“1981 Skafish Demo Tape”
Recorded December 1981

When our first album didn’t profit a dime, the record company stopped being involved with us throughout 1981.  Since they wouldn’t finance anything, the band and I just sat frozen.  It was especially hard for me to go from being in a whirlwind of activity to sitting in a tiny apartment behind my mother’s house, penniless.  Even if the 1980 experiences were turbulent, I was at least doing what I wanted to do, and trying my best.  This 3-song session was that “old college try” to hopefully grab the record company’s interest.  It didn’t.

"Wild Night Tonight" was the first recording of the piece, which laid the foundation for the final version which ended up being recorded for the 2nd LP, "Conversation."  "There’s a World" was a re-recording of the unreleased 1978 version of the same title, while "She Lives For Love" ultimately were  re-written and re-recorded, ending up on the 2nd Skafish album.

Wild Night Tonight:  In my opinion, this piece somewhat documents East Chicago Indiana,  Gary Indiana, and South Chicago, three places I had spent a great deal of my life in. If someone had never been to any of them, this lyric at least represents a real slice of what life is like there.

My home region of danger towns
You wanna die?
Just hang around. . . .
Wild night tonight
Danger barks and danger bites
Will we live or will we die?
Can we survive another wild night tonight?

© Copyright 1981 Skafish Music - All Rights Reserved

There’s A World:  It always seemed intimidating when people who could hold part of your future in their hands just dismissed you as though you were a non-entity.

You answer the ad for a job interview
They are aloof and detached toward you
They say “We’re too busy now”
You stop and think “Gee what can I do?”
Where do I fit at all?

© Copyright 1977 Skafish Music - All Rights Reserved

She Lives For Love:  Some of the women I knew only wished for the right man to love them.  I saw them mythically, perhaps as mermaids. I wanted them to be emotionally and romantically fulfilled.

The mermaids don’t speak
Words can’t express their pain
Ships come ships go
Mermaids remain
Mermaids are so old
Yet they have not died
No one answers their cry
The cries just echo, echo on and on

© Copyright 1977 Skafish Music - All Rights Reserved

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