Album Notes

It's by chance that this "band" record ever came together. As it happened, the group of musicians I needed had the time to make the recording sessions. The sessions themselves were engineered by someone who charged a reasonable amount of money, didn't ask questions, knew what he was doing and didn't get in the way. I approached the whole thing similarly to how I do my solo records - quick takes, hopefully capturing the feel of the material. For me, one of the most important factors in a Rock'n'Roll record - which is what this is - is a good, solid drummer. I was fortunate to have known Mike Grimm who is not only a good drummer but a reliable one. Had that not been the case, this record would never have been made. There were a lot of lucky breaks as far as that goes. All the musicians came through strongly and I too tried not to get in the way of what they were doing. I've been involved in sessions where certain individuals wanted every little nuance analyzed and tweaked. This, I have found, is the kiss of death in making and recording music. The only aspect of the process where I got a little picky was in the mixing and that was usually to ensure we got an acceptable drum sound. Dan, the mixing engineer, was his customary patient self through all of that lunacy. I think the sound is clear, uncluttered and fresh. It has a live feel but a studio sheen and none of it - as far as I can hear - muddles up the songs. I'm not much on contrived low-fi but I despise a record that sounds too perfect. I think this CD strikes a reasonable balance. In the end, I suppose that it all boils down to how good the songs are and, if they are good, making sure you don't do anything to compromise their quality. I think that despite the adversities, we managed to put together a record that people can have a good time listening to. Given how this whole thing began, that's more than I would have expected.

Maurice Mattei started writing songs in his early teen years. After the release of his first recordings in 1983 and 1988 he abandoned music to pursue photography. His interest lay primarily in documentary photography and this led him into certain social circles (Bikers, Drug Addicts, Debutantes, Wrestlers, Strippers, Socialites, Celebrities, etc.) that he found to be strangely new and oddly exciting. This vast and glorious parade of life re-ignited his desire to write songs.

In 1995 he released his first CD of original material. He has since released 10 CD's, the latest being "The Tempers Perform The Best Of Maurice Mattei Vol.3". In addition to CDs, Mr. Mattei has released three cassette tapes, two 7-inch singles, one tape-cassette single, two CD singles and a DVD since 1995. To see a complete discography, examples of photographic works, lyrics page, additional mp3's, and miscellaneous writings please go to the Maurice Mattei web site - www.mmattei.com.

Influences include Robert Johnson (Blues Singer), Billie Holiday (Jazz Singer), Chuck Berry (Singer/Songwriter), Robert Frank (Photographer), Keith Richard (Singer/Songwriter), Donatien-Alphonse-Francois de Sade (Writer), The Beatles (Rock Band), Leonardo Da Vinci (Artist/Inventor), Elvis Presley (Singer), Marcus Aurelius (Writer/Emperor) and Buffy Davis (Actress).