This five-track collection of odds and ends, didn’t have the space on it’s sleeve, but here are some unedited notes on each track that were prepared before we found that out.
1) Desde Ayer (Mendoza) obviously on a serious Los Brincos kick, this was written sometime around five in the morning on the last day (1/11/99) of Bart’s first tour of Spain, in Angel Carrasco’s living room. With Victor Penalosa on drums, recorded at Mike Kamoo’s Earthling Studios in a batch of eleven demos recorded in a single day. “Sorrow” (a Merseys cover) and “Sympathy” (a Los Bravos cover) from the same session appears on the band’s What You’re Missing compilation, “Grace Intervenes” & “The Waiting Game” show up on Chelsea Smiles, and “Pretty Well Lit” is on a Yesterday Girl Records compilation. The remaining three are set to be rerecorded for the next Shambles album.
2) Jumpin In The Night (Jordan) Originally recorded for a Flamin’ Groovies tribute album that stalled, this is a demo of a song played in the live set as far back as the Tom Ward days of Manual Scan, circa 1986. Again from the Victor sessions.
3) Rain Alternate Mix (Mendoza) The “Clouds All Day” album was recorded over the space of 4 years and resulted in about 38 finished masters. We experimented as we recorded, so there are literally dozens of mixes and “unique” takes. Most of this is pretty close to the finished versions, or just plain unreleasableJ. Luckily there are a few cases where things are different “enough”. Which brings us to this excellent and fairly drastic remix by Kevin. The whole feel is changed and modernized without losing it’s light pop touch.
4) She’s Got Everything (Davies) A demo of a Kinks classic (aren’t they all). Our set list by the way includes: “I Gotta Move”, “I Need You”, “Til The End Of The Day”, “C’mon Now”, “Where Have All The Good Times Gone” “All Night Stand” “I’m Not Like Everybody Else” “You Really Got Me” “All Day And All of the Night”. And, for our friend in Valencia “Lola”. Yet another tune from the Victor Penalosa sessions.
5) Wendy Never (Mendoza/Brandes) Another outtake from the “Clouds All Day” album and, yes, that would be half a middle eight by Ray Brandes. The song was originally written for a Christmas (with appropriate holiday lyrics) show in Hollywood with the Wondermints, dating it to circa ‘94. I remember sleeping for an hour in the car on the way up from San Diego and waking up as the door to Lisa’s car was opened with the words “…you’re on man”. I don’t actually remember playing, I thought I dreamt the gig.