(written by Clinton R. Nixon)
(traditional blues song)
(traditional/tune adapted by Clinton R. Nixon)
(written by Jeff Mangum / originally performed by Neutral Milk Hotel)
(written by Clinton R. Nixon)
(traditional folk song)
(written by Roy Bennett, Sid Tepper / originally performed by Elvis Presley)
Vocals, baritone ukulele, bongos - Clinton R. Nixon. Electric guitar on "Song of the Shrimp" - Remi Treuer. "Song of the Shrimp" recorded and mixed by Remi Treuer. Everything else recorded by Clinton R. Nixon in Durham, NC.
From the first moment I worked on this album, "Mister Mackinley" and "Charles Guiteau" were stuck in my head. I found them in a mid-century book of folk songs edited by Alan Lomax. Two songs about presidential assassinations were too much wealth to imagine, and I knew I had to share them. I've never heard any other recordings of either, and I can't read music, so I imagine they're different. I decided to call this "Historical Record" for obvious reasons, but also for unobvious ones: this is a recording for the future. In the spring of 2006, this is what I sounded like, warts and all. So far, there's a mistake in every song, some glaring. I shan't remove those. What is the hubris of the artist to perfect that which he has done? The humanity of music is what I love, the fallacies of the masses.
Glass Factories. This was an improvised song done during a free hour one afternoon. I remember when I was first learning how to play, I was told by a musician that the 7ths were the "strange-sounding chords." I'd been reading about a glass factory that day, and it stuck. The tune had been banging around in my head - E7, G7, E7, G7, D7.
Mister Mackinley. Also known as "White House Blues," this song was first recorded in 1926. "Mackinley, I can't find that ball," says the doctor. On September 5th, 1901, President McKinley held an open-air speech in Buffalo. Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist, lay in wait for him. As the President shook hands with the crowd, Czolgosz wrapped a .32 caliber Iver Johnson pistol in a handkerchief. Fifty guards were stationed around McKinley that day – federal, state and city – and were supposed to be keeping watch. However, as the President moved through the crowd, no one noticed Czolgosz, who had positioned himself at the front. McKinley eventually came to Czolgosz. He smiled and extended his hand. Czolgosz never took it, but instead flung the President’s hand to one side and fired twice, hitting him in the chest and abdomen. The bullets were not fatal, but the gangrene was. McKinley died on September 15th.
Little Matthy Groves. This folk song dates far back in time to the battles on the Scottish border between Scotland and England, where it was known as "Little Musgrave." It has been found in texts as early as 1611, and I like it for its incredibly dark ending. Matthy's backtalk to Lord Arnold is pretty amazing. Anyway, it's been well updated from the original version as it traveled through America, and I changed the arrangement to something that suited me a bit more. Also, I used to know a girl was fascinated with the songs of John Wesley Harding, who is pretty good. I didn't know he'd sung a version of this called "The Little Musgrave" until I started doing searches on the song's history. So, hey, here's to that.
Part of the National Album Recording Month project. XHTML and CSS validates.