LOST ANTHONY
The Pool Room Project
May '89
1. Eight Rings
2. I Don't Fly
3. Having It All
4. Sleeping In Your Arms
5. Invitation
6. Man On A String
7. Young Lions
8. What Have I Got To Lose
9. Understand Me?
10. Till We Get Out Alive
11. What Are You Afraid Of?
12. See The Man
13. The Damage Is Done
14. Say Goodnight Now
15. I Don't Fly (Conway version) *
All material written by James Stanley Walker
C&P 1987, 1988, 1989 Thon Music (ASCAP)
All Rights Reserved
* Produced and engineered by Bryant Arnett at Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA
PLAYERS:
Bass - Rene Brancheau
Drums / Percussion - Scott Connor
Keyboards - Eric Hill
Saxophone - Mark Maxwell
Guitar / Vocals - Jim Walker
The Pool Room Project
Release Date: May 15th, 1989
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THIS ALBUM:
Bass - Rene Brancheau
Drums / Percussion - Scott Connor
Guitar / Vocals - Jim Walker
We'd been playing live, rehearsing, recording, and trying to get someone to notice us. To not much avail.
Finally, I thought, well if we can't get a record deal, let's just put out our own album, even if it's only on cassette (still a big format back then). So the band went into our practice space at my parent's house (the room out by our swimming pool), set up the gear, and made our own album.
I think this was the most fun thing we ever did. Definitely the most pure thing we ever did. The spirit of it was very all-for-one-one-for-all.
I remember working on this for days straight, no sleep, no food, just music, music, music and the smoke haze of the endless cigarettes I was smoking there in the unforgiving heat of the Pool Room while I overdubbed and mixed.
Years later, I still pilfer songs from this batch to put on my current projects.
After it was complete, we sent the finished product out to a bunch of publishers, producers, record companies, etc.
We got a lot of feedback.
"We like this, but (fill in the blank)"
"I don't like the singer." Hey, now!!
"I love the singer." Well, thanks!
"I don't like the songs." Hey, now!
"Terrific songs!" Okay then...
"Sounds so cool...really raw!!"
"Your recording sounds absolutely terrible. You need to get in a real studio."
It was all very confusing.
I started getting some really dumb ideas.
I decided we were going to treat being in the band just like a real job. We got very serious. About everything. We started to take ourselves way too seriously. I was the worst offender. I became a disgusting careerist.
I was so fucking lame, but I thought - well, this is how you do it...isn't it?
Maybe it was, but I hated myself for what I was becoming.
We even HIRED a second guitar player.
He wasn't a friend, we didn't know him, he was a hired gun who would show up for gigs and look great, play circles around the other bands, then wait for his check after the show. Great guy. Can't remember his name.
Also, he was the death of the band.
It simply became no fun anymore. It was all just business at that point.
Eventually, being together was just kinda depressing. We stopped rehearsing.
We all went out separate ways. We never actually broke up.
We just...kinda...stopped.
And that was Lost Anthony.
And I wouldn't have traded it for the world.