Tales of Passion - Debut Album Profile
- Release date: 1998 (remastered in 2013 at 432Hz)
- Availability: Hi-res (24-bit/96Khz) music streaming services, CD & analogue audio cassette.
- Tracks: 12 songs;
- X-Mary
- All That I Want
- Hurts Like Hell
- Je Meurs D'amour
- Too Soon
- Spirit
- Fallen
- I Don't Qualify
- Revenge
- Little Boy Loser
- One Life
- Blow Their Minds
- General Information
The songs appearing on this first album were intended to be played by musicians (original recordings were - on early demos) but finally it was recorded with synthesizers, with many original demo-recordings being released on the 'Alfie Syntauri EP' or the 'Songs For Losers' album.
The tracks reflect the gothic, classic-rock & new wave music that was most influential, up to that time.
Bands like Killing Joke, The Sisters of Mercy, The Mission & some more classic-rock influences like Marillion, Yes, Diamond Head & Pink Floyd - but overall, there's way too many diverse influences to mention.
- Trivial Information
The first (instrumental) track 'X-Mary' was inspired by a car - a Citroen XM, which I had seen in a premonition.
I told my (now wife - then fiancé) Corinne about it, & she was like;
"Yeah right - dream on Niall."
About 11 months later, we'd forgotten all about that, but we saw & took a test drive . . .
. . . in a beautiful silver XM, which was being offered for sale by a local Church of Ireland Minister, in Carnmoney.
As soon as my hand first touched the car I knew it would be mine, but unfortunately a serious delay in funding (for work I had carried out) meant us having to walk away from it.
I said to Corinne;
"You don't understand, this car spoke to me - it's almost familiar to me!"
To which she responded;
"Yeah right - dream on Niall."
Just 9 months later however, I spotted 'another one' this time at a car dealership in Ballymena.
After excitedly agreeing to the purchase of the car, the dealer explained that it had been part-exchanged because the previous owner wanted a Volvo estate, but it had been very well looked after, & that the owner had been a Church of Ireland Minister - from Carnmoney. (!!!!!!)
On the way home, I said to Corinne;
Y'know this car is 'full of grace' I think we should call her - 'Mary '
So the music for this instrumental, came to me while driving a Citroen XM called Mary . . . X-Mary.
Was talking to the guitarist of a (very good) local heavy-metal band, after a Judas Priest concert in Belfast.
He commented that my song 'Spirit' was:
". . . almost identical to 'Worth Fighting For" - the fourth track from Judas Priests' Angel of Retribution album - & that he;
" . . wondered what was really going on there."
Well - 'Spirit' won the ISR/Radio Limerick One international song competition in 1995 - but Judas Priests' Angel of Retribution wasn't released until 10 years later - in 2005 . . . . hmm!
I doubt very much if Judas Priest have ever even heard 'Spirit' - but I do love their song 'Worth Fighting for' - even though there is a 'vague similarity' in the phrasing of some of the lyrics, I put that down to a case of 'great minds thinking alike (ahem!) '
The song 'Fallen' is based on a girl I fell for in my 20's - that's all I'm willing to say about that, except that it's yet another one of many tales of an all consuming passion - sadly unrequited.
Felt like it might kill me (at the time) but what doesn't ultimately kill you, does make you stronger.
Unrequited passion raises it's head once again, but this time with me on the receiving end, & with hugely unexpected & life altering consequences - more on that when I do the profile for the second album - 'Soul Not For Sale.'
'I Don't Qualify' is a reference to the feeling of hopelessness endured by people who have nothing in a world that equates individual worth only to material wealth.
In such a world as this, impoverished & homeless people feel that they . . .
" . . . don't qualify for love."
Tales of Passion must have been a good title (if I may say so) because another local rock-band (some of whose members actually played on an early demo of 'Spirit' ) actually decided to . . erm . . use 'Tales of Passion' as the title for their own EP . . . but I guess it must be true what some people say - that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.
More album profiles coming soon, all being well.
Cheers & God bless!