The song, "Salad," has existed in complete obscurity, to the degree that it has only received its official name due to a requirement in creating the audio files that form the recorded piece. The song has existed in my head all these years since its writing for the most part. I seem to remember recording it with the South Lake Tahoe Bicentennial Tree-frog Band, way back then shortly after its inception. I have played it seldom over the years, but in truth, I believe it fell through the cracks of time. I played it one day in late October of 2018, just by chance, in doing so, the act unsuspectingly lit the fire of inspiration resulting in a recording.
The spring of 1977, was a time of change in my own life. Having begun exploring the idea of my return to education post military service, I had enrolled in night classes in the spring of that year. One of them was a course in creative writing. For me the time was well spent. Doing so inspired my will to learn about the English language, something that I fully overstepped previously.
At present any recollection as to the inspiration behind the song has faded from memory, yet somehow the lyric and its music have lingered somehow in those synapses of the brain. I believe the lyric to be quite clear, in describing how hunger brings one to decisions regarding food choices, after a day of labor. They somewhat reflect old conditions that have been overcome, where refrigeration in the modern world has changed, via the line, "..I looked upon a cabbage, through that foggy gloom." The conditions that this line refers to, describes how the water vapor contained in an old time refrigerator was sometimes quite visible upon opening its door. With the advent of "frost free" refrigerators, the conditions that created this kind of scene was eliminated, yet I recall those days. All in all the song is a rather nonsense piece, somewhat describing one remedy to hunger, and a process of coming to a conclusion based in visual stimulation. I suppose these conditions yet exist, without the fogged up view, where people do have their stocks of food contained in refrigerators. I find myself still today, using this methodology of decision making when I feel the pangs of hunger. I open the door of a food pantry to view the content there in, evaluate, and decide what shall be consumed. The song concludes abruptly, for the story concludes as the stated observer must halt present activity in order to consume the freshly made salad.
Sounds of the song recording, from 2018 are for the most part computer generated. It was recorded at House on a Hill Studio (actually in my home) November 11, 2018 using the Linux based operating system Ubuntu Studio 16.04.x. Additional software used includes: "Gladish (LADI session handler)," "Hydrogen (drum sequencer)," "Ardour 5.12.0 (Record, Edit, and Mix)." All software used in creating this recording is, free open source. I have upgraded the above software since initially writing this song story. You too can do this with a desire. This rebuilt web site (2022) was designed with the open source software, Kate 19.12.3
Every sound in this recording was in some way created, via the software listed above, or the actual instrument, as played by myself.