The Separation Circle

This is a bit of a higgledy-piggledy collection of experiments in home recording during my time living in Croydon in the mid-1980s, with fairly basic recording equipment.

In 1984, having bought the "first dedicated music computer", I persuaded Thea & Karen, 2 work colleagues, to come and sing some cover versions - Fool - Will You? - Top of the World.  Karen also kindly provided various squeals & whoops on Woodlands.

Other songs here include ones that didn't really feel suitable for Bad Tune Men, so I recorded them by myself.

Fool

Will You?

Woodlands

A List of Things That
Don't Begin with 'P'

Top of the World

Clynk

Hand Hurt

Happy Families

Because You're Frightened

Grouch

Guest appearances in this Separation Circle:

Thea Hamilton - vocals on "Fool" and "Top of the World"
Karen Bradford - vocals on "Will You?" and "Woodlands"
David Leak - keyboards on "Grouch""

    All other vocals & instruments by EH.  All songs written by EH & © 2002 Ed Hooke except:
           Fool   - Sigmund & Last
           Will You?   - Hazel O'Connor
           Top of the World   - Richard & Karen Carpenter
           Because You're Frightened" - Howard Devoto/Barry Adamson/John Doyle/Dave Formula/John McGeogh

A List of Things that Don't Begin with 'P' - written in April 1983 while living in a bedsit in Manor House, North London.  A retrospective on my near-21 years of life up to that point through a series of 'photographs', starting from my earliest childhood memories, working through middle (primary) school. grammar (secondary) school, my early days of travelling to support Hartlepool United FC, backpacking around Hampshire and Dorset, late teenage friendships and early work experiences, leaving Southampton behind and finishing with my first couple of months in London ("these days I'm up at the Manor House").

Clynk - written for Lynne C who was seriously ill at the time I first got to know her.  She was trained as a children's dentist ("if Despair should call, ignore his teeth - you can remove them all").  And we did turn the tide, didn't we, Lynne?

Happy Families - see also the song, My City has been Burned to the Ground  in the Emerging into the Brightness of the Day collection.'  This was a particularly difficult song to write. 

Woodlands and  Hand Hurt and Grouch- I've never been a big fan of instrumentals but ........  Woodlands was an experiment based around experimenting with the tuneable tom tom sounds on my (then) new Roland TR909 drum machine & since Karen was coming to visit me anyway, she agreed to experiment with providing some experimental vocals alongside my experimental guitar.  Hand Hurt was the result of another experiment a couple of years later, specifically requested by Lynne Clark, consisting of drum machine & synthesisers only.  Two years further on, I reached the depths with Grouch, which probably should never have been recorded in the first place, and then when it was, should probably have been erased immediately, and then when it wasn't, probably should never have been included in this Song Collection or on this website.

A List of Things that Don't Begin with 'P'                 
words & music by Ed Hooke, May 1983  © Ed Hooke 1983
- snapshots from my first 21 years

Milk in my egg.
A sidecar's orange-tinted window.
Glass hospital doors but there's no escape.
Semolina.

Mockery as needed as the hole in my head that caused it.
Brickfield Road.
Feed the chickens, and put the tail on the donkey.

Green grow the rushes on the Beaulieu coach.
Her name was Becky and she never looked my way.
Grown up, rolled up in black curtains.
The King of the Thing and a week in France.

Free tickets at Aldershot.
Raby Road and saliva on my long blue coat.
Down to the station in a Bournemouth police van.

Thursday follows Wednesday - and a Black Heart.
Barons and beetles and fascists and Jews.
A left foot volley at the Sports Centre.
Examinations fucked.
Up to the office in Portsmouth Road.

An ocean in my sleeping bag.
Leaping the wire fence - your bloody nose.
Uncle Solomon arrived at West Meon.
Gorse bushes look across Poole Bay.
Dinner in a fridge at Stoke Clump.

Micheldever rain.
Lyndhurst frost and trees.
A man on the loose.
Loose connections on batteries.
Locked out of the car
- you should be running the world!
- maybe you are.

Toodeloo to peace and love.
We had a laugh - well, that was what you wanted, wasn't it?
Come and play my synthesiser.
Pull these strings
and stick the metal disks onto the heads.

Oh these days I'm up at the Manor House.
Cathy's letter in the top drawer with the others.
Down to Stockwell tube again.
There's vomit in my sink.

This wasn't meant to be a poem, or a work of art
- just a list of photographs in my mind.
The list is incomplete.
The show could go on forever
- and it probably will.

Clynk
words & music by Ed Hooke, June/July 1985  © Ed Hooke 1985
- written for Lynne C

Do you know resentment since there is no reason why?
and do you know fear, for there is so much that isn't known yet?
'Cause if you do, it doesn't show.
Inspired by your example I will do my best to sing along - perhaps to guide the way.
You can do it.  Yes you can!

You just have to believe,
for there's a song to sing and you must sing it.
You just have to believe.
We each have one life only so love the life that you lead.

Sometimes we seem as frail as candles in the breeze.
One moment proud and strong, the next extinguished with ease.
But unlike candles, we can fight
- help Destiny to get it right.
Mountain moving is not my scene, but I believe in you
and we will help to pull you through.

When I think of you, I see a brave young angel, strong enough to win through.
If you should think of me, I could not hope for more than parity.

If Despair should call, ignore his teeth; you can remove them all.
We can turn the tide, be patient and determined.  Time is on our side.
Come on!

   Woodlands
       music by EH  © Ed Hooke 1984
      - largely instrumental - with various vocalisations from Karen Bradford

   Hand Hurt
       music by EH  © Ed Hooke 1986 -  instrumental
      - written for Lynne C

Happy Families
words & music by Ed Hooke, 1983  © Ed Hooke 1983

Father did the house up.
It's not enough.
His sense of humour helps
- but it gets on his daughter's nerves.

Mother's at her wits' end.
He's so untidy!
She used to say she loved him.
Now they just live for the kids and Jesus.

Brother's gone away to London town
to seek his fame and fortune.
His feet are two feet off the ground.

Sister's still at home on a secretarial course
- another female cul-de-sac?
Does she feel there's something more?

So where do I fit in?
'Cause I don't think I do.
And I don't want to play happy families.

Grouch
music by Ed Hooke & David Leak 1988  - the most tedious lump of rubbish I've ever been involved in recording - instrumental