Rebel Without a Clue

(Whyatt, Caldwell, Roberts)

Listen Here (MP3)

Origins

One night, we'd forgotten to book our usual rehersal rooms so Adie and I went to Coddy's flay with our acoustic guitars. We had a bunch of ideas. I had a rocky power chord riff that just fell out of my fingers one day and Coddy had been writing some lyrics and had half-finished them. He originally intended them to be a slower song, but when we all started playing around with the chords and lyrics it turned into a real rocker. 

Coddy didn't have enough lyrics so I wrote the last verse. In the end, when we recorded it he dropped the last verse, which was a shame as I thought they were great. I've included them here for posterity.

The guitar solo was my fourth or fifth take - not because I kept messing it up but because I wanted a really stinging solo and the others I recorded were a bit mild. It's totally improvised, just straight off the top of my head. I 'm not particularly happy about the phaser which was added by the other guys in the band when they mixed it. I prefer a  minimum of effects on my guitar.

Lyrics

VERSE ONE
He wears the current trends, but buys them from the market men
Counts his wages out in pints, signs his name with a bookie's pen
He's always 'round the centre, he's heard as well as seen
Always out with his mates, and his bird the karaoke queen

CHORUS
He's a rebel, without a clue
He's a rebel, without a clue
He's a rebel, without a clue
It could be me...

VERSE TWO
With his baseball cap, pointing to the rear
He haunts the shopping centres, gives the chicks a lusty leer
You'll see him when he's young, he's the one that's not at school
Five years later down the line, he's the one that's breaking all the rules

BRIDGE
A football conversation, a topic for all men
He polishes his FSO until it bleeds United red
Is he a man with a mission or a missionary man?
He climbs on top then rolls right off, he's seldom there at the end...

VERSE THREE (edited out - but great lyrics by me!)
As the weekend rolls around, he goes out dressed to kill
His wispy 'tache and fake Kouros gives all the tarts a thrill
Thirteen pints later, he falls out of a club
Crawls into a taxi cab then throws them all back up

Personnel

Adie: Rhythm guitar
Coddy: Lead and backing vocals
Howard: Rhythm & lead guitar
Matt: Bass
Mick: Drums

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