Most of the tracks on Firstofaugust, Bob August's first full-length CD (see how that works? ;-) ), were recorded at Azalea Studios in Nashville during the late 1990s. It took nearly as long to create as did the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper -- & while it didn't spark quite the same cultural revolution, "First" did mange to lay a lot of Pepper-esque melody & studio trickery on its listeners -- even employing the sound of a sitar on two of the tracks. It's a great ride -- from the opening snare beats on "Beat of the Drum," to the touching acoustic strains of "Violet," to the all-out rocker "Some Time Soon" -- on through the politically tinged "Look At the People" & the tongue-in-cheek "Roswell (Thanx for the Ride)." Here are a few fact-ules you may enjoy ... Beat of the Drum The two sitars you hear were courtesy of two prominent people. The acoustic sitar was performed by Linda Simensky, who is not only a talented musician, but went on to become one of the most respected & influential people in children's television. The electric sitar was from the hands of Gary Talley, lead guitarist/sitarist for '60s supergroup "The Box Tops" (ala "Cry Like a Baby"). Violet Featuring the sweet violin sounds of Tim Lorsch. The World Is Flat One of two tracks recorded at Sound Creations in Trenton, NJ -- featuring Scott Finter (Lead Guitar), Chris Breetveld (Bass) & Ray Figueroa (Drums). Some Time Soon Originally pure pop, August decided to rock it up for this effort. Nothing Linda Simensky reprises her roll as sitarist. G-Whiz A pseudo-classical piece written by August years earlier. The sound of footsteps walking into the main hall was actually Bob, walking across producer Fett's garage in a pair of dress shoes (effects added). Can't Stop Thinking ... of You An earlier version was issued as an old-fashioned "45" years prior, backed with a track called "Right Or Wrong." It's No Big Deal The second of two tracks recorded at Sound Creations in Trenton -- featuring vocals by August, Finter & Breetveld -- percussion added by Brian Pepo at Azalea Studios in Nashville. Sunday's Coming Early A slower version of an earlier pop tune that was originally recorded at PPI Studios in New York. (Well) On the Way An earlier version was called "On My Way" & featured vastly different lyrics. Look At the People Pretty much speaks for itself. Roswell (Thanx for the Ride) One of the most fun tracks to record, "Roswell" features Roger McGuinn-esque vocals by August & guitar playing by Talley. At one point during the session, Bob mentioned to producer Fett that he wanted a track of UFO-like beeping, which could be achieved by pressing two buttons at once on an old-fashioned touch-tone desk phone. Fett happened to have one handy, which he plugged into the board, & on which August "beeped" at regular intervals to great effect. The "hidden track" at the end features the voices of Bob August, Brian Pepo & Fett.