- Golden Key
“To me, this song (which I wrote for my musical GAMBLER), was an obvious follow-up to ‘Don’t Answer Me’ on the Ammonia Avenue APP album.
This recording was made at my studio in Kent working with recording engineer Haydn Bendall. The Czech Philharmonic orchestra was added in Prague, with an arrangement by Gavin Greenaway.” - Nothing Can Change My Mind
“The seeds of this song were sown many years ago, though at the time, I don’t think it was even a candidate for inclusion in an APP album. I recently finished the lyric and recorded the work. I have now decided to include the song in my musical GAUDI where it will be sung by the female lead in the show. This song was recorded recently with Austin Ince engineering at my home in London using the microphone shown on the album cover image.
If there had been an APP Gaudi Volume II album, I would certainly have wanted to include this number.” - Rumour Goin’ Round
“This song is included as a bonus track on the expanded re-mastered APP album ‘Stereotomy’ as a rough mix without a vocal.
The backing track was recorded during the ‘Stereotomy’ sessions at Mayfair Studios in the early 80s.
The tempo of the rough mix sounded a little fast and I slowed it down. All the Project musicians are playing on it (Ian Bairnson – guitars, Stuart Elliot – drums, David Paton – bass, Richard Cottle – keyboards and myself on keyboards). I recently completed the lyric and recorded the vocal and backing vocals with Austin Ince engineering at my home in London.” - Any Other Day
“A version of this song without a vocal was included on the APP expanded edition album ‘Eye in the Sky’.
It was abandoned at an early stage and did not exist as a completed backing track. So with Haydn Bendall at Air Studios in London, I recorded a basic piano and lead vocal, then at Haydn’s studio at Strong Room, I recorded the backing vocals. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, Project mainstay Ian Bairnson added the guitars from his home in Spain. Finally, I recently added other sampled instruments with Austin Ince at home in London.” - I Can See Round Corners
“The musical DANCING SHADOWS (where I wrote the music and lyrics and the distinguished dramatist Ariel Dorfman wrote the book) premiered in Seoul, Korea in 2007, winning 5 Korean Tony awards including Best Musical.
This song was not originally included in that musical, but having recently completed the composition and recorded it, I realized it would make an excellent addition to the other songs in the piece as well as bearing all the hallmarks of a potential classic Project recording.
It was entirely recorded with Austin Ince at my home in London.” - Steal Your Heart Away
“If I were to rate songs on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being – ‘Alan wouldn’t like this’ and 10 being, ‘Alan would absolutely detest this’, this song would unquestionably be a 12!!!
The genesis of the composition goes back many years, though again it was only recently completed and recorded at home in London with Austin Ince. It is unashamedly commercial and no doubt, had it been a candidate for inclusion in an APP recording, some fairly obvious lyric changes would have had to have been made.
At the time of writing these notes, it has been announced that Andrew Lloyd Webber has been commissioned to write the UK entry for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. Now if only they had asked me! In the song’s defence I should point out that it is one of the favourites of my darling grandchildren – Toby (age 6) and Amelie (aged 4). “ - Along The Road Together
“This song is from the musical DANCING SHADOWS. It is also the theme song for a German charity dedicated to opening a Paul Newman camp for children with challenging medical conditions (International Children’s Camp Villa Sans Souci).” - Somewhere in the Audience
“When the first APP album ‘Tales of Mystery and Imagination’ was made in 1975, I envisaged a Volume II though when we moved to a different record company, they were not interested in Volume II as they didn’t have Volume I. I had to wait many years before revisiting Edgar Allan Poe – the man whose life and works inspired me probably more than any other.
This song is part of my POE musical which consists entirely of new material. I know Alan particularly liked this song when he heard it on the POE, More Tales of Mystery album. The lead vocal was recorded by Steve Balsamo, who also starred as POE in the Abbey Road Concert showcase in 2003. The musical of POE is scheduled to premiere in Berlin in March 2009, followed by a European tour.
This version of the song was recorded in my studio in Kent in 2003 and seems to me very much a follow-up to ‘Old and Wise’ from the Eye in the Sky album. In fact I did record a version with Colin Blunstone which may find its way onto a possible future compilation.” - Train to Wuxi
“This was the original version of ‘Train to Freedom’ which is also included in the POE musical and POE, More Tales of Mystery album. Inspiration comes from a variety of different sources, and the genesis of this song was on a trip my wife Hazel and I took to China around 1999. One of the excursions was entitled ‘The Train to Wuxi’ which was as it sounds, a train journey to a city where silk is produced and the composition began on that journey in that most memorable country. The city was formerly a major tin-mining town and when the mines were exhausted the name was changed to Wuxi (pronounced Wooshie). As I recall this translates as ‘no-tin city’.
This recording, which was made in my studio in Kent with Haydn Bendall, around 2000, also features my one and only guitar solo!” - Immortal
“The climax of the POE musical is included here in a version I recorded in my studio in Kent in 2003 with Haydn Bendall. The end section is taken from the POE Abbey Road showcase.
I could not compete with the vocal expertise of Steve Balsamo who sings this track on the POE, More Tales of Mystery album. However, for those who are interested, I think it is a good example of the composer at work singing his own material and it is certainly a song I consider to be one of my best.”
Although the recordings were made at different places and at different times, the final mixes were completed by Austin Ince in Abbey Road Studio, October 2008. I’m also grateful to Austin for the contributions he made to the instrumentation on several tracks and to Haydn Bendall for his considerable contributions.
All music & lyrics – Eric Woolfson
Produced by Eric Woolfson
Engineered by Austin Ince & Haydn Bendall
Published by Woolfsongs Ltd
(p) & © Woolfsongs Ltd 2008
All Rights Reserved