Crushed

On top of the world. I am proud in my heaven. A star in the sky. Shine so bright like the weather. . I am sight and I am sound. They are lost and I am found.

Cruciality

Another one of the last songs written for Mindsize, it became our first real single (though 'More' was the first official single, it was not promoted as such). Within a few weeks, Cruciality hit #1 on one of the popular Christian charts. During a show in Irvine, CA, our record label presented us with a plaque to commemorate the event..

Crowded

There are a million things. That want the best of me. Now my head is spinning. And back and forth, I weave. . It all looks the same to me. Is it good or bad?.

Complain

I don't remember where this song came from... it was just 'there'. Though a number of the songs off of 'Sin' were written in the few weeks before recording started, this song was among those that were veterans by that time, and, in fact, we even recorded a rough demo for 'Complain'. One of the notable items in this song is the two different lead vocal track sounds - one normal (and full sounding), while the other is very "mono" and slightly distorted. This wasn't only fun to do, but also created a "ask a question" and "give an answer" vibe to the various verses. On the last verse, of course, the tracks are switched so that the answering track is then "asking the questions", so to speak. There's something deep there, I imagine...somewhere. I still feel that this was the best song to start the album with. It's rough, strange, and hard to put your finger on... like much of 'Sin'..

Come To Me

A very nice acoustic piece written by Jesse.. . Matthew 11:28-30. . "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.".

Closing Down

The last song on '8th Wonder', it was intended to be such -- a last song. Was it intended to be the "final" track for Poor Old Lu? Who knows. It was, however, a good way to end the album. If I had my way, I would make the final build at the end of the song even more dramatic..

Chance For The Chancers

Certainly one of the most haunting, melodic songs that we ever wrote. I was personally completely taken by it the very first time that I heard the music, and I couldn't wait to write lyrics. The title comes from the song 'Honeydrip' off of Ian McCulloch's solo album "Mysterio". Like much of our "8th Wonder" album, this song was written entirely in the studio during our 2-week tracking session..

Center Of Your Ways

These wonderful words. Are not magical. Oh so spiritual. And indivisible. I get so confused. When I see you. And the center of your ways. Just the center of your ways.

Cannon-fire Orange

This song has undergone a few changes over the years. Mostly notable for it's Spanish flair, it was originally written in 1990, just before we (BellBangVilla) went into the studio to record our first album, "In Love With The Greenery". The first recording was much shorter than the later versions. It consisted of just the first verses and chorus. In 1992, after a band name change, we decided to re-record Cannon-Fire Orange with additional lyrics and instrumentation for our album "Star-Studded-Super-Step". It was greatly improved. Finally, in 1994, we recorded Cannon-Fire Orange one more time for the album "Sin". Though the changes were much less drastic this time, the sound, recording, and "authenticity" were better. We also knew that many of our current fan base (at the time) had never heard our previous versions of this song, so it was new to most people..

Bones Are Breaking

This song has always been one of my favorites, for some reason. It wasn't a single. We didn't really play it in concert (just once, that I can remember). It rarely stuck out to people as a "strong" song off of the album, but I always liked it. I think the recording (with the preceeding *mess-up*) is very cool. I always dug the really large 'tom' drums at the beginning *AND* the bridge remains one of my personal favorites!.

Bliss Is

It seems that every Lu album had at least one "upbeat and funky" track. "Bliss" is one of those. Though we were never known to be a funk band, we did seem to have an edge where that style could be found now and then - and it was especially fun during our live shows. The gritty bass track is certainly one of the most notable aspects of this song... that and the groovy break-it-down solo type part. A good album song, and a great live song! (Side note: the title "Bliss Is" is strangely close to the title of an Ocean Blue song, "Bliss Is Unaware". I'm pretty sure that my brain took the title from that song, though I didn't know it at the time. Oh, well.).

Bittersweet

One of the most notable features of this song is the haunting cello track by our friend, Phil Peterson. We wanted this track to be full of 'sounds', so we kept adding things and building it up. The result is a strangely emotional song..

All Pretty For The T.v.

We had recorded this song once before at Innovations Music & Media, where Straight Six was recorded. It was rough, but pop-y. At the time, this was probably our most exciting song and, in fact, quickly became a crowd favorite. Eventually, we would have friends 3NP join us on stage for a hip-hop style interlude in the middle. The album version features sound-bites taken from Swirling Eddie's video "Spittle & Phlegm", at our request..

A Month Of Moments

It swept me in, it tossed me out, I fear. And the consequence is clear. Listen to the heartbreak, my dear. And now I sit alone. . I count the words in me if you could only see.

A Better Me

This song is definitely one of the 'filler' tracks on the album. Never played in concert (that I can remember) and hardly ever mentioned by anyone. What is it's strong point (if any)? The bridge. This song's bridge remains one of our top 5 favorites. Strange, but true..

(tigger's Daily Jog)

Studio Gangster

"I've seen you on the street" "Where you from?" "From Oakland". "Nah, you're not from Oakland, I know Oakland". . Let's take a ride with the boy from the Eastside.

Sex, Money And Murder

Life, it's all about sex, money and murder. To all those motherfuckers out there. Who can't deal with it, you just a punk ass bitch. . Sex, money and murder, elements of the streets.

Sentenced To Five

[Intro]. (Pooh-Man). . Yeah me and the boy JT Tha Bigga Figga. Straight from west block San Quinn prison. serving five year sentence on a robbery case.

Run Nigga Run

A lot of my Eastside partners are dyin' fast. And it ain't for natural causes, fool, they catchin' a blast. Tim, Yogi, Bruce and James. pick up the newspaper, fool, and it's all familiar names.