 Tokens
liner notes
Recorded,
Mixed,
and Mastered
by Steve Macdonald
Cover
art: Julia Lacquement ©1995
Dramatis
Personae:
Steve
Macdonald: Lead and harmony Vocals, Acoustic 6 and 12-string
Guitars
Katy Dröge: Vocals on Dark Wanderer
No steenking
keyboards, electronic synthesizers, whistles, krumhorns, nose flutes
or those little chingy-chingy cymbol like things were used to make
this CD. Well, except for the compressor and reverb effects box...
Therefore, no digital bits were tortured or destroyed in the
creation of this product. You may argue that playing this
CD constitutes undue and unreasonable torture of the aforementioned
digital bits- but since there's no legal precedent to support your
case you'll have a long and expensive battle to prove it...
Special
thanks to: Susan Moerdyk for the emergency use of her guitar. No guitar,
no album.
Thanks
to Katy Dröge for her ears and voice; and both Katy and Alyse
Middleton for cover design help.
Song Notes:
Originally, this
project was going to be titled Take Three. Why this title?
Well, the whole thing took about 72 hours (3 days). I was pretty
draconic with the recording. If I couldn't get a part by the third
take I either scrapped the song, or kept it; warts and all. So-
there's some warts here.
Why did I leave imperfections?
Well, this CD is a short retrospective of music that really struck
me over 2003. It will also serve as a reminder to me in future years
of what I could and couldn't do musically at this point in my life.
So- without further ado...
Camden Town Copyright
© Battlefield Band: I
first heard this song at the Battlefield Band concert at the Ark
in Ann Arbor, MI; in November 2003. I've not been doing things on
my own that much over the last 4-5 years; going to this concert
alone was a milestone for me. And hey, it's a good song, too!
Never Did No Wanderin'
Copyright © Michael McKeon and Harry Shearer:
This song is from the movie A Mighty Wind. It parodies
all the 'travelling' folk songs from the early Sixties; and really
struck me because I NEVER travel at all. Anywhere.
Ever.
Halleluja Copyright
© Leonard Cohen: I was the Music Guest at Minicon
in Minneapolis over Easter weekend this year. Three different artists
sang this song over the course of the weekend, each with a slightly
different take on it. I was really struck by the harmonies possible
in the chorus, and combined with the impact in the lyric made this
song irresistable. I listen to this track now, and wonder how
I managed to sing those bass notes. Yes, they're really me. Nope,
no pitch adjustment. I really really sang that low...
F.People Copyright
© Rand Bellavia and Adam English: Normally I wouldn't
consider recording someone else's song that's been out on disk for
less than a year; but just listen to the lyric. It's SO perfect,
and topical to the end of 2003. From Ookla The Mok's O, OK, LA CD.
Dark Wanderer
Copyright
© Steve Macdonald: This was the year of long
awaited release of Peter Jackson's Return of the King; thereby
ending the three year cycle of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
movies. I recorded this version on Trilogy Tuesday (December 16);
the one day you could see all three movies in the theatre in one
massive, 9.5 hour sitting. This song is about the title character
in The Lord of the Rings. Katy
Dröge's backing vocal was recorded in 2002 to a
scratch track that isn't in the final mix. The guitars and lead
vocals were recorded December 17, 2003.
Isn't It A Pity
Copyright
© George Harrison: I first heard this song
posthumously. It hit me as similar things were happening in my life;
and I couldn't get it out of my head. It has served to give me some
comfort in dark places.
Queen of Argyll
Copyright
© Silly Wizard: This was the first year that
I worked at a Ren Faire as a musician.. for money. This has resulted
in a quest to find material that is appropriate for the venue, and
has directed a bit of a change in the overall direction of both
my writing and performing preferences. I played this song at Silver
Leaf Renaissance Faire in July, 2003.
Who Told the Butcher
Copyright
© Steeleye Span: I heard this song for the
first time this Fall, while chasing the aforementioned appropriate
repetoire for use this coming year at Faires. The Butcher is the
death of fantasy- and this is a riddle song asking who told the
Butcher where to find various elements of English myth so that he
could murder them. I think. Maybe. If someone else gets a better
handle on interpreting this song, please tell me- it's a particularly
well written Riddle Song...
Life Is A Long
Song Copyright
© Ian Anderson: This has long been one of
my favorite Jethro Tull songs; and one that I never ever thought
in my wildest dreams I'd be able to perform. It's something of a
milestone to me that I managed to pull it off. Life really is a
long song. Try to make yours as harmonious as possible this coming
year.
Happy Holidays to you, and your loves
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