The Price of Illusion 

 

This was done on an old four-track Yamaha cassette that I bought with the money I made selling Christmas Trees on 3rd Ave in NY one winter. (It now belongs to Groves Willer of Shark Quest and Family Dollar Pharoahs.) We set it up in a woodshed behind my mom's house and recorded. It was mostly just Paul Price and I and whoever dropped in at the right moment. Then we used a bunch of compressors and gates and stuff for the mixes. All the background harmonies were done with a delay. Musicians always ask me what studio we used. Most people think it's 16 tracks, but it's just 4 and Paul Price. 

In September of 2004 I took the tape to Brent Lambert at Kitchen Mastering and he remastered it and put it on CD so now you can hear this great lost album

The Price of Illusion
1.Truth Hurts
2.Niko Leaves Tonight
3.The Price of Illusion
4.The Idiot
5.Let It Go
6.Emotional Bringdown
7.Another Town
8.Madison Avenue Hymn
9.One More Time

10.Is This It
Bonus Tracks
Dino This song I did on my own a couple weeks after we did Price of Illusion and all the stuff was still set up in my mom's shed. It is to my friend Dean Nichols who died in 1989 climbing a mountain in Crete.
Back Home Except for the guitar solo this was recorded live at the old Lloyd Street Studios in 1981 with Andy Church on bass and Chip Shelby on drums. Andy played the guitar solo too.

--Matt Barrett
 

produced by PAUL PRICE at RUSE, STUDIOS,CARRBORO One More Time and Is This It were produced on 16 track by WES LACHOT at OVERDUB LANE STUDIOS,CARRBORO. 


Reviews For Cassette Release "Price of Illusion"

Apparently he's been around for quite a few years but as usual hasn't gotten the recognition or air play he deserves. This recording, in spite of its primitive recording techniques, indeed combines professionalism in the lyrics and tunes, good taste and hooks by the thousand. Sly verbal tricks encourage closer listening, and musical twists and turns leave the listener gaping and grinning. This is a clever production but, thankfully not a slick one. It's got enough rhythm to match the dance beat of the B-52s, but Matt conveys more delicate and dreamy sensitivities that occasionally pulse with emotion and passion.


MATT BARRETT The Price Of Illusion Review from Sweden

The name of SA flick on wings around the world and every once in a while it leads to an interestinq demo landing on our desk from abroad. One of the latest nice examples of this is American Matt Berretts excellent "The Price Of Illusion".

Despite the fact that Matt is something of a veteran on the bustling music scene in "Comboland" (copyright Bucketfull Of Brains) -- he'll bean working with amongst other's Don Dixon and Mitch Easter in various capacities -- I hadn't heard of him before. Not really surprising, considering his only recorded output consists of an obscura EP, "The Ruse", and a similarily obscure single, "Is This It'?", both early eighties. 

"The Price Of Illusion" is more like an album on cassette than a regular demo, since it comprises all of ten tunes. And these are ten tunes that s satisfies all the way -- from tha start with the Green Pajamas- like "Truth Hurts" to the end with "Is This It?" (re- recording of the single, and the nicest Who pastisch I've heard wince "14" did "Little Down-Hearted Arthur" in 1966!). CRaally obscura Swedish b and...3

In between we've bean treated to R.E.M. feeling on the title track, psychedelic tuba (!) on "The Idiot", borrowing of melody from The Lasts "Lightning Strikes" on "One More Time", dB's tricks on "Emotional Breakdown" -- everything in the good tradition we're used to from the bands from this part of the USA. 

About the only thing that blurs the general picture is the slightly substandard sound quality and the fact that Matt didn't succeed in rounding up a suitable drummer, but had to make do with a drum machine -- in the long run it lands a somewhat static impression to the proceedings. 

But this is not a very severe critisism -- the strength of the songs raises above these short- comings, and I was actually quits close to adding another half point. (four and a half out of five)

Write to Matt and ask how much he wants for a cassette. It'll hardly be more than a fistful of dollars -- and that'll be a real bargain!  Anders Lundquist