As their countryside arrangement proved unsatisfactory, The Band retreated into a Renaissance era mansion to complete the bulk of their recording. George Greenwood would visit once a week to oversee production. However, their work here was greatly delayed; they would spend nearly half a year living in the house. This would be largely due to them lazily lounging about the house for most of the day, usually only working at odd hours. Black was particularly reluctant to record her vocal parts, and only recorded one or two takes when she did get around to it. These obstacles could be largely attributed to a fear of the band members to actually “take on” their material, or to them having exhausted their creative juices in the country. Nonetheless, they would soldier on.
The Band sat inside a sizeable sitting room, with curtains blocking the windows to prevent light from entering. They were trying to record a basic backing track, but John’s specifications were so precise that it was taking all day. Greenwood’s arrival would always speed things along. He was due any day, and all the band members looked forward to his arrival. They hadn’t done much work in the past couple days and there was really no reason. John had preferred to lie around and listen to Bicthes Brew than to do actual recording. He had felt bad about that, and was trying to make up for lost time. They eventually gave up and the Black siblings went off wandering through the house, while John and Pitt discussed a plan for the rhythm section on a particular track.
“So, Kim, did you ever hear about the last actual resident of this house…..” Suddenly a loud creak sounded the room startling them both. The mansion had a rather gothic feel to it, and was now adorned with cobwebs and other such trappings.
“Don’t be ridiculous” Kim said. Then there was another shutter, and she jumped back rather suddenly. A laugh echoed from behind them.
“Now Ian, you can’t go on trying to frighten your dear sister by telling her silly things” John said. “Please grow up, both of you.”
“He has not been successful” said Kim, with a false sense of defiance.
“John, did you realize…..” Ian then went into a lengthy explanation of house’s history, and why they should all be wary.
“Are you bleeding kidding me? Please, I have better things to do” John declared as he left the room.
Then, there was another sudden, even louder, sound. Ian and Kim were petrified and turned to look behind them. The door to a cabinet had knocked over a decorative suit of armor. John stood with the helmet on his head and thumbed his nose at them.
At the end of that day, or probably at the beginning of the next, Kim made progress in an unexpected place. In the bathroom, at dusk, she finally found herself in the proper frame of mind to record a song that had eluded her. She set up the equipment on her own, without John, and sang one take. The pause to get the recording equipment didn’t interrupt her mindset. She began to wonder I she could ever do this on her own. She eventually just went to sleep on the floor of the bathroom. She got a slight rush from accomplishing something, and felt a little sad due to the Gothic confines of the house. It had that affect on people. And finally she had a bit of privacy away from John and her brother.
