Photography Information
The picture on the cover was taken by Debi Spell, our first Christmas together, 1997. I think I was about to open a lighthouse she gave me--I still get lighthouse catalogs because of that. One of those things where people get the idea you like something more than you do. I have nothing against lighthouses, just as I had nothing against Winnie-the-Pooh when people decided that every gift I got would be Pooh bear related (I was reading the book in school one day and they went from there). I made the wreath by cutting out colored paper and drawing on it, then pasting it with my picture. Like something you'd do for Christmas in Sunday School or first grade. I based the cover (sort of) on Jim Reeves' Twelve Days of Christmas. He's staring at you through an even cheesier wreath.
The inside cover was something Debi and I found funny, the "Thanks to our customer" sign. It's how I felt too, that maybe I had one fan of my music. I knew of at least one guy that wasn't a friend of mine. We took that in Pearl, which is the only true place to have Christmas. Hattiesburg may be my home, but Pearl is where the family is, and that's where Christmas is. That's not sentimental, just true.
The back cover was something I drew just for this album. I sort of took all the things I used to draw in elementary school and slapped them into one, which makes every single element look absurd in juxtaposition with the other, which is just how Christmas is. I hope the sloppiness of Christmas and the beauty of that sloppiness is perfectly clear with every aspect of this album.
Song Information
I've had several people ask me how I recorded this album. They don't ask much about the others, but they do about this one--maybe because this one has a wider audience (it's the only album my parents have listened to--and they liked it!). So I'll talk about it. First of all, it's the last album I've done which was done entirely with just a tape deck for recording (I used the computer to make some of the MIDI music, but I didn't record to computer). It ended that old-fashioned era.
* It's Christmas Again;
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; Senor Santa Claus; Santa Baby;
Rudolph vs The Man -- This is what Mnemonic Devices songs would
sound like if I recorded them straight to tape. I used the same
old methods, MIDI with mic.
* Jingle Bells; Joy to the World -- Just feeding the keyboards
into the tape deck.
* Silver Bells -- I recorded one guitar part to tape, then
recorded the other to tape while playing the first one.
Primitive, but I did it like that for years.
* The Chipmunk Song -- I recorded the Alvin part first, timing it
just right and talking slowly (along with the keyboard part),
then recorded the Rusty part in regular speed while playing the
Alvin part in dubbing speed. They got software for this now, but
this way was fun. Kind of like how Bagdasarian did it, I imagine.
* The First Noel -- This one was strangely recorded, I don't even
remember how exactly. I know I had the mic in strange places on
the accordion and that I overdubbed at least once.
* No, Virginia -- I played this one live on my Yamaha using
internal arpeggios.
* Ebenezer Scrooge -- I played this one straight, playing guitar
and singing into the tape deck.
* Hockey Stick! -- I was going to do something with this later,
but it was funnier this way.
* O Holy Night; Xmas Blah Blah Blah -- Started with MIDI part,
then added guitar part which I played and sung to live to tape.
* Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees -- Another one where I had to
get the timing right since I was having a conversation with
myself, essentially. I recorded Elvis's part first, then Scotty's.
* Angels We Have Heard On High -- Just blowing the harmonica into
the mic to tape.
* Silent Night -- MIDI part which I later layered with Linus's
reading.
Copyright (c) Sep 1999 - Nov 2005 by Rusty W. Spell and Love and Letters Music