According to Eric, "A Temporary Hero" wasn't cut from Boats Against The Current.
"When Gus Dudgeon 'left' the project," Eric explained, "he also left me with 46 reels of 2-inch (24-track) tape. Everything we had done, which amounted to piano, bass and drums with the odd guitar here and there, recorded over a period of perhaps five months, was somewhere within those 46 reels of tape.
"Normally, the producer and/or engineer keep detailed notes, contained on a 'track sheet' or each 'take' of a song (the date of the recording, which track the bass is on, which tracks the drums are on, stereo piano, guitar etc.). These track sheets are kept inside the box with each reel of tape, so, when you open the box, the first thing you see, sitting on top of the tape, is the track sheet that contains all the pertinent information pertaining to what is on that particular reel of tape.
"Each of those 46 reels contained multiple tracks, cut on different days, over a period of five months. Often, Gus would record takes from different months on the same reel, so, on one reel of tape, you might find four takes of 'Run Away' (just piano, bass and drums) one take done in March of 1976, one take done in May of 1976, another take done in January of 1977 and still another done back in February of 1976.
"The nine songs on the Boats album were all somewhere on those 46 reels. The only problem was, and I'm quite sure this wasn't an 'accident,' there were NO TRACK SHEETS!
"So, when I became the producer of the album, the first thing I had to do was go through each reel of tape and try to 'find' the good take or takes on each reel. Let's see, 46 reels of tape with approximately 4 takes per reel is roughly 184 performances, each one about six minutes long. That translates to about 19 hours of solid, high intensity, microscopic listening.
"I never could find the magic take of 'A Temporary Hero.' None of the takes within the 46 reels seemed to be the one. That's why it isn't on the album. Too bad, because it was really a magical take. I remember David Wintour's bass playing was the thing I was keying on as I listened, because his superb playing on that take was what stood out the day we played it."
"A TEMPORARY HERO" DEMO - LISTEN
A Temporary Hero
(Words and music by Eric Carmen)
Needing you, so far from home
Trying to think how we ever could have known
And I'm all alone
Limousine, take me away
Find me a stage and another town to play
Just like yesterday
Sometimes I feel so strange and empty
But then, I never let it show
I guess that's how it all was meant to be
Beneath the spotlight's glow
Just a temporary hero in the kingdom of hype
Shining like a star in the night
Riding on the glory of a heartbreak song
Shivering in the cold morning light
Like a Gallahad in denim with a six-string sword
Playing out his dreams on the stage
Frozen for a moment in the spotlight's moon
Waiting for the turn of the page
I ask myself, is it a game?
Who really cares if the whole world knows my name?
Am I still the same?
Heroes fade, and in the end
Will I be someone you used to love back when?
Will it matter then?
Sometimes I feel so strange and empty
But then, I never let it show
I guess that's how it all was meant to be
Beneath the spotlight's glow
Just a temporary hero in the kingdom of hype
Shining like a star in the night
Riding on the glory of a heartbreak song
Shivering in the cold morning light
Like a Gallahad in denim with a six-string sword
Playing out his dreams on the stage
Frozen for a moment in the spotlight's moon
Waiting for the turn of the page
Slip off your shoes
Turn out the light
Come hold me close
Just for tonight
Someday soon I'm gonna rise above it
Say goodbye and be free
But till then I guess I'll be what I must be
Just a temporary hero in the kingdom of hype
Shining like a star in the night
Riding on the glory of a heartbreak song
Shivering in the cold morning light
Like a Gallahad in denim with a six-string sword
Playing out his dreams on the stage
Frozen for a moment in the spotlight's moon
Waiting for the turn of the page
A temporary hero in the kingdom of hype
Original demo ©1976 Eric Carmen
Eric Carmen Music, Inc.
6 comments:
Man, this song is a masterpiece! The bridge is magnificent! To paraphrase an Eric tune, "If I had the chance to make one wish, and know it would come true. I'd wish Eric would give me that box of Boats tapes." I wouldn't mind sifting through those 46 rolls of tape one bit!
I'm in love with the demo, Bernie. This is perfect, as is, but I hope you get your wish and get to check those rolls of tape out.
OK...now I understand why those who have heard it consider this one of the great lost Eric songs.
A-mazing.
I immediately notice its relationship to the song "Spotlight" which though not a ballad touched me in a similar way. That this is a ballad is something that is just so spectacular, and I have to say it rings true to the core. The poetry in this is really very special, and I so much enjoyed hearing these words and music.
I was Googling around this morning and landed here...
I think the "Temporary Hero" demo really shines on it's own...Eric's vocals hit the mark...and the song itself is one of Eric's finest...It might well have been a single had the magic take survived...It also might well have changed the way Eric's solo career unfolded...We'll never know...
I think "Temporary Hero" is worth saving...worth releasing in some form...How would it sound if Eric Carmen recorded it today?...There are plenty of fans who would love to know.
Definitely worth preserving. I remember hearing it "performed" for the first time on "Hello, Larry" by Joey Travolta... and I thought this song was written just for that episode. Now I know it was a hit in its own right. It must live on!
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