'New Man' and the story of The Marches - The Band That Never Was

Earlier this year I released a single called 'New Man'. Although not a song as such, a query on Facebook about the minimal lyrics got me reflecting on the history of this track and its place as part of a long 'lost weekend' of music production I think of as 'The Marches Years' from around 2003 to 2012.

I originally wrote it in the late naughties. I'd had a little blip of success with a 'proper song' I'd written and performed called 'Turn It Around' under one of my many alter egos, The Marches.
Although originally recorded in 2003, 'Turn It Around' got released by Brighton label Loaded/Skint in 2007.

After this the label seemed keen for me to complete an album. I'm a slow worker so it took over a year for me to tackle this, particularly as I wanted them all to be 'proper songs' and for each track to be in a different, authentically produced genre that I hadn't necessarily tackled before.  A challenge and a learning curve, but much needed after more than a decade of producing outright club tracks. It was nice to write music by starting with chords on a piano rather than with drums, basslines and samples. Every time I finished a new Marches track I sent it to them and they seemed to still be interested. However, I was one track short of the 10 when I got an email towards the end of the decade saying they suddenly weren't interested anymore. No further explanation was given and due to a combo of pride and fear I didn't seek one.

Whilst the knock back of this meant I almost instantly lost all confidence in these tracks, as the years passed I started to repurpose some of the material. The first release on my new 'label' Cotton Bud in 2014 was 'Shelves', originally half written as a track for The Marches album, as was 'Wolf In Shell Toes', even though both were heavily altered to fit the newer, slower style of dance music I was producing by then, with the latter having a much better vocal performance from proper singer Nicole Simone. 

A Bo Diddley inspired groover called 'Bachelor of Beats' (which was going to be the title of the LP) was recycled in style and spirit for my remix of 'Y Llwynog' by The Long Champs in 2016.

Three of the tracks I released pretty much as originally recorded, only mixed down and mastered a little better, on 2022's 'Songs From the Naughties' EP. 

'New Man' is based on one of the later tracks I completed. Originally titled 'I Feel Like A New Man, Do You?' it was essentially the same tune as 'New Man' - a Moroder/Patrick Cowley-esque camp HiNRG chugger. The difference was that it was a lot faster at 130bpm, a bit more human in its drum timing (an attempt to deliberately evoke the late 70s/early 80s era of gay disco records), and featured much more in the way of lyrics. As with all The Marches tracks it was me singing, but this time with my wife adding some spoken bits as a counterpoint. I'm not a natural lyricist by any means, it's a real struggle, always has been. It was supposed to represent a fictional couple in their 30s, and the man had decided in that 'thirty something early mid life crisis' way to get all fit and buff, only to find out that when he'd managed it he'd just swapped one form of self loathing for another, whilst also rendering himself ironically less attractive to his partner. It was partly autobiographical... but also trying to acknowledge that sometimes men feel pressure to conform to unrealistic body shapes promoted by the media too.

I did salvage a couple of lines to repurpose for 'New Man' earlier this year. Sharing the full original lyrics here may give some insight in what the track is supposed to be 'about', and hopefully works as some some sort of half arsed poem - one which may touch more nerves in this Instagram age where gym monkey narcissism has been seemingly completely embraced and normalised.

'I Feel Like A New Man, Do You?' by The Marches

(Man)

No pain, no gain, been at it for weeks,

It might seem vain but so were The Greeks

They carved the mould for perfect males,

From Michelangelo's David to Chippendales

I never saw the point in exercise,

I thought real men ate all of the pies,

But images in Men's Health magazine,

Have started to get to me

I feel like a real change is due

I want to feel like a new man. Do you?

In bed by nine, go running at dawn

And work out til my muscles are torn

No carbs, no booze, just live like a monk

In three months time I'll look good in trunks

I may be boring but you'll be glad,

When I look like the blokes in the perfume ads

So hang on in there and you'll start to see

A new man in your life

The shape of a new man breaks though

I feel like a new man. Do you?

(Woman)

You’ve changed a lot lately. 

You spend all your free time away from me.

We don’t eat together any more, and when I do see you, you’re tired.

I’m glad you’re getting more confident,

but I feel like I want my old man back…

(Man)

The weeks have passed, the target's been hit,

My Body Mass Index says 'fitter than fit',

Physique is lean, the picture of health,

So why can't I be pleased with myself?

The new man has a side the old one hates

I stare too much in mirrors of late

And ponce around in inappropriate clothes

To feed my vanity

The days of the old man are through.

Now I feel like a new man. Do you..?

(© R. Lane 2008)

Although in terms of releases this near decade of The Marches Years was rather fallow (it also coincided with the demands of having 2 small children to look after and becoming a busy college lecturer) I do feel in the longer run it was very productive. By pushing myself out of my comfort zone and attempting real instruments, singing, lyric writing etc I expanded my skill set a bit. The knock back of being encouraged then dropped by an established label was also ultimately invaluable in informing the next 10 years - The Cotton Bud decade. Creatively I found a happy balance between 'real songs' and club bangers, both of which are in my DNA to some extent. From a 'business' point of view it made me fiercely determined to be independent and not rely on the money or approval of third party labels who can go from hot to cold on your music at the drop of a hat. Whilst still painful to remember, I take some solace from the fact a lot of this material has ended up 'out there' in some form or other, and people have enjoyed it. Just took a while is all...

'You've got to get yourself together, and turn it around'

© Rich Lane 2024