Article: Flesh And Blood Press Release

'Flesh and Blood', the brand new Mike Peters album for the year 2000, out
now at a price of �14.99 + �1 p&p/ $25 +$5 p&p.

This album was sent from heaven to twist your soul – a pure slice of
Welshness – garnished with strings, choir and the haunting melodies of Mike
Peters…

An album out of nowhere… an album to surprise…an album that features
Eddie Macdonald… an album that we weren't expecting until at least mid
2000… an album inspired by a play…an album that you'll want to play more
than twice!!

An album that's short and to the point…an album that moves you to tears
and takes you to the highest highs. Be surprised…be inspired…be
twisted…be there at the Millennium Gathering to hear 'Flesh and Blood' in
the flesh and blood!

(If you can't make the Millennium Gathering on January 14th and 15th or
Mike's Birthday Concert at the Cardiff Sherman Theatre on February 25th then
you could always order your copy now and experience 'Flesh and Blood' in
your own living room…)'

Flesh & Blood is a different kind of Mike Peters recording, embodying a
different kind of Mike Peters song. Flesh & Blood is a musical response and
lyrical snapshot, inspired by the stage play Flesh & Blood, written by Welsh
playwright and actress, Helen Griffin.
Flesh & Blood is set around a family in South Wales and, 'believe you me',
Helen's comedy leaves no stone unturned. You'll know this family. They live
in your own town or street, or even in your house. Dad has an opinion on
everything and should be 'running the world'; daughter, Serena, is having an
affair (but who with!) and Steve, the youngest, is into very dodgy dealings.
And long suffering Mum is trying to keep the family together – after all,
they are flesh and blood! On top of all that, it's a love story on the edge
of the century bound together with this exciting new music by Mike Peters.

According to Mike Peters, the songs you are about to hear were written
during a two hour sitting on Saturday June 5th 1999, when Mike read the
script of Flesh & Blood for the very first time. The opening song, 'House Of
Commons' was written during the reading of scene one… before the reading
of scene two… which gave birth to the second song, 'Life Can Be Beautiful
[Sometimes]'… which was conceived before reading scene three…which gave
rise to song number three and title track, 'Flesh & Blood'… The process
was repeated so on and so forth until… upon completing his first reading
of the play, Mike had written the entire basis of the Flesh & Blood
songtrack.

A raw acoustic demo of all the songs was recorded the following day and duly
packaged up and posted to Artistic Director, Phil Clarke of the Sherman
Theatre, Cardiff, (Phil had originally commissioned Flesh & Blood with
Jonathon Church of The Hampstead Theatre, London). It was Phil Clarke who
had sent the Flesh & Blood script to Mike in the first place and asked for a
musical response. Phil Clarke passed the demo tape on to Helen Griffin.
Mike, Helen and Phil met in Cardiff a few days later and the idea of
recording this songtrack was born.

This album was recorded on the 3rd and 4th of December 1999 at BBC Wales,
Cardiff, in Studio One. 10 years earlier in 1989, Mike Peters and The Alarm
had recorded in this very studio and so Mike took this anniversary
opportunity to reconvene his musical relationship with Eddie Macdonald of
the Alarm. A friendship that, from 1981-1991, spawned over 100 compositions,
(including 'A New South Wales', re-recorded here with new lyrics as 'A New
Wales'). Mike also resumed a 10 year musical acquaintance with the Morriston
Orpheus Male Voice Choir, (who also sang on the original sessions).

As producer, Mike Peters wanted the album to capture the tension of a live
performance with the clarity that only a studio recording can achieve. To
this end, an audience of 150 people were invited to attend the two day
sessions which ran from midday to midnight (with a break for lunch in the
BBC canteen).

A twelve piece string section from The Welsh College Of Music was recruited
to play a score arranged and conducted by Gill Edwards-Jones of Treharris,
South Wales. To complete this diverse musical ensemble, David Watkins-Clarke
was enrolled to play his melodious Rickenbaker bass guitar along with his
friend and rhythm accomplice Tom Homewood, playing a Ludwig 'silver sparkle'
4-piece drum kit. James Stevenson of London added a flash of electric guitar
and Helen Griffin herself joined in on backing vocals.

It has been decided to leave the running order of Flesh & Blood in the exact
order that the songs were originally written by Mike Peters; in the order
they were first inspired by Helen Griffin's script, so that even if you
haven't actually 'seen' Flesh & Blood, the 'play', you may still experience
a sense of the unfolding drama. ..
Enjoy 'listening' to Flesh & Blood.

Act One