Some music I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with Graham Lavallin on (http://soundcloud.com/lavallin). Also with the great musical talent of Sean Lasaril on two of the songs (https://soundcloud.com/cinder-man). Hope you enjoy hearing them again or for the first time. Mark

Collaborations with Lavallin (& Lasaril)

Graham (https://soundcloud.com/lavallin ) approached me a few months ago to suggest this Marillion song as a collaboration, assuming that I was a fan. I had to confess that I’d never heard this before and could count the Marillion songs I knew on one hand. I’m so grateful to Graham for this introduction as this is a beautiful and powerful song, although don’t ask me what it means – I’d have to say whatever you want it to mean. If you enjoy this please show some appreciation on Graham’s cloud (I know I’m asking a lot after taking up 9 minutes of your time already) http://soundcloud.com/lavallin/when-i-meet-god-marillion-1 . It was a tough task trying to follow in Steve Hogarth’s footsteps as his voice is so much more powerful than mine is, I couldn’t really emulate it so this is just my take on it. 
See link for details – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2h9stMs8rs
The original is from Marillion’s 2001 album 'Anoraknophobia'.

Mark Bennett – Vocals and artwork (with a little help from Michelangelo Buonarroti)
Graham Lavallin – Guitars and arrangement.
Instrumentation:  Fender Strat through a Boss ME70 pedal board for all electric/slide guitars.  Ovation Celebrity electro-acoustic guitar through Roland Sonic Cell interface  for acoustic guitar.  EWQL Fretless bass; drums and percussion; Roland Jupiter 50 synths and strings.

All recorded and mixed in GarageBand.

'When I Meet God' (Marillion Tribute) – Original music and lyrics by Marillion 
( Written by Mark Kelly, Peter Trewavas, Steve Hogarth, Stephen Rothery, Ian Mosley )
            	
When I Meet God lyrics © BUG MUSIC

And if the bottle's no solution
Why does it feel so warm
And if that girl is no solution
Why did she feel so warm
And if to feel is no solution
Why do I feel
Why do I feel so tired
Why do I feel so broken
Why do I feel so outside
Why do I seem so blind
I'm so sick of feeling
It's ruined my life 

If living rough is no solution
Why does it ease my mind
If looking back is no solution
Why are we all 
Nothing but children
Children inside

Why do the Gods
Sit back and watch
So many lost
What kind of mother
Leaves a child in the traffic
Turning tricks in the dark
What kind of God?

I crawled around inside myself
It was a long way down
It was a mine and it was mine
And in the darkness
I saw a perfect mirror
Floating in space

When I meet God
I'm going to ask her
What makes her cry
What makes her laugh
Is she just stars and indigo gas
Does she know why
Love has no end
But it's dark-angel friend
Tearing women and men
Slowly apart

Listen
Stain
Don't do that
Scream
Don't do that
Fail
Never do that
Never do that
I want to go out
Don't do that
I want an adventure
Just stay
I want
Just stay in
I want to make love

And if the bottle's no solution
Why does it feel so warm
And if looking back is no solution
Why are we all just children inside
And if to feel is no solution
Why does the whole damn world feel so broken
So outside and out-of-sorts

A perfect mirror
Floating in space
Waves and numbers
But oh, such beautiful numbers
And oh, such waves…

When I Meet God (Marillion Tribute) with Lavallin

I thoroughly enjoyed working with my good friend Mark Bennett ( https:soundcloud.com/markjbennett ) on our last collab together with the Marillion Tribute 'When I meet God', so I was more than happy to embark on this latest journey with him. Mark asked me if I fancied the idea of doing a Phil Collins era Genesis tribute/cover which would be more familiar territory, as the Marillion song had been totally new to him. I had very basic arrangements of 'Entangled' & 'Ripples' in my DAW & I sent them over to Mark to try out and he went for 'Ripples' as his first choice, which happily was also mine. So we set to and Mark sent me his first vocal take which, despite his usual reservations, I thought was just right in feel and emotion for this beautiful song, with it's wistful theme of ageing.
The middle instrumental section, where there is not too much happening musically, was a bit of a challenge so I've gone for a watery, trippy feel with the guitar and synth parts here to suggest sliding into the pool, diving to the bottom and rising to the top again to join with the vocal build and onto the added fadeout ending ...   
Mark is a vocal treasure imho and this offering is very much a moving testament to his sensitive vocal abilities ... though, with his usual modesty, I know he would be the first to refute this:)) I am enormously grateful to him also for his great artwork to accompany our respectful collaborative tribute.

I understand that, unfortunately, due to a critical lack of minutes with his account as it stands, that Mark will not be submitting this track to his own cloud as is customary ...  but, I know he'll be listening in and I'd be very surprised if he does not reply here suitably, in his own inimitable way, to any comments and quite honestly I would welcome it ...  ;-) 

The original Genesis song, a personal favourite, is found on the 1976 album 'A Trick Of The Tail'.

'Ripples' ~ Genesis Tribute (Original music and lyrics by Genesis, written by Mike Rutherford & Tony Banks)

Mark J. Bennett ~ Vocals & Artwork
Graham Lavallin ~ Guitars, arrangement and production
Instrumentation: Fender Strat through Apogee Gio pedal board interface to access the onboard GarageBand amps & FX pedals for all electric/slide guitars.
Ovation Celebrity electro-acoustic guitar through Roland Sonic Cell interface and custom acoustic guitar patches for acoustic guitars.
EWQL Steinway D Piano, drumkits and percussion.
Roland Jupiter 50 synth strings and bass.
Arturia ARP2600 Arpolina lead synth.
AMG Arp Solina Strings
AMG Mellotron

All recorded and mixed in GarageBand.

Thanks for listening:))

Ripples lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Blue girls come in every size
Some are wise and some otherwise
They got pretty blue eyes
For an hour a man may change
For an hour her face looks strange
Looks strange, looks strange

Marching to the promised land
Where the honey flows and takes you by the hand
Pulls you down on your knees
While you're down a pool appears
The face in the water looks up
And she shakes her head as if to say
That it's the last time you'll look like today

Sail away, away
Ripples never come back
Gone to the other side
Sail away, sail away

The face that launched a thousand ships
Is sinking fast, that happens you know
The water gets below
Seems not very long ago
Lovelier she was than any that I know

Angels never know it's time
To close the book and gracefully decline
The song has found a tale
My, what a jealous pool she is
The face in the water looks up
She shakes her head as if to say
That the blue girls have all gone away

Sail away, away
Ripples never come back
They've gone to the other side
Look into the pool
Ripples never come back
Dive to the bottom and go to the top
To see where they have gone
Oh, they've gone to the other side

Songwriters: BANKS, TONY/RUTHERFORD, MICHAEL
Ripples lyrics © EMI Music Publishing




Ripples ~ (Genesis Tribute) * Lavallin * Mark J.Bennett

A couple of weeks ago my good friend Graham Lavallin (https://soundcloud.com/lavallin) asked me if I would consider writing some lyrics and maybe doing the vocals, to some original pieces of music he had put together, all of which were dealing with human consciousness and metaphysical themes. One of these, ‘Lost Lake of Souls’ suggested to me a kind of Irish Folk meets Peter Gabriel feel, I was instantly smitten and my head filled with the ideas contained here almost before the song finished playing that first time. The next day I had most of the lyrics. Graham gave me some more suggestions, which I incorporated into the final song.

My instinct said that a powerful, passionate arrangement needed to carry an equally important subject. Graham had briefly mentioned to me his 97 year old mother who is in a care home and suffers the condition of dementia and I asked him if he felt alright about Alzheimer’s Disease (a form of dementia) as the theme of the song and if I changed the title to ‘Lake Of Lost Souls’. Sadly nowadays, almost everyone, including myself, knows or has known someone who has lost something of their identity and so much of their dignity to this terrible disease. I hope this song strikes a chord and it is intended with respect to be cathartic and therapeutic. 

As always I’m very grateful to Graham for his imagination, skill and patience but on this collaboration he enabled me to write something of a very personal nature. If you have time please show your appreciation on Graham's cloud, https://soundcloud.com/lavallin/lake-of-lost-souls-lavallin-mark-j-bennett 
We are both aware that this song demands much of the listener and we just hope that it may touch others in the same way that this song has moved both of us and hopefully draw attention to the plight of those affected.

Here are some links if you need more information.
http://www.alzscot.org/
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Alzheimers-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Vocal, Lyrics and Artwork – Me
All Music and Instrumentation - https://soundcloud.com/lavallin
Instrumentation: Fender Strat through Apogee Gio pedal board interface to access the onboard GarageBand amps & FX pedals for all electric guitars. Korg Kronos and Roland Jupiter 50 synths EWQL ‘Voices Of Passion’ layered backing vocals/choirs  Atmosphere loop
All recorded and mixed in GarageBand.
“Lake Of Lost Souls" ( © Lavallin/Bennett 2014 )
 
I mourned you this morning,
Though you’re not yet gone,
This hand I am holding,
Used to belong,
To the one closest to my heart,
Distant now, forever drifting
On the lake of lost souls

Comfort and peace,
Sweet release.

Between two worlds 
Now is time to let go
Is but a fleeting domain,
Your spirit will always be free.
Now is time to let go
Between two worlds

Comfort and peace…
Distant now, forever drifting
Comfort and peace…
On the lake of lost souls

Distant now, forever drifting
Comfort and peace…
On the lake of lost souls
Comfort and peace…

I mourned you this morning,
Though you’re not yet gone,
This hand I am holding,
Used to belong,
To the one closest to my heart


Lake Of Lost Souls (with Lavallin) Click for Info

When Procol Harum’s ‘A Salty Dog’ was released in 1969, I was just seven. My Damascene moment came when an enlightened teenaged neighbour introduced me to the album of the same name when I was 12 and my life has never been quite the same since. Many people will have heard ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, although few people will be as familiar with this equally beautiful and unforgettable song. The band Procol Harum is recognized as an influential force in the development of Progressive Rock, but for me the thing that makes them stand out is Gary Brooker’s unique voice. Often their lyrics are unfathomable, for example “We skipped the light fandango, Turned cartwheels ’cross the floor”, but always sound credible given Gary Brooker’s warm and authoritative delivery. 
This is one of those songs that should have a warning label saying ‘Don’t Try To Cover This – It’ll Only End In Tears’ but with Graham Lavallin’s confidence and wonderful support we persevered. However, I then had to find a way of making this my own as no-one can touch Mr Brooker’s version. Please check out Graham's wonderful cloud https://soundcloud.com/lavallin if you enjoyed his work here. Thanks for listening to our very British collaboration.
	
Mark J. Bennett 	Vocals and artwork (based on the original cover)
https://soundcloud.com/lavallin	Guitars, arrangement, production
Instrumentation: 	Fender Strat through Boss ME70 pedal board and Magic Stomp pedal
EWQL piano, drums and percussion, orchestral cello section, orchestral legato cellos, orchestral bass section, orchestral viola section, orchestral violin section, tremolo strings, pizzicato strings
Synth orchestra deep bass and synth flute
AMG mellotron strings
Atmospheres

All recorded and mixed in GarageBand

All hands on deck, we've run a float,
I heard the Captain cry.
Explore the ship, replace the cook,
Let no one leave alive.
Across the straits, around the horn,
How far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course,
And no one left alive.

We sailed for parts unknown to man,
Where ships come home to die.
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold,
Could match our captain's eye.
Upon the seventh seasick day,
We made our port of call.
A sand so white, and sea so blue,
No mortal place at all.

We fired the guns, and burned the mast,
And rowed from ship to shore.
The captain cried, we sailors wept,
Our tears were tears of joy!
Now many moons and many Junes,
Have passed since we made land.
A Salty Dog, the seaman's log,
Your witness, my own hand.

Songwriters: KEITH REID, GARY BROOKER
A Salty Dog lyrics © ESSEX MUSIC INTERNATIONAL C/O THE RICHMOND ORGANIZATION


A Salty Dog (Procol Harum Cover) with Lavallin

This song is part of an instrumental/song cycle entitled 'The Healing Hands of Time' which Graham Lavallin ( https://soundcloud.com/lavallin ) invited me to put words and my voice to. Although the lyrics appear quite simple the subject matter is quite esoteric therefore I had to seek Graham's help. If you need more information, please check out his cloud. He also helped out with the vocals, which was a thrill for me as this was something I'd wanted to do since our earliest collaborations. The music evolved out of Graham jamming, which means it feels less structured, in terms of verse/chorus/etc, but it is rich in melody and has a soothing rhythm throughout although a highlight for me was singing alongside Graham's cello addition at the end. Thanks for listening.

Artwork - Mark Bennett
Lyrics and Vocals - Mark Bennett and Graham Lavallin
Music and Mix - Graham Lavallin

Instrumentation - Korg Kronos synth
AMG Mellotron strings
EWQL Viola and Cello
Field recording courtesy of freesound.org

All mixed and recorded in Garageband

I made a vow to you,
That I'd always return.
And I've been true to my word,
Here I am, my love.
It's just that you can no longer,
See, feel or hear me.

But here I am love,
The spirit lives,
And I'm still here,
Still with you now.

I'll be watching over you,
Until we are reunited,
Soul to soul.

When your grief subsides,
You will feel me in your mind,
In your heart and in your very soul.
Can you feel me?

The spirit lives...
Now and forever,
Forever.

Songwriters: Graham Lavallin and Mark J. Bennett ( © Lavallin/Bennett 2014 )

The Spirit Lives (Collaboration with Lavallin)

This 'mini rock opera' as it seems to have become, started out as an instrumental, which I wrote for a good friend who had just suffered a tragic loss, that of his only son. My good friend Mark Bennett had listened to the instrumental and been very affected by the sentiment expressed and asked me if I would consider revisiting the track again, which I readily agreed to. His initial idea was to pen just a couple of lines of lyrics and approach fellow SoundClouder Marianne Holland, to possibly do some vocals. I'd collaborated with Marianne on several projects before and very much enjoyed working with her and I really love her vocal style and admire her incredible range, so she was a natural choice for this track.
From this initial idea from Mark and several e-mails of further ideas for this track from Mark, I had the idea to put together The Great War Centenary Suite ... now complete ... it seems very fitting that the same track that started it all should be the one to complete the project it gave birth to in the first place.

I am greatly indebted to both Mark, for his vision, his lyrics, vocals and his boundless enthusiasm and Marianne for her wonderful soaring vocals and backing vocals as ever, but also for her additional instrumentation and input and I am enormously grateful to my good friend Lee Lucas for kindly offering to put together a YouTube vid to accompany this track which is brilliant and at such short notice as well ... big thanks Lee mate!! ;-)

The YouTube link for the video is:  http://youtu.be/7X98olTPtfM

It is my proud pleasure to be able to upload this final track for this centenary suite for this special Remembrance Day weekend and as always I thank you so much for listening:))

MarkJBennett ~ Vocals, Lyrics, Artwork   soundcloud.com/markjbennett
Marianne Holland ~ Vocals, Backing Vocals, Electric Bass Guitar, Synth Violin
Lee Lucas ~ Video Production   soundcloud.com/lee-lucas 
Graham Lavallin ~ Original Instrumental, Arrangement & Production

Original Instrumentation: Korg Kronos synth, Mellotron Tape Violins & Drums & Percussions
                                          Roland Jupiter 50 synth 'Trumpeteer'
                                          Fender Strat electric guitar improvisations     

'Lament For The Fallen' ~ Lavallin * Bennett © 2014

Intro: Just two lines of Harry Patch, the last 'Fighting Tommy', reading an extract from the Laurence Binyon Remembrance Day poem at the Menin Gate, Ypres on 29/07/2009. Harry prefaced his full reading of the poem by first saying:  'Let us remember, those who fell, on both sides of the line' ...

Harry Patch: 
                    When the sun goes down, and in the morning,
                    We will remember them ... (We will remember them)

Soldier:
                     I made a promise
                     That I'd always be yours
                     I've only ever been yours ...

                     Through it all
                     You'll always remain

Sweetheart:
                     You'll always remain
                      Just a boy

Soldier/Sweetheart:
                     
                      In my heart ...

Sweetheart:
                      Just a boy, in my heart
                      I made a promise
                      That I'd always be yours
                      I've only ever been yours
                     ( You're just a boy, in my heart)
                      Just a boy, in my heart ... in my heart ...

                      Just a boy, ....
                      Just a boy, ....
                      Just a boy, ....                   fadeout ....

Songwriters: Graham Lavallin & MarkJBennett © 2014

Lament For The Fallen ~ (Lavallin) Feat. MarkJBennett & Marianne Holland

This Great War 1914~18 Centenary Suite was written with the intention of being one continuous piece of music, and with wonderful  contributions from my good friends and fellow SoundClouders MarkJBennett and Marianne Holland, I feel it should be presented as such.
I am proud to be uploading this full version on this special Remembrance Sunday as it is meant to be listened to, in reflective mood, as it was produced in that manner also.
I'm making this piece available as a free download in it's entirety to be listened to in the way I intended and I thank you all for listening :))There is also a Free Download with artwork available on my Bandcamp page at this link: https://lavallin.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-war-1914-18-centenary-suite-lavallin-feat-mark-j-bennett-and-marianne-holland  or by clicking on the tab under the track here on SoundCloud ;-)
*Full descriptions of each track may be found in the playlist version here on my page and the track list is as below:

The Great War 1914 ~18  Centenary Suite: (LAVALLIN)
feat. Mark J. Bennett & Marianne Holland    © 2014

  (i)  Oh To Be In England ... (Instrumental)
 (ii)  Cold Wind In Sarajevo  (Instrumental)
 (iii) The Lamps Are Going Out All Over Europe ...
          The Ballad Of Harry Patch (feat. Mark J. Bennett)
 (iv) The Angel Of Mons Suite (Instrumental)
                    * Waiting In The Wings * Over The Top
                    * Against The Odds * The Angel Apparition
                    * March Of St. George
  (v)  Lament For The Fallen (feat. Mark J. Bennett &  Marianne Holland)

Thanks so much for listening :))

Free Download

The Great War 1914~18 Centenary Suite ~ (Lavallin) feat. Mark J.Bennett & Marianne Holland

An unforgettable classic from King Crimson at the end of a classic era.
The closing piece from their album 'Red' (1974) which is normally 12 minutes and 15 seconds long with an extended instrumental section, fusing jazz and rock in a complex arrangement. However, you may be pleased that we are offering the abridged version here. I hope we have made a respectful tribute to a landmark song in King Crimson's back catalogue. Thanks to Graham for believing that we could even try this one let alone hope to pull it off.

Mark Bennett - Artwork and Vocals 
https://soundcloud.com/lavallin - Guitars and all instrumentation and production 
Instrumentation: 
Fender Strat guitar through Apogee Gio pedal board interface to access the onboard GarageBand amps and FX for the 'Robert Fripp style' parts which in this instance was the 'Stadium Solo' sound. Also Fender Strat guitar through BossME70 pedalboard and Magic Stomp pedal with one of Charlie Hall's 'Echoes Of The Past' delays.
EWQL '72 Rickenbacker bass guitar, drums and percussion, viola and cello, and Bari sax
AMG Mellotron strings and Alto sax

The title and the refrain comes from a line in 'Under Milk Wood' by Dylan Thomas (1914-1953).

Starless by King Crimson

Sundown dazzling day
Gold through my eyes
But my eyes, turned within, only see
Starless and Bible black

Old friend charity
Cruel twisted smile
And the smile signals emptiness for me
Starless and Bible black

Ice blue silver sky
Fades into grey
To a grey hope that, oh, yearns to be
Starless and Bible black

Music by William Bruford, David Cross, Robert Fripp and John Wetton. Lyrics by John Wetton and Richard Palmer-James. 
Copyright: Universal Music Publishing Mgb Ltd., E.G. Music Ltd., Topographic Music Inc.


Starless (King Crimson Tribute) with Lavallin

This is part of Graham Lavallin's album 'The Healing Hands Of Time' that I have been fortunate enough to be able to contribute to. Collaborating with my good friend Graham on subject matter I have little knowledge of was always going to be a challenge, however with his guidance and patience between us we have managed to make something that neither of us on our own could have achieved. A true collaboration, although most of the lyrical content is Graham's, I did add some rhymes. The meaning of this song is something that Graham will be able to throw more light on than I ever could, so please check out his cloud for more info https://soundcloud.com/lavallin/procession-of-souls-lavallin-bennett . 

When I first heard this piece, I thought of it moving in a certain direction, but with every communication between Graham and myself this took on a life of its own.

Thanks for taking the time to listen. Best wishes, Mark

Lyrics and Vocals - Mark Bennett and Graham Lavallin
Artwork - Graham Lavallin
Music, all instrumentation and mix - Graham Lavallin
Instrumentation
Korg Kronos Synth (main arrangement and drums)
EWQL Voices Of Passion (additional vocal element)
EWQL Anvils, Tubular Bells and various percussion

All recorded and mixed in GarageBand

'Procession (Of Souls)' (© Lavallin/Bennett 2014)

Drawn to the source,	
Moving in time in myriad line
Procession of Souls

All is light,
No darkness here and nothing to fear
Just wonder ...

Feel the force,
Go with the flow, to where I don't know
Procession of Souls

Streaming Souls
Converge as one, a swirling white cone	
Just drifting ...

Feel the pull
Away from convention, kind of ascension
To those I hold dear

I'm coming home,
Coming alive,
All is well,
All is peace, oh such peace

Reaching to me,
Catch the tail of their kite, my spirit takes flight,
Just soars...

A homing urge (one last surge)
As if upstream drawn, feels like being reborn 
We are home... I am home

I feel such peace, 
Never want to leave here again
I am home ... I am home ...
I am home ... I am home ...
I am Home ...

Songwriters: Graham Lavallin and Mark J. Bennett (© Lavallin/Bennett 2014)

Procession (with Lavallin)

'Moving On' originally started out as a short instrumental piece written as a possible theme for a drama series, similar to that of the same title recently shown on TV ... later, I was planning to end the 'The Healing Hands Of Time' album in progress with this instrumental ... it has since been Mastered by my good friend Patric Farrell aka the FisherKing and will appear at the end of the album as a bonus track.
My good friend Mark J.Bennett @markjbennett , whose vocals are featured on that album, suggested adding some lyrics and vocals and making it an uplifting song to end the album. I extended the arrangement and Mark sent me a guide vocal and lyrics which seemed to me to give the song a Robert Wyatt feel and the lyrics put me in mind of my son's situation, being in hospital for coming up for a year now. I added more lyrics and sang the main vocal with him in mind, though the lyric is pretty universal really.
Mark has been the main driving force behind making this instrumental track into a fully fledged song and I am greatly indebted to him for all his input and inspiration as always ... he is a joy to work with ... I'm no singer and probably would not have attempted to do this song had he not persuasively steered me, in this direction. Sadly he is out of time on his account again and cannot post this latest collaboration on his page, but I have no doubt he will be replying to any comments directed his way and as always I thank you for listening and all comments are greatly appreciated :))

Mark J.Bennett ~ Lyrics, Vocals & Inspiration
Graham Lavallin ~ Music, Arrangement, Vocals/Lyrics & Production

'Moving On' ~ Lavallin * Bennett © 2015

Instrumental Intro:

What do you say,
when life don't go your way?
What do you need, when nothing you do ever succeeds?

Keep calm,
Away from harm,
Be strong,
Moving on ...

When you feel down,
and there's no-one around,
who would help you feel,
that life is meaningful and real

Keep calm,
Away from harm,
Be strong,
Moving on, 
Moving on, Moving on ...

We all get tired,
disillusioned, uninspired.
We all need a lift,
from someone who really has that gift.

Keep calm,
Away from harm,
Be strong,
Moving on ...

What do you say,
when things don't go your way?
What do you need,
when nothing you do ever succeeds?

Keep calm,
Away from harm,
Be strong,
Moving on, Moving on,
Moving on ...

Instrumental break:

Just keep moving on ... you see ... you see ...
Hold your head up high,
Keep moving ... you'll get there you see ...
Just moving on ...
... away from harm,
Be strong,
Moving on

Instrumental break:

Keep calm,
Away from harm,
Be strong,
Moving on ...

Instrumental Outro:



Moving On ~ Lavallin * Bennett

    THE HEALING HANDS OF TIME: (Lavallin)
    feat. Mark J. Bennett  ( © Lavallin/Bennett 2015 )

 1. Lake Of Lost Souls (feat. Mark J. Bennett)
 2. The Spirit Lives (feat. Mark J. Bennett)
 3. Into The Light (Instrumental)
 4. Procession Of Souls (feat. Mark J. Bennett)
 5. The Waiting Room / Council Of Elders (Instrumental)
 6. The Healing Hands Of Time (Instrumental)
 7. Ring Of Destiny (Instrumental)
 8. Time's Signature / Rebirth (Instrumental)
 9. Moving On (feat. Lavallin & Mark J. Bennett)
10. Hidden/Bonus track: Moving On (Instrumental)

                                    ~§~

Mark J. Bennett ~ Vocals, Lyrics & inspiration
Graham Lavallin ~ Music, Vocal/Backing Vox, Lyrics, Production
Instrumentation: Korg Kronos and Roland Jupiter 50 synths; Arturia Analogue Laboratory vst synth, AMG & EWQL vst samples; Fender Strat guitar; Boss ME70 FX & Yamaha Magic Stomp with Charlie Hall's 'Echos Of The Past Delays'; Apogee Gio guitar interface to access GarageBand & Logic amps & FX ... all recorded in GarageBand with the exception of the the instrumental title track, 'The Healing Hands Of Time', recorded in LogicX, using Logic's instruments.
 *The cover image to this track entitled 'The Weight Of Time' is by Julie-de-Waroquier and I gratefully acknowledge it's usage.

'The Healing Hands of Time', is an album project very close to my heart. In common with earlier albums it is a musical journey, but this time possibly the ultimate journey, that of the soul, life after life.
Once again, I invited my good friend Mark Bennett to add lyrics and his wonderful vocals to my music for this project. The subject matter of this album is quite esoteric, and Mark has really had his work cut out perhaps to both engage and empathise with a philosophy not entirely his own, but I feel he does a first rate job here as ever and has been a real inspiration along the way. The songs on this album are inspired by the book 'Journey Of Souls' by Dr. Michael Newton PhD and this and the other two books in the series, are based on the author's research into life between lives ... it's not necessary to take any of this on board to hopefully enjoy the music though :))
 
This continuous track mix is the complete album, with all the instrumental tracks mastered by my good friend Patric Farrell but with the vocal tracks awaiting mastering and will be available on Bandcamp in due course. Individual track notes and lyrics for songs may be found also on the playlist version of this album also here on my SoundCloud page ... all comments are welcomed and very much appreciated as always ...

Thanks so much for listening:))  



The Healing Hands Of Time ~(Lavallin) feat. Mark J.Bennett * Complete Album

This is about a very awkward situation of unwanted advances from a fellow passenger on public transport. It was a case of misread signals causing much embarrassment and unease. I feel slightly more empathetic to the girl’s predicament now but at the time (about 15 years ago) I felt differently. The memory is a painful one but hopefully the song is enjoyable in spite of this.

Graham (Lavallin) had suggested a collaboration using a beautiful original theme/arrangement by Sean (Lasaril). I found a melody that had a slightly dark, haunted feel and these words just flowed out like water from a tap. In 10 minutes I had my first draft – I’ve never written anything quite so instinctively or seemingly effortlessly. Sean’s original title was ‘An Exiled Passion’ which seemed to perfectly fit the subject. I’m hugely indebted to Graham and Sean for their imagination and skill and for giving me a vehicle to put these thoughts and feelings into song.

Guitars, guitar arrangement and final mix – http://soundcloud.com/lavallin
Music, all other instrumentation and arrangement – http://soundcloud.com/lasaril - now to be found at http://soundcloud.com/cinder-man
Lyrics and vocals – Mark Bennett

She's there again,  
Shows up like a bad penny.  
She's there waiting,  
Too late she's seen me.

The only thing we had in common,  
Was our journey times and destination.  
She misread politeness for interest, 
And teased and touched me too.

Liberty with intimacy that I hadn't condoned.  
A toy or a plaything or a pet that she owned.

Hers is a passion in exile, 
With no hope of finding home.

Such a loss of dignity and I had no control.
A toy or a plaything or a pet that she owned.

She's looking for someone to love her, 
Where I was like a friend or brother. 
I misread affection for kindness, 
I confused and hurt her too.

A toy or a plaything or a pet that she owned.
A toy or a plaything or a pet that she owned.

A Passion In Exile (Lasaril/Lavallin/Bennett Collaboration) Click Title for Info

Dear listener, Feel free to leave comments and I'll try to reply.

I've been making music for around 16 years now but because of the wonderfully generous community that is SC, I have learned so much in a short time. I look forward to learning even more by collaborating. 
I suppose my strengths are in lyric-writing and singing. I feel fortunate to have been able to work with some stunning compositions by some very talented SCers.

My very best to you, Mark

Some links to recent Continental Collision streaming sites, etc are available below: