Monkey Bidness Music

After six months away from the studio following the breakup of Bidnessmen, John returned to Barking Dog to find Jere and Billy D ensconsed in several ideas.  They had completed a recording started by Bidnessmen and never finished, Arthur Alexander's "We're Gonna Hate Ourselves In the Morning" - a 1967 hit by the late Clifford Curry - one of only two covers ever recorded by Bidnessmen OR the Quarters as a studio project, and the only one featuring Moody Castleman on keys.

Jere had finally found a home for a guitar lick that had followed him around like a ghost (on an as of that time unreleased tune, "Freedom Town,") Bill had written several songs and was itching to get'em out.  Together, they had recorded one of Jere's songs and two of Bill's - the latter of which, "Not Much," was still in process, and the first thing John did upon arrival was to put an organ track on that.  Bill took "Stupid" to a publisher, who told him he was "out of touch."  They had also recorded "The Talk of the Town," an old standard that had been made into a car commercial, which was then parodied for use in a larger project still being composed by Bill about the DJ's at WLAC radio.

Work began on what would become the first album done as a three-piece, and the guys changed the name of the band to "The Dirty Quarters," to separate their new work from the old work.  John had composed an instrumental piece that was intended for something else that never came about - he pieced it together and "A Spirit Calls."  

As a group, they started by recording a song that Bidnessmen had started, but never really got very far recording (as it turns out, one of Bidnessmen's more infamous days in the studio), "Evening With the Witch."

They followed that with Jere's "Last Days," a remake of one of the last Bidnessmen recordings (with John Froeschauer sitting in on drums), and then Bill's "Julie," a song that Bill had recorded for Bidnessmen in 2000, but had never considered it "finished."  Armed with new lyrics, a new effort was given.  Attempts were made to recreate other Bidnessmen songs, but to no avail, with the exception of Wardlaw's and John's "Stay Out of Love." And then, John wrote a love song to a tree.  "Tulip Magnolia" was probably the fastest, pen-to-paper-to-recorded-song John has ever had.

During this time, the Fake Naked Project commenced, a couple of singles not intended for the album were recorded ("Hanging With the Hossman," twice - there are two, finished recordings of that song; and "Daddy-o," a song that Bill just felt wasn't finished, but later recorded identically for his own record ), and still "Wooden Nickels" progressed.  Tim Quinn joined as the drummer, and recorded several songs before deciding that he'd rather play in a live band than just work in the studio, putting up with John and Billy D.  Jere's "Good Ol' Days" and "Swamp Jammin'," as well as John's "The Dream I Had," "The Day the Water Came," and finally, John's and Dale Brown's "This Isn't Love" all feature Tim on drums.

Once Tim left, Bill took over the drums for Jere's third attempt at a song called, "Ain't Got No Mojo," from an arrangement he had worked out with his side project, Les Bright and the Dimwitz.  After Bill and John added bass and piano, John threw on a clavinet and a Hammond organ before Jere added guitars and got John Neff to do multiple sax parts, and Billy Cole added the answering vocal and some harmonies.

The last song written and recorded for the record was John's "Hanging on a Wire," which was written on a dare as a sequel to "The Day the Water Came," being songs about a flood and a fire, respectively.  John, in an attempt "to broaden the musical gene pool," as it were, got friends, Emily Music (vocals - she also sings on "Swamp Jammin'"and "Mojo"), from the 1969 Band, and Rich Parks (guitar) and Ray Crabtree (drums), from both the 1969 Band and the White Animals to come record it. Ray brought along local keyboard legend, Doc Holladay, who lives in Arizona, now, and what started as a little rock song, became a BIG rock song.

So, ladies and gentlemen: