top of page
Search

Updated: Mar 17, 2022

TITLE: Sweet Mother Earth


DATE: March 2017


LOCATION: Chalet Studios


MUSICIANS:


Drums … Al Cross

Acoustic Bass … Dennis Pendrith

Mandolin … Graham Young

Fiddle … Brooke Stewart

Harmony Vocals … Jayme Lynn Reed, Bob Burrows

Lead Vocal … Bob Burrows


SONGWRITER: Bob Burrows


RECORDING PERSONNEL:


Recording Engineer: Justin Meli, Dave Chester

Mixing Engineer: Josh Bowman

Producer: Bob Burrows


GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines


NOTES:

Sweet Mother Earth was written to say something positive about environmental issues … to encourage people to do something positive for the planet in their lives.

And to suggest that something like that was indeed possible … that we could still make a difference if we put our minds to it, though I don’t know if I really believe that given our past conduct and attitude … nothing is out of the question.

Strangely in the adventure of making this song I experienced some revelations.

About the nature of reality, the nature of the universe.

Many, like myself when I started to write this song, often use the term Mother Earth metaphorically … “as if” the Earth was our mother … when in the course of writing I came to realize as many indigenous people understood, that Earth is in fact my mother, the mother who bore all life on her being with help from the Sun.

With some important assistance and essential cooperation from Father Sun.

We were joined on this recording by country singer Jayme Lynn Reed on vocals and Brooke Stewart of Port Hope ON sitting in with us on fiddle.


TITLE: Where Did We Go Wrong


DATE: December 2015


LOCATION: Chalet Studios


MUSICIANS:


Drums … Al Cross

Bass … Dennis Pendrith

Hammond B3 … Denis Keldie

Guitar … Graham Young

Piano … Bob Burrows

Vocals … Bob Burrows


SONGWRITER: Bob Burrows


RECORDING PERSONNEL:


Recording Engineers: David Chester

Mixing Engineers: Ian Bodazi, Scott Campbell

Producer: Bob Burrows


GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines


NOTES:

Where Did We Go Wrong expresses many of the ideas and conclusions of The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History … our extinction … by Elizabeth Kolbert.

It is a very dark and ominous song … and it is intended to be just that!

When I invited Denis Keldie to sit in with us on this tune, he told me that he loved the song but thought I should write another verse to give people something to be hopeful for … to which I replied, that’s just the point Denis, there is nothing to be hopeful for with regard to our situation here given our past bevaviour and conduct.

The lyrics of this tune very much mirror and reflect the rather stark and blunt comments to the U N’s Environmental Conference by Greta Thunberg in 2020.

Not only are we consuming the planet we live on, we seem, like Thelma and Louise, to be in a hurry to hurtle ourselves off the cliff and our planet into oblivion.

WDWGW was also the other song on our CD Project with Money … and for good reason … the two songs and the cause of the problems are inextricably connected.

The guitar solo here by Graham is one of the finest I have ever heard.




Updated: Mar 17, 2022

TITLE: Over Yonder


DATE: November 2019


LOCATION: Chalet Studios


MUSICIANS:


Drums … Al Cross

Bass … Dennis Pendrith

Organ … David Chester

Guitar … Graham Young

Piano … Denis Keldie

Vocals … Bob Burrows



SONGWRITER: Bob Burrows


RECORDING PERSONNEL:


Recording Engineer: Justin Meli

Mixing Engineer: Josh Bowman

Producer: Bob Burrows


GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines


NOTES:

Over Yonder enunciates many of the thoughts and feelings I have had over the past few years about the end of life, at my age you think about such things more often!

It also addresses a lot of concepts and ideas about all that from others, especially organized religion about what death means and what happens afterwards.

To me, what happens after death is rather obvious! … and a lot of things that are said about it and what transpires are little more than fanciful nonsense.

When I first played the song to our musical director and bandmate Dave Chester he broke into gales of laughter at the ending … A song about a topic everyone wants to hear about Bob … he said … dying! A song to literally die for!

And I wonder why I don’t have more Listeners on Spotify.

Great piano playing on this track by a close friend of our band … Denis Keldie.

His touch here reminds me a lot of Floyd Kramer.

As I wrote this song I could hear Roebuck Pop Staples wailing away in my head.


bottom of page