The Genre Benders: Music

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This song was inspired by ZZTop. Huge was thinking about how over-complicated music can get - as opposed to their predominently simple but effective take on it. He was going down to the local club to jam with the boys and so he was thinking about how great the basic 12-bar blues is and how much he misses it when playing too much complicated pop stuff. He wondered how the blues would feel about people leaving them all the time and then returning. The idea of being put on trial by the blues popped into his head and the experession "12 good men and true" referring to the jury arrived ... this song followed.

Of course, the joke is that this is not a 12-bar ...

On this version, the lead guitars were played by the amazing Matt Mikkelsen and recorded at Pullenvale State School. All other noises were made by Huge and most were recorded and engineered by "Big" Phil van Vliet. Drums recorded by Adam Howard. It was entered in the Q-Song 2007 competition but not even shortlisted. I have also been entered into the International Songwriting Competition - we'll see how it goes.

12 good bars and true

Please Lord, hear my confession. My heart is on parole
I been stuck for days where the devil plays
And the music ain’t got no soul.
Well I bled while I earned.
And I've returned.
Back to the sound that’s blue.
Now my soul’s on trial before 12 good bars and true.

Now I am just a minstrel I got to make ends meet.
But they took me down to some hole in the ground
With an unrelenting beat.
Well the ladies looked fine.
I drank fancy moonshine.
Played the best I could do.
But I couldn’t wait to get back again to those 12 good bars and true.

Well my friend got some fancy axes. They make some pretty sounds.
They got horns and strings and mighty strange things.
Make your blood run like hellish hounds.
He takes out his toys when he plays with the boys.
But I say “No, No. Here’s what you do.
"Just give those three magic chords, man. Play those 12 good bars and true".