Roland electric piano

Garry Segal played his blues harp through a late 50’s Fender tweed champ

Rob Fried played an assortment of percussion (I mean, it took us an hour to just unload his car!)

Jim Rosati played his Ibanez EB-600 bass through a Peavey T-Max directly into the board

Digital recording on Ensoniq PARIS system with Tria 20/20 monitors

 

THE PLAYERS ON THE FIRST ALBUM

TOM GUERRA - Guitar and Vocals

SCOTT LAWSON - Lead Vocals

MIKE HAYDEN - Drums

KENNY AARONSON - Bass

COLLIN TILTON, DOUG JONES - Saxophones

RICK DERRINGER - Lead Guitar

JOE "THE CAT" LEMIEUX - Drums on "Tomonga Street"

 

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