Lost Tapes by Mayor Maynaught

When "The Best of Mayor Maynaught 2005-2007" was compiled back in 2019, it was accepted by the band that some of the recordings they made had been lost to time---most notably the (in)famous "Banana Cover" of Seven Nation Army, featuring two increasingly-bruised bananas as percussion. However, earlier this year, three new cassettes were unearthed: the first contained the original multitrack for Seven Nation Army (though the original stereo mix, with its on-the-fly panning and EQ changes, remains to be recovered); the second featured several songwriting demos, featuring Chris "Buck" Knopf on solo guitar and vocals; the third contained a multitrack recording of the CCR classic Fortunate Son, as well as a previously-unheard solo Chris demo. Taken in toto, these eight tracks represent a transitory moment for the band, when their influences stood in uneasy balance with the flowering of Chris's songwriting.

The two covers sit at the start of this program, safely out of the way of the solo demos that follow; both feature new mixes from their respective four-track tapes. Seven Nation Army is more ambitious, as is always was; rather than attempting to recreate the idiosyncrasies of the original version, this mix attempts to represent what the band might have done, had they had access to computer mixing software at the time. Fortunate Son is more straightforward, with no "sweetening" of the original tape experience beyond stereo separation.

The remainder of this program comprises the six songwriting demos by Chris Knopf, two of them never heard since the day they were committed to tape. The End, and In the Backyard are familiar to those who have listened to the prior compilation, existing as they do in alternate forms from two of the band's live performances. The remaining songs, for various reasons, never appeared in public form before today. Want to Come Back, and Ode to Bruce were briefly rehearsed for the Easter concert---the former was abandoned due to its brevity, and the latter deemed too personal at the time. The last two tracks are charming in their incompleteness, and perhaps that is how they are meant to remain. The compiler of this program has resisted the urge to "finish" these demos; they are presented now as a perfect snapshot of a moment in time, nearly twenty years ago.

Artists Include:
Mayor Maynaught!
Poet Laureates!
and NBC!

Pachycephalosaurus