One of the reasons we changed the name of our band in 1984 to Everything But Anchovies is that we were stylistically pretty eclectic --the other had to do with eating pizza at every rehearsal when we were teens. Some of our posters included a tagline "ROCK&FUNK&REGGAE". Jon really put a lot of work into coming up with unique drum beats for each song, and this song is a prime example of that. Tim and I had worked out three different musical parts in 7/4 meter, and Jon invented three really different drum beats, matching each riff really well. One really highlighted his recently purchased Remo RotoToms, especially in the intro. Tim's lyrics are probably deliberately obscure. I remember spending a lot of hours working this song out in the basement of Jon's house.

This song worked live surprisingly well, and it was always fun to watch people dancing to a song in 7/4. Jon's great beats made it possible at all.

This recording is from the Brown Carpet Studio session of late December 1986 that ended up on the Brown Carpet & Full Moon album. As with almost every song in this classic session, we recorded a stereo mix of four mics on drums, bass, and electric guitar live to two tracks, then overdubbed acoustic guitar to a third track, and finally both lead and background vocals to a fourth track.

There's a video of EBA playing this song on live TV, from 1989.

Thanks for listening!

-Andy


Strange In Ordinary Ways

Confused sometimes, I don't know what to say
Strange in our ordinary ways
Together yet apart we count the days
Alarmed yet calmed by the quickness of their pace

Inside myself, beside myself

Confused sometimes, I don't know what to say
My pencil moves on paper
Words tumble through my head
Inside myself 
        (Beside myself)
Inside myself 
        (Beside myself)
I decide to watch the half moon rise instead

	Strange in our ordinary ways
	A stolen glance in concrete halls
	Staring at the whitened walls
	Inside myself

A monologue with no apparent cause
A smile is no surprise
A tear not unexpected
Inside myself 
        (Beside myself)
Inside myself 
        (Beside myself)
Only a fool goes through life undetected

Together yet apart we spend the days
I'm searching for an answer
To a question I can't find
Inside myself 
        (Beside myself)
Inside myself 
        (Beside myself)
Why have we been here all this time

	Inside myself
		(Beside myself)
	Inside myself...

Tim Odell --- 10 February 1984
© 1984 by Everything But Anchovies