I co-wrote this with the veteran Grammy-nominated, million-selling. gold record songwriter and producer  Lou Stallman. He wrote or co-wrote Gonna Take a Miracle (no, Laura Nyro did not write that one), Round & Round, The Treasure of Love. I had the privilege of calling him my mentor during the years I was trying make records and sell songs, and we collaborated on many different musical projects over a 20 decade  stretch, this song amon them, which we composed in 1978. For years all I had was an old copy of a copy of a cassette recorded off the studio speakers where we did the demo.  I recorded this version over 40 years later. By the way, 2 notable musicians emerged from Stallman's fabulous little music office in the Ed Sullivan Theatre building on 54th St. Guitar wizard Julio Fernandez  who wound playing with Spyro Gyra, for 30 years and  pianist composer Doug Frank (After You) who wound up  as head of Warner Bros. West while also creating a ton of award winning music.

WHEN I THINK OF YOU

Instrumenal tracks for demo purposes. Composition(c) Lou Stallman & Gene Katz

WHEN I THINK OF YOU Just Music Tracks (c) Stallman & Katz

Mark Heard - the late great singer/composer/instrumentalist/producer  - was a tremendous inspiration to me, as he wrote, sang, and played all the instruments on his recordings. After first hearing his work in the late 90s, I decided that I wanted to do all that too, and so I have been ever since then.   Praised by knowledgable musicians, (notably Bruce Cockburn) a beautiful compilation of Heard's work was recorded a few years back featuring numerous artists. That album is entitled 'The Strong Hand of Love.'

BOLDER

NOD OVER COFFEE (near final mix) (c) Mark Heard

I co-wrote this song with mulit-million selling composer Lou Stallman (Gonna Take a Miracle, Round & Round, many more) Of the half dozen or more compositions that we collaborated on, this is my favorite.

WHEN I THINK OF YOU (singer: Joanna Seaton)

Mind of a Schizophrenic was designed to accompany a live presentation, in a classroom setting. First, a script,  about 3 mins long,  is read aloud without this soundtrack.The script sounds like  a rambling, somewhat frantic, jumble of odd phrases. But with the soundtrack, while still being odd, it all makes a little more sense --  if we could just understand exactly what’s been going on in that schizophrenic mind. Doesn’t help us understand WHY it happens, but gets us a little closer to what it is that’s happening, at least in the kind of cases with delusions, hallucinations and paranoid features.
Permission is hereby  granted to use this audio collage  for any and all educational purposes, but in no case shall  this sound track be used for any commercial purpose without the copyright owner's consent.

Mind Of A Schizophrenic

     I wrote my first real song in 1964, which was actually recorded by a Boston based band in ‘66. Over the decades I’ve written about 400 tunes, by myself and in collaboration with others, including some very successful composers and performers -  but, all tolled, I consider The Original Laughing Boy to be the best of all.
      Usually,  I am hardly ever totally satisfied with how the productions turn out, and on this one, after working on it for several months, some of the digital tracks became corrupted and I couldn’t use them – damn computers- still, after some tweaking, I’d say this production, featuring the very talented mani mannion on vocals, comes very close to what I had in my mind before I proceeded to record it. And yes, it’s based on a real relationship from a few years back with someone I’ll always think of as ‘the one that got away.’
      Oh, and I would love to hear what Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts could do with this tune.


The Original Laughing Boy [feat: mani mannion]

Back when I first came to visit Ithaca NY in the mid 70’s, sometime before I wound up living there for over 20 years, I was introduced to a vibrant, life-filled, somewhat chaotic household on Yates Street, The Mother’s House, occupied by a group of socially engaged, creative, unusually mature adolescent females, overseen by three generations of women each named Irene. You definitely would’ve had to have seen it for yourself to get a full idea of the amazing vortex of strange energies that swirled around that place. I tried to capture some of the ambiance of the Mother’s House in this song, focusing primarily on the young woman who eventually became my partner for a time, and the mother of my daughter.

Shine Shine Shine [from Altitude Adjustment]

     I’ve long had a strong affinity for Celtic music. This came to a crescendo in the 90’s when I had the opportunity to produce a weekly 2 hour radio show in Ithaca NY, which had a dedicated corps of listeners. I also got to meet and interview a number of prominent Celtic artists, notably Ronan Hardiman, Sharon Shannon, Eileen Ivers, Solas and Altan, to name a few.
     ‘Caledonia,’ by Dougie Maclean perfectly exemplifies for me the yearning  and dreamy quality of the best Celtic music. I tried producing a version of this song years ago, but it was just too much for me to really tackle and so I shelved it for a long time. But with the recent acquisition of a magnificent new recording device, I decided to give it another try. This time I think I captured the magical quality I always felt in Maclean’s beautiful song, and I hope you can feel it too.


Caledonia  (cover of Dougie Maclean )

This one is based on a real person, with some liberties taken for a better lyric. Of the 400+ songs I've composed and collaborated on, this is among my top 5 faves. There is a previous mix of Freedom posted on SoundCloud, almost 20 years old and done with 4 track cassette technology. While it was  alright as a song demo, this 24 track production is the version I recently created to be included on my debut CD - scheduled to be ready for the Holiday Season 2015.  

She Calls Herself Freedom [from Altitude Adjustment]

[check my SoundCloud page for newer & better  'mani mix'
under title The Original LAUGHING Boy]
I did all the layers myself on this one, starting  with raggedly transferred original tapes from the mid 1970's and adding  instruments and effects over time,  literally over decades. I must have done about a dozen different arrangements of this song. I could envision it as a contemporary Nashville style tune, though that's not what you'll hear on this version.

The Original Laffing Boy (older 1980's  demo)

I wrote FREEDOM upon reflecting on someone I met, too long after the fact. It's not the only song I wrote about her, and this isn't her real name. Think about her still *sigh* Since first composing this in 1974, I have tried out about 20 different arrangements.. this one come pretty close to what I hear in my head, but it's a little too rough to be a final recording. I think the song has stood up well over the years, though.

She Calls Herself Freedom (older 1980s mix)

Jimmy Bob was a character I was able to play around with during my time as News Director at a New York State Finger Lakes area radio station.  Jimmy Bob became my favorite. A few more of his newscast highlights pop up in this KATZongs collection.

Jimmy Bob Krebbs 'AmberGlass' Report

[Looking for the older demo version? Message Gene Katz on FaceBook or email me at: geneirakatz@yahoo.com]

From the moment I heard the first notes of the first song on the 1995 debut CD of The Corrs, I was hooked. These three incredibly talented Irish sisters and their genius arranger brother have since blazed a unique trail among artists out of  Ireland. My love for Celtic music, which  led me to listen to the Corrs in the first place, is not a major factor in my rendition, which I tried to make sound vaguely european with echoes of the doo-wop harmonies I grew up listening to in the Bronx. . I would account this production of Runaway as one of my favorite disasters,  coming close to what I hear in my mind for this song, but - oh, well... but it also turned out pleasant enough to share-- although I need to fix some of the shakier layers that show up on this solo multi-track  home recording. 'Runaway'  was written by Sharon, Andrea and Caroline Corrs and they produced two different versions, their original on  Forgiven, Not Forgotten and a later remix which topped the UK charts as a single in '99. I totally love this song and vow to one day really do it justice. Think of this as a decent detailed preliminary sketch.

Runaway (Corrs song -  Katz cover)

I'm not sure how I hooked up with Faith Fusillo, but we wound up writing 2 or 3 songs together and her manager produced a fairly slick set of demos.  I know that at one time she played with the all women band, Fanny, and later on she produced  a  project with Bo Diddley, and also knew that she was energetic and creative. If I recall, Closer to Heaven was a joint composition by me, Faith,  and Doug Frank (see notes for "Karma") who went on to major success as a composer and record label head.

Closer to Heaven - feat. Faith Fusillo

What-Me-Worry Brand condoms- radio spot

Donnie Hathaway was a musician,  probably best known for Where Is The Love?,  his duet with Roberta Flack. While I didn’t know much  about Hathaway, one of the composers I collaborated with knew his work well --  Neil Waltzer, a noted music educator at Manhattan School of Music who had a beautiful lush piano thing going, great melodies, with lots of emotional ambience. He was hit especially hard by the untimely death of Hathaway at age 33, an apparent suicide, and he asked me to help craft a song as a memorial for this talented musician. The singer on this studio demo is Mo Foster, one of Lou Stallman’s discoveries.  He had a wonderful soulful delivery, especially on this kind of cabaret style tune. As with other Waltzer compositions, I can hear orchestrations in my mind every time I listen to this one. 

You Paid Your Dues

A few years back, I embarked on a wonderful month-long road adventure, driving from Nyack, New York, to Tuscan, Arizona, via an automobile transport service, sort of a rental a car without the rent. On the way out I got to drive a big ol’ dinosaur of a convertible, and with most of the western highways allowing  very high speeds, and this U-drive vehicle with huge engine of over 440 cubic inches, I was able to cruise,  with the top down, around 90 mph for long stretches through some of the most fantastic scenery. This was one of the all time amazing drives of my life, and I thoroughly fell in love with the landscapes and ambience of the Four Corners region. I’ll Phone Ya From Arizona, is my attempt to capture the uplift and exhilaration of that journey, infusing an otherwise simple rock tune with a sublime, almost ethereal quality shining through a layer of Latino-style cheese that would be right at home at South of the Border theme park on I-95 near the Mason-Dixon line.  I’ve done a number of versions of this song…this is the final attempt, produced for my debut CD, ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT. I hope you can hear how much fun I had putting this sweet monstrosity together


I'll Phone Ya from Arizona [from KATZ CD Altitude Adjustment]

This is a near final mix of KATIE, one the songs I recorded for my next album, Bolder, due out late Spring 2018. The composer is Sam Brewton, noted upstate NY drummer and member of the renown Zuccini Brothers. Fell in love with KATIE when I first heard Sam's version on a cassette EP he released some years back. As usual, I performed every instrument and vocal on this production Yes, the mix still needs a little tweaking, but even as it is,  I love this so much that I had to share, warts and all.  E N J O Y !

KATIE

KATIE  - [composer Sam Brewton]

Composition belongs to Jethro Tull....everything else in this version of the classic from Aqualung, all instruments and vocals are performed by me. This is a 1st ruff mix from brand new tracks. It shall be tweaked.

MOTHER GOOSE  cover of Jethro Tull's song

Song by the internationally renown Peskanov Bros.: Alexander & Mark. They own the copyright. I own this production
>> Near final demo, still needs to be mastered, but I'm OK with sharing even in this  not quite polished form. Took 2 1/2 years to produce this - long story. Maybe later...

IT'S THE NIGHT AGAIN (by A & M Peskanov)

Song by the world renown Peskanov Bros, Alexander & Mark. These are just the track which posted just for them.

IT'S THE NIGHT AGAIN -  Just TRAX (A & M Peskanov)

MYSTIC WATER will be included in my next CD Baby album, BOLDER, scheduled for release in 2021. I have loved this song since first hearing Donna the Buffalo perform it live at a Finger Lakes area  lawn party one hot summer night in the 90s. My cover recording of this Jeb Puryear composition, was literally years in the making. I first approached Donna the Buffalo’s front man for his permission to record this tune at the Grassroots music festival, near Ithaca NY, about four years ago. His response being something like “Go for it…’ with that Jeb grin, I proceeded to lay down tracks right after returning to my home studio in Boulder, CO. and worked on it steadily for about a year.  Then, I was offered an opportunity to earn a doctoral degree for free,  soon to discover that the time commitment and mental focus necessary to complete this degree takes a huge bite out of the time required to produce a decent set of tracks. I was able to make some headway on MYSTIC WATER inch by sonic inch during quarterly breaks and holidays. Took a few years to get it right, but here it is.
I myself feel pretty darn satisfied with what I did here, just Me, Myself and & I -- as usual-- providing all the voices, instruments, arrangement, etc. My fondest hope for this production is that it gets a Jeb grin when he hears it

MYSTIC WATER - Near Final remix  (song by Jeb Puryear)

This not-quite-finished demo is good enough to share, as far as I'm concerned. I'll proably add some more percussion and I have another singer in mind for the final vocals before it's mastered. Intended for my upcoming album, BOLDER, this song is based on real life from back when I travelled across the USA in my early 20s and picked up playing gigs at local bars. Now, I still love to perform my music for people, but that particular lifestyle got pretty old. Did lead me to write a pretty decent song though. E N J O Y !

STREET LIFE (Decent Ruff Mix)

This production is but a humble homage to the unique, groundbreaking, earth shaking, EAR SHAKING sounds created by these very singular performers, DEAD CAN DANCE. I learned alot about 'atmospherics' listening to them, not that I claim to have mastered any of it. But DEAD CAN DANCE  A R E  masters! And if they happen to stumble upon this demo-  (mixed straight from a 24 trk  board sans DAW), I hope they enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together...one of the fastest productions  I've ever done, took  literally days as oppposed to the ususal months, or even YEARS...Whatever.,,
 I tried to capture DCDs dreamy, almost hypnotic, approach, a sonic realm  that engages the mind while reaching down into something deep, ancient, atmosphere and primal. 
I certainly hope you enjoy my take on their song.

HOW FORTUNATE THE MAN WITH NONE- Cover & Homage to DEAD CAN DANCE

The first single from my album Altitude Adjustment (available on CD Baby) I always loved this Cream song from their 1st album, co-written by bassist Jack Bruce, who I consider to be a musical genius (check out Songs For A Tailor sometime). This take  of mine on I Feel Free was first recorded around 2007 and remixed in 2016. I was going for, a more or less minimalist-but-spooky type arrangement, with a little bit of gravel thrown in. I was also trying  somewhat to evoke the state of mind many of  my friends and I were in when we first heard Fresh Cream back in the late 60's. (I'm glad, I'm glad, I'm glad!)

I Feel Free  [Cream cover - from KATZ CD Altitude Adjustment]

IF FOOLS WERE RICH -Music & Lyrics by Katz © 2020
Chorus:
I don’t get it, and I don’t think I care to understand
You said it, for every mistake there’s a master plan
If that’s story, I really couldn’t give a damn
Coz if fools were rich I’d be a millionaire
And if this song had wings I’d jut be flying around somewhere
---------------------------
Most the world I’ll never know, and no one’s ever really shown me
How to walk up to a stranger just to say ‘Hello”
Well, it’s true some time you catch the name, but then you’ve got to watch the games
You could turn up with a little love, or it could turn out insane
Lord knows I’m just a man. I wish they’d tell me just where I stand
-CHORUS-
---------------------------
There was a lover long ago who thought they had a right to know’
Every thought inside my mind, as if I could let it show.
Well, I’m not sure just what they heard, coz all they got was a book of words
They never saw that thoughts were clouds in shades of the absurd
Well, people sat they strangest things. What do they mean, if every anything?
-CHORUS-

IF FOOLS WERE RICH (I'd Be a Millionaire)

This 25 minute Drone loop is designed for Deep Relaxation and Meditation. It is useful for an ambient  background to create a calm atmosphere

DRONE (Tambura style - 25 Minutes)

[Get the whole story of my life in song at the new Katz Muzik website:  http://geneirakatz.wix.com/katzmuzik]

In my lifetime, I’ve written literally hundreds of songs and I have recorded dozens of them, some professionally in high class studios with amazingly talented people, and some in various qualities of home recordings with just me, myself and a bunch of musical instruments and gadgetry.

What you’ll find here in KATZongs is an eclectic collection of original and cover tunes, some tracks featuring just me, and some with other artist doing tunes I wrote or co-wrote. There are also some fun bits from my years in radio  as well. You can find more detailed notes, about my music, about the other musicians and addtional  miscellaneous stuff, in the ‘Notes’ section of my FaceBook page, under the name Gene Katz.
ENJOY

As numerous friends have requested to hear some of my music, I’m taking a huge leap in putting this stuff ‘out there,’ via Soundcloud.com. Relatively  new to cyber-transferring my collection of various tapes and vinyls and digital files into web-worthy tracks, the final mastering process clearly leaves  room for improvement, but I decided to get it out there now rather  than wait until I learn all I need to know about how to work all the software. I’ll get it eventually. Until then…

KATZongs

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