the blog quebecois

The first semi-serious song we tackled. The Lech! in question refers not to a lech(er), but to Lech Walesa, the Solidarity union leader, future President of Poland, and Nobel Peace Prize winner (when it still meant something). I really wasn't taking much of a position on the situation in Poland, other than to note that it was, uh, happening. I was more concerned with how danceable it was. So I put in handclaps.

Which, by the way, are difficult to record with only one microphone, no decent mike stands, and my flabby hands. Not to mention trying to do them while recording the vocals. Today, it'd be a snap to put them in, with a drum machine or any MIDI-compliant keyboard. Alas, such digital trickery was beyond our humble means.

As for the song, as I said, this was our first "semi-serious" attempt at one. Lyrics that weren't too goofy, and a few more radical concepts, like ending the song on approximately the same beat (openings were still sort of hit and miss). I recorded the bass too high, leading to a somewhat-muddied tone. But all in all, this was an important step for us.

Some of the references if you're not familiar with the times: The Pope refers to the newly-elected John Paul II, a key figure. He had made a triumphant return to Poland earlier that year. Wojciech Jaruzelski was a general (and controversial WWII hero) that the Communists installed to try and hold on to power. The ZOMOs were paramilitary riot police.