Tim Jones

The first thing to notice about Tim Jones’ new CD “The Price of a Place in the Sun”* is that there has clearly been a lot of thought and preparation into the CD. And that comes without listening to any of its 10 tracks.

The CD comes in a clever package, designed somewhat like a “travel wallet” which, when opened, reveals in the right pocket the CD, and in the left the lyrics and acknowledgements in the form of a passport. Opening up the passport reveals a photo of Tim circa 1977 which, if I understand correctly, was the time of Tim’s arrival in Australia, and reveals a mop of curls. At the centre of the passport is a photo of Tim perched atop a rock ledge with a Sydney beach beneath.

This is very clever work indeed, because without having heard a note or a lyric the listener already knows quite a bit about Tim.

The first track complements the scene set by the packaging – “West London Boy in the Emerald Town”. Commencing with some jangling guitars the vocals commence in a staccato fashion creating a sense of tension of a person confronted by a new environment:

“Got no canvas for my hues

My grey sunsets, my dark Blues

No background in alien scenes

Of fiery reds and livid greens”

before breaking into a really hooky resolution of the verse. There are some nice dynamic shades in this track which can turn from wistful reflection to fast paced acoustic rock. A great introduction to the CD.

I must confess to having mixed feelings about the second track “Crushed”. It’s a song where Tim has set himself a tough rhyme scheme for the verses. I am not sure whether Tim set out to have each of the four lines rhyme with the others in that verse, or whether the intention was to have lines 1 and 2 rhyme, and 3 and 4 rhyme separately. In the first verse he has rhymed “lied” and “side” in lines 1 and 2 and “fly” and “try” in lines 3 and 4, and in verse two there is a similar similarity between “refuse”, “proof, “truth” and “suits”. However, in verse three, if the scheme was all lines rhyming it was not carried through.

This might seem very pedantic and “nit-picky”, but because in verses 1 nd 2 it seemed that every line was going to rhyme I found myself trying to predict the rhyme rather than listening to the track. In my view that’s an unnecessary distraction from what is otherwise a great song with a tremendous hook in the chorus.

“Champagne” is a change of pace, a ballad to the demon drink. This is a really well constructed song with some dandy brush work from the percussionist, sweet acoustic guitar and some excellent slide complementing Tim’s strong vocals. I was really impressed with the changeover to and from the middle 8. This track had me in mind of Gilbert O’Sullivan at his best.

“Mosquito” starts with some droning guitar work with some electric crash chords and a solid tom-tom beat. A song written from the perspective of the mosquito. Another fine production with some sparkling acoustic work and a relentless beat. This track for some reason puts me in mind of David Bridie both vocally and conceptually from his “My Friend the Chocolate Cake” period.

“Something’s Broken” is a deeply reflective track:

“Here comes the monster that I can’t face

Revealed the demons of my disgrace

So point the finger if you like at me

Cos I’ll admit to things you’d never dream”

The backing is appropriately muted to allow the vocals to shine through. A very passionate vocal performance by Tim on this track. At times his vocals here remind me of the Bee Gees.

The mood sparks up with “Happy with Larry” which has a “Kinks meet Paul Weller” feel with Tim really hyping up the English accent. I may be wrong but I get the feeling this song celebrates Sydney’s colourful “racing type” identities:

“Larry’s Mum thinks he’s a cheeky charming cheerful chap

But we just want to surface from his world without mishap

You’d better take care on the stairs

Just never be caught unawares

Tighten belts and hitch up braces

Take no notes of names or faces”

“Arse” keeps the momentum going. Opening with a single guitar line, then repeated with just bass before kicking into a real solid rhythm. The guitar lines have an almost U2 feel to them. My initial reaction on hearing this track was to wonder whether Tim’s vocals were too far back in the mix. However, on further reflection I think this was probably intended. An acerbic song hitting out at society’s yes-men and sycophants:

“I’m ready for brown-tongueing

Got my best lines coming

Standing with my trousers down”

The next track – “Monday Evening Star” - is my favourite on the CD and I’m sure that’s not just because the subject matter is a bit close to the bone for me, and, I anticipate, many readers of the Songsmith. The song is dedicated (maybe not the right word) to the “open mic night”:

“You walk in a seedy club and there’s a spotlight

Cos they’re trying to get punters in, it’s open mic night

And the PA is feeding back but it’s a showcase

And you don’t rate the other acts, so this is your place, you’re the best

But there’s only one guy at the bar

And you’re only a Monday evening star”

Shades of Peter Townshend from his “Empty Glass” period – harsh, bitter, yet damned funny. Lyrics fired in a machine gun fashion in front of riffing guitars, before a more reflective bridge. Nice twist to the lyrics in the last verse. Great track and definitely my favourite.

Having said that, “Artistic” is not far behind. A song of self deprecation:

“Cos when I play I’m out of tune

The world’s in perfect discord with me

My keynote’s disharmonic

With every stave so laced with gin

I’m catatonic”

Coupled with a plea to be “artistic, like my girl”. Again, Tim’s ability to find a hook is spot on.

The final track is the Album’s title* which deals with the choice made by Tim (and others) to cut existing ties and try something new and different in another place:

“You’ve taken the plunge

You’ve cut and you’ve run

Old friends and old flames

You traded them in for a place in the sun”

This is a really strong track and a great way to finish the CD. Some very sweet sounding guitar lines emerge.

Once again, Tim has served up a CD of varied styles displaying intelligence, wit and fine playing and performance. The attention to detail in the recording, the production and packaging was worthwhile. It’s a fine package and one that I am happy to have in my collection. - Songwriting Society of Australia

Review from ‘The Songsmith’ Volume 22 Issue 12, December 2009
(Magazine of the Songwriting Society of Australia – SSA)

By Brian Ralston

I’ve had the pleasure of sharing a few gigs with Tim Jones over recent months. Tim has some great songs and, in a solo/acoustic format, comes across as a complete package. I was very interested, therefore, to see how Tim’s songs come across in a full production package.

And I do mean “full package”. How good was it to find quality art work, full details of the musicians who assisted on the recording, and a full set of lyrics?

The CD is described by Tim in the liner notes as “a sort of semi-fictional life story” with the title “Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other” representing a metaphor for an argument in which no one party is wholly to blame….”.

The album commences with “Accident”, a track which I’ve heard Tim play a number of times now, and I’ll confess it’s one of my favourites. The melody that I’ve become familiar with remains intact, as does the excellent phrasing of the lyrics. But the track really gains another dimension with a full band behind it. A very tight outfit it is, too, with some really good keyboard work from Novak Langer, and very punchy guitar. This version also benefits from some tight harmonies.

I’m not sure that I’ve heard the second track “Recreated”. Last time I played the same gig as Tim he mentioned that he’d worked his set out alphabetically for the night and having played two songs starting with “A” I don’t think he got as far as “R”. Or maybe it’s just that with the punch of a backing band, this track has a different life on record than it does live. Great guitar riffing sets up a powerful vocal introduction. This is great writing as there is a wonderful sense of build up, heading for the spotlights. And when they’re turned on, they reveal a sensational hook. Drums are crashing, synths are wailing and again, great use of harmonies. This song has a great commercial appeal to this reviewer’s ears.

It’s difficult to pick Tim’s influences. He’s younger than me and I don’t want to offend him by referring to artists that were before his time, but there is a very British quality to his music that has me in mind of Ray Davies, Elvis Costello and Paul Weller. But he’s nothing if not eclectic. This is confirmed by “Cliché”, a 6/8 song that echoes of traditional folk in a modern context. We are told that “twisting clichés” is a good writing tool. Tim’s taken it one step further. He’s collected a stack of clichés and written a song about them. But not only written about them, he’s put them into context, made them relevant (it’s a song about heartbreak and loneliness) and then, even if you think they’re clichés (and in my view they don’t come across as such), he confesses that in the lonely state he’s in he’s “dredging up every cliché he can find”. Very clever writing and another example of Tim’s ability to phrase his lyrics to draw the full emotion and meaning from a song.

Track 4 “Speak” is a song about apathy and urges the listener to “get up off your seat” and “Speak before you’re spoken for”. It’s done in a dark style with sinister sounding guitar, bass and drums before an almost disembodied vocal starts to spread the message. Some very inventive production and use of dynamics come to the fore in this track. Despite the darkness of the message the song has a great sense of momentum and really kicks along.

“Dive” appears on the surface to be a somewhat wistful song. The first verse conjures up images of holidays, blue skies and cool seas. But again there is a deeper and darker mood to the song with the choruses warning of the dangers of diving “down here in the dark night, Danger’s in tow when you swim where the sharks bite”. The track is reminiscent of McCartney’s work circa the White Album, with touches of 10cc at their best. Some lovely guitar picking and a very haunting guitar tone set up the intro which ends with some nice rhythm changes that hint of the darker tones that later emerge in the choruses. Those who have attended the SSA’s Bite the Bullet nights in the past will no doubt have been criticised for changing choruses within songs. Tim does that here, but to criticise would be churlish. Rules were made to be broken and, personally, I baulk at applying rules to writing songs. In any event it works brilliantly as Tim joins the two separate choruses into one final chorus to end the track.

There’s a very Celtic feel to the next track, “All at Sea”, which follows on the marine theme of the previous track. Brilliant acoustic work sets the track off. Again there is a great sense of building to the song with the verses having a very staccato feel which then evens out more into the bridge and kicks into a rollicking sing along style chorus. Tim is really proficient at the difficult craft of structuring middle 8s. This is another example where the middle 8 has a completely different feel to the verse but yet blends pe - Songwriting Society of Australia

You don’t know Tim Jones, but maybe you should. Tim is a singer/songwriter from Australia who cut his teeth on the music scene in London starting in the late seventies and into the nineties and while his current style is diverse his roots are unmistakable and can be found on many tracks on his current release “Six of One and Half a Dozen of the Other.”

Musically this album is peppy and up tempo and the majority of the tracks on the CD have a vibe that makes you want to tap your toes and sing along. It’s infectious and on songs like “Cliché” you can imagine yourself sitting in a pub in the Australian outback singin’ along with your mates over a pint of Foster's.

The more melancholy and more melodic tracks like “Dive” and “Holy” shine with Tim’s characteristically sharp lyrics and clear voice. His words are intelligent and well crafted and beg the audience back for one more listen. It’s also nice that Tim thought to put together a nice package for his CD including the lyrics in the liner notes. Often these are left out on many indie releases as it's an added expense.

Special thanks to TK for dropping this CD off at the doghouse during Tim’s visit to the U.S. It was an enjoyable trip through musical styles rarely heard today and for that I give it four paws. - Notes from the Dog House

Review from ‘The Songsmith’ Volume 22 Issue 12, December 2009
(Magazine of the Songwriting Society of Australia – SSA)

By Brian Ralston

I’ve had the pleasure of sharing a few gigs with Tim Jones over recent months. Tim has some great songs and, in a solo/acoustic format, comes across as a complete package. I was very interested, therefore, to see how Tim’s songs come across in a full production package.

And I do mean “full package”. How good was it to find quality art work, full details of the musicians who assisted on the recording, and a full set of lyrics?

The CD is described by Tim in the liner notes as “a sort of semi-fictional life story” with the title “Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other” representing a metaphor for an argument in which no one party is wholly to blame….”.

The album commences with “Accident”, a track which I’ve heard Tim play a number of times now, and I’ll confess it’s one of my favourites. The melody that I’ve become familiar with remains intact, as does the excellent phrasing of the lyrics. But the track really gains another dimension with a full band behind it. A very tight outfit it is, too, with some really good keyboard work from Novak Langer, and very punchy guitar. This version also benefits from some tight harmonies.

I’m not sure that I’ve heard the second track “Recreated”. Last time I played the same gig as Tim he mentioned that he’d worked his set out alphabetically for the night and having played two songs starting with “A” I don’t think he got as far as “R”. Or maybe it’s just that with the punch of a backing band, this track has a different life on record than it does live. Great guitar riffing sets up a powerful vocal introduction. This is great writing as there is a wonderful sense of build up, heading for the spotlights. And when they’re turned on, they reveal a sensational hook. Drums are crashing, synths are wailing and again, great use of harmonies. This song has a great commercial appeal to this reviewer’s ears.

It’s difficult to pick Tim’s influences. He’s younger than me and I don’t want to offend him by referring to artists that were before his time, but there is a very British quality to his music that has me in mind of Ray Davies, Elvis Costello and Paul Weller. But he’s nothing if not eclectic. This is confirmed by “Cliché”, a 6/8 song that echoes of traditional folk in a modern context. We are told that “twisting clichés” is a good writing tool. Tim’s taken it one step further. He’s collected a stack of clichés and written a song about them. But not only written about them, he’s put them into context, made them relevant (it’s a song about heartbreak and loneliness) and then, even if you think they’re clichés (and in my view they don’t come across as such), he confesses that in the lonely state he’s in he’s “dredging up every cliché he can find”. Very clever writing and another example of Tim’s ability to phrase his lyrics to draw the full emotion and meaning from a song.

Track 4 “Speak” is a song about apathy and urges the listener to “get up off your seat” and “Speak before you’re spoken for”. It’s done in a dark style with sinister sounding guitar, bass and drums before an almost disembodied vocal starts to spread the message. Some very inventive production and use of dynamics come to the fore in this track. Despite the darkness of the message the song has a great sense of momentum and really kicks along.

“Dive” appears on the surface to be a somewhat wistful song. The first verse conjures up images of holidays, blue skies and cool seas. But again there is a deeper and darker mood to the song with the choruses warning of the dangers of diving “down here in the dark night, Danger’s in tow when you swim where the sharks bite”. The track is reminiscent of McCartney’s work circa the White Album, with touches of 10cc at their best. Some lovely guitar picking and a very haunting guitar tone set up the intro which ends with some nice rhythm changes that hint of the darker tones that later emerge in the choruses. Those who have attended the SSA’s Bite the Bullet nights in the past will no doubt have been criticised for changing choruses within songs. Tim does that here, but to criticise would be churlish. Rules were made to be broken and, personally, I baulk at applying rules to writing songs. In any event it works brilliantly as Tim joins the two separate choruses into one final chorus to end the track.

There’s a very Celtic feel to the next track, “All at Sea”, which follows on the marine theme of the previous track. Brilliant acoustic work sets the track off. Again there is a great sense of building to the song with the verses having a very staccato feel which then evens out more into the bridge and kicks into a rollicking sing along style chorus. Tim is really proficient at the difficult craft of structuring middle 8s. This is another example where the middle 8 has a completely different feel to the verse but yet blends pe - Songwriting Society of Australia