nonsequential by Ted Brown

Ted Brown Album - Nonsequential
Something like thirty years ago. When most of the good times I recall involved a guitar an amplifier and a stale smelling pub or a musty rehearsal space. I’d already stayed a couple years too long at the party, or at least given it my best shot, but I liked to think no one had cottoned on. I guess I thought maybe my denial could be yours as well?!
Anyway, most weekends for a couple years I got lucky. Four very talented people gave up their time and creativity to work on an album project that had begun at Mountain Studios in Tauranga New Zealand, owned and operated by ACDC drummer Phil Rudd.
We (I) had made the decision to be in the country for a few days to see what we could get done. Jan Hellriegel and her band had already done it. Seemed reasonable. My memory is loads of disconnected tile sized pieces, but I remember deciding to sleep in a caravan next to the paddock, while the band and producer took the quarters above the studio. Mostly I think so I could lay out all my medicinal accompaniments in peace and quiet.
The first night I woke up in pitch black, freezing cold with a large object banging against the caravan, rocking it on its wheels. I peeked out the curtains and was confronted by a huge brown bull with its hot wet snout pressed against the window. After my heart had slowed down and the bovine perp had backed away, I saw a strange light hovering in the sky above the field. It just hung there for 45 seconds or so before fading to a dot and disappearing. Now I’ll admit I’d had my paws in the chemistry set...and just leave it there. But I believe we left early anyway, though I’m not sure if that was the reason? More likely I ran out of medicine. This I remember.
We worked on the record for the next 18 or so months, tracking guitars and vocals at studios back in Auckland. The personnel were Mark Bell on guitars, Matt Meehan on drums, Pete Watkins Bass and Jon Cooper engineering. I guess we all produced as we went but the credit really goes to Jon. We were a rock band, but I already had some country sensibilities, not super popular in NZ in the mid nineties (fine exceptions The Warratahs, Al Hunter, Greg Fleming) but you go with what you know. Some of that peeks through.
And then one day we finished it. By which time I was likely too messy to take the next steps towards getting it released. Fact is, I don’t remember what happened. It all got sucked in to the unmanageability of my twenty something existence.
Then I hit bottom and got given my life back, joined the Greg Johnson Band, moved to the USA and put many things that happened before the year 2000 either in the trash or in mothballs (heavily abridged version).
Then last year, Jon and I reconnected. We agreed that we needed to try to finally master the album and do something with it. Unfortunately all we had was a corroded CD copy, dirty and damaged. Miraculously Jon was able to lovingly restore it with isopropyl alcohol, some profanity and a very soft cloth! And finally the record got mastered.
So I want to dedicate it to Matt, Mark and Pete and apologize for taking so long. Matt didn’t make it to see the new century and I’m still sad about that. Pete moved to the continent across the ditch and Mark went on doing what he does as an amazing, original and creative guitar player. Jon is a brilliant recording engineer and a fantastic photographer and lives somewhere pretty in the homeland.
And here it is- thirty years late but I hope you enjoy it! It’s called nonsequential because it’s out of sequence with my current musical progression, but order will be restored again soon.
And if you’re wondering what the hell the songs are about, don’t ask me. I barely remember recording them let alone writing them. Ted Jan ‘25

tedbrownsongs.net