Recorded May 2003 to January 2004.

The 9th Warhorse album is the crowning achieving of this rather under-productive middle period. For this project I had my Yamaha 8-track machine which was a marvellous step up from using analogue 4-track. With 8 tracks I could now have the drums in on two tracks by themselves. And then I still have six tracks to play with. Recording digitally also makes moving around the song much easier and got rid of some of the issues of tape hiss and tape speed variation.

For this project I employed the cool new drum machine I bought in Japan. And also thanks to my brother, I now had his old Roland W30 and U2-20 sound module so the end result was a project that sounded better than any I’d done to that point. It would actually end up being the last album using synths and drum machines as I shifted to using software.

Included on this Warhorse album are Illumination and Unity that would end up being re-recorded for my début CD.

1. Ball of Confusion (Jan ’04)
This was the second last song I recorded for the album. Originally by the Temptation, I was introduced to the song via the versions by Love and Rockets and Duran Duran. Each version adapts the words and I did likewise.

2. Shock & Awe (May ’03)
This was the final song I ever recorded using the Fostex 4-track and the only such on this album (which is why the sound quality is inferior). This song was a protest against the hawkishness that led to the Iraq war.

3. Brave New World (May ’03)
My first piece using the Yamaha MD8 track (predating the latter tracks on Kyrie). The verse words I had written years before while living in Japan. The song as an environmental awareness theme.

4. Illumination (June ’03)
While working on my debut CD, I was eager for it to feature some original material and I composed this to be the title track. The song is anti-war.

5. No Time For Tomorrow (summer ’03)
One of the highlights of the album. The pre-chorus recycles from the Asterix song Inferno (1994).

6. Otsu 大津 (summer ’03)
The city of Otsu (capital of Shiga prefecture) was the next city over from where I lived in Japan. During their festival in October various musicians would play a tune similar to this.

7. Paranoid (and Armed to the Teeth) (August ’03)
Musically this borrows a lot from Call Me by Blondie. Lyrically it is a critique of American gun culture.

8. Tax Collectors (autumn ’03)
This is a musical college made of various samples.
Specifically:
-A taiko drum group performing at Yasaka shrine, Kyoto (recorded by Marc, spring 2001)
-St Joseph’s Choir (incl Marc) singing ‘Hallelujah My Father’ at Good Friday Concert 1994. (Played up an octave)
-Ed Coderre as John the Baptist and the tenor section of St Joseph’s Choir (incl Marc) as the tax collectors, dialogue portion of ‘A Voice Cries Out in the Wilderness”) at Advent Vigil concert 1991.
-Alex Campbell as person who is afraid (part of monologue proceeding ‘Save the People’) at Advent Vigil Concert 1988.

9. Child of Mystery (c. Oct ’03)
This was inspired by the birth of my son in August. It has three parts that eventually overlap. The first melody is based on I Will Praise You Lord by Paul Inwood.

10. Make Me Believe (c. Oct ’03)
This was actually recorded before Child of Mystery. Like that, this one is also inspired by the birth of my son. Having a child makes you see the work differently.

11. Instant Gratification (Dec ’03)
I built this around one of the bass lines built-in with the Zoom drum machine. A song about frustration. I threw in reference to ‘That’s the Way I Like it’ for good measure.

12. Up on the Roof (Jan ’04)
The Nylons had done an a cappela version of this and in 1989 my brother had figured out the parts so that my father, brothers, and I could perform it at a choir party. Michael also did a home version of it. In 1998 I did a version that added myself on two of the parts and with him on the others (this appeared on the Alter-Ego project). For the 2004 I did all the parts myself, using his as a guide. This was the final song recorded for Circle Nine.

13. Inspirations (Nov ’03)
A multi-section song featuring words taken from a calendar called Inspirations that featured quotes from various people included Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, Elizabeth Bibesco, and Sia Baba. The instrumental section of this song would later be reused in the second half of the song Inspiration(no-S) from Inspiration CD.

14. Unity (Dec ’03)
It’s rare I write songs that are this optimistic. After recording this I knew I should also have in my CD project. In the studio version I changed a recurring note in the verses to fit the chord better.