All That Beauty was recorded in the winter of Northern Ireland, up in the hills in a converted shed on a Dairy farm outside of Belfast. My farmer grandfather would have said it would be a good place to milk cows. But he didn’t know much about recording music. When it snowed I would almost have had to agree with him. If it started to snow we would walk outside, look up into the sky to try and work out if the snow was going to stop or not. If it looked like it was settling in we would have to leave the hills and the studio or we might not be able leave later on. I guess you could still keep milking cows when it snowed. One night we did leave it too late and the drive back into town was a little dangerous! As we slid all over the road my producer, engineer and driver Hammy would only say, “We’ll be ok as long as we don’t use the brakes”. I kept thinking, but what if we need to stop! Safely back in town, Hammy and I would sit in the front room of his house with a whiskey, looking out across the Irish Sea and discussing the plan for the next day in the studio. One night Hammy said, “Charlie Webb from Leonard Cohen’s band is coming over from London to sing on another songwriter’s song. We could ask her if she would like to sing on some of your songs”. Charlie said yes. Many other great musicians played and sang on this album; all of them Irish except for the previously mentioned English girl. I’m a lucky Australian, but I had to go to Ireland to be one. |
1. All or nothing
2. Wouldn't you say?
3. All that beauty
4. Chapter two
5. Stars
6. The first drum
7. Until I'm gone
8. Speck of dust
9. He was a man once
10. Kissed in a dream
11. The road
12. You've won
Down Every Street is a sublime effort from a similarly sublime artist. As always the songs are strong, sometimes anthemic and sometimes poignant. The arrangements are understated but perfect, the lyrics honest, exploratory and bare. The moods range from stripped back acoustic sounds to brooding rock and roll with even a touch of mariachi horns. The musicians helping him out are simply expressing a shared joy at working again with superb material and a genuine musical enigma. Read the full review here. |
1. The Moon
2. Curve of Your Heart
3. The Bend
4. All Over
5. Saved By The Bell
6. Down Every Street
7. Version of Me
8. Ten Good Hearts in One
9. Chapter One
10. Stranger
11. Untitled
| In 1998, at Periscope again, David attempted to record and mix a double album. Not happy with the results, it was shelved. David takes the blame for being too ambitious. Then in 2003, the 5 acoustic solo songs from this 1998 session were transferred from the analogue tapes to Pro tools and mixed by Shane O’Mara at Yikesville Studios. With another 9 new songs recorded it was finally released in 2003. Includes a hidden 11 minute, rambling narration of David’s uneducated view of Australian history, with just acoustic guitar and vocal. It might have been more educated but when David was at school they only offered American History as a subject. |
1. Blank 
2. Swallowed by the sky
3. Fork
4. Where she goes
5. Would I trade world peace for you?
6. High and low
7. Autumn ears
8. My eyes
9. Wasteland
10. Right on time
11. All senses
12. Dead and buried
13. All you good people
The Biggest Record
Company
In The World
17 songs culled from 23 that were recorded by Laurence Maddy at Periscope (and again Tim !). Then finished and mixed by Laurence at Platinum studios. Released in 1996 on Cd. Many crowd favorites are found on this one including: Scrap, Fortified, Scared again, Wait, We cross the line, and Here we go. |
1. When the world says hello
2. The sign's down
3. Scared again
4. Lie down here
5. We cross the line
6. Fortified
7. Never learned
8. Stupid century
9. Hands off this sinner
10. Did you get away?
11. Heart treason
12. Scrap
13. Simply survivors
14. Wait
15. Here we go
16. Side of me
1. French Letter
2. Scrap
3. Fortified
4. French Letter (Moo version)
| A full length album recorded and mixed in 10 days at Periscope (thank’s again Tim!) by Paul Kosky. Released in 1994 on Cd. Includes live crowd favorites “Bigger than England” and “Her Hymn". |
1. Falling Awake
2. You say you know
3. Shadow shot
4. Bigger than England
5. Hanging on to Mt. Everest
6. The intended way
7. Her hymn
8. I will love you
9. Midnight son
10. Oh Ganga
11. Bigger than England (reprise)
| Released in 1992 on Cd. A mini album of David’s first recordings in a proper studio. The drums and bass were recorded in Periscope Studios. Periscope was owned by Tim Finn who was very generous and didn’t charge David the going rate for a 24 track analogue recording studio. Then all other instruments vocals and solo songs were recorded and mixed in Platinum studios (now Sing Sing). Produced by David, Paul Kosky, Kalju Tonuma and Laurence Maddy. |
1. Parallel steel
2. All
3. Slow runners
4. The inventor of fire
5. Mortal you
6. Dark time
7. And if I wait
8. The new end
| Released on Vinyl in 1990. Recorded on a 144 Tascam porta studio, in various bedrooms where David was living at the time. Did you know that Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” was done on the same machine? So we’ve been told anyway. Recorded by David and mixed by Paul Kosky. |
1. Chalkdust
2. Does he love you?
3. More black than gold
4. She's gone
5. Andrea
6. I am
7. Dying love
8. Serenade
9. Long time
10. The deep black sky
11. Talking to me