Track Listing

1. Boulevard St.
2. This Modern Man
3. They Allowed Me One Carry On
4. If I Was Your Father
5. Time
6. Bickersteth Rd.
7. These Sorts of Dreams
8. My New York (bonus track)
9. No More Secretaries (bonus track)
10. If I Was Your Father (bonus track)
11. So It Goes (bonus track)

Audio


The Story Behind the Album

Performing at MusicFest NW in 2002

Performing at MusicFest NW in 2002

Pat Gamble played bass with Reclinerland in 2002

Pat Gamble played bass with Reclinerland in 2002

The first song I wrote for this album was Bickersteth Rd., which came to me in England in 1998. I wrote the rest of the album in 1999/ 2000 while I was living in New York city. The original title was going to be This Modern Man. I wrote that song in early 2000 while coming out of my office job at the Harry Fox Agency.

During a marathon three week recording session in Alemeda, CA in December of 2000 Ron Guensche and I knocked out the recordings for most of the songs, except Boulevard St. and the acoustic version of If I Was Your Father, which was recorded in 2001 at Chad Crouch's home studio while I was on tour in Portland, OR. Ron engineered and played the bass, lap steel, banjo, guitars, percussion and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer bottle (tuned to E-flat), drummer Richard Douthitt played drums, I played guitars, organs, Rhodes 73, toy piano, percussion, and Mr. Pibb 2-liter bottle (tuned to B-flat), Chris Streng played guitars, and Sharron Kraus played the controversial tin whistle solo.

In 2002 Fred Shaaf's old label Lelp Recordings released the album, packaged in a jewel case with Fred and my "Vegas Strip" layout. This album is one of my favorites because it's so eclectic. It's the closest that I have come to applying the concept of Postmodern Pop in one album. Soft finger style songs a la Nick Drake alternate with "stupid rock songs" (quoth Pitchfork) a la The Push Kings, The Minders, The Wedding Present, and Departure Lounge. We were going to include a version of My New York on this album so as to add a jazz flavor, but I decided instead to save that song for the Ideal Home Music Library, which I was working on at the same time. I'm quite happy with the contrasts and the flavors on this album, though, like many people, the quiet acoustic songs are my favorite.

Credits

Michael Johnson - guitars, vocals, Rhodes 73, toy piano, percussion, Mr. Pibb 2-liter bottle, organs
Ron Guensche- bass, guitars, engineering, Pabst bottle
Richard Douthitt - drums
Chris Streng - Guitars, feedback
Sharon Kraus - Tin Whistle

Recorded inDecember 2000 at New Future Vintage studios in Alameda, CA

Mixed and mastered by Ron Guensche.

All songs: words and music by Michael Johnson
© 2002 Zubsongs, ltd.