Recorded: 19 (?), 20 November / 8, 9, 18, 23 December 1998

19, 20, 26, 31 August / 1, 16, 21, 22, 23 September 1999 6 October 2000

Mark Tingley:

Lead vocals, Backing vocals, Keyboards, Electric guitars (3), Acoustic guitar, Bass, "Drums"

The idea of "I'm Crying" came about early on in '98. I was content with my new girlfriend, and everything seemed settled in my life.

But by the end of that year when I returned to the song, my Step-Dad had died, my girlfriend had left me, so all was no well.

I met Natalie (right) through an advert in Denmark Street in London that July. She'd just arrived from France to live in England, had a highly organised network of contacts, her own fanzine, record label, and punk was her favourite music!! But bizarrely enough she liked Wilberforce ! One of the first songs we rehearsed was "I'm Crying", but she then returned to France for a few months (to finish college). I took over on bass, wiping her performance but keeping traces of her arrangements on the verses.

On "I'm Crying" I double tracked the vocals on the chorus to illustrate the grim desperation I felt when I wrote it. Brian May influenced the dual lead guitars, and ELO the fat snare sound.

I incorporated a love / hate theme into the song, reflecting the end of my relationship. However the "someone new" was a new Italian girlfriend.

But that also fizzled out within weeks. At the beginning of 1999 I was back to square one !