Chinese Soul
liner notes
The guy’s already half Chinese: for when she was standing before him like an armed angel in the hallway, he didn’t even blink once. Though she had been haunting his dreams since the day he had laid eyes on her on that worn sofa in a seedy country shrink’s practice way back in the seventies, all he did was push aside the thought of kissing her good and hard on the mouth in a vain attempt to force open those sealed lips, maybe getting at her petrified soul and detonate inside her labyrinthine lotus garden. No, not him.
Instead, he opted for the heroic version: Remembering Sam, he unlocked his guitar case in a slow, but steady tempo, never diverting his attention from her sharp and ragged contours. Mo’ betta’ changes are about to come, he mumbled, pulled out his fake Gibson in one smooth and lifesaving motion, swung it at her without taking aim and shot a glittery liquorice tune in her direction, piercing her heart, screaming his rage, glazing his mind with sweet and sour feelings of revenge. Summer’s over, baby, and there ain’t no cure for the autumn blues either. That was that.
Breaking at the palace later in the day, he licked his wounds with his smooth tiger’s tongue, recalling the sweet love they had shared in a past so past, that it seemed almost prepraetorial and unreal. Should have listened to my dad, he mused. The truth in a woman’s heart is a sight you won’t ever be seeing, son. And it’s your luck, that you ain’t - let me tell you, buster. For such an unlikely occurrence might blind you like the huskies did old Nanook down at Packard’s corner. Futile Bar Talk, he used to think. But letting the supereightflick of today’s rollercoaster ride rewrite his short-lived memory, he recognized: Pa was right. Damn right. Never trust the handle of her handbag, had been one of his favourite sayings, meaning: Once a woman’s telling you to settle down, you better grab your heels, kiddie-oh. No more lazy afternoons there ain’t, as soon as you exchange your tent for solid brick walls and a roof.
Yeah, should have taken the old man’s travelogue to heart and picked a real job, it crossed his mind a lifetime late, as he tenderly stroked the cracked, but reassuringly voluptuous body of his instrument, softly closed the lid of its battered case, dusted his trusted Levis’, spit lightly, but meaningfully onto the glistening promise of never ending highway 61 and headed onward, towards the entanglement of his fate. Eastbound. New ground. Bon voyage. (Jan Krohn)
tracks
- Mo' Betta' Changes
- Lazy Afternoon
- Bar Talk
- Bon Voyage
- Remembering Sam
- Sight(not)seeing
- Summer's Over
- Breaking At The Palace
- Angel In The Hallway
- Packard's Corner
- Eastbound
lyrics
Lazy Afternoon
I never dreamed of wakin’ up with you
I never guessed, I’d ever start anew
I never planned to get so hooked on you
no, I never ever thought, I'd fall in love with you
I never dreamed of wakin’ up with you
who would have guessed I could be true to you
I never feared of ever losing you
no, I never knew I'd do it with you
oh, boy, take me in your arms
put your lips on mine and kiss my worries away
blow them up into the sky!
I never dreamed of wakin’ up with you
I never guessed, I’d ever start anew
I never planned to get so hooked on you
no, I never knew I'd do it with you
oh, boy, I think you’ve lost your charms
put your lips on mine and kiss your baby goodbye
I’ll blow you up into the sky!
I never dreamed of breakin’ up with you
I never guessed, I’d have to start anew
I never planned to get fed up with you
but now I know, I’ve had it with you
well now I know, I’ve had it with you
Bon Voyage
nothing is said
no one is around
nobody’s here – with me
you’re nowhere to be found
all on my own
completely alone
not even a phone
to keep me company
my baby has gone
he won’t return to me
or maybe he will, but...
it’s all the same to me
life is so sad
with no one in bed
I wish that I had
a little company
I know one day a prince will come - and drop down on his knee
and then I’ll have a million knights - to keep me company
all I want - all I need:
is company - just you and me!
life is unfair
to girls without blonde hair
all that I want is a man
or some sweet millionaire
to take me back home
to Paris or Rome
and buy back my baby
for some company
Sight(not)seeing
look at the sky – it’s such a lovely night
look at the stars – a billion of tiny lights
so bright – all night – oh...
look at the moon – a disc of perfect white
look at your love - move over and close your eyes
alright – all night
hold me tight until tomorrow, let our planetoids collide
make me see dancing sunbeams in the middle of the night
move me – soothe me – groove me – oh...
Summer’s Over
summer ends
and living’s getting harder once again
cotton’s dry
and all the birds have flown away
summer ends
the wind is blowing leaves across the land
daddy’s poor
and your mamma’s gone astray
don’t cry
hush, hush
don’t cry
all’s fine
little baby, all’s fine
summer ends
the sea is lapping gently at the sand
the sun is low
a pale moon’s rising in the sky
Angel in the Hallway
sorry, that I hesitate to break your heart
that I hesitate to fall in love with you
love would come nice and easy - that I know
but I just can’t - please don’t tease me – let me go
sorry, that I end it all before it starts
that I leave without claiming my reward
loving you would be heaven – that I know
that’s just why you have to let me go
I can see that look in your eyes and I’m on my guard
for all I see is a family home and a dog that barks
and I can hear two children a-laughing in the yard
baby, that’s just why you have to let me go
sorry, that I hesitate to break your heart
that I hesitate to fall in love with you
a love that would last forever – that I know
that’s just why you have to let me go
Eastbound
I’m sorry, sir: but could you please tell me which way I should go
it seems to me I’ve lost my orientation long ago
don’t know why every time I turn a corner, I’m back at the start
don’t know why every man I meet is just the type to break my heart
I’m sorry, sir: but could you please tell me what is going wrong
it seems to me I’ll end up in the madhouse before long
don’t know why every time I turn around I’m at the same address
don’t know why every man I meet is turning me into a mess
fate’s a joker you know - wherever I leave
the fellow shows up with a trick up his sleeve
life’s a desperate game for innocent fools
you’re bound to get lost if you play by the rules
musicians
Sophie Dunér - vocal
jürg wickihalder - saxes
Werner Tian Fischer - guitar
Nesin Howhannesijan - double bass
Gabriel Schiltknecht - drums
credits
music composed and arranged by werner tian fischer
lyrics by jan krohn
Recording by Patrik Schwitter at Hard Studios Winterthur, April 12 & 13, 2010
Mix & Mastering at Sun Hill Project-Studio Bremgarten, May 2010
Photographs by Tian Si Yuan, Tianjin (China), Petra Björstad, Göteborg (Sweden) & Francesca Pfeffer, Zürich (Switzerland)
Artwork by Sam Gwilym, The Hague (Holland)
Produced by Werner Tian Fischer and Patrik Schwitter
Executive Producers:
Therese Fischer-von Felten, Peter von Felten, Thomas Hildbrand, Jürg Kümin, Hanspeter Kunz, Markus Meier - Die Mobiliar, Esther & Jürg Peter, Brigitte & Beat Züger Fischer, Theresa & Remo
Special Thanks:
Mei Tian & Chantal Tian Fischer, Zhang Ling, Zhang Fan, Michael Giger (for the miraculous Bad Cat amp), Reini Schläfli, Mya Audrey & all dear friends who supported this endeavor
This project was endorsed by FUKA-Fonds der Stadt Luzern, Stiftung Gartenflügel Ziegelbrücke, Schuler-Stiftung der Gemeinnützigen Gesellschaft Glarus, Schindler-Stiftung Ennenda
jürg wickihalder plays Selmer saxophones
Gabriel Schiltknecht plays Noble & Cooley drums and Michael Paiste Cymbals
Werner Tian Fischer plays a Gibson L5 Wes Montgomery
Jan Krohn writes with Caran d’Ache
„In memory of my father whose first & foremost passion in life was to travel” (Werner Tian Fischer)
Altrisuoni AS 292
website
www.chinese-soul.com (Flashplayer required)