Tag: Drums PA

The Miracle of Surprise

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Bonus Track By  Wahray and Soul

Written by Ric Albano & Jim Morrison Song Length: 1:54
Listen to the Song:
[audio:WAS/24-TheMiracleOfSurprise.mp3]		 1989
Lyrics
And in her eyes
The fresh miracle of surprise…

Composition © 1989, 2003 Ric Albano
Publication © 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Produced & Engineered by Ric Albano
Composed on September 28, 1989
Recorded September 1989 / Fall 2003
at Rathole Studios, Hazleton, PA
and Cygnus Wave Studios
Mixed in 2003 & Mastered in 2011
at Cygnus Wave Studios

Performers
Ric Albano
Electric Guitars, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Drums
Sinclair Soul
Vocals

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: Always intended as an introductory piece for “The Telephone”, this is the first of many to use a passage from a collection of poerty by Jim Morrison called Wilderness. Some synthesizers were added to the original piece in 2003.

Please offer your own analysis of The Miracle of Surprise by leaving a comment in the box below.

Witches

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Bonus Track By  Wahray and Soul

Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 3:41
Listen to the Song:
[audio:WAS/03-Witches.mp3]		 1987
Lyrics
In the eyes of the night lies the witches brew for sight
With their magic brooms and Venus schrooms
In the heart of the day, they try to lock it away
With their golden keys on golden trees
Like a dog without a home, they never settle always roam
With their dreadful gloom, in a sonic boom
They run!

Now I still remember when she was thirteen, I was ten
She was beautiful as one can be
Now I may not tell a lie, but I swear that with her cry
That she cast her spell on me
Although I’ll always love her so, I still tried to let her go
But she’ll take my hand now, she’s always with me
And we run!

Beautiful as one can be
Don’t tell me nothing, don’t tell me nothing, no
Don’t want to hear no more, don’t want to hear no more, no

In the eyes of the night lies the witches brew for sight
With their magic brooms and Venus schrooms
In the heart of the day, they try to lock it away
With their golden keys on golden trees
Like a dog without a home, they never settle always roam
With their dreadful gloom, in a sonic boom
They run!

Beautiful as one can be
Now I may not tell a lie, but I swear that with her cry
That she cast her spell on me
Although I’ll always love her so, I still tried to let her go
But by the powers of Neverland, she’ll take my hand
And we’ll run!

Beautiful as one can be
Don’t want to hear no more, don’t want to hear no more, no
Don’t want to hear no more, don’t want to hear no more, no

Composition © 1987, 1988, 2003 Ric Albano
Publication © 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Produced & Engineered by Ric Albano
Composed on September 9, 1987
Recorded October 1988
at Rathole Studios, Hazleton, PA
Mixed in 2003 and Mastered in 2011
at Cygnus Wave Studios

Performers
Ric Albano
Harpsichord, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: Of the nearly 100 songs I wrote in 1987, this has always been one of my favorites. Recording here is a bit raw with some percussive effects added during the original remix in 2003 and some editing which kind of jumbles the vocals at one point.

Please offer your own analysis of Witches by leaving a comment in the box below.

Dark Side Suite

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Track 9  On  The Evolution of Noise  By  Wahray and Soul

Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 8:35
Listen to the Song:
[audio:WAS/14-DarkSideSuite.mp3]		 1989
Lyrics
OVERTURE

Unfortunately for some, yet profitable for others
There reaps a bitter dark side which roams about and smothers
The souls of our brothers

THE DARK SIDE

Northeast in Penn’s land where mountains touch the sky
It’s shadow glooms this man, it feasts on tears he cries
It moves about and grins
It is the face within the bitter taste of sin
With deception, fear, and lies
While most are unaware and hardly even care
They’re just trying to have some fun
They’re the trigger for it’s gun
I guess I shalln’t complain, but it’s hard to bear this pain
On the eve of going insane do I have something to gain?

Yet through these tragic years
With disappointment, sorrow, and tears
I’ve come a long, long way to reach that special day
And if I do survive, I’ll scream and praise “alive”
Although the battle is lost for sure, we can still win the war

Yet through these tragic years
With disappointment, sorrow, and tears
I’ve come a long, long way to reach that special day
And if I do survive, I’ll scream and praise “alive”
Although the battle is lost for sure, we can still win the war

But for right now the sadness glooms
The happiness is gone
And not a soul around me will listen to my song
I guess I shalln’t complain, but it’s hard to bear this pain
On the edge of going insane do I have something to gain

Loneliness haunts my night, questions haunt my day
No answers ever seem right, so much has been thrown away
Discouragement is all I get, no matter what I try to say
Don’t want to hear my words but yet so much can be gained if they
Listen to what I have to say
Give me just a little time of day
Listen to what I say, give me the time of day
Together we can destroy the dark side now!

TEARS

A stranger a long, long way from home
A life of love replaced by chrome
A finding of your deepest fears
A wasted time in magical years

A massacre of all want, torn up and thrown in a fire
A good intention shot right down to fulfill a cold desire
A loss of love, a loss of hope, a steel cage with iron beams
A storm of such excruciating pain, suffering, and screams
Guess they’re not tears of love

Didn’t want to end up this way
Didn’t want to speak the words I say
Didn’t want to cry alone
Didn’t want to be the dog
That went and bit the poison bone

Didn’t want to be the one left out in the rainy cold
Didn’t want to sit around and pray to God I don’t get old

But this time you’ve gone too far
Need to know just where you are
Know somehow you could hear me
Need to know just what you see
Pray somehow the end is near
End of all these painful tears

But this time you’ve gone too far
Need to know just where you are
Then maybe I’ll have tears of love

Composition © 1989, 2003 Ric Albano
Publication © 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Produced & Engineered by Ric Albano
Composed on February 11, 1989
Recorded February-March 1989
at Rathole Studios, Hazleton, PA
Mixed in 2003 & Mastered in 2011
at Cygnus Wave Studios

Performers
Ric Albano
Electric Guitars, Ricter Synth, Keyboards, Bass, Harmonica, Drums, Vocals
Sinclair Soul
Vocals

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: This is the only true multi-song medley in the collection. It consists of the original songs “The Dark Side” and “Tears”, as well as a new intro section which was constructed in 2003. The new minute-plus intro drew samples from several songs which were part of The Dark Side project in Spring 1989 with a doomy, Ricter backing in a loop. This leads to the eerie beginning of “The DarK Side”, which eventually builds to a heavy rock song with frenzied movement and lyrics. After building to a crescendo, this collapses into the mellow and moody “Tears”, with its dreamy guitars and dualing vocals. All told, this is the longest “song” in the collection.

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Twilight of Innocence

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 On   By 

Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 7:02
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:TwilightOfInnocence.mp3]
Lyrics
Early on a Friday in May, dancing on a crest of a wave
I could feel the sudden crashing of cold water rush upon my shore
In the twilight of innocence, with curiosity pushed to turbulence
I’m bewildered by your passive hints
That soon you may not need me anymore

I shouldn’t anything distract me from anything
That’s going on this perfect day of leisure and play
These truly are the best of times, dream-scaped array
For five years we have built these stories brick day by day
Don’t let this end, don’t let it end

You may be the follower but you’ve got your own great mind
Open up your eyes and cherish
Everything that you will surely find
In a year or twelve you may not remember this quite the way that I do
But I’ll always remember you

You shouldn’t let anything distract you from everything
That’s going on this perfect day of bliss and fun
These truly are the best of times, cannot be out-done
Please don’t allow the trite to ever grow into distraction
To what you’ve got, you’ve got a lot

We left the beach as the dark patches advanced to hide the sun
Ran to the verge so we could witness this meteorological phenomenon
Caught two rainbows in a jaunty dance beneath the haunting clouds
In turn they tapped the gray water on either side
Like Heaven’s arms outstretched and grasping at the tide
Seagulls a-blaze in the bent light, a truly mystical sight
The night arrived with such harmony, embroiled forever in my memory

Later on the beach that day, I wondered just what you would say
If you could reflect back on this time right now along with us four
It is such a system we possess, the turning over of the vines
Although the world is a bit of a mess
Perhaps your judgement will be better than mine

Would you tell me that everything is a segue to everything?
That’s going on, that’s in our song
It’s what you’ve got, ready or not!

Heaven’s ambience is the crashing of the tide
Fades and echoes to the past as we commence our return ride
The day expired with such harmony, embroiled forever in my memory

It’s what I see when I retreat into the halls of my memory

Composition © 2004 Ric Albano
Publication © 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on May 19, 1997
Recorded starting on September 10, 2004
at Silver Spring Subterranean
Produced & Engineered by Ric Albano
Mixed and Mastered in 2009
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Keyboards, Bass, Percussion, Vocals
Erik Trabert
Guitars

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: A song approached in a very unique fashion, with lyrics written in one afternoon on the beach in Virginia and music composed over several years on a living room piano. The song suffers from a bit from rough recording and untimely ending, as it originally went directly t the follow-up “Dawning of Decadence”. Still it posseses a unique charm.

Song Trivia
“Twilight of Innocence” is the oldest song in the Imaginary Lines collection both in composition date (05/19/97) and recording date (09/10/04), yet it was not officially released until the most recent Imaginary Lines album in 2009.
This song was originally intended to be the second part of a four part, 16 minute “Ocean Suite”, along with “The Old Man In the Sea”, “Dawning of Decadence”, and “Here On the Beach”. All but “Dawning of Decadence” were included as individual tracks on Imaginary Lines 33.
This is the only song on Imaginary Lines 33 written in the 20th century.

Please offer your own analysis of Twilight of Innocence by leaving a comment in the box below.

Anthem

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 On   By 

Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 4:39
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:Anthem.mp3]
Lyrics
And you will find what you seek in your heart
And your compassion will guide you to that door
And you’ve got destiny’s balance on your side
And you’ll discover more secret passages
And you will never relinquish the Truth
And your convictions will be bold, clear, and pure
And you’re consistent against the flux of time

And you are trying to reconstruct a holy universe
And you keep relying on the self that only you know
And you are humble, and you are brave
And you can crest the wave above the swift, strong, submerged undertow

And you dwell within a prison in paradise
And you’re perpetually wandering beyond the painted lines
And you appear to make wrong choices at every turn

And you burn in undervalued anonymity
And you continue to crawl along the side of that muddy hill
And you are scary, and you are scorned
And your favorite store no longer is affordable

And you endeavor towards that which is right
And you pray for every mortal soul every night
And you’re bitter, bored, and blue
And you’ve got so much to do

And you revisit those spirits of lost youth
And you can see daylight back up that one-way path
And you will search for the poison’s antidote

And you will hope that someday soon it’s discovered
And the spring of life unobstructedly resumes its flow
And you are faithful while you are lost
On the dark side of Mars in a neighborhood where no one goes

Composition © 2003, Ric Albano
Publication © 2005, 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on April 7, 2003
Recorded starting on April 8, 2005
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Paul Smith
Mixed and Mastered in 2005
at Silver Spring Subterranean
Original Release: October 10, 2005
on Imaginary Lines I

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Keyboards, Bass Guitar, Vocals
Bret Alexander
Electric and Acoustic Guitars
Ron Simasek
Drums
Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: Lifted from an extended poem, this song grew more in the studio than any of the early Imaginary Lines songs. The song builds with ever-richer arrangements through every verse and chorus, until finally reaching a crescendo through the guitar lead and last verse.

Song Trivia
This song was extremely difficult to name, going through several working titles in its first year, with Ric even holding a “name this song” contest with family in friends. Dissatisfied with any of the suggestions, Albano settled on the generic “Anthem” in tribute to Individualist Philosopher Ayn Rand, as this is a very self-reflective song.

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