ELECTRIC EARL
Secret Songs (1989)
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1. | If Thou Must Love Me (instrumental version) (3:08) | MP3 | ||||||
2. | Saturation (acoustic version) (3:45) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
3. | Girlfriend In the Band (3:55) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
4. | I Think I Hear A Voice [lead vocal by Jeana Esser] (3:21) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
5. | This Egg Is A Chicken [vocal by Earl with Jeana Esser] (2:57) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
6. | Joann (1:45) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
7. | Blood Money [lead vocal by Tani Legleu] (3:15) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
8. | Original Sin [lead vocal by Amye Hollensworth] (3:40) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
9. | Sunset [keyboard improv by Matt Lanius] (2:36) | MP3 | ||||||
10. | Every Day Is A Christmas Day (4:43) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
11. | What's Wrong With This Picture? (3:02) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
12. | The Empress (acoustic version) (2:48) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
13. | My Secret Song (3:24) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
14. | Sunrise [keyboard improv by Matt Lanius] (2:53) | MP3 | ||||||
15. | Melting Bridge (Five Stages of Morning) (5:26) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
16. | Original Sin [acoustic version] (3:36) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
17. | They Can't Hear Anymore (6:45) [Lyrics are from the poem Plantation Road by Barbara Fritchie. This version includes Barbara Fritchie reciting her poem and "prepared guitar" intro by Randy Johnston (aka Kenneth Johnston).] |
MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
18. | I Miss You (2:54) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
19. | The Empress, part two [instrumental] (2:49) | MP3 | ||||||
20. | Postscript [brief acappella vocal by Jean Verlenden] (0:37) | MP3 | ||||||
BONUS TRACKS: | ||||||||
21. | I Think I Hear A Voice [solo demo] (3:02) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
22. | This Egg Is A Chicken [solo demo] (2:10) | MP3 | lyrics | chords | ||||
Total time: 73:26
CREDITS
# | title | musicians / singers |
---|---|---|
1. | If Thou Must Love Me (instrumental version) | EARL: guitars, banjo, keyboard, drum machine |
2. | Saturation (acoustic version) | EARL: vocal, guitar |
3. | Girlfriend In the Band | EARL: vocal, guitar MIKE TRAYLOR: bass There was a Website [archive copy] which claimed that I wrote this song about a girl named Diana. She figures in the story, but the song isn't specifically about her. It's not even about women, in fact. It's more about guys who feel the need to control their mates in this way. In Diana's case, she wasn't a musician at all, but her singer/songwriter boyfriend - later, husband - got her to take up bass guitar and play in his band. Which instantly threw their relationship off balance, since suddenly he was the power figure. But Diana turned out to be a very good bass player, far from the tambourine beating cliche that the song describes. The marriage failed, of course. I'm not sure if was because she got tired of being bossed around or because he felt threatened by the fact that his wife was becoming a better musician than him. Although that situation may have indirectly inspired me to write the song, the actual person that I talk about in the first two verses was a girl who sang in a cover band I belonged to years earlier, when I lived in Pennsylvania. She only sang on half the songs, and I felt that her guitarist boyfriend was just using her to get double pay, essentially, since they were living together. Back to Diana, ironically her next boyfriend was the guy who played bass on this recording! |
4. | I Think I Hear A Voice | JEANA ESSER: lead vocal EARL: guitar MIKE TRAYLOR: bass |
5. | This Egg Is A Chicken | EARL: vocal, guitar JEANA ESSER: backup vocal |
6. | Joann | EARL: vocal, guitar MIKE TRAYLOR: bass "Joann" was the first song I ever wrote. It wasn't until this project, 24 years later, that I finally got around to recording it. For this performance, I played the guitar I had originally played the song on, a Harmony model that I had received for my 9th birthday. |
7. | Blood Money | TANI LEGLEU: lead vocal EARL: guitar, backup vocal |
8. | Original Sin | AMYE HOLLENSWORTH: lead vocal EARL: guitar |
9. | Sunset | MATT LANIUS: keyboard (improv) Matt played to a time-lapse video of the sun setting over the Mississippi River. |
10. | Every Day Is A Christmas Day | EARL: vocal, guitar, keyboards [and bass?] JAMES FOGLE: drums CHRISTINE LAUNEY: backup vocal SUSAN PIERCE: backup vocal CATHERINE SNAITH: backup vocal [a.k.a. Leah Catherine Launey] "JOHNNY" WELLS: backup vocal |
11. | What's Wrong With This Picture? | EARL: vocal, guitar |
12. | The Empress (acoustic version) | EARL: vocal, guitar |
13. | My Secret Song | EARL: vocal, guitar MIKE TRAYLOR: bass Carole King once said that she had written "Up On the Roof" as a song about a secret place. I thought it would be nice to write a song about a secret song. |
14. | Sunrise | MATT LANIUS: keyboard (improv) Matt played this music to a time-lapse video of the sun rising over Baton Rouge. |
15. | Melting Bridge (Five Stages of Morning) | EARL: vocal, guitar Comparing the grief over loss of love with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's famous five stages of mourning inspired both the subtitle pun and the chorus. |
16. | Original Sin [acoustic version] | EARL: live vocal sung to pre-taped guitar |
17. | They Can't Hear Anymore | RANDY JOHNSTON: "prepared guitar" intro, guitar solo [a.k.a. Kenneth Johnston] BARBARA FRITCHIE: reading her poem Plantation Road [a.k.a. Barbara Fritchie Hart] EARL: vocal, guitar MIKE TRAYLOR: bass LIZ MURRY: backup vocal During the introduction, Randy played his guitar with what looked like a glass paperweight instead of a pick. |
18. | I Miss You | EARL: vocal, guitar |
19. | The Empress, part two [instrumental] | EARL: synthesizer, vocal chant, handclaps "JOHNNY" WELLS: lead guitar, vocal chant, handclaps HERSCHEL ALLOR: bass DAVID DAYRIES: drums, vocal chant, handclaps |
20. | Postscript | JEAN VERLENDEN: vocal EARL: bells |
21. | I Think I Hear A Voice [solo demo] | EARL: vocal, guitar |
22. | This Egg Is A Chicken [solo demo] | EARL: vocal, guitar |
Secret Songs was the "soundtrack album" for a video project that I put together in late 1989. Most of the music was performed live for the camera, using my living room as a soundstage.
The live performances were recorded in late 1989. The bonus tracks are from 8/22/1989 (track #21) and 7/25/1989 (track #22). Pre-existing music used for this project included: * "If Thou Must Love Me (instrumental version)" from We're Not Strangers (1985) * "Every Day Is A Christmas Day" from Dinosaurs (1986) * "The Empress, part two" from Elvis Has Left the Building (1987) Click the album links more info about those recordings. The original cassette version of this album had track #1-13 on side one, and #14-20 (plus a repeat of track #1) on side two. All words and music by Earl P. Reinhalter, except: * "The Empress, part two" by Reinhalter-Dayries-Allor-Wells * "Sunset" and "Sunrise" by Matt Lanius * The lyrics for "They Can't Hear Anymore" are from Barbara Fritchie's poem Plantation Road [a.k.a. Barbara Fritchie Hart] * "Prepared guitar" intro for "They Can't Hear Anymore" by Randy Johnston [a.k.a. Kenneth Johnston] * "Postscript" contains traditional song "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" Engineered and mixed by Electric Earl. |
This page established: March 8, 2009
Last updated: February 22, 2024
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