For this latest CD, I thought I'd try something different. Inside the CD cover, there's a line in there that says, "for years my parents have been asking me when I was going to do an instrumental CD."  As much as I like making up words to songs and singing, even though some people wish I wouldn't, making no lyrics is really, really easy.

I'll be honest, to me, there isn't too much brand new here. These are all redone songs of mine that I had for years. I did plan on starting a CD (with vocals) last Spring but never got around to finishing it up. A lot of that had to do with me having a Gypsy year (living in 4 different places in one year) so I'm amazed I got anything at all.  Some songs were from the end of 2011, and at the time, they were "just for me". 

What gave me the idea for doing the instrumental CD was the song Following.  I thought it turned out very well and that got the ball rolling.  And I wanted to have a CD out for 2012.  The neat thing is, the CD turned out well; the best thing I have to date.  And I liked it being different.  I liked having an acoustic guitar on every track (but 1), clean guitars, and lots of slide guitars.

For this CD, I didn't use a wide variety of guitars. Any slide guitar you hear is my Epiphone Les Paul Special, any regular acoustic guitar is my Takamine and most clean guitars was my Les Paul Studio Plus.  And when I got done mixing it, it dawned on me that all the songs were in major keys. Now that's a first. 

The title, especially the Volume 1 part, means that yes, eventually a Volume 2 will be out (unless I physically can't do it). I already know the next one will be less acoustic-y but I don't want to get ahead of myself.  The next CD, and maybe the one after it, will be the usual with vocals.  In short, I'm not maturing anytime soon.

Natural Flavours
Back in 1999 when I was mixing down the 4-track to a MiniDisc player, I originally did this. The arrangement is identical except now I have nicer gear, so it sounds better. Also, there would have been no way I could have gotten the stereo slide guitar (split with a BOSS Super Chorus with one output going to the SansAmp and the other going into a BOSS Acoustic Simulator). Usually when I record something, I don't know how it'll turn out but this is the same as the old one - only better. This was recorded at the end of 2011.
For at least where the song came from, it's pretty obvious: listening to early Rod Stewart too much, especially Jo's Lament from Gasoline Alley.
Guitars: Slide: Epi LP Spec; acoustics: Takamine; main middle guitar: Epiphone MD-100 resonator; Leslie guitar: don't remember but probably the SG3; bass: Fender Jazz Bass

Much Thanks
This goes further back than Natural Flavours but only by a year. Pretty darn close to the original but again, it sounds better. This is one of two songs I used a Beaver Creek guitar on. The guitar was a lemon. They sound OK but I took it in twice because the neck warped. Two times too much. Anyways, this song was another one that was recorded at the end of 2011.
The title comes from when I originally recorded it on a 4-track. It was pretty sloppy, but I redid the whole thing and it was better, so that's where the Much Thanks comes from.  Reading that back, it doesn't make much sense.  Oh well.
Guitars: Plenty. Acoustics: Takamine; acoustic lead lines: Beaver Creek; electrics: Les Paul Studio Plus; clean chorused electric: probably the SG3; bass: Fender Jazz

R&R
Originally recorded around the same time I originally recorded Much Thanks. This is pretty close to the original except I left out a vocal line doing the slide guitar line and I shortened it up. You can tell I just got my BOSS Super Chorus pedal.  I can anyways. Recorded at the end of 2011 but added the panned guitars in the summer of 2012.
I guess this is a country-reggae song. I don't know how else to describe it. I think it's semi-relaxing to listen to.
Guitars: Slide: LP Spec; lead electric: LP Studio; panned guitars: SG3; bass: Goya

No Harm Done
The only new song of the bunch.  The basic tracks (bass/drums/guitar) were recorded in the Spring of 2012 and then the slide parts were done in my kitchen in the summer of 2012.  The song pretty much came out on the spot and it was meant as something I'd get back to and maybe make some words for.  The track is pretty loose but I think that's from me having every intention to redo the drums and bass but that never happened.  Actually, I should say the same for the guitar solo - I didn't mean to keep it.
Surprise, this one got name after the title. When I was getting it mastered, Mark asked me if I was listening to George Harrison becuase of the harmony slide guitars. It's a little embarrassing to admit but I don't have any solo George but doing a harmony slide guitar line was something I wanted to do for a while.
Guitars: acoustics: Takamine; electrics: LP Spec; bass: Epi EB3

Following
This is what started the whole thing. My original 4-track version was recorded in 1996 but that was all acoustic. This version has lots of guitars on it.  So many, I forget what I used. And why I thought I'd redo old songs in the first place was to try out some new effects.  For example, the main guitar was split using a BOSS Super Chorus.  One output went to the Sans Amp and the other output went to a Line 6 Roto Machine so I could do "two guitars at one time".  Also, there's a guitar going through a BOSS Acoustic Simulator. 
The title came from opening up the I Ching to a random page and using that hexagram as a title. Instrumentals are the hardest thing to give names to, even more so than naming a fish.
Guitars: thousands; I don't remember much but the obvious ones. Electrics: LP Studio; acoustics: Takamine; bass: Goya.

Can't Go Back
The main part of this was originally 4-tracked in 1996 with pretty much the same arrangement except the "vocal line" slide guitar is new and that high pitched ringing is really there and not on purpose.  That's what I get for sitting too close to the recording machine with single coil pickups.  I didn't really notice it until I got it mastered.  For the acoustic, I used my Tascam stereo microphone. I thought it turned out so well, I did the same thing on two other songs.
This was recorded in the summer of 2012.  The beginning part was from a different song I only titled Hey Hey which is one that I originally put to tape way back in 1992.  I hate remembering dates only because I remember how long I've been doing home recording.  So, being that the two songs were in the same key (not planned), I thought I'd stick them together, joined by bird sounds.
The title comes from debating whether or not to go back out with an old grilfriend.  As the old saying goes, you can't put spolied milk in the fridge and expect it to come out fresh, so really you can't go back to the way things were so it's best to drop it.  Geeze, that's the deepest thing I've ever put on my website.
Guitars: Takamine with a capo; slide: LP Spec; bass: Fender Jazz Bass.

Hear and Now
Ah, probably the best thing I've recorded to date and I'm very happy that there are only two guitars (not counting bass) on this song and each guitar was one take.  That might explain why the slide guitar is a bit out of tune at the beginning.  It was because I ended up getting a "keeper solo" (no bloopers) at the end.  Then that slide guitar track, that was already going through the RotoVibe pedal, got a stereo chorus treatment using a BOSS Super Chorus pedal just to fill things out.  Sounds neat through the headphones.  Again, the Takamine was recorded with the tascam stereo microphone.
All recorded in the Summer of 2012.  The original I did at the beginning of 1995 inspired by a beer commercial because back then, the most musically interesting things were on beer commercials with loops and the whole bit.  Mind you, I didn't have loops when I originally did this.  The whole image of snow covered mountains, which has nothing to do with crummy U.S. beer, still sticks in my head.  The title is a throw-away title but I'm OK with that.
Guitars: acoustic: Takamine; electric: Epi LP Spec; bass: Fender Jazz

Ceiling Fan
This was originally done in 1999 with the arrangement being basically the same as this one recorded at the end of 2011.  Nothing fancy here but it's neat hearing the difference between finger-picking (centre guitar) and using a pick (for the panned guitars) from the Takamine. 
The title comes from when I did the orignal 4-track version because you could hear the ceiling fan that was in my room.  It was summer.  That's about it.  Now there may not be an audible ceiling fan in this new version but I can hear the cars going by.  It's faint but it's there.  Still not sure what "inspired" the song.
Guitars: Takamine; bass: Epi EB3

No Blame
This was originally 4-tracked in the summer 1998.  I like an organ sound.  Then, I only had one slide guitar part because I only had 4 tracks.  Now it has 3.  I still remember doing the guitar parts in the kitchen.  Again, the acoustic was recorded with the Tascam stereo mic.  Also, since I'm not a keyboard player by any stretch, I did two tracks; one playing the melody line and the other playing the verse parts.  I'm not a proud guy.  The ending was an accident when I was doing the acoustic guitar track, so instead of fading it, I built on it adding the vibes and slide guitars.  Turned out kind of neat.
The title came from the I Ching again but from the commentaries about the Hexagrams. It was "inspired" by Joe Walsh's But Seriously Folks album even though this doesn't sound like anything that would be off of it.
Guitars: acoustic: Takamine; slide guitars: LP Spec; bass: Fender Jazz.

Bonus Songs

That's right. If you own a copy of the CD, there are links in side to download mp3s or wavs of two extra songs. They were going to be part of the CD but they didn't fit the running order.

I Don't Know
One of my earliest songs and dates back to 1990 back when I was borrowing 4-track machines. And I got one of my better, off-the-cuff solos (first take). I thought, "Think Mark Knopfler".
I did a few versions of this way back when and one had lyrics, with the chorus being (follows the guitar line) "Do I love her?; I don't know; Do I like her?; That's for sure." So that's where the title comes from.
Guitars: rhythm guitar: Epi Nighthawk; lead guitar: LP Studio; bass: EB3

Making Up The Mind
Another one from 1999 and this stayed pretty close to the original. Sort of a neat chord change and two guitar solos, one in each ear, at the end.  The title doesn't have a deeper meaning.  It pretty much means I couldn't think of a better title.
Guitars: Les Paul Studioè Takamine

So that's it. I'm pretty happy I went with doing the instrumental thing even though I bought a BOSS VE20 vocal processor for my vocals.  As I mentioned, Volume 2 will have more things like Hear and Now and more minor key things but that'll be at least a year away unless I record a song here and there over the next couple of months. At least the next CD will be recorded all in one place.