Al Anderson on "Pay Before You Pump"

Al on "Pay Before You Pump"

Imprint promo photo, photographer not credited The following text is taken from a promotional release for "Pay Before You Pump". It's my intention to update this page periodically with information about different songs on the album.

"No Place In History"
"I wrote this song with John Hiatt and Scott Matthews. I'd been writing pretty consistently with John for a time, when he said we should start a band, a three-piece. He'd been listening to what his kid was listening to, and that had really influenced him.
"So we wrote three songs - 'No Place,' 'Crash Landing' and 'Straight To Hell' and went into Woodland Studios and recorded them. Then I never heard from him again. I guess he realized it's better to be yourself than to be your kid!"
"It ('No Place...') was done just like that. We literally listened to the demo, wrote a chart and went out and played it. Wham! Bam! Thank-you Scott."

"Bang Bang Bang"
"I wrote this one with Craig Wiseman, who's a pretty incredible country writer. It was one of those days where after having written a country song, I couldn't take it anymore. So, it was time! This one's got great lyrics, for which Craig is mostly responsible. It's a fun song. It doesn't go deep. But you can really see it. It'd make on hell of a video."
"Elvis Costello was in Nashville to do the Fairfield Four. He sang lead on one of their cuts. He'd come in for the day, and he barely had time to come by. I wanted him to sing on 'No Place In History' or 'Hiss,' but he didn't think it'd be right singing on 'Hiss' since he'd just done a digital session."
"But he really liked 'Bang Bang Bang' - and so did his wife. So, if that's what he wanted to sing on, that was fine by me. In fact, having Elvis Costello on there and Delbert McClinton pretty much makes the record for me."

"It Came From The South"
"The chorus and first verse were already written when I hooked up with Bill Lloyd. I didn't have any more ideas, so I got him to write the rest of it with me."
"What people forget is that basically black people invented country music, rock and roll, rhythm & blues, jazz, everything - even bluegrass! And all they got to show for it is Charlie Pride, who didn't even get into the Opry until '95! So that's what the song's about. Besides, this song is more rockabilly than anybody can stand. But, it's more than rockabilly - it's new".
"That's Glenn Worf on string bass, and it's a really filthy thing. But that's also what the album's about really! It's all that raunchy, slimy, dirty, filthy, smelly stuff that makes rock and roll so good. I play most of it without a pick. You can play more soulfully without one."

"Change Is Gonna Do Me Good"
"Wrote this one in twenty minutes with Bob DiPiero, who's fast and who's great, after we'd just written another song! We'd finished writing and were sitting around talking. But right before we were gonna leave, I showed him this melody and we started spitting stuff out. It was a song - just like that! I knew it had to be a blues thing, because it was sad. I started it off drained of emotion, so it was a very subconscious thing. But it was also probably very gut and honest, because we didn't think it through to the point of taking all the rawness out."
"I was trying to make it Memphis - we had cut this song as a demo, so we tried to make it like the demo, which was naked with lots of space. Then I had Jim Hoke put a horn chart on it, which he arranged."
"It is, I hope, a real soulful rendition. The whole idea of 'goin' back to who I was' is supposed to bring it full circle musically as well as personally."

"Get Gone"
"That's a term Johnny Cash uses in 'Get Rhythm.' It means put taps on your toes and step on out.
"I wrote it with Craig Wiseman who was my first lesson in humility. Producer Barry Beckett said to me, 'I got this guy Craig Wiseman. You'll love him and he's a drummer.' And while Craig is a 'guitar owner,' he's not only a great lyricist but he can make great music with great ideas. You just never know."
"I came up with that little guitar riff afterwards. It's a cool little riff, and I think it has a sense of humor, just like the song does."

"That Thang"
"It's a song about that thang. You know, as in 'When you gonna give me that thang?' And any girl with a thang knows what I'm talking about, because really there's nothing like it.
"It was written with Terry Anderson, who is really, truly a rock and roller at heart. He wrote 'I Love You Period' and 'Battleship Chains,' which pretty much tells the story."
"I'm lucky, because we really had the best band in the world. I didn't think we could beat the demo on this one, but we did. What we got is shear rock and roll. They just let it all fly.
"All my guitars are tuned way down on the record. I use mostly a D-tuning on the record, with my bottom string tuned down to a C. And most people play in E normally. So, that's how we got that raunchy low down sound. Here I tune even lower. I don't even know what key it's in, but it sure rocks. We did it twice 'cause it was so much fun - didn't have to though."

"Under the Hood"
"Bob DiPiero had the title. He came into my hotel room, sat down, announced the title and from that we wrote the song. We really bounce off each other very well. He's a common denominator guy who knows how to write a blue collar lyric. But when he's done, he reads it all through to make sure it reads like a story. Bob wants it to read like a poem more than lyrics - and I think this one works."
"We cut this one a little slower than the demo, but even this has that Memphis feel to it. It's that whole notion of the lights are shining bright, but nobody's home. But boy, what an exterior. Probably that's the whole reason it hadn't been cut. You gonna say: the girl is dumb in a country song? I don't think so. But, she's doing okay - and we really savored the whole experience of playing it. I think you can hear it on the track."

"Listen To Your Heart"
"This is probably the most unusual song on the record. It's also the first song I ever wrote with Sharon and Bill Rice. Kinda reminds me of Neil Young for some reason. I love the chords."
"When I originally cut the demo, it felt very emotional to me. When I played it, it was very cool - and just a beautiful song to me."

"Lonely Too Long"
"Craig Wiseman and I wrote this for Bonnie Raitt, and we had a big time doing it. Craig's from Mississippi and he has a great southern sense of humor. I came up with the song in my kitchen at home (great acoustics). Craig wrote all the words. He usually does 'cause he has an outline ready the minute you show him the melody. Its one of those 'two poles apart' songs. It's Craig's humor and it makes me laugh every time.
"I wrote this for Bonnie Raitt. Didn't hear back from her, and I loved it so I decided to cut it. Great chord patterns you just don't hear much. Hope you like it too." Back