Tag: Janet Rains on Vocals

The Old Man In the Sea

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Written by Sue Kovaleski & Ric Albano Song Length: 3:54
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:TheOldManInTheSea.mp3]
Lyrics
Another time, another place, geo-era so sincere
The perfect rhyme, the sweetest taste, another summertime is here
And we would go sailing into the ocean

From near and far our sundry clan would congregate upon these shores
And at our heart there was one man who gave us all and so much more
And he would go sailing into the sea

So deep, so dark, yet able to fathom
So many of life’s unpredictable tides
The sailor’s heart helped us navigate her labyrinth
And we’d never run aground with him by our side
He gave us time…

He marked the time with his routines and let us know that we each had
A quite distinguished ardency to heaven’s character he’ll add
Now that he is the current of the sea

Now that he’s gone she will never be the same
Although to her we’ll return to reflect on the bliss
To listen to her tide whisper his unique name
Reassures us someday we will witness
Another time…

Another time, another place, all destinations lead to here
The endless prime, the smoothest pace
The endless summertime, it’s clear
That he is now sailing upon this ocean

Composition © 2006 Sue Kovaleski & Ric Albano
Publication © 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on March 17, 2006
Recorded starting on October 5, 2007
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Bret Alexander
Mixed and Mastered in 2009
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Janet Rains
Lead Vocals
Ric Albano
Keyboards, Bass, Vocals
Erik Trabert
Guitars
Ron Simasek
Drums

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: Janet Rains takes lead vocals for much of this song, which includes a simple melody and arrangement and a nice outtro guitar, with a unique fading mix.

Song Trivia
“He Was the Ocean” was a poem written by Sue Kovaleski about her grandfather, Paul Heckman. It inspired this song as was its original title.

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Believe

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 4:19
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:Believe.mp3]
Lyrics
So what’s the point of quiet charity if it won’t get you the gig?
They don’t forgive irregularities just because your heart is big
And why leave home with an atlas stone when a flask of pebbles might do?
This quite excessive sense of diligence
Offends my reasoned confidence in you

I do my best to view the world from deep behind these eyes
I draw my energy from sources not simply surmised

But what’s the point of simple clarity in such a complex universe?
Should we not strive towards more parity,
By ripping out the contents of your purse?

I steer my ship by ancient stars and hold the wind with poise
I grasp at every passing wave in a quest to find pure joys

Believe, believe
Believe, believe

So what’s the point of quiet charity if you don’t bag some esteem?
Complied reduction of this narrowly sliced time just seems obscene
And who would roam with an atlas stone…
When there are so many sights to see?
What’s the point of true contention,
When the scientific evidence has been decreed?

I beat my path with head held high and wisdom at my heels
I don’t pretend to know that this is how we all should feel

Believe, believe
Believe, believe

In a pinch and you’re on the run, will ye come undone?
If it’s a cinch just to follow the sun,
Why then fear of this unusual one?

Composition © 2006 Ric Albano
Publication © 2007, 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on September 12, 2006
Recorded starting on September 14, 2006
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Ric Albano
Mixed and Mastered in 2007
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: December 27, 2007
on Imaginary Lines II

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Lead Vocals
Ron Simasek
Percussion
Janet Rains
Backing Vocals

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: One of the few songs from Imaginary Lines II which were preserved in original form, “Believe” is a lyrical debate on God, with the simple, sparse musical arrangement of just paino and top-end drums.

Song Trivia
The song was recorded just two days after it was composed and it is the only recording on Imaginary Lines 33 from 2006.

Animal Society live version of “Believe”

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She Said

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 3:09
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:SheSaid.mp3]
Lyrics
She says “I wonder if you’ll ever learn”
She says “A movement’s 6 stages while the 7th brings return”
She said “I know what it is like to be dead”
It’s all in the way that she says it
The subtle semantics may be revealed in the summertime

She says “Behind the beauty cracks appear”
She said “The future is uncertain and the end is always near”
She says “Keep them mower blades sharp”
It’s all in the phrasing she uses, the simpleton gets confused –

By her tones, by her freshly tossed bones
She at once seems perfectly content while she concocts a new argument
About war – man, she really hates war
But then she’s never had to fight for anything, no, she’s never had to fight
She never had to want for anything, never had an unconsummated delight

She says “Think as it was and then again it will be”
She says “Go sing your heart out to the infinite sea”
She says “I may make you feel but I can’t make you think”
It’s all in the way that you convey it
Was the promise of her ever real in the summertime?

Composition © 2006 Ric Albano
Publication © 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on May 31, 2006
Recorded starting on April 13, 2007
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Bret Alexander
Mixed and Mastered in 2009
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: December 27, 2007
on Imaginary Lines II
This Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Keyboards, Bass, Lead Vocals
Erik Trabert
Electric and Acoustic Guitars
Ron Simasek
Drums and Percussion
Janet Rains
Background Vocals
Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: This is the best example of what was trying to be accomplished with Imaginary Lines II – a very simple song with a simple arrangement and structure, built on a rather complex piano pattern. This version suffers from slight timing issues and an acoustic too high in the mix, but that all dissipates under the excellent, moody guitar solo and building strings in the last verse./.span>

Song Trivia
the lyrics of “She Said” were intentionally meant to be a riddle, with each of the nine quotes (three in each of the three verses) being directly lifted from songs by nine different artists – eight by established, classic rock acts and one from Ric Albano’s previous life in Wahray and Soul. Can you identify the source of these quotes?

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Ashes

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 1:16
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:Ashes.mp3]
Lyrics
Ten, nine, eight – begin the countdown
Let’s hope it is not long until we hit the ground
The spoon is broken, this goon has spoken

Five, four, three – was it ever meant to be?
Too late now for reminiscing
The bird is chokin’, the family’s croakin’

Ten, nine, eight – no more time for the hate
We’ll all soon be ashes

Composition © 2008 Ric Albano
Publication © 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on October 9, 2008
Recorded starting on October 9, 2008
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Produced by Ric Albano
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, Percussion, Vocals
Janet Rains
Backing Vocals, Vocal Chorus

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: The only song on Imaginary Lines 33 which is pure filler.

Song Trivia
The ending of “Ashes” was directly lifted from the very beginning of the original version of “The Phoenix”.

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Crimson, White, & Indigo

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 4:13
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:CrimsonWhiteIndigo.mp3]
Lyrics
Need I be a hero man to admire what true heroes have done?
With deepest valor they put it on the line in their fight for freedom

They’re bred in ordinary towns, yet take their posts along the fringes
Of the wilderness so that the city may thrive in peace

An extraordinary leap of faith that something better is yet to come
All things equal, I think that I would rather be glazed upon with colors…

Colors that encapsulate the future (Colors that captivate)
Let the person determine it himself
The colors that evoke both hope and envy (Colors initiate)
From that person left on the world’s shelf

Across the sea are sown the seeds of a brave new world
Where history turns to stroll along a blazed new path
And the window opens, lets a fresh breeze blow
That loosens up the knots, that animates the cloth
Donned crimson, white, and indigo

Need I be a righteous man to appreciate what the founders had done
Self preservation bowed to principle when it came to freedom

From palaces of enlightenment, the doctrines of self determined
Citizens, colonists no more, for sure they were never going back…

Back to the stale feudal system (Back to the feudal lord)
Overlords dictating terms of self
Nor back to colonial old world missions (Back to the whipping board)
Native peoples subjects of someone else

East of east, you’ll find the western fringe of western thought
A magic link that binds the world together as one
One of innovation, democratization, prosperous and fulfilling long lives

Crimson, white, and indigo
That’s where I’ll go, that’s what I’ll show, what my wind will blow

Composition © 2006 Ric Albano
Publication © 2006, 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on February 3, 2006
Recorded starting on October 5, 2007
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Bret Alexander
Mixed and Mastered in 2009
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Ric Albano
Keyboards, Bass, Lead & Backing Vocals
Janet Rains
Lead & Backing Vocals
Ron Simasek
Drums and Percussion
“The Freedom Singers”
Backing Vocals

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: The riff is simple and catchy. The verses are a bit rough vocally but give way to a much more melodic feel due to the vocals of Janet Rains. There is some awkwardness towards the ending, as well as muffed lyrics.

Song Trivia
The song is obviously written about the U.S.A. The title comes from Grateful Dead song called “Standing On the Moon” with the lyric – “old glory standing stiffly, Crimson, White, & Indigo”. THe Grateful Dead later (after the release of Imaginary Lines 33 released a live compilation with this same title.
“Crimson, White, & Indigo” was to be the first song on the now-defunct Imaginary Lines III.

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