There is Only One Luke Haines
Why did you choose to re-record all the songs off "Das Capital" with an orchestra, rather than just use the original versions?
Well, when the record company initially wanted to put out a retrospective, I was a bit sniffy. One of the things I have against such compilations is that when you take songs from different albums, it just doesn't work sonically...it sounds wrong, almost like a bunch of dismembered limbs! So I approached them and told them that I would prefer re-recording the songs with an orchestra, and they liked the idea. That to me solved the problem of streamlining the songs.
So it was mainly for continuity reasons?
Definitely. It also gives the songs a different spin. I was inspired by artists such as Jacques Brel, who would often re-record his own songs. So I'm also harking back to an age of classic songwriting.
Do you wish that you'd recorded them this way the first time round?
Oh yeah, I think every new version is superior - but then again, I would say that! When you're doing your first record, you don't necessarily have the experience to arrange a lot of strings - and I mean a good string arrangement, not just schmaltz. But now, with the budget and the experience, I was able to write succinct arrangements.
How long did the whole thing take?
The recording took about five to six weeks...it was quite tricky, everything had to be arranged and put into notation. They weren't just vamping!
When looking back on your career, do you have any regrets, or feel that you've ever made mistakes?
Not at all - I don't even see it as a career. I'm an artist, not a careerist. If I were a careerist I would've given up years ago. With Black Box Recorder for instance, we recorded on three different labels. A careerist would have just rolled over, but I'm an artist so I just write more songs. There is a distinct difference. It doesn't take me 3 years to make an album, for example.
Has putting "Das Capital" together made you think differently about the songs?
Yeah. "Showgirl" is a song that I wouldn't or couldn't write these days. I do think it's a great song, but I could only have written in my early twenties. I'm 35 now, I can't and I won't write songs like that nowadays. I'm just in a different mindset. I couldn't begin a song with "I took a showgirl for my bride" anymore -re-recording it was like doing a cover version! Which is good, actually, because I think all songwriting is artifice. I don't believe in cutting my wrists just to show my pain and suffering.
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