I'm sure every songwriter has songs they have recorded and, for whatever reason. they get tucked away and saved for later. As songwriting is an ongoing endeavor, sometimes these "secret songs" gather in our private stashes and eventually are rediscovered, often to be seen and heard in a new light. This series will reveal some of the songs in my secret collection.
Episode 1: "Shed My Skin"
Recorded at The Magic Shop, NYC.
Producer Steve Rosenthal and I had been talking about recording together, and he asked to hear some of my recent songs. I played him a few new ones, and he chose this one right away.
Immediately, we started experimenting with various analogue synths and vintage samplers, and making tape loops of the main guitar riff here in my apartment.
Once in the studio, Steve created a double drum kit with which the drummer Tom Goss could swing between a small, tighter kit for the chorus, and a big kit for the verses. For the sound of the bass, played by Tony Shanahan, Steve experimented with duplicating Paul McCartney's bass rig he used during the mid-1960s Beatles records, following the mic techniques described by their EMI engineer Geoff Emerick. Tony also played a Hofner bass, similar to Paul's.
We cut the rhythm section live with the loops, then overdubbed synths, guitar, and Mellotron. A really cool session!
lyrics
Shed My Skin - Lyrics
(Words and Music by Richard Barone)
I'm gonna shed my skin tonight
I'm gonna shed my skin tonight
Gonna drive right through this town
Gonna slay the dragon down
I'm gonna shed my skin tonight
This ain't no phase I'm going through
I'm gonna shed my skin for you.
Gonna let the monster loose tonight
Gonna let the monster loose tonight
Gonna take you by the hand
Gonna show you who I am
Gonna let the monster loose tonight
This ain't no phase I'm going through
I'm gonna shed my skin for you
I'm lying fast awake, I've taken all I'll take
I'm a coiled snake
My eyes are open wide, I've got a beast inside
Wants to take my soul for a ride
I'm gonna shed my skin tonight
I'm gonna shed my skin
Gonna take you by the hand
Gonna show you who I am
I'm gonna shed my skin tonight
This ain't no phase I'm going through
I'm gonna shed my skin for you
This ain't no phase I'm going through
I'm gonna shed my skin for you.
Richard Barone is a recording artist, performer, producer, & author. Since pioneering the indie rock scene in Hoboken NJ as
frontman for The Bongos, Barone has produced numerous studio recordings and worked with artists in every genre. His recent album 'Sorrows & Promises' and latest book 'Music + Revolution' are tributes to the early 1960s music scene in Greenwich Village NYC, where Barone lives....more
What a beautiful compilation, John Wesley Harding covered by a variety of popular artists. Well worth the money. It is hard to just pick one song, they are all wonderful writerrb
John Drumbo French from Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band worked with Thompson on two albums along with Fred Frith and Henry Kaiser.
Those two French, Frith, Kaiser and Thompson albums led me to this.
Also, Richard Thompson taught Hugh Cornwell (of The Stranglers) how to play the bass guitar in a band when they were both at the same school (Emil and The Detectives?).
With a career spanning 50 years and playing with two of my heroes (French and Cornwell) Thompson has produced a fascinating EP. yellowcakeuf6
Jody Stephens of Big Star and Luther Russell of the Freewheelers team for a radiant LP packed full of slide guitar and pop smarts. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 11, 2019
Rundgren-esque rock with big hooks and a hint of the baroque, recommended for fans of Jon Brion and post-Kill Rock Stars Elliott Smith. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 20, 2024