Perpetuum Mobile by Martin Harris

Perpetuum Mobile
tracks recorded ca. 1990-1991 using a 4-track cassette recorder

Perpetuum Mobile (my third LP) begins with a short collaboration with Ash Bowie (Polvo) titled “Time’s Arrow” on which Ash plays all guitars and I play fretless bass. The longer title track also features Ash delivering a three-minute electric guitar solo during the song’s second half. The backing melody remains unchanged throughout “Perpetuum Mobile” (the second word pronounced “moh-buh-lee”), only interrupted by the bridge occurring at the song’s exact midpoint. Unlike later albums, this one features no sequencing, with all tracks directly recorded into the cassette mixer and the entire song having been built piece by piece over the course of several months. The cover is a detail from Plate 7 of Jacob Leupold’s 10-volume “Theatri Machinarum Generale” (published ca. 1724-1739) (public domain).

I’m a musician, writer, reporter, and teacher living in North Carolina. The albums were each self-produced using a cassette four-track recorder. All are instrumental aside from the pop album, “Welcome to Muscle Beach.” All songs & instruments by me except where noted.

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