DENIZ TEK GROUP
Title: Outside - Company: Red Eye (Australia) - Cat No: (redcd 38)
Format: cd album - Released: March 1994 - Status: Out of print
Outside was the first album with the enduring line-up of Deniz, Jim Dickson, Kent Steedman and Nik Rieth. Deniz had sent tapes in advance and the sessions started immediately after the 24-hour trip from Montana to Sydney. Although Deniz had known Jim from the 70's, he had not met Nik and Kent until the first day of rehearsals at the chaotic wire and equipment strewn Smash Studios. The recording took place at Electric Avenue.
All the backing tracks were recorded live, at stage volume. This was a departure from the more structured approach of Take It To The Vertical. Deniz used the same Marshall Mk2 50 Watt head he used in England with Birdman in 1978, preamped with a Hughes and Kettner Tubeman.
The band recorded Sunday through to Thursday, flew somewhere for shows on Friday and Saturday, then returned back to the studio. This pattern was followed for 3 weeks. A crash course in recording and touring as the Deniz Tek Group.
Track Listing:
Blood From A Stone ( D Tek ) (3:53 m:s)
Day To Ride ( D Tek ) (3:39 m:s)
Waiting ( D Tek ) (4:30 m:s)
Give It Up ( D Tek ) (5:14 m:s)
Dozen On Ice ( D Tek ) (3:47 m:s)
Searching ( D Tek ) (4:47 m:s)
Condition Black ( D Tek ) (3:01 m:s)
Rough Slide Drag ( D Tek / K Steedman ) (3:16 m:s)
Walking ( D Tek ) (5:53 m:s)
Outside ( D Tek ) (6:32 m:s)
Sailors Hymn ( D Tek ) (4:05 m:s)
Some copies came with a bonus EP, Insideout (Tek Promo 1):
1968 ( D Tek ) (3:26 m:s)
Searching (Acoustic) ( D Tek ) (4:12 m:s)
Rough Slide Drag (Instrumental) ( K Steedman ) (3:22 m:s)
Outside - (Kaos Mix) ( D Tek ) (6:31 m:s)
The Musicians:
Deniz Tek - Guitar & Vocals / Kent Steedman - Guitar, Ghost Drum & Didgeridoo
Jim Dickson - Bass / Nik Rieth - Drums, Percussion & Xylodrum.
Pip Hoyle - Keyboards / Angie Pepper - Backing Vocals / Chris Masuak - Slide Guitar
Technical Details:
Produced by Deniz Tek, Kent Steedman and Phil Punch / Engineered by Phil Punch / Recorded at Electric Avenue Studios, Sydney
Of Interest:
Highlights of the sessions included the killer title track, done in one take, destroying the bass amp in the process. Ruff Slide Drag was the first songwriting collaboration between Deniz and Kent. Kent supplied the riff and chorus one day and the next day, Deniz came up with the vocal part while running.
Two of the slower, more introspective songs on the album are rarely mentioned but show the diversity of the songwriting and the band. Searching, a psychedelic gold mine of sound featuring otherworldly playing by Kent in the outro and Sailors' Hymn, an acoustic guitar driven sea tale with inspired slide and piano, which would sound at home on Exile.
Mixing was difficult, a case of "too many cooks". Condition Black was mixed alone by Phil when the band was out for a meal, with excellent results. The sessions were run on green tea and ginseng, the lack of alcohol contributing to the overall satisfying outcome. It was the best that could have been done at the time.
The band photography on Outside was taken on the snowfields at Thredbo. Deniz approved the cover shot but not the double exposure concept that was eventually used. He apparently thinks it sucks as an album cover.
