'I'll Wrap Your Hopes' written by Martyn Bates, appears on the label of the song's only release, the 1990 LP/CD, 'Letters to a Scattered Family'

SABAM (Belgium) BIEM (International)
Publishing - BE'S Songs

This latest release is testament to how tenacious my partner David is... it was originally planned as a birthday present for him (one of those 'special' birthdays) but it's been... ahem... a few years since then, but here it is. It has life. Finally. For real.

I was introduced to Martyn Bates' music several years ago by our mate Dec Hickey. He had given me a fair number of tracks to listen through, him being our music guru - I don't remember the other tracks (they probably faded from my memory pretty quickly) but Martyn's writing and voice had me in some kind of spellbinding fugue. I liked 'Wrap Your Hopes' immediately and completely; it sounded like a watercolour, but the lyrics were shadowy and jaggy like dark, thick oils. And anyone who knows me knows... I'm partial to a good lyric.

And so, David and I went diving; we may have flailed around underwater for longer than your average human can hold their breath (and not without trauma - it has to be said), but we bobbed up quite nicely in the end on the sea of our creation... and I have to say, we are well pleased. The original recording was rather special - a 'live' take with my favourite guitarist Morph, recorded at my favourite studio The Sound Cafe, with oor favourite man Dave Gray - a golden moment.

So, although the latter half of its journey ended up in the more intimate setting of our home studio with just David and I, it still feels as though it was born out of an experience shared with the people I most respect. And to cover a track by a writer I admire tremendously, was a total joy.

Oh, ps Happy Belated Birthday David x