Ad Absurdum & Phrenology
One score and three years ago, Colin & Mingo recorded new audio tracks called "Ad Absurdum" (5:34) and "Phrenology" (2:16) during the recording sessions "The Air-Conditioned Nightmare". This post goes into some detail about these tracks (and the "more popular" versions that appeared on "Swamp King of the World" in 1987).
Ad Absurdum
The lyrics consist solely of the refrain "My arm still hurts from Sue hitting me, because I spring-tested her hair", spoken over and over again. The original Colin & Mingo track clocked in at over 5 and half minutes--a lot of time for such sparse lyrics to cover.
Later in the year, Mingo re-recorded the track with John Young and Dianne Frye during the recording sessions for "The Munich Duck Accident". The new track was a snappier rendition with acoustic guitar--and without Colin! Still, this is the version that appeared on the 1987 greatest-hits compilation, "Swamp King of the World". The original version appeared as well in the "extended" version of the greatest-hits album.
Phrenology
This track features Colin & Mingo singing the words "Feel the bumps on my head / What do they tell you about me?" in a soaring style. The original was just over 2 and a quarter minutes, which made it somewhat a better fit between the amount of lyrics and the overall length of the track than "Ad Absurdum" was.
Again in those "Munich Duck Accident" sessions, Mingo rerecorded the track with John Young and Dianne Frye, adding acoustic guitar. The new track came in at just under three quarters of a minute and was the version selected for the greatest-hits album. The original version appeared as well in the "extended" version of the greatest-hits album.
In order to allow the critical listener to compare the various versions, the two albums are available for audio streaming and downloads.
The Air-Conditioned Nightmare (from archive.org):
Direct link: http://www.archive.org/details/TheMunichDuckAccident
The Munich Duck Accident (from archive.org):
Direct link: http://www.archive.org/details/TheAirConditionedNightmare
Ad Absurdum
The lyrics consist solely of the refrain "My arm still hurts from Sue hitting me, because I spring-tested her hair", spoken over and over again. The original Colin & Mingo track clocked in at over 5 and half minutes--a lot of time for such sparse lyrics to cover.
Later in the year, Mingo re-recorded the track with John Young and Dianne Frye during the recording sessions for "The Munich Duck Accident". The new track was a snappier rendition with acoustic guitar--and without Colin! Still, this is the version that appeared on the 1987 greatest-hits compilation, "Swamp King of the World". The original version appeared as well in the "extended" version of the greatest-hits album.
Phrenology
This track features Colin & Mingo singing the words "Feel the bumps on my head / What do they tell you about me?" in a soaring style. The original was just over 2 and a quarter minutes, which made it somewhat a better fit between the amount of lyrics and the overall length of the track than "Ad Absurdum" was.
Again in those "Munich Duck Accident" sessions, Mingo rerecorded the track with John Young and Dianne Frye, adding acoustic guitar. The new track came in at just under three quarters of a minute and was the version selected for the greatest-hits album. The original version appeared as well in the "extended" version of the greatest-hits album.
In order to allow the critical listener to compare the various versions, the two albums are available for audio streaming and downloads.
The Air-Conditioned Nightmare (from archive.org):
Direct link: http://www.archive.org/details/TheMunichDuckAccident
The Munich Duck Accident (from archive.org):
Direct link: http://www.archive.org/details/TheAirConditionedNightmare