I think this was originally being written for the second album, but it kept getting pushed back because I wasn't happy with it. According to the tape catalog, it was the last song to be recorded for the album, in February 2010, about 2 weeks before the album was mixed.
While an earlier multitrack exists from the 'Three Little Pigs' sessions, it was rerecorded for the 'Hippie Music Volume Six' project, finally giving me a version which I was happy with. In keeping with the 1960s motif, I ditched the disastrous whistling improvisation at the end of the earlier version and replaced it with a combo organ/mellotron uh... combo.
I think the main drawback was that it ended up sound a bit too similar to 'House of the Rising Sun'.
The story is based on Dan's experiences in the DMFA webcomic, where he is beaten up and dumped in a magic school for demons, and struggles to come to terms with it. Something I always found poignant., though arguably this was handled better in 'What did Daniel Think He Was?' on Pancake Ferret (and later revamped on Project Retake)
lyrics
SAIA Blues
They brought me here with a blow on the head
They left me here in someone else's bed
There's no escape and there is no way out
My crazy roommate gave me such a clout
And I'm not the man I was before...
I'd give everything to know
If I'm a monster or a hero
Down in SAIA, where the demons go
They took my sword and my dignity
They tore the robe that Wildy gave to me
They probed my mind, they probed my brain
They told me that my favourite food was PAIN
And I just can't take it any more...
I'd give everything to know
If I'm a monster or a hero
Down in SAIA, where the demons go
I'm hanging out with other incubi
And I can kiss my former life goodbye
I'll outlive everyone I've ever known
One day I'll find that I am all alone
And there is no question any more
For I've finally come to know
I'm both a monster and a hero
Down in SAIA where the demons go
"There is lambswool under my naked feet..." - those words always come to my mind while listening to the first bars of "Wide Of The Mark". There's undoubtedly quite some "Genesis" heritage to be found in the music on this album. However, the band that is most closely related to "The ID" is certainly "IQ", which is among the favorite bands and artists named by both Peter Albrektsen (gtr, kbd) and Tim Pepper (v, kbd). So the similarity of the names "ID" vs. "IQ" is obviously not purely coincidental. Being a long-time admirer of the creative output of "IQ", this album inevitably reaches my heart. Sven B. Schreiber (sbs)
The hard-hitting, genre-agnostic songs on the latest from Dan Webb were inspired by conversations he had with a wide range of musicians. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 18, 2023