“I liked all of the tracks on Quiet Life and, of course, respected all the others as musicians… David’s ‘new’ vocal style obviously fitted the new material,” explains guitarist Robert Dean. “My only regret is that David sang the lyrics to Despair in French, and thus, to me he was straying too far into Bryan Ferry territory à la A Song For Europe. I don’t play on every track.
“I elected not to play on Despair because the only guitar part I could hear on it [in my head] would have been in a similar vein to what I’d already played on The Tenant from Obscure Alternatives. Thus, rather than repeat myself, I decided to leave it guitar-less. Similarly on B-side A Foreign Place it seemed to me that guitar was not necessary. I struggled with European Son. Playing it live, I went through a series of ideas but when it was recorded just before the Quiet Life sessions it was left unfinished.