IPECAC - Leaping Leper Limousine (15-19 November 1988)

Leaping Leper Limousine had a bunch of "firsts":

• It was our first album recorded at Jon's house. We set up our "studio" in his parents' living room and used his dad's stereo to record. The stereo gave us a very clean sound, but I think we were worried about breaking it. I think the mess and the risk of breaking the stereo caused us too much worry; after this album we didn't use his living room anymore but instead retreated to Jon's room.
• This was also the first album on which Jon wrote lyrics. Most of the words on "Kiss the Devil" are Jon's. His ideas were were surreal, sophisticated, and very funny.
• Finally, and most noticeably, it's the first album on which we used piano (which was in his living room). It was also the last. For Christmas a month or so later, Jon received a keyboard, which became our new main instrument. If he hadn't gotten the keyboard, maybe we would have kept trying to use the piano, but I don't know. The living room was kind of off limits to us after this album. In fact, maybe the mess and ruckus we made in the living room inspired Jon's parents to buy him that keyboard, which would keep him (and therefore me too) in his room. Smart parents.

This album might have been recorded in one or two days. On the tape cover, the album and last 3 songs are dated the 19th, but "Five Through Night" has "Nov. 15, 1988" written next to it. The 15th was a Tuesday and the 19th was a Saturday. How could we have recorded on a school night (the 15th)? That's the mystery. For now, I'll assume that the first three songs are the 15th and the last 3 are the 19th.

The weird noises on "Kiss the Devil" are from a signal generator. This was Jon's idea of an "electric guitar". Cool, huh?