MP3 Biff McGruff - Flat Out
Meatloaf-style high-energy funk and rock plus acoustic and acoustic-rock ballads, even a bit of Punk and early AC/DC
10 MP3 Songs in this album (29:19) !
Related styles: FOLK: Folk-Rock, ROCK: Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
People who are interested in Sting Bee Gees Meat Loaf should consider this download.
Details:
Biff McGruff is the product of a collaboration between Scott Maynard who plays most of the instruments and vocals, and Peter Coy who writes the lyrics. Scott is a Toronto-based musician and has been in a mix of bands including most recently Rock Plaza Central. For a full bio see https://www.tradebit.com Scott plays bass, guitar, drums, recorder and piano plus all the male vocals.
Two of the tracks describe the problems of the same two characters: "Don’t just stand there and pout" and "High tide on the causeway" are about a couple who are being hunted by the mob. They both feature a kind of ominous beat that sounds jittery.
Notice the girlfriend’s inner thoughts: “This guy ain’t nothing but a loser” ends in a kind of Pink Floyd howl – great work by Ronley Teper. Inspired by a scene in “Crank” where Jason Statham is trying to hustle his girlfriend out of her apartment while under attack from a variety of assailants. He manages to keep his girlfriend unaware of the danger and get away while littering the screen with dead and unconscious bodies. Now that’s entertainment!
Inside and Out is a frantic, energized song about obsession to “Be you, inside and out”. Ever felt that way about a girl or guy when you can’t get enough. Great drum work here and throughout the album by James van Bolhuis.
8 of 9 is a tribute to the partly-Borg Star Trek Voyageur character “7 of 9”. Played to icy perfection by the shapely Jeri Ryan in a skin-tight costume, 7 of 9 became the object of affection (ahem) for millions of Trekies. I began to wonder ” if 7 looked as tasty as this, what does 8 look like?” Thus was launched the lyric: “I’m hoping she will finally give me a sign, take me to the movies to see Frankenstein”
Maid of the Morn was born in those sleepy moments when your hard-working spouse wakes up at the crack of dawn to head out to gainful employment while you cower under the covers and think up chord sequences. “Face-morning beauty, pillow-made hair”.
Forever Ingénue started as a birthday poem to a friend who has always been the young-un in our circle of friends. But the Poem just cried out for a tune and I started playing a chord sequence and worked with Scottto fit it to the tune.
Peter Gilbert. Well Peter was a friend of mine. We windsurfed together in Georgian Bay and at Cape Hatteras. He was Canadian Windsurfing Champion, such a talented and athletic guy. Unlike most seriously talented athletes, Peter always had time for everyone, helping out with rigging, tuning and tips. He seemed like he had the world in the palm of his hand. Peter was taken by colon cancer at the tragically young age of 32. We all miss him. ”We fill the ocean with our tears”. You should be able to hear the sway of the waves, at least that’s the idea.
"Get my emotion from the Ocean" was conceived as I walked along the beach at Santa Monica during a brief visit to California. I was between contracts and was thinking hard about “What next” and I became aware that there was a real beat to my footsteps. I started to sing “Walking along Santa Monica beach, I feel like the future is just out of reach”. Great work on the Sax by the talented Alexis Marsh.
Ever read the personals? "SW Female" is the exploits of a couple who advertise for soul mates. “Nothing’s for nothing, you get just what you give”. Fun to describe an encounter from hope through disillusionment.
"Working Flat Out" is a tribute to all of the hard working folks in the world who assemble all of the goodies like homes, bikes, cars, buses, electronics etc. that make our lives so much fun. Making stuff seems to be in our genes so don’t knock it. This could be the first tune to feature an electric drill accompaniment.
Peter Coy