Urban Disco: 1996 – 1997

Can you taste my dream?
Can you see my light?

With One Little Indian firmly in the rear-view mirror, No-Man signed with 3^rd Stone Records in early 1996. At this point, 3^rd Stone had already made a name for itself via releasing the post-rock band Bark Psychosis first album, Hex. The change in label also brought with it a major change in direction. Gone were the warm atmospheres and back-beats of the previous few years. In their place were aggressive guitar lines, a heavier reliance on sampling and lyrics balancing between the personal and the poetical.

We started working on a follow-up record to Flowermouth which would have been a continuation of that in a way. And while we were doing that, we got dropped by our record label and publishing company. We went through a very dark time, certainly in terms of professional relationships over the previous three or four years when we really felt like we were arriving as professional musicians. Suddenly, we found ourselves out of a record contract and I think our response to that was to create something much darker and more intuitive, which is why we ended up making the Wild Opera record.

Steven Wilson via Anil Prasad / Innerviews

The first evidence of No-Man’s new direction would come about through an evocatively named single…

Housewives Hooked on Heroin EP

With a title that sounds like something out of a soap opera, “Housewives Hooked on Heroin” was certainly a head turner. Snarling basslines, aggressive guitarwork and filtered vocals hammer home just how far the band had left the lush worlds of Flowermouth behind. The track has remained a favorite of Tim’s, even appearing as an unexpected encore during a live show in 2012.

The brute force sound and relative simplicity of “Hit The Ceiling” belies some of the experimental challenges that Tim and Steven had set for themselves. The song was written, recorded and completed within an hour.

 The original idea was to take us out of our comfort zone. Immediately post-Flowermouth we’d written the beginning of Love You To Bits and Lighthouse and we had some fairly grand ideas about how to develop the songs. We abandoned them and pursued the more brutal Wild Opera partly because it more accurately reflected where we were emotionally at that time.

In some ways, it was a return to how we originally worked in 1988 and 1989 when Steven and I would just trade ideas with one another in real time. After that, between 1990 and 1994, the process became both more distant and more musically detailed. Steven would send me complete backing tracks which I’d write to, or I’d bring in complete acoustic songs that Steven would play around with, and we’d both meet up at the studio to discuss arrangement ideas.

Tim Bowness

Robin Rimbaud’s (alias Scrambler) remix of “Housewives Hooked on Heroin” cuts the track into an ever more chaotic world of stuttering words, distorted guitars and drum and bass elements that sound more akin to Flowermix. The track is exclusive to the EP only and has not been included with the recent two-disc reissue of Wild Opera by KScope.

“Urban Disco” from a lyrical point of view offers a peak into the dark worlds to come. A miserable story of death and destruction, it showcases the inner turmoil that was working behind the scenes of Tim’s life. This turmoil would end up taking center stage on “My Revenge on Seattle” in a dramatic fashion.

Closer “Where I’m Calling From” shows off the crafty reworking of old outtakes as guitar lines by Robert Fripp and trumpet parts by Ian Carr are seamlessly molded into a brand new track.

Overall, the EP gained some press attention and succeeded it its mission of announcing the bands change in direction with a bang.

One of the most addictive singles I’ve heard so far this year. The witty Morrissey-esq lyrics, dramatically delivered by Tim Bowness, blends with electronic soundscapes to create a truly fucked-up alternative anthem for the Nineties. It’s just a shame that they’ve already made the ‘Trainspotting’ movie, as these tracks would’ve fitted perfectly on the soundtrack

Hot Press

However it also caused division with some of the music magazines that had earlier been staunch supporters of the band. NME in particular gave a rather harsh review that ended up killing an attempt by the band to sign to Chrysalis publishing group.

Bar Hot Press (which loved it), the NME and MM album reviews were also the worst we ever had. The Melody Maker review suggested – rather bizarrely – that we were repeating ourselves and treading ‘where no-man had trod before’. The journalist later admitted to a PR person that he never listened to the album.

Tim Bowness

Unlike many of No-Man’s EP releases, Housewives Hooked on Heroin is still easily available for purchase. Every track except for “Housewives Hooked On Methadone (Scanner Mix)” also can be found on the two-disc version of Wild Opera.

Information taken from the Hidden Arts 2004 Reissue

Tracklist

1. Housewives Hooked On Heroin
2. Hit The Ceiling
3. Housewives Hooked On Methadone (Scanner Mix)
4. Urban Disco
5. Where I’m Calling From

1. “Housewives Hooked On Heroin” – 4:39

• Vocals/Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Not even housewives hooked on heroin
Could understand the awful mess I’m in.
I don’t know where my real life begins,
But I’m sure that I’ll be there.

I paid to see some ageing pop star sing
About the universe and cosmic things.
He sang of perfect girls with perfect skin,
But I really couldn’t care

Not even housewives hooked on heroin
Could match my constant appetite for sin.

I met this guy who lives in big hotels,
His paradise became his living hell.
He looked at things he knew he couldn’t sell,
And he felt like he would die.

Not even housewives hooked on heroin
Could match my constant appetite for sin

Not even housewives hooked on heroin
Could match my constant appetite for sin

2. “Hit The Ceiling” – 3:05

• Vocals/Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written, recorded and finished between 1-2pm on 20th September 1995 by Bowness/Wilson

I hit the ceiling with my feet on the ground.
I hit the ceiling with my feet on the ground;
And what a feeling gives when you’re not around.
I hit the ceiling with my feet on the ground.
(oh yeah!)

The young girl brought me red wine,
The young boy brought me bread.
My mother placed a pillow
Beneath my broken head.

I hit the ceiling with my feet on the ground.
I hit the ceiling with my feet on the ground;
And what a feeling gives when you’re not around.
I hit the ceiling with my feet on the ground.
(oh yeah!)

The young girl brought me red wine,
The young boy brought me bread.
My mother placed a pillow
Beneath my broken head.

3. “Housewives Hooked On Methadone (Scanner Remix)” – 6:06

• Vocals/Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Remixer – Scanner
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Lyrics Unavailable

4. “Urban Disco” – 3:17

• Vocals/Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

You want to tell your story,
You want to have your say –
But every time you try to speak,
More life gets in the way.

Some children died today,
You’re troubled by your face –
But everything’s OK,
Jason pulled on Saturday.
Jason pulled on Saturday.

You wonder what’s inside of you.
You keep yourself well-fed –
But every time you try to think,
More life gets in the way.

Some people burned to death
While Alex smoked his cigarette,
But you don’t hold your breath,
‘Cause Jason’s had success.
Jason pulled on Saturday.

A burning plane had crashed
The time your father asked,
“Whatever happened to the past?
Whatever happened to the past?”

Jason pulled on Saturday.

5. “Where I’m Calling From” – 3:40

• Vocals/Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Trumpet – Ian Carr
• Soundscapes – Robert Fripp
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

And so I sing to you
Another song of leaving.
It’s not a question of love,
Just a question of believing.
Where I’m calling from,
You don’t want to know;
Where I’m calling from,
You don’t want to go.

How does it fall when it falls?
How does it feel when it falls?
Where I’m calling from;
How do you know when to go?

Wild Opera

The name Wild Opera can be traced back to an interview Tim conducted with Mix Magazine in July of 1994. At that point the album was to be a compilation of various solos and outtakes from the recording of Flowermouth. Instead, it morphed into a fully fledged album of original material that sought to incorporate these outtakes alongside elements of trip-hop. By 1995 trip-hop had become a rather noteworthy movement within the UK, with artists like Massive Attack, Tricky and Portishead garnering critical acclaim and commercial success with their blend of hip-hop beats, sampling and sonic elements pulled from a variety of genres.

Recording for Wild Opera took up the last part of 1994 and ran through to the spring of 1995, with a massive amount of material being produced.  The usage of sampling and breakbeats, which had played a role in a handful of songs dating back to “Colours,” would reach its peak on this release.  Additionally, the duo continued the process of writing, recording and finishing songs within a single hour.

Immersing ourselves in ideas and losing ourselves in the moment, there was little time for self-reflection. For me, with his ‘Industrial’ approach to a lot of the guitar and bass parts on the album, Steven harked back to No-Man’s earliest ‘noise experiments’ (Screaming Head Eternal etc), while taking the band’s sound to some altogether stranger and uncharted places.

Tim Bowness via https://timbowness.wordpress.com/album-writings/wild-opera/

Lyrically, the album exchanges the more pastoral and at times upbeat views of the world for a more cold and cynical look at the end of relationships, decay and of urban life, matching the change in tone of the music.

Opener “Radiant City” makes the albums intent clear-cut. The lush worlds of Flowermouth are gone. In its place are frenetic breakbeats, pulsing bass-lines and guitarwork from Steven more similar in tone to Porcupine Tree’s energetic live version of “Not Beautiful Anymore.” The addition of saxophone by Mel Collins (recorded specifically for usage on the album) and violin from session player Natalie Box help complete what can only be described as one of No-Man’s most aggressive and uncompromising tracks.

As if by contrast, “Pretty Genius” displays the band’s trip-hop influences in full. Built around a sample from American soul singer Isaac Hayes rendition of “Walk On By,” No-Man would join the likes of Portishead, British rapper MF DOOM and American R and B singer Beyoncé in pulling from Hayes work for material to reuse. In this case, the opening guitar, bass and drum beats would be used as the framework upon which violin, additional guitar and sampled flute are added. The track evolved from a rough sketch written in early 1994 with the sample being picked out by Steven. A heavily remixed version, dubbed “Diet Mothers” was released as part of the Housewives Hooked on Heroin EP and included on the two-disc edition of Wild Opera.

Another pulse-pounding piece, “Infant Phenomenon” paints a bleak picture of a downtrodden life over snarling guitars and a relentless beat.

While “Sinister Jazz” keeps the bleak tone of the previous track, it replaces the aggressive beats with an unnerving combination of creaky guitar, drum loops and other creepy sounds. Lyrically, its a song about desperation with its main character musing over the losses of friends and acquittances.

We certainly came across a lot of desperate characters on the fringes of the music buisness

Tim Bowness via Returning

“Housewives Hooked on Heroin” had already seen release as a single early in the year. Unlike most of the band’s singles preceding it, the track was neither edited down nor extended for the single release.

Similar to the B-side “Hit The Ceiling,” “Libertine Libretto” emerged out of the one hour song challenge that Tim and Steven set for themselves.

“Taste My Dream” stands in stark contrast to the rest of the album, both musically and lyrically. Originally starting off life as a demo earmarked for Tim’s 1994 collaborative album with Richard Barbieri, Flame, the track was rescued for use on the album. With the band’s trip-hop influence once again on full display, the song is dominated by sustained flashes of piano, simple drum patterns, mournful guitar riffs from Steven (similar to what would be used on the Porcupine Tree track “Stop Swimming”) and a collection of vocal loops from Tim. While the original demo is believed to still exist, neither Tim nor Richard can seem to find it.

One of the only pre-composed pieces, the ballad Taste My Dream, was a song I wrote for the Flame album (a demo still exists of the Barbieri/Bowness version). Although it was scheduled to appear on the more orthodox Flowermouth follow-up we were originally intending to release, we included Taste My Dream on Wild Opera in a last-minute attempt to soften the album’s harsh edges. In retrospect, along with My Revenge On Seattle, I feel that it more properly fits with the style we later established on albums like Returning Jesus.

Tim Bowness via https://timbowness.wordpress.com/album-writings/wild-opera/

Built around an organ sample taken from the introduction to the band Egg’s 1971 track “Fugue in D Minor” and partially inspired by the name of a real life dry cleaners that Tim passed by, “Dry Cleaning Ray” would be remixed and released as both a single and as the title track to the 1997 mini album of the same title. Egg’s keyboardist, Dave Stewart, would go on to contribute string arrangements for Porcupine Tree’s 2007 album Fear Of A Blank Planet, No-Man’s own 2008 album Schoolyard Ghosts and for Steven Wilson’s 2015 solo album Hand. Cannot. Erase.

The laid back sound of “Sheeploop” uses a drum sample from a collaborative piece by American saxophonists Archie Shepp and John Coltrane called “Le Martin Des Noires.” The keyboard track would reappear on the Bass Communion piece “Sense of Awe.”

A song of love and jealousy, “My Rival Trevor” is based roughly around an actual person that Tim encountered during the mid 1980’s.

The lyric has elements of things that happened and elements of pure fantasy, but Trevor was real and I actually met him. In Manchester, in the mid 1980s, I was going out with a woman who lived next door to my best friend and his girlfriend. Trevor had been the boss of both our girlfriends in the past and at different times had slept with them both. He was a figure of amusement to some extent as my friend and I would comically speculate on the perfection, social power and sexual prowess of ‘our rival’ who always seemed to be courting (read manipulating) several women simultaneously.

From another perspective, he seemed like a sexist and slightly seedy philanderer with an immature and chaotic lifestyle, but both women were obviously still drawn to what they considered to be his unique charm. Unsurprisingly, after the relationships had ended, Trevor managed to seduce both women again. Possibly at the same time!

He was what is now colloquially known as a legendary swordsman.

Tim Bowness via Pop Matters

Built around another foreboding drum beat and filled with equally searing guitar and bass, “Time Travel In Texas” weaves a tale of kidnapping and deceit that would prove to be live favorite during No-Man’s 2008 and 2012 tours. The presence of a flute mellotron and the usage of samples being played backwards would also feature on Porcupine Tree’s 1996 album Signify, with the same chord progression on the mellotron being reused on the Porcupine Tree Insignificance track “Neural Rust” released the following year.

“My Revenge On Seattle” delivers perhaps Tim’s finest vocal and lyrical performance of no-man’s entire career. The song started out life as an attempt to re-record and update the Speak/L&L era track “Heavens Break.” Instead, it turned into a vessel upon which Tim voices his feelings regarding his frustration with the music business, the commercial failure of the band and his time as a musician as a whole. The topic is something that Steven himself would touch on in the Porcupine Tree epic “Buying New Soul.” The track was at one point planned for release as a single but was shelved in favor of “Dry Cleaning Ray.”

“My Revenge on Seattle,” one of my favorite No-Man songs, was written at a time when it felt like I was the only one carrying the torch for the band. An undoubtedly distorted and self-piteous memory is of me singing the song passionately while Steven chomped on biscuits looking blankly at the computer screen. That whole period was terrible for me as I was also going through the collapse of a long-term relationship and barely earning anything as the No-Man advances were running out.

Tim Bowness via Anil Prasad / Innerviews

While “My Revenge on Seattle” is the listed closer, it is in fact the penultimate piece on the album. The real closer is in fact section of looped beats, uplifting guitar and simple vocals dubbed “Wild Opera.” This track has never been listed on the various editions of Wild Opera beyond a single promotional cassette version.

Although Mel Collins, Robert Fripp and Richard Barbieri are credited with providing samples, the exact usage of Robert and Richard’s contributions are rather hard to determine with Mel only receiving a track credit for his saxophone break on “Radiant City.” It can be inferred that Richard’s contributions at the very least include “Taste My Dream”

The album artwork, done by Carl Glover, had a change in between the original 3rd Stone release and the KScope two-disc edition. Originally wanting to portray an “idealistic 50’s life” with the, the lack of the original photo caused the it to be switched for the re-release. The idealized suburban life of the 1950’s is a running theme in Carl’s work, being used as source material for the likes of Darkroom’s Gravity’s Dirty Work, The Pineapple Thief’s Your Wilderness, and at one point being suggested as the cover of Porcupine Tree’s breakthrough 2002 album In Absentia.

I find all photography fascinating, and believe that everyone has the potential of taking good pictures. I have always collected things, starting with the usual fossils, stamps, records, eventually leading to 1930s radios, synthesisers, guitars, ribbon microphones, art books, and lately cold-war pilot helmets…

One of the big motivations in collecting slides and negatives is seeing how we used to live. I also have a thing for the muted vibrancy found in old Kodachromes – somehow the most mundane subject becomes a piece of art by its colours alone.

Carl Glover

Released in September of 1996, Wild Opera saw divisive reception upon release, with several music magazines who had previously been supportive of the band seemingly confused with the change of direction. Since the move to 3rd Stone had left the band with less of a promotional budget, no music videos or live shows beyond a single BBC radio session recorded that same month were produced to help sell the album.

Wild Opera would see a re-release on KScope records in 2010. This edition would include the full Dry Cleaning Ray mini album, the radio session, three of the b-sides from the Housewives Hooked on Heroin EP and two additional alternate mixes of “Housewives Hooked on Heroin” and “Time Travel in Texas” on a second disc. In addition, “Pretty Genius,” an extended remix of “Dry Cleaning Ray” and the unreleased single mix of “My Revenge On Seattle” would be included on the compilation All The Blue Changes. Several tracks from the album would become concert staples with both No-Man as well as with Tim’s solo shows.

Tracklisting and credits taken from the 2010 reissue unless otherwise noted

Tracklist (1996 release)

1. Radiant City
2. Pretty Genius
3. Infant Phenomenon
4. Sinister Jazz
5. Housewives Hooked On Heroin
6. Libertine Libretto
7. Taste My Dream
8. Dry Cleaning Ray
9. Sheeploop
10. My Rival Trevor
11. Time Travel In Texas
12. My Revenge On Seattle

Tracklist (2010 two-disc reissue)

Disc One – Wild Opera
1. Radiant City
2. Pretty Genius
3. Infant Phenomenon
4. Sinister Jazz
5. Housewives Hooked on Heroin
6. Libertine Libretto
7. Taste My Dream
8. Dry Cleaning Ray
9. Sheeploop
10. My Rival Trevor
11. Time Travel In Texas
12. My Revenge on Seattle

Disc Two – Dry Cleaning Ray
1. Dry Cleaning Ray (Remix Edit)
2, Sweetside Silver Night
3. Jack The Sax
4. Diet Mothers
5. Urban Disco
6. Punished For Being Born
7. Kightlinger
8. Evelyn (The Song of Slurs)
9. Sicknote

Disc Two – Additional Material
10. Hit The Ceiling
11. Where I’m Calling From
12. Housewives Hooked on Heroin (Alternate Version)
13. My Rival Trevor (Alternate Version)
14. Time Travel In Texas (Radio Session)
15. Pretty Genius (Radio Session)

1. “Radiant City” – 3:31

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Violin – Natalie Box
• Saxophone – Mel Collins (Credited on 1996 issue only)
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Can you see me?

The radiant city / CAN
The radiant country / YOU HEAR ME?
The twilight of money / CAN
The growth of your body / YOU HEAR ME?
The radiant city / CAN
The radiant country / YOU HEAR ME?
The twilight of money / CAN
The growth of your body / YOU SEE ME?

(ready or not)

2. “Pretty Genius” – 3:50

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Violin – Natalie Box
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Feel the miracle every day,
Count the numbers fill the cup.
Every move in every way.
Every move is built on blood.

Go find your brightest colours,
Tear all your curtains down.
Don’t hide beneath the covers.
Don’t sit around, don’t face the ground.
Pretty genius.

You could lose your little mind
Never knowing what to find.
You could lose your little mind
Staring blind into the light.

Go find your brightest colours,
Tear all your curtains down.
Take heed of diet mothers.
Don’t sit around, don’t face the ground
Pretty genius.

Pretty genius,
Pretty genius.

3. “Infant Phenomenon” – 3:21

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Hungry glitter
Without a hope in hell.
The infant phenomenon
She dances so well.
The infant phenomenon
She dances so well.

Sickening sensation of love,
Sickening sensation of love.
Sickening sensation of love –
Still fearful.
Sickening sensation.

It wasn’t the fact
But the clothes on her back.
The infant phenomenon
Put her legs in the sack.
The infant phenomenon
Put her legs in the sack.
Sickening sensation of love,

Sickening sensation of love.
Sickening sensation of love –
Still fearful.
Sickening sensation.

The infant phenomenon
She dances so well.

4. “Sinister Jazz” – 4:48

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Deep,
Deep in the heat,
Fallen and weak…
Sometimes we meet.

Feet
Sending out beats
On dirty streets…
Sometimes we speak.

Wendy got it in the throat.
Linda died in Alan’s coat.
You read it all in Brian’s note.
(You’re never going home.)

Bone
Covered by stone,
Feeling alone,
And never going home
Robert lost the plot in Greece.
the Jesus army stole your niece.
But all you ever do is eat.
(You’re never going home)

You’re never going home
You’re never going home
You’re never going home
You’re never going home

5. “Housewives Hooked On Heroin” – 4:38

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Not even housewives hooked on heroin
Could understand the awful mess I’m in.
I don’t know where my real life begins,
But I’m sure that I’ll be there.

I paid to see some ageing pop star sing
About the universe and cosmic things.
He sang of perfect girls with perfect skin,
But I really couldn’t care

Not even housewives hooked on heroin
Could match my constant appetite for sin.

I met this guy who lives in big hotels,
His paradise became his living hell.
He looked at things he knew he couldn’t sell,
And he felt like he would die.

Not even housewives hooked on heroin
Could match my constant appetite for sin

Not even housewives hooked on heroin
Could match my constant appetite for sin

6. “Libertine Libretto” – 3:19

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson on August 17th 1994 between 3-4pm

Libertine libretto
Screaming from the heat of the ghetto
Valerie aims for the heart
With Brian and Beverley from Prospect Park
Libertine libretto,
Screaming from the heat of the ghetto.
Arthur sheds his pheromones
In fifteen thousand mobile homes

Libertine libretto,
Screaming from the heat of the ghetto.
In the grip of grand emotion,
Julia drowns in tanning lotion.
Libertine libretto,
Screaming from the heat of the ghetto.
Jenny holds a nasty surprise –
You can see it in her eyes.

Libertine libretto,
Screaming from the heat of the ghetto.
It’s the end of the road in Goma,
But Joe’s eyes are glazing over.
Libertine libretto,
Screaming from the heat of the ghetto.
David lost his little mind,
Not knowing what to find.

7. “Taste My Dream” – 6:10

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Sometimes I see you
Stand by your window
Staring at the sky

Your laughter stolen
Your spirit unwoken
Life in search of life
Can you feel my heat?
Can you hear my words
Echo in your room?

I hear your breathing
Those nights of needing
Hold onto something wild

So sick of fighting
So tired of writing
You break down like a child

Can you taste my dream?
Can you see my light
Sparkle through the gloom?

Can you taste my dream?
Can you see my light?
Can you taste my dream?
Can you see my light?

Can you see my light?

8. “Dry Cleaning Ray” – 3:26

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Dry cleaning Ray,
At the end of the day,
Always knows what to say,
Always knows what to play

It’s the same old song
With the same old bits

Thirty years without a hit.

Dry cleaning Ray
Says he’s wasting away,
Feeling red turn to grey,
Watching overcoats fray.

It’s the same old thing
It’s the same old shit

Thirty years without a hit.

9. “Sheeploop” – 4:02

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

You make me cold,
You make me feel so old.
You’ve got me in your velvet hold.

This loving is easy,
This loving is free,
This loving demands no part of me.

We talked for such a long time
That it seemed to mean a lot.
I was yours and you were mine,
And then the feeling stopped.

This loving is easy,
This loving is free,
This loving demands no part of me.

This loving is easy,
This loving is free,
This loving demands no part of me.

Run away,
Get down and pray,
Become a part of something
Anyway.
Run away,
Work hard and pay,
Become a part of something
Anyway.

This loving is easy,
This loving is free,
This loving demands no part of me.

You never know
How people grow,
Become a part of something.

This loving is easy,
This loving is free,
This loving demands no part of me.

10. “My Rival Trevor” – 4:21

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

My rival Trevor
Couldn’t keep it together
Lost his life to the never
Running wild, running blind.

My rival Trevor
Couldn’t keep it together
Never asking me whether
He’d been wasting his time

(My rival Trevor) Bids for beauty unknown,
(My rival Trevor) Kills the seeds he has sown,
(My rival Trevor) Always ends up alone.
(My rival Trevor) Always ends up alone.

My rival Trevor
Thought he’d hold up forever.
His hands gripped the leather
While his sex blew your mind.

(My rival Trevor) Bids for beauty unknown,
(My rival Trevor) Kills the seeds he has sown,
(My rival Trevor) Always ends up alone.
(My rival Trevor) Always ends up alone.

I didn’t recognise your touch.
I said “It’s all become too much
Because of him”

I didn’t recognize your voice.
You said “it’s hard to make a choice
When no-one wins”

My rival Trevor

(My rival Trevor) Bids for beauty unknown,
(My rival Trevor) Kills the seeds he has sown,
(My rival Trevor) Always ends up alone.
(My rival Trevor) Always ends up alone.

Bids for beauty unknown,
Always ends up alone.

My rival Trevor

11. “Time Travel In Texas” – 4:24

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

All I can remember:
A blow to my head
And then there was darkness
And then there was pain

All I can remember:
That noise in my ear –
And then there was silence,
And then there was fear.

Time travel in Texas
See where it gets us
Time travel in Texas
See where it gets us
Time travel in Texas
See where it gets us
Time travel in Texas
See where it gets us

All I can remember
They banged the drum to quiet the child
And then there was laughter
Laughter running wild

Time travel in Texas / FAIL THE RAIN
See where it gets us / THAT FAIL RAN THROUGH ME
Time travel in Texas / FAIL THE RAIN
See where it gets us / THAT FAIL RAN THROUGH ME
Time travel in Texas / FAIL THE RAIN
See where it gets us / THAT FAIL RAN THROUGH ME
Time travel in Texas / FAIL THE RAIN
See where it gets us / THAT FAIL RAN THROUGH ME

12. “My Revenge On Seattle” – 4:47

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Maybe there’s more to life
Than just writing songs.
Maybe not.
Maybe there’s more to life
Than just righting wrongs
Maybe not.

I grow so cold, you reach for gold
I fail to hold your attention.

Their pretty boy ways
Always take you away,
Take you away.
My revenge on Seattle –
I retreat from the battle.
Won’t you stay?

Maybe there’s more to life
Than just biting tongues.
Maybe not.
Out of the sky
And left to die –
Believing the lie of protection.

Their pretty boy ways
Always take you away,
Take you away.
My revenge on Seattle –
I retreat from the battle.
Won’t you stay?

Their pretty boy ways
Always take you away,
Take you away.
My revenge on Seattle –
I retreat from the battle.
Won’t you stay?

Maybe there’s more to life
Than just writing songs.
Maybe not.

13. “Wild Opera” – 3:07

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Let’s say we end the heartache,
Take refuge in the past.
Let’s say we end the heartache,
That something might last.

Special thanks to Jakub Kurek for his help with identifying the various Wild Opera samples.

Dry Cleaning Ray 7″ Single

The creative spark that had emerged during the making of Wild Opera continued into 1997 as a host of additional songs were written, recorded and mixed. As this went on, a handful were set aside for release on a “mini-album” that would serve as a counterpart to Wild Opera. To help promote this upcoming release, named Dry Cleaning Ray, the track “Dry Cleaning Ray” was remixed from the ground up, shortened and released as a 7″ single to help drum up attention for the forthcoming mini-album. This new remix shortened the tracks length from 3:27 on the album version to 2:57 for the single and brings the percussion loops to the fore. In addition, Steven’s solo that marks the last part of the album version is truncated for the single, being moved forward to sit beneath the last few lines of the chorus before fading out entirely. The B-side was made up of two tracks pulled from a pair of BBC Radio Sessions No-Man had done in 1994 and in 1996. Both of these tracks (“Time Travel In Texas” and an acoustic version of “Watching Over Me”) will be explained in detail as part of a future entry in the Mixtaped: In Concert section. Oddly, “Time Travel in Texas” is credited as being solely by Tim as opposed to the Bowness/Wilson credit it has on Wild Opera.

Released in April of 1997, the Dry Cleaning Ray single remains one of the more obscure No-Man releases, having never been repressed. All three tracks saw additional release, with the two radio sessions ending up on the CD-R exclusive Radio Sessions 1992-96. An extended version of “Dry Cleaning Ray (Remix)” would be included on 2005’s All The Blue Changes compilation.

Tracklisting and credits taken from the vinyl unless otherwise noted

Tracklist

A: Dry Cleaning Ray (Edit)
B1: Time Travel In Texas (Radio Session 1996)
B2: Watching Over Me (Acoustic) (Radio Session 1994)

A: “Dry Cleaning Ray (Edit)” – 2:53

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Dry cleaning Ray,
At the end of the day,
Always knows what to say,
Always knows what to play

It’s the same old song
With the same old bits

Thirty years without a hit.

Dry cleaning Ray
Says he’s wasting away,
Feeling red turn to grey,
Watching overcoats fray.

It’s the same old thing
It’s the same old shit

Thirty years without a hit.

Dry cleaning Ray

Dry cleaning Ray

B1: “Time Travel In Texas (Radio Session 1996)” – 4:01

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness* (Taken from the credits for Radio Sessions 1992-1996)
• Instruments – Steven Wilson* (Taken from the credits for Radio Sessions 1992-1996)
• Written By Bowness/Wilson* (Credited on release as Bowness only)

All I can remember:
A blow to my head
And then there was darkness
And then there was pain

All I can remember:
That noise in my ear –
And then there was silence,
And then there was fear.

Time travel in Texas
See where it gets us
Time travel in Texas
See where it gets us
Time travel in Texas
See where it gets us
Time travel in Texas
See where it gets us

All I can remember
They banged the drum to quiet the child
And then there was laughter
Laughter running wild

Time travel in Texas / FAIL THE RAIN
See where it gets us / THAT FAIL RAN THROUGH ME
Time travel in Texas / FAIL THE RAIN
See where it gets us / THAT FAIL RAN THROUGH ME
Time travel in Texas / FAIL THE RAIN
See where it gets us / THAT FAIL RAN THROUGH ME
Time travel in Texas / FAIL THE RAIN
See where it gets us / THAT FAIL RAN THROUGH ME

B2: “Watching Over Me (Acoustic) (Radio Session 1994)” – 3:31

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness* (Taken from the credits for Radio Sessions 1992-1996)
• Guitar – Steven Wilson* (Taken from the credits for Radio Sessions 1992-1996)
• Double Bass – Colin Edwin
• Percussion – Rick Edwards

I look at your face,
You take me to the place
Where I don’t know anything,
Anything at all.

You flutter and dance,
I ramble and rant.
I don’t know anything
But I feel that if I fall
You’ll be

Watching over me,
Watching over me,
Watching over me.
I feel that if I fall
You’ll be
Watching over me,
Watching over me,
Watching over me,
Singing angel songs to right my wrongs.

The world leaves no trace
On my stainless face,
My days are clearer now
My nights are right.

I can never retreat.
I can never repeat
This hope for all the things
I know I’ll never know.
I feel you

Watching over me
Watching over me
Watching over me
And I can dream of love again
I feel you
Watching over me
Watching over me
Watching over me.

Dry Cleaning Ray

Dry Cleaning Ray sits at a rather odd point within No-Man’s greater catalog. To some extent it is a continuation of the bleaker themes of urban living portrayed in Wild Opera, yet mostly sheds the trip-hop sounds in favor of stark atmospheres and a more free-form approach to the music. Originally planned to be a collection of remixes and outtakes, it was expanded to become a fully fleshed out release featuring several new compositions.

the odds and sods mini-album that is/was Dry Cleaning Ray: Originally, it was intended as a single or an EP featuring Wild Opera outtakes and alternative mixes of songs (including the shorter – re-recorded – version of DCR itself). Pretty quickly it became something more substantial.

The main reason the project expanded in the way it did was that Steven and I were excited about three new songs we’d written. The songs seemed like a more crafted evolution of the Wild Opera ‘hourlong experiments’, and we liked the idea of material being released very soon after it had been completed. 

Tim Bowness via https://timbowness.co.uk/diary/

The remix edit of “Dry Cleaning Ray” sees its second release, serving as both a point of connection to Wild Opera and as a thematic waypoint for the rest of the album’s tone.

“Sweetside Silver Night” marks the first new track of the release. It was recorded after the completion and release of Wild Opera in 1997. Built around a combination of programmed drums (which you can hear Steven preparing to start in the first few seconds of the track), guitar and a very prominent bassline, the track evokes the air of a smoky night clubs and feelings of desperation that permeate tracks like “Infant Phenomenon,” albeit in a slightly more beautiful and upbeat way. The chord progression of the chorus would be reused as a section of Porcupine Tree’s “.3” released on their 2002 album In Absentia. The sampled flute is believed to be by Theo Travis, who had started working with the No-Man in 1997.

The influence of Porcupine Tree is also visible on “Jack The Sax,” as the chord progression for “Wake as Gun I” off of the Insignificance compilation forms the backbone of the song. This is another of the new pieces that was recorded in 1997. In a similar fashion to “Sinister Jazz,” the song is focused on more downtrodden souls, yet also captures some of the lovelorn nature found on “Taste My Dream.” The origin of the distant sax solo that marks the end of the album is sadly unknown.

“Diet Mothers” is less of a remix and more of a complete restructuring of “Pretty Genius,” leaving very little of the original track present. Multiple effects have been placed over the bass and vocals, new guitar overdubs along with a completely new drum track have been added and the distinctive flute sample from Mel Collins is removed in its entirety. Only the violin of Natalie Box and the presence of the “Walk On By” sample seem to be unchanged. All together, these new additions almost completely remove the warmth found in “Pretty Genius” and instead leave a much more claustrophobic yet somewhat still recognizable world in its wake. Its worth noting that the lyrics themselves have also been slightly altered, removing any uttering of the words “pretty” and “genius.”

“Urban Disco” is the closest to trip-hop that Dry Cleaning Ray comes. Its energetic beats and repeating second of saxophone noises serve as a great contrast to the depressing lyrics tackling yet more urban strife and personal failings.

If “Diet Mothers” can be seen as a radical reconstruction of “Pretty Genius”, then “Punished For Being Born” can be considered as a brutal assassination of “Housewives Hooked on Heroin.” The track was created by the enigmatic yet prolific electronic artist and remixer Bryn Jones (aka Muslimgauze), of who Steven was a massive fan. His remix gets rid of everything save for a few seconds of looped drums. In its place are chopped up and spliced noises that give the track a sense of chaos to it. Muslimgauze would end up contributing a set of remixes to Steven’s Bass Communion project which would be released following Bryn’s unexpected death in early 1999.

About four days after my meeting with Bryn I received a parcel containing two DAT tapes. I was stunned to discover that these DATs contained two and a half hours of Muslimgauze reconstructions of the CDs I had given Bryn only a few days earlier… Some of the mixes were of No-Man and one in particular struck me as being very effective. I played it to my partner in No-Man (the singer Tim Bowness) and our record company, both of whom liked it, and we decided to include it on a forthcoming release. Bryn seemed very happy about this and when he was eventually paid for the work and sent copies of the finished CD I again received at least an hour’s worth of new mixes using other tracks from the album. It seemed that if you gave any music to Bryn he would “improve it”

Steven Wilson

“Kightlinger” marks a return to the one hour song challenge, with the track being completely written, recorded and finished in exactly 42 minutes. The track is not as fully fleshed out when compared to the one hour songs found on Wild Opera. Its also one of the few instrumentals in No-Man’s catalog, as the entire track is a combination of simple drum loops, bass and distorted, almost shoegaze like guitar.

“Evelyn (Song of Slurs)” is a cover of a French song by Serge Gainsbourg called “La Chanson de Slogan.” The original version was written for the 1968 French film Slogan, while the English translation used by Tim comes from then Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds member Mick Harvey. Tim and Steven transform the lyrics from a song of light betrayal into a full on declaration of mistrust and hatred with pounding drums and roaring guitar. Parts of the percussion and keyboard track would reappear in the Bass Communion piece “Slut 2.1”

As if by contrast to the aggression of “Evelyn,” closer “Sicknote” is more in line with the mellow but uncomfortable sounds of Porcupine Tree’s “Cure For Optimism.” Both tracks deal with a sense of isolation and feature a sparse sonic atmosphere, with Sicknote in particular utilizing the droning of an organ in the background to help put forth the sense of unease. The track also utilizes reversed guitar samples along with drone guitars from Steven, eventually fading into nothing. “Sicknote” is the final of the three songs written in 1997 that were included on Dry Cleaning Ray.

As a whole, Dry Cleaning Ray marked the end of an era for No-Man. The release would be the last to the trip-hop beats that first appeared in the band’s music back in 1990 with “Colours.” It also would be a turning point in the way that Tim would approach lyrics. From here on out, a softer, more vulnerable tone would dominate his words. Released in May of 1997, Dry Cleaning Ray picked up a handful of positive press pieces, with most writers praising “Sicknote” for its tone and atmosphere. The album was reissued separately in 2004 and was included as a bonus disc to the 2010 reissue of Wild Opera. Both an extended version of the “Dry Cleaning Ray” remix and “Sicknote” appear on the 2006 compilation All The Blue Changes

1997 was the year I left London and in some ways – lyrically, musically and in terms of its cover artwork – Dry Cleaning Ray represented a goodbye to a particular way of life and a particular way of writing songs.

Tim Bowness via https://timbowness.co.uk/diary/

Tracklisting and credits taken from the 2004 reissue unless otherwise noted

Tracklist

1. Dry Cleaning Ray (Remix)
2. Sweetside Silver Night
3. Jack The Sax
4. Diet Mothers
5. Urban Disco
6. Punished For Being Born (Muslimgauze Mix)
7. Kightlinger
8. Evelyn (The Song of Slurs)
9. Sicknote

1.”Dry Cleaning Ray (Remix)” – 2:53

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Dry cleaning Ray,
At the end of the day,
Always knows what to say,
Always knows what to play

It’s the same old song
With the same old bits

Thirty years without a hit.

Dry cleaning Ray
Says he’s wasting away,
Feeling red turn to grey,
Watching overcoats fray.

It’s the same old thing
It’s the same old shit

Thirty years without a hit.

Dry cleaning Ray

Dry cleaning Ray

2. “Sweetside Silver Night” – 4:02

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

The road to hell is paved
With the souls of old failed singers
The wild, wild eyes, the non stop whys –
The dreadful songs they bring us.

Their get up and go
Makes me lie down and die.
Their pug ugly row
Makes the little ones cry.

Sweetside silver night|
Sheds her skin in the cold spotlight.
Sweetside silver night –
It’s in the colour of her hair.

Tired of losing face
And lost in summer thunder,
Casual attire with no spare tyre,
You sit at home and wonder.

Sweetside silver night
Spills her gin in the pale moonlight.
Sweetside silver night –
It’s in the way she never cares.

3. “Jack The Sax” – 4:17

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Jack the sax is scratching his head
In a makeshift bed of water and lead.
“He’d be better off dead,”
His only friend said.

In the rain and hurting again,
For the price of fame,
For a lover’s stain,
For one more day to stay the same.

I’d ask you to love me,
But you’d never love me back.
I’d ask you to hold me,
Just to feel the darkness crack.

Jack the sax is clutching the phone,
But there’s no-one home and he feels alone,
And his pale white flesh
Has turned to stone.

I’d ask you to love me,
But you’d say it’s just an act.
I’d ask you to hold me
Just to feel the darkness.

4. “Diet Mothers” – 4:56

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Violin – Natalie Box
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Feel the miracle every day,
Count the numbers fill the cup.
Every move in every way.
Every move is built on blood.

You could lose your little mind
Never knowing what to find.
You could lose your little mind
Not knowing what to find

Go find your brightest colours,
Tear all your curtain down.
Don’t hide beneath the covers
Don’t sit around. Don’t face the ground

Go find your brightest colours,
Tear all your curtain down.
Don’t hide beneath the covers
Don’t sit around. Don’t face the ground

5. “Urban Disco” – 3:17

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

You want to tell your story,
You want to have your say –
But every time you try to speak,
More life gets in the way.

Some children died today,
You’re troubled by your face –
But everything’s OK,
Jason pulled on Saturday.
Jason pulled on Saturday.

You wonder what’s inside of you.
You keep yourself well-fed –
But every time you try to think,
More life gets in the way.

Some people burned to death
While Alex smoked his cigarette,
But you don’t hold your breath,
’cause Jason’s had success.
Jason pulled on Saturday.

A burning plane had crashed
The time your father asked,
“Whatever happened to the past?
Whatever happened to the past?”

Jason pulled on Saturday.

6. “Punished For Being Born (Muslimgauze Mix)” – 2:18

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Remixer – Muslimgauze
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Instrumental

7. “Kightlinger” – 2:44

• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson on August 10th 1994 between 2:00PM and 2:42PM

Instrumental

8. “Evelyn (The Song of Slurs)” – 4:04

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Serge Gainsbourg
• Translated into English by Mick Harvey

You are vile,
You are vague,
You are vain.
You are sick,
You are sad,
You’re insane.

You are cruel,
You are crass,
You don’t care.
You are coy,
You are cold,
You’re unfair.

Evelyn, don’t say it.
Evelyn, I pray to thee.
Evelyn, you love me, don’t you see?

You are far,
You are false,
You’re a fink.
You are frail,
You are fey,
You’re a pig.

You are low,
You are lost,
Too far gone.
You are deaf,
You are dumb,
Always wrong.

Evelyn, don’t say it.
Evelyn, it’s just not true.
Evelyn, you see, you love me too.

Evelyn, don’t say it.
Evelyn, I pray to thee.
Evelyn, you love me, don’t you see?

9. “Sicknote” – 8:57

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Come dazzle me
Come saddle me

With your hands so soft and white
And your words so hard and right
In the heat of this pointless night
Dazzle me

There’s no need to flap
There’s no need to slap
There’s no need to slaughter your name

There’s no need to fear
There’s no need to be here

You can tell them where to go
When you’re the star of the show –
Dazzle them

It’s dim and dismal but it makes you laugh
Fills in the time you can’t wait to pass
There’s so much wisdom in the heart of trash
The freezing coffee and the falling ash

It’s worth mentioning that the Dry Cleaning Ray building still exists and is still in use as a dry cleaners, albeit under different ownership.

The Faultline Demos

1997 also saw Tim branching out with a possible collaborative effort with producer David Kosten. David had previously helped contribute the track “Natural Neck” to Flowermix. Although this project ultimately proved fruitless, two demos of No-Man material were prepared. The first one of these is an updated version to the Speak era track “Beaten By Love”. This version, which Tim dubbed “Sweetened By Love,” is the earliest available recording of the track.

The other is a rough reworking of “Natural Neck” that is closer in sound to the released version of “Only Rain” This version has the trumpet of Ian Carr present, but is missing the live drumming and double bass that would appear on finished track.

David asked me to sing on something he was working on and we co-wrote about three songs and also did a version of my song Beaten By Love (Faultline was the title of one of the songs I wrote with David). We ended up becoming good friends, though the early Faultline collaboration didn’t lead to anything…  Only Rain was considered for one of the Faultline albums, but as that was looking unlikely, I suggested it be used for no-man. Steven developed the piece further from that point onwards.

Tim Bowness

The end of the Wild Opera era marked a major changes for the direction of No-Man. When work began on new material in 1998, both the atmosphere and lyrics would take a more sensitive tone, leaving the downtrodden urban life and the heavy reliance on electronics beats behind. Instead, focus would be moved to a series of more emotional ballads and more melancholy tracks that embraced the art-pop sounds that both Tim and Steven have always held close.