A copy of the Mystery Of The Universe / Back In The 80's - single on compact disc - slimline jewel case, with professional label-printed compact disc and folding 2-page booklet that fits into the case. The booklet is double-sided, with 4 pages of print on 180gsm photo paper.
Includes unlimited streaming of Mystery Of The Universe/Back In The 80's (double-single)
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
This is NOT the song 'Master Of The Universe', by Hawkwind. This song has freshly-penned lyrics, written by John Zonn, for the two thousand and tennies. Whilst the new lyrics do adopt a similar theme and are sung in a similar style, the original song only had two verses, with seven lines per verse and no chorus; whereas the Zonn song contains three verses, with eight lines per verse, plus a chorus. Furthermore, the music has been subtly modified in the Zonn creation, so that this is definitely a different song. Additionally, Zonn is not a Hawkwind fan; or perhaps more correctly: he is NO LONGER a Hawkwind fan, if he ever truly was. Certainly, he remembers feeling disappointed on first listening to their 'Sonic Attack' album,
back in the early nineteen-eighties. Conversely, he later learnt to appreciate that particular recording and he even travelled to various venues to experience their live performances. And this is why he came to record himself, on analogue 4-track, aged eighteen, playing the guitar arrangement to the Hawkwind song 'Master Of
The Universe', and it is this very same recording that he has sampled to provide the guitar track on his new song 'Mystery Of The Universe'.
The fresh lyrics draw attention to the impossibility of ever truly knowing what 'life' is about. They are philosophical murmurations around the subjects of 'reality' and 'time'; the latter topic holding primary significance within the new song, as Zonn was physically struggling to perform the guitar part and so needed a virtual guitarist, for which he discovered a coping mechanism - rather like the way Rick Allen, of Def Leppard fame, plays drums.
The nineteen-eighty-six recording also provided Zonn with an important vivid reminder of his 'mis-spent' teenage years, as well as providing an aid in assisting him to come-to-terms with the ageing process - that will inevitably affect all humans, and indeed, all life on this planet. There could be plenty more to write about, suffice for the
moment to say that this is a new song called 'Mystery Of The Universe', and is NOT the old 'Master Of The Universe' Hawkwind song written by Nik Turner & Dave Brock.
Hereafter are some additional notes, written by John Zonn: "As well as the guitar, I also put on some bass, finger cymbals, wood block and a tiny bit of extra guitar. The saxophone, by a bloke called Mothball (who was originally from Leatherhead, in Surrey), is from a tape recording of a jam with a few others that was recorded in 1988, in Epsom, where I grew up. Then there's also me playing a shehnai ('Indian oboe') solo; that is a new instrument to me. The whooshing synth sounds are mostly (though not entirely) sampled from a recording I made when I borrowed Dave Acres' synth, back in 1985. The drums and cowbell are from samples that I downloaded off the internet and re-arranged. Further to all this, there are some samples of Buddhist ceremony drums and horns that I recorded on tape cassette (in the good ol' days) at a temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 1998." That's all for now!
credits
from Mystery Of The Universe/Back In The 80's (double-single),
released November 18, 2018
Original music by Nik Turner/Dave Brock, adapted by John Zonn. Lyrics written by John Zonn, who also did the vocals, guitars, synth, keyboard, bass, rhythm programming, shehnai & percussion. Original tenor sax by Mothball. Original Buddhist prayer drums & horns by Buddhist monks at Swayambunath, Nepal.
Cover design by John Zonn. 'Mystery Of The Universe' photos by John Zonn, except for the small photo of Zonn, aged 18, by Steve Ryan.
Thanks to Dave Acres for lending John his SH09 synth.
For free-thinkers everywhere, John Zonn creates songs and music inspired by the environment and people around him, including
through actual life experiences.
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