(Remastered 22/10/2021)
Here it is in all of its glory...
THIS is the song that Mrs R and I had decided was a suitable response to a request to "Upload something HAPPY, stat!!!!!!!!!"
I tried to record it back in 2013 when I wrote it…
I was once asked to write a happy song. It turned out to be about a woman who killed herself and when I found out THAT SHE ACTUALLY KILLED HERSELF I wasn't sure what to think about my premonition.https://alonetone.com/jamesmichaeltaylor/tracks/a-happy-song. THEN, later an old friend asked if I had any happy songs so I wrote this:https://alonetone.com/jamesmichaeltaylor/tracks/if-it-makes-you-happy-092914-1
(Remastered 22/10/2021)
I was asked (told?) to upload something happy. Hmmm, I thought. This will end well...
So, a few days later, I was rehearsing a pleasant little thing I wrote several years ago that has a working title of "She Was…
(Remastered 22/10/2021)
Here's the very latest from the broom-cupboard.
I wrote it one dark night over 23 years ago.
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**All I Have To Do - A A J Russe**
There isn’t much time to get this out
You won’t hear me if I have to…
(Remastered 22/10/2021)
Okies, so I'm working on some other thing and it's taking a while... drums to do and wotnot. But in the middle of it I'm digging how my Martin acoustic is working out. You probs won't even be able to hear it amongst…
(Remastered 22/10/2021)
I wrote this one last September.
Allison Jane Sixsmith 1965-2016.
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**Forever - A A J Russe**
I can see you on your rocking horse now
The one that turned around and kicked you in the teeth
He thought…
I hear you’re drinking at the chocolate fountain
You pulled the handle off the door
But they won’t mind
They’ll be mending it forever..." Great images...
(Remastered 22/10/2021)
I wasn't even sure the recording machine was still going to work after nearly five years... Certainly, bits of me don't work anymore... But, surprisingly, I got this done in 24 hours, start to finish... Strange old world…
As If It Really Matters - A A J Russe
Written 16th January 1999
Recorded 12th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
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Crumbs, even this is 23 years old!
We used it as a set-opener in the last band I was in.
I've been trying to make…
Gates Of Heaven - A A J Russe
Written 15th January 1988
Recorded 6th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
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This is about as naked as I can get.
This is how I wrote it. It's never had any accompaniment.
I was a bit young to sing…
As If It Really Matters - A A J Russe
Written 16th January 1999
Recorded 12th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
****
Crumbs, even this is 23 years old!
We used it as a set-opener in the last band I was in.
I've been trying to make…
No-one To Blame - A A J Russe
Written 1st January 1988
Recorded 6th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
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Nearly forgot to post this one! (it's been a busy week at work)
I was 24 when I wrote it. What more can I say…
What's really cool about these songs written long ago is that you are still able to remember the melody... I'm always having to remember my own music. I really like this one! Wise words of a twenty something... wiser that his years!
Who Is My Neighbour - A A J Russe
Written sometime in 1992
Recorded 12th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
****
I wrote this 30 years ago when I was 29. There were a bunch of people killing other people. There were refugees.
By the…
As If It Really Matters - A A J Russe
Written 16th January 1999
Recorded 12th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
****
Crumbs, even this is 23 years old!
We used it as a set-opener in the last band I was in.
I've been trying to make…
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 15
Written Wednesday 23rd February 2022
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I wasn't able to stop! I really meant to, but... Oh well.
It's still February, so it can go with the others.
IT IS MY FIRM INTENTION TO…
Congratulations!!!! Ended with another amazing tune - YES! That is a wealth of creativity in you my friend. I look forward to hearing all your other tunes. I hope you took a good rest after all this!!!
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 14
Written Monday 21st February 2022
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This is it ... FAWM's all finished for me... time for a lie down now.
There's still nearly a week to go, but I'm done, 14 songs written in 16…
Amazing how this came towards the end of the challenge...simply gorgeous. I don't hear any fatigue in it. A sad song though and I'm imagining the story behind it. Beautiful.
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 13
Written Saturday 19th February 2022
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UPDATE: 8 Hours after posting I just spotted that I listened to and favourited a song called... um... "We're Done" by oldfolks2 - check it out…
This is another great one!!! and catchy too. I also loved hearing your description of how this came about - I totally relate!!! I actually don't like most of my own songs. This song captures the spirit of these challenges :)
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 11
Written Thursday 17th February 2022
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Feels like I'm on the last lap now. Only 3 more needed.
This one came from a suggestion from Mrs R this morning. I didn't quite fancy it, but…
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 10
Written Wednesday 16th February 2022
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I've had the little guitar bit in the middle for years and years and years.
Even my wife recognises it, I play it so often.
Yesterday while…
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 9
Written Tuesday 15th February 2022
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I decided it was time I wrote a song that wasn't so hard to sing and play!
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**Once Again - A A J Russe**
Every day
You keep asking…
oh yeah!!! Great song and loving that chord progression. Beautiful with all the changes ...loving it. How did you do all this in such a short time period? Wow, wow, wow.
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 8
Written Monday 14th February 2022
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It's not entirely true. But it's CLOSE ENOUGH!
It was actually the 16th of February.
But we were corresponding by email on the 14th.
Then we…
**Song-writing Demo for FAWM 2022**
Song number 6
Written Friday 11th February 2022
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I was meant to be resting and chilling.
In fact, I was resting and chilling.
But then I got a message from Lala saying she was listening to the…
This is a song about questions, especially after experiencing the loss of someone special.....here are the lyrics:
Down past the bridge
By Saint Peter‘s church
She hums a prayer
Her eyes blue and bare
She’s longing for comfort…
It's definitely worth following Bethan around on this site...
Fine, fine song.
I love "She wants the truth... she says"
... ALL boys need teaching this (before they find out disasterously for themselves) lol
For my Wife
Liz and the boy are currently staying with her sister by the coast.
Just to catch some chill time after all that has happened this year.
They are gonna spend the school holidays up there.
Should be cool for the both of…
Back for another listen. It's early morning, I'm having a coffee and doing some emails and a bit of listening before disappearing back into the room with too many guitars.
The one I'm working on now isn't acoustic, but this is what I wanted to listen to first.
This is kinda uplifting and the right thing to start with :)
This song written by Mark Imsdahl..I found it over at Greg Connor's ...I liked it so much that I asked Greg and Mark if I could do an electric version of it and they agreed...i want to have Mark blow some harp on it when he gets back from vacation…
Right from the opening guitar notes...
(faved right then, didn't care what might follow!)
... stately stuff, superb.
I've been fave-ing a lot of stuff recently, this is one where I felt like I needed a "super-fave" button...
Love it.
In my late teens I was in a hard rock band and this was one of our songs. This recording is not the band but myself doing all the instruments and vocals. Our singer Kevin wrote the lyrics but I forgot some of the lines and adlibbed a bit of it…
Ah, I remember this kinda stuff. Don't listen to it much at all nowadays, but it's nice to hear every now and then. This reminds me of "Ultimate Sin" period Ozzy - can't remember who the guitarist on that is (probably someone really famous in the guitar world!).
And Ronnie James Dio - WHAT a voice that guy had...
I'm with captgene on this one - "Rocks"
This was from about 4 yrs ago thru a Guitar Center King of the blues online collaboration. I was using Guitar Rig Jimi Hendrix Octavia on this.....pretty hairy sound right there.
For my Wife
Liz and the boy are currently staying with her sister by the coast.
Just to catch some chill time after all that has happened this year.
They are gonna spend the school holidays up there.
Should be cool for the both of…
It's just past 8am on a Saturday morning, no work, thank goodness. Got my strong black coffee and cigarette...
... and this is the first thing I hear.
What a set-up for the day.
Fabulous...
Many thanks
Here's my second submission to the Stones Fest.i'd have liked a bit more time to play....but with four children under6 you take your time when you can or it don't get done...hope you enjoy as much as i did doing....another stripped Reg Version…
Here's my second submission to the Stones Fest.i'd have liked a bit more time to play....but with four children under6 you take your time when you can or it don't get done...hope you enjoy as much as i did doing....another stripped Reg Version…
Aww yeah... fabulous
Not sure that I'm going to get involved in the fest myself, but if I do get time, this was the main one I wanted to do but I couldn't figure out how to approach it. I'd have wanted to strip the famous hook out as well, but I couldn't see what was left that I could make something of...
THIS on the other hand is exactly what's left and you've grabbed it by the short and curlies.
Fine job sir.
I took an old track that was a cover of Hear my train and dropped the vocals and added some new electric guitar tracks. I had just upgraded my recording setup and was testing some hardware and software when I did this. It has a punchy lil guitar…
Tasty.
Does sound very summery - almost enough to block out the rain going on here.
Maybe it's cos I'm a guitarist, but I felt no "rambling on" without the vocal. It's almost got an Allman Brothers vibe to it.
Please also listen to the second part of this track, "John Capulator".
This part represents first scenes of comics, John Capulator's appearing from the morning fog in a narrow alley, huge double chainsaw massacre near crowded underground station…
Please also listen to the first part of this track, "Man of the morning fog".
Lots of letters downstairs.
John Capulator is a comics character drawn by my uncle. This is his own description of JC:
well first we must know what John Capulator…
I was about to comment when I listened earlier but a bunch of other stuff happened.
Really like this. Very atmospheric. And like B says, some fantastic guitar all the way through. The lyrics weren't up when I first listened, and I wasn't really listening to the words, but the moods the music and vocal were painting really fits the words.
Nice one
Just realised I hadn't listened to this...
There's quite an amazing breadth of styles you handle. I feel like I do electric stuff and acoustic stuff, but it's all pretty much rock-pop with hints of blues, country, and folk in varying degrees. The only time I step out of this is if I approach the recording machine without a finished song and just wing it (rarely finish any of those though!).
Another nice one :-)
Well, it IS!
lyrics for my Italian friends:
We're gonna be there in your wake
mending the seams when they start to break
make you do what you said that you would
and other words that rhyme with good
once so close why let it go, baby…
She hangs a little garden
so everyone can fit in her yard
when it's time to take tea
fills it up when they're walking about
they really knew how to twist and shout
and they're always going back that way again
rents a flat with his sister…
Love this one.
Brilliant lyrics, and a gorgeous quirky performance.
I like how you fly by the seat of your pants on songs - you seem to be treading a thin line between genius and disaster. For my money you're falling off on the genius side with this one.
I always aim at solid and dependable - I've got a feeling I could learn something from your songs.
lol - that'll teach me to post before the owner has fixed the title etc...
Good excuse to give it a second listen. And reading the "About" now - yeah, I thought David Bowie when I was listening to "75e67 c5 etc" (actually, that might have been what made me think of David Bowie!)
Comments on Andrew Russe's stuff
I was once asked to write a happy song. It turned out to be about a woman who killed herself and when I found out THAT SHE ACTUALLY KILLED HERSELF I wasn't sure what to think about my premonition.https://alonetone.com/jamesmichaeltaylor/tracks/a-happy-song. THEN, later an old friend asked if I had any happy songs so I wrote this:https://alonetone.com/jamesmichaeltaylor/tracks/if-it-makes-you-happy-092914-1
"But still I love the comfort I find in misery…" Great line. Beatle like...and that's always good.
Great guitar sound.
Love this. Beautifully done. Tonight I was trying out a song from that era: Twilight Time...https://www.e-chords.com/chords/the-platters/twilight-time
I hear you’re drinking at the chocolate fountain You pulled the handle off the door But they won’t mind They’ll be mending it forever..." Great images...
Rock on Dude...! Good to listen to some of your tunes. It's been a while. Strange relationship in this song.
Another great song! Maybe it’s time to get the band back together!,!
Like it.
Beautiful piece.
What's really cool about these songs written long ago is that you are still able to remember the melody... I'm always having to remember my own music. I really like this one! Wise words of a twenty something... wiser that his years!
This is a universal message with a hauntingly sad melody. Everyone should be open to these words. Thank you Andrew.
The words really speak to me … as ever!
Congratulations!!!! Ended with another amazing tune - YES! That is a wealth of creativity in you my friend. I look forward to hearing all your other tunes. I hope you took a good rest after all this!!!
Amazing how this came towards the end of the challenge...simply gorgeous. I don't hear any fatigue in it. A sad song though and I'm imagining the story behind it. Beautiful.
This is another great one!!! and catchy too. I also loved hearing your description of how this came about - I totally relate!!! I actually don't like most of my own songs. This song captures the spirit of these challenges :)
I can't help but comment again! This is fabulous!!! Love how it came about - thank you Mrs. R.
What a loving ballad .....just perfect. That "little guitar bit" found its home :) Beautiful vocals here too.
oh yeah!!! Great song and loving that chord progression. Beautiful with all the changes ...loving it. How did you do all this in such a short time period? Wow, wow, wow.
Another beautiful poetic song with such an excellent expressive performance. Love it!
I must take this train after hearing this song! What a great song :)....deserves a second comment.
Comments made by Andrew Russe
It's definitely worth following Bethan around on this site... Fine, fine song. I love "She wants the truth... she says" ... ALL boys need teaching this (before they find out disasterously for themselves) lol
I keep coming back to this one as well. Such feel-good music.
And I need another listen to this as well. This is gorgeous, utterly gorgeous.
Back for another listen. It's early morning, I'm having a coffee and doing some emails and a bit of listening before disappearing back into the room with too many guitars. The one I'm working on now isn't acoustic, but this is what I wanted to listen to first. This is kinda uplifting and the right thing to start with :)
Right from the opening guitar notes... (faved right then, didn't care what might follow!) ... stately stuff, superb. I've been fave-ing a lot of stuff recently, this is one where I felt like I needed a "super-fave" button... Love it.
Ah, I remember this kinda stuff. Don't listen to it much at all nowadays, but it's nice to hear every now and then. This reminds me of "Ultimate Sin" period Ozzy - can't remember who the guitarist on that is (probably someone really famous in the guitar world!). And Ronnie James Dio - WHAT a voice that guy had... I'm with captgene on this one - "Rocks"
Short and sweet... but what a tone! Made me think of Jack Black in School of Rock - I think this one qualifies as a "face-melting solo" lol
And a new one from T as well! Bliss... This is wondrous. Love the "Three thousand pennies..." line.
It's just past 8am on a Saturday morning, no work, thank goodness. Got my strong black coffee and cigarette... ... and this is the first thing I hear. What a set-up for the day. Fabulous... Many thanks
Hey, second listen, the hook is there!!
Aww yeah... fabulous Not sure that I'm going to get involved in the fest myself, but if I do get time, this was the main one I wanted to do but I couldn't figure out how to approach it. I'd have wanted to strip the famous hook out as well, but I couldn't see what was left that I could make something of... THIS on the other hand is exactly what's left and you've grabbed it by the short and curlies. Fine job sir.
Tasty. Does sound very summery - almost enough to block out the rain going on here. Maybe it's cos I'm a guitarist, but I felt no "rambling on" without the vocal. It's almost got an Allman Brothers vibe to it.
I've listened to them in the wrong order! But, hey, it's fabulous. I see how this fits on the front of John Capulator.
I was about to comment when I listened earlier but a bunch of other stuff happened. Really like this. Very atmospheric. And like B says, some fantastic guitar all the way through. The lyrics weren't up when I first listened, and I wasn't really listening to the words, but the moods the music and vocal were painting really fits the words. Nice one
It is! (ah and you've added an about, and stuck them in the title) SUPERB version
WOW! Brilliant version (it is what I think it is, isn't it?). If it isn't... er... brilliant anyway! Love it.
Just realised I hadn't listened to this... There's quite an amazing breadth of styles you handle. I feel like I do electric stuff and acoustic stuff, but it's all pretty much rock-pop with hints of blues, country, and folk in varying degrees. The only time I step out of this is if I approach the recording machine without a finished song and just wing it (rarely finish any of those though!). Another nice one :-)
Another cutie...
Love this one. Brilliant lyrics, and a gorgeous quirky performance. I like how you fly by the seat of your pants on songs - you seem to be treading a thin line between genius and disaster. For my money you're falling off on the genius side with this one. I always aim at solid and dependable - I've got a feeling I could learn something from your songs.
lol - that'll teach me to post before the owner has fixed the title etc... Good excuse to give it a second listen. And reading the "About" now - yeah, I thought David Bowie when I was listening to "75e67 c5 etc" (actually, that might have been what made me think of David Bowie!)