A collection of songs from Andy's Road Warrior years -- on CD for the first time! All tracks: Andy May: Vocal, Acoustic guitar RE-MASTERING: Nathan Smith, Engineer, Mainframe Recording Studio, Nashville, TN Special thanks to Mike Poston for his knowledge and care in saving the music on "Ride with Me" from oblivion! 1. FOLLOW YOUR HEART This song is from “Gentle Breeze”, my third release on the Swift River label. It was cut live in the studio in Northampton, MA, in '86. Jim Heffernan dropped his lap steel part on it in Nashville around 2000, and I tweaked the lyric and re-sang my vocal part in Nashville in 2013. The lyric sums up my philosophy– then and now. From “Gentle Breeze” (1987) Tim Griffin: Drums Rudi Weeks: Bass Jeff Potter: Piano, Harmonica Joe Belmont: Electric guitar Jim Weeks: keyboards ORIGINAL RECORDING: Jim Weeks, Engineer, Downtown Sound, Northampton, MA, 1986. ADDITIONAL RECORDING: Vocals: Andy May; Jim Heffernan: Lap steel guitar; Nathan Smith, Engineer, Mainframe Recording Studio, Nashville, TN 2. STEAM LOCOMOTIVE This autobiographical song was on my first solo release, the LP, Ride With Me. All the songs on that album were recorded at The 19, in South Glastonberry, CT. The lyric looks back to a stormy time in my life. From “Ride with Me” (1982) Tim Griffin: Drums Roger Mason: Bass Rick Lee: Keyboards Kenny Kosek: Fiddle, Strings Paul Wickliffe: “Click Sticks” ORIGINAL RECORDING: Ron Scalise, Engineer, The 19, South Glastenberry, CT, c.1980. ARCHIVE ENGINEER: Mike Poston, Nashville, TN. 3. GENTLE BREEZE At some point, the demands of life require that you slow down rather than speed up. This song was the title cut of my third album. Once again, I tweaked the lyrics and re-sang it in Nashville around 2000. That mix got lost, but happily I located a copy of it to add to this project. From “Gentle Breeze” (1987) Tim Griffin: Drums Rudi Weeks: Bass Joe Belmont: Electric guitar Jim Weeks: Keyboards ORIGINAL RECORDING: Same as Track 1. 4. HELLO This is the re-mastered version of the song that first appeared on the “Gentle Breeze” project. I’ve always loved the “deep groove” feeling that the band members helped me achieve on this cut. From “Gentle Breeze” (1987) MUSICIANS & ORIGINAL RECORDING: Same as Track 1. 5. FRIENDS This song was the title cut of my 2nd album, cut live in the studio 1983 or1984 in Northampton, MA. I performed it a lot with Atlantic Express back in the 1980’s. I revisited these tracks in the early nineties when I was living in Fort Collins, CO. I added Rick Lee's piano, the second electric guitar back-up part, re-sang the vocal, and mixed it. I'm glad to find a new home for this cut. I still say, “Friend, thank you for being there!” From “Friends” (1984) Tim Griffin: Drums Rudi Weeks: Bass Rick King: Lead electric guitar Jim Heffernan: Pedal steel guitar Randy Miotke: Keyboards ORIGINAL RECORDING: Jim Weeks, Engineer, Downtown Sound, Northampton, MA, early 1980’s. ADDITIONAL RECORDING: Andy May: Backup electric guitar, Vocal; Rick Lee: Piano; Randy Miotke, Engineer, Eye in the Sky Studio, LaPorte, CO, early 1990’s. 6. LAKE CHAMPLAIN I love New England – it was my “stompin’ grounds” as a traveling musician in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, and I was fortunate to be part of that beautiful region. I wrote this song while I was on tour in Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York State in the mid-eighties, having just recovered from pneumonia. I put it on my third album, “Gentle Breeze.” Later - In Colorado in the early 90's - I tweaked the lyric, re-recorded the vocal, and remixed the track for the version you hear here. From “Gentle Breeze” (1987) Tim Griffin: Drums Rudi Weeks: Bass Jim Heffernan: Pedal steel guitar Jeff Potter: Harmonica Jim Weeks: Keyboards ORIGINAL RECORDING: Same as Track 1. ADDITIONAL RECORDING: Andy May: Vocal, Randy Miotke, Percussion & Engineer, Eye in the Sky Studio, LaPorte, CO, early 1990’s 7. THE QUEEN I wrote this around the time I moved from New York City in 1970. It was meant to be quirky, ambiguous and personal, so it always tickled me that folks often requested it in my performances. I put it on my first album, the LP, “Ride with Me,” released in 1982. Yes, there really is a Shinbone Alley! From “Ride with Me” (1982) MUSICIANS, ORIGINAL RECORDING, & ARCHIVE ENGINEER: Same as Track 2 8. RIDE WITH ME This was the title cut of my fist album and this is the original mix. I performed this one often with Atlantic Express. Ken Kosek switched to the Hammond organ here, and that's Jim Heffernan on banjo making his recording debut. From my liner notes on the LP: “The train in this song came rolling in from a place called, ‘Tradition,’ passed the place where I live, and wound up its run in this song.” From “Ride with Me” (1982) MUSICIANS, ORIGINAL RECORDING, & ARCHIVE ENGINEER: Same as Track 2, except: Kenny Kosek: Hammond organ (only); Jim Heffernan: Banjo (only) 9. FIVE A.M. I wrote the song and the guitar arrangement for this back in my teens. For me, it captured the feeling of coming of age in NYC. It was on my 1st album, “Ride with Me,” and this version was cut in Colorado in the early 90's and included on “Andy May Sampler, Vol. 1.” From “Andy May Sampler, Vol. 1” (1991) RECORDING: Randy Miotke, engineer, Eye in the Sky Studio, LaPorte, CO, early 1990’s 10. LOVE, TURN A HEART AROUND I wrote this song for my band, Atlantic Express, to perform at a fundraising event for hunger relief in the mid-80's. We recorded it, and I released it on my 3rd album, “Gentle Breeze.” Some years later, when I was living in Colorado, it was used as the theme song for a United Way fundraising drive that brought in a million dollars. I’m curious to see what it will do next. From “Gentle Breeze” (1987) MUSICIANS: Same as Track 3, plus background vocals. ORIGINAL RECORDING: Same as Track 1. ADDITIONAL RECORDING: Background vocals: Andy May, Joanie Keller; Randy Miotke, engineer, Eye in the Sky Studio, LaPorte, CO, early 1990’s