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Zen and the Art of Something Clever | lyrics |
Just Weeping | lyrics |
Tashtego's Helmet | lyrics |
The Promise Of Lunacy | lyrics |
The Taming Of The Shoes | lyrics |
Strawberry Gus | lyrics |
To Fight Legends * | lyrics |
Fat Bob On The Prowl | lyrics | french |
From Sugar | lyrics |
Whisper | lyrics |
Black Desert | lyrics | french |
Il Filostrato | lyrics |
22 | lyrics |
Embers | lyrics | french |
Shiver | lyrics | mp3 |
Chaucer Creeps | lyrics |
Blown Down | lyrics |
I Wanna Be A Trendy Bitch | lyrics |
Turn Down the Music | lyrics |

Mayhem Lettuce's first album contains songs that were recorded between 1997 and 1999. About 1/3 of the album was recorded "live" in the studio with no overdubbing or remixing because we didn't even own the 4-Track recorder yet. They were recorded live directly onto cassette tape and later mastered to CD.

A handful of these songs were written during Mayhem Lettuce's first major recording stint in 1995. Early versions of The Taming Of The Shoes, Whisper, Black Desert, 22, Embers and Shiver will appear on an upcoming Mayhem Lettuce demos collection.

* Lyrics by Richard Bach from his novel Illusions
   - used without permission.

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[1:56]
[3:33]
[2:36]
[4:56]
[1:23]
[2:35]
[3:52]
[2:26]
[3:00]
[3:01]
[4:13]
[2:49]
[2:00]
[2:45]
[1:04]
[4:30]
[3:51]
[2:37]
[4:14]
[3:05]
[2:20]
[4:36]
[3:58]

Sins Against Grandma was recorded in 1999. Early versions of Like The Stonecutter Only Sexier, All Else Fails, 15 Birds, Break The Ice, Ditheleticism Confused, Mean (While In Space) and Galactic Lipstick #2 will appear on a future Mayhem Lettuce demos compilation.

Vanessa McIntyre plays keyboards on several tracks and bass guitar on The Final Maybe. Dave Bernstrom sings the Picture Pages theme song on 1" Dad. Wendy Saathoff and Baby Ashley contribute backing vocals to Inside Out  Outside You.

Break The Ice was one of the very first songs Mayhem Lettuce recorded back in 1995 and its lyrics were the first that gB wrote especially for Mayhem Lettuce. Prior to that, we had done a handful of experimental pieces that weren't really songs and we had set some of gB's poetry to music (which is how Black Desert came to be).

* Contains a segment from John Barth's short story Lost In The Funhouse
    - used without permission.
** Lyrics by J.R.R. Tolkien from his novel The Hobbit
    - used without permission.
¥ Contains a segment of Picture Pages by Bill Cosby
    - used without permission.
§ Lyrics and music by Carter USM
   - used without permission.
¶ Lyrics and music by Andy Prieboy
   - used without permission.

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Neverland is our biggest and most impressive undertaking to date. Whereas the first two albums were pretty much just collections of songs we happened to have finished at the time, Neverland was our first true album in that it was meticulously planned out and follows several themes. You might call it a "concept album."

There is a story being told through heavy use of Peter Pan imagery. Also, the song styles alternate between instrumentals, spoken word pieces and sung songs. In this way, the album can be broken up into a half dozen trinities, each trinity telling the same part of the story in its own way - through music, soliloquy or song.

Fun Fact: The word "never" is said 35 times during the course of the lyrics on this album.

Fun Fact: Neverland was originally two songs (tracks 2 & 3), then a 6 song EP (tracks 2,3,5,6,8+18) and finally evolved into this full length 18 song album.

Fun Fact: Our original plan was to cover the Disney song Never Smile At A Crocodile but we decided that we didn't want to get sued by Mickey so we wrote Never Smile instead.

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[3:24]
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[2:07]
[3:49]
[5:29]

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Live At Dave's Haunted Party
Is It Good? | lyrics | mp3 |
The Itsy Bitsy Spider Intro *
I Wanna Be A Trendy Bitch | lyrics |
15 Birds ** | lyrics | mp3 |
22 | lyrics |
Shiver | lyrics |
Mean (While In Space) | lyrics | mp3 |
Fat Bob On The Prowl | lyrics |
Black Desert | lyrics |
Tomorrow, Wendy ¥ | lyrics |

Live At Punky's Haunted Barn
Del Painting | lyrics | mp3 |
The Last Goodbye | lyrics |
GIMME! | lyrics | mp3 |
I Dare You To Pieces | lyrics |
Lamb-O-War *
Your Favourite Beatles Song | lyrics |
--Intermission--
Deceive Inveigle Obfuscate | lyrics |
The Tears I Lie To You About | lyrics |
Sweet Home Alabama § | lyrics | mp3 |
Sugar and Spice ¢
Hello China ¶
Sidereally Yours (excerpt) | lyrics |

Live At Dave's Haunted Party
Recorded October 9, 1999 at Dave Bernstrom's Party - Port Byron, IL

Wade Saathoff - keyboards, electric guitar, bass guitar, drums and percussion
Reverend gB- vocals, keyboards, drums and percussion, harmonica
Ness McIntyre - keyboards

Live At Punky's Haunted Barn
Recorded May 8, 1999 at the barn next to Elazar Studios - Port Byron, IL

This "concert" was a freeform ad lib jam session with people coming and going and swapping instruments all night long. It is noteworthy for yielding the very first version of I Dare You To Pieces and a rockin' duet version of Del Painting. Also, The Last Goodbye was the impetus for Sins Against Grandma's closing song: The Final Maybe.

Wade Saathoff - vox, keyboards, electric guitar, bass guitar, drums and percussion
Reverend gB - vox, keyboards, bass guitar, drums, harmonicas, noseflute
Cecilia Elizabeth Lockert- vocals, electric guitar
Vanessa McIntyre - vocals, keyboards, drums and percussion
Mitch Pilon - vocals, drums and percussion
Anthony Corelis - keyboards, electric guitar

All lyrics and music by Mayhem Lettuce
Copyright ® 2002 Is It Good Music
Except * Traditional, ** by J.R.R. Tolkien, ¥ by Andy Prieboy,
§ by Lynyrd Skynyrd, ¢ by starcandy, ¶ by Pup Tent

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Easy To Colour Purple | lyrics |
Nevergreen | lyrics | mp3 |
Clear Blue Easy | lyrics | mp3 |
Watching the Pages Turn Yellow | lyrics | mp3 |
White Footed Tamarin | lyrics |
A Better Shade Of Blue | lyrics |
Fetid Rose Pile Throne | lyrics | mp3 |
Periwinkle Eyes | lyrics | mp3 |
Pink Stars, Annah Jade | lyrics | mp3 |
Other Shades Of Grey | lyrics | mp3 |
In Lavender She Comes | lyrics | mp3 |
Ash Coloured Tiles | lyrics | mp3 |
In The Red | lyrics |

Black Desert (The 10th Version!) | lyrics |
Orange Petals | lyrics |

This album is still in the writing / recording process. We've got some of the songs done, others are under construction and still others are waiting quietly in my notebook to be aurally realized.

The song order presented here is only a working order. The actual album track order is still to be determined.
1-13 are complete and 14-15 are halfway recorded.

So far, this album is shaping up to be be happier subject matter for the most part than the other Lettuce albums. Well, maybe not so much happier as more hopeful at least. Having a daughter has definitely influenced the lyrics this time 'round.