Black Highway

Two main versions:

* "Pulsing Keyboard Version" (1981) - Only Dreaming (4:47), Ancient Daze CD (4:34), Ancient Daze CD-R (4:42).

"Ancient Daze" CD mix fades in about seven seconds late, and fades out before you can hear the sound of somebody unplugging their audio cables. The "Ancient Daze" CD-R mix is more complete, but still missing a few seconds of the opening keyboard.

Instruments: Keyboard alternating between high and low bass; rhythmic pulsing keyboard; beeping keyboard that turns into low, swelling bass buzz before verses and sometimes becomes windy static; two tracks of vocals, one of which is sometimes distorted.

* "Full Band Version" (1981) - Chemical Playschool Volume 1 (4:56), Kleine Krieg (4:52), The Legendary Pink Box CD (5:02)

A keyboard plays a few gentle chords over gentle car sounds, then the bass guitar brings us to the song proper: a rich, organic, complex, almost "wall-of-sound" recording. The "bridge" portion after "we're having a ball" has been removed.

The "Legendary Pink Box" mix fades in near the end of the introduction, skipping most of it; in the "Kleine Krieg" mix the introduction is mixed with the end of "Deflated...maybe the mix on "Pink Box" originally came from "Kleine Krieg," and they wanted to remove those bits of "Deflated?" All mixes fade out with the ending car sounds

Instruments: Bass guitar; one vocal track; choppy guitar chords which become plucky strings during slow parts; keyboard alternating between high and low bass; sophisticated beeping keyboard with chunky, chugging bass sound underneath and lots of other neat effects; occasionally what sounds like wood-tapping percussion; recurring car sound effect.

What It's About:

A crazy man with questionable grooming habits (and an obsession with novelty rock and roll) uses his car as a lethal weapon. Policemen, commuters, and journalists congregate after the accidents, getting joy and rewards out of the tragedies; one man even acquires the hair of a pre-teen victim (though what he does with it is anybody's guess).

Lyrics (adapted from the Cloud-Zero archive):

There's space in my car, speed you to heaven,
maybe scorch the Black Highway part the waters of the Styx.
Mix my mescaline with hairspray, well past caring
but I'll show you some excitement, better clutch your crucifix!

Goodness gracious, great balls of fire
glow in the city's stainless streets.
Policemen waves as a crowd admires,
as a mess is covered with a sheet,
dancing in the street.

A truck overtakes; the truck overturning,
twisting cartwheels on the concrete, dancing over a ledge.
Shall I make it a duo? Tiny heart a-flutter, pitter-patter!
As I slide out from the gutters, send him sliding through a hedge.

Goodness gracious, a wop-bop-a-loo-bop, a-wop-bam-boom,
crash crash!
Policeman waves as the crowd perspires,
as a mess is covered with a sheet,
dancing on the sheets.

Madness in my family since the sixteenth century,
and it seeps though my fingers when I'm poised behind the wheel.
Tonight I'm feeling nasty. Some bastard's gonna suffer,
be crying for his mother 'cos my dial is locked on kill!

Oh goodness gracious!
A hot old time in the old town tonight
as a mess is covered with a sheet.

The siren shouts murder, splinters the sunrise.
A fireman weeps as he picks up a doll.
Still they arrive in their cars and their campers,
pitching tents, picking hampers,
searching quietly for holes.

Oh goodness gracious,
good golly Miss Molly, we're having a ball!

Lens dipped and focused on the girl with an ice cream.
Dressed her up in celluloid and sold her to the world.
Made the morning editions, the face of exhibitions.
Propositioned an uncle to cut off her curls.

Oh goodness gracious,
good golly Miss Molly, you sure look bald!
A policeman waves as a crowd admires,
as a mess is covered with a sheet,
dancing in the sheet.

Drive 'er, boy!