As Warm

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Thermos:
Early in 1996, Burnt Toast was invited to be on a punk rock compilation CD being assembled by an acquaintance of ours from the Detroit scene.  After some consideration of which song to include, we decided that sending Jeff a power ballad would be the most “punk rock” thing we could do – thus the inspiration behind recording “As Warm.”

The song itself dates from quite a bit before 1996.  I first heard it performed in 1994 by the actual author: Andy Sharp, my roommate at University of Texas at Austin.  Andy had recorded two different versions, one on acoustic guitar and the other on piano.  I was more fond of the acoustic recording, and that was the arrangement I found myself playing from time to time around Louis & Ingus.  They both decided we should start covering the song in our live sets, since I was lacking in the songs department (read: I sang lead only on “Weakdays”).  Strangely enough, it turned out to be an audience favorite.

During the recording process, Louis became progressively more antsy and nervous regarding the layering of sounds.  Jim, by now, had upgraded his system to 16 tracks.  To myself and Ingus, this was an opportunity.  Louis was more skeptical about the benefits.  Dutifully, I laid down the acoustic part, bass, and what Jim called a “Nashville 6″: we stripped the lower three strings off my electric guitar and replaced them with lighter gauge strings tuned an octave up (essentially, the other half of a 12-string guitar).  Ingus added the distorted guitar and melodic part in the middle.  Louis, of course, hammered the drums home.  With the extra tracks, we now had the ability to lay down all the vocals separately.  I think Ingus & Louis double each of their parts, and I came in with a nice baritone for the chorus.  Now, if only I had learned to sing with my throat instead of the nasally warble I exhibit here.

We were happy enough with the end result, and gleefully sent our submission off to Jeff.  But Jim said, “I think this needs strings.”  We said, “No, it really doesn’t.” (Louis nearly had a fit when I added the Nashville 6, so he was a bit more adamant about “no strings.”)  Jim replied, “Okay.”  So, when we received a phone call about a week later for us to come down to the studio, we were a little confused.  Jim proudly played the version of the song linked above.  Nonplussed at first, I think our collective response was along the lines of, “We didn’t want strings, the strings on this recording are out of tune, and this is a terrible string arrangement.”  Unfazed, Jim proceeded to give us a DAT (digital master tape) of this mix.  We figured we’d get the other DAT back from Jeff soon, so we weren’t too worried about it.  Sadly, Jeff never did (he claimed to have “lost” it), and we never really had the time and money to have Jim remix the track for us.  So, this is the only version we have of the early recording of “As Warm.”

Never fear, though, because this, my friends, has turned out to be one of the most frequently recorded songs for Burnt Toast – as you will no doubt discover.

I don’t think Jeff’s comp ever saw release, so this is the first time this early version has been available.

Louis:
I will admit that I was wrong about the “Nashville 6″ thing, but I stand by my original opinion about the strings.

Allow me to explain.  Back in the day I really had a problem with the fact that most albums sounded radically different than the way the band sounded live (I still kind of do, to be honest).  It always seemed like a cheating.   A cheating what?

Your cheating heart.

Ahem…anyway, this track always sounds really good to me at first…then the damn strings kick in and I’m pissed all over again.

My harmonies are a bit sloppy…we could’ve spent a bit more time cleaning those up.

Ingus:
It’s all my fault.  I was the Fredo in this situation.  I’ll admit, when Jim mentioned the strings, I perked up.  I love good string arrangements in pop music.  Cracker’s Dixie Babylon, Jack Nietze’s The Lonely Surfer, , Yes’ second album, etc.  And while verbally I held the party line on no strings, I’m sure my eyes said, “OMGTHATWOULDSOUNDSOCOOL”.  So it’s all my fault.

But even if I would have spoken up, this is not what I would have had in mind.  This is terrible.  I mean, not only are the strings not in tune with the band, they’re not in tune with each other either.  Thom recently re-mixed some of the covers from our cassette “That’s a good place for the couch”, in which he added synth strings that are much much much more in line with what I was thinking way back in 96.  For those, though, you’ll have to stay tuned.