The Sound Of The Sand And Other Songs Of The Pedestrian (1981)
David Thomas and pedestriansRelease History:
Rough Trade Records
Rough US 18 (US) Nov 1981 lp.
Musicians: Ralph Carney, Chris Cutler, Anton Fier, John Greaves, Alan Greenblatt, Paul Hamann, Scott Krauss, Philip Moxham, Allen Ravenstine, Tan Tan, Mayo Thompson & Richard Thompson.
Songs: The Birds Are a Good Idea (1:58), Yiki Tiki (2:16), Crickets In The Flats (4:58), Sound of The Sand (3:27), The New Atom Mine (5:14), Big Dreams (2:21), Happy To See You (3:32), Crush This Horn, Part Two (1:49), Confuse Did (2:32), Sloop John B (5:09), and Man's Best Friend (4:28).
Notes: Produced by Adam Kidron. Recorded by Phil Bodger at Regent's Park Studios (London), May to June 1981; except Happy To See You recorded by Paul Hamann at Suma, January 1981. Overdubs recorded by Paul Hamann at Suma and in London. Mixed at Suma. Album mastered by Adam Kidron at Nimbus, Monmouth, Wales, and cut at 45 rpm. Digitally transferred and eq'ed by David Thomas and Paul Hamann at Suma, October 1996. Cover artwork executed by Martyn Lambert from a photo by Mik Mellen.
Vocal Performances (1981)
David ThomasCurrently unavailable.
Release History:
Trade 5/12 1981 12-inch vinyl.
Musicians: Ralph Carney.
Songs: Petrified and Sloop John B.
Notes: Produced by David Thomas. Petrified recorded live at Bushflow Studio, Akron. Sloop John B recorded on a cassette in a hotel in London. Edited and mixed at Suma, engiineered by Paul Hamann and Mike Bishop. Artwork by Mary Thomas.
Variations On A Theme (1983)
David Thomas and pedestriansOriginal release: June 1983.
Musicians: David Thomas (vocals, tapes), Richard Thompson (guitar, backing vocals), Jim Jones (guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals, loops), Lindsay Cooper (bassoon, sopranino), Paul Hamann (bass), Jack Monck (bass), Anton Fier (drums, marimba, piano, percussion), and Chris Cutler (drums, percussion).
Songs: Pedestrian Walk, Bird Town, A Day At The Botanical Gardens, The Egg and I, Who Is It?, Song of The Hoe, Hurry Back, The Rain, and Semaphore.
Winter Comes Home (1983)
David Thomas and his legsRelease History:
Musicians: Chris Cutler and Lindsay Cooper.
Songs: A Day Such As This, Winter Comes Home, West Side Story, Sunset, Stormy Weather, Poetic License, Rhapsody In Pink, Dinosaurs Like Me, Petrified, Bones In Action, and Contrasted Views of The Archaeopteryx.
Notes: Recorded live at The Hirschwirt, Erding, West Germany, 12/11/82. Mastering by Jon Jacobs at Nimbus. Art by Mary Thomas.
More Places Forever (1985)
David Thomas and pedestriansOriginal release: May 1985.
Produced by David Thomas.
Musicians: David Thomas (vocals), Lindsay Cooper (bassoon, sopranino, tuba, oboe, alto sax, piano, organ), Tony Maimone (bass, piano), Chris Cutler (drums, percussion).
Songs: Through The Magnifying Glass, Enthusiastic, Whale Head King, Song of The Bailing Man, Big Breezy Day, The Farmer's Wife, New Broom, and About True Friends.
Monster Walks The Winter Lake (1986)
David Thomas and wooden birdsRelease History:
Rough 90 (UK) Mar 1986 lp.
TTR8667 (US) 1986 lp.
TTRCD8667 (US) 1986 cd.
Musicians: Daved Hild, Tony Maimone, Allen Ravenstine and Garo Yellin.
Songs: My Theory of Spontaneous Simultude / Red Tin Bus (3:06), What Happened To Me (2:45), Monster Walks The Winter Lake (11:13), Bicycle (4:17), Coffee Train (2:24), My Town (3:19), Monster Magee, King of The Seas (2:14), Monster Thinks About The Good Days (3:37), and What Happened To Me (2:41).
Notes: Produced by David Thomas. Recorded live in the studio by Paul Hamann at Suma on November 18, 20 and 21, 1985, using the Sumex custom digital processor and a Sony F1 betamax video recorder. There were no overdubs. Fostex X-15 and Tascam 144 multitrack cassette recordings were used as real time accompaniments for Coffee Train, My Town, Monster Magee and Monster Thinks About The Good Days. Digitally edited by Paul Hamann at Telarc. Digitally transferred ands eq'ed by David Thomas and Paul Hamann at Suma, October 1996. Front cover photo by Mik Mellen. Back cover photo by Ellen Zoslov. Design by John Thompson.
Blame The Messenger (1987)
David Thomas and wooden birdsRelease History:
Rough 120 (UK) Jan 15 1987 lp.
TTR87105 (US) Apr 1987 lp.
Musicians: Chris Cutler, Jim Jones, Tony Maimone & Allen Ravenstine.
Songs: My Town (3:07), A Fact About Trains (4:24), King Knüt (5:27), When Love Is Uneven (3:27), The Storm Breaks (3:34), The Long Rain (4:11), Havin Time (4:53), Friends of Stone (3:18), and The Velikovsky 2-Step (6:50).
Notes: Produced by Chris Cutler. Recorded by Paul Hamann at Suma on September 23 and 24, 1986. Original release edited by Paul Hamann and Roz Ilett at Telarc, Cleveland OH, mastered at Suma by Mike Bishop and cut by Denis Blackham at Tape One, London. Digitally transferred and eq'ed by David Thomas and Paul Hamann at Suma, October 1996. Photos by Mik Mellen. Design by John Thompson.
EREWHON (1996)
David Thomas and two pale boys Release History:COOK CD105 (ROW) Sep 1996 cd.
TK96CD145 (US) Oct 1996 cd.
BOM22001 (Japan) cd.
Musicians: Keith Moliné & Andy Diagram.
Songs: Obsession, Planet of Fools, Nowheresville, Fire, Lantern, Morbid Sky, Weird Cornfields, Highway 61 Revisited and Kathleen.
David Thomas, Monster (1997)
David ThomasRelease History:
HR110 (ROW) June 1997. Tim/Kerr Records
97CD161 (US) July 1997.
5 cd box set of these albums:
The Sound of The Sand,
Variations On A Theme,
More Places Forever,
Monster Walks The Winter Lake,
Blame The Messenger
Meadville (bonus live disk by David Thomas and two pale boys)
The 1997 release was a 5-cd box set with a 16 page full-color booklet. The package design was by John Thompson. Digitally transferred and eq'ed by David Thomas and Paul Hamann at Suma, January 1997.
Mirror Man (1999)
David Thomas and pale orchestra Release History:COOKCD175 (UK) 3/22/99 cd.
Bomba Records
BOM22097 (Japan) 4/25/99 cd.
Thirsty Ear Records
thi57068.2 (US) 6/22/99 cd.
Musidisc Records
(France) 6/4/99 cd.
Produced by David Thomas.
Musicians: Bob Holman, Linda Thompson, Robert Kidney, Jackie Leven, Daved Hild, Jane Bom-Bane, Keith Moliné, Andy Diagram, Peter Hammill, Jack Kidney and Chris Cutler.
Songs: Lost Nation Road, Ballad of Florida, Montana, Morbid Sky, Nowheresville, Memphis, Over The Moon, Bus Called Happiness and Weird Cornfields.
Bay City (2000)
David Thomas and foreignersRelease History:
HR111 (EU) 4/17/00 cd.
Thirsty Ear Records
thi57085.2 (US) 4/18/00 cd.
Hearpen / Ninth World Music
HR111 (UK & Scan.) 5/2/00 cd.
Bomba Records
BOM22115(Japan) 4/23/00 cd.
Produced by David Thomas and P.O. Jørgens.
Musicians: P. O. Jørgens, Jørgen Teller & Per Buhl Acs.
Songs: Clouds of You, White Room, Black Coffee Dawn, Salt, Nobody Lives On The Moon, Charlotte, The Doorbell, 15 Seconds, The Radio Talks To Me, Shaky Hands, Black Rain, Turpentine and White Room #4.
Surf's Up! (2001)
David Thomas and two pale boys Release History:GRCD519 (UK & EU) 3/5/1 cd.
Thirsty Ear Records
(US) 2/20/1 cd.
Bomba Records (Japan) cd.
Produced by David Thomas.
Musicians: Keith Moliné and Andy Diagram.
Songs: Runaway, Man in the Dark, Night Driving, Surf's Up, River, Ghosts, Spider in my Stew and Come Home * Green River.
18 Monkeys On A Dead Man's Chest (2004)
David Thomas and two pale boys Release History:BOM24004 (Japan) 3/20/04 cd.
Glitterhouse Records
GRCD596 (UK & EU) 3/29/04 cd.
Smog Veil Records
SV51CD (US) 10/19/04 cd.
Produced by David Thomas.
Musicians: Keith Moliné and Andy Diagram.
Songs: New Orleans Fuzz, Numbers Man, Little Sister, Habeas Corpus, Brunswick Parking Lot, Nebraska Alcohol Abuse, Sad Eyed Lowlands, Golden Surf, and Prepare for The End.
Guest Appearances
2009 - Funland by The Unknown Instructors. Smog Veil SV68, March 2009, cd.2007 - His Master's Voice by The Unknown Instructors. Smog Veil SV66, March, cd. "This Black Hat Is Rage," "Tar Baby And The Rising Sun," and "Doghouse Riley."
2007 - Traineater by The Book Of Knots, Anti 86853-2, June, cd. "Red Apple Boy."
2006 - The Harry Smith Project, Anthology of American Folk Music Revisited. Shout! Factory, 2-cd/2-dvd. "Fishing Blues" and "Way Down The Old Plank Road."
2006 - Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Shanteys. Anti/Epitaph (Anti 6817-2), August, 2-cd. "Dan Dan" and "The Drunken Sailor."
2000 - Defending Ancient Springs by Jackie Leven. Cooking Vinyl COOKCD 191, cd. Duet with Jackie Leven on "You've Lost That Lovin Feeling" and "Paris Blues." Melodeon on "Morbid Sky."
1995 - Differently Desperate by The Hat Shoes. Recrec Music, RecRec 41, lp, and reCDec 41, cd. "Birdless" and "The Pigeons, Mr McKenzie."
1992 - Collaborations, LO Recordings VOL 2 by MLO. LO Recordings LCD 02, cd. "Fish Shack."
Outline of David Thomas 'Solo' Projex
The Duos
• The Carney Duo, (1982-1984)The Pedestrians
• The Trio v.1.0, 1982 - 1986
On tour in Switzerland, 1986.
The Wooden Birds
• v1.0, (1984-85)The Accordion Club
• v1.0, 1985The Murky Weasels
• v1.0, 1988One of the big acts on Fontana was Was (Not Was). They had some hits ("Walk The Dinosaur"). They were a cult band out of Detroit. It was led by David Was and Don Was. They were signed to Fontana by the same man who signed Pere Ubu, Dave Bates. They were fans of Ubu. In 1988-ish, David Thomas worked with them on a project that was never completed. Two demos were recorded, Zydeco Sont Pas Sale and another. In 1989 a show was organized at the Borderline, London, with a band that was Don Was (bass) and Dave Was (misc instruments), Karl Wallinger (keyboards, guitar), Chris Cutler (drums) with Loudon Wainwright and Guy Chambers (keyboards). Guy Chambers later wrote many of Robbie Williams hits. Karl was in The Waterboys and later led World Party. Loudon Wainwright is a legendary folk singer going back to the 60s, known for his witty self-mocking style. He had a hit in the 70s with "Dead Skunk (In the Middle Of The Road)". David's father loved the song. He is probably better known these days as father to Martha and Rufus Wainwright.
The two pale boys
• v.05, 1994Gefion Calls / Greenland / Foreigners
• 1996-?? -In 1996 I was asked to participate in a improvisational performance staged on a fountain in Copenhagen to be called Gefion Calls. This led to a series of performances throughout Denmark under the name Greenland, which, in turn, led to the recording project by The Foreigners that yielded the Bay City album.
