If you were dead my life would be simple
I'd hurt and miss you like I do
But the missing would be different, if you were dead
If you were dead it would be all over
I'd cry and write a song or two
But the songs would be different, if you were…
I KNEW YOU'S GONNA SAY THAT
Well, I woke up this mornin agreeing with you completely
Oh, yeah, I woke up this mornin agreeing with you completely
(forgive me for this silly song...)
(C) 2009 Royal T Music
COOKIES
G B7 Em C
G) I got a lawn to mow. B7) Weeds to hoe.
Em) Cans I need to cash in at C) Recycle rodeo
Thots I need to think. Sites I need to link
Piles of dirty dishes waiting in the sink
But I got A) cookies in the kitchen
and…
WHEN HANNAH IS SILENT
When Hanna is silent, I worry
When Hanna squirt, I wait
When Hannah shuts down,
There's a cloud on this town
Her silence increases the distance
When Hannah is silent, it's dark
Her words are the cues
To find…
by James Michael Taylor
I have a brain that I must keep busy
I have a heart with too many hurts
And I have a house with too many memories
My life is broken but somehow it still works
And I have a dream that wakes me up crying
I feel…
FISHING
People keep saying that it's a big ocean
There's more than one fish in the sea
Where did they get such a ridiculous notion
What's fishin' between you and me
Fishin' or fusion, photo voltaic cells
Wind mills and hydrogen too…
This is the original version of WILD BILL
that I submitted to Production back in '95
when I was working on the film. It got set aside
when the music was forwarded from Ry Cooter to Van Dyke Parks.
One day I came in from work and Peggy…
This is the original version of WILD BILL
that I submitted to Production back in '95
when I was working on the film. It got set aside
when the music was forwarded from Ry Cooter to Van Dyke Parks.
One day I came in from work and Peggy…
This is the original version of WILD BILL
that I submitted to Production back in '95
when I was working on the film. It got set aside
when the music was forwarded from Ry Cooter to Van Dyke Parks.
One day I came in from work and Peggy…
OCCUPY 0112
It's a highland I call my land
It's an island in the sun
No matter how you measure it
It's always number one
If I had a house to occupy
I'd occupy my wish
But to have a house to occupy
I must defy the rich
We buy the…
OCCUPY 0112
It's a highland I call my land
It's an island in the sun
No matter how you measure it
It's always number one
If I had a house to occupy
I'd occupy my wish
But to have a house to occupy
I must defy the rich
We buy the…
OCCUPY 0112
It's a highland I call my land
It's an island in the sun
No matter how you measure it
It's always number one
If I had a house to occupy
I'd occupy my wish
But to have a house to occupy
I must defy the rich
We buy the…
Just thinking about Happiness. Thinking about how she said she was leaving because she wanted to be happy.
HAPPY Key - C walking down...
Happy is the anvil as the hammer strikes the blade
A fleeting spark that fades as the memory is made…
OCCUPY 0112
It's a highland I call my land
It's an island in the sun
No matter how you measure it
It's always number one
If I had a house to occupy
I'd occupy my wish
But to have a house to occupy
I must defy the rich
We buy the…
OCCUPY 0112
It's a highland I call my land
It's an island in the sun
No matter how you measure it
It's always number one
If I had a house to occupy
I'd occupy my wish
But to have a house to occupy
I must defy the rich
We buy the…
Just thinking about Happiness. Thinking about how she said she was leaving because she wanted to be happy.
HAPPY Key - C walking down...
Happy is the anvil as the hammer strikes the blade
A fleeting spark that fades as the memory is made…
Beautiful guitar and arrangement. Maybe happiness is accepting reality and doing the best you can with it, but I wouldn't know for sure, cause I haven't reached that point, either.
Robin Trower cover. I make no excuses for the number of licks I learned from Robin Trower.
Be sure to listen carefully towards the end when some horney, white girls will sing you into their beds!!!!!
Always been a fan of John Prine and next to Sam Stone this was one of my favorites. Done with a slight hip hop beat to it.
All tracks played by me....in my studio....in my office....at home.
Yeah, I'm kinda low budget...
This is the first thing I recorded using the telecaster you can see in my profile pic. It's a one-take jam played over one of those guitar magazine backing tracks. Thanks for the listen :-)
Psychological consequences of war.....written and performed by Nick Plagakis.....Lyrics:
Sixty seven shots ringing
Across the desert, heads are spinning
Bang, Bang Bang; is all I hear
Bang, Bang, Bang;…
A little jazz-funk for your delectation. My homage to Jeff Beck's 1975 masterpiece album "Blow By Blow". The title is the name of a Lee Child book I was reading at the time I was writing the tune.
That's even cooler if you can program drums all by yourself. I just tap them out on my midi keyboard sometimes, or whack a snare drum, add some reverb and pull it back in the mix. About THE WINNOWING, I don't know if it's obvious but I sang all the parts.
A little jazz-funk for your delectation. My homage to Jeff Beck's 1975 masterpiece album "Blow By Blow". The title is the name of a Lee Child book I was reading at the time I was writing the tune.
This song's going on 32 years old...
Some 12 years older than I was when I wrote it!!
I borrowed the title from one of my favourite madrigals, The Silver Swan by Orlando Gibbons:
"The silver swan who living hath no note, when death approached…
I wasn't going to post this - it's the original demo that the finished version is based on. This is the same lead vocal and resonator part that's on the full version - no EQ or anything, just the naked tracks. There's two bars of silence before…
Comments on James Michael Taylor's stuff
Such a poignant and realistic song. Love your vocal and lyric!
Oh! happy birthday Levi!
Ha, you hit the heights vocally here! Rockin good!
Love the honky tonk feel and the melody. Oooo, who can whistle then! I think I'll make some tea!
Ah, short but most effective!
The silent alarm - great line! Lovely clear vox.
I can see you sitting on a stool in front of a live audience. Really cute song.
Great story telling! Be careful . . . You might bring up the spirit of Townes VanZant too! There is nothing better than a wistful song.
A story perfectly told. Love the vocals!
Love the contrasts in the vocals .....the trumpet works a treat ....a wonderful story
Makes me want to hoist a pint and it's only seven in the morning!
Picturing JMT in a kilt.
Very Gaelic in flavour,love it
Here is the rare chance to listen to JMT who thinking about ~Happiness~
Come here to listen to what The Man said!
Gosh, this is powerful stuff and a refreshing rework of the original. Your vocal timing is impeccable.
Sounds like an Irish folky song. The "Diamonds back to coal" is a great line! Love it, very jaunty!
whoo... JT memory is such a tricky thing
whiskey did some one say whiskey
Beautiful guitar and arrangement. Maybe happiness is accepting reality and doing the best you can with it, but I wouldn't know for sure, cause I haven't reached that point, either.
Comments made by James Michael Taylor
I really like this. Good solid beat with a lot of interesting strings and very clean vocal. Great mix.
Oh, Mamma...
Great the way you get your voice to shine thru all the music. Great production/mix.
Beautiful song very effectively sung.
Love your delivery.
Has a Townes Van Zandt sadness about it.
You need to get in touch with Jody Jones to get a slot at the songwriter showcase at the Magnolia in Fort Worth on Monday nights.
The new John Renborn.
Lost my mom a couple of years ago. I understand your playing with so much feeling. I try to hold on to my mom by singing in her clear sweet voice.
Great picking.
That's relaxing...
So well said.
That's even cooler if you can program drums all by yourself. I just tap them out on my midi keyboard sometimes, or whack a snare drum, add some reverb and pull it back in the mix. About THE WINNOWING, I don't know if it's obvious but I sang all the parts.
...and now you are going nashville on us. What range you have!
Could be the theme music for one of those007 movies. Very English.
Welcome to Alonetone. And thanx for listening to my songs. I like this. So sparse. So nimble when you go to the second guitar. Are those live drums?
This is very popie/r&B. Sounds like a fun one to sing. I might have posted LAYLA back when i first recorded it. Can't remember
Yeah, imaginary lovers are easier to keep around.
Martgueritaville II
I will miss his very specific and kind comments.