This instrumental track evokes for me an eerie, desolate fairground in the middle of winter, with the rides slowly turning but no punters in sight. I composed the basic melody almost 50 years ago, and from time to time I've tried adding lyrics, but it's always sounded better without.

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Winter On The Waltzers

Inspired by politicians talking up the idea of going to war and getting excited about it.  When I wrote the lyric I was thinking about when I took part in a stage production of Oh What A Lovely War - the soldiers' perspective rather than the politicians'.  So I decided to record the song in the style of a chorus of soldiers singing in a musical.  I let you be the judge of whether it works.  

A slightly different version of this song is on the LIneside Fire album "Back Burner".  You can download it at https://linesidefire.bandcamp.com/album/back-burner, from iTunes or from Amazon.  It is also available on Spotify.  There is also a video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyFjifpBvlk

Off To War

Do you rely on luck or good fortune to get what you want out of life? Or do you make things happen? 
You can download "Lady Luck" at:
https://linesidefire.bandcamp.com/track/lady-luck.  
You can also find it on CD Baby, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, Google Play, Spotify etc.

Lady Luck

A short, gentle acoustic song. The lyric ponders the feeling that although there may be material things that we want, what we need is often what money cannot buy.
You can download the song from BandCamp - https://linesidefire.bandcamp.com/track/nothing-more-i-need, or from iTunes, Amazon or CD Baby.
You can also stream on Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, etc.

Nothing More I Need

"Devil's Alley" was inspired by the changing names of city streets over the centuries. In this case it is a street that in Mediaeval times was known as a "red light" area, and had a name to match, which is not printable here. At some point, perhaps in the seventeenth century, it became Devil's Alley and was the starting point for Sedan Chair rides. Then in Victorian times its murky past was obliterated and it was named after the famous author Amelia Opie, who fought for human rights, and whose statue overlooks the street.
You can download Devil's Alley from:
https://linesidefire.bandcamp.com/track/devils-alley
Also available on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, CD Baby etc.

Devil's Alley

"Cracked Ice (Overture)" is an instrumental based on another track "Thin Ice". It is not quite an overture in that overtures usually open a musical piece, and this one closes it. But it pulls in themes from many of the other songs on the "Wrong Side Of The Tracks" album to round off the collection of songs and bring the listener full circle to the beginning of the album again.
You can download this track at: 
https://linesidefire.bandcamp.com/track/cracked-ice-overture.
It is also available on CD Baby, iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube etc.

Cracked Ice (Overture)

Written in 1971, this is a fast-paced acoustic song of a teenager's lament about having to get up in the morning. Although it is essentially a blues song, it is a long way from the standard 12-bar blues format. 
The song features a Guild D4 12 string guitar, and the flange-drenched solo is played on a Rickenbacker 330/12.
You can download this song at:
https://linesidefire.bandcamp.com/track/saturday-morning-blues.
You can also find it at CD Baby, Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, Apple Music etc.

Saturday Morning Blues

The lyric was inspired by the character Will Parry, in the Philip Pullman book "The Subtle Knife", part 2 of the "His Dark Materials" trilogy. Will could slip through his world unseen, which I can relate to.  I chose an unusual chord progression, which I'm told takes some getting used to.  So if you don't like it first time around, try another listen.

Hiding In Plain Sight

In a back room of a pub in 2013, a group of us sat round a table with a few beers to come up with a band name.  Of the multiple suggestions, “Doris Johnston, Mare of London”, made us crack up. I knew straight away that it would be a good name for a ridiculous little bass riff that I used to play to amuse the kids when they were younger.  This instrumental is the result.  It ends in a kind of apocalypse, which I suppose is fitting.

Doris Johnston, Mare of London

This might be a bit unexpected.
There is a wealth of orchestral instrument loops online – musical phrases played on almost any instrument you can think of.  Instead of the usual drums, bass, strummed guitar base, I began this instrumental by piecing together a few hundred of these loops – a way of exploring alternative ways of creating an instrumental track.  I then added some backing percussion, plus guitars (Les Paul and Capri/12) and bass.  It has turned out rather different to my usual stuff.

The Call Of The Sea

A sing-along-chorus song with a heavy rock backing, about misplaced optimism - believing all will be OK in the face of all evidence to the contrary. Guitars used were a Les Paul, a Wesley San Diego, and a Rickenbacker 330/12.

Alright On The Night

An instrumental based on some blues chords, on speed.

Richard Painter's Mp3 Album

The Devil Makes Work For Idle Hands

I am the songwriter/music creator of Lineside Fire.  I will sometimes post demos or rough mixes of new songs here, as well as the published versions and remixes.  If you would like to support my music, please follow the BandCamp link to download my songs and albums.

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