Within the cryptic verses of Scott Walker's "30 Century Man," Spacebomb producer Cameron Ralston surmised a certain irreverence from their messaging. "I've always heard it as a rock and roll song at its core,” he says, despite the stark minimalist approach of the original: strummed acoustic guitar in one stereo channel, Walker's lonely, crooned reverberant voice in the other. "It's one of the more iconic recorded pieces of the 20th century,” Ralston adds, "and it would be a thankless, if not completely futile endeavor to try to do a true copy of it. Let's go for something less restrained and more rambunctious."
So he brought in the Spacebomb House Band, the outfit of instrumental pros and studio wizards, to transform it into what could be a garage rock Jimi Hendrix Experience cover band version of the song. Matthew E. White, Trey Pollard, Pinson Chanselle, Cameron Ralston. The full band, live in the room, minimal mics, one take style, and recorded to 1” tape. To play Walker’s role, Ralston enlisted Spacebomb recording artist Andy Jenkins. "His voice reminds me of Scott Walker's somewhat in its baritone quality,” Ralston says. "I thought he'd be the perfect fit to connect the dots to the original version.”
Jenkins says about his performance, "The music Cameron produced was such a wild departure from the original that I tried to stick closer to Walker’s delivery rather than try to riff, keep everything centered.” Walker’s surly tone, undercut by perfect lyrics, attracted him to the project. “There’s such a surrealist, deliberately wrongheaded message on one level: If you can’t get it together, freeze until the world is better. Terrible advice. The song covers a great deal of ground in a very short time. A lesson for us all.”
Upon his death in 2019, the BBC called Walker "one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in rock history,” and “30 Century Man” is one of his gems of a song that reflect that, a seed that will continue to sprout for hundreds of years to come.
credits
released April 10, 2020
Pinson Chanselle - drums
Trey Pollard - electric guitars
Cameron Ralston - electric bass
Matthew E. White - electric guitar
Andy Jenkins - vocals
Produced by Cameron Ralston
Recorded by Adrian Olsen and Cameron Ralston at Spacebomb Studios, Richmond, VA
Mixed by Adrian Olsen at Montrose Recording
Mastered by Santiago Delgado at 1026 Mastering
Strings arranged and conducted by Trey Pollard
Violins: Ellen Riccio, Adrian Pintea, Stacy Matthews, Anna Bishop, Treesa Gold, Meredith Riley
Violas: Molly Sharp, HyoJoo Uh
Cello: Peter Greydanus
Strings Contracted by Treesa Gold
Strings recorded by Kyle Williams at Spacebomb Studios
supported by 5 fans who also own “30 Century Man (feat. Andy Jenkins)”
Another of our fave hymns that we like to sing at our gatherings.Mr Taylor never fails to deliver, Jesus shot me in the Head indeed.Walk into the light. drbaz
supported by 5 fans who also own “30 Century Man (feat. Andy Jenkins)”
Love all live Hiss, but this one for the rarity cuts. Love how proceeds from all live shows benefit various causes.
Class act and great music = win/win! moo-mabely
Market, from Melbourne, fuse soul and chillwave on a wonderfully woozy song with rubbery guitars & breathy harmonies. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 19, 2020