Pete Donnelly (The Figgs) - Another Day on You (1999)

I had a request for this when I posted the The Figgs Ginger cassette about a month ago. Precious few know about this extremely limited edition (50 copies so the story goes) solo tape cut by Figgs bassist/songwriter Pete Donnelly. For a release of this format and scarcity, the fidelity is surprisingly excellent. More rewardingly, the ten cuts within aren't bedroom experiments or tossed off "extras" that didn't make the cut for any given Figgs album. I dug a little deeper on this tape, and here's some info I gleaned from article that appeared on Donnelly's Myspace blog in a early 2007.

If you're one of the lucky ones, you might have an old and most-likely, well-loved copy of Pete's solo album (the originals were cassette only, and limited to 50 copies – sorry folks!). The 10-song cassette entitled, Another Day On You, was released in 1999, after the Figgs relationship with Capitol dissolved. Pete was living in Providence at the time, and thinking of ways to reinvent himself and keep afloat at the same time. Song to song, Another Day On You comes off as a very personal and reflective album; even if it was never meant to be its own permanent release. There's almost a scratchy, frenetic energy and even a pained sound to Pete's vocals on these songs that remind me of a mod Rod Stewart – a cooler, mod Rod Stewart – who's gone through a LOT. And the songs themselves, are almost bridge-like in extension of the ones written and played with The Figgs.

"What is this love about? / Is it just a game? / This could be our way out / I want to break / Yeah I know that this is love / 'Cause I have you on my side / I've gotta feel you in my blood / I'm rushin' all the time / We're rushin' all the time …" ("Rushing All The Time", Pete Donnelly)"

I made them because I was going through this thing where I was like 'I'm going to start doing some solo shows to try to make some bread.' I was like, 'What am I doing, I'm getting in debt here.' You know; what's my life all about? Partly, I wanted it to be impermanent too, because I had reservations about the material…it's all stuff that was never completely realized. They're just, you know; sketches, ideas. Putting it on a cassette was kind of like saying, 'Hey, this stuff isn't to be displayed as a real permanent work of art,' It's just kind of like a, I don't know – a view of what I've been up to. I think that every once in a while, I get this feeling I'm going to put together all the music that I've recorded over the years – you know, release a double-CD, probably put some of that stuff on…and there were a few tracks that didn't fit on the cassette."

Can we look forward to a solo Pete Donnelly record? "It kind of gets back to the unfortunate reality of the dollar. One of the goals of mine is to find more time to be creative on my own. I have so little time, whereas when I was younger, you have too much time – and you scare and you explore yourself and your own psyche in your own studio or whatever. And, yet, Another Day On You is such a home recording record, that "Rushing All the Time" is from a studio in Conshohocken [PA] as a matter of fact. But you know, it's really personal because of the state of mind that you're in when you're alone, and by yourself… You're much more vulnerable than when you're working with other people."

By the way, one Mike Viola guests on a cut here, but you'll have to download the tape so you can take a gander at the sleeve notes to find out which track specifically.

01. Behind The Train
02. The Place Is Packed
03. Rushing All The Time
04. Another Day On You
05. guitar instrumental
06. Under Blankets
07. All Your Empty Memories
08. Letters to Friends
09. Shooting Away
10. Erased

Now on Bandcamp.