CARNIVAL: Alternate version of Spanish Girl

NIGHT OUT: Fun fast pop, the most difficult to write, for me.

HITCHIN': Always wanted a Neil Diamond type song.

BIRD OF PREY: Maybe the best version. Don't tell Dolly Parton I borrowed some of her chords.

THE TENEMENT: An indoors song, most of them are outdoorsy.

UNDER A STARRY SKY: Found abandoned on a memory stick. Same as Carnival and Night out.

ENGLISH TOWN: Funny song, maybe it's like Noel Coward or something.

DR GORMAN: Catchy despite the Socrates, Bill and Ted line. Dust in the air, lol. Bit sorry for itself. But like I said, its catchiness rescues it.

ISLE OF SKYE: Simple chords, but has an energy.

LAST NIGHT: I was working in a call centre at the time, although it's hard to tell what's real. Lol. Fast and poppy. Fun.

ESCAPE: Bouncy acoustic bass guitar.

I'M ALIVE: I kept putting this phrase in songs, to make myself grateful. And a song is a distillation of life, as Annie Lennox said once. Don't tell Echo and the Bunnymen I borrowed their chords. Gods will be Gods.

YOUNG GIRL: Old friends by Simon and Garfunkel, and I like the Good Vibrations bit, a phrase I borrowed from The Beach Boys.

LISTEN TO THE NIGHT: Maybe I was feeling old, and that I had missed out on life. Neptunes and Johnny Marr influence, but it's quite unusual.

GIRL IN A CAFE: Based on a poem. The "Here come the waves" is probably a Jonathan Richman impression.

THE DOCKS: Odd song, my great grandfather died unloading a ship. Dark song, atmospheric. I think New Order's Cries and Whispers was an influence, although I knew the song as Mesh. The bit about a boats leaving.

A PEARL: I think I was messing about with chords which I used to think sounded like Tracey Thorn's Plain Sailing/ Beatles Fool on the Hill. Alright, although a bit self indulgent. Inspired by Othello, in one of the lines. Throwing away a pearl.

MARSEILLE: Quite exciting. I was trying to imagine myself out of my comfort zone, doing anything other than play a guitar.

BIRD OF PREY (Original): Yet another attempt to get it right.

GUTTER: A bit plodding, but slightly catchy.

RED SQUIRREL: Trying to get near Bobbie Gentry's mysterious sound. I saw a red squirrel in Dundee. The park I was thinking of is Kelvingrove though.

BREAKER BAY: I think Run run run by VU was influencing me. It's a fun phrase to repeat.

NIGHT BUS 66: Catchy, I do like a bus journey sometimes.

ROTHESAY BAY: Maybe a country type song. Rothesay is nice. Although I'd written so many songs about the seaside I wanted to write some (like Breaker Bay) where the narrator etc was fed up being there. Just a new angle.

SAIL: I think this is my only attempt at Nile Rodgers funky guitar. Although I pinched some James Brown style chords, via Kiss by Prince. Usually in instrumentals. The last chord of Clouds is a James Brown type chord I think, although not played that way. More to imply the sun coming out.

SKYLIGHT: I must have written this, and Breaker bay etc in quick time, hard to remember entirely. But it's ornate in its melody.

BONFIRE NIGHT: Someone online told me it was sh*t, implied I was talent less and gave me a pity comment. Turns out they were wrong. But this is based on a poem, and was written on the night. You can hear fireworks going off at the end. No idea how the gulp sound happened. Fortuitously.

PLAYING THE FOOL: Alternate version of Night out.

FARMYARD: Bobbie Gentry tribute again. Don't think I was a happy bunny. But in saying that, I can write a positive song in the darkest phase.

LIGHTHOUSE: Fun and fast. Don't drink booze and fly a kite though.

SUNDAY MORNING: Maybe the lead guitar is a bit JAMC. Could be a country song.

NIGHT SKY: Not good singing, but a good ornate song otherwise.

THE CLOCK: Have heard Beabadoobee recently (July 2022) and she used these kind of chords, so maybe it's alright. Written a good while back.

DREAM: My attempt at Trumpton/ Kings of Convenience lead guitar. I didn't have much experience of lead guitar parts when I wrote this, but my instinct it seems isn't bad. Just got to take the leap of faith.

PLAID SHIRT: I was thinking of Jenny Powell talking to Roman guards at Hadrian's wall. Although I could lie and say it's about someone from On The Road. A fun fast song, rock and roll and am pleased I've written some rock and roll type numbers on this collection.

IT WAS LOVE: Little vignette, borrowing some chords I learned from Johnny Marr.

A SKETCH OF THE SEA: I think there's a bit that sounds like Summer Loving from the film Grease. Good! Written and played on acoustic bass guitar, which I heard the Marine Girls had used on their album Lazy Ways. Produced by the guy from The Young Marble Giants.

THE LIBRARY: True story. I like that it sounds like incidental music from a teen drama, like Dawson's Creek or something.

KELVINGROVE 95. The greasy spoon cafe is gone, most are. But you can't shift the art gallery and museum!

WAR MEMORIAL: Instrumental. Maybe Start Again by Ian McCulloch is there . It reminds me of something Australian, for no apparent reason.

CLEOPATRA: Written July 2022, based on a poem. Scott Walker esque, his solo stuff. I do my best.

WINTER NIGHT: Catchy, although my guitar isn't the best. But I shouldn't blame the tools! I haven't changed the strings. And it has served me well on other songs recently. Written July 2022. I can feel my mind wandering and wanting to play in variations during every recording. Maybe a Juliana Hatfield influence, as her book was "looking" at me. Her or Evan Dando or a good musician would do it better.