what's it all about then?

when Peter Pan was asked if he was afraid of death, he replied that death was "an awfully big adventure".

this track is really dedicated to two people who I know are still very close though they no longer physically walk this planet; my mother - Joan Davies, who was the person along with my father, who taught me that life was there for the living, and that everything and everyone, mattered;

the other is Belinda Williams, a very dear friend of mine whose attitude towards her battle with cancer both inspired and humbled me.  I saw Bel all too briefly very shortly before she died; she was heavily sedated but told me a little story that she and her cancer had been talking, and she'd been telling it in no uncertain terms (as anyone who knew Bel would easily believe) that if it killed her - it had lost.  She truly believed that the triumph would be hers as she would be the one at peace, and the cancer would have nowhere to go.  As I fought back my tears and laughter I knew that tale had already changed my life.  More than any sermon I had heard, that experience has shaped my views on death.

so, a cheery little number to put first you might think, but I tried to inject a lot of hope in the piece.  Really hope you like it.

the track is also for those who have outlived mum and Bel; my dad and for Brett.  I know we all miss our friends, but they really are having the most awfully big adventure now.....

instruments & tone sources

Sounds mostly from the Orchestral card on the Roland JV 1080 (four layered string ensembles), with tympanis from the Roland GR1 guitar synth and drums played manually from the Zoom 234. 

production comments

i really wanted to do one track at least where there was no guitar.  i've been known for a while for my use of guitar synth and i think a number of people were expecting a lot of guitar synth stuff on this album, and there's actually very little.  even this track nearly didn't have it, but for the fact that the tymps on the GR1 were actually a bit better fit in the track than on the JV orchestral card!! 

it was fun to do a track mainly on keyboards, which i play very badly, but i wanted to work it all out and get it right.  there was no midi tidy up on this, all keyboard parts were played into the recorder in one take... after hours of endless rehearsal takes to get it right!!!!  It was good fun, and a real challenge.