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Observatory Sermons

by The Great Vehicle

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Sundials 03:31
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6.
Pioneer 11 08:09

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The Great Vehicle | Observatory Sermons
A Space Operetta in Six Stanzas

[[Each of the scenarios described below is taking place simultaneously. Right now and always.]]

001 The Man With the Neutron Scalp

[[Neutrons carry no electrical charge; their behavior is essential to the production of nuclear power. Yuri Gagarin, the star of this song, said, "The road to the stars is steep and dangerous. (Spaceflight) isn't the work of one man or even a group of men. It is a historical process which mankind is carrying out in accordance with the natural laws of human development." As he was hurled through space, Gagarin was an analogy: As neutral, yet powerful as a subatomic particle.]]

This song nearly refused to exist. Each time "Neutron" was exported—even by them most ballin' computer we had access to—the mix became haunted by inconsistent glitches and other weirdness. (The machine was anything but "working normally.") The finished product is the result of several subatomic edits. Embedded in this track is the explosive sound of a door slamming shut in the stairwell of a Virginia Beach Sheraton. We know you people love the field recordings. Internal notes about this song make reference to "the Prong section" and "the Queens of the Stone Age riff." Please try to identify these sections in the interest of mental dexterity.

002 Lazlo Szombathy

[[Lazlo Szombathy is a peripheral character in the Kurt Vonnegut novel Mother Night, whose inclusion was a nod to the interconnectedness of all actions. Watch what you're doing: We are all peripheral characters in the Novel of the Galaxy.]]

Wherein Betse Ellis makes the Kansas and Mahavishnu Orchestra dreams of those who have such things come true. That's the main melody there in the acoustic intro, reharmonized a fifth lower. We know you people love reharmonization. The melody at 1:54 originated as sort of a guitar placeholder, then took on a most macabre flavor when doubled by Betse. The song is in 7/8, but contains exactly one measure of 8/8. Can you spot it? Do you care?

003 Did I See You Limping?

[[Things can get a little perilous down around the gantry. In fact, near Baikonur Cosmodrome, cases of "launchpad lameness" (стартовая площадка хромота) were once so common that it was easy to identify a certain grade of worker based on his gait.]]

The main riff may be considered 11/4 or 6/4 + 5/4. Or perhaps you will not consider it at all. For more counting, the section at 1:27 has 5/8 and 8/8 going on over drums in 5/4. Let's boogie. Additional nuts & bolts: Note how the harmony guitars that enter at 3:24 foretell the drum pattern at 3:29.

004 Sundials

[[So long as a planet rotates on its axis, sundials operate the same regardless of the star supplying the light. The sundials in question happen to be on EPIC 201637175b, an exoplanet orbiting the red dwarf K2-22. This destination is 734 light years from Earth, but due to the nature of this story, listeners there are currently receiving.]]

This piece has undergone many revisions of arrangement, concept, and title. It started as a memorial to a departed friend, then took on more meaning and dedications as more friends departed. Enough with that bullshit, people. This is our first song to feature a ship's bell. (We know how you people ... oh, forget it.)

005 The People's Cathedral

[[By its strictest definition, a cathedral is a very specific religious edifice. In the scope of the Observatory Sermons legend, a cathedral is any space in which the Invocation of the Bald Chemist is being observed. This may include a frozen warehouse, near a tree, or aboard the Chinese Shenzhou 5 reentry capsule.]]

It's the title track to a different release ... you know, like "Sheer Heart Attack" or "Houses of the Holy." For those interested in the schematic, "Cathedral" is built around a fairly simple 6/4 over 4/4 polyrhythm. Just don't try to listen to the opposite part when you're playing along. Also, the bass and guitar are playing the same repeating pattern, but offset by three notes.

006 Pioneer 11

[[NASA ceased communicating with the exploratory spacecraft Pioneer 11 on September 30, 1995. But it's still out there, a ghost ship heading toward Lambda Aquila, a star it will encounter in about four million years. Hitch a ride on that great vehicle.]]

"Pioneer" is The Great Vehicle's longest, most spacious piece. The guitars are tuned, low-to-high, DADFCE, or what you might think of as open Dm9. Y'know, if you wish to do a cover.
The free-form middle section was harvested from the defunct Great Vehicle song "23/24 of Something." It was conceived as a cross between musique concrète and a Calder mobile, and may or may not accidentally owe something to "Cygnus X-1" by Rush (probably don't mention that to Gregg) or possibly "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party" by Pink Floyd (definitely don't mention that to Gregg).

The players:
Mason Fann - Bass, fractional wave mutilation
Gregg Todt - Drums, percussion, baritone strangulation
Troy Van Horn - Guitar, percussion

Also featuring:
Betse Ellis - Violin (or is it Fiddle?)
The Tuvan Learning Center Annex Singers - Singing

Produced by The Great Vehicle
Recorded at #Industries
Basic tracks engineered by Paul Marchman
Additional recording at The Prussian Film Commission

Thanks to:
Paul Marchman, Betse Ellis, Joey "Boatswain" Hamm, Jason Brown, Mike "Whoof" Stover, Rex Woodwind, Robert Crypt, the late Cozy Powell's leather gauntlets, North Tunnel Whitespace Math

Cover art: Some unsigned thrift store painting that hangs in Troy's house.


Gear geek data:

Guitar sounds:
1974 Fender Stratocaster, 2006 Gibson Les Paul Studio, '00s Michael Kelly Patriot Hot Rod, 1982 Gibson Marauder, '70s Opus XX acoustic, 2005 Gibson SG Standard, FrankenBaritone (Fender Jaguar body with Danelectro neck), Peavey Power Slide (all strings tuned to A), Scarlett custom 50 watt guitar head, Marshall 4x12 cabinet, '70s Fender Pro Reverb, 2005 Vox AC30, slide ... Craftsman 11/16 socket

Bass sounds:
1974 Fender Jazz Bass modified with DiMarzio P-bass pickup in neck, original J's in humbucker configuration in bridge with series/parallel switching (custom candy apple red finish ,once owned by member of The Commodores ... for extra fucking vibes), 1995 American Fender P-Bass with custom wound Scarlett pickup in tobacco burst finish, Clayton Acetal standard 1.00mm picks (clear), 1972 Ampeg B15S, Scarlett 200 watt White Knight head into fearFul designed DIY 15/6 + fearFul designed DIY 15.

Bass pedal chain: Boss TU-2>Joyo Ultimate Overdrive> Boss LS-2 (A loop) EHX MicroPog>1972 EHX Big Muff fuzz>Boss PS-3>Dunlop 105Q bass wah>Boss RV-3> (A output) -> Ampeg (B output) Dunlop TS-1 tremolo>Akai Headrush E2 ->Scarlett

Drum sounds:
Ludwig Green Sparkle John Bonham kit - 26 x 14" kick drum, 14 x 10" rack tom and 16 x 16" and 18 x 16" floor toms, Yamaha Tour Custom snare 14 x 8", whatever cymbals were laying around not broken, Blue Rhino propane tank (empty) (we suppose).

Additional:
Bebot Theremin App played on iPhone6S through Scarlett head

credits

released October 14, 2016

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The Great Vehicle Kansas City, Missouri

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