Click on the thumbnail to view a printable cd sleeve.- Title: Kim 8
- Artist: Trex
- Timespan: 1988
- Theme: tape 15 for Kim
- Length: 70:45
- Tracks: 15
- Lyrics: 15
- MP3s: 15 play all locally
- Rating: **½ [2.5] (1 rating) rate this album
Track List
Notes
This batch of songs for my cousin Kim was recorded over a weekend. It's mostly lame percussion-heavy improvs, but has historical value (to me, at least) in that it documents the creation of the background music for the "Settlement of Southern Africa" video.
Songs
Scatty Chatter
- Kim 8 track 1
- recorded: 1988-04-10
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 1:25
- Travis Emmitt - talking
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
Scatterbrained babbling about reggae, history day, and Scat-Trav. There was probably some Bob Marley on the tape before it.
I'm guessing that this was the first recording of the day, which would mean the previous songs were all recorded on the 9th.
Lyrics to "Scatty Chatter":
bob marley, that's real real real reggae i'm sure you've heard of ziggy marley well ziggy marley is bob marley's son that's quite obvious they both sing reggae and they're both ??? bob's dead and that's what counts that's real reggae; that's the best reggae i've ever heard i'm gonna play a little more scat-trav otherwise known as dictajamming, all right? did you like that last dictajamming, parts 1 and 2? i bet you thought they were trash yeah, that's right, no, i'm kidding oh, today is the 10th of march, no april, april it's sunday, sunday, all right? my history day thing i'm gonna have to work on today until my father gets back from tennis i'm gonna have to work on that, okay? and what else? and you know, you must have tons of tapes i realize how many tapes did i send you last time? 4? and so far this is the second one? it's incredible [sign] dwindling supply of tapes here all right anyways so this next one i haven't a name for it yet but it should be catchy, i hope you know the last tape cut off just as the other song was starting to get good but i didn't really wanna make you listen to the rest of it because there was only about 5 more seconds or a little more than that, about a minute like [scat] like that you can only do so much with a keyboard and that's why i am blessed with a mixer and a dictaphone those help me a lot all right, more scat trav coming up
(c) 1988 Trex
London Bells
- Kim 8 track 2
- recorded: 1988-04-10
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 5:57
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, percussion, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
Clink, clank, thump. This clunker started with a really long percussion solo. It was horrible, so I got rid of it. So now you are thrust pretty quickly into the vocal section, which is the (ahem) "good" part. Snicker.
Lyrics to "London Bells":
i hope this works i doubt it will this is the best this is the best scat-trav yet hey the london bells they chime so loud the chimes they draw a crowd the london bells they chime so bright they chime in the middle of the night the london bells they chime so loud the chimes they draw a crowd the london bells they chime so bright they they draw a crowd in the middle of the night the london bells are drawing people towards them the london bells they know what's coming towards them the london bells, the london bells, the london bells, the london bells the london bells are chiming the london bells, they are ho-hum, blaa blaa blaa london bells are chiming this is scat trav here saying to you beware of the people you see in the zoo they may be animals that have escaped you never know when they are wearing hats and capes the london bells are chiming, they like to draw a crowd the london bells are chiming, they chime so loud they draw all sorts of people to them in the night the london bells are chiming, they chime, they chime so bright the london bells the london bells the london bells the london bells the london bells they draw there people of all types the london bells chiming 12 times in the middle of the night people beginning to look like monsters in the middle of the night you can never tell just where they have come from in the middle of the night you find them in a filth-ridden alley in the middle of the night with garbage all around them and a stench like muskrat in the middle of the night some of them are really super-creepy in the middle of the night you have just got to ??? once in a hour once in a hour you've got to have the power to pull through the london bells they chime so loud the london bells they draw a crowd the london bells 12 times so bright the london bells will chime in the middle of the night people come from all around just to see the tower that holds the london bells and see them strike the hour, again people come from all over the world just to see the tower to see the famous london bells and hear them ring the hour the london bells they chime so loud loud the london bells succeed in drawing mightly crowds [scat] the london bells they chime so bright the london bells in the middle of the night the london bells the london bells the london bells oh the london bells with a ding-dong here and a ring-a-ling there they bring anybody, ground or air from the ground or the air the london bells, ha ha the london bells the london bells the london bells the london bells the london bells the london bells the london bells the london bells the london bells oh what a monster
(c) 1988 Trex
Percussion Chatter
- Kim 8 track 3
- recorded: 1988-04-10
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 0:57
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, percussion, talking
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
I was trying to explain how I made the percussion noises. It's kinda disjoint; I could barely form complete sentences. I guess my thinking was rather "percussive" at that point.
Lyrics to "Percussion Chatter":
ok honestly, how did you like that one? london bells that's different because in the first recording you know when i was talking like this london bells all i was doing for percussion i was playing this... on the keyboard and i'm just going... every once in a while when you know but when i recorded over this time, when i didn't say anything it was like and then you can hear the scissors how do you like it? it was very fun for me as you can tell, i made up the lyrics as i went along all of them, i promise you i made up all of them as i went along i didn't even know what it was going to be titled until i heard what this sounds like, you know the... part well this next once i haven't written it yet i'm gonna try to find some more interesting percussion instruments i like the percussion in the last one it sounded cool, like [scat] ok, well anyways i'll see you then
(c) 1988 Trex
Come and Dance the Tango
- Kim 8 track 4
- recorded: 1988-04-10
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 10:16
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, percussion, cornet, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This is a long, slow, painfully out-of-tune reggae/tango/dirge. I pre-wrote the lyrics, which are pretty dumb and shallow. The keyboard is of badly tune with itself. Also, in the middle of the song I had some sort of technical difficulties.
On a positive note, the main melody isn't bad (if you ignore the tuning), and some of the solos are decent. The fast rapping at the end is kinda catchy, too. You've just gotta slog through several minutes of nauseating dissonance before you get there.
Lyrics to "Come and Dance the Tango":
all right here's some more with come and dance the tango [scat] i've a fancy 2 step and a steady left foot when hector's at the organ i can dance real good hey he said come and dance the tango i've a fancy little 2 step and a steady left foot when hector's at the organ i can do most anything yes i can dance real good he said come and dance the tango he said come and dance the tango yes, i've a fancy 2 step and a steady left foot when hector's at the organ i can dance real good hey i've a steady left foot when hector's at the organ i can dance real good oh yeah, ??? [scat] i've a fancy 2 step and a steady left foot when hector's at the organ, baby i can dance real good he said come and dance the tango hey dance with me why don't you ??? come and dance the come on 1 2 hit it again come and dance the tango come dance with me i'm a real good dancer now just you see, again come and dance the tango just dance with me come and dance the tango and just come and see i've a fancy 2 step and a steady left foot when hector's at the organ i can dance real good i've a fancy 2 step and a steady left foot when hector's at the organ i can dance real good hey come and dance the tango, come and dance with me i can dance real good, just you see come and dance the tango come and dance with me [scat] hey he said come and dance the tango, come and see come and dance the tango come and dance with me come and dance the tango just come and dance with me he said come and dance the tango come and dance with me he said i can dance real good just why don't you come and see i've a fancy 2 step and i've a steady left foot when hector's at the organ i say i can dance real good i've a fancy left foot and a very steady 2 step when hector's at the organ i don't make mistakes hey i've a fancy 2 step and a steady left foot when hector's at the organ i can polka real good i've a fancy 2 step and a steady left foot when hector's at the organ i can groove real good i've a fancy 2 step and a steady left foot and when hector's at the organ i can jive real good i've a fancy 2 step and a steady left foot when hector's at the organ i can jam real good i can have a jam, i can make the jam i can make a party where you won't want to leave i can make a jam, i can make a jam i can make it so fun that you want to roll your sleeves up i can make a jam, i can make a jam jam i can make a party that you never leave i can make a jam, i can make the jam jam i can make you comfortable, you gotta roll up your sleeve i've a fancy 2 step and a steady left foot ooh, when hector's at the organ i can dance real good i've a steady left foot and a fancy 2 step hey, when hector's at the organ it makes me trip i've a steady left foot and a fancy 2 step when hector's at the organ it just makes me trip, again i've a steady left foot and a fancy 2 step when hector's at the organ i just gotta trip i've a fancy 2 step and a steady left foot when hector's at the organ i can dance real good and i've a steady left foot and a fancy 2 step when hector's at the organ it just makes me trip i've a fancy 2 step and a steady left foot ooh, when hector's at the organ i can dance real good, uh-huh wooh one more time all right, that was called "come and dance the tango"
(c) 1988 Trex
It's the Reggae
- Kim 8 track 5
- recorded: 1988-04-10
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 6:46
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, percussion, cornet, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
More out-of-tune noise and dumb-as-a-skunk lyrics. This time it adds horrible cornet noodling. It's hard to find something positive to say about this, but at least it resembles reggae more than the last one resembled a tango.
Lyrics to "It's the Reggae":
i hope this one's catchy it's called: it's the reggae all right, are you still there do you actually listen to this stuff as i spaz out basically? it's the reggae that's the name of this song more scat-trav [scat] hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it yeah, woo-hoo we're getting down, man yeah, yoo-hoo-hoo nice strong sound oh it's the reggae as you're groovin' to the rhythm it may hold your heart oh it's the reggae and it makes you want to dance, can't wait 'til you start it's the reggae you're groovin' to the rhythm like it holds your heart oh it's the reggae and it makes you, makes you want to dance, can't wait to start it's the reggae oh it's the reggae as you're groovin' to the rhythm like it holds your heart yes it's the reggae it makes you want to dance, can't wait until we start let's do the reggae the reggae as we're groovin' to the rhythm like it holds your heart it is the reggae yeah, makes you want to dance, you can't wait to start it's the reggae, the reggae, [scat] reggae oh yeah all right
(c) 1988 Trex
Percussion Encore
- Kim 8 track 6
- recorded: 1988-04-10
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 0:54
- Travis Emmitt - percussion, talking
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
Horrible drum feature. Fortunately, it's short.
Lyrics to "Percussion Encore":
yeah as an encore, i'll step on the stage with this number all right, aren't you impressed yet wooh, listen to him go ??? yeah
(c) 1988 Trex
Something Tricky
- Kim 8 track 7
- recorded: 1988-04-10
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 5:18
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, percussion, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
More hyper drumming, this time with super-fast canned keyboard rhythms. It was too fast for decent solos or melody. Yuck.
Lyrics to "Something Tricky":
are you ready to rock ok this one is scat-trav's big experiment this is something tricky that i have to sing it is so loud that it makes my ears ring ah, this is something tricky that i have to tell it makes my ears sound like a bell this is something tricky hey this this is something tricky hey this this is something tricky hey this this is something tricky wooh this is tricky, it's really really trickky you gotta be smart can't mistakes when you're going this fast if you do it'll sound like a fart ??? scat-trav's big scat-trav's big experiment ok
(c) 1988 Trex
Scattier Chatter
- Kim 8 track 8
- recorded: 1988-04-10
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 2:01
- Travis Emmitt - percussion, kalimba, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This was at the end of the first side of the tape. It's more hyper babbling about Scat-Trav. Great grammar, too. The "funny" thing is that I was talking about how catchy I thought the music was. Ha!
Lyrics to "Scattier Chatter":
so no more music the rest of this side i'll give you a break that was pretty hectic, don't you think? god, it's tiring for me it's so obvious what i played the second time there yeah whatever well anyways, this is the best i can get just only myself it's not more percussiony i think it's more catchier when i use scat-trav because i don't know why i call it scat-trav because i just don't know why i call it scat-trav but it doesn't matter because i can do more the percussion, i mean, i actually have a percussion anyway that's something to ??? about right now i actually have a percussion yeah percussion section what does that sound like? look out for the burrito, uhhhhh yes, i did burritos for lunch today no i'm kidding here's the thingamajoog yeah blaa blaa well how do you rate these these are very different i know it there's less lyrics but more music and it's not organized well, it's just catchy that's all it is all this stuff is catchy that's all it is ok um side 2 i hope is better i've do have to get started on my history day all right so i'm gonna leave you now saying this is scat-trav saying this is travis saying this is scat-trav, no i'm kidding that could go on forever i had fun doing this and that what's counts oh now, we're not getting into this again what really counts is how much you enjoyed it no, i think i enjoyed it more than you did and to be honest, i think i enjoyed it more than you did anyway there's not much time left so i say i must go, i must go and i want you to be serious about what you think of scat-trav dp you think he's a little imp do you think he's a pain, a little pest does he get on your nerves he gets on my nerves
(c) 1988 Trex
Waiting for a Call (2)
- Kim 8 track 9
- recorded: 1988-04-10
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 8:23
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, percussion, cornet, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
I included this final version of "Waiting for Ian to Call Back" on my History Day project ("Settlement of Southern Africa").
The beginning is horrible, mostly due to my inept cornet playing. When the final melody starts up, it's pretty cool. The keyboard died in the middle, but I did a little rap to kill time; not bad.
I'm guessing I recorded it (and the next bit of "Settlement Chatter") on the 10th, which was a Sunday.
Lyrics to "Waiting for a Call (2)":
this one's waiting for a call it's gonna be awful, i warn you ok this should be a good song i don't know; i haven't written it yet ready? are you ready are you ready are you ready i guess i am, i don't know about you uhhhh are you ready all right wrong tempo so sue me, sue my pants off bet you'd enjoy that bet you'd enjoy that, hey i bet you'd enjoy that have you ??? have you caught ??? all right, i got it waiting for a call standing by the phone i tried him earlier but he wasn't home oh yeah we're waiting by the phone for a call from a guy who isn't home and then the keyboard that ??? oh god it always refuses the cooperate so i have to fix it or i make it up a steak and cook it for dinner and i feed it to the dog and is that what you want you little keyboard bob? and you are so crazy that you're driving me nuts i'm gonna get scissors and make you a cut and i'm gonna slice you up and feed you to the dog i'm gonna slice you up and feed you to the dog if you don't cooperate i'll have to this is, this is your favorite famous song here we go ??? again yes, waiting for a call waiting by the phone we're waiting for a call but he isn't home we're waiting for a call banjo oh gosh it sounds so awful let me take a break tell me what did you expect from this song what did you like it in the first place how have i messed it up tell me what did you expect from this song how was it in the first place how have i messed it up again, again hey 1 more time 1 more time that's all we'll allow waiting for a ??? all right um ok just go on, make a list of all the things i didn't have in this version that were in the original but this is faster all right, this one's faster so what's, what is it called again? waiting for a call let me write that down
(c) 1988 Trex
Settlement Chatter
- Kim 8 track 10
- recorded: 1988-04-10
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 1:29
- Travis Emmitt - percussion, talking
- Dave Emmitt - talking
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
More talking about my History Day project, "Settlement of Southern Africa". It's interesting that "Waiting for a Call (2)" was a remake requested by my cousin Kim.
Lyrics to "Settlement Chatter":
that was awful that was bad that was sad that was terrible waiting for a call ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong it could drive somebody crazy most of them are more conservative, like... anyways, i'm still making songs up i hope the next one's better i don't even know what it's called yet oh god, here is some news that will crack you up you know that song i just played waiting for a call i'm using that for the background in my history day project that i just finished i had to record 3 or 4 times because waiting for a call that's in the background and it is so funny but it's supposed to be that way i just wanted to [let you] know how your request actually turned out important anyways that's a weird thing to note all right, does that spaz you out you wanna hear the video tape listen, just listen [recording] is that good or what all right, listen to the crowd all right, that's great dad, what do you think of it? DAD: all right, let's rewind it rewind but do you think it's good? what do you think it deserves? DAD: ??? creativity DAD: it's good, trav it's good, trav DAD: ??? does that mean DAD: i'm gonna go to bed, ??? go to bed ??? let's go i'll take this to school the videotape DAD: it's late, ??? downstairs all right good night
(c) 1988 Trex
Goulash
- Kim 8 track 11
- recorded: 1988-04-1?
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 9:13
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, percussion, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
We continue with more Scat-Trav. It's very out of tune and has lots of hiss, both due to the multiple recordings (4 total). The beginning is really bad, but the groove and intensity gets better later. The vocals are mixed low, but that's not a bad thing, since the lyrics are so dumb.
Lyrics to "Goulash":
ok, i guess this is called goulash since i haven't recorded a song yet the one thing good about this one is it's been recorded 4 times this is take 2 let's ??? this up hit it ??? rocking to the rhythm of the break of dawn hey hey we be ??? rocking to the rhythm of the break of dawn hey hey hey, we're rocking to the rhythm of the breaking the of dawn ??? rocking to the rhythm, swing to the beat rocking to the rhythm, roll around the feet ??? wooh hey hey, hit it girl hey hey, move your body hey hey, hit it girl hey hey, get up and move your body hey hey, move your body ??? to the rhythm and your feel real cool hey hey, gotta move your body jump to the rhythm and ??? cool hey hey, ??? ??? hey hey ??? hey oh hey hey hey hey... we're singing hey hey hey hey... hey hey hey hey hey... yippee we're coming hey hey hey hey... yeah yeah real cool dancing to the rhythm with your brand new shoes hey hey real neat dancing to the rhythm with blisters on your feet hey hey really cool dancing to the rhythm with blisters on your shoes hey hey really neat ??? hey hey really cool dancing to the rhythm with your brand new shoes hey hey hey hey... hey hey hey hey hey hey work it baby hey hey hey hey hey hey work it baby hey hey hey hey hey hey work it baby hey hey hey hey hey hey ??? baby hey hey hey hey... hey hey hey hey hey yeah... yeah yeah yeah yeah... yeah yeah yeah yeah hey yeah yeah yeah yeah hey hey, get down, listen to me go hey, get down, listen to me go hey, get down, listen to me go that was that was that was barf barf barf barf barf barf barf...
(c) 1988 Trex
Smurf Intro
- Kim 8 track 12
- recorded: 1988-04-1?
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 0:26
- Travis Emmitt - talking
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
Babbling about next song. All right?
Lyrics to "Smurf Intro":
that was pretty intense don't you agree ok that's interesting, recording it 4 times but i think i'm gonna use different instruments this time all right? so i will write another song and i'll record it and it shouldn't be as long it should be a lot better all right, this is another 4 recordings they're not that good quality but they're something and they're different, all right? and i hope this one's better and the name of it is smurf, all right?
(c) 1988 Trex
Smurf 2x
- Kim 8 track 13
- recorded: 1988-04-1?
- location: Charlottesville
- other names: Smurf
- length: 8:54
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, percussion, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
My sister liked the Smurfs. Maybe they were on in the background when I recorded this? That would suggest that this was recorded on a Saturday. The next Saturday after the previous song is 1988-04-16. So that would be as good a guess as any as to the date.
The music, while pathetic, sounds a lot clearer than the last song. I'm pretty sure it's only 2 tracks and that "Smurf 4x" adds the other 2 tracks.
Lyrics to "Smurf 2x":
yeah we know what is how we rock we know what is how we rock we know what, doin' the smurf we know what, while we're doin' the smurf we know what, while we're doin' the smurf we know what we know what we know what we know what we know what we're doing while we're doing the smurf
(c) 1988 Trex
Smurf 4x
- Kim 8 track 14
- recorded: 1988-04-1?
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 7:01
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, percussion, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This is a faster version of "Smurf". It adds 2 more tracks and lots of tape hiss.
Lame stuff likes this makes the Scat-Trav songs on Five Dollar Drummer sound much cooler.
Lyrics to "Smurf 4x":
ok listen that was version 1
that was an average recording
this one's gonna be terrible
smurf
yeah
yeah
wooh
yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah... wooh...
we are are doin' the smurf
yeah yeah wooh
telling we are doin' the smurf
yeah
we know how to rock
we have all the rhythm
you don't know nothing
you're just sitting
we know how to rock
we have all the rhythm
you don't know nothing
and you're just sitting
wooh
yeah yeah
wooh wooh wooh wooh... yeah
yeah yeah
we know how to rock
oh we know how to rock
we all have the rhythm
you don't know nothing
you're just sitting
we know how to rock
we know how the rhythm
you're just sitting
we know how to rock
we know all the rhythm
and you're just sitting
we know how to rock
we know how the rhythm goes
you're just sitting
yeah yeah
wooh wooh
yeah
wooh yeah yeah
wooh
we are rocking
yeah
rock the house
all the walls in
rock the house
bring all the house down
bring all the walls in
and all the people frown
for we're rocking the house
bring all the walls down
we're rocking the house
we're rocking the house
wooh wooh
we rocking the house
yeah
we know what is how we rock
we know what is how we rock
we know what, doin' the smurf
we know what, while we're doin' the smurf
we know what, while we're doin' the smurf
we know what
yeah yeah yeah
[scat]
we know what
we know what
we know what
we know what we're doing while we're doing the smurf
doin' the smurf
doin' the smurf
doin' the doin' the doin' the smurf
doin' the smurf
doin' the smurf hey
yeah that was sad
it was shoot
it barfy barfy
all of it
(c) 1988 Trex
Smurf 6x
- Kim 8 track 15
- recorded: 1988-04-1?
- location: Charlottesville
- length: 1:45
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, percussion, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This is the final, 6-track version of "Smurf". Yikes. Good thing it cuts off at the end of the tape.
Lyrics to "Smurf 6x":
ok that was recording 4 times
this is recording 6 times
this will be terrible
smurf
yeah
we're rockin'
yeah
wooh
yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah... wooh...
we are are doin' the smurf
yeah yeah wooh
telling we are doin' the smurf
how do you like this music so far
do you find it ??? or you find it really ???
how do you like this music so far
do you find it ??? or you find it really ???
we are doin' the smurf
we are doin' the smurf
doin' the smurf, doin' the smurf
doin' the smurf, doin' the smurf
yeah
we know how to rock
we have all the rhythm
you don't know nothing
you're just sitting
we know how to rock
we have all the rhythm
you don't know nothing
and you're just sitting
(c) 1988 Trex