SARCASTIC 'TONGUE-IN-CHEEK' HARD ROCK TUNE ABOUT MINDLESS GREED AND OVER-CONSUMPTION...AND THE SELF-CENTERED SIDE OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHE.
melodic
hard rock
classic rock
mainstream
original rock
political rock
arena rock
the road less traveled
songs with a message
avalanche hard rock band
michael foster
will there be tomorrow
Story behind the song
"EXCESSIVE"
Music and Lyrics: Michael Foster
Music Written: September, 1985/June, 2006
Lyrics Written: June, 2006.
Music and Lyrics: Copyright 2006 by Crystal Magic Music (ASCAP)
Michael Foster: Guitars, Vocals, and First solo (left)
Mark Easton: Guitars, and Second solo (right)
Barry Easton: Drums
Michael Corsini: Bass
Recorded in June, 2006...at ROUGH CUT STUDIO...Eastford, Conn.
Mixed in July, 2006...at GOLDEN SUN STUDIO...North Palm Beach, Fla.
Arranged, Produced, and Mixed by: Michael Foster
Engineered by: Mark Easton
In late 2005, I stumbled upon a shoebox full of old cassette tapes in a closet, which consisted primarily of twenty year old plus recordings of Avalanche rehearsals. When I found this one...I realized it was from a 1985 3-piece short-lived incarnation of Avalanche that I had put together in an attempt to resurrect the band five years after the original group had broken up. At that time...I was having many problems in my life...I had gotten very "excessive" with my drug use...and I don't remember a whole lot about that time. The tape quality was terrible...but this song was on it...and even without any vocals or lyrics...it stood out as a really strong cut. I don't remember if there ever even were lyrics written for it...or what the original title of the track may have been...and just getting the tape to play at all was very difficult. When I left for Conn. for these sessions I decided to bring the cassette tape with me. Once the band heard the music...it immediately became the choice as "first song to record"....which presented a dilemma...because there were no lyrics...and no idea about a melody to go with the music. I decided that we would rehearse and record it anyway...and once that was accomplished...I took a rough mix..put in on a CD and drove around for a day...trying to find the right melody and lyrical subject. As I sat on my very successful twin brother's deck at his estate late that afternoon in the middle of the woods in Hampton, Conn... I remembered that the night before...his floodlights kept turning on and off all by themselves. I found out that motion sensors on the lights were being set off by moths flying around them...and as I looked around me...the inspiration came.
Once I had the lyrics...the melody and the phrasing became a very easy task. The vocal recording was one of the easiest I have ever done...it was almost as though the song was just waiting for me to write it...and "Excessive" became the first track finished from these sessions. SongPlanet DJ Bert Gagnon, who lives in Conn. actually came to the rehearsals when we were working this one up...and we had a chance to spend the day getting to know him. We all had a great day...and Bert, thanks for taking the time to hang out with us. You are one of the very few people outside of the Avalanche "family" who has actually seen the band perform "live" in over twenty years. Hopefully...that might change "down the road".
This is the first of the new 2006 Avalanche recordings. It is a "balls to the wall" rocker...and so we wanted to keep it "live" sounding and raw. This year we made numerous improvements in how we record the band...from new amplifiers...to much better microphones. The band is also really starting to feel like a cohesive unit again...the chemistry has always been very magical...but this year...I was really able to feel it from everyone...for the first time since the original band broke up over twenty five years ago. It is a huge treat for me to play with these guys....and this year it felt like everyone was really feeling the same way, too. Less than twenty five studio-hours were needed to rehearse and record this song...from the time I played that very poor quality twenty year old rehearsal cassette tape for the guys for the first time. That amazes even me. When I talk about "a magical chemistry" within this group...that one fact brings it all into very clear focus. It is tr
Lyrics
EXCESSIVE
Music and Lyrics: Michael Foster
Music Written: September, 1985/June, 2006
Lyrics Written: June, 2006.
1st Verse
Give me more...
I need more...
I just can't get enough...
Driving in my shiny new Mercedes...
Tell me...why does this road feel so rough?
With all I've bought, and all I've tried...
I just can't fill this hole...inside.
(Spoken) I think I'm lost...can somebody help me?
2nd Verse
My motion-sensored birdbath...
Has just gone on the fritz...
Polar Ice Caps melting down...
While I live at The Ritz...
I need more...give me more....
I think I need more stuff...
Hungry, Injured, World in pain
It's not my fault... they're all insane...
It ain't me...I'm not to blame...
If you ain't me...I think...you're lame.
(Spoken) Where's my American Express?
I need to buy something, I guess
BRIDGE
(Spoken) Now, let me see...What will it be?
Diamond rings? Stupid things...
Poisoned air? I dont care...
Persian rugs? They're all just drugs!
3rd Verse
Bigger houses...Faster cars...
I never feel satisfied...
Cocaine and women...All the "best"...
Don't fix what's broken inside...
I tell myself "It's only stress"...
I love to live in my excess...
Hungry, lonely, sick, or scared...
Screw 'em all! ... I just...dont care.
(Spoken) Yeah...other people don't matter...
I've got cash...I'm not trash...
I'm better than you are...
OUTRO
(Spoken) Don't you know who I am?
Why...I'm a very important person!
In fact...I'm a Republican...
And God's on our side...
I think I like this New World Order
You know...Maybe I'll get a new car...
I'd like a second pool...
Maybe a Ferrari...nah, too cheap...Lamborghini!
Dude....What do you mean you can't Super-Size my Happy Meal?
HEY! What happened to my wallet?
END
Copyright 2006 by Crystal Magic Music (ASCAP)