I’m releasing these songs because I thought, “why not?”

The time period the songs were recorded is from 1994-2002 and in various cities: Dallas, Los Angeles, Austin, and Gunnison (Colorado).

It was in college in Gunnison, Colorado at Western State College that I started recording music on my Tascam 4-Track machine. In 1993, at that point, I hadn’t really started to write any of my own songs. Initially, I would make up different lyrics to songs I knew. I had read that that was what John Lennon did when he started out. He had some gig with the Quarrymen at a church and didn’t have any songs of his own so he improvised words to the Del Vikings “Come Go With Me.”

The tunes for my covers album are:

01. Captain Soul – (The original tune is an instrumental on the Byrds 5D album.)

Personnel:  Jim Guittard – Lead and rhythm guitar, drums, bass, and hand claps.  Recorded in Los Angeles around 2001.

02. Cars Hiss By My Window – (The original is a Doors song off L.A. Woman album complete with scat singing ala Morrison style.)

Personnel:  Jim Guittard – Vocals, lead and rhythm guitars.  Recorded in Gunnison, Colorado around 1994.

03. Eight Miles High – (The original is a Byrds tune off the 5D album again. It does not have the Coltrane type 12-string lead Rickenbacker.)

Personnel:  Jim Guittard – Lead and background vocals, and guitars.  Recorded in Los Angeles around 2001-2.

04. Get Back – (Beatles tune on the “Let It Be” album.)

Personnel:  Jim Guittard – Vocals, lead and rhythm guitar.  Recorded in Dallas or Gunnison, Colorado around 1994.

05. Hare Krshna Mantra – (This is an obscure George Harrison tune that he did with the Hare Krishnas for an album.

Personnel:  Jim Guittard – Vocals, keyboard, acoustic guitar, and percussion.  Recorded in Dallas around 1997 or so.

06. Inner Light – (This originally was a George Harrison tune B-side to Lady Madonna.)

Personnel:  Jim Guittard – Lead and background vocals, lead guitar, drone keyboard.  Recorded in Dallas, Texas around 1997.

07. Mr. Tambourine Man – (Originally this was a Bob Dylan tune but Henry McGuinn and I did it in our duo the Ragas. We did it more like the Byrds version.)

Personnel: Henry McGuinn – Lead Vocals and lead acoustic guitar; Jim Guittard – Background vocals and acoustic rhythm guitar.  It was recorded in 2000 in Los Angeles.

08. You Ain’t Going Nowhere – (This was originally a Bob Dylan tune which was on the Basement Tapes sessions with the Band but here is the Ragas covering it based up the Byrds cover off the Sweetheart of the Rodeo album.)

Personnel: Henry McGuinn – Lead Vocals and lead acoustic guitar; Jim Guittard – Background vocals and acoustic rhythm guitar.  It was recorded in 2000 in Los Angeles.

09. No Reply – (This was based off the Beatles tune on the Beatles for Sale/Beatles ’65 albums.)

Personnel:  Jim Guittard – Vocals: lead and background, two rhythm guitars.  It was recorded in Gunnison, Colorado.

10 Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) – (Here the song is based off the Beatles original from the Rubber Soul album.)

Personnel:  Jim Guittard – Vocals:  lead and background, rhythm guitar, and sitar.  Song was recorded in Dallas, Texas around 1997.

11. Sun King – (The original is from the Beatles Abbey Road album.)

Personnel:  Jim Guittard – Vocals:  lead and background, lead and rhythm guitars.  It was recorded in Gunnison, Colorado in 1994.

12. Thoughts and Words – (This original is a Chris Hillman psychedelic tune from the Byrds’ album Younger Than Yesterday.)

Personnel:  Jim Guittard – Vocals:  lead and background, lead and rhythm guitars.  It was recorded in Los Angeles in 2001.

13. Ticket To Ride – (The Original is from the Beatles Help! album.)

Personnel:  Bob Guittard – Lead Vocals, lead guitar.  Graham Cathy – Drums.  Jim Guittard – background vocals, rhythm guitar, and bass.  Song was recorded in Dallas in 1995.

14. Eight Miles High – (This is the Ragas version of the Byrds original from the 5D album.)

Personnel: Henry McGuinn – Lead Vocals and lead acoustic guitar; Jim Guittard – Background vocals and acoustic rhythm guitar.  It was recorded in 2000 in Los Angeles.

15. Norwegian Wood (This Byrd Has Flown) – (The Ragas version of the Beatles tune.)

Personnel: Henry McGuinn – Lead Vocals and lead acoustic guitar; Jim Guittard – Background vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar, and percussion.  It was recorded in 2000 in Dallas, Texas.

16. Nobody’s Fault But My Own – (The original is a Beck tune off his 1999 album Mutations. The cover version was sent as a demo take for Jim to enter the Musicians Institute music school in Los Angeles,)

Personnel:  Jim Guittard – Vocals:  lead and background, sitar, and 12-string acoustic guitar.  Song was recorded in Dallas, Texas in 1999.

17. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle – (This original is a Nirvana tune off the In Utero album.)

Personnel:  Jim Guittard – Vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, wah pedal and effects.  The cover version was recorded in Gunnison, Colorado in the dorms at Western State College.

Just now releasing this one. It’s part of the “Guittard Tapes” and the tune was buried for over ten years. Now, it has the light of day. I recorded it in Los Angeles in 2001 or so. It’s heavy on the digital delay pedal with swirly organ. I intended as a prayer of sorts to God.

TIRED (PSYCHEDELIC VERSION)

TIRED (ACOUSTIC VERSION)

If you want to download the album in its entirety, go here:

Traveling around from California to Texas I captured a billboard that only had the word “Forgive” on it. It caught my eye and I turned the car around to go film it. I’m glad I did because I think it’s a good message we all need in this divisive world we live in.

The next video combines the image of a windmill in West Texas that I captured on my way back to Texas from California where my car broke down. It was a peaceful sight. The song that I added is an instrumental called “Tremolo Instrumental”. It was written and recorded in and around 2002 the first time I lived in Los Angeles.

Download the track here:

James 3:6

New International Version (NIV)

6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

The following songs were recorded mostly in Pasadena, California from 2010 – early 2012 on my Tascam 8-track machine.

This group of songs collected dust for almost a decade. In 2012, I resurrected and mixed the songs from the misplaced 4-Track Tapes I had in storage boxes in Dallas, Texas since 2006 when I went into the Peace Corps in Bulgaria.

The tunes were all recorded in Los Angeles, California during the period 1999-2003.  At that time, I was working on songs for my California Daze album. The songs I include on the Guittard Tapes were never released until now. You will find some alternate takes or early versions for a few California Daze songs: Beach and Jazz Tune.

Back then I was listening to the Byrds quite heavily and therefore many of the tunes are intentionally jangly with Rickenbacker sounds. I played the drums, bass, and even a sitar on the first track which was recorded 3 Weeks After 9-11. Other instruments I played were a 12 String Guild acoustic guitar, Fender Telecaster B-Bender, Dr. Groove Drum Machine, and various keyboards and percussion.

Notice also that there is a song called Election 2000 which is about the Bush/Gore Election.

Here is the track list:
1. 3 Weeks After 03:36
2. Aliens 03:57
3. Ordinary Guy 03:44
4. Getting There Is Not So Easy 03:15
5. Jingle Jangle Instrumental 02:44
6. Batman 02:12
7. Jazz Tune 2000 Demo 02:30
8. Beach Original 02:06
9. Station 03:02
10. Election 2000 02:00
11. Jangly Instrumental 04:09
12. Psychedelic Consciousness 03:13
13. Walkie-Talkie Experiment 02:59
14. Are You Up Instrumental 02:48
15. More Jangle 02:21
16. Tremolo Instrumental 01:20

The sheet music for Jazz Tune (track #7) that I wrote while attending the Musicians Institute during this period.

It’s DIY project. Enjoy!

Jim Guittard

Here’s an assortment of some 40 songs I put up at Youtube.

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything for the blog. Recently I found over 100 tapes of my old materials that I recorded on my old Tascam 4-track machines from about ten years ago when I was living in Hollywood, California (the first time). The tapes have been in storage for almost a decade. Among the findings are song demos that are quite good in a lo-fi way. I’ve uncovered demos of early Beach, Confusion, Lies, Guns, and Drugs, Can’t Be Down That Very Long, Creepville, Jazz Tune, some Byrds covers, and other rarities. Currently, I’m going through the tapes and transferring the sounds to digital and then mixing it down. I’ve posted some songs already.

Press here for the link to the Guittard Tapes.

RAGA by More Jim Guittard

The main idea about this one was the tambura app sound from my android phone. On the electric guitar, I tuned the low E String to D and the A String to G. I like droney stuff. And then I added the tambourine and a homemade shaker of a can taped up with rice. Works well. I learned this from a Russian friend. Maybe I’ll add the sitar to it later.

Smoothie Instrumental by More Jim Guittard

In this one I think the coolest part is the jazzy keyboard with reverb and echo. I know there is a song where the keyboard sounds similar but I can’t remember what it is. I’ll try to figure it out and post it too. Then there is repetitive guitar with a phaser effect I believe.

Occupy Monotony by More Jim Guittard

I’ve posted about this one before but it is an instrumental too so I’m posting again. The mood is repetitive but driving forward. The inspiration is all the occupiers getting slammed to the ground by NYPD cops who are paid off by Chase Manhattan Bank. True story. Chase Bank gave like $4.6 million to NYPD shortly before all the arrests went down.

Lo-Fi Instrumental by More Jim Guittard

Everything’s Fine by More Jim Guittard

Droney echoey depressive instrumental with tabla, echoey guitars, keyboard, and harmonium.

Bee Psychedelic by More Jim Guittard

Another instrumental with bee effect.

The last few months have been very rough but this is what I’ve done.

Ever feel like your life is going in circles or that it is too monotonous or repetitive? Well, it may sound like this song. I tried to come up with something that expressed that feeling and here it is. It was recorded with a 330 Rickenbacker six string electric guitar, a Casio WK-500 keyboard, shaker and tambourine. Thanks for listening.

Download here:  http://www.archive.org/details/Monotony

(picture from http://www.motifake.com)

Probably it would be something like this if “Uncle Sam” were a real person today. I think arguing the left/right thing is a waste of time. It’s an allusion. They are one and the same and it is only a distraction.

It’s like this:

This is a coherent message worth listening to.
Speech On Hope