Songwriting Auto-Reverse
This song started out heavily inspired by "Buffalo Springfield", mainly the Mixolydian mode of "Hung Upside Down". The working title at the time was "Now That I've Seen Her" and was re-written a couple of months later during a number of other re-writes. Auto-Reverse was always an idea for a song I had, but was never able to place music to it. This song's second re-write was only an experiment into placing titles with music and I noticed that perhaps this may be a commitment issue in my songwriting and so I left it.
As I was going through the attic one day a number of years ago, I found my grandfathers "Eight Track" cassette radio from his Seventy Mercedes with an "Auto-Reverse" feature, which I always liked the sound of. I thought of the possibilities of a song or album that is dedicated to the machines that brought so much music to listeners when our music started to come with us outside of the house.
The song started to develop when it was split into two different songs taking turns in playing over shared music. The first voice is the actual song and notice how the verses are repeats and never change lyrics, this is the demonstrate the Auto-Reverse feature always returning to the start. The second voice, recorded with heavy tape saturation, is actually an imagined advert for the "Auto-Reverse Eight Track" which also acts as an advert for the very song. The bridge of the song is heavily inspired by the radio adverts of the Sixties with layered vocal and callbacks.
Musically this song took inspiration from the Lehigh Valley garage rock sound from Pennsylvania in Nineteen Sixty Five. This is my favorite style of garage rock with a distinctive sound heavily based upon the Four/Four rhythm to provide an attitude, one year before "Fuzz" took popularity. Allot was removed from the song such as a heavy "Fuzz" guitar which was present in all of the demos. This decision came from the heavier guitar removing the smoothness and distracting from the rhythm.
Lyrics and Chord
Bm
Take it from the start, take it to your heart
E
Songs of love to start you crying
Bm
Take it from the start, take it to your heart
E
Song of pain to stop you trying
D, G
And isn't it so neat to live on repeat
D, G
Girl I'm about to start 'cause this side is complete
E
Bm
Take it from the start, take it to your heart
E
Songs of love to start you crying
Bm
Take it from the start, take it to your heart
E
Song of pain to stop you trying
D, G
And if you've a thirst why don't you be the first
D, G
'Cause times reimbursed by auto-reverse
E
Am, D
Tapes that can just ease in, Stereo sound so clear
Am, D
Eight tracks is what you win, To satisfy your ear
E
Bm
Take it from the start, take it to your heart
E
Songs of love to start you crying
Bm
Take it from the start, take it to your heart
E
Song of pain to stop you trying
D, G
And if you've got to go please don't let me know
D, G
'Cause I don't take it slow to restart thee show
E
Am, D
Am, D,
E
Bm
Take it from the start, take it to your heart
E
Songs of love to start you crying
Bm
Take it from the start, take it to your heart
E
Song of pain to stop you trying
D, G
And if you've a thirst why don't you be the first
D, G
'Cause times reimbursed by auto-reverse
E
I'm quite happy with the outcome, I think I've made a better attempt at the mastering stage, especially with this single being the first to include a full band. There are still some issues such as a vinyl friendly master but I like the Sixty Five Philadelphia Rock sound that this ended in.