Ball and Chain
(Moulding)
|
Recordings XTCfans interview with Colin Moulding Art Lyrics Chords and Tablature |
(Moulding)
|
|
Recordings XTCfans interview with Colin Moulding Art Lyrics Chords and Tablature |
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Album version, 4'28.
Released on English
Settlement.
Released on 26 February 1982 as a single in the U.K.
Reached No. 58 on the U.K. singles chart.
Colin- lead and backing vocals, fretless bass
Andy- electric guitar
Dave- electric 12-string guitar, mini-korg, backing vocals
Terry- drums and percussion, backing vocals
Hugh - vocal support
Promotional video, 4'28.
First broadcast date unknown.
Released in 1982 on the Look Look
video compilation.
Demo version, 4'20.
Not released.
Andy: “This is based on [the Beatles'] ‘Getting Better’.” Colin: “About the destruction of Swindon town centre, but it wasn't much of a song. I think I'd gone off the boil.” Andy: “You reckon?” Colin: “Yeah, I do. The least favourite of my contributions. I don't think I got it back until ‘Skylarking’.”
Single version.
Recorded at The Townhouse Studio and Air Studios, London, in March 1981.
Produced by Alan Winstanley and Clive Langer.
Re-produced by XTC and Alan Winstanley.
Engineered by Alan Winstanley.
Intended for release as a single, but shelved.
Released on 25 March 2002 on Coat of
Many Cupboards in the U.K.
Andy Partridge - Guitar, Keyboard and Vocals
Colin Moulding - Bass and Vocals
Dave Gregory - Guitar, Keyboards and Vocals
Terry Chambers - Drums
Colin: “When eldermans in council chambers were getting outrageously fatter on inner city clearances, I offered up this little chant from the terraces. Perhaps a little overstated, I don't think it was ever going to save the 1980's equivalent of the Euston arch, but it seemed quite relevant to the times. Alan Winstanley, one half of the very successful Langer and Winstanley partnership, ended up being crowned producer, but only by default. Langer, the musical ideas man of the duo had started the proceedings enthusiastically enough and we had high hopes of the fairydust of hit records they had enjoyed with Madness recently, settling on our hair. But as day one progressed, Langer became more and more disillusioned with what his position actually was, and as band folklore has it, ‘left while the cymbals were still swinging’. On the plus side, Winstanley went on to make, I think, the definitive recording of the song, but alas, politics got in the way and it was denied an album place.”
Andy: “On hearing songs for our proposed next album, Virgin (rather diplomatically) suggested we take two of them, ‘Ball And Chain’ and ‘Punch And Judy’, and record, up front, a double A-side single. What a good excuse, they also reasoned, to try out their suggestion for a new producer. The team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, the chaps behind the very successful Madness singles. So like lambs drunk on clover, off we went and immediately made the mistake of booking the Townhouse Studios before we'd even met these people. We found ourselves in with the chunky but amiable Winstanley (the engineer half of the duo) and the twitchy, hawklike Langer (Mr Musical Decisions). The latter proceeded to get everyone's back up from the start. Chop this out, add that, repeat that bit, think up a new place for there. We felt the carpet was being pulled from under us, this was not the time and place to be confused or unsure and we rebelled, sticking to playing it as rehearsed. We wouldn't ‘Madness-ize’ it up.
“Clive Langer listened to us stomping it out for about half an hour, then leapt to his feet proclaiming ‘well you don't need me, I'm off’. Swiftly leaving the room, never to be seen again. We cuddled up to the talented Mr. Winstanley and just got on with it.”
[Thanks to R. Stevie Moore]
the totally awesome back of the Ball and Chain 7" |
UK Ball and Chain front |
front cover of the Canadian Ball and Chain 10-inch single (on green vinyl) |
back cover of the Canadian Ball and Chain 10-inch single (on green vinyl) |
back cover of the German Ball and Chain 7-incher |
photo from back cover of Ball and Chain single |
XiTeC logo (from Ball and Chain single) |
“Ball and Chain”, hilariously lip-sync'ed on British TV |
“Ball and Chain” promotional video, 1982 |
Wounded Horse from “Ball and Chain” video |
magazine advert for the Ball and Chain single, 1982 |
b a l l a n d c h a i n
SSSS
SS ave us from the ball and chain save us from the ball and
SS chain save us from the ball and chain, oh yeah the
SS S diggers and the tower cranes the diggers and the
S S S tower cranes don't want demolition don't want
SSSSS your compensation it's not just bricks and mortar
we are lambs to slaughter.
save us from the ball and chain save us from the ball and chain
save us from the ball and chain, oh yeah the diggers and the
tower cranes the diggers and the tower cranes must we
live in fear from those who shed no tears ? our one and
only shelter your games, your helter skelter.
motorways and office blocks they're standing on the spot
where stood a home, crushing on the memories of people
who have since turned to stone save us from the ball and chain
save us from the ball and chain save us from the ball and
chain, oh yeah the diggers and the tower cranes the diggers
and the tower cranes.
colin-lead and backing vocals, fretless bass. andy-electric guitar
dave - electric 12-string guitar, mini-korg, backing vocals ----
terry - drums and percussion, backing vocals hugh - vocal support
composed by c. moulding
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© 1982 Virgin Music (Publishers) Ltd.
[Thanks to Gary Jedlicka]
Date: October 31, 2001
From: guitar tab archive (author unknown)
Subject: Ball And Chain chords
Ball and Chain
C C7sus4
Save us from the ball and chain
C C7sus4
Save us from the ball and chain
C C7sus4
Save us from the ball and chain
Bb F C
The diggers and the towering cranes
G5 D F C
Don't want .................
G5 D F C
Don't want your compensation
G5 D F C
It's not just bricks and mortar
G5 D F ?
We are lambs to slaughter
Chords:
C - 335553
C7sus4 - 335363 - I'm not sure that this is the right chord.
Bb - 113331
F - 133211
G5 - 3x0033
D - xx0232
F - xx3211
C - x32010Date: Fri, 9 Jan 1998 22:06:57 -0800 (PST)
From: bg769 (at) lafn dot ORG (Ian Dahlberg)
Subject: (for archives) the elusive Ball & Chain chords
Message-Id: <199801100606.WAA22766 (at) zool dot lafn dot org>
After seeing people's attempts at Ball and Chain, I just have to
try and put to rest what the first two chords may be. I am absolutely
positive that it is...
C G7sus
---8------10-----
---8------13----
---9------10----
---10-----12-----
---10-----10----
---8------10----
Seeing Dave play this on footage of a "Top of the Pops" show, I can
plainly see that this is what is being played.
Ian DahlbergDate: Fri, 02 Jan 1998 18:55:44 -0500 From: Tony Lovell <tony (at) hormel_blocker dot wildfire dot com> Subject: Correction to "Ball and Chain" tablature Message-ID: <34AD7E80.608E70F4 (at) hormel_blocker dot wildfire dot com> Howdy! I was the guitarist in Mark's band (the person who offered a correction to the orignal B&C tablature). I have an amendment to Mr. Glickman's efforts, which I suspect is truly more "correct". Here was Mark's chords for the chorus (and the intro): C Csus C/Bb C/F C E--8---------8-----10---8---8- B--8---------8-----11---8---8- G--9---------10----10---10--9- D--10--------12----8----10--10 A--10--------------8----10--10 E--8---------------8----8---8- |____________| repeat 3 times The "Csus" is more like the one shown below: C Csus C/Bb C/F C E--8---------8-----10---8---8- B--8---------6-----11---8---8- G--9---------7-----10---10--9- D--10--------5-----8----10--10 A--10--------------8----10--10 E--8---------------8----8---8- Also, a better likeliness of the verse follows... All the main sections of verse use the same 4th suspension over an E chord form, going from the 10th to the 8th fret for each line. The pattern of when the suspension is on or off changes in later verses of the song, effecting a minor "trill" in later verses, but predominantly the pattern is ON/OFF for D then C. Dsus D Csus C E--x-----x-----x----x-- B--x-----x-----x----x-- G--12---11-----10---9-- D--12---12-----10--10-- A--12---12-----10--10-- E--10---10----- 8---8-- Example use of the "trill" on first verse: legend: D,C == sus chords d,c == non-sus chords D D D D d d dDd C C C C c c cCc And, over "lambs to slaughter", we get the "Tristan chord"... I mean the "Hard Day's Night" chord and its resolution: Gsus7 G E---3-----3-- B---3-----3-- G---5-----4-- D---3-----5-- A---5-----5-- E---3-----3-- Likewise, the organ instrumental "doo-doo-doo" parts alternate between these chords. Hope you find this to be worth incorporating into your page.. tony
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 93 10:39:25 EDT
From: glickman (at) figaro dot med dot harvard dot edu (Mark Glickman)
Subject: a few chords
Ball and Chain: I was in a band a few years ago that played this,
and it was my suggestion to use the following chords at the beginning
of the song. I want to check if I was on the right track:
C Csus C/Bb C/F C
E--8---------8-----10---8---8-
B--8---------8-----11---8---8-
G--9---------10----10---10--9-
D--10--------12----8----10--10
A--10--------------8----10--10
E--8---------------8----8---8-
|____________|
repeat 3 times
Feedback is welcome!
- Mark Glickman| « Previous | Contents | Next » |
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