33 Flames for Mary

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Written by Ric Albano and Ron Simasek Song Length: 5:57
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:33FlamesForMary.mp3]
Lyrics
Down in ‘Never-never-ever–been-that-ordinary’ land
Where the crossroads of forever stretch in infinite directions
Sound and light disseminate through tiny holes in the time-traversing van
Wait until the weather’s gettin’ better and we’ll revitalize the plan

Was it ever-ever-ever really alive and within your reach?
Or did it crumble in the face of a sweet success with a meek retreat?
Will the world still spin this night despite this man?
Who could have never-never-ever have designed this odd journey

Odd journey, with no fortunes of note sustained
Save the bane of under-quenched thirsts that sap the Day
Of any soft or sympathetic ears left to accost along the way
No time ever exists until it’s executed,
But by then you’re beyond the “Line of Absoluted”
How can you do it when you show up late for that?

Could there have ever been a better bet laid on a surer thing?
Then one who’s credible, devoted, optimistic, true, and trusting
To simply cite the results is to immensely overlook the strong significance
To one who thirsts for the ballad that this siren once agreed to sing

Significance, upsets the balance in the happy fool’s ear
Within their ducts it dams up his truthful tears
And then extinguishes the flames by quixotic thought and providential fear
I rearrange the pieces of the past
Until today makes sense someway, somehow
Although distress flairs light up tonight’s sky
I just cannot be bothered with that now

And I’m never gonna be here again, and I’m never gonna be there again
There is only so much tension,
You can cumber away until the mind no longer bends
(And I’m never gonna be there again)

And I really haven’t been anywhere since then
(And I’m never gonna be there again)
There is only so much passion one can drink while his soul is on the mend
And I’m never gonna be here again

What can you do when you show up late for…
And the day’s already been before…
And your key no longer unlocks that door?

Composition © 2003, 2005 Ric Albano and Ron Simasek
Publication © 2005, 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on May 11, 2003
Recorded starting on April 8, 2005
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Paul Smith
Mixed and Mastered in 2005
at Silver Spring Subterranean
Original Release: October 10, 2005
on Imaginary Lines I

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Keyboards, Bass Guitar, Vocals
Bret Alexander
Electric Guitar
Ron Simasek
Drums
Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: This a totally original song, fusing a melancholy power ballad with a precise, marching drum beat, revolving, almost funky bass line, and an excellent, bluesy, guitar lead. The vocals and lyric are almost secondary here, but still they portray the sad lament in the epilogue of a broken relationship. Further the song is asymetrical, nearly a mini-suite, with the story told in the form of a journey.

Song Trivia
In over 20 years of recording with The Badlees, and The Cellarbirds, and various other groups, this is the only individual songwriting credit for Ron Simasek, according to the All Music Guide.
“33 Flames for Mary” is the origin of the “33”, later used in the song “33 Shots at Louis”, the album Imaginary Lines 33, and ultimately the company 33 Dimensions LLC (parent company of Cygnus Wave).

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Lorelei

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 6:30
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:Lorelei.mp3]
Lyrics
It’s not Rooooooski! It’s an abstract facsmile of Rooooooski!

Damned by a man who cannot stand up straight
I’ll search in vein for the guards who had abandoned the gate
Should’ve known that no good deed could ever go unpunished
In the end Lorelei had decided my fate

Cursed by the purse strings attached to my home
Must wait on line for heir justice with the greasy, black comb
He shouts; “What makes you so sure that your way of life is right?”
I then suspected Lorelei’s silent hand in my plight

You don’t want it? You’ve got to have it and I insist that you grab it!
You don’t see it? But have I chosen to reveal it?
This is the question you’ll have to deal with!

Shin deep in purple, processed, pure grape jelly
The bureau’s witch doctors demand more money
While Mr. Rooooooski charges that I’m a cheat
I won fair and square just accept your defeat!

Scorned by a wench who can’t pronounce my last name
But shattered my faith in the law to assign the right blame
“I’ll have you know mean-spirited remarks will never feed one hungry child”
This smacks of Lorelei’s crass and sinister style

You can’t feel it? Must be too heartless to deal with…
The poor, oppressed, 5th-wheel bits!
You can’t grasp it? Then you’re an ignorant, Christian have-wit!
Obsessed with preparing for the casket

Knee deep in crimson, sticky, entropic, paste gold
The bureau’s alchemists grow crusty and old
While Mr. Rooooooski is chauffered down Nicey Road
And ignores any headline underneath of the fold

Where is the buzz when you need it the most?
Drowned in black coffee, eggs, bacon, & toast

What will the bureaucrat do for Tuesday?
Something constructive, maybe scratch his toupee

Now I was bitten by the dog whose bite was bigger than his bark
Sentenced to civil servitude clearing sidewalks at dark
“You’ll surely loath the black days when your good fortune is repealed…
…To fund some grand new monument down in Lorelei Park!”

You don’t weep for it?
Must be bigoted with deep-knit, soul-less, bottom-feeding wits
You can’t show it? Then how can you be certain you know it?
You’re surely doomed yet to blow it!

Neck high in Honolulu blue river tide
The bureau’s acrobats were doomed to collide
Poor little Rooooooski took it hard when they died
New bureau despot outlawed Lorelei raves
Promoted morons and dismissed the unshaved
Soon even Rooooooski will have to learn to behave
Perhaps then I’ll be moved to re-emerge from my cave

Composition © 2004 Ric Albano
Publication © 2005, 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on June 14, 2004
Recorded starting on November 3, 2004
at Silver Spring Subterranean
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Paul Smith
Mixed and Mastered in 2005
at Silver Spring Subterranean
Original Release: October 10, 2005
on Imaginary Lines I

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Keyboards, Percussion, Bass, Vocals
Bret Alexander
Electric Guitar

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: An odd song with an odd story and odd structure, this upbeat and fun tune with deep philosophical lyrics came together in an odd way. Like most songs on Imaginary Line I, a demo was brought to Saturation Acres where a new, professional recording was initiated. But unlike any other song, the demo version was ultimately included on the album as the studio version was determined to be too slow to capture the mood of this song.

Song Trivia
The original version of this song was written in 1997 and named “Episode IV” as it narrated the story of the first Star Wars film.
The alternate, studio recorded version of “Lorelei” was used for J.D. Cook’s 19th birthday tribute as he had long claimed this to be his favorite Imaginary Lines song.

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Perfect Light

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 4:26
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:PerfectLight.mp3]
Lyrics
You march down your narrow street
To the rhythmic drums that your master beats
With pretension that this tune is one that you’ve authored
Quickly shuffle past the water rats
Who gave you comfort when the Krins attacked
And deserve acknowledgement now but you just can’t be bothered

It’s alright, it’s alright, the beautiful people will all be there tonight
To toss and fish for praise that is not deserved
It’s alright, it’s alright, the burdens of fame that tend to make you uptight
Will nicely fuse into indigenous curves

Indigenous curves, with no more stress on your nerves
Bellowing out your new verbs

Your smile was painted on too thin
And has slowly dissolved into a stressed-out grin
Because deep down you know that you want and need more
Covertly detour to your private suite
Garnished with fresh orchids & fine imported meat
But all that you desire is within that cabinet drawer

It’s alright, it’s alright, the Hollywood press will provide cover tonight
And will dutifully drench you in the perfect light
It’s alright, it’s alright,
You surely won’t be bothered by the phantoms of life
So you can preach left and still be so right

Alright! (You are so correct, sir) So right
You’re so right, so right, so right, so right, so right
You can never be wrong!

Composition © 2004 Ric Albano
Publication © 2005, 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on June 23, 2004
Recorded starting on May 9, 2005
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Paul Smith
Mixed and Mastered in 2005
at Silver Spring Subterranean
Original Release: October 10, 2005
on Imaginary Lines I
This Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Ric Albano
Harpsichord, Keyboards, Bass Guitar, Vocals
Bret Alexander
Acoustic and Electric Guitars
Ron Simasek
Drums

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: The layered soundscapes enrich this song as it migrates from section to section, in a gloomy and fatalistic creed.

Song Trivia
“Perfect Light” was written in response to a pathetic, “puff piece” version of The E True Hollywood Story on an established mainstream actor.

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Good Friday

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 7:50
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:GoodFriday.mp3]
Lyrics
An excrutiating dose of harsh reality
On this dreary, dark, cold March afternoon
A reputed chunk of my personality is ground to dust within this airtight room
I summon the ghost of the Ancient One, her name is on the tip of my tongue
And brace for a sharp ratiocination but unmercifully that blow never comes

So while I’m dancing on the head of a stick
Awaiting your distinction between “Joe Hero” and “Jack Convict”
I’ll fight the urge to quench the thirst
Of our ancestor’s cravings by not behaving so burned and conned

As my illusion of grandeur slowly crashes
One underlying discourse starts within
Will today’s holy palms become the ashes –
That will accompany tomorrow’s changing hymns?
And so that brings us to Good Friday;
“We both knew this day would someday come”
Although fasting from meat may make you hungry
I’d have never believed you’d eat your young

In a room off pothole infested roads we’d play
Those relative games of black & white & shades of gray
While fueling the urge to fill the void
In our ancestor’s yearnings without concerning this new paragon

Forsaken descendants, mechanical offspring
You’ll never have children while the burden consumes you
Forsaken ancestry – tear down the Temple wall, firebomb the pyramids,
Level the twin towers, then run!

But no one reminds me like you do
Of the ideals and ambitions that have been lost
Of all those naïve conclusions where we’d arrive, fooled
That the best things in life must harbor cost
And so we return to Good Friday, a verge that we’ve expected all the while?
Can either of us see beyond today? May Saturday’s dawn yet be compiled?

Harmoniously singing the songs of yesterday
In an attempt to fabricate those verbal games we play
Our aria is composed of tunes of our ancestor’s likeness-
Too polite to seize our day – Carpe diem!
I want it all and I want it right now!

Forsaken opportunity, situation unforeseen
You never did prepare for this day as reality
Forsaken opportunity – tear down the fortress walls, back-fill your foxhole,
Good Friday has come and now has gone!

Composition © 2002 Ric Albano
Publication © 2005, 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on March 22, 2002
Recorded starting on April 8, 2005
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Paul Smith
Mixed and Mastered in 2005
at Silver Spring Subterranean
Original Release: October 10, 2005
on Imaginary Lines I

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Keyboards, Bass Guitar, Vocals
Bret Alexander
Electric and Acoustic Guitars
Ron Simasek
Drums and Percussion
Sinclair Soul
Background Vocals
Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: This was upon its release, and remains to this day, the best Imaginary Lines song. It the longest song in duration and contains the most complex arrangement of instrumentation, yet deceptively sounds so easy going and simple. The lyrical content is complex and hard to decipher as it draws from several sources – poetic, spirtual, and real-life, while the instrumental “coda” section is a deliberate artistic statement on its own.

Song Trivia
Much of the song was written in a writing lab where Ric tutored while he was a senior at Bloomsburg University in 2002. Although it was actually a “dreary, dark, cold March afternoon” which happened to be a Friday, it was not Good Friday, as that was observered a week later.
The “coda” section was recorded separately from the song proper and it builds to included three piano tracks, three lead synthesizers, three guitars, and two full drum perfomances, along with the one simple, repeating bass line.

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The Phoenix

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 3:56
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:ThePhoenix.mp3]
Lyrics
It appeared you found a new direction, heading down towards the mines
Where you would pick for gold in dire perplexion
Disregarding all alternative signs
To a future wrought by burrowing down, you’d resigned

Then sometime came some eccentric stranger
Seemed quite familiar, but yet not quite
Who would harass until you’d ogre the danger
Until finally you’d step out into the light
Those derivatives of naïveté you’d now fight

Your millstone is that of one self-carved and with gaiety
But this lusus naturae must now be collapsed through rumpus mutiny
The rain falls down but there’s no comfort in the cool
The wretched heat cannot be dampened by the pool

You break down, disintegrate, and break down
Refined into diminutive shapes
Ordained reality, from this flame no escape

It appears you found a new direction, pointed towards the sky
Puissant with refreshed predilection
Black elbows, white lightning in your eyes
From the serrated, glassy desert floor you now rise!

Composition © 2004 Ric Albano
Publication © 2005, 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on December 10, 2004
Recorded starting on May 9, 2005
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Paul Smith
Mixed and Mastered in 2005
at Silver Spring Subterranean
Original Release: October 10, 2005
on Imaginary Lines I
This Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Keyboards, Bass Guitar, Vocals
Bret Alexander
Electric Guitars
Ron Simasek
Drums

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: Although this was an excellent “kick-off” song, it is probably the weakest song on Imaginary Lines I. It does nicely build tension before releasing energy during the bridge and outtro sections, but suffers from weak vocals and a muddled overall mix.

Song Trivia
This auto-biographical song was written by Ric Albano on his 36th Birthday.
The lyric “It appears you found a new direction, pointed towards the sky” is influenced by the rare dystopian song by Pink Floyd called “Point Me At the Sky”, which contains the lyric “And if you survive ’til 2005 I hope you’re exceedingly thin / For if you are stout you will have to breathe out while the people around you breathe in”.

Please offer your own analysis of The Phoenix by leaving a comment in the box below.