ABOUT THE ALBUM
Marc Bolan is the man who inspired me to finally pick up my guitar and write. When I first started creating, my thought was always the same: Does this sound like T.Rex? Of course, once I grew into myself, I discovered how to express other influences, and found my way into some kind of originality (I hope) but, sometimes... there's still that thought: What would Marc do? I thank him for not only showing me how to be an artist, but how to be human. By the light of his music, I've stumbled upon so many great experiences and loving people, and I know many T.Rex fans who would say the same. For the 40th anniversary of his passing, and his 70th birthday, I decided to write a couple songs once again with Marc in mind. A few songs became an album's worth of material, and so we have Coming Up For Air.
This album is all originals, but includes an acoustic cover of Marc's 'All Alone' from the Futuristic Dragon album, as well as 'She Was Born To Be My Unicorn' at the end as a bonus.
If you like what you hear, feel free to check out my other solo music as Automatic Shoes, and now with a full band as Atari Ferrari (some new music coming very soon!)
THE WORDS
COMING UP FOR AIR
Guitar & Vocals Matthew Hughes
Boots Marc Bolan
A Bolonic vision of Orpheus Ascending.
THE TIME BEFORE
Guitar & Vocals Matthew Hughes
Bass Matthew Hughes
Strings Matthew Hughes
There was a time when everything was fine.
I wanna take you back
Can I take you back?
Oh, it was the year…
Do you remember it clear?
I wanna take you back
Can I take you back
CHORUS
Oh my angel, my beautiful
I wanna go back to the time before
Repeat in toto.
ALL ALONE
Guitar & Vocals Matthew Hughes
Bass Matthew Hughes
Strings Matthew Hughes
Words & Melody Marc Bolan
Saturation syncopation.
All alone I sit at home
With my chrome guitar
Even Michael Mouse
He has a house with someone there
You handsome bitch, you movie twitch
And seranade the dudes that move and
Smile so vile and masquerade, they masquerade
An adjacent kid with a Jamaican lid
And switch-blade knife, steals the
Truth from your golden tooth then he
Turns you in
So you hold hands tight on a marble night
And maybe dismissed, but know that
Zeus is never loose with his Grecian kiss
His Grecian kiss
Fiery skies in children eyes
Fade into youth bleeding blood and tears
On all the ears, that heard your gold
So you walk the dog and you stroll the fog
On a dome sky earth, and lie too hard
Is an English bard, you better hide your tracks
Better watch your mind
CAGE
Guitar & Vocals Matthew Hughes
Organ Matthew Hughes
All alone without a smartphone.
Can you really feel it?
Do you really want it?
Do you really mean it to the bone?
Do you really want it?
Can you really love it?
If you only wrote it on your phone?
CHORUS
What is love in this age?
Can I know in this cage?
What is life in this age?
Can we know all on stage?
Did you really like it?
Or did you just scroll by it?
Did you just send me a pity wave?
Are you still behind it?
Or have you gone inside it?
Is there nothing out here left to crave?
CHORUS (twice)
ROCKETSHIP
Guitar & Vocals Matthew Hughes
Bass Matthew Hughes
Percussion Matthew Hughes
Where do the mystery jets take us?
Is it lonely out in space?
Or do we see all of our rocket friends?
Is there such a place?
What happens to all of our long lost rocket friends?
The ones who bent the sound
The ones who bent space
The ones who went around
And stood up for the human race
Starmen who turned black to white
And white to black
Maybe we can build a ship
And get em back
Yes, maybe we can take a trip
And get it back
Yes, maybe I can build a ship
And get you back
Yes, maybe I can take a trip
And get you back
HOW TO BE KIND
Guitar & Vocals Matthew Hughes
Walking with dinosaurs.
It was a time before time
We were strangers then
In a universe rhyme
Could it happen again?
In the land before time
We were eaten by men
If I show up on time
Could I still be your friend?
We don’t know how to be kind
We’re so small, it hurts my mind
Da da da da da da
Repeat in toto.
INSTRELEMENTAL
Guitars Matthew Hughes
A child of the elements, born with a beard
and stars his in eyes.
ALICE
Guitar & Vocals Matthew Hughes
Bass Matthew Hughes
Alice Cooper sang this to me in a dream.
I was a good man
I did nobody wrong
At least none I can think of
For the sake of this song
But something has shifted
The times they did change
My friends and my family
They all think I’m strange
CHORUS
And it’s all cos of you
Yeah it’s all cos of you
I was a good a man
But I think I forgot
Just how to be
Oh, something I’m not
They think I gamble
They think I’m a joke
Say I can’t handle
Oh, nothing I’m broke
CHORUS
My friends think I’m crazy
They call me insane
I’m in the wreckage
Of a runaway train
You light up my nightmares
Singing songs in my brain
And again
And again
CHORUS
TO ROCK & ROLL WITH YOU AGAIN
Guitar & Vocals Matthew Hughes
One last dance in a Martian ballroom.
It feels to be home
If just for a while
It’s good to be back
In the warm of your smile
We had a child between
It seemed so back then
But now it seems
We’ve got more of a friend
CHORUS
It’s so good to rock
And to roll
With you
Again
After a long strange trip
Round the stars
How did I find my way back
To your arms?
Nothing lasts
But some things never change
But life’s a gas
And baby, you’re strange
CHORUS (twice)
DARK ANGEL
Guitar & Vocals Matthew Hughes
One man’s trash is another man’s religion.
With some more words from our savior
You pass the burden down to me
Mouthing lines for our creator
Your self-annointed destiny
But you’re no revelation
Who would stand for such a fraud?
And you expect me to love
Your so called right hand man of God
CHORUS
Dark Angel
How could you?
Dark Angel
Time is through
Another coin will fill your fountain
One more child will hear your voice
And though you’ll fill your life up counting
You won’t feel love from that Rolls Royce
And so I see no clear creation
Excepting that of your facade
And you expect me to love
Your so called right hand man of God
CHORUS (twice)
WHAT HAPPENED TO MY REVOLUTION?
Guitar & Vocals Matthew Hughes
Harmonica Matthew Hughes
Strings Matthew Hughes
Hindsight is 2020.
Greedy leader, show your face
I come here from outer space
I need to talk to you
Shady politician, listen
You must know I’m on a mission
Time is nearly through
CHORUS
What happened to my revolution?
The one we promised all the children?
Mister DJ, who are you?
To tell me what to play and listen to
We’re all over you
Highway soldier, what’s your name?
Or did you give that up to play their game?
They’re just using you
CHORUS (many times, but not Hey Jude)
STILL A GAS
Guitar & Vocals Matthew Hughes
Melody Remco Visser
Guitar Noodles & Vocals Remco Visser
Use it or lose it.
I fell in love with you
Before you knew my name
So much I can’t undo
But I’m still in the game
CHORUS
Life is strange
And love won’t last
But after all
It’s still a gas…
I would go back for more
But I think you’re happy now
Just to think back before
Still gets me through somehow
Love is strange
And life won’t last
But after all
It’s still a gas
All the times we shared in song
Reading between our lines
And what is right can go so wrong
But in the end, we still feel fine
CHORUS (twice)
MOONLIGHT
Guitar & Vocals Matthew Hughes
Piano Matthew Hughes
Rabbit Noise Alex
This sonata was tuned to a Canadian parking garage.
PRODUCED BY MATTHEW HUGHES