Friday, 5 February 2010,
I’m happy to announce that the new album is now available on Spotify and Itunes.
Thursday, 17 December 2009,
I’m please to announce that Oddities is getting a lot of attention and a great response. I hope that you picked up your free copy by telling 5 friends about the new album. We are currently going through the process of publishing the new release and should be available on iTunes, Spotify and other web based music sites.
Tuesday, 10 November 2009,
The Jim Achen Band is an experimental Alternative, Dub Reggae, Punk, Rock mix of songs and sounds. We have been making music since 2004, when we released two albums (Smiles Better and Know Soulos). We are happy to announce that we are going to release our third as a digital download only album called Music for Me (Not for You) and other Oddities. We have gathered some of the best pieces over the last years and added some new studio and live tracks. There are loads of guest musicians, which will be named on this page as soon as possible.
Please keep your eyes open for updates on this website. Which will include: Lyrics and chords of the songs and tales about the songs.
Caranoid,
Recorded by: Neil Martin at SAE Institute in Glasgow
Vocal by: Scott Key and Dave Emmerson
Gangs: Neil, Dave, Gary and Scott
Bass: Gary Martin
Other Instruments: Scott Key (guitar: Danelectro Hodad)
Gary’s brother Neil needed a band to record for his music college project. So, he called Jim Achen who was happy to help. Time was short; we only had a week to completely write a new song, with no drummer to add. We took some existing drum parts that Neil was playing with and scrambled and cut them up to recreate a new sound to provide a Jim Achen foundation. Gary suggested that we write a song about car paranoia (since he suffers from it badly). Scott thought it was a bad idea at first but eventually agreed, so he began writing lyrics for the first verse at a local Wetherspoons pub. He found it very difficult to think (as he suffers from ADD) and eventually wrote random lyrics based on things he saw in the pub and thoughts about being in the studio. In fact, the only car references in his vocals are the words Caranoid, and nighty miles high (if that is a car reference). Dave was much kinder to the idea. He wrote and sung the second verse filled with metaphors about car instrument panels, salvation, etc. Then in typical Dave fashion and to our surprise he stared singing in Hindi, then screaming his guts out in Hindi. We were busting up in the control room. We asked what this means, and it had nothing to do with a car (again) but about greetings in the Name of Jesus, salvation in the name of Jesus. I think Neil got high marks for this project. Scott did a slight remix and alteration to some parts that we didn’t care for. The cow bell break down had a hideous vocal part performed by Scott, now a weirdo guitar solo (always the best fix). Dave’s sung Hindi part was replaced with a new melody and harmony part.
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best,
James
Finger of God,
Vocal by: Scott Key (Dave Emmerson on live version)
Bass on live version: Gary Martin
Djembe on live version: Dave Emmerson
Other Instruments: Scott Key (guitar: Danelectro Innuendo, Custom Fender Stratocaster)
King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.
The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers and diviners to be brought and said to these wise men of Babylon, Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom. Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.
The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. O king, live forever! she said. Don't be alarmed! Don't look so pale! There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king, I say—appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. This man Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.
So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
Then Daniel answered the king, You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.
O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. Because of the high position he gave him, all the peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.
But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honour the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
“This is the inscription that was written:
Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin
This is what these words mean:
Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.
Taken from Daniel chapter 5, NIV
All powers, authorities and governments of this world are in submission to God whither they realise it or not. The finger, in the 21st century can refer to an offensive hand gesture. God made an offensive hand gesture towards King Belshazzar a mighty king of ancient Babylon. There was no contest; the king was dead that night. This song is a 21st century commentary about this passage from Daniel chapter 5.
best,
James
Addictions,
Vocals and Instruments: Scott Key (Guitars Danelectro Innuendo, Line6 FM4 on the bass)
We have been listening to too much old Cure when we wrote this one. The lyrics are based on a series of songs (including Christina and An Aged Love Song for the Youth Today) that illuminates the dangerous folly and the traps in life that ensnare us. The feelings this song gave us were that of being in a drug induced state and having feelings of regret, fear and the desire to get out a miserable rut.
best,
James
Venus at St. Anne's,
Vocals and Instruments by: Scott Key (guitar: Gretsch Firebird)
Screams and additional voices: Otto (no) Bot and Dougle McMystron
In 2006 Jim was asked if he would be willing to do a cover of a song by Blaster the Rocket Man (an “old” underground Christian punk band from the states) for a tribute album that I was putting together. He very kindly agreed to be part of the project. In true Jim Achen fashion they picked the most bizarre song by Blaster named Venus at St. Anne's, and transformed it lock, stock and barrel into a symphony of sounds, screams, personal attack alarms and other weirdness.
I asked Jim to cover the song on a Friday and Scott was put to work immediately. Much to my surprise when I next saw Scott, three days later on Sunday, the song was already completed! My girlfriend (now wife) was so freaked out by the song that she refuses to listen to it, even to this day.
It has been said that Venus at St. Anne's was definitely the best and most original cover song on the Blaster Tribute and received the most comment when the CD hit the streets. There are very few bands in the world that can go from raging guitars, to drum and bass, to mellow acoustic styling, with a whole bunch of other freak stuff thrown in for good measure and pull it off. This is the kind of thing that Jim Achen has become known for.
sincerly,
Dave
Praise Adonai,
Vocals and Instruments by: Scott Key (guitar: Gretsch Firebird)
Additional voices: Julie Martin
Jim was asked to be part of an alternative worship album that was being put together by a bunch of guys called “Wake N The Dead.” Praise Adonai, originally written and performed by Paul Baloche changed by some heavy-duty deep bass notes. Jim Achen managed to turn a modern worship song into a funk infused reggae number that can only be described as alternative! He even added his own second verse for good measure and a bit of ginger (Julie on the voice) to spice it up.
sincerly,
Dave
Ode to Chris Hoy,
Vocals and Instruments by: Scott Key (guitar: 1955 Martin Parlour)
Additional voices: Dave and Vicky Emmerson, Danielle and Jedidiah Key
Once upon a time, not so long ago Scott, Gary and I attended the same church. We were a young spirited bunch who loved to have a good laugh together after the service over tea and cake. Amongst the other attendees of the church was a young Northern Irish fellow by the name of Chris Hoy. Now we all know that Northern Irish folk love the craic and Chris was no exception to this rule. So on one particular Sunday when the guys where having some good banter, rather spontaneously, Scott began to chant 'Oi, Oi, Chris Hoy' over and over again. From that day forth whenever Chris entered the room, the chant would go up. Chris was a rather shy guy and so this would embarrass at times, however, this only made us guys chant all the louder! This is a tribute to Chris Hoy, who is now a fully fledged Doctor and lives somewhere in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands. We love you Chris Hoy.
sincerly,
Dave
More to come...
