The Price of Illusion |
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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 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
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