It was always the last song on those old Syd Barrett records that would really do my head in. I liked them so much that I decided to follow the Golden Rule "How Would Syd Barrett Finish His Record?" This song was written as my answer to that question.
Written in Austin, Baby Cacti was featured in a few Change! shows before the band relocated to California. It disappeared for a few years, until Rob Corradetti recommended that we record it for the When Spaceships Collide Record. Of course, we just had to put it at the end of the CD!
Steve Munoz spent a lot of time dialing a guitar sound (reminiscent of Bike by Floyd.) Lots of radio transmitter sounds were created through distortion pedals. Always a prankster, Aaron whispered devious messages in Angel Ledezma's (drummer) headphones while he recorded his parts. Angel let his confusion known and his microphone recorded all the details of his disillusionment. You can hear fragments of his frustration and protests in the background of the music!
lyrics
Salt and sand in it's crib
A dirty bib
Opened up it's mind
Baby Cacti cried
Misunderstood
Snapped peyote buttons on it's favorite jacket
They squeezed it's thighs
Aloe Vera in their eyes
They saw his name in red flames across the plain
Baby Cacti's growing up
Coaxing us to live again!
Starfish in the sky
Camels fled over mescaline waterfalls
Expanding heads
Stretching out like circus tents
Mirage tides washed away the time
All the excitement dulled their minds
It squeezed their cheeks
Leaving rows of jesters in retreat
They searched for weeks trying to peek through an arid cloud
Hallucinate, we'll wait for Baby Cacti to appear
Every conversation hides a surprise!
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