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Live to the Spirit World

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Live concert album and video. Remastered audio CD available.

Release Info
Cover Art
Band Memoirs

Release Info

Tracks

Granada
She Ate My Lunch
Interlude (Technical Problems)
Lump O' Luv
FCA
I Am A Fireman
Insane Asylum
I Have A Hiny
Marta's In The Navy
Get A Job
King Fred
Baseball Hotdogs
Five Long Days
Phuong Nam's
Let's Vomit
Stranger To My Dog
Interlude (1st Encore Cheers)
Marta Rules
Interlude (2nd Encore Cheers)
Hibbert Party

Kar: vocals, synthesizer, autoharp, and drum
Mr. Ed: bass, guitar, backing vocals, and drums
Ran: keyboard, bass, and guitar
Spike: drums, vocals, and keyboard

Recorded live in front of an audience at Drum Room Studios, Houston, TX. Produced by The Blanks.
©1988 The Blanks.

1988: First issue, cassette and video, Blanks Enterprises
2008: Reissue compact disc, Blanks Enterprises.

Cover Art

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CD reissue cover

CD back cover

CD label

Band Memoirs

I think this album and our whole career afterwards stems from a lecture that Kar and I gave at the University of Texas. A club there had asked us to speak, and we agreed. In preparation for the lecture, we realized how much fun the music had been and that giving it up was senseless. It really renewed our desire. Our reception was warm, though the crowd was small. In a strange burst of narcissism after the lecture was over, Kar and I immediately went to listen to the lecture that we had recorded.

Excited and inspired, we called Ran immediately and he was definitely willing to record again in earnest. He also began doing what he could to push the band in California with some success. However, many of the fans who had come along in the pop days of The Blanks seemed to have moved on, so we all felt there was no pressure, and at the same time, an urge to win them back plus as many more as we could.

I am not sure exactly on how we decided to get Mr. Ed into the band, but I just know it felt wrong to not have him there. Initially we invited him in to play, and it was evident right away that it was a perfect fit. We began working harder and in a more focused way than we ever had before. We made tour dates, some of which fell through and some that didn't. One of the ones that fell through was with an organization known as FCA. I believe “FCA” was written the first time we got together with Mr. Ed. From that first day playing it was obvious that things were just clicking with our new four man line-up.

Live to the Spirit World was released both as an audio and video recording. It was our first live performance since Live at Bibby's Show Palace. We were nervous, and there were a few glitches including Ed's bass being turned off during one song. But in addition to the new songs, like “FCA” and “Hibbert Party” we reached all the way back to perform “She Ate My Lunch.” Mr. Ed had to learn everything, and we had to relearn and rework a lot of the stuff. Overall, I am really pleased with that concert.

The band also met its first wife at the concert. Marrying a groupie seemed odd for The Blanks, but we thought it might help us. We were very unsure about our re-emergence would be received. The marriage didn't last, but that's true for a lot of showbiz marriages I think.

– Spike

The Spring before we recorded this concert I remember receiving a phone call from Spike while I was in my last semester at Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma City. I informed him that I planned to go to school in Texas after that semester and he asked me if I wanted to be in The Blanks. The answer was, of course, yes. But I still didn't know if my creative powers were sufficient to deal with this band's brilliance and innocent cynicism.

While rehearsing for Live to the Spirit World, I began to focus quite heavily on playing the bass guitar for the tri-plug. It is true that I played some guitar, however, I thought of myself primarily as a bass player at this time. I was astounded by the richness of the bass lines at this time. They really weren't made up so much as completely inspired by and organically produced by the sweet sounds of The Blanks early developmental stages. I still thought of myself as a smooth background for the three clever ones—not really their equal but glad to be in the studio with them.

– Mr. Ed