Rescue Me

"The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing"
- Archilochus. See also  e.g. Ronald M. Dworkin, Justice for Hedgehogs (2011)


A song to the one and only who knows it. 

This is an improvised song I played and recorded the other day (my apologies for the mistakes). It is not much but I just had to play it. I am not in the advertising business and I have to mention as a private person for non-commercial purposes that this song is also a mellow celebration of the Rhodes Electric Piano which is one of the most beautiful instruments I have ever encountered in my life (after my U1 upright piano..). I first heard Rhodes electric piano when I was a little child, and for many years I wondered "What is that?". Now after all these years I got enough resources to get the official Rhodes V8 Pro virtual electric piano.

In a larger context this song is also - despite the fact that it's played in the minor key - a mellow celebration of life. It is to celebrate this particular day and everything this day brings with it.

This song was inspired especially by a particular performance of an old song loosely translated from Finnish to English as "The Vagabond's Night Star" (composed by Mr. Toivo Kärki and arranged by one of the greatest jazz pianists in this country, Mr. Olli Ahvenlahti); it was the song where I for the first time heard the amazing sound of an electric piano many years ago. This song was also inspired by the song "Eternal Child" composed by the late great musician and composer Mr. Chick Corea, and also especially by the memorable music of The Alan Parsons Project.

The song was played by me with my Korg SGProX digital stage piano, using Yamaha Montage 8 synthesizer as an audio interface and using e.g. the following instruments: 
- Rhodes V8 Pro electric piano (Mk8);
- UVI T20 Electric 2 Chorus (cf. MKS-20);
- Arturia V Collection / 1982 Acoustic Grand;
- Arturia Mellotron V (guitar, strings);
- UVI Kroma (brass);
- UVI PX Memories (brass, pad; cf. Memorymoog, LAMM);
- UVI Ultramini and Arturia Mini V (bass) and
- UVI Soul Drums. 

Once again I use this opportunity to present a wish: Please let us have the strength to take decent care of each other and ourselves and let us always try to treat each other with due concern and respect.

The Mellow One and Only

Etzronia

21th Century old Boy

Wine All Day

What does your soul desire? What does it take to make it real? And if you do, was it worth the cost? 

Inspired by Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and some of its countless adaptations, "Invocation" is the first single from my forthcoming record "Haunts & Wants"
(Out on Oct. 6th). 

Sonically influenced by classic soul music, the track features dazzling backing vocals by Yona Marie and dramatic horns by Swedish trio TrippTrappTrull. A special shout-out to Jeff Martin for letting me play his bass on this one. 

When I was making 2018's Congeries, I originally intended to include "Invocation" as it fit with the theme of magical creation shared with songs like "Feathertop," another supernatural "monster" creation story. But I wasn't quite happy with all the lyrics, so fittingly like the song's speaker, I "labored" on. When I finished writing it, it became clear that it would be the opener of a new album, one that's been my passion project for some five years now. 

As I entered the recording phase at the start of 2022, I enlisted the aid of Bryan Ciliberto, whose efforts producing, mixing, and performing on the album have been invaluable. A tremendous thank you to Bryan for all he did to keep the candle glowing on our quest for magic. 

Check out the  lyric video:
https://youtu.be/nyQuD_JpZDw

Invocation

many pierrots

ALL IN THE NAME OF ROCK 'n' ROLL

Copyright 2022 Andrew L/O'Brien/Campbell; All Rights Reserved
Music by Andrew L, Bob Campbell; Lyrics by Alex O'Brien, SOCAN

Andrew L: guitars, bass, mixing
Bob Campbell: vocals

It started off as a dream
Of riches and fame
The world in my reach
The game of all games
But it grew to be more
The highest of highs
Soaring like eagles
Miles in the sky

All in the name of rock ‘n’ roll
It’s all in the name of rock ‘n’ roll
All in the name of rock ‘n’ roll

It was a fantasy
That could not be lived
Ah, beautiful women
Money to give
But it grew to be more
Now rock is my game
Baby I’ll share with you
My riches and fame, yeah

It’s all in the name of rock ‘n’ roll
All in the name of rock ‘n’ roll
All in the name of rock ‘n’ roll

Gave my heart, I gave my soul
I lost my ears to rock ‘n’ roll
I gave my youth, I gave my life
I lost my wife to rock ‘n’ roll, yeah

All in the name of rock ‘n’ roll
It’s all in the name of rock ‘n’ roll
All in the name of rock ‘n’ roll

Oh God is it a dream?
Am I insane?
A song in my heart
I feel no pain
But it’s more than a dream
The furthest of far
Burning like fire, yeah
Glowing like stars

All in the name of rock ‘n’ roll
It’s all in the name of rock ‘n’ roll
All in the name of rock ‘n’ roll

It might have started as a dream
Of glory and hope
Sell out live concerts
And parties and dope
But it grew to be more
The freest of free
With its power and riches, yeah
Rock ‘n’ roll made me

All in the name of rock ‘n’ roll
It’s all in the name of rock ‘n’ roll
All in the name of rock ‘n’ roll
It’s all in the name of rock ‘n’ roll

It’s all in the name of 
It’s all in the name of 
It’s all in the name of 
Rock ‘n’ roll, yeah

RELEASED ON SOUNDCLOUD: August 14, 2023

All in the Name of Rock 'n' Roll

M-Cultural Genocide

Sur l'horizon noir d'une lourde tristesse

New fox Zorro Mastered -

To celebrate 2000, I took a year off to write songs, novels, plays, and stories - and I've been doing that since. At the end of my first year, I won first prize in the USA Songwriting Contest in the Lyric Category for 'Drum Machines and Beauty Queens.' This led to co-writing songs with many excellent musicians, including those represented in songs posted here. 

More recently, I was one of seven finalists in the Crisis Lyric Category of the 2021 UK Songwriting Contest for 'Lockdown Blues,' and one of nine nominees in the 2021 International Song Awards with 'Didn't the River Know' and 'Blue and Gold.'

For the past two years, I've been collaborating with many talented musicians on Kompoz. I release many of these songs here and compile the best into albums released under Captain Stormfield's Trip on Spotify and other platforms (see links below).

All in the Name of Rock 'n' Roll

AlexEOB