albums
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1988 Apostrophe
1988 Gourmet
1988 Induces Vomitting
1988 Best of IPECAC
1988 Fake Reverb
1988 Here and Now
1988 Leaping Leper Limousine
1988 Catharsis
1989 Best of IPECAC 2
1989 Fake Reverb 2
1990 Live at Carnegie Hall
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View printable CD cover for album: Here and Now Click on the thumbnail to view a printable cd sleeve.
  • Title: Here and Now
  • Artist: IPECAC
  • Timespan: October 1988
  • Theme: lots of variety, including guitar
  • Length: 29:14
  • Tracks: 9
  • Lyrics: 5
  • MP3s: 9 play all locally
  • Rating: rate this album

Track List

# title lyrics time download listen started recorded rating
1 Sungreen lyrics 3:03 download listen locally - 1988-10-??
2 Third Take - 4:24 download listen locally - 1988-10-??
3 The Broken Swing - 1:47 download listen locally - 1988-10-??
4 Grabatune - 1:32 download listen locally - 1988-10-??
5 All This is True lyrics 5:37 download listen locally - 1988-10-??
6 Grapejuice lyrics 5:18 download listen locally - 1988-10-??
7 Vacacaca lyrics 3:00 download listen locally - 1988-10-??
8 Major Alto lyrics 3:01 download listen locally - 1988-10-??
9 Hallogen (3) - 1:32 download listen locally - 1988-10-??
Total 29:14 play all locally album rating:

Notes

Here and Now was our first "real" album since Gourmet. The other ones had been improvs and a compilation. For this album, I dug up some "serious" lyrics, wrote some new ones, found a couple "warmup" practice songs for us to learn, and then Jon and I wung it from there.

The most memorable song ended up being "All This is True", on which I rapped about animals. The animal theme (and some of the lyrics) became a motif for both IPECAC and the Master Anchovies.

The last two [full] songs were intentionally "cacaphonic" improvs. I think it was our way of dispelling any sense of seriousness/pretentiousness. Or at least that's how I rationalized it.

Sorry for the horribly cliche title. I don't know what we were thinking!

Songs

Sungreen

Dumb lyrics. I think they had to do with racism. Or nuclear holocaust. Or something like that. I don't remember. Like I said, pretty dumb.

The music is very simple too. I was trying to get poppier (and less jazzy).

I've seen two "Sun Green" references recently. One was a girl in the movie "Broken Flowers". The other is a Neil Young song from 2002. Does any of that matter? Not really.

Dumb song.

Lyrics to "Sungreen":

VERSE:
  sun green,  sun red
  sun blue,   sun yellow
  sun orange, sun black
  sun white,  sun purple

CHORUS:
  you are my sun; you light up my life
  you shine on me from near or from far
  the sight of you it cheers me up
  no matter what color you are

  you are my sun; you light up my life
  you shine on me from near or from far
  the sight of you it cheers me up
  no matter what color you are

VERSE:
  sun blue,  sun purple
  sun black, sun white
  sun ???,   sun purple

  sun green,  sun ???
  sun blue,   sun yellow
  sun black,  sun white
  sun orange, sun purple

CHORUS:
  you are my sun; you light up my life
  you shine on me from near or from far
  the sight of you it cheers me up
  no matter what color you are

  you are my sun; you light up my life
(c) 1988 IPECAC

Third Take

This upbeat instrumental jazz-rock-funk was my proof that I could "rock" on keyboards. The mix is gritty and the performances, though a little off in bits, are energetic. I really dig this. I wish we had done more songs like this.

I liked this so much that I remade it almost 2 decades later (see "Third Take 2" on Mouseculine).

The Broken Swing

This came from a practice book that Jon or I had. I have no idea who wrote it. It's really boring. Playing other people's music is not my cup of grapejuice.

Grabatune

This is another song from a practice book. Zzzz.

All This is True

This was our first rap. It was completely improvised. It was fun to record, and still enjoyable to hear (at least for me).

We added bits of the lyrics to "How Ya Is'n", which later made its way to the Anchovies. So these silly, improvised lyrics got a lot of mileage!

Lyrics to "All This is True":

INTRO:
  this is a rap, rap, rap, rap, rap, rap
  hit it!
  hit it!

VERSE:
  i was walking on the street
  i was walking on the street
  and who did i meet?
  i was looking at my feet

  i saw a little ant standing by the side of the road
  by him was a rabbit beside him was a big fat toad

CHORUS:
  yeah, yeah
  all this is true

VERSE:
  i was walking on the street
  and who did i meet?
  i was looking at my feet
  and i saw a -
  i saw a what?

  let hear it, y'all

  i saw an ant by the side of the road
  beside him was a rabbit and a big fat toad
  he looked at me and asked me my name
  and i said "who are you to speak to me in this silly game?"

CHORUS:
  it's a rap

VERSE:
  so i asked him to my house and see if he did
  he came instead with a friend of his
  the friend was the toad; he brought his brother too
  his brother was another ant that lived at the zoo

CHORUS:
  all this is true
  all this is true
  all this is true
  all this is true

VERSE:
  so i took him home and we ate a big dinner
  he certainly didn't get thinner
  he looked sort of round  more like a beetle
  so i said

CHORUS:
  all this is true
  all this is true
  all this is true
  all this is true

  all this is true
  all this is true
  all this is true
  all this is true

VERSE:
  he left, finally
  i asked him to the door and he said he would go after me
  so i said, "how about stay for dinner"
  and he said "i...  get thinner"

  so i said
  "you already ate dinner
  you're not looking thinner
  you're looking rather fat
  it's time you sat down and sat"

CHORUS:
  all this is true
  all this is true
  all this is true
  all this is true

VERSE:
  last verse

  i wished him good look and i told him goodbye
  i asked him to tell me if his name was mister fly
  he said "no, you need some glasses to to see"
  he said "i'm an ant  can't you tell by i don't have no wings"

  i was walking down the street looking at my feet
  so who did i meet?
  i said: "all this is true"

  i saw an ant by the side of the road
  beside him sat a rabbit and a toad
  i asked them to my house for dinner and then dessert
  after that they left, they left

  sing it again:

CHORUS:
  all this is true
  all this is true
  all this is true
  all this is true
(c) 1988 IPECAC

Grapejuice

Trav on guitar. Jon on keyboard. Ugh, right? Well, it's not that bad. It's surprisingly tight.

The lyrics are the best part about this song. I had written them several months earlier (see "Poetry Medley"). They might have been based on an actual event, but are certainly exaggerated.

Lyrics to "Grapejuice":

VERSE:
  my shoes have grapejuice on them
  there's a puddle of it on the floor
  mother is screaming bloody murder
  and then she points to the door

CHORUS:
  hey, didn't you know grapejuice stains carpet?

VERSE:
  and dad comes home
  i'm still outside
  too cold to talk
  and about to cry

CHORUS:
  he says: "hey, you better learn how to grow up soon"

VERSE:
  he goes inside
  and leaves me here
  he greets my mom
  with "honey dear"

CHORUS:
  they say: "hey, what's he doing out there on the porch?"

VERSE:
  i'm wondering what shall i do?
  i feel a breeze
  without a coat
  i'm surely here to freeze

CHORUS:
  hey, you should've thought of it earlier

VERSE:
  my tears are ice
  my hands are dead
  my fingers have lost
  their healthy red

CHORUS:
  hey, tough break, kiddo

VERSE:
  i try the door
  it's locked, oh no
  forecasters
  they're calling for six feet of snow

CHORUS:
  hey now, they're not always right, now are they?

VERSE:
  i have hope after all

  dad opens the door
  so i rush in
  i clean up the mess
  i am forgiven

CHORUS:
  one more solo and then we're through
  here's the solo now; let's go

  and i'm saying

VERSE:
  dad opens the door
  so i rush in
  i clean up the mess
  so i am forgiven

CHORUS:
  hey, now how is that for a happy ending?
(c) 1988 IPECAC

Vacacaca

Trav on sax, Jon on keyboards. Why did we keep doing this to ourselves? And the listeners - don't forget the poor listeners!

At least we named it appropriately.

Lyrics to "Vacacaca":

???
(c) 1988 IPECAC

Major Alto

Clankity clank! Hey folks, we've regressed to the Gourmet stage. This was our last encounter with pots-and-pans percussion. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Lyrics to "Major Alto":

1 2 ???

whoo

???
(c) 1988 IPECAC

Hallogen (3)

This final version of "Hallogen" starts and cuts off abruptly. I think we recorded over most of it. It's not particularly special.