Credits and Lyrics

cvr project ghost outfit
cvr working the long game
Bill Lloyd LLOYD ERING cvr
cvr The Day After Christmas 3 EP 2012
cvr the sky kings
cvr the sky kings

CREDITS

        * "Standing On the Shoulders of Giants"  (Lloyd) (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music, BMI)

          Produced by Bill Lloyd.
          Mixed by Scott Baggett and Bill at The Electric Sandbox in Nashville, TN.
          Drums recorded by Marc Owens and  Billy Smith at High Street Studio in Bowling Green, KY.
          Everything  Else recorded at home  (Def Heffer Studio) in Nashville.

          Drums: Marc Owens
          Guitars, Bass, Synth, Maraccas and Vocals: Bill
           
        * "Cool and Gone"  (Bill Lloyd / David Surface)   (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music/


          Angel on My Table Music, BMI)

          Produced by Bill Lloyd and Brad Jones.
          Recorded by Brad and Robin Eaton and mixed by Brad at Alex the Great in Nashville, TN.

          Drums : Fenner Castner
          Bass Guitar, Organ and Mandolin : Brad Jones
          Vibes: Pat Buchanan
          Harmony vocals: Kim Richey and Bill  (Kim Richey appears courtesy of Mercury Records)
          Acoustic Guitars, Tambourine and Vocals : Bill Lloyd
           
        * "Sweet Virginia"  (Lloyd / DeMain) (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music, BMI, and


          Mr. Bakshi Music -  administered by Bug Music, SESAC)

          Produced by Bill Lloyd and Scott Baggett.
          Drums and Bass recorded at Battery by Scott.
          Overdubs recorded at Def Heffer by Bill and by Scott at The Sandbox.
          Mixed at The Electric Sandbox by Scott and Bill.

          Drums:  Greg Morrow
          Bass:  Byron House
          Electric Piano : Scott Baggett
          Electric Guitar: Al Anderson
          Background Vocals: Swandive (Molly Felder and Bill DeMain)
          Acoustic guitars, Electric 12-string, Harpsichord, Organ, Tambourine, and Vocals: Bill

         

        * "Dr. Robert's Second Opinion"  (Lloyd) (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music, BMI)

          Produced by Bill Lloyd and Scott Baggett.
          Basic tracks recorded by Scott at Battery Studios in Nashville, TN.
          Overdubs recorded at Def Heffer by Bill.
          Mixed By Scott Baggett and Bill at The Electric Sandbox.

          Drums : Dennis Diken  (Dennis Diken appears courtesy of VelVel Records and The Smithereens)
          12-String Bass: Tom Petersen   (Tom Petersen appears courtesy of Cheap Trick)
          Henry Gross and Bill: counter-melody background vocals
          Many Guitars, Keyboards, Tambourine and Vocals : Bill

         

    Tom Petersen, Dennis Diken, Scott Baggett,
    and Bill in the studio, 1998 (photo by Jon Graboff)

          o "Holding Back the Waterfall"  (Lloyd / Crenshaw) (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music -

            Amalgamated Consolidated Music - administered by Bug, BMI)

            Produced by Bill Lloyd and Scott Baggett.
            Basic tracks recorded at Battery by Scott.
            Overdubs recorded at Def Heffer by Bill and at M.C.'s house by M.C.
            Mixed at The Electric Sandbox by Scott and Bill.

            Drums: Greg Morrow
            Bass: Byron House
            Guitar solo and psychotic outro guitar with Plan 9 FX:  Marshall Crenshaw: (Marshall Crenshaw appears
                                 courtesy of Razor and Tie Records)
            Harmony Vocals: John Cowan and Bill
            Acoustic and Electric Guitars (low guy on solo), 6-string bass,Tambourine, Vocals : Bill
             
             
          o "(Who You Gonna') Run To Now"  (Lloyd / Walmsley)  (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music-

            Little Pebble Music, BMI)

            Produced by Bill Lloyd and Scott Baggett.
            Basic tracks recorded at Battery by Scott.
            Overdubs recorded at Def Heffer  by Bill.
            Mixed at The Electric Sandbox by Scott and Bill.

            Drums: Greg Morrow
            Bass: Byron House
            Lap Steel: Rusty Young
            Vocal Harmony: Greg Trooper (Greg is a Koch artist)
            Acoustic and Electric Guitars, 6-string bass ,Tambourine, Organ, and Vocals : Bill
             
             
          o "Complaints"  (Lloyd) (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music, BMI)
            Produced by Bill Lloyd and Scott Baggett.
            Basic tracks from Battery.
            Overdubs at Def Heffer and Mixed at The Electric Sandbox by Scott and Bill

            Drums: Greg Morrow
            Bass: Byron House
             
             
          o "Don't Kid Yourself"  (Lloyd / DeMain) (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music, BMI, and

            Mr. Bakshi Music -  administered by Bug Music, SESAC)

            Produced by Bill Lloyd.
            Drum track recorded by Brad Jones at Alex the Great.
            Overdubs recorded by Bill at Def Heffer.
            Mixed at Alex the Great by Brad.

            Drums by Fenner Castner
            Background vocals: Kim Richey and Bill (Kim still courtesy o' Mercury)
            Electrtic Guitars, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Organ and Tambourine: Bill
             
             
          o "This Is The Way"  (Lloyd) (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music, BMI)
            Produced by Bill Lloyd and Scott Baggett.
            Basic tracks recorded by Scott at Battery.
            Overdubs at Def Heffer and Al's ReKooped Studio.
            Mixed by Scott and Bill at The Electric Sandbox

            Drums : Dennis Diken
            12-String Bass: Tom Peterson
            Organ : Al Kooper
            Background Vocals: Amy Rigby and Cindy Bullens (Amy Rigby is a Koch artist)
            Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Tambourine and Vocals: Bill
             
             
          o "She Won't Be Back"  (Lloyd) (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music, BMI)
            Produced by Bill Lloyd and Scott Baggett.
            Basic tracks  recorded by Scott at Battery.
            Overdubs at Def Heffer and Time Warp by Scott and Bill.
            Mixed at The Electric Sandbox by Scott and Bill.

            Drums: Greg Morrow
            Bass: Byron House
            Synth on Bridge: Scott Baggett
            Electric Guitar Solo: Pat Buchanan
            Harmony Vocals: Doug Carman and Bill
            Electric Guitars, Wurlitzer, Organ, Tambourine, Maraccas, Vocals:  Bill
             
             
          o "Box of Snakes"  (Lloyd / DeMain) (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music, BMI, and

            Mr. Bakshi Music -  administered by Bug Music, SESAC)

            Produced by Bill Lloyd and Bill DeMain.
            Basic tracks  recorded  by Scott at Battery.
            Overdubs at Def Heffer.
            Mixed at The Electric Sandbox by Scott and Bill.

            Drums: Greg Morrow
            Vocal Harmonies: John Cowan and Bill
            Electric guitar (solo's and fills):  Pat "Wah Wah" Buchanan AND Pat also plays the Leslie'd Guitar on
                               the Bridge
            Electric Guitars, Bass Guitar, Keyboard, Percussion and Vocals: Bill
             
             
          o "So You Won't Have To" (Lloyd / Noble) (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music- Under the Bridge

            Music, BMI)

            Produced by Bill Lloyd and Scott Baggett.
            Basic tracks recorded by Scott at Battery Studio.
            Overdubs  recorded by Bill at Def Heffer.
            Mixed at The Electric Sandbox by Scott and Bill.

            Drums: Greg  Morrow
            Bass: Byron  House
            Vocal Harmonies: John Cowan and Bill
            Acoustic and Electric Guitars,Tambourine and Vocals : Bill
             
             
          o "Years Away From Here" (Lloyd / Buchanan) (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music, BMI)
            Produced by Bill Lloyd and Scott Baggett Drums recorded by Pat Buchanan in his Dungeon.  Thanks Pat!
            All overdubs recorded at Def Heffer by Bill.
            Mixed by Scott and Bill at The Electric Sandbox.

            Drums: Wayne Killius
            Steel Guitar: Rusty Young
            Slide Guitars: Pat Buchanan
            Electric Guitar, Bass guitar, 6-string bass, Keyboards, Tambourine, and Vocals : Bill
             
             
          o "Turn Me On Dead Man"  (Lloyd / DeMain) (Warner-Tamerlane/Def Heffer Music, BMI, and

            Mr. Bakshi Music -  administered by Bug Music, SESAC)

            Produced by Bill Lloyd and Brad Jones.
            Recorded and mixed by Brad Jones at Alex the Great in Berry Hill..

            Drums : Fenner Castner
            Fake Flute Keyboard : Brad Jones
            Electric Guitars, Bass Guitar,Tambourine and Vocals : Bill Lloyd

             

LYRICS



          o
            "Standing On the Shoulders of Giants" (Bill Lloyd)

            V1   He was born just a little too late in the 20th century
                   Too late for a man to write a new page in history
                   He says .. there's nothing new under the sun
                   Every thought in his head had been one
                   that some skull in a grave had begun
                   in another lifetime

            CH  We're all Standing On the Shoulders of Giants
                   Who were Standing On the Shoulders of Giants
                   Every genius unleashed in this world get's the grease
                   Staking claim with an air of defiance
                   They're all Standing On the Shoulders of Giants

            V2   We long to make our mark .. leave a crease in the line of time
                   I'll sing this song until I can honestly call it mine
                   Who deserves more than the tip of a hat?
                   Well, I got no problem with that...
                   Here's to all who came first and begat
                   the rules we're breaking

            CH   I'm just Standing On the Shoulders of Giants
            #2   Who were Standing On the Shoulders of Giants
                   So we're paying the cost .. generational  loss
                   Losing highs as we master our science
                   Still Standing On the Shoulders of Giants

                    (solo)
                    (chorus)

          Photo by C.J. Hicks, 1999
           

                      "Cool and Gone"  (David Surface/Bill Lloyd)
o

 

          V1   A hundred million years ago
                  Runnin' to the record store
                  All out of breath for you
                  I caught my death for you

          V2   That was me inside your song
                  But now it feels like somethings wrong
                  Like somehow you let me down
                  No queen left to wear that crown

          CH   Cool and Gone
                   Cool and Gone
                   Nothing stays the same for long
                   How could anything so strong be so cool and then be gone?

          V3    Everybody knew your name
                   and everybody felt the same
                   That time .. it belonged to you
                   And you showed us what to do

          V4    But was it you or was it me
                   who changed so much  eventually
                   We're left with a dream that's spent
                   Still wondering where it went

          CH    (repeat chorus)

          BR    No one's strong enough
                   to keep that kind of faith
                   Once their time has passed
                   it's only fair they fade away

          V5    A hundred million years ago
                   You were someone I lived for
                   And I lived inside your dream
                   But now I just live for me

          CH   (repeat chorus)
           
           

          o "Sweet Virginia" (Bill Lloyd/ Bill DeMain)

           

          V1    I can feel my insides
                  take that elevator ride
                  Sweet Virginia , every time that you're around
                   I can't think what to say
                   but I say it anyway
                   Sweet Virginia , you just turn me upside down

          CH   Ooh girl ... it's you girl... my heart beats for
                   And I'm .. too shy... to say much more
                   But even so you should know
                   there is nothing in this world I would not do for you
                   Sweet Virginia

          V2    When I first saw your face
                   I was trying to erase
                   the memory of someone I had lost
                   And it felt like I died
                   'til you warmed me up inside
                   with a smile that could melt a winters frost

          CH2  Sunshine ... so fine ... you radiate
                    So why ... do I ... hesitate
                    But even so .. you should know ..
                    there is nothing in this world I would not do  for you
                    Sweet Virginia

            BR   I'll be here for you ... now 'til everafter
                    as long as I can hear the music of your laughter

          CH3   (without channell)
                    But even so .. you should know ..
                    there is nothing in this world I would not do  for you
                    Sweet Virginia
           
           

          o "Dr. Roberts Second Opinion"  (Bill Lloyd)

        V1    And Lo unto me they said
               "Dear Doctor Bob, would you open my head?"
                And so I responded in kind
                I gave them the keys to open their minds
                For awhile it was wonderful
                But now I suppose the results were inevitable

        V2  There were parties that lasted for days
               There were no second thoughts about changing our ways
               And right in the thick of it all
               All my perscriptions turned that Summer to Fall
               And the fall was a long way down
               It's a cold turkey sandwich the second your feet touch the ground

        CH  Dr. Roberts Second Opinion is he'd do it all over again
               Dr. Roberts Second Opinion is there's no way of making ammends
               Everyone winds up right where they are in the end

        V3  There's always a price to be paid
               a Yin for the Yang.. for the choices we made
               But looking back now, I can see
               We always believed what we chose to believe
               So I pray that there's Mercy for all
               All of those seekers who looked for A Way Through the Wall

        CH  (repeat chorus)


          o   "Holding Back the Waterfall"  (Bill Lloyd/Marshall Crenshaw)

           

          V1  Driving straight on to tomorrow
                 Eastbound up the interstate
                 Looking at another sunrise
                 Hoping that she's not too late
                 Too late fo find the reasons
                 That still lie up the road
                 There's a chance she might remember
                 Something she already knows

          V2  As the day breaks she drives closer
                 to the world she left behind
                 Not so sure what she'll uncover
                 Not so sure of what she'll find
                      All she knows is her hands are shaking
                      As she takes them off the wheel
                      Waiting for that flood of memories..
                      Tears to tell her how she feels

          CH  She's thinkin' maybe ... something will save me
                  From goin' crazy.. or does it even matter at all
                  As long as she keeps from breaking down she's
                  Holding Back the Waterfall

          V3   If this place holds any answers
                 She won't ever be the same
                 What's been hiding in the dark
                  Looks different in the light of day
                     And that's what's supposed to happen
                     And that's what she's counting on
                     If she can only learns to let it go.. then it can stay
                     Gone Gone Gone

                 (double chorus)
                 (out)
           
           

          o  "(Who You Gonna') Run To Now"  (Bill Lloyd/Jon Walmsley)

           

          V1   I bet you never thought that it would end like this
                 Baby   Baby
                 She scratched your name off the top of her list
                 Who you gonna' Run To Now ?

          V2   I thought we had whatever it takes
                 Baby   Baby
                 I learned to live with that mistake
                Who you gonna' Run To Now ?

          BR  There must be somebody you can turn to
                 Some bridge you didn't burn
                 Someone you can wrap 'round your finger
                 Some fools never learn

          V3   Don't come around here actin' so sweet
                  Baby   Baby
                 The one you're lookin' for sure ain't me
                 Who you gonna' Run To Now ?

          V    (solo over verse)
          BR  (repeat bridge)

          V4   There was a time when I'd taken you back
                  Baby   Baby
                  There ain't no way now that I'm fallin' for that
                  Who you gonna' Run To Now ?

          V5   I bet you never thought that it would end like this
                  Baby   Baby
                  I finally see a side of you I can resist
                  Who you gonna' Run To Now ?

            I bet you never thought that it would end like this...
     

        * "Complaints"  (Bill Lloyd)

          V1   Complaints
                  Complaints
                  All I hear are complaints
                  This is the age of bitching and moaning
                  Hi-decibel groaning
                  It's all about owning your pain

          V2   So complain ...
                  Is this the room for complaints
                  No .. this is the room for an arguement
                  Argue!
                  Yes   .. No .. Contradiction
                  Who the hell are you?

          CH   Complaints
                   Complaints
                   Complaints

          V3   Complaints
                  Complaints
                  This is the age of complaints
                  In Your Face
                  is the motto of auto-biographical mumbo-jumbo
                  You must hear my complaint
                  You must feel my pain
                  You must hear my complaint
           
           
        * "Don't Kid Yourself"  (Bill Lloyd/Bill DeMain)

          V1   Don't Kid Yourself
                 if there's no reason to stay
                 You said yourself
                 You feel like you're throwing your love away
                 You're just throwing your love away

          V2   Forgive yourself
                 Because nothing is worth all this grief
                 You'll live to tell
                 and you'll find that it's such a relief

          BR   As long as we have been friends
                 I've never known you to be this blind
                 Over and over again
                 It the same mistake a thousand times

          V3   Don't fall for that
                 those tears are gonna' poison the well
                 There's no going back
                 Hey kid... Don't Kid Yourself
                 You're throwing your love away...

                 Don't Kid Yourself
           

          o "This Is The Way"  (Bill Lloyd)
             

            V1    You say you're so tired
                     of empty promises
                    You're feelin' stuck and..
                     it's like paralysis
                    You say you need to escape.. well..
                    This Is The Way

            V2   This string of dark days
                    You just wanna' flush it
                    You need a dream so
                    real you can touch it
                    C'mon before it's too late..
                    This Is The Way

            CH   This Is The Way (this is the way)
                    This is the road we're supposed to take
                    You gotta' trust what I say..
                    This Is The Way

            V3   I got a gameplan..
                    and I believe in it
                   You wanna' diagram
                    that is immediate
                   I know you don't wanna' wait.. well..
                    This Is The Way

                    (solo over verse)
                    (repeat chorus)
             
          o "She Won't Be Back"  (Bill Lloyd)
             

          V1   The clock shows 5 AM
                  Could she be wondering where I am?
                  Well, I'm the one who's lying in our bed

          V2   This time she's the one
                  who exploded like a loaded gun
                  And I still hear the last words that she said

          CH   She's gone for good (She Won't Be Back)
                   It's understood (She Won't Be Back)
                   She swore to me when she walked out that door
                   She Won't Be Back no more

          V3    She gave me every chance
                   to give her more than just a song and dance
                   And now it's too late to change my tune

          V4    And so I watch the clock ...
                   hoping she's still circling 'round the block
                   but that's an empty wish that won't come true

          CH    (repeat Chorus)

          BR    She always talked about a trip out west
                    Now she's got the time I guess
                    I never listened to her dreams
                    but now I know how much that means

                         (solo)

          CH    (repeat chorus)
           

          o "Box Of Snakes"  (Bill Lloyd / Bill DeMain)

           

          V1    It's said, confession is good for the soul..
                   that way, the truth will set you free
                   So now I'll tell the world how I lost control
                   and how I found my destiny
                        The preacher told me it's a test
                        of  faith that brought me to this

          CH    Now all that it takes is a Box of Snakes
                    To scare all my troubles away
                    With one in each hand I'm a better man
                    than I ever was yesterday
                    with my Box of Snakes

          V2     The congregation throws it's hands in the air
                    Man, it's party time again
                    Rockin' like the devil in an electric chair
                    And then the room begins to spin
                           They bite my fingers, hands and arms
                            but they never lose their charm

          CH    (repeat chorus)

          BR     I get amazed at the things that we say
                    when we're talking in tongues
                    I'm  counting  the days until we raise
                    Holy Hell.. and it won't be much longer

                    (solo)

          CH     (repeat chorus)
           
           

          o "So You Won't Have To"  (Mike Noble / Bill Lloyd)

           

          V1  We've been sitting here in silence
                 pretending we're the same
                 but we both know how life is short
                 and people sometimes change
                 Now, we'd be fools to hang onto a love that's all but gone
                 Someone needs to make a move  Someone must be strong

          CH   I'll be the first to walk away .. so you won't have to go
                  And I won't ask if you still love me .. so you won't have to say "no"
                  And I'll pack my bags and take the blame for the things we can't undo
                  I'll walk away and I won't look back  ..
                  So You Won't Have To

          V2   Long goodbyes and drawn out endings
                  that ain't you and me
                  We'd be wise to cut our losses and keep our dignity
                  I don't expect a show of tears
                  but I do expect the truth
                  There's no need for some charade
                  we both know what to do

          CH   (repeat chorus)
           

          o "Years Away From Here"  (Bill Lloyd/Pat Buchanan)

           

          V1  It's so cluttered inside your heart
                 That you don't know where to start
                 the unravelling
                 You've collected the days like twine
                 Now they're tangling up your mind
                 as you're travelling

          CH  Through this Maze of Memories
                  Through this House of Mirrors
                  Somehow they always send me me
                  Reeling backwards
                  Years Away From Here

          V2   To the curcuits where wires got crossed
                  All the places where we got lost
                  Years Away From Here

                                 (Solo over 2nd half)

          BR  You always found a way to make your Great Escape
                 But somewhere inside those dreams are memories that cause you to awake..

          V3   From a bed that you made yourself
                 You're still wishing you're somewhere else
                 as you're travelling

          CH  Through this Maze of Memories
                  Through this House of Mirrors
                  Somehow they always send me
                  Reeling backwards
                  Years Away From Here
           

          o "Turn Me On Dead Man"  (Bill Lloyd/Bill DeMain)

           

          V1  The lines on my forehead are so deep and furrowed
                 Borrowed from William Burroughs it seems
                 The coat on my tongue is as milky as madness
                 Sugar and sadness dissolve into dreams

          CH Turn Me On    Turn Me On
                 Turn Me On    Turn Me On like nobody can
                 Turn Me On    Turn Me On
                 Turn Me On Dead Man

          V2  Let's light a cigar and chase all the women
                 Let's all go swimmin' in a bathtub of gin
                 From the bell of a horn to a Bela Lugosi
                 Everybody knows he shed all his skin

          CH  (repeat chorus)

          BR  With the past at my feet
                  I see the world incomplete
                  Without revisiting the days gone by
                  It's all timeless and true
                  What's old is what's new
                  Stolen pennies from a dead man's eye

          V3   The theory of time.. it still blows my mind
                  Events overlapping .. no beginning.. no end
                  The sound waves created through electrocution
                  Begat revolution .. again and again

          CH   (repeat chorus with coda)


          "Standing On the Shoulders Of Giants"  (Lloyd)
          This one came from thinking so much about what I actually get to do for a living. There's the music fan side of me that thinks that everything being done musically these days is just an extension of whatís happened before.. and thereís also a part of me that believes that on a good day, we can take all the lessons our heroes have taught us and make improvements that look, sound and feel new to us.
           

          "Cool and Gone"      (Bill Lloyd / David Surface)
          My longtime friend and songwriting collaborator, David Surface, came up with the title and the most of the chorus sometime back in the eighties! I remembered it and we finished it off long distance (he lives in New York). The track was co-produced with Brad Jones. We did the whole thing pretty much in a day. Kim Richey came in for some harmony singing.  The song talks about what happens when you invest alot of yourself into being a fan of someones work and how, in time,  that can turn empty. I canít say if itís about anyone that I had that one sided relationship with.. that would be telling.
           

          "Sweet Virginia"     (Bill Lloyd / Bill DeMain)
          It was co-written with Bill DeMain from Swandive and one of the first songs we worked on together. If the title sound familiar, you probably already know there's a Rolling Stones song (as well as a song by The Rembrandts) with the same title .We thought about changing the title but stayed with it anyway. This one is a really young lyric.. how love can just take you over and get you all goofy. I'll always maintain it's a legitimate subject ! Swandive sang harmony vocals.. Al Anderson added a great guitar part. Also..I'd never written a song that had that Beatles Eight Days A Week shuffle before..
           

          "Dr. Robert's Second Opinion"    (Lloyd)
          I've heard that the fellow John Lennon supposedly wrote "Dr.Robert" about has, like Elvis, already left the building. In the spirit of what's now called "historical fiction", Dr. Robert (alive once more) is asked if he had any regrets about supplying the medicinal needs of that generation. This song is his reply. The rhythm section of Dennis Diken (The Smithereens) and Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick) worked out great and Henry Gross and I had a blast doing the really high harmonies. Many of the overdubs on this song (and a good bit of the album) were recorded in my home studio.
           

          "Holding Back the Waterfall"     (Bill Lloyd / Marshall Crenshaw)
          I don't write that many songs in third person but this one of them. Marshall Crenshaw and I sat down one evening and the music and the title came to us in one quick session. The lyric was put together in pieces and worked on long distance.. It's about someone who feels that if they're strong enough not to cry, they can hold course to where they were supposed to be going all along. Nashville star sessioneers, Greg Morrow and Byron House, made up the rhythm section and rocked as per usual... like we all live in some other town. Marshall added his guitars via his own home studio and mailed the tape back to me. It's a beautiful world.
           

          "(Who You Gonna') Run To Now"   (Bill Lloyd / Jon Walmsley)
          I met and became friends with Jon Walmsley who played the guitar pickin' Walton brother, Jason, on the t.v.series, 'The Waltons'.  He had co-written a really good song with my buddy, Greg Trooper, from one of his earlier albums and we thought we'd give co-writing a try. This co-write with Jon reminds me of something that Radney Foster and I could have done on one of our records together. It's kind of a slow burn-piss off song with Trooper on harmony vocals and Rusty Young (Poco) on a wailing lap steel.
           

          "Complaints"   (Lloyd)
          It's just a reaction to the world we live in.. so much media and everywhere you look there's someone trying to make a cottage industry out of their misery.. feel their pain for only $10.95. Ironically enough, itís a song complaining about complaining. So, I'm just as much the hypocrite! As far as the track goes.. I do love playing that rawk music. When John Lennon's 'Cold Turkey' came out, the single had "Play It Loud" printed on the label. That goes for this one too.
           

          "Don't Kid Yourself"        (Bill Lloyd / Bill DeMain)
          Musically, this one is like a grungey mixture of Big Star and Todd Rundgren, two of my favorites. Bill DeMain had the title and the music pretty much fell out for us in one piece. Lyrically, itís an advice song.. and I think everyone has experienced that at least a few times. One of my favorite drummers, Fenner Caster, and I did the basic track with Brad Jones engineering.. I did all the overdubs myself in my home studio and then took it back to Brad who worked his mixing magic. Kim Richey is singing harmony. Working at home that way is handy...but then can also help lead to four years between albums.
           

          "This Is The Way"      (Lloyd)
          Another track featuring that Cheap Trick / Smithereens rhythm section of Dennis and Tom. I must say that it sounded like "The Who Live At Leeds" in my headphones that day.. and I consider that a good thing. Al Kooper and his magic organ (no jokes please) appear courtesy of his home studio in Boston and the U.S. Mail. Amy Rigby and Cindy Bullens added their vocal harmonies at different times. Hopefully, it still sounds like a party. The lyric is full of cocky reassurance towards someone who's not quite sure what to do... it's "Hey, follow me!" time.
           

          "She Won't Be Back"      (Lloyd)
          Inspired by an "Early Kinks Meets Zombies" groove, the song turned into a story about a guy who's been left and finally realizes that  from her point of view ..itís final this time.
           

          "Box of Snakes"     (Bill Lloyd / Bill DeMain)
          Another narrative through this character who finds himself (in every kind of way) joining a church full of snake handlers. He's really happy about it. The music reminds me a little of the early '70's.. My friend, Pat Buchanan, plays the "Freedom Rock" guitar solo's. The verses sound dark and the chorus sounds poppy.. it's that old tension and release thing that snakehandling must give you. Not that I would know.. John Cowan sings some great harmonies too.
           

          "So You Won't Have To"       (Bill Lloyd / Mike Noble)
          Written with Nashville hit tunesmith, Mike Noble, this song is about a guy who's willing to take the high road in ending a relationship.. it must come from Mike's last name. I can't remember if I've ever been quite that nice. The track has that Byrds flavor that I favor (and savor). I like pulling out that Rickenbacker 12-string every so often...okay more often than every so often..
           

          "Years Away From Here"       (Bill Lloyd / Pat Buchanan)
          This one was recorded entirely in home studios but mixed by my co-producer on many of these songs, Scott Baggett. Thanks Scott. My co-writer is guitarist-extrodinaire and Idle Jet, Pat Buchanan. The track sounds pretty dreamy and the lyrics are very stream-of-conscious and probably don't make a lot of linear sense to anyone else but me... but the song ended up being a personal favorite of mine. Pat played slide while Rusty Young added that high atmospheric steel guitar that doesnít sound like a steel guitar.
           

          "Turn Me On Dead Man"        (Bill Lloyd / Bill DeMain)
          I'm thinking I don't have to tell you where the title came from so I won't. Bill DeMain had the title first and we both laughed out loud thinking we might write some Beatles pastiche.. a new Glass Onion (as if the world needed another). Instead, we thought it better to let the "dead man" be anyone who has passed on but their influence is still felt strongly. Each verse refers to someone who's gone but not forgotten..The turn the lyric took made all the difference in the world. I think this one fits right in with  "Cool and Gone" and "Standing On the Shoulders of Giants".   The track is another co-production with Brad Jones and he always brings so much to the recording. It cuts off as if we used garden shears on the tape. Come to think of it......