Basic Brian

Dream, dreams floating down again
Surround your mind
Soft cloud, take me around again
On your rain
My dreams tell me everything
Surprise around
Call out your name
I need help again
Follow love's brigade
What you was, said is sure
Running on the seventh floor
Do it all, let it slide
Breathe yourself goodbye
See it all through the wall
Living outside again
Need a long way to go
Said you
Our escape
I died, when you fall again
Safe arms at last
I love feeling small again
All around, satisfied

Open in Spotify

• Wah Wah promo tape :Promo, Album, 1994
• Wah Wah :Studio, Album, 1994
• The Gathering Sound :Compilation, Box Set, 2012
• Laid / Wah Wah Super Deluxe Edition :Compilation, Box Set, 2015

Played at:

• San Francisco Regency Ballroom – 11th October 2010
• Denver Bluebird Theatre – 4th October 2010
• Minneapolis First Avenue – 24th May 1994
• Las Vegas Huntridge Theatre – 25th March 1994
• San Diego SU Montezuma Hall – 24th March 1994
• Los Angeles Hollywood Palace – 22nd March 1994
• Los Angeles Hollywood Palace – 21st March 1994
• San Francisco Warfield Theatre – 17th March 1994
• Sacramento Crest Theatre – 16th March 1994
• Milwaukee Marquette University Varsity Theatre – 19th February 1994

James - Basic Brian

Taken from the album Wah Wah

Written and performed by James & Brian Eno

Opening Riff:

e-------------------------------------------------------
B-------------------------------------------------------
G----------5----------5----------5--7----------7---5----
D--5-5/75----5-5/75----5-5/75-------5-5/75---8------
A-------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------

Riff 2:

e-------------------------------------------------------
B--3/5--31--1/3-1/3------------------------------------
G-------------------------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------

Riff 3:

e-------------------------------------------------------
B--1-1/5/8--5-5/8--3-3-31----5-5/8-----3/5-3-31-------
G-------------------------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------

Riff 4:

e-------------------------------------------------------
B-------------------------------------------------------
G-------------------------------------------------------
D------5------5-----------------------------------------
A--3-3----3-3-------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------

Riff 5:

e--8~--8/10--11-10-11-10--------------------------------
B-------------------------------------------------------
G-------------------------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------

End Riff:

e-----------8-8-8-8-8-----------------------------------
B--1-1/5/8--8-8-8-8-8-----------------------------------
G-------------------------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------

Song Structure:

The Opening Riff opens the song (duh!) and bits of it appear throughout. Riff 2 appears after the first break in the vocal about 1:30 in. Before this point the song kind of drifts around a chord of C (even though I've tabbed some "implied" chord changes), but after this point a clear chord change from C to F can be heard.
Riff 3 first occurs just before 3:00, Riff 4 first appears at about 3:40, and Riff 5 first shows up at about 4:15. All three of those crop up again in some guise or another. The End Riff crops up at about 4:50, repeats a few times, then turns into something sounding a lot like Riff 3.

Lyrics/Chords:

C
F C
Dream, dreams floating down again

F C
Surround your mind

F C
Soft cloud, take me around again

F C
Oooooooo-ooooooooon your rain


F C
My dreams tell me everything

Surprise around

Call out your name

I need help again

Folow love's brigade

What you was, said is sure

Running on the seventh floor

Do it all, let it slide

Breathe yourself goodbye

See it all through the wall

Living outside again

Need a long way to go

Said you

Our escape

I died, when you fall again

Safe arms at last

I love feeling small again

All around, satisfied




Transcribed by Alex Carter 2001.

alex@shandy3000.fsnet.co.uk