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Deep in a Dream: An Evening with the Songs of David McComb is a live album comprised of songs by David McComb, late ex songwriter/frontman of Perth band The Triffids. It was recorded in June 2008 and released digitally and on CD in November 2009. The album came about after recording services were donated by Melbourne based Salt Studios at a fundraising concert at Melbourne's Corner Hotel called Love in Bright Landscapes, designed to raise funds for a film about David McComb's life, also called Love in Bright Landscapes.

The album comprises performances by The Blackeyed Susans a band McComb co-founded in 1989). Acclaimed Melbourne songwriter Charles Jenkins, Diving Bell, Shackleton, and Melbourne band The Mimeset who performed with Melbourne spoken word performer Sean M Whelan. The Blackeyed Susans were joined in performance for this evening by former Triffids Graham Lee and Robert McComb.

The album was produced and released by Jonathan Alley and Danielle Karalus of Tornado Alley, the production company behind the film Love in Bright Landscapes. It was mixed and mastered by Peter Frawley and Sam Lowe of Salt Studios in September 2009. The entire project was produced with the approval of the estate of David McComb.

Tracklisting

Ocean of You (The Blackeyed Susans) A Curse on You (The Blackeyed Susans) Raining Pleasure (Charles Jenkins) Spanish Blue (Shackleton) 25 to 5 (Shackleton) Red Pony (Diving Bell) Tender is the Night (The Long Fidelity) (Diving Bell) Behind the Garages of this Country Sean M Whelan/The Mimeset Lonely Stretch The Mimeset In the Pines (The Blackeyed Susans) Blackeyed Susan (The Blackeyed Susans) Jimmy (The Blackeyed Susans) The Good LIfe Never Ends (The Blackeyed Susans) How to Climb Inside a Song (hidden track) Sean M Whelan

Critical Acclaim

The album received considerable airplay on regional ABC stations and on Australian community radio, particularly Diving Bell's interpretation of McComb's Tender is the Night (The Long Fidelity), originally recorded for the album Born Sandy Devotional and Charles Jenkins' version of Raining Pleasure.

Rhythms Magazine said  "“A lovely piece of serendipity… the live record sees The Blackeyed Susans provide stirring renditions of classics like In the Pines and Ocean of You, as well as the debut live performance of Blackeyed Susan, while Charles Jenkins’ take on Raining Pleasure and Diving Bell’s version of Tender is the Night prove highlights among many.”  "

Xpress (WA) said "Deep In A Dream may not contain the most ‘obvious’ of McCombs’ impressive catalogue, but there is not one dud amongst them. In The Pines is a highlight… as is the (Blackeyed Susans) rendition of one of the final songs that McComb wrote - The Good Life Never Ends."

Music Australia Guide described it as "“''A haunting reminder of a towering talent… a poet of Dylanesque proportions with a uniquely Australian outlook. A must for fans, an education for the uninitiated." Melbourne writer Lauren Zoric, writing in Mess and Noise said "'McComb’s songs swarm with life - delivered ferocious with emotion, written with a literary arc, in considered language, his rich songbook by turns harrowing, archly funny, deliciously black. It’s wonderful to hear McComb’s songs played live and brought to life on this album. There should probably be an annual David McComb celebration… let’s keep the fires burning. "

Previously Unreleased Material

Deep in a Dream closes with a track entitled "The Good Life Never Ends" The song was written by David McComb in the late 1990s, and recorded in 1998 by his last band costar. The recordings were engineered by McComb's longtime friend Julian Wu. The Blackeyed Susans had played the song at the Secret in the Shape of a Song tribute to McComb at the Sydney Festival in 2008, The version heard on Deep in a Dream is the only officially available version of the song.

Blackeyed Susan

The song Blackeyed Susan was written by David McComb and Phil Kakulas (a former Triffid, and to this day, a key member of The Blackeyed Susans) in late 1988 in Perth, and recorded by The Triffids for their final studio album The Black Swan, released in 1989. When The Triffids took a break (that turned into forever) in 1989, McComb and Kakulas formed a 'holiday band' fronted by ex Chad's Tree member Rob Snarski, that took its name from the song. The song had never played live by The Triffids, and had never been played live by The Blackeyed Susans. The performance captured on the album Deep in a Dream is thus far the only live performance of the song by any of McComb's bands.

Poetry and hidden album track

One of McComb's poems Behind the Garages of this Country, was read by Melbourne poet Sean M. Whelan with musical backing by The Mimeset. The poem had been published previously at The Triffids website, and was later published in print in the book Beautiful Waste: Poems by David McComb (Fremantle Press, 2009). It also appears on the inner CD booklet. The album closes with a hidden track that commences about one minute after the close of The Good Life Never Ends, entitled How to Climb Inside a Song, an original work by Sean M Whelan, also later published in Vagabond Holes: David McComb and The Triffids, edited by Niall Lucy and Chris Coughran (Fremantle Press, 2009).

Artwork

The front cover image of David McComb was shot by Tony Mott in 1987 when The Triffids appeared as part of The Australian Made Tour. Shots donated by the late Harold McComb (David McComb's father) depicting his sons' childhood experiences in the wilds of the West Australian landscape adorn the inner sleeve.

Distribution

The album was distributed in its physical form by Stomp Pty Ltd in Australia, and The Rhythm Method in the New Zealand territory. Due to Stomp's collapse and subsequent sale in late 2010, monies from the release were never received by the filmmakers. However, the filmmakers have continued to sell copies of Deep in a Dream via their own website at loveinbrightlandscapes.com via Melbourne radio station Triple R FM, and via The Blackeyed Susans website.