JUNK

THE AMBASSADOR IN PARIS

Silence Kills

Knee Deep in the Apocalypse

Black Brother

NIGHTFALL IN THE APOCALYPSE

WELCOME TO THE REST OF THE WORLD

I FELT FREEDOM WHEN YOU SAID NO

AMERICAN CINEMATEQUE

Oh Sophia

I Know It's Hard

Hold On My Love (Until The Battle Is Through)

Acoustic in New York is a collection of 10 previously unreleased songs Ed Hale recorded as demos while in New York City in late 1995. The songs were recorded live to a two-track as record company demos only and were never meant for public release. 

Although the sound quality of the recordings themselves is less than perfect ”evidenced by the honking of car horns and the ringing telephones in the background” the power and the passion that comes through as Ed sings and plays each song has a tremendous impact and tells a lot about the artist in the peak of his craft as a guitar player and as a singer/songwriter. 

There is an ambition and a hunger and a passion that pours out of his voice and guitar on these tracks that is breathtaking. 

And so it was that this collection was put together as a compendium of some of Ed Hale’s most complex and intricate compositions during this particular time period. The anthemic “Bored” (also re-recorded and re-released by TRANSCENDENCE for their Nothing is Cohesive album) is almost 10 minutes long. More than anything else this collection showcases the versatility of Ed Hale as the songwriter and illustrates the ease with which he can spin a great song. 

It highlights the start of the open tuning phase of his guitar playing and song writing style, where the songs take on an almost orchestral tone, with long and lush instrumental introductions before the vocals are even introduced. It provides an intimate environment in which to soak up some of “the paradise spilling all over us” when Ed Hale sings some of his best songs ever. His voice is the strongest it has ever been on record. And there is an optimism that comes through in most of the songs that is entirely different than his previous work with Broken Spectacles.

Produced by Ed Hale
Recorded November 1995 at Terry's Studio, New York, NY
Engineered by Patrick Naidl
Remixed by Cliff Rawnsley Jr. at Sunflower Studios, Hollywood, Florida
Ed Hale: Vocals, Guitar
All songs music and lyrics written by Ed Hale except where noted.
Photos by Vanita Gupta.
Graphic design by Eduardo Silva for TMG Records.

Cool Rider

It seems like an eternity that Ed Hale and his bandmates in Transcendence have been in the studio "recording the new album", the follow up to Hale's last solo effort Ballad On Third Avenue. What started out as a few weeks in the studio in New York during the summer of 2012 turned into a lengthy affair that has seen the band recording in studios all over the country for almost three years and yielded over 45 songs recorded in all. 

What we know: Dying Van Gogh Records has confirmed that they will release four new Ed Hale albums over the next year containing songs from these sessions. The first album will be the most "accessibly pop" SO FOR REAL which will also yield the first single, "Summer Flowers", and will feature at least ten new songs plus bonus material including "Tell ya True", "Marsha's Sleeping", "The Prince of New York", "Honestly" and "Gimme Some Rock 'n' Roll" among others.  

They have also confirmed that the long rumored ANOTHER DAY IN THE APOCALYPSE -- considered "the most eclectic of the bunch" -- will be released as well, though it will be an EP rather than a full length.   

There is also confirmation that the long lost originally intended album from the sessions, BORN TO LOSE, will also most likely see a release date this year with the title track set to release as another of the first singles from the sessions to come out later this year. 

Finally, the label has also agreed to release a handful of outtakes from the sessions in an EP later this year entitled WELCOME TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.

ED HALE's last album, the aforementioned Ballad On Third Avenue, blasted the singer to new heights of success spawning three Billboard Top 40 hit singles, "Scene in San Francisco", "New Orleans Dreams" and "I Walk Alone", all in the Adult Contemporary radio format, a big change from and stark contrast to the Alternative format the band was formally associated with.

All Ed Hale and Ed Hale and the Transcendence songs and albums are avail for download on iTunes, Amazon & wherever music is sold, along with Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music and other online radio stations. 

Ed Hale

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