Wayne's New World

Rip It Up, Issue 219, 1 November 1995, Page 10

Wayne's New World

In a surprise move, Wayne Mason has recorded and manufactured his new album, Between Frames, the truly indie way — he has done it himself. “The concept was to set up in business as an independent operation, not to go through the normal channels.” With Wayne Mason’s Fourmyula and Warratahs pedigree, he could easily work within the system. Why choose to work outside it? “It’s a matter of control. It gives you freedom. The concept was to try and make a record outside the system. Theoretically, you make more money if you do it yourself. We’ve done it how we wanted to do it, when we wanted to do it. “But will we ever do it again?,” quips Mason. “You can see why you have record companies. I’ve been so ignorant of the business side of it. “This is not a war on record companies. I like record companies. I’ve never been burnt by a record company, but I signed a horrendous 60s publishing contract.” When his composition ‘Nature’ was a hit for the Muttonbirds, Mason set out to renegotiate his old 50 year term, 50/50 royalty split publishing contract for the song. “They wouldn’t give the song to me,” says Mason, but the publishers did improve his writer royalty percentage, kicking in from January 1994. Mason’s new album was recorded in

Taranaki and Wellington, with Nigel Stone of Raging ' Goose Productions’ mobile gear. Mason was delighted by Stone’s role as producer. “Nigel has a great attitude to performance. The standards I have achieved myself — the playing, the singing, the spirit — have been the best work I have ever done. I wasn’t able to doodle my way through it, and I had a whole lot of new songs and the fire and determination to record them.” . ■ The rhythm tracks were recorded with Ross Burge (Muttonbirds) on drums ‘ and Clinton Brown (Warratahs) on bass. On leaving the Warratahs, Mason says: “I left to pursue a more personalised writing style, more pop-based.” The first single off Between Frames is ‘Walking That View Around’, and touring as the Wayne Mason Band will follow the album’s release in November. . Although Mason has written one of the classic kiwi place name songs, ‘Otaki’ he’s not that enthused by parochial references in lyrics, preferring a song like ‘Nature’, that “doesn’t mention New Zealand, but it has a New Zealand flavour.” Did the chorus of ‘Nature’ ever have a lyric? "We tried words. It didn’t work as well. It wasn’t a chorus song,” says Mason. “The chorus has no words, which is timeless.”

MURRAY CAMMICK