it doesn’t matter how you get where you’re going

Robert James

A nice, bouncy little ditty, eh?

This has two tie backs to the 1980’s. First, the lead guitar. Back in the late 80’s I was not a guitar gear junkie at all. That addiction only developed a few years ago. Back then it was Les Paul -> Wah Wah -> Amplifier. 90% of the time, at least. The exception was a DOD Octoplus pedal. It would take your guitar signal and add in a second pitch one octave down from whatever you were playing. I liked it. I didn’t use it a lot, but it was fun when I did. That pedal spent a couple of years sitting in a gig bag (2012-2014, I think) while I was between bands and when I took it out (in 2014) it was dead. The Octoplus is dead, long live the Octoplus… except there was no new Octoplus. A couple of years ago I picked up a cheap Chinese pitch shift pedal. I use it when my band covers something that had guitarmonies in it. It’s digital, it works. On this song I tried to use it as a replacement for my dearly departed Octave pedal. It worked. It worked too well. The old pedal was analog and ratty and it didn’t track well at all. This guy was close to perfect. It’s just not the same.

The other tie back to the 80’s is more subtle. (“when they do it”) Did you catch it? (“when they show it”) What I did with the song form? (“is it anywhere”) It’s… ABACAB. I am a 70’s Genesis fanatic. 80’s Genesis… not so much. Abacab though, that’s a killer record in any decade.

Rhythm guitar is a Gibson ES-335 into a Klon KTR and a Malaise Forever Black Lives Matter into both a Vox AC15 and a Fender Bassbreaker 15. The lead is a Gibson Les Paul into a Wren and Cuff Tri Pi 70 into a Donner Harmonic Square into the same two amps.

A
it doesn’t matter how you get where you’re going
We only care that you arrive
You only act as though you are all knowing
You only act like you’re alive

B
give yourself a little extra something to prove
give yourself a little bit of nothing to do
If you maybe find a way to get us all out
could you give a little clue to what it’s about

A2
The give and take is gonna give you a headache
But that is really up to you
and when you’re buried underneath a landslide
Don’t let them tell you what to do

A3
it doesn’t matter how you get where you’re going
We only care that you arrive
and when you’re buried underneath a landslide
Don’t let them tell you what to do