Blog: At Last, Deanshanger!

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Today is the first of December which means it's the first day of Advent which means, around here anyway, that it's the first day of The Joyzine Advent Calendar!.

Me and/or The Validators have had a track on this nearly every year it's been going, but this is the first time we've ever been behind DOOR ONE! Our contribution is a cover version of 'Deanshanger' which is FINALLY available after approx a hundred years and a MILLION attempts to get it released!

All right, maybe not QUITE that long/many, but it's definitely been AGES. The Validatiors originally went into the studio to record it back in 2012, along with The Flashing Santa and (unbeknownst to me) their version of The Peterborough All-Saints Wide Game Team (group B) for It Only Works Because You're Hibbett. At the time there was talk of a Prolapse Tribute Album and as we had an actual functioning MEMBER of Prolapse in the band we thought it would be rude NOT to do something. After they'd done their parts in Snug (featuring Frankie on guitar and I think EMMA on bass) I added my bits at home and MIXED it, to make sure we got it done in good time for the compilation's deadline.

As with so VERY MANY such compilations we were amongst the first to send something and then it all went a bit quiet. Some time later i contacted the organiser who told me that they'd never got quite enough tracks in and it had pretty much died. I reckon 90% of compilations go like this. At the start everyone's EXCITED and BAGSIES a track, two or three SWOTS rush off to record their songs, but then everybody else puts it off, doesn't get around to it and forgets until all interest is lost.

I know this process because I've been through it a LOT - In The North Stand on the new album, for instance, was originally written and recorded for an album of football songs, while SEVERAL of the tracks on Like A Braunstone Cowboy were rescued orphans from tributes that never got finished. I also know this process because it happened at least two more times with this very song, where it was offered for projects that sounded fun but never actually happened.

We even talked about releasing it OURSELVES earlier on in the year, when Prolapse reformed and went on tour but, to be honest, that didn't seem quite right to me. I was MORE than happy to go the gigs, get drunk, leap around, say hello to people I'd not seen for decades and WAVE EXCITEDLY to Tim when he was on a big stage, but I didn't really want to try and CA$H IN. THUS the track remained upon my hard drive, unheard by most, waiting for its moment to shine.

So, when Paul Joyzine sent his usual email round asking for contributions to their Advent Calendar I thought "Sod it, let's stop waiting and UNLEASH this ROCK BEHEMOTH on the world." I also thought "It's not very Christmassy is it?" but then realised that there would be MORE than enough Christmas to go round (including our new song "Roy Wood At The Blue Note", coming soon!) and a bit of Sonic Noise Terror could be just as festive. Probably.

It'll be on the site for the rest of the month, I guess, but if I were you I'd pop over and download it right now just to make sure you get it. And once you've done back, pop and have a look for the rest of Advent, they always have a lot of GRATE stuff, and it's all FREE!

posted 1/12/2015 by MJ Hibbett

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