New Age CD Collab from many years ago, with my friend Tim Myers

Pathways:  (Feat. Tim Myers)

What old people like me used to call a concept album! :-) 

See the individual track captions for some hints of the evolving story of AI space craft, Stardust, from her creation to an end, of sorts, and perhaps a new beginning..

I'm planning to build out a more complete back story, in the future, so DM me if you'd like to hear more, when I do ..:-) 

cheers
Goff Johnson

Stories of Stardust

Young And Free

Slow blues feel with slightly heavier build towards the end

Water to Wine

Water To Wine '23 Remix

Subway King Remix

I Want You - Demo Mix

Stardust

Stardust - Retro Mix

Witches Daughter_Blue Arrangement

The (Hell Of A) Ride

Seems Like It

Simple and old fashioned singer / songwriter piece, first penned when I was a fresh faced 18 year old! 
Slight Country flavour in this version but originally influenced by The Velvet Underground's "Lisa Says" and "Sweet Jane" :-)

Jane (2024 rework)

Track 1 of a New Age collab CD I did many years ago, with my friend Tim Myers

Pathways

01 - The Calling

Track 2 of a New Age collab CD I did many years ago, with my friend Tim Myers. 
Dark and atmospheric continuation of the journey we started on Track 01

02 - Darkness and Diamonds

Heavy blues style track with loads of horns!

Beat Down

Track 3 of a New Age collab CD I did many years ago, with my friend Tim Myers. 
Our final journey through the underworld before we climb up to the light - but don't take too long to find the stairway....

03 - The Abyss

Track 4 of a New Age collab CD I did many years ago, with my friend Tim Myers.
From the underground depths its now time to soar in the sky ..

04 - Mountain and Sky

My first venture into AI generated music! A reflective piano rework of my Seems Like it track, which will be part of an upcoming AI / AI hybrid album collection.   
The AI has used some very different phrasing of the verses compared to the original, but I think it really works!
Hope you enjoy!

Miles Away (Seems Like It Piano Reprise Mix)

An AI supported rework of my Stardust track, and the opening track of the Stories of Stardust album.  Hope you enjoy the space opera ! :-)

..JaSON a new-gen interface and communication AI, jaded by a world stifled in sameness, encounters something new and incredible - inspiration ! ...

Stardust - The Story Begins

Continuing the Stories of Stardust playlist, with a hard driving guitar rock track!

.. JaSON joins Earth's AI angel fleet in a desperate race against time...can they answer the SOS before disaster falls?...

SOS  (To your Stations!)

Strong Female Lead EDM track, continuing the journey through the Stories of Stardust album.

"..You're a machine!  How could you begin to know how I feel?..."  Arla meets an unexpected companion on her journey to the stars....

Lady Liberty

Part of the scene setting for the Stories of Stardust album.  A thoughtful alternative rock track with a strong female vocal lead...

..Arla is a refugee. Harassed and displaced from one "safe" location to another, in an ever more crowded, depleted and polluted world, there is finally only one place left to venture....

New Horizons - Arla’s Song

Continuing the Stardust series, with a reflective EDM/ alternative rock track.  

...Arla and the refugees arrive at their beautiful new home, with hopes for a bright new future - but is it all that it appears?...

A Place Called Home

A great collaboration version of the Seems Like It track, with MASSIVE thanks to ManuLaGratte, for guitars, musical arrangement and general Hard Rock consultancy!  Check out Manu's other fantastic work, on his SoundCloud page https://soundcloud.com/manulagratte-mlg/tracks 
HUGE thanks also to Laurent Capel, for lifting the guitar solo work to a whole different level! 
Who says there's no European collaboration after Brexit?? :-)    Thanks Guys!!

Seems Like It - Euro Collab Mix (Feat. ManuLaGratte & Laurent Capel)

A bit of fun and a reminder of our Christmas holiday in Spain !  :-)

Shiny Boots and Plastic Trousers

Continuing the Stories of Stardust, with a power female rock ballad:

...The mysterious threat has gone, at least for now, but Stardust is lost.  The refugees must now plan for the future of their world.

After The Fire - Early Release (Rock) Version

Continuing the Stories of Stardust space opera playlist, with a power female alt-rock ballad:

...The mysterious threat has gone, at least for now, but Stardust is lost.  The refugees must now plan for the future of their world.

After The Fire - Arla's Pledge

A narrative bridge in the Stories of Stardust playlist:

...an unknown threat emerges, which could shatter everything the refuguees have strived for ..Stardust must act..

Part II - Fractured Frontier

Concluding the Stories of Stardust album (at least Chapter 1 :-) ) with a soaring rock ballad.....

What does an AI do when the purposes and priorities it has built itself around are no longer relevant in the world? ...  

JaSON has served the new world for many human lifetimes. 
Arla and the refugees are now only distant memories, for most of the world,  but the civilisation they helped to found thrives and grows, just as they promised it would... 

and now..after so many years....a vanishingly faint, but familiar voice is calling somewhere from the far edges of the dark  ....

Echoes of Stardust (JaSON's Last Journey)

Echoes of Stardust - JaSON's Last Journey

A final reflective piece, from the Stories of Stardust playlist (album release 26th Feb 2025!), looking back at Arla, JaSON and Stardust's story. 

Arla and the refugees kept their promise and built their new world, for others to continue their own stories.  JaSON has left to follow an ancient echo and perhaps to find his own destiny.  And what of Stardust?  

If you'd like to hear more about the back story for this album DM me.  My plans are to turn it into a short story, in the future..

Among The Stars - Epilogue (A Place Called Home reprise)

This is a repost of a collab with the brilliant Todd J McLean, originally posted on his Soundcloud account, 15 May 2025. Soundcloud.com/todd-j-mclean/water-to-wine?si=2debfe8ca9744b878dfc380a1a8ac430&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing)

WATER TO WINE
 
Words & Music: Goff Johnson
Vocals: Todd J McLean
Keyboards & Rhythm Guitar: Goff Johnson
Drums and Hammond Organ: Kat Hendrix
Lead Guitar: Tim Porter
 
Mixed and Mastered by Kat Hendrix at Absolute Time Studios, Vancouver, May 2025
 
About the Song

"Water to Wine" is a song about the appeal of perfection we often see online, contrasted with the seemingly unremarkable and ordinary lives that most of us lead. It’s a reflection on the emotional toll that comes from chasing validation through likes and follower counts— and the emptiness that can follow when the spotlight fades.

Our value, though, goes far deeper than what shows up on a screen and authenticity holds more power than appearances. Take a deep breath and if we look up from the scroll and take a brave look at the world — and each other — we might find something much more real!

Behind the Song (from Goff Johnson)

Ironically, while the message of the track talks about isolation and the cost of surface-level connection, the making of Water to Wine was the exact opposite of that! It came to life through collaboration with the incredibly talented Todd J McLean, who, in addition to his awesome vocals, and red-hot music connections, also created the cover art (Woman in Yellow Chair) for the track! The overall result is something far richer than either of us could have created alone.

Working together brought depth, direction, and new energy to the song — proof that the best things happen when we connect for real. No filters, just music, shared purpose, and mutual trust!

Final Notes (from Todd)

This is my first collaboration on SoundCloud. I could not have been more fortunate than to work with Goff Johnson, an immensely talented singer/songwriter/musician. When I first came across Goff, I listened to his entire Stories of Stardust album end-to-end .

Although Water to Wine is not part of Goff’s Stardust series, it is nonetheless a beautifully written song and it’s been a privilege for me to sing it. Besides, I love to sing the Blues. Thank you so much, Goff!

We owe a huge shout-out to both Kat Hendrix, a master musician and our producer, and Tim Porter, a virtuoso on guitar. It is a real privilege to work with these West coast legends.

Lyrics:

Verse 1
Someone wrote a playbook for perfection 
with lives of photo ops, their outtakes seldom seen 
today a star, the next you’re a pariah 
“Be Kind” they say, but that ain’t what they mean 
 
Chorus: 
Well I never watched the water turn to wine, 
and i never took a flower out of the desert, 
but i walked until my feet bled, and I looked until I was blind, 
and I reached out for a hand to hold in mine 
 
Verse 2 
Well there’s nothing quite as quiet as “the silence” 
after fame has passed, so flashbulb fast, away 
and i wonder if it really makes a difference 
cos the next in line wait for their time, to shine but not to stay”

Chorus: 
Well I never watched the water turn to wine, 
and i never took a flower out of the desert, 
but i walked until my feet bled, and I looked until I was blind, 
and I reached out for a hand to hold in mine

Cover Art: Woman in Yellow Chair, Todd J McLean

All rights reserved

Released by:
Why I Outta Records
Release date:
15 May 2025

Water To Wine

****STORIES OF STARDUST ALBUM NOW LIVE ON MAJOR PLATFORMS****

Hey there! Thanks for dropping in to my (definitely) still learning page of sketches, ideas and collaborations. Collab IS ALWAYS welcome!! - check out these two great examples of collab team work, with some fabulously talented artists, that I loved working with:

"Seems Like It' Euro Collab mix, with ManuLaGratte (https://soundcloud.com/manulagratte-mlg/seems-like-it?si=2689babdc4a14998b7c3d8d674343a97&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing )
"Water To Wine"  with Todd J McLean
(https://soundcloud.com/todd-j-mclean/water-to-wine?si=a94bdb56dbea41f1bade7515f054bb32&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing)

I've written and recorded music since I was a teenager  (..and that's a long time ago!!) and about half the tracks posted here are purely my own work. More recently I've been experimenting with A.I. supported music, and I've used it to help build up a Sci Fi "concept album" (for those that remember them!) titled "Stories of Stardust", which was released 26th Feb 2025. 

A.I music can be a divisive topic but I've no wish to use it as a replacement for human musical talent, and going forward I'm back to  working  with real people again. That's where the magic is to be found!!

So gimme a shout if you think we could work together!

cheers, and keep the music playing !! 

Goff

Goff Johnson

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