Moonshine

Recorded in:
Los Angeles, California, USA
Earlsdon, Coventry, UK
Norton Lindsey, Warwickshire, UK
Chelsea & Hornsey, London, UK

Mixed and Mastered in EPG Studios, Chelsea, London, UK.

The Valuable Friends:

@rick-4-1 - Blue Shoe Honey Drums
@janinelevinson - Whitest Cloud Vocals
@loxford-1 - The Amazing Graham Pike on Paint The Moon Brass
@phil-mcwalter - The Other Largest Rock In The Sea Stuff




Count The Steps

Put on your blue shoes honey
Cos only you and I
Count the steps you’ll take
Put on your blue shoes honey
Cos only you and I
Break the codes you’ll make

I don’t want to paint the moon
A hundred shades of blue
I just want to sing this song
Cos it reminds me of you
Put on your best face

I could swim across the bay
To the distant clouds
Count the steps you’ll take
But I just want to be by you
And hold your Beatle’s hand
Put on your best face

Put on your blue shoes honey
Cos only you and I
Rock the fakes you’ll bake

I can’t help but see you
The largest rock in the sea
Painted blue
I know when you’re coming
The whitest cloud in the sky

I could swim across the bay
To the distant clouds
Count the steps you’ll take
But I just want to be by you
And hold your Beatle’s hand
Put on your best face

I could swim across the bay
Cos only you and I
Count the steps you’ll take
I could swim across the bay
To the distant clouds
Cos only you and I
Break the codes you’ll make
I could swim across the bay
Put on your blues shoes honey
Cos only you and I
Rock the fakes you’ll bake

© Phil McWalter September 2024

The rock is a reference to Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte - Mozart)

Release date:
26 September 2024

Count The Steps

The Valuable Friends:

@rick-4-1 - Shadow Dance Drums
@janinelevinson - Wood Nymph Vocals
@phil-mcwalter - The Other Tree Stuff

HEART OF THE FOREST

Like a soft summer breeze...

In the whispering woods where shadows play,
A boy walks alone, night turns to day.
Warm tree roots as his friends, and stars as his guides,
Learns from the silence, where secrets abide.

Like a soft summer breeze...

With every fallen leaf, a story unfolds,
Of dreams intertwined and awakenings bold
As he dances with shadows, and sings with the trees,
He learns to be free, like a soft summer breeze

Like a soft summer breeze...

[In the heart of the forest] He finds his way,
[Through echoes of laughter] In the light of the day.
[Growing strong in the wild] Where the wild things roam,
[In nature's embrace] He’s making his home.

Oh what will become of him?
What of his joy?
Weep for the future
And sing at his death
If we are the last of the trees to fall
The winds will pass unnoticed
And no-one else, no-one else can dance…

© Phil McWalter  Oct 2024
Images conjured from text by AI - OpenArt.ai

Heart of the Forest

@rick-4-1 - Oh Oh Drums
@phil-mcwalter The Oh-ther Stuff

The Oldest Nightmare

Oh that woman
Stole the piano but
I love her more
Than one extra day
I don’t know how
It got to be
As big as it did
As big as it did
Oh oh
Oh that woman
Stole the piano but
I love her more
Than one extra day

But

Oh that woman
Stole the piano but
I love her more
Than one hextra day
Be not afeard
The isle is full of noises
Sounds and sweet airs
That give delight
Oh that woman
Stole the piano but
I love her more
Than one extra day
She washes me down
With soap and snow and
We talk of heaven
But when can we go
Oh oh

© Phil McWalter January 2025

Quote from 'The Tempest' (Probably written circa 1610-1611) by William Shakespeare

he Oldest Nightmare

The Oldest Nightmare

@rick-4-1 on Drums
@phil-mcwalter on the Other Stuff

SLEEP LIKE YOU

For you 
I’m going to find a new place - for you
I’m going to buy a new heart - for you
I’m going to build a new bed - for you
Slip like any new kind of sail 
Swoop like any brave kind of bird
Into heather, purple heather 
On our pillows
Into clover, fresh picked clover
In our minds
But no-one I know
Sleeps like you do
No-one I’ve ever known - except you
But no-one I know
Sleeps like you do
No-one I’ve ever known - except you
Do you want to dream?

For you 
I’m going to find a new place - for you
I’m going to buy a new heart - for you
I’m going to build a new bed - for you
Slip like any new kind of sail 
Swoop like any brave kind of bird
Into heather, purple heather 
On our pillows
Into clover, fresh picked clover
In our minds
But no-one I know
Sleeps like you do
No-one I’ve ever known - except you
But no-one I know
Sleeps like you do
No-one I’ve ever known - except you
Do you want to dream?

© Phil McWalter April 2022

Sleep Like You (Remix)

@Rick-4-1 Kiss Me Drums
@Phil-McWalter The Other Pucker-Up Stuff

Drums recorded at Mickleton Studio, Earlsdon, Coventry
Other instruments recorded at EPG Studio, Chelsea
Vocals recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Anslow Gate Studio, Staffs

Kiss Me

Send me a message please
My dog has caught a chill
We’ve got all the windows shut
But I’ve got to know…
If you’ll answer before
T ‘ticking time has t’ticked away
The car’s run out of fuel
I don’t know what to do…

And I don’t want to stand and drink with your father
I don’t want to ballroom dance with your mother

Do I have to come?
I’ve got nothing (clean) to put on
And I can’t find my spray
I feel really bad…

Take my hand and walk me through it
I never knew
Compassion without flaw
I’ve thought about you every day…
And I’m not sure
What I’m supposed to say
But I’ve dreamt of us
Under the starry sky

And I don’t want to talk about rugby with your brother
Eat vol-au-vents that your little sister made

So call me right away
Or I might just run away
The dog looks better now
But we still need to talk…
Check your missed calls please
Before you go downstairs
I’ve left my coat somewhere
But I don’t want
To let you down…

Cast your spell and help me through this
I didn’t know
There was an angel in my town
I know we’ve talked next steps
But you can’t make a hero
Out of me and just the moonlight…

So can you come over here
And just kiss me…

So call me right away
So call me right away
So call me right away
So call me right away

© Jan 2025 Phil McWalter

Phil McWalter

Kiss Me

A revival in memory of both fallen heroes: David Bowie writing about seeing Marc Bolan perform for the first time. 

Jaime J Ross @jaime0223 performed the Grandest Inspirational Piano with additional Grandiose Embellishments by myself
Rick Medlock @rick-4-1 delivered the Perfectly Delicious Drums & Terrific Tambourine
Phil McWalter @phil-mcwalter snuck in all The Other Stuff whilst Tony Visconti was up a pair of steps painting the entrance hall ceiling white...

Remastered 9th May 2025 as it was sounding a little brittle I thought...

Lady Stardust

Well people stared at the makeup on his face
Laughed at his long black hair, his animal grace
The boy in the bright blue jeans
Jumped up on the stage and
Lady Stardust sang his songs
Of darkness and disgrace

And he was alright, the band was all together
Yes he was alright, the song went on forever
Yes he was awful nice
Really quite out of sight
And he sang all night long

Femme fatales emerged from shadows
To watch this creature fair
Boys stood upon their chairs
To make their point of view
And I smiled sadly for a love I could not obey and
Lady Stardust sang his songs
Of darkness and dismay

And he was alright, the band was all together
Yes he was alright, the song went on forever
Yes he was awful nice
Really quite paradise
And he sang all night long

Ooh how I sighed when they asked if I knew his name

And he was alright, the band was all together
Yes he was alright, his song went on forever
And he was awful nice
Really quite paradise and
He sang all night, all night long

© David Bowie 1971


Bowie performing a lesser known demo of the song: youtu.be/xrz5BKPitT0

Lady Stardust

Lady Stardust Revival

Emma McWalter @emmam-7 - Shiny Seaside Backing Vocals
Rick Medlock @rick-4-1 - Salty Drums and Percussion programming 
Phil McWalter @phil-mcwalter - The Other Arcade Stuff

French Fries

I’m standing on the seafront
Holding a cold metal rail
The sea is performing an acrobatic stunt
And rusting my chain mail

I could wipe my eyes
But I’m in disguise
Looking out for spies

The seagulls shine in lung darkness
Above me and below me
They’re pulling something dead apart down on the stones
That’s been dead for a while already

I don’t want no surprise
Just harmonise with
My unshared french fries

You can get a little closer to you
When you’re by yourself
You can get a little closer
If you stood in a book and looked out

I’m running flat out through the arcade
Throwing coins up into the lights
The traveller king spins around
"Kiss-me-quickly" hat on
But he doesn’t see my surprise

Now don’t act all wise
Like you know the franchise
You don’t like the cries
From the rooms where blood dries
You don’t like the cries
From the rooms where blood dries

Things that you said were taken for granted
But I realised they never were
All the bad things happen miles away
So what were you doing ‘round here
Things that you said were taken for granted
But I realised they never were
All the bad things happen miles away
So what were you doing ‘round here,
Today?

© Oct 2019 Phil McWalter

French Fries

The amazingly Valuable Friends joined me as we left the planet:

@rick-4-1 Earthquake Sofa Drums
@janinelevinson Interplanetary Dove Vocals
@phil-mcwalter The Other Burnt Launchpad Stuff

Drums recorded at Mickleton Studio, Coventry UK
Other instruments and vocals recorded at EPG Studios, Chelsea, London, UK
Janine's vocals recorded at The Levinson Sound Studio, LA, Calif, USA
Phil's additional vocals recorded at Anslow Gate Studio, Staffs, UK
ReMixed & ReMastered at EPG.

Thanks to Rob Campling for assisting with string theory.

RUNAWAY STARS - THE UNEXPURGATED CODE

We have a duty to be here
Without us
Who'd see the runaway stars
Who could walk along the beach
Look for seventh waves
And feel the wind up high
We sit and talk all
Through the night
Travel our world and share our castaway finds

We have a duty to be here
To hear the song
Feel the heart of forever
Burning holes within black holes

There is a reason
To turn the page
Quantum runes feed today’s exit phase
We burned new colours
On Launchpad Love
In earthquake sofas seeking twigs from the dove

We are the runaway stars
We are the runaway stars
We are the runaway stars
We are the runaway stars

Inside our bubble
We heard your tongue
Repeating echoes paraphrase the song

Break

We burnt new colours
On Launchpad Love
In earthquake sofas seeking twigs from the dove

And we have a duty to be here
Without us who would see the runaway stars

Solo

Without us who'd see the runaway stars

And we have a purpose
To exist to hear the song
Feel the heart of forever
Burning holes within black holes

Don’t lay down and rest now
Lift your head
The stars change colour as they drift past your bed
The Sun is expanding
Eternal night
May return to shield our escape flight

We are the runaway stars
We are the runaway stars
We are the runaway stars
We are the runaway stars

And we have a duty to be here
Without us
Who would see the runaway stars
Who would see the runaway stars
Who would count the runaway stars

© Phil McWalter Aug 2020
Image: Photo taken by James McWalter at Beachy Head where the returning WWII planes knew they had made it back home. AI rockets layered on.

Moonshine

rick medlock