World Without End

Track 15 is the third song taken from the 2007 album The Turn
World Without End was a song that Allison wrote for the
Play with music Smaller, which she starred in the West End
With Don French. On The Turn album, the arrangement is rather
Minimal, with just piano then strings, whereas on key, it
Has a richer texture, feels bigger and more of a journey?

Yeah, I mean, um, I mean, I really like that song and, and I really

Like Pete's recording of it on the original. Pete's version of it is
Gorgeous. Yeah, it's beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. It is really
Beautiful and it is like a Catholic hymn. It is what it is, which is

What was the basis of the reason why it was written. So we wanted to
Look at this because we liked it as a song. But one thing I found

Really fascinating, really interesting is, is that there was a

Position in the, in the structure song in the, in the, in the four

Bars of the, it's like four bars, isn't it? That, um, that it runs
Into that I would come in on the original. For the life of me, for
The life of me, I just could not find that place instinctively. It

Always felt like I was, and to be fair, when I sang it live
I remember having to do that. It's like, you know, one, two, three
Four, one, like that. It was like, I'd be having to count myself in
Because it just didn't feel, you know what I was saying to you before
About that I work with fractions and, and how such small arrows seem

Like complete natural equation to me. This one just didn't. And so
I'd be really, I was really struggling singing it on the, on the
Record. And then I said, Sean, it just sounds fucked up to me all the
Time. It just, it's like, um, I just don't feel it at this, this
Point. And he goes, fine. So let's move, we'll move it back after
That beat. And that was great because it meant that it immediately
Just had a different color to the original. So it just, and that's
Good. Because, you know, if you're going to do it different, then
Make it different. What's the, Pete's already done an absolutely

Glorious version of it. With a beautiful vocal by you. Yes, yes, yes
Yes, lovely. So this is a different approach. It was a different
Approach to, again, to see the sound good. But yeah, for me, it was
It's a tiny difference. It's like a tiny little mid-beat that you

Changed and it just works. It, well, it, it, it, it works logically

For me. For the, the, the, the structure. Now, Pete, that would have
Been kind of like in the same way that Sean and Richard would have
Felt really good about their six, eight to, to, uh, it was, was that

Six, eight? Six, four to four, four. Six, four to four, four. Yeah
That he'd have felt, you know, I'm sure that Pete would have had this
Real moment where he just loved, that would have been a real kind of
Sacred thing from that strange place of coming in. So he might kind
Of like curse me, I ain't fucked with my timing. But it was like, if
I've got any hope of going on stage and singing that and coming in in
The right place, I had to do something. Mate, I had to do something
It's interesting, it just occurred to me that there has people like
Pete that you've worked with, whose songs you've worked on, have they

Heard? No, no. Uh, but then, but then I kind of know. I know Pete
Well enough that he's, he's a bit like me in the sense that when
Somebody plays our songs, whether it's me or somebody else, we get
Thrilled by that. He loves, you know, it's like, I don't understand

Any writer that gets the arsehole with somebody else singing their

Song. No, do you know what I mean? I don't, I don't get it. Beautiful
Turn of phrase, gets the arsehole. Well, that's me, that's me dad
You know what you get the arsehole for? Yeah, that's a, that's a
That's an old Moyo term. But, um, uh, uh, I don't get it. You know
It's like, I understand, you might not like it, but you know

I might, I might hear someone cover me and not like it. But I never

Not love the fact they've done it. And the fact of the matter is, is
You know, I wrote these songs for Pete, so, so they're my songs too
But, you know, that's him. He'll be able to then sit, he knows, he

Knows they belong to him, regardless who records them, who rearranges
Them. These are still, these are still beasts that he wrote with me

And, um, and I'm, I, I'm sure that he'll be happy about that. You
Know, he might have opinions. He might think, oh yeah, you fucked
That bit up, or I don't like this bit, but it won't detract from the

Fact he'll be glad that we recorded it. The DNA's still there. The
DNA's still there and yeah, and the residuals are still there. Do you
Know what I mean? It's like, why would anybody be offended about
You know, you know, I've seen that time and again, and not from Pete
I'm not saying he's that kind of guy, but I've certainly seen it from
Other people who are like, really get really poncy about stuff. But
As long as it's, you know, you know, I hate this, I still want the
Money though. They're like that. I mean, I've been quite clear about
The songs on here where I feel like I wanted to adjust them for a

For a genuine artistic reason. I thought that somewhere along the way
On the original recordings, they didn't quite work for me, which is
A purely personal take. But in the majority of these, I thought they
Were already great. I just wanted to do them in a different way
Yeah. You know, and this is like the perfect example of it because we
Put Love Letters back in the live set in, I think, 2019. And I did
This sort of dramatic electronic version of it. And I had a bit where
A Mellotron comes in, which my husband loves because he loves King
Crimson and Moody Blues. So he thinks that's the best thing ever
Because it's got the Mellotron. Um, so I was slightly riffing on that

Kind of approach when I did World Without End. It's not dissimilar
In terms of its approach to the arrangement. And I'm really pleased
With how it turned out. I think it's, it's beautifully sung. I think
It's an interesting take on the song. And I love, there's a couple of

Little bits I've put in that is a sort of suspension after the first
Chorus before the second verse that leads back in, in a way I think
Is very, very satisfying. And I love the very end. When it changes to
The minor key and you've got the church bells, they're all synths
Of course, but they're sort of like church bells. Which is, which is
Because it is like the kind of, it is the perfect funeral song, isn't
It? Yeah. So I was playing up to that a little bit, you know, just to
Give it some, another shade. And yeah, I'm really pleased with how it
Turned out. I mean, I do think the original is exquisite, just
Exquisite. But again, you know, on a, on a, a record that, that so

Many people have completely missed. And this again is another.Point
It one it allows us to play it live but it also it it also if someone

Clicks on a song you know sees a song and something moves them and
They want to then go and find out where it was it's another Avenue
Into discovering a back catalog and for some they're going to go to
A back catalog and think yeah I really like that take as well or I

Like that take better maybe or no I prefer where we're at now but
It's kind of It's it's that's whichever it is it's an irrelevance but
It is about pulling a body of work together and saying look this is

This is what we arrived at I know from looking after your social
Media anytime that we kind of do a rare song there's people that have
Just going I didn't I didn't know that song existed I didn't know
That album existed exactly that and you think I remember with turns

I worked with you that was the first time I worked with you on and we
Were punting it out as best we could but there was no resources do

That so it's no surprise does it completely bypass people exactly
Because if people don't take it in the shops if the record company
Aren't pushing it if if if they're not even printing enough copies if
It's not getting profiled it's completely understandable why it would
Get completely lost but I was aware of that and like I say on the

Turn I just know there's some amazing songs on that album I mean it's
I mean the man is the man in the wings which I just think is one of
The you know one of the best songs I've written but nobody would
Know it I know it you know it we did it on the other tour absolutely
But yeah but then yeah but then you say you do it on the other tour
How many times do we go on tour and someone says are you going to

Do so and so you know I'm a big fan are you going to do this song
It's like I haven't done it for 35 years you know it's like you you
Know if you'd come to any of the gigs you might be aware of that you
Know and I'm I'm not saying that to be nasty or or catty but I I I
I'm I'm genuinely saying well even sometimes the most obvious things
The things that we talk about all the time can get missed can get
Missed cuz there is no it's not like when we were kids when there
Was three channels on the telly and you were either on the radio or

You weren't and that was whether someone knew it or not you know the
Platforms are all completely different and you can really bang on

About a point and people are never going to hear it and it's no fault
Of theirs and it's interesting that even to this day on Spotify or
One of those streaming platforms they'll prioritize the hits the big
Albums because they'll always put them there so therefore anyone
Who's looked for you will naturally click on those and they haven't

Exactly and they have no idea that you're still working you know or
They think it's some kind of strange comeback to us I didn't go away

I just you went away it's the same as the 40 moy moments podcast so
Many people have reacted to go I never knew this I never knew that

Oh I'm playing the album for the first time you go you're playing
HooDoo for the first time it's such a surprise even for longterm fans
All the people when you going when are you coming to when are you
Coming to town oh I was there last week you know that's always my
Favorite we have that so many times yeah I was like you
Know and to be fair I do the same I miss things you know
I say how can I have missed that it's it's just there's
Too much there's too much and and too many platforms it's
No wonder it's no one's fault it's just the way it is