Acoustic blues. Recorded in 2005. I was trying to record something else, can't remember what, and the missus was going out. She had cyclist Lance Armstong's book, or was talking about it. Sounded like a great title for a song as well as his book…
Rock instrumental. Recorded Christmas 2008.
I'd struggled with a DAW. I'd stopped recording. And then my lovely wife got me a Boss MBR for Christmas. I thought this little thing the size of a fag-packet would be a nice "scratch-pad" songwriting…
A cover of Larry Wallis's fine ditty (it's always been one of my favourite Dr Feelgood songs).
This was my second recording with my Boss MBR, recorded early 2009. It confirmed for me that I was a "standalone recorder" kind of guy, and there was…
Pop-rock song. Recorded 2009.
I wrote this several years earlier and rehearsed it with the last band I was in.
The recording was my first "serious" project on my Boss MBR, I was stunned that you could do something like this on a little silver…
Acoustic tale of revenge. Recorded 2010 on a Boss BR1600CD.
*****
**The Knife - A A J Russe**
A dark and star-less night
Probably driving rain
That's what they think became of me
A foolish walk along the cliff when he was drunk…
Haha! My mum wrote this in 2011: Andrew, welcome to Alonetone.
Oh love your sound.
Man, you’re really good.
A little gruesome lyrically, but brilliantly well performed.
:) I concur.
A cover of Justin Currie's Sleep Instead of Teardrops. Recorded 2010.
It has always been one of my favourite Del Amitri songs. I was strumming away at it one day and my missus said I should record it...
A cover of Justin Currie's Sleep Instead of Teardrops. Recorded 2010.
It has always been one of my favourite Del Amitri songs. I was strumming away at it one day and my missus said I should record it...
A cover of Justin Currie's Sleep Instead of Teardrops. Recorded 2010.
It has always been one of my favourite Del Amitri songs. I was strumming away at it one day and my missus said I should record it...
Recorded Oct 2010.
It was meant to be a full band pop-rock song. But I started overdubbing on the original exploratory demo I'd done to work out the arrangement (with no click track). I kept coming back to it intending to start afresh... but…
Acoustic tale recorded Christmas 2010.
I wrote it years ago. Even tried rehearsing it with the band I was in at the time. But I couldn't play it properly. It took several weeks of practicing DADGAD (never really used it in anger before) until…
A tale of keeping your head above the water, or not...
Recorded Jan-Feb 2011.
I wrote it many years ago, never thought I'd ever do anything with it.
I intended to record this with just an acoustic and my new EDB (electric upright bass…
New one from me. It's ended up as a bit of a "crying into yer beer at Bob's Country Bunker" sort of song lol...
I've been sat on these lyrics in some form or another for absolutely years. I first wrote them one very dark night a few years after…
First new one from me in a long time.
Kind of a love song, I guess.
Recorded in my new "studio" (3rd bedroom in the new house). Almost up and running now... shine and don't stop wondering!
****
**Shine - A A J Russe**
On my way…
Not enough is made of your talent for musical arrangement as it's taken for granted in the shadow of your vox. You have such a huge talent, Russe. More please.
A new original from me. Another one-voice, one-guitar, "live" performance in my broom-cupboard. This time it's the good ole tin guitar.
I wrote this one in 2002 during the "dark years" lol. I've ummed and aahed over the years on whether to…
One of the many things I love about your voice is that you can turn from low key rev to buttock-grabbing throttle in a split second. That's pretty fantastic.
So I was locked in the broom-cupboard, checking out some old songs that need recording.
I'd just picked one and then suddenly this thing came out of nowehere. It started with one of those guitarist doodles that other musicians love so much…
Well, here we go then...
****
**Cobwebs - A A J Russe**
Yeah you know what it is that I want
Oh you knew, didn't you, before I did?
How many times did you wonder whether I would dare?
Oh never mind...
Take off your underwear
Over…
Here we go.
This one started out one morning several weeks ago when the sun was still shining...
If it's as wet and dark as it is here, just close your eyes, I'm sure you can imagine it if you try hard enough...
Lollies, chips, and beer…
This song has been sat on the marvellous mechanical mouse organ in the broom-cupboard for well over a year.
A few weeks ago I got a bit of a scare - the mouse organ nearly broke down (in the middle of sorting out Delta Dawn). While I was fixing…
This song has been sat on the marvellous mechanical mouse organ in the broom-cupboard for well over a year.
A few weeks ago I got a bit of a scare - the mouse organ nearly broke down (in the middle of sorting out Delta Dawn). While I was fixing…
Finally, at last... I've got something finished...
Been working on this for a few weeks.
A bit of a rocker... (and an aging lecherous one at that)
I got it as close as I could and then mixed it loud... I've over-cooked it slightly - but…
Here an acoustic trial session of a song I’m playing around with at the moment. It’s half in French and half in English for now. One day, when time allows me :-) I will add musical instruments. For now questioning myself whether to do keep this…
Synths are meant to represent the fast beating heart of the technological city, with its busy trains and industrious people. The breathing is life, and the cheerful keyboard is supposed to be the fun and excitement of life in a city with a flourishing…
That beer on the table yours or mine?
I only left the room for a short time.
If you've gone and switched them I'm gonna be sad,
Cos that beer was the best one that I ever had.
Don't drink my beer, you hear?
I'm counting to 4 just to make…
I came back for a second listen on this one to check out the "60s studio tricks" again - but WOW, this song, the song itself, is a grower... 2nd listen, it could well be my favourite... The fade-in flanged part is "shivers down the spine" time... almost a pity it fades so soon after that!
And there's something really uplifting about this one. Each time the chorus comes round... fab.
Cool guitar sounds too - over the whole album - but I love them here.
He missed you, and though you failed more often than not, you are welcome back home. And there you have it, in all of it's declarations, to ponder, to think about, to question, to wonder. Sonder.
Ok, before I go any further, I need to thank Alonetoner Greg Connor. He proposed a song-writing challenge around the theme of "Who Knew" in early/mid December. Many musicians here in the Alonetone community wrote some amazing songs around this…
Things are great, but then the doubt explodes into technicolor fear. Stoicism can't defeat reality, or is it awareness? And still the antagonist is there. Hard to know.... Another TV-time riff (I hardly watch it, but when I do, I always have a…
Don't tell me how it is, I'm good, I got it, I got it. But are we blind, and are there cracks in a facade? The riff was what came first, probably while watching the idiot box one evening. I am pretty sure it came very soon after RPM '15, and I…
This song is meant to be the intro, set the stage, and talk about the direction of the album. The riff came to me while I was absent-mindedly noodling on my gtr in front of the idiot box one day. I knew at that point I had an album opener of a…
Comments on Andrew Russe's stuff
Authentic and shamelessly cool.
Cool jam!
Super fine cover.
E-P-I-C, A-N-T-H-E-M-I-C.
Haha! My mum wrote this in 2011: Andrew, welcome to Alonetone. Oh love your sound. Man, you’re really good. A little gruesome lyrically, but brilliantly well performed. :) I concur.
Ooh no - I can't claim credit for this one. Justin Currie of Del Amitri wrote it. The original is absolutely GORGEOUS :-) (even makes me cry)
World class song-writing.
That melody is rip-your-heart-out gorgeous. Tear-jerking evil man.
BANGS IT HARD AGAINST THE WALL. Dude.
My first middle name, thanks.
Enjoyed!
Just spectacular song-writing (oh, and performance, SHOCKER!!).
Not enough is made of your talent for musical arrangement as it's taken for granted in the shadow of your vox. You have such a huge talent, Russe. More please.
One of the many things I love about your voice is that you can turn from low key rev to buttock-grabbing throttle in a split second. That's pretty fantastic.
Beautiful vocal - beautiful.
OK. I'm up for it.
Sauce.
"And when you wonder..." gets me every time.
There's magic in your words...
This is absolutely brilliant, Andy.
Comments made by Andrew Russe
Well that's rather yummy
Wow... big sounds.
Like it, keep playing around with it. I think it sounds better in French - I feel more listening to it.
Sigh...
And this is amazing! Weird but utterly compelling.
Love it.
Yep, very cool. Shouldn't be my sort of thing at all - but it grabbed me. Excellent sounds too, really excellent.
This makes me smile. Love the funky guitar picking.
Yep :-)
I came back for a second listen on this one to check out the "60s studio tricks" again - but WOW, this song, the song itself, is a grower... 2nd listen, it could well be my favourite... The fade-in flanged part is "shivers down the spine" time... almost a pity it fades so soon after that!
And there's something really uplifting about this one. Each time the chorus comes round... fab. Cool guitar sounds too - over the whole album - but I love them here.
And this one - I'm always a sucker for descending bass-lines!
On first listen, this was one of the standout tracks for me.
Well that was a very enjoyable 40 minutes - loved it all the way through - nice one, cool album Gary.
Oh yesss, nice
Fabulous album Gary. Sorry I didn't listen to it sooner!
Oh and this follows on perfectly.
I missed most of this, I was out of the room, it was just finishing when I got back. Decided to go back - so glad I did, EXCELLENT one.
This album is grabbing me :-)
Oh yesss