For Ricko....

It's been a few month's since I have posted anything because I have been without the internet.The Bat's back!

Recently a very good friend and artistic collaborator of mine passed away.Richard Neave had recorded this album and had given it to his friends Sharon and Karl in Christchurch.He told them that the tunes hadn't been titled yet and if they had any ideas for names he'd be keen to hear them.Unfortunately he died before this process was complete so i am posting this recording as a tribute to a truly great friend.

I didn't feel like doing a speech at his wake last week so I guess this is where I will share a few words of appreciation.....

I met Richard Neave when i moved into a flat about fourteen years ago at 45 Holly Road,Christchurch.He seemed very nervous and we instantly bonded over a smoke and an episode of Sapphire and Steele.The first time i saw him play was after Mincheng moved in and he invited us into his darkened room where we were instantly assaulted with a barrage of treble.He started to scream into his guitar pick-ups and I thought that something was wrong and that he might do something violent to us!Catharthis.

Mincheng,Ricko,and myself(Lynton) soon organised ourselves into a disorganised music animal called the James Last Appreciation Squad. Our drums and guitars played or rather stormed a few venues around town such as the Blues Bar during their jam night.Hamish Noonan joined us for some of these and I remember the soundman asking us not to break anything.To their credit they let us have five minutes and then pulled the plug.Plug pulling was a common event except when we imposed our racket on friends who I guess have a palate for this sort of hi-jinx.We made our own fun.Toy Love's bass player pulled the plug when we played the amphitheatre at Canterbury University.Apparently we had complaints from the lecture theatres.This performance was my good bye to uni life and also part of a local protest group's Indonesian invasion of East Timor statement.You could say we were boozey and drugged and I guess conflict is a bit like that...

Anyhow I coined Ricko's nickname which he once told me to stop using;I thought it suited him and kept calling him that.He didn't mind after a while and the Ricko persona continued to thrive and grow often putting us into awkward situations that afterwards made me laugh.

Richard was very unsentimental and never wanted to draw any attention to his problems but would instead try to offer others his warm hospitality.I hope he is bursting angels eardrums in the sky!

He definitely pushed himself to the limit and had very little time for lower frequencies and instead opted for ultra-treble which would carve out new destruction within one's earcanal!

I do not know who else appears on this recording but there is perhaps a drummer.If anyone wants to fill in the details of this recording feel welcome to do so...

I miss you greatly.

BLOW YOUR SPEAKERS!

track one

track two

track three

track four

track five

track six

track seven

track eight

track nine

track ten

(p.s.Thanks Chris Andrews for taking the photo of Richard and letting me use it as an album cover and thanks also to Sharon and Karl for passing the c.d. on to me so I could publish it..)