On Saturday, April 23rd, Ben Vaughn’s celebrated career will come full circle with the release of The World of Ben Vaughn. A return to his roots—his recording roots, that is.
In 1986, the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist debuted his first album on vinyl only. He had no choice. The CD player was not yet an everyday home appliance. But now the past is in our future. Turntables are back and he’s been invited to deliver a limited edition, 12-inch LP in time for Record Store Day, 2022. To mark the occasion, Vaughn has come up with a collection of all-new songs and recorded them with a vision of a 12-inch LP spinning in his head.
Writing and recording to a deadline is nothing new for Vaughn. After releasing seven albums (including the legendary Rambler ’65, recorded entirely in his car) and touring internationally, he spent more than a decade in Hollywood creating television music for Third Rock From The Sun, That ’70s Show, and scoring numerous films. “It was extremely high- pressure but I enjoyed it. Nothing focuses the mind like knowing you’ll be hanged in the morning.”
To realize his new vinyl vision, Vaughn recorded in two California locations: the Relay Shack in the Mojave Desert, well-known to fans of his syndicated radio show, The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn, and the Penthouse in Santa Monica.
He also decided to play everything himself, jumping from one instrument to another as he laid down the tracks. “When I was a teenager, I was blown away by the first Emitt Rhodes and Paul McCartney albums and my earliest recordings were one-man-band experiments. I started out as a drummer, so it felt natural to build a track from the ground up. It wasn’t easy in the days of reel-to-reel tape. I eventually went on to record in a more conventional manner with backing musicians but returned to this method from time to time, depending on the material. This songbook felt right for that approach.”
Today Glide is excited to premiere the lyric video for the album’s lead-off single, “In My Own Reality,” a country-rocker about creating a world inside one’s head where trouble visits but never takes up full-time residence. With its rambling folk sound, the loping arrangement features floating, spaced-out guitar and a California hippie bass solo. There is a mellow, laid back quality to the song that captures the escapism from the lyrics and culminates with a sunny little guitar solo.
WATCH:
One Response
I nominated this song for XPN’s Worst Song In the World. If you’re a critic and think this is good music, it may be time to consider a new gig.