A few months ago I mentioned to Buck that I’d found an old version of The Guardhouse And The Moon and that it was one of the few of my older recordings that I actually thought was properly mixed.
Musicians will possibly understand the rarity of this. Some players dislike hearing recordings of themselves. Many are embarrassed by their older songs, knowing that their craft has moved beyond the point captured in their past work. Even more musicians dislike hearing their older recordings, believing that they can do much better versions now– newer equipment, better chops. Very few artists hear an old recording of an old performance of an old song… and like it.
Now, I’m a model culprit. I find most of my older recordings excruciating. But I thought that the old track of Guardhouse was listenable. I liked it and I decided that, because the song still had some meaning for me, there should be a spanking fresh Comets version.
This was a path fraught with peril. I had relatives that were fond of the old recording of the song. I had no intention of treating the “original” with any respect and I expected trouble. After some deliberation, I lost my nerve. I shelved the idea of rerecording the song.
But then the opportunity to play the Stateside Gathering came my way. I started combing the songbook for potential performance tunes whose beat exceeded my beloved down-tempo crawl. Guardhouse sprang to mind and suddenly a fresh version based on my choppy acoustic guitar entered the repertoire. I opened my set with it and it worked. But I kept thinking that it would be better with Buck’s guitar and not just mine. I think this recording proves that I was right about that aspect at least.
Last month, in the same session that spawned Me For You, we came up with this. It’s different from the original recording— more wood, less synth, more groove, less ice. The Guardhouse And The Moon is not a new song and it’s not a new story. But it’s a true story— its events actually happened to me. I hope that it has some resonance for others.  But speaking for myself, this Comets version feels the way I feel about that story now
And that, as far as I’m concerned, makes The Guardhouse And the Moon a brand new song.
David Partridge