University College Salford – Hugh Carson Music

June 2021

THIS MONTH’S AUDIO UPLOADS:

Interlude (Anlg) – SKETCH – 1997:

To begin with, a very short instrumental. I discovered this track on a cassette of similar material that I estimate would have been written back in approximately 1997. A thoughtful number to kick off June’s ten uploads.

Always Be There (Anlg) (Nick Rundall Mix) – Sections – 1996:

One of three versions of Always Be There that Nick Rundall was directly involved in. In this instance, it’s his own remix created during the last of our University years. I always liked this version of the song, and it goes without saying that it’s always a privilege to have some of your creative endeavours recognised by way of someone else’s fine interpretation of them.

Sassy Queen (Picante Mix) – 2008:

An unused additional mix of this track, the original of which had been written for use on the landing page of a Turkish friend’s website – “Sassy Queen“. Probably only of any interest to me, but I like to compare and contrast the different versions of my tracks which tends to then tell the story of their evolution, and with a little luck, will ultimately display a little positive progress!

Worthless – 1992:

The closing track of my 1992 album, Just Enough, is yet another display of manic / hyper song writing. Lord alone knows what I was on at the time, but most of my output during those days was just a free-flow of energy. I think much of the crudeness of these tracks was down to having programmed the backing tracks on a small device (Yamaha QY10) which offered neither sustain nor reverb options, and so to cover up this fact, I just threw in as much busy (and unnecessary) instrumentation as possible. The resultant chaos would then often be overdubbed by additional synth parts (Korg M1), and a whole load of guitar. Talking of which, watch out for Jim Thomas as he summons the spirit of both Jay Graydon and Brian May for his soaring chorus descant lines. And it’s a good chorus. What can I tell you!

Family Film Scene Setter – Section – 2010:

Imagine if you will a 1980s/1990s John Hughes film. A moving overhead shot of a suburban scene in the sprawling leafy suburbs of perhaps Chicago? People are going about their daily business. The paperboy cycles along the streets throwing papers onto lawns. School kids trot merrily along pavements. A man waves at his neighbour whilst washing his car. You get the idea. And this is a sketch of the music that accompanies that opening scene.

I Just Know (Anlg) – Sections – 1993:

Following on from the manic nature of my first album of tracks, I had then clearly been on the beta-blockers or something as I slipped into a more reflective, and to be quite honest with you, self-indulgent phase of writing moody, thoughtful songs whose duration was positively prog rock-esque at times. This particular song in fact weighed in at a soul-destroying eight minutes in its original form. Mercifully, I’ve spared you from such a test of endurance on this occasion. I Just Know is another track featuring the guitar of Jim Thomas as well as some backing vocals from the same source.

Always Be There (Late Version) – Sections – 1998:

Whilst all involved were pretty happy with the original version of the song that had been recorded in the studios at University College Salford back in 1995 or so, I had personally always wanted to tighten a few things up, and to make it all a little more grandiose. And this was my attempt at that. Some things worked well, and others not so much.

Wayward Wolf Theme (Rough Cut Version) – 2012:

Another version of the track that had been intended as the main theme for my Wayward Wolf Film Review podcast. This was the podcast, of course, that never actually was. After much mming, aahing and before it even had a chance to actually commence, I abandoned that particular creative venture. Probably for the best.

Never Knew Love (Stripped Version) – 2012:

Essentially, this is just a late version mix of the song with most synths, piano and backing vocals dropped out, but I rather like the way it exposes Rebecca Saxton’s excellent vocals. The various other versions of this track can be found in August 2020’s mid-month uploads should you feel the burning desire to compare and contrast.

Early 90s Dance Backing Track (Anlg) – SKETCH – 1994:

I assume that this brief snippet that I’ve uploaded here was intended to be an upbeat song of some description, but unlike many backing tracks that I wrote and have then unearthed after many years, I am completely at a loss with this one as to what the melody might have been, let alone what it was going to be called. It sort of holds up on its own as an instrumental though – to some extent at least.

December 2020

This Month’s Audio Uploads:

Red Hot – Full Version – 2010

Despite the track’s title, this is not in fact some wah pedal-infused porn soundtrack music, but rather a CGN Songs commission piece for an enthusiastic retail marketing campaign. A sort of fun, jazzy, slightly Glen Miller-esque track idea, filling your minds with one thing only – the need to shop. And begging the question: “Why don’t you give it a shot? It’s gonna be red hot!” Face it, you’re even reaching for your cheque books as you listen to it. Job done.

Hammer Funk – DEMO – 2012

A funky synth, guitar, bass and brass track. Used a few times in a library music context over the years.

Easy (Anlg) – Section – 1998

A section from Easy, a second track taken from the Carson / Rundall 1998 demo tape. And it’s more or less a carbon-copy of my assessment of November’s track, ‘Givin’ It Up‘, with singer Zubeida’s vocal proving once again to be strong yet ultimately too free / not tight enough, groove-wise, in its delivery. I ran this track by Nick Rundall again recently and he more or less echoed my sentiments. We both agreed that some elements of the production should be revisited again too. Still, Easy remains a strong, radio-friendly pop song of which we’re both fairly proud. A strong song can always be identified as such regardless of how it’s dressed up and delivered. Excuse the occasional tape flutter. It is, after all, a 22 year-old C90 cassette recording!

La Vecchia Piazza – SKETCH – 2011

I envisioned a lovely old cobbled historic Italian Piazza in my mind, and on the back of that I came up with this little ditty. Probably inspired by the sort of location used in film’s such as Cinema Paradiso. Church bells and a gentle Waltz feel.

Music for ChewTV Promotional Ident – 2010

Another commission from the late Humtoo site. Lord alone knows what ChewTV is / was / could be, but this was my bit of throw-away guff to accompany its promotional ident.

This Time (Anlg) – Full Version – DEMO – 1995

Not to be confused with my unrelentingly upbeat CGN Songs track of the same name, this altogether more sombre affair is a melancholic song full of anguish. Not the greatest of lead vocal takes, admittedly, but another strong song, I feel. This demo was recorded entirely using a Yamaha SY85 Workstation, a Tascam 644 midistudio, and an effects unit – can’t recall which though.

Contemporary Latin Track – Full Version – 2010

As a frequent visitor to the Andalucian town of Marbella (Casco Antiguo area, not Puerto Banus) over the years since 1998, I have promised myself for the longest time that I would put together a video in tribute of said area. The HD video footage was shot many years ago and was always just waiting for a suitable soundtrack to accompany it. Hopefully this little contemporary latin number of mine can be just that. The Marbella project is one to be tackled in the future, and given my feelings for that particular part of the world, it will almost certainly be something of a labour of love. Watch this space…

Walking Tall (Anlg) – Full Version – 1995

If memory serves me correctly, Walking Tall was a track I wrote that was inspired in equal measures by 1980’s classic Brat-pack movie, The Breakfast Club, and by the 1980s soundtrack music of David Foster. The track is meant to depict some sort of triumph over adversity. Hold your head up and high. A positive message in a sea of negativity. Or something.

Motific (Anlg) – Full Version – 1994

An instrumental written as an assessment piece during my University College Salford days. The task? To write a piece that was ‘motific’, hence the track title. Excuse the audio quality. It’s a little fuzzy given that it was taken from an old cassette that had been festering in a box in a loft for more than two-and-a-half decades!

This Time (Anlg) – (Early Ideas) – SKETCH – 1995

A shortened sketch version of the This Time track featured earlier in this set of December audio uploads. Essentially this is a sort of early working version experimenting with a few ideas. And it’s another old cassette recording that I was blissfully unaware even existed until this year. Always interesting (for me at least!) to hear a track in progress.

June 2020: Midsummer Madness

Midsummer Audio Uploads:

A very happy Midsummer to you all!

And here are five bonus tracks to celebrate, including the first from the University College Salford era.

Enjoy.

NOW IS THE TIME (Tech Cut 2) – FULL VERSION – 1995:

Now Is The Time - SONG - Lyrics

This song was actually conceived in about 1991 or so, though was never properly recorded until 1995 in the studios at University College Salford. That said, there probably exists a QY10 backing / my own vocals version on cassette somewhere in the vaults. But it wasn’t until I got P.J (vocals) and Phil Mayers (guitar / rap) on board that I could do the track any sort of justice. It’s a little raw in places, but it remains one of the tracks from this era that I can happily return to without cringing my spine loose.

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THE WEDDING RECEPTION – FULL VERSION – 2013:

This is a little ditty that I wrote back in the Wayward Wolf Years intended for use as the accompaniment to wedding videos or slide shows. And judging by the number of times it got downloaded from an old Sound Cloud account of mine, it appears to have got plenty of use over time! And I’m glad to have contributed to people’s happy memories over the years. The pictures in the video are from Peter and Sandra’s lovely Swedish wedding all those many years ago.

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CHOCOLATE BAR ADVERT IDENT – FULL VERSION – 2011:

Think Charlie and The Chocolate Factory here. I’d completely forgotten about this little track actually. But I love the way it turned out, although I can barely remember having worked on it at all. The backing is the work of Peter Godfrey, and all melodies, vocals and lyrics are my handy work. Another of our many CGN Songs collaborations. Couldn’t tell you which chocolate bar this was written for though, or if anything ever came of it.

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SLIPPERY – SECTIONS – 2013:

Slippery was a general use library track written back in the Wayward Wolf Years. I’ve blended a number of sections together here.

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THEY WERE THE TIMES – SONG SAMPLE – SKETCH – 2011:

This sample is of the main chorus idea for a song that was written at the time of (though not necessarily about) the London Riots of 2011. Incredible to think that they were so long ago now. It’s very much a rough cut, but hopefully you’ll get the idea of where this track was ultimately going. I performed all vocals and wrote all lyrics.

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