Bespoke Songs, Lost Dogs, Detours & Rendezvous liner notes: Difference between revisions
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<center><h3> Bespoke Songs, Lost Dogs, <br> Detours & Rendezvous </h3></center> | |||
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<center> Elvis Costello </center> | |||
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"[[Girls Talk]]" — [[Dave Edmunds]] | |||
"[[Girls Talk | |||
Visiting a [[Rockpile]] session in 1979, I showed off my new song to Dave Edmunds and [[Nick Lowe]] in a fit of drunken bravado. That was the last I ever saw of it. | Visiting a [[Rockpile]] session in 1979, I showed off my new song to Dave Edmunds and [[Nick Lowe]] in a fit of drunken bravado. That was the last I ever saw of it. | ||
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"[[Unwanted Number | "[[Unwanted Number]]" — [[For Real]] | ||
Ghostwritten for the main character, an imaginary Brill Building songwriter, in Allison Anders' motion picture Grace Of My Heart. It is 1963 and teenage pregnancy in a pop song is still taboo. For Real, who provide the voices in the film, give it a very fresh and innocent reading, which might have slipped by the censors. | Ghostwritten for the main character, an imaginary Brill Building songwriter, in Allison Anders' motion picture Grace Of My Heart. It is 1963 and teenage pregnancy in a pop song is still taboo. For Real, who provide the voices in the film, give it a very fresh and innocent reading, which might have slipped by the censors. | ||
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"[[My Brave Face | "[[My Brave Face]]" — [[Paul McCartney]] | ||
I first met Paul McCartney when we opened the show for [[Wings]] during the 1979 Concerts for Kampuchea series in London. He was very friendly and good at putting people at ease who might have been a little overwhelmed . . . him having been in The Beatles, like. He was also singing and playing tremendously. During the '80s we were often working in AIR studios at the same time, sometimes sharing the engineering skills of [[Geoff Emerick]]. Once or twice Paul and [[Linda McCartney|Linda]] came down the hallway for a chat, and on a few occasions we were obliged to retrieve a slightly over-enthusiastic Attraction from their studio. | I first met Paul McCartney when we opened the show for [[Wings]] during the 1979 Concerts for Kampuchea series in London. He was very friendly and good at putting people at ease who might have been a little overwhelmed . . . him having been in The Beatles, like. He was also singing and playing tremendously. During the '80s we were often working in AIR studios at the same time, sometimes sharing the engineering skills of [[Geoff Emerick]]. Once or twice Paul and [[Linda McCartney|Linda]] came down the hallway for a chat, and on a few occasions we were obliged to retrieve a slightly over-enthusiastic Attraction from their studio. | ||
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"[[Hidden Shame | "[[Hidden Shame]]" — [[Johnny Cash]] | ||
I came to meet Johnny Cash in an unusual way. My friend and producer Nick Lowe became his son-in-law when he married [[Carlene Carter]]. One of my more unexpected recollections from the late '70s is of visiting Nick and C.C.'s house in west London and finding Johnny Cash and [[June Carter Cash|June Carter]] taking tea in the front room. Later there were informal sessions in Nick's home studio and rumours that some patrons of nearby hard-drinking establishments had sworn to the path of temperance after hallucinating Johnny Cash walking down the Shepherd's Bush Road. | I came to meet Johnny Cash in an unusual way. My friend and producer Nick Lowe became his son-in-law when he married [[Carlene Carter]]. One of my more unexpected recollections from the late '70s is of visiting Nick and C.C.'s house in west London and finding Johnny Cash and [[June Carter Cash|June Carter]] taking tea in the front room. Later there were informal sessions in Nick's home studio and rumours that some patrons of nearby hard-drinking establishments had sworn to the path of temperance after hallucinating Johnny Cash walking down the Shepherd's Bush Road. | ||
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"[[All Grown Up | "[[All Grown Up]]" — [[Tasmin Archer]] | ||
I began this tune in Cincinnati, Ohio. The voice that I had in my imagination was Carl Wilson of [[The Beach Boys]]. Although I never made any attempt to send the song to him, his handling of some of his brother's songs of lost innocence was very influential on my thinking. | I began this tune in Cincinnati, Ohio. The voice that I had in my imagination was Carl Wilson of [[The Beach Boys]]. Although I never made any attempt to send the song to him, his handling of some of his brother's songs of lost innocence was very influential on my thinking. | ||
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"[[Miss Mary | "[[Miss Mary]]" — [[Zucchero]] | ||
This song arose from a misunderstanding between Zucchero and myself. I had agreed to write an English lyric for him and received a tape containing his music, but further instructions must have got lost in translation. It later turned out that Zucchero had intended the song to be about a transvestite. Meanwhile, I wrote a story about a man who falls in love with the face in a painting of the Virgin Mary. At the time of writing, neither of us has been made a Papal count. | This song arose from a misunderstanding between Zucchero and myself. I had agreed to write an English lyric for him and received a tape containing his music, but further instructions must have got lost in translation. It later turned out that Zucchero had intended the song to be about a transvestite. Meanwhile, I wrote a story about a man who falls in love with the face in a painting of the Virgin Mary. At the time of writing, neither of us has been made a Papal count. | ||
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"[[Shadow And Jimmy | "[[Shadow And Jimmy]]" — [[Was (Not Was)]] | ||
This song is a bit of a mystery to me. I know it was cowritten one afternoon with [[David Was|David Weiss]], then one of the fiendish brains behind [[Was (Not Was)]]. It speaks to me of time on my hands in a Hollywood hotel between sessions for the album ''[[King Of America]]''. I think David and I wrote together as an experiment. What came out was a chilly tale of two strange fish. Their lives are filled with bathing beauties and barbecued ribs. I don't recall ever mentioning hockey in a song before . . . or since. | This song is a bit of a mystery to me. I know it was cowritten one afternoon with [[David Was|David Weiss]], then one of the fiendish brains behind [[Was (Not Was)]]. It speaks to me of time on my hands in a Hollywood hotel between sessions for the album ''[[King Of America]]''. I think David and I wrote together as an experiment. What came out was a chilly tale of two strange fish. Their lives are filled with bathing beauties and barbecued ribs. I don't recall ever mentioning hockey in a song before . . . or since. | ||
"[[Upon A Veil Of Midnight Blue | "[[Upon A Veil Of Midnight Blue]]" — [[Mary Coughlan]] | ||
This song has a very odd history. What you hear is essentially the first draft of a tune entitled "I Wonder How She Knows." It was written for [[Charles Brown]]. | This song has a very odd history. What you hear is essentially the first draft of a tune entitled "I Wonder How She Knows." It was written for [[Charles Brown]]. | ||
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"[[Deep Dead Blue (song)| | "[[Deep Dead Blue (song)|Deep Dead Blue]]" — [[Anúna]] | ||
As director of the 1995 Meltdown Festival at London's South Bank Centre I was able to seek out and collaborate with the Brodsky Quartet, [[Fretwork]], [[The Jazz Passengers|the Jazz Passengers]] and [[Deborah Harry]], [[Donal Lunny]], Anúna, Composer's Ensemble, [[Marc Ribot]], [[June Tabor]], [[Steve Nieve]], [[The Fairfield Four]], [[Jeff Buckley]], and the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gunther Schuller. | As director of the 1995 Meltdown Festival at London's South Bank Centre I was able to seek out and collaborate with the Brodsky Quartet, [[Fretwork]], [[The Jazz Passengers|the Jazz Passengers]] and [[Deborah Harry]], [[Donal Lunny]], Anúna, Composer's Ensemble, [[Marc Ribot]], [[June Tabor]], [[Steve Nieve]], [[The Fairfield Four]], [[Jeff Buckley]], and the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gunther Schuller. | ||
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"[[The Comedians | "[[The Comedians]]" — [[Roy Orbison]] | ||
I had [[Roy Orbison]] in mind when I wrote this song, but I had no idea that I would ever meet him or that he would ever get to sing it. If you hear my version, it is hard to imagine him wanting to do so. Being in a strange, negative frame of mind during the recording of Goodbye Cruel World and aware that we had a surfeit of mournful ballads, I sacrificed the song to a quirky arrangement that lost almost all of the original drama. | I had [[Roy Orbison]] in mind when I wrote this song, but I had no idea that I would ever meet him or that he would ever get to sing it. If you hear my version, it is hard to imagine him wanting to do so. Being in a strange, negative frame of mind during the recording of Goodbye Cruel World and aware that we had a surfeit of mournful ballads, I sacrificed the song to a quirky arrangement that lost almost all of the original drama. | ||
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"[[The Deportees Club | "[[The Deportees Club]]" — [[Christy Moore]] | ||
Patrick MacManus was a ship's musician on the ocean liners. His work took him to New York and back in the 1920s. It must have been a tough and uncommon experience for a young trumpet player. Many people of my grandfather's background only made that journey in one direction. | Patrick MacManus was a ship's musician on the ocean liners. His work took him to New York and back in the 1920s. It must have been a tough and uncommon experience for a young trumpet player. Many people of my grandfather's background only made that journey in one direction. | ||
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"[[Punishing Kiss | "[[Punishing Kiss]]" — [[Annie Ross]] & [[Low Note Quintet|The Low Note Quintet]] | ||
This was written at [[Hal Willner]]'s request when he was preparing the music for the Robert Altman motion picture ''[[Short Cuts: Music From And Inspired By The Film|Short Cuts]]''. One of the stories running throughout the movie concerns the relationship between Tess, a steadily alcoholic nightclub singer, played by Annie Ross, and her emotionally disturbed daughter, a cellist, played by Lori Singer. In one brief scene at the club Tess is heard performing "Punishing Kiss". | This was written at [[Hal Willner]]'s request when he was preparing the music for the Robert Altman motion picture ''[[Short Cuts: Music From And Inspired By The Film|Short Cuts]]''. One of the stories running throughout the movie concerns the relationship between Tess, a steadily alcoholic nightclub singer, played by Annie Ross, and her emotionally disturbed daughter, a cellist, played by Lori Singer. In one brief scene at the club Tess is heard performing "Punishing Kiss". | ||
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"[[Shamed Into Love|SHAMED INTO LOVE]]" | "[[Shamed Into Love|SHAMED INTO LOVE]]" — [[Rubén Blades]] | ||
It is funny to think that this song should be inspired by a dog, particularly as it speaks of the very human failure to confide feelings and fears. | It is funny to think that this song should be inspired by a dog, particularly as it speaks of the very human failure to confide feelings and fears. | ||
Rubén Blades had asked me to come to his home and collaborate on songs for his first English language record, ''[[Rubén Blades: Nothing But The Truth|Nothing But The Truth]]''. Upon arrival we were greeted by the Blades' appropriately named companion, Milagro, a model of unconditional canine fidelity. He | Rubén Blades had asked me to come to his home and collaborate on songs for his first English language record, ''[[Rubén Blades: Nothing But The Truth|Nothing But The Truth]]''. Upon arrival we were greeted by the Blades' appropriately named companion, Milagro, a model of unconditional canine fidelity. He — Rubén, not the dog — told us that we would be "shamed into love" by the lovely beast, and the rest was easy. | ||
In 1995 the tune was reprised on the ''[[Deep Dead Blue]]'' set, recorded with [[Bill Frisell]]. | In 1995 the tune was reprised on the ''[[Deep Dead Blue]]'' set, recorded with [[Bill Frisell]]. | ||
"[[Shatterproof | "[[Shatterproof]]" — [[Billy Bremner]] | ||
I've been known to hold a grudge, and I suppose this song is the evidence. When I was swindled out of my last pound by a crooked landlord as a young married man, I think I did entertain thoughts of violence. Between 1974 and 1981 I had thankfully discovered the private and entirely legal consolation to be had in brutal thoughts. Then I wrote this song. | I've been known to hold a grudge, and I suppose this song is the evidence. When I was swindled out of my last pound by a crooked landlord as a young married man, I think I did entertain thoughts of violence. Between 1974 and 1981 I had thankfully discovered the private and entirely legal consolation to be had in brutal thoughts. Then I wrote this song. | ||
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"[[Dirty Rotten Shame | "[[Dirty Rotten Shame]]" — [[Ronnie Drew]] | ||
Since moving to Dublin in 1989 I've made no special effort to be seen out in the Irish music scene, but the place is small enough that people know where I am if they need me or, for that matter, if I need them. In that time I've ended up working with [[Christy Moore]], [[Donal Lunny]], [[Mary Coughlan]], and [[The Chieftains]]. | Since moving to Dublin in 1989 I've made no special effort to be seen out in the Irish music scene, but the place is small enough that people know where I am if they need me or, for that matter, if I need them. In that time I've ended up working with [[Christy Moore]], [[Donal Lunny]], [[Mary Coughlan]], and [[The Chieftains]]. | ||
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"[[Shipbuilding | "[[Shipbuilding]]" — [[Robert Wyatt]] | ||
Robert Wyatt is one of the great interpretative singers of my experience. You may have heard the wonderful recordings of his own compositions from the lovely "[[O Caroline]]" to his recent album ''Shleep''. His albums contain renditions of songs from many sources; "Te Recuerdo Amanda," "Red Flag," and "[[At Last I Am Free]]" being among my personal favourites. | Robert Wyatt is one of the great interpretative singers of my experience. You may have heard the wonderful recordings of his own compositions from the lovely "[[O Caroline]]" to his recent album ''Shleep''. His albums contain renditions of songs from many sources; "Te Recuerdo Amanda," "Red Flag," and "[[At Last I Am Free]]" being among my personal favourites. | ||
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"[[The Birds Will Still Be Singing | "[[The Birds Will Still Be Singing]]" — [[Norma Waterson]] | ||
Of all the titles in this collection, I think this is the song I would have least expected to be covered. That it should be sung by one of the most deeply rooted singers in English traditional music was an even greater surprise. | Of all the titles in this collection, I think this is the song I would have least expected to be covered. That it should be sung by one of the most deeply rooted singers in English traditional music was an even greater surprise. | ||
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The original version can be found at the end of ''[[The Juliet Letters]]'', a sequence of songs and musical pieces cowritten with the [[Brodsky Quartet]]. Although some of the songs have been performed in the theatrical piece "Letters" (devised by five members of the company and orchestra of the Gothenburg Opera for their workshop stage), this is the first attempt by anyone to perform one of the "Juliet" numbers using different instrumentation. I think I detect the hands of Norma's excellent supporting players, Martin Carthy and [[Richard Thompson]], in making an arrangement that sometimes goes beyond strict transcription into reharmonisation. | The original version can be found at the end of ''[[The Juliet Letters]]'', a sequence of songs and musical pieces cowritten with the [[Brodsky Quartet]]. Although some of the songs have been performed in the theatrical piece "Letters" (devised by five members of the company and orchestra of the Gothenburg Opera for their workshop stage), this is the first attempt by anyone to perform one of the "Juliet" numbers using different instrumentation. I think I detect the hands of Norma's excellent supporting players, Martin Carthy and [[Richard Thompson]], in making an arrangement that sometimes goes beyond strict transcription into reharmonisation. | ||
This song came to me after one of those moments when you realise that the world can get along without you | This song came to me after one of those moments when you realise that the world can get along without you — in this case, walking away from a car crash. In time it seemed the ideal song to end The Juliet Letters. Norma Waterson has sung her share of those folk ballads where lead is poured into sleeping lovers' mouths to seal up their kisses or similar dark fates, so she has no trouble dealing with the note of resignation in this song. | ||
"[[I Want To Vanish | "[[I Want To Vanish]]" — [[June Tabor]] | ||
This is the second of two songs written at June Tabor's request. The first was "[[All This Useless Beauty (song)|All This Useless Beauty]]," but I believe that this is both a superior song and a better record. | This is the second of two songs written at June Tabor's request. The first was "[[All This Useless Beauty (song)|All This Useless Beauty]]," but I believe that this is both a superior song and a better record. | ||
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"[[The Other End Of The Telescope | "[[The Other End Of The Telescope]]" — [['Til Tuesday]] | ||
After a chance meeting in a London street, [[Aimee Mann]] and I began a correspondence of songwriting notions. This, our most successful effort, appeared on the 'Til Tuesday album ''[['Til Tuesday: Everything's Different Now|Everything's Different Now]]''. Although it now seems a little presumptuous, I tried to find the right words for someone going through a rather unhappy time. I also make a cameo appearance in the bridge of the recording, although I'm not sure that it doesn't distract from Aimee's excellent performance. | After a chance meeting in a London street, [[Aimee Mann]] and I began a correspondence of songwriting notions. This, our most successful effort, appeared on the 'Til Tuesday album ''[['Til Tuesday: Everything's Different Now|Everything's Different Now]]''. Although it now seems a little presumptuous, I tried to find the right words for someone going through a rather unhappy time. I also make a cameo appearance in the bridge of the recording, although I'm not sure that it doesn't distract from Aimee's excellent performance. | ||
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"[[Indoor Fireworks | "[[Indoor Fireworks]]" — [[Nick Lowe]] & His Cowboy Outfit | ||
I met Nick Lowe in 1972 in a pub opposite the Cavern in Liverpool . . . so there isn't space here to tell you everything I know about him. | I met Nick Lowe in 1972 in a pub opposite the Cavern in Liverpool . . . so there isn't space here to tell you everything I know about him. | ||
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"[[Almost Blue (song)| | "[[Almost Blue (song)|Almost Blue]]" — [[Chet Baker]] | ||
It's strange how this song finally found its way to the singer for whom it was intended. I wrote it in 1981 after spending a lot of time with a couple of Chet Baker's vocal albums. I fell in love with the Brown/Henderson composition "[[The Thrill Is Gone]]" and resolved to write a song modeled on Chet's rendition of it. My version of "Almost Blue" was recorded for the album ''[[Imperial Bedroom]]''. | It's strange how this song finally found its way to the singer for whom it was intended. I wrote it in 1981 after spending a lot of time with a couple of Chet Baker's vocal albums. I fell in love with the Brown/Henderson composition "[[The Thrill Is Gone]]" and resolved to write a song modeled on Chet's rendition of it. My version of "Almost Blue" was recorded for the album ''[[Imperial Bedroom]]''. | ||
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One of the laziest and most banal critical generalisations is that Chet Baker was a man who entirely sacrificed his early musical promise to drugs. Whatever junk did to him or for him, it certainly wasn't pretty and it surely caused a lot of grief. However, to suggest that he made no worthwhile music in later years is absolute nonsense. Although he was inclined to cover the same repertoire on live recordings, he also made some beautiful studio recordings of new compositions, such as Richard Beirach's "Broken Wing." The album ''The Legacy'', recorded only a year before his death, shows that he was not only playing wonderfully, but he could also rise to the unfamiliar challenge of playing with a big band lineup. I am therefore delighted that this collection should close with a less harrowing take on "Almost Blue." It comes from the album ''Chet Baker In Tokyo'', recorded in 1987, and it finds Chet much more at ease with the tune. It is to my great delight that this arrangement also includes a trumpet solo and that the song finally sounds pretty much as I dreamed it would. | One of the laziest and most banal critical generalisations is that Chet Baker was a man who entirely sacrificed his early musical promise to drugs. Whatever junk did to him or for him, it certainly wasn't pretty and it surely caused a lot of grief. However, to suggest that he made no worthwhile music in later years is absolute nonsense. Although he was inclined to cover the same repertoire on live recordings, he also made some beautiful studio recordings of new compositions, such as Richard Beirach's "Broken Wing." The album ''The Legacy'', recorded only a year before his death, shows that he was not only playing wonderfully, but he could also rise to the unfamiliar challenge of playing with a big band lineup. I am therefore delighted that this collection should close with a less harrowing take on "Almost Blue." It comes from the album ''Chet Baker In Tokyo'', recorded in 1987, and it finds Chet much more at ease with the tune. It is to my great delight that this arrangement also includes a trumpet solo and that the song finally sounds pretty much as I dreamed it would. | ||
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{{Bibliography notes}} | |||
'''Bespoke Songs, Lost Dogs, Detours & Rendezvous liner notes | |||
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Elvis Costello's liner notes for ''[[Songs Of Elvis Costello: Bespoke Songs, Lost Dogs, Detours & Rendezvous|Bespoke Songs, Lost Dogs, Detours & Rendezvous]]''. | |||
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[[File:1998 Bespoke Songs Lost Dogs Detours Rendezvous Album small.jpg|x120px]] | |||
<br><small>Cover.</small><br> | |||
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<center><h3> Producer's Note </h3></center> | |||
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<center> Gary Stewart </center> | |||
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WELCOME! If you're reading this, I'm assuming that you're more than a casual Costello fan. And as such, you've got something pretty special in your hands. As somebody whose admiration for the man is definitely more than casual, I was compelled to do this project for no other reason than to show off an underappreciated and at times unknown side to the work of my all-time favorite songwriter and performer. I went about collecting every performance of an Elvis Costello song that he had not recorded himself and/or had something more to offer than the fact that it was a cover of a previously released Costello/MacManus composition. It either had to be a great performance that gave the song new meaning, witness [[Tasmin Archer]]'s emphatic take on "[[All Grown Up]]" or [[Nick Lowe]]'s lamenting approach to "[[Indoor Fireworks]]," or one that was an almost complete rewrite or rearrangement, such as [[Roy Orbison]]'s "[[The Comedians]]" and [[Christy Moore]]'s "[[The Deportees Club|Deportees Club]]" reborn from their ''[[Goodbye Cruel World]]'' incarnations. Hearing all of this in raw form, I was hoping that, in the end, I would have something that amounted to more than just a bunch of songs. When I listened to the final version, I was struck by two things: 1) the depth and variety of Costello's writing included in this strange and beautiful mix of roots rock, '60s-style pop, lounge, jazz, traditional folk, and other genres too unusual to name and 2) how many great records might have escaped my ears (and yours) had Costello himself not had the sense of adventure, good taste, and musical passion to work with many of these (at times criminally neglected) artists. | |||
Thanks, EC. | |||
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==External links== | |||
*[http://www.elviscostello.com/#/records elviscostello.com] | |||
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Revision as of 05:42, 23 June 2013
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