the jukebox
TITLE: Raining Fire
DATE: April 2019
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LOCATION: Chalet Studios Claremont ON
MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Keyboards … David Chester
Guitar … Graham Young
Piano … Bob Burrows
Vocals … Bob Burrows
SONGWRITER: Bob Burrows
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Justin Meli
Mixing Engineer: Josh Bowman
Producer: Bob Burrows
GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines
NOTES:
Raining Fire was written in 1985 to address the issue of acid rain.
The song was then submitted to The Acid Rain Coalition …
who didn’t even have the decency to acknowledge they had received it! … let alone use it in any way.
Since then, when it comes to the environment things have only gotten much worse.
And the song can and does address the catastrophe we are now facing as a whole.
We have recorded the song several times over the years and made a video of it too.
You could drive a truck along the groove the band lays down here, solid as a rock.
And Graham Young’s guitar solo is just wonderful … as always … liquid fire.
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TITLE: Hoochie Coochie Man
DATE: Summer of 2008
LOCATION: Chalet Studios Claremont ON, Slip One Studio Newmarket
MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Hammond B3 … David Chester
Guitar … Larry Leishman
Mouth Organ … Larry Leishman
Vocals … Bob Burrows
SONGWRITER: McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters)
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineers: Scott Campbell, Sam Reid
Mixing Engineer: David Chester / Bob Burrows
Producer: Bob Burrows
GRAPHIC ARTIST: Stuart Blower
NOTES:
Hoochie Coochie Man is one of the songs we played and recorded the first time Burrows And Company got together for a jam session at Chalet Studio just outside Claremont ON in the summer of 2008. On this track, Larry Leishman doubles up, playing both guitar and later overdubbing mouth organ at Slip One Studio in Newmarket. His unusual guitar solo in this song is actually 2 complete solos played at the same time … through the wonders of modern technology.
TITLE: Heartbreak Hotel
DATE: June to October 2011
LOCATION: Chalet Studios Claremont ON, Slip One Studio Newmarket
MUSICIANS:
Drums … Jim Casson
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Piano … Bob Burrows
Guitar … Larry Leishman
Mouth Organ … Larry Leishman
Pedal Steel Guitar … Al Brisco
Flugelhorn … David Ivany
Tenor Horn … Meagan Smith
Baritone Horn … Jeremy Smith
Vocals … Bob Burrows
HORN ARRANGEMENT: Duncan Hopkins
SONGWRITER: Tommy Durdon, Mae Boren Axton, Elvis Presley
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineers: Theo Postumous / David Chester
Mixing Engineer: Sam Reid
Producer: Sam Reid / Bob Burrows
GRAPHIC ARTIST: Stuart Blower
NOTES:
The recording of this song came out of my father’s funeral, where a traditional Salvation Army Band with their traditional horns played … reminded me of my youth and the first organized music I ever heard … Salvation Army Bands. As we worked on the song the idea of supporting the homeless evolved … mostly because of the connection to the Salvation Army which is often associated with that issue. So we also made a video to accompany the song … after wandering the streets of downtown Toronto for several nights. Our intention was to present the video and the recording to Fred Victor Mission to support their comprehensive work in that area and to raise funds for them and The River St. Café (soup kitchen for the homeless) run by The Sally Anne. While we did get the mechanical rights to record the song we could not obtain the synchronization rights for the video from the lawyers of the songwriters for love nor money … they wouldn’t even talk to us! … so we were unable to complete the project as we had hoped. However, the musical adventure and the experience we went through were well worth the time and effort.
TITLE: Gimme Some Lovin’
DATE: November 2019
LOCATION: Chalet Studios
MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Piano … David Chester
Guitar and Slide Guitar … Graham Young
Hammond B3 … Denis Keldie
Vocals … Bob Burrows
Background Vocals … Dave Chester, Graham Young, Bob Burrows
SONGWRITERS: Steve Winwood, Muff Winwood and Spencer Davis
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Justin Meli
Mixing Engineer: Josh Bowman
Producer: Bob Burrows
GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines
NOTES:
We recorded this song in about 20 minutes. Suddenly one of the musicians announced he had to go but we convinced him to stay for a few more minutes.
Have always loved this tune and wanted to try it a little differently with a shuffle for fun … but we had never ever played the song together before.
So I shouted out instructions as best I could until Al started counting us in.
We played it through once and it came off not bad … couple of mistakes.
Quickly called out where we went wrong as Al stated counting us in again.
And that was it! … hard to believe we got what we got … the organ is stunning!
A comment on just how good these players are … never cease to amaze me.
We overdubbed the background vocals later … a fun song … hope you enjoy.
TITLE: All You Need Is Love
DATE: April 2020
LOCATION: Chalet Studios
MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Organ … David Chester
Guitar … Graham Young
Piano … Bob Burrows
Vocals … Bob Burrows
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SONGWRITERS: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
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RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Justin Meli
Mixing Engineer: Josh Bowman
Producer: Bob Burrows
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GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines
NOTES:
The guitar playing on this track is magnificent … from one end to the other.
The whole band gets into a wonderful groove in the ending.
And Dennis gives a nod of respect to The Beatles on our way out.
A challenge to sing but lots of lovely moments … reaching for whatever you got.
Was going to go back and “fix” this or that but just decided to leave it alone.
May not be perfect … but then nothing is.
Bob Burrows
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TITLE: Heartbreak Hotel Live
DATE: October 2019
LOCATION: Burdock Pub, Bloor St. W. Toronto
MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Keyboards … David Chester
Guitar … Graham Young
Piano … Bob Burrows
Vocals … Bob Burrows
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SONGWRITERS: Tommy Durndun, Mae Axton Boren & Elvis Presley
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RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Sound Man at Burdock and room mics
Mixing Engineer: Scott Campbell, Dave Chester
Producer: Bob Burrows
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GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines
NOTES:
This was our last live performance as a band just before the pandemic set in.
I have always loved this song … first rock ‘n roll song I ever heard.
Saw Elvis perform it live on black & white tv on The Tommy Dorsey Show.
We have often used this song as a vehicle to elevate the profile of homelessness.
We originally recorded this version back in 2011 with that in mind.
The guitar playing here is simply wonderful … Graham loves this tune.
You can hear members of the audience calling out to him at the end of his solo.
We really love to play live together and we so seldom get to do that.
There is something magical about live music and you can sense that here.
And if you really do appreciate this performance please give something to help.
The folks at Fred Victor do a wonderful job for the homeless in Toronto.
Inn From The Cold … same deal … Newmarket ON
And there are lots more … talk is cheap … give something … thank you.
TITLE: In My Life
DATE: November 2019
LOCATION: Chalet Studio
MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Organ … David Chester
Guitar … Graham Young
Piano … Bob Burrows
Vocals … Bob Burrows
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SONGWRITERS: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
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RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Justin Meli
Mixing Engineer: Josh Bowman
Producer: Bob Burrows
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GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines
NOTES:
This classic Lennon McCartney song has always been important to me personally.
It was the song my wife and I danced to at our wedding reception.
And unfortunately the song we carried her out of the church to at her funeral.
I have sung the song many times over the years since I first heard it in the 60’s.
Always thought it was John Lennon’s masterpiece … and then he wrote Imagine.
Some lovely piano playing on this track by David Chester, originally it was a duo.
Hope you enjoy our version of this wonderful tune … this one’s for you Judy.
Bob Burrows
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
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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.
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.
TITLE: Money, That’s What I Want
DATE: March 2019
LOCATION: Chalet Studios
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MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Organ … David Chester
Guitar … Graham Young
Piano … Bob Burrows
Vocals … Bob Burrows
SONGWRITERS: Berry Gordy Jr. and Janie Bradford
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Justin Meli
Mixing Engineer: Josh Bowman
Producer: Bob Burrows
GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines
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NOTES:
This is one of my favourite tunes from back in the day, originally recorded by Barrett Strong, who also claimed that he wrote the song … denied by Berry Gordy.
So, even when it came to the song Money, money was in dispute … as usual!
The song was later covered by The Beatles … and many other artists thereafter.
First time I ever heard it was by J. Smith And The Majestics at Club Trocadero.
We recorded the tune as part of a CD project, along with one of our own songs.
In fact, this song represents one of the most important mantras of our time.
It enunciates what many feel about what is most important in their lives.
Whether they admit that … or even recognize that is the case for them personally.
When push comes to shove, “Gold and silver always call the shots” … a line from the other tune in the CD project … Where Did We Go Wrong … money wins out!
As they say, money is the root of all evil … and they were right on the money!
Wonderful double ride guitar solo here from Graham Young … enjoy.
TITLE: Howlin’ For My Darlin’
DATE: Summer 2008
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LOCATION: Chalet Studios
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MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Hammond B3… David Chester
Guitar … Larry Leishman
Trumpet … Andy Gravitis
Trombone … Jim Beck
Vocals … Bob Burrows
SONGWRITER: Chester Burnett
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Scott Campbell
Mixing Engineer: Scott Campbell
Producer: Bob Burrows
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GRAPHIC ARTIST: Stuart Blower
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NOTES:
This recording was made during a jam session at Chalet Studio in the summer of 2008 … the first time our band, Burrows And Company ever played together.
We had planned to play a benefit for my ailing food company at the time.
But when that didn’t work out I decided to get together anyway … and record.
So on a lovely warm summer evening we all got together at Chalet Studio to play.
Friend and former student of mine Scott Campbell agreed to engineer the session.
We had a great time together that evening … and the rest is history as they say.
We have been horsing around in the recording studio together ever since!
We have played a few live gigs but, for the most part, this has been a studio band.
The horns were recorded a couple of years later to complete the work.
The song was written by Howlin’ Wolf aka Chester Burnett … an old r’n b favourite of mine … first heard the tune performed by J. Smith And The Majestics.
TITLE: Tears Of Rage
DATE: February 2017
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LOCATION: Chalet Studios
MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Hammond B3 … David Chester
Guitar … Graham Young
Piano … Bob Burrows
Vocals … Bob Burrows
SONGWRITER: Bob Dylan, Richard Manuel
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: David Chester, Scott Campbell
Mixing Engineer: Josh Bowman
Producer: Bob Burrows
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GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines
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NOTES:
Bob Dylan wrote the lyrics for this song and then handed them to Richard Manuel (piano player and vocalist with The Band) and asked him … do you have any ideas for this? … and so Richard wrote the music to accompany those lyrics.
Richard admitted later that he had no idea what the song was about, but as he said, when you are working with a master like Bob Dylan you don’t ask him that!
In an interview thereafter Dylan said that he wrote the song from the perspective of his parents and their generation’s view and impressions about his generation.
Regardless, the song was released as the first track on The Band’s Music From Big Pink, which took some doing because the record company did not want that at all.
Apparently it is against “the rules’ to start an album with a slow song!
I particularly love the song because it reminds me so much of watching Richard sing all those great gritty blues songs with Levon And The Hawks at The Concord.
Always love the way he growled out those songs while playing that piano.
Richard’s tragic and premature loss seared a hole in all our hearts … forever.
TITLE: Risky Business
DATE: June 2019
LOCATION: Chalet Studios
MUSICIANS:
Drums … Jeff Cox
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Keyboards … David Chester
Guitar … Graham Young
Piano … Bob Burrows
Vocals … Bob Burrows
SONGWRITER: Bob Burrows
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: David Chester
Mixing Engineer: Josh Bowman
Producer: Bob Burrows
GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines
NOTES:
I wrote this song when I discovered that Alex Lifeson … and for that matter, all the other guys in Rush … know every single note they are going to play at a gig when they get up that morning … every note they play all night is predetermined!
Which flies in the face of this music … that is all based on improvisation.
All the music from which our music has evolved features improv … jazz, blues, country, bluegrass, gospel … what Rush plays is classical music without the dots.
If I were to ask our guitarist, Graham Young, what he was going to play in his next solo he would laugh at me and ask … How the hell would I know?!
In fact when he plays a solo Graham makes it all up in real time as he is playing.
That takes a great deal more skill and capacity than planning everything out ahead!
And by the way, Graham’s guitar work throughout this song is just wonderful.
But if we recorded the song again or performed it live it would probably sound somewhat different than it does here … which in some ways is the whole point!
TITLE: Morning Hymn
DATE: March 2021
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LOCATION: Chalet Studios
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MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Keyboards … David Chester
Guitar … Graham Young
Vocals … Bob Burrows
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SONGWRITER: Bruce Cockburn
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Justin Meli
Mixing Engineer: Josh Bowman
Producer: Bob Burrows
GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines
NOTES:
I first became aware of this wonderful song not long after Bruce Cockburn came to Toronto from Ottawa and made off with half the band I was in at the time!
When I first saw Bruce perform I quickly understood why they had left our band!
Wanted to get into his band myself and almost did … Bruce was and remains a master guitarist and one of the best songwriters this country has ever produced.
At one point however, he came to believe that someone else should sing his songs.
I auditioned for that gig and actually got the job except that everyone around Bruce at the time, including manager Harvey Glatt, convinced him to sing his own tunes.
Nevertheless I got to hang out with the band, eventually accompanied them to New York where they opened for vibes player Gary Burton at Steve Paul’s The Scene.
First heard Bruce sing this song in his basement where we often congregated.
Fell in love with the song immediately … one of the best songs I have ever heard.
This is essentially a live recording … there are no edits on this track at all.
It was just one take off the floor at the studio on one magical afternoon in March.
TITLE: A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall
DATE: November 2015
LOCATION: Chalet Studios
MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Keyboards … David Chester
Guitar … Graham Young
Accordion … Denis Keldie
Piano … Bob Burrows
Vocals … Bob Burrows
SONGWRITER: Bob Dylan
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Justin Meli
Mixing Engineer: Josh Bowman
Producer: Bob Burrows
GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raiues
NOTES: The Trump Project Part 1
We recorded this early Bob Dylan classic in preparation for the inauguration of Donald Trump the following January 2016 … we released the song in early January. Have always felt that this song was perfect in that respect as it was when when we rereleased it in December of 2019 … just before all hell broke loose.
We messed around with the time … the original folk masterpiece was in 3 / 4 we did it in 4 / 4 … feel it came off well. Wonderful to have Denis Keldie sitting in with us on accordion here. Most challenging thing for me was memorizing and internalizing the lyric … highly irregular verse patterns and free verse. This was the first graphic image done for us by Mike Raines, a friend and colleague of David Chester. Mike actually used the window frame from an old shed at the studio to frame his powerful vision of Old Glory under attack and in tatters.
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TITLE: Where Did We Go Wrong … Live
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DATE: October 2019
LOCATION: Burdock on Bloor St. W. Toronto
MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Organ … David Chester
Guitar … Graham Young
Piano … Bob Burrows
Harmony Vocals … Carla Walker
Vocals … Bob Burrows
SONGWRITER: Bob Burrows
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: David Chester / sound tech at Burdock
Mixing Engineer: Scott Campbell
Producer: Bob Burrows
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GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines
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NOTES:
This recording is the audio track from a video taken from our last live performance at Burdock on Bloor St W. in Toronto before the COVID pandemic arrived.
We are joined on this particular occasion by vocalist Carla Walker.
You can hear me shouting at her at the end of the guitar solo to start singing!
This recording gives you some idea how our band functions when we play live.
If you compare this track with the studio version, you will notice that we tend to wander into and out of each song as if it is a bit of an adventure of some kind.
The intro is clearly not the same, but we work our way through it anyway!
We rarely play live so each song seems to unfold as we go along … but somehow or other, things seem to work out the way they should … most of the time.
We literally fly by the seat of our pants in such situations but it is a tribute to the skills of these players who love to play together and who can make all that work!
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TITLE: Who Knows
DATE: 2011
LOCATION: Chalet Studios
MUSICIANS:
Instrumental sampling … Larry Leishman
Vocals … Bob Burrows
SONGWRITER: Larry Leishman and Bob Burrows
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Scott Campbell
Mixing Engineer: Scott Campbell
Producer: Bob Burrows
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GRAPHIC ARTIST: Stuart Blower
NOTES:
In honour of Earth Day 2022, we are sharing a song with you that we have never shared before.
I wrote this song ... Who Knows ... with my dearly departed brother in music Larry Leishman.
Larry was a very funky blues guitarist but on this occasion his guitar never came out of the case.
He had bought himself a new Apple computer, discovered the program Garage Band on it and he came across all sorts of samples taken of real instruments so he started experimenting with them.
A while later he sent me a track of the outcome of his adventures which was a series of clips he had put together ... seemed he was also very funky using technology as well ... it was great.
But it was a collection of phrases, kind of connected but not something you would call a song.
However many of the sections of music he had created really appealed to me and I was listening to his track of phrases one night very late when I was working on other stuff on my computer.
At that time a melody to certain parts of what he had done started to occur to me but there was no way I could sing them to what he had sent ... but I was wailing away anyway at 2 AM or so.
Then one line of lyric fell down from the sky ... Who knows, somebody tell me, how will we look them in the eye. Who knows, next generation, what will be our alibi ... we don’t have one!
So I called a former student of mine who became one of the best recording engineers in the country ... Scott Campbell ... and asked him to help me create something I could sing to.
I gave him “the recipe” for the song which he then cut and pasted together seamlessly.
Then I took that, went to Chalet Studio where we always record and recorded the vocals.
The lyric for this song were inspired by the “final lecture” by Dr. David Suzuki ... who is still on television every week so I guess it wasn’t that final after all ... in which he stated that he felt that the message he had been trying to deliver for many years had fallen on deaf ears about which he was very disappointed and understandably somewhat disillusioned ... how could he not be!
He also said that he was always searching for ways to bring his message home to people.
The main theme in Who Knows is intended to get folks to understand that what we (they) are doing to this planet will have a profound impact on the world we are leaving for our kids.
Surely that would be a message that would resonate with a great many parents I thought.
As another line from the song goes ... We tell them that we love them, care for them in every way. While they are watching their world crumble, what are we gonna say? Who knows ...
So we decided to send the song to Dr. Suzuki as a gift to be used in any way he saw fit.
Eventually got a lovely e mail from him directly thanking us for taking the time to do that.
TITLE: Walkin’ The Dog
DATE: 2009 to 2021
LOCATION: Chalet Studios
MUSICIANS:
Drums … Al Cross
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Trumpet … Dennis Pendrith
Guitar … Graham Young
Vocals … Bob Burrows
SONGWRITER: Rufus Thomas
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RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Justin Meli, David Chester
Mixing Engineer: Josh Bowman
Producer: Bob Burrows
GRAPHIC ARTIST: Mike Raines
NOTES:
Please see our Blog Page for the story about how we recorded this song …
The Tail Behind The Tune … Walkin’ The Dog.
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TITLE: Freedom From The NRA
DATE: February 2013
LOCATION: Wanted S & P Studio … Toronto
MUSICIANS:
Percussion … Al Cross
Vocals … Bob Burrows
SONGWRITER: Bob Burrows
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Scott Campbell
Mixing Engineer: Scott Campbell
Producer: Bob Burrows
NOTES:
I wrote this song in response to the response of the American Congress to Barrack Obama’s effort to create legislation to require background checks for prospective buyers at gun shows, that was supported by 85% of Americans yet was still defeated in the Senate because of lobbying by the NRA … after the massacre of twenty 5 and 6 year olds and six of their teachers at Sandy Hook P.S.
Unfortunately this horrendous event has been followed by a great many other similar massacres of all sorts of totally innocent human beings in the USA.
Because the song was written so long ago the lyric is somewhat dated at this time.
But the central theme of the song still has merit and validity in that the NRA still exercises enormous control over any debate or discussion of this topic in government because they fund campaigns for a great many politicians in that flawed country, who then vote as instructed on any efforts to improve the situation.
It seems to me that the only way to change this circumstance would be to circumvent the control that the NRA exercises over politicians they own by holding a national referendum to ask the American people directly what they want.
I believe that the results of such a plebiscite would be surprising and that the average American would support reasonable gun laws, but no one ever asks them.
Contrary to the myth many have of gun loving and gun toting Yankees, Americans likely want what we all want … safer streets for their kids and their families.
This recording was a duet between myself and our drummer Al Cross who did not play on a traditional drum kit but used found objects around the studio … like a cardboard box we discovered in the back … bass drum … and a toy tambourine!
TITLE: She Moves Me
DATE: 1998
LOCATIONS: Lydian Sound, Toronto
Sam Reid’s boathouse studio, River Drive Park, Holland Landing
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MUSICIANS:
Drums … Mark Kelso
Bass … Dennis Pendrith
Keyboards … Denis Keldie
Guitar … Larry Leishman
Tenor Sax … Steve Kennedy
Tenor Sax … Mike Sartor
Alto Sax … Steve Collins
Flugelhorn … Ricky Waychesko
Trombone … Jim Beck
Vocals … Bob Burrows
SONGWRITER: Bob Burrows
HORN ARRANGEMENT: Steve Collins
RECORDING PERSONNEL:
Recording Engineer: Scott Campbell
Mixing Engineer: Mike Jones
Producer: Sam Reid
NOTES:
We recorded this song as part of a CD project called Bobby Kris Now in 1998.
I sang under the name Bobby Kris when I was a kid in the 1960’s so as to obscure from my parents that I was singing in another one of those evil rock ‘n roll bands!
They had threatened to throw me out of the house if I ever did that again.
Regardless of my efforts to hide that from them they caught me on my first gig.
And then they promptly threw me out of the house, just as they had promised!
I wrote the song about a wonderful young woman I met in the mid 1980’s.
This recording features a 5 piece horn section including Steve Kennedy.
The horn arrangement was written by alto sax player … the late Steve Collins.
Also on this session was the late Larry Leishman on his Fender Telecaster.