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Quattro Stagioni

by The Drain On The Balcony

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    12" Vinyl 12-track LP in full colour printed sleeve and inner sleeve

    Limited edition of 150 copies

    Includes immediate download of pdf file containing album artwork and lyrics

    Released by Old Bad Habits Label of Athens, Greece

    If you are outside the UK you may be able to save on postage by ordering directly from them:

    oldbadhabitslabel.bandcamp.com/album/obhlp016-quattro-stagioni

    Includes unlimited streaming of Quattro Stagioni via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days

      £20 GBP or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    12-track CD with booklet and rear insert in jewel case, shrinkwrapped

    Limited edition of 100 copies

    Includes immediate download of pdf file containing album artwork and lyrics

    Includes unlimited streaming of Quattro Stagioni via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 14 days

      £10 GBP or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £6 GBP  or more

     

1.
TEARS OF RAGE (A SONG FOR EUROPE) (Gran) We’d always been neighbours And we became friends Then we were united We thought that it would never end We stayed together Down the decades After all those happy years We couldn’t see it would end in tears Tears of rage, tears of rage I thought that we had turned the page Tears of rage, tears of rage This should have been our golden age They said it wouldn’t last We’d had our differences in the past But we made our peace We’ve been together since the seventies We’ve come through thick and thin Through arguments and agreements Through hard times we’ve stuck together I didn’t think that we would ever shed Tears of rage, tears of rage They say the grief is just a stage Tears of rage, tears of rage Fraternité is in the cage I thought that we’d grow old together Retire to a southern beach Seems that was not meant to be Torn apart by this duplicity Parting is such sour sorrow You know that I’d be back tomorrow But for the moment I Will just sit here and cry my Tears of rage, tears of rage Naievety is hard to gauge Tears of rage, tears of rage And decency has left the stage
2.
A SHORT HISTORY OF MODERN BRITAIN (Gordon) In a quiet little town, at the back of a bar With a beer and a paper for friends He skims through the headlines and scandals and sport And he wonders how this will all end There's a man with a plan who will make it alright But he lies for a living, that's that He will promise the earth, a financial rebirth But he might as well talk to his cat He's been here before when the promises flow ‘You've never had it so good’ But the white heat of science and the latest alliance Did little to manage the price of his food She's not for turning, but London is burning And war seems an easy way out There's tumbleweed blowing where cars were once flowing And shipbuilding's gone up the spout She's new and she's raving, she'll cost you your savings Her growth plan will blow you away She's just passing through, but the least she can do Is cause chaos in forty-four days He folds up his paper and drains his last glass He makes his way out to the street It’s a cold windy night so he wraps himself tight And ambles back home to the warmth of his sheets It’s a new day tomorrow so beg steal or borrow Just keep the old wolf from the door There's no help from on high, or the man in the sky So keep cracking on like before Don't bother to dream any more
3.
Ice Cream 02:29
ICE CREAM (Martin) I found myself on a sunken road Decked by flowers blue and gold That led up to a lonely moor With a cobalt sky and a granite tor I left my love in the woods below Where bluebells weep and mosses grow My love belongs beneath the trees In sunlight filtered through the leaves I took my love on a cycle ride Through fields planted red and white I lost my love in a city square In coffee stains on a plastic chair And just because it’s good for you That doesn’t mean it’s true Just because it’s good to do it That doesn’t mean it’s good to do We met again at a riverside My love was watching swans go by She gave me jewels, she gave me gold We watched the month of May unfold I lit my love an open fire It seemed as though we burned inside I watched the embers floating higher I lost my love into the sky And just because you got here Doesn’t mean we know the way Just because I let you in That doesn’t mean you’re gonna stay We sat like ice creams in a bowl She said she dreamed of Solihull I wondered if they’d ever see It was her dreams that set them free I went back down the sunken road Feeling tired and feeling cold And when I reached the lonely moor I lay down on the granite floor And just because I’m sleeping Doesn’t mean I’ve closed my eyes Just because I’ve crossed my fingers That doesn’t mean I’m telling lies
4.
Pizza Man 02:27
PIZZA MAN (Gran) It was a dark and stormy night He turned up on his motorbike He was dressed in black Like the leader of the pack From half a mile away I could hear he was on his way Bringing pizza round to me With a still-hot guarantee Pizza man, pizza man Bringing my Italian I ordered from my home And I can track him on my phone Garlic bread, Fiorentina Rockin’ with a Margerita When I fancied a bite In the middle of the night I don’t need no anaesthetic Even in a deep pandemic And the pizza lady too La Reine’s my name for you You’re the hero of the nation The peak of our civilization I know you’ll be here soon So I’m gonna end this tune Even in the festive season When the snow’s deep pan, crisp and even
5.
PEPPER-HAIRED GIRL (Gary) Pepper-haired girl lives on the hill Overlooking city and mountains Urban grey drab, etched into stone Her smile lifts hearts to the throne Some call her a queen, some call her a joke Her heart was broken by a prat of a bloke Blessed by silence, speaking with fools Refused to live by other people’s rules Her smile lifts hearts to the throne Walking on gravestones, hid by the night Gargoyles and angels run for their life The wind and the rain cut to the bone Her smile lifts hearts to the throne Some call her crazy, some call her quite wild Been torn in two since no longer a child Knight in white armour fell off his horse No longer bound, a natural of course Her smile lifts hearts to the throne
6.
THE BOY WHO CRIED LUPUS (Gran) You say you read it in the papers Only they can save us They’ll make the country great By stirring fear and hate They say that work makes you free No border in Ireland or in the sea We’re going to build a bridge Or is it a tunnel? Get out of that fridge! I don’t believe them I won’t believe them They’re lying to us They’re lying to us You’re fighting an invasion That’s diluting the nation You’ll sink them at the borders But you are only following orders They’re gonna make your passport blue So you can stand in the longer queue It’s on the side of a bus You know that they’re just lying to us Don’t believe them Don’t believe them They’re lying to us They’re lying to us
7.
WHERE I’M GOING (Gary & Gran) I don’t know what’s going on, I feel I’m in a dream Something’s happening to me, it makes me want to scream I’m trying but no sound comes out, I hear the wind a-blowing I don’t know where I’m coming from, I don’t know where I’m going I’m running through the woods at night, I feel my heart a-pound I know there’s something chasing me, but I don’t hear a sound It feels like evil’s on the loose, the seeds they are a-sowing Someone won’t you help me please, and tell me where I’m going? Rushing into blackness, the branches scratch my face But if I stop I know I’ll die in this dark and lonely place My heart is beating in my ears, I hear it to and fro-ing I can’t stop now, I must go on, and get to where I’m going I don’t know what’s going on, I’m driven by the fear Of what will happen if I stop, I feel my death is near I can’t run forever, I feel my tiredness growing But if I die, at least I tried to get to where I’m going
8.
DOWN IN THE SUBWAY (Gordon) Down in the subway, out by the railroad, where I look for you Hiding in shadows, lurking in doorways, things that you can't do And I'll open every gateway, and I'll break down every door Keep on running, keep on hiding, I'll catch up with you Jump on buses, hide in taxis, taking to the skies Missing moments, talking whispers, building your disguise And I'll cover every angle, and I'll follow every lead Watch your back and mind your step, I'll listen for your cries Running, running, hiding, hiding, crawl down every hole Fleeing, fleeing, ducking, diving, whoa Catch your breath, find your space, careful how you go Here I come, I’m always on your tail Feeling shattered, breathing hard, aches in every bone I can see you, I can hear you, you are all alone And I'll open every gateway, and I’ll break down every door You can run, and you can hide but I will bring you home
9.
COVIDIOT BLUES (Gran) You won’t wear no mask, you're antivax Get your ‘facts’ from Youtube and you tweet in caps You're a covidiot Down the rabbit hole You don’t believe in scientists You say that the virus don’t exist You're a covidiot In your tinfoil hat You say you like David Icke I’m here to tell you that you’re full of shite You're a covidiot How’s your Gran?
10.
Maybird 03:08
MAYBIRD (Martin) Hey hey I've been saved My Maybird's on her way And I'm counting down the days My baby she’s not scared of anything My baby she’ll just keep on coming My Maybird’s riding ‘cross the waves She sings to me at night  On my windy northern isle And she makes me feel alright Like a bird, she will always find me And she’ll tell me that she loves me My Maybird knows it’s time to fly And she’ll fly to my isle and she’ll find me And she’ll tell me that it’s time I came home And we’ll ride side by side down the country ’Til we find that little town I belong Hey hey set me free ‘Cos springtime's on the breeze And I'm looking at the sea Here I am sitting on a grass verge I’m waiting for the Maybird My baby’s flying back to me
11.
ACROSS THE SEA (Gordon) Did I write you letters when you were across the sea? Did I try to bring you home to me? Did I call your number? did I find my way to you? Did I try to do the best thing I could do? All I know is that I let you go And I wish that I could jump the sea What can I do when I'm so far from you And I keep feeling spaces next to me? Can you see the stars shining down from space Shining on your face and on mine too? If we put a mirror right up in the sky Could you wave to me and would I wave to you? Can I hear you laughing, can I feel you next to me Can I find my way to you across the sea? Can you hear me calling, can you feel the thoughts I feel Can you capture all the essence of my need? All I know is that I let you go Oh so far across the sea What can I do when I'm so far from you And know this is how it's going to be?
12.
THE TRIANGLE KID (Martin) The end of term’s two days away They’re getting set for open day The orchestra was going to play Tchaikovsky’s Eighteen-Twelve again First violin was always Moon Jones got to play on his uncle’s bassoon The kid put his hand up ‘Can I play too?’ ’No’ said Miss Sharp, ‘It’s too hard for you’ ‘I’ve practiced the cello, you said that I could’ ‘I changed my mind, Brown’s really good Alright there’s one thing, I think that you could Play the triangle quietly, is that understood? All you must do is watch my left hand I’ll be using the right one to conduct the band When I point, count to four, hit it once, understand? But don’t mess this up, ‘cos it’s not what I’ve planned’ And so he took the triangle home And put it in the bedside drawer Got his dad’s CD collection And spread it out across the floor Banana, prism, baby in a pool Stuff he’d never seen before ’I’m too ill for school tomorrow’ He shouted downstairs to his mum He feigned a cough and locked his door And then he put his headphones on Dub, ska, reggae, calypso A history lesson had begun He heard… Johnny’s sneer, Chuck’s backbeat Jim’s wail and Nile’s chops Eno’s buzz, Bolan’s warble Michael’s whoops and Ronnie’s doo-wops Woody’s slide, Emerson’s powerchord Gillan’s scream, Tricky’s trip hops He’s there when Muddy wrote a riff He could keep on playing all night long He was there when Dave went to the Middle Earth And Ziggy wrote the perfect song He was there when Sid picked up a bass And Malcolm’s dream went very wrong Angus told him to do it in shorts Lou said ‘It’s best when you’re out of tune’ Tony said ‘This is the chord That woke the devil from his tomb’ And Marc said ’Hey man, it’s okay You can rhyme balloon with womb’ He felt the pain of Marvin and Otis Trying to sing the whole world right He felt the joy of Peregrin Took Singing lullabies through the night He heard Bobby tell The Band to play When it seemed like the crowd just wanted to fight He slept for twenty-five minutes He danced with Fatou Diawara He counted with Joey from one to four He cried at the front row of Altamont He fought Lynyrd Skynyrd in the civil war He puked in the 100 Club toilet He hit a tree on the Queen’s Ride He cooked The King’s last burger He was Jerry Lee Lewis’s bride He woke up next morning, never felt so alive He leapt out of bed, told his mum he felt fine He was first into school and by quarter past eight He’d painted his name on the school front gate The band all lined up, Miss Sharp took her place The kid had a faraway look on his face He was spinning his triangle stick round and round So fast it was starting to worry the crowd At the right time Miss Sharp raised her arm And she looked at the kid in a state of alarm She started to count from one up to four But at three and a half she dived to the floor The kid hit the triangle, he whispered the words ‘This is for all of the stuff that I’ve heard For workers and slaves, losers, lost hearts For lovers not yet met, for drugs and fast cars They tried to play on but they’d all lost the beat Hysterical parents ripped up their seats They screamed at the kid and they pulled out his hair The headmaster’s knickers sailed through the air Later in the car park outside the hall There was a guy in shades he hadn’t seen before He said ‘Hey kid, you’re good, I could make you a star Why not take a ride in the back of my car?’

about

Quattro Stagioni is the fifth studio album by The Drain On The Balcony

Includes immediate download of pdf file containing album artwork and lyrics

The 12" black vinyl version is released by our friends at Old Bad Habits Label, Athens, Greece.

credits

released December 28, 2023

The Drain On The Balcony:

Gary: Bass - Guitar - Tambourine - Vocals
Gordon: Guitar - Vocals
Gran: Drums - Programming - Harmonica - Theremin - Vocals
Martin: Accordion - Piano - Organ - Synth - Vocals

With The Drainettes:

Emma: Vocals on tracks 02, 03, 07, 11
Caitlin: Vocals on tracks 02, 03
Eira: Vocals on tracks 02, 03
Hattie: Vocals on tracks 07, 11
Jemma: Vocals on tracks 07, 11

Plus guests:

Vinnie Wainwright: Vocals on track 01
Ali Cross: Vocals on tracks 03, 04, 05, 08
Alex Scott: Sax on tracks 04, 08, 10; Clarinet on track 10

Produced and engineered by Rocker

Recorded 2020 - 2023 at StAR Studios, Bristol

Sleeve design - PS I Love You
Pizza & ice cream photos - Rocker (It’s a hard job but…)
Pizza - Bronnie Wright

All songs © The Drain On The Balcony 2024

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A Local Underground Release

LU058

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Local Underground Bristol, UK

Eclectic music label based in Bristol, UK. Specialising in short run limited editions that nevertheless shift very few copies. Local Underground is Rocker's baby, baby.

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