Like the other albums in the Doris Gets Her Oats series, this one collects records made on a portable 4-track multitrack machines mostly between 1982 and 1986, during my college years in Smithfield and Logan, Utah. A couple were made after moving to Salt Lake.
The album cover has a photo I took of a llama while I was riding with my parents on a memorial day. You can see the green around his lips from grazing.
A lot of these songs have friends or family playing. Home recording has always been the best way to spend time with friends for me.
Remastering these in 2024 I’m struck by how good some of the instruments still sound coming off of tape 40 years old. Cassette was not intended to be a multitrack medium; and I never had a large arsenal of instruments or processing gear. I relied a lot on a second-hand Fostex rack compressor and an Ibanez digital delay. Most of the vocals were sung into a Radio Shack PZM mic and the guitars were recorded with the same mic. There were no plugins or any of that, of course. I used a number of different percussion instruments. Drumatix, TR-707 and whatever percussion might be found on various cheap keyboards and synths I managed to come by.
Credits & Notes
- “War’s Interlude” music by Briyan Frederick. I’m solo on this one; guitars and bass. I’m likely playing Wayne’s white stratocaster and my white Ibanez bass. People liked the sound of that bass and it holds up on these recordings.
- “Forever More” words and music by Briyan Frederick. I’m solo again on this one which was recorded in Salt Lake on 7th Avenue in the dining room. Percussion is me playing on the glass dining room table. The guitar slide is a glass slide Wayne or Brian Cantwell left in the studio.
- “I Am the Killer” words by Briyan Frederick, music by Briyan Frederick, Gregg Allen and Martin Baker. This was made in Smithfield in my bedroom. Gregg came over one day and we made this one. Wayne was with Chrissy in California so the guitar selection was limited to an acoustic guitar which I put through an overdriven pickup. My brother Martin came by and suggested the stacatto keyboard.
- “‘Til the Money’s Gone” words and music by Briyan Frederick. This song is one I’ve made several times and this time it was me, Wayne and Brian Cantwell in my D Street apartment in Salt Lake making a sort of live acoustic cassette album. It’s Wayne or Brian on bass. I think Brian is finger tapping drums and playing the solo. We all sing.
- “Us Against Them” words and music by Briyan Frederick. A solo recording created toward the end of my time in Smithfield.
- “The Leisure Class” music by Briyan Frederick and Gregg Allen. I made thi s on a cheap keyboard. It may have bee one that Gregg brought. The percussion, organ and bass are from that and then I doubled some guitars and Gregg put down the sax. This was just a fun time with Gregg getting a workout on his sax.
- “On the Outskirts Of Town” words and music by Briyan Frederick. Wayne plays the solos on this and the electric guitars.
- “Fighting Off the Phantoms” words by Briyan Frederick, music by Joe Maki and Briyan Frederick. Joe and I recorded the instruments in his apartment in Logan. He’s playing all of them and I’m recording. It took some convincing to get him to play the hammer-on section. The synth is a Casio CZ1000. Joe used a Rockman on the guitars. Later, I had Gregg Allen come to my house to do the lead vocal. In the very beginning you can hear a little kid. That’s my nephew Craig playing in the basement with us while Gregg and I were recording.
- “I Will Follow” words and music by Briyan Frederick. Solo recording. I only have this on a cassette dub which is trashed with dropouts so this version is actually made better by dropping a couple unusable sections off the original. Percussion and keys are from the Casio CZ1000.
- “‘Til the Money’s Gone (original version)” words and music by Briyan Frederick. I made this solo. I don’t remember if the keyboards sounds come from the Casio CZ1000 or what. I coaxed Gregg to come sing and play the sax.
- “I Can’t Take It” words by Briyan Frederick, music by Briyan Frederick and Gregg Allen. This is an early 4-track recording with Gregg. It was really the first time we made something that was something, if that makes sense. Gregg is playing the more lead run guitar and I’m playing the rest
- “Nothing Left” words and music by Briyan Frederick. This is one of those recordings where I took the 4-track to more than one place to have people contribute. I wrote and then played the basic tracks; the bass, electirc piano, rhythm guitars. Then I wend to Joe’s and he put down the piano. Then I had Brian Cantwell play the lead guitar. It kind of came together bit by bit with the styles of each person contributing to the whole thing.
- “Come Be My Girl” words and music by Briyan Frederick. This solo recording is just a couple guitars and a bass with a vocal but it’s still a favorite.
- “Doris Reprised” music by Briyan Frederick. A solo guitar instrumental .
