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Lucien's Library

by Lucien's Library

supported by
Chris Franks
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Sabrina Fox
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1.
Lucien 02:43
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LUCIEN Lucien, Lucien Don't ask me why or tell me when Close my eyes and I'll count to ten Turn around and start again Lucien, Lucien Wishes whispered in the Raven’s den Scribing dreams with a feathered pen Turn around and start again Is there a book bound for me Floating in the sea? Is there a book you know I'll be In the endless library? Is there a tome that I can read Overgrown with weeds Is there a book reserved for me In your library?
2.
The Monkey King 02:29
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The Monkey King I am the king of love, the king of hate Somewhere in the middle, Every shiver of the needle, Every bow upon the fiddle, Every shimmer, dimmer, glimmer light, Morning in the mirror might be King of hearts, king of slaves You know you feel enamoured with an ordinary glamour Every striking of the hammer Every bus, every train, New hide, new brain, But every monkey looks the same, In their Kingly robes, their Kingly clothes, The core is getting rotten as you’re sinking to the bottom, Every lie dressed in cotton Every time you thought you got ‘em Every worry, every gripe I guess I’m not the type To be held accountable For the Monkeys on my back One named Fear One loneliness Conspire to pull me back Where we’re going There’s no way of knowing Which of the angels the Devil’s showing me The King of Dark, the King of Rain Always running rings around the figures in the shadows now They know your name but don’t know how Making like to climb the ladder Every breath, every shame Every scar that spells your name, King of spark, the king of rage, Punching well above your weight Concrete glove you hesitate, Making like to levitate Up to silver syrup sky Kissed the girls and made them cry You know you never had to lie You never had to lie To be held accountable For the Monkeys on my back One named Fear One loneliness Conspire to pull me back Where we’re going There’s no way of knowing Which of the angels the Devil’s showing me The king of truth, the king of high The mountains were your mother And your sisters and your brother And the stars were all the others A cacophony of multi-colours cophony of multi-colours cophony of multi-colours cophony of multi-colours cophony of multi-colours
3.
Jimmy Says 02:47
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Jimmy Said Jimmy like a fast car Jimmy like a new guitar Jimmy like an earthquake Jimmy drink a lemon shake Jimmy say Gimme a break Jimmy run the seminar Jimmy feel peculiar Jimmy wanna cornflake Jimmy wanna spectate Jimmy say Gimme a break It was written on his epitaph Like a stone cold autograph The last no hoper with eyes wide open He was taken in a photograph He said boy you really make me laugh He said gimme a break Jimmy goin half baked Jimmy wrap in sellotape Jimmy wanna cold cut Jimmy wanna hot fuck Jimmy say gimme a break Jimmy no illiterate Jimmy so legitimate Jimmy never wanna wait Jimmy gonna levitate Jimmy say gimme a break It was written on his epitaph Like a stone cold autograph The last no hoper with eyes wide open He was taken in a photograph He said boy you really make me laugh Roller coaster on your shoulder Gonna get me high Make me realise why we lie Gonna take another polygraph He said boy you really make me laugh He said gimme a break
4.
She Became The Aeroplane 03:03
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She Became the Aeroplane She woke up Pain her shoulders, aching in her head She been dancing with the sunlight Now the clouds turn red She said I've followed the daisy chain Through a superstore of dread She became the aeroplane And flew through the storm ahead She said I’m such a special case Special case I’m such a special case Special case She woke up A taste upon her fingers A body made of lead She's been flirting with a blue sky And now the clouds turn red She said I played a parlour game I was the troubadour of death I became the aeroplane And flew through the stars ahead She said These could be better days Better days These could be better days Better days She woke up
5.
Dead Man Walking 03:14
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Dead Man Walking There’s a dead man walking In brand new shoes Spirit immigrant talking The dead pan blues Don’t you worry now Just you turn the other way (every last one of them) There’s a whisper of thunder There’s a paying of dues There’s a hand going under You snooze you lose Don’t you hurry now Just you burn away your days (every last one of them) Forwards and backwards You’re a common mistake They keep you rushing Keep on pushing Keep on riding the wave Inside and outside There are liberties taken Some rules, Some rules Some rules you’re meant to be faking Some rules you’re meant to be There’s a Shaman falling in love with you Safe haven crawling with holy rules Don’t you worry now It’s the breaking of the wave Forwards and backwards You’re a common mistake They keep you rushing Keep on pushing Keep on riding the wave Inside and outside There are liberties taken Some rules, Some rules Some rules you’re meant to be faking Some rules you’re meant to be
6.
U R 1 02:54
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You Are One There was no time or reason In my mind that evening As I climbed over frozen stone To your side in the firelight We spoke of incoming Dreams on the inside And lead balloons From the sky on the out Watching all the lights of the city burn Could it really be that we’re never gonna learn Just what it is that made us tick? Stars up above and some down below And you know You are one And I’ll never wanna let you go As the flames eat the skyline And the kids play in the shadows I left all that was once mine On the straight and narrow The day the river ran dry What you gotta say, don’t kid your self The lies that you tell, the words you sell Are the ones that will be inscribed inside your head Stars up above and some down below And you know You are one And I’ll never wanna let you go
7.
Holy Moses #Vol 2 04:17
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HOLY MOSES He’s the president of hesitance She got a little red book She write the panic and the sentiment She got him hanging on hook Yeah she said You got a one track mind Why not keep it together If you gonna walk that line She been hanging out in marketing The wolf been knocking at the door She got a room to lock her troubles in She been sleeping on the floor Yeah she said You gotta take your time Oh why not keep it together If you gonna read them signs Holy Moses Holy Moses Holy Cow Well like a plug is to a socket Gonna keep it gonna rock it Gonna put it in his pocket cos he know he really should Never gonna stop it Cos you know you’ll never top it Gonna take off like a rocket Even when she rip it up You know she gonna rip it up Holy Moses Holy Moses Holy Cow There was strange, sad music From the underground café And she looked so beautiful Yes she did now He couldn’t find the words to say it When the evening comes Promise me you’ll stay When the evening comes We’re gonna keep it together Holy Moses Holy Moses Holy Cow
8.
Maxine 05:44
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Maxine She pop a pill to make the sun come She find her way into her stockings and the showroom She find her script was badly written like a rom com She sipping coffee with a name badge on And there's a heavy through the one-way glass There's a heavy in a suit like he's an upper class Seeping through his suit like he's a sweat-patch One eye balling up the cash and the other on her... Ask no questions, tell no lies Step in the machine, Maxine Red lights turn green Feel it coursing through your veins like it’s a vaccine A wax sheen on lean White thighs, bright teeth Step in the machine, Maxine You know what I mean You feel it howling in your blood like it’s a banshee, yeah Step in the machine She fix a smile for the layman son She been looking out for scruples like she wants some Every moment like a dry re-run With every blink another dream undone She clocking out, she clocking in……(RPT) Ask no questions, tell no lies Step in the machine, Maxine Red lights turn green Feel it coursing through your veins like it’s a vaccine A wax sheen on lean White thighs, bright teeth Step in the machine, Maxine You know what I mean Feel it howling in your blood like it’s a banshee Step in the machine

about

The Lucien’s Library project is the result of various happy bouts of serendipity and coincidence, which suits the theme of the album well. In stark contrast to the process of recording ‘From the Ashes’, we had to keep the costs to an absolute minimum, essentially playing the songs live in the very rooms of the wonderful house you see in our recent photographs, video diary, and of course, the album cover. No click-tracks, no neat and tidy production, a warts-and-all album which better represents how we actually sound if you were to see us live. We recorded it over three days in July 2015, and as a result we feel the album captures a certain energy and character that can sometimes be lost when layering up a recording over a long period of time.

Lucien’s Library is inspired by the character of the same name from Neil Gaiman’s ‘Sandman’ books. A curator of an impossible and endless dream library documenting all unwritten books of the human collective consciousness. Originally, this was to be the album name only, but as our new ensemble took root, we then adopted the name for ourselves.

The album is your tour through some of this library. The songs are excerpts spilling out from the pages that surround you, the thoughts and dreams of our various characters. Characters like Jimmy the corporate man with his basic aspirations, the fire-gazing star-crossed lovers on a mountain top, Maxine and her machine, The Monkey King. The idea was to lyrically present a stream-of-consciousness exercise and explore this idea of dream imagery, dead men, shamans, love and aeroplanes.

Those of you in the know will recognise that we have covered a Phoenixdown song; Holy Moses. The reason for this is that we had reworked it for our live set, and felt it had a whole new vigour and energy. It also fit the theme of the album, whereas some of our other new songs did not. We have held these back for the next project later this year; the Blind Faith EP. We hope you accept Holy Moses #Vol 2 in its home as part of this library tour.

Once again, we thank you for enabling us to capture this musical snapshot. It was fun. We hope you enjoy it.

All the best
Lucien’s Library

credits

released March 11, 2016

Special thanks to Julius Champagne Rost and the Norcott collective, Jack Franks, Ian Renshaw, Mark Carrington, Amy Louise Harding-Smith, Ad Mc, Lynne Delph-Darvill, Anastasia Roudnizkaya, Jay Walker, Jane Stevens, Chris Franks, Jen Craven, Corey Mcvann, Gemsy Gems, Steve Bradburn, Thomas Evans, Zac Whitaker, Joan and Eric Hughes, Nikki Jones (big little sis x), Kerry Lanigan, Paul Humphreys, Jolanta Tacij, Dave Mills, Vicky Godber, Becky Clough, Dave and Jamie Niran Hughes, Dave Delph, Dave Smale, Simson Waitschulies, Tim Joaquim, Sharon Ogilvie, Bob and Ellen Alexander, Amy Lazzerini, Catherine Joans, Karen Naylor, and Kaya Phoenix

All songs by Martin Lee Renshaw and Lucien’s Library

Edited and mixed by Jim Harrison

Engineered by Nicky Oloffson and Phil Clarke

Recorded at Norcott Court, Berkhamstead

Mastered by Pascal Magdinier

Photography by Stewart Marsden

Design by Richard Kitchen

Lucien’s Library are; Martin Lee Renshaw, Jim Harrison, Jamie Andre, Mike Murphy, Simon Hadwin and Jamie Andre

Voice over by Pete Curtis

© 2016 PhoenixCastle Productions, all rights reserved. All rights of the producer and of the owner of the work reproduced reserved. Unauthorised copying, radio or TV broadcasting is prohibited. Manufactured and distributed in the EU by Lucien’s Library and PhoenixCastle Productions

www.martinleerenshaw.com www.facebook.com/martinleerenshaw/?ref=hl

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PhoenixCastle Productions UK

Roving minstrels and entrepreneurs of the arts - Martin Lee Renshaw and Jim Harrison, spin yarns and misadventure with the collaboration of many talented folk, the most recent manifestation taking the form of Lucien's Library.

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