Deuce

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 5:29
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:Deuce.mp3]
Lyrics
I still remember how she chased me around
The first time that I walked across her floor
And I ran and I ran but she persisted behind
Until I could not run no more

Cool and serene she did preen but on a dime she turned mean
Catch the double-headed tiger by the tail
Disregarding albatross, she charged forward, fingers crossed
It was a plan destined to fail

But what more could she expect from angels with linguine necks…
Who would never dare to tell her what to do?
Give a zealous girl such power and sooner or later it turns sour
As darker demons are let loose, between reposeful sips of juice

Every once in a while you can see through her smile
That some innocence remains there too
But then where is the justice for Sinclair Soul?
What was the man supposed to do?
What was the man supposed to do?

She often spoke of irksome days when she would bounce from shore to shore
On an everlasting quest to find some truth
Until that afternoon in May when she opened up that door
And felt reality’s sharp tooth

Now all that she could do to keep her head on fire
Is to conjure up a bigger dose
And then she’ll doll up her walls and draw her plans in the sands
Until the tide gets much too close, the wrath of some deep-sea ghost

Every once in a while you catch a sense of her style
Like a new species signing up for the zoo
Until Old Man Soul could burn his hands on her wire
What was the man supposed to do?
What was the man supposed to do?
Born to be a poor, pathetic fool, just what is a man supposed to do?

Composition © 2006 Ric Albano
Publication © 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on August 25, 2006
Recorded starting on August 10, 2009
at Saturation Acres (II), DuPont, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Bret Alexander
Mixed and Mastered in 2009
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Ric Albano
Keyboards, Bass Guitar, Vocals
Erik Trabert
Electric Guitars
Ron Simasek
Drums and Percussion

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: A driving, 1970s style song with wild drums, and early synth lead and a later majestic guitar lead through the coda, “Deuce” is a cool jam song which makes Imaginary Lines feel like a real band.

Song Trivia
This song was entitled “Deuce” simply becaue it was originally intended to be the closing song on Imaginary Lines II.

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

Naked

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 4:35
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:Naked.mp3]
Lyrics
Sally, please give me one more chance, I swear that it will be OK
And I will quietly fade into oblivion, once we’ve exhausted this one final day
We’ll play until dark in our amusement park
Sipping from our final glass of fleeting youth
String together songs about our rights and our “wrongs”
And reinterpret them as the Gospel truth

To this no return, so I continued to burn
I was the feeble fool at the public swimming pool, who’d shown up naked
A barren fraud, whose own resolve is at odds and cannot fake it
But she had bound to evade
With every second of silence she kept slicing away
At my plastic shield on this tempered battlefield, humiliated

Sally, please you have got to believe that I’m legitimate
I’m not the type of lion who resorts to the roar just to intimidate
But I’d give it all up and drink from your “happy soup” cup,
If that’s what you’ll serve me
So shoot me some vibes and let me know if I’ve arrived and you deserve me

Still no reply – no confirm, no deny
Like some pilgrim dolt whose land is swallowed whole
Right after he’s staked it
I was peerless fool, wearing non-matching shoes,
But otherwise naked
And she continued to sing, her song of silence was now deafening
To this pathetic pawn evicted from her lawn
Right after he’s raked it

Yes, she continued to sing, her song of silence was deafening
To this squalid joke, externally gone for broke, internally naked

Composition © 2006 Ric Albano
Publication © 2007, 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on April 18, 2006
Recorded starting on August 13, 2007
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Bret Alexander
Mixed and Mastered in 2009
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: December 27, 2007
on Imaginary Lines II
This Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Keyboards, Bass, Vocals
Ron Simasek
Drums and Percussion

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: An attempt at pure pop with cleaver lyrics and double-entendres, much like the style of the 1970s. However, there are some issues with instrumentation, especially the looped drum track and absence of guitar.

Song Trivia
“Naked” was the nickname given to the original version of Imaginary Lines II after most of its songs were further enhanced and remixed for Imaginary Lines 33.

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

Here On the Beach

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 3:00
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:HereOnTheBeach.mp3]
Lyrics
Don’t be afraid this peril is likely to fade
But I’ll stay if you want me to
‘Cause here on the beach all options are within our reach
I will stay if you ask me to

Hanging around, suspended above the ground, patiently waiting our turn
Chipping away at the stones of yesterday, hoarding all we can learn

We’ve done our subdue now it’s time to commence
With the quintessential pursuit, what we long to do

Living the dream, coining lucid themes
Getting a turn at the dance
Climbing the tower, will I aptly manage the power?
I sure would welcome the chance

So here on the beach the everlasting song is just within our reach
‘Cause our day is sure coming soon, I will stay if you ask me to

Composition © 2006 Ric Albano
Publication © 2007, 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on April 20, 2006
Recorded starting on April 13, 2007
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Bret Alexander
Mixed and Mastered in 2007
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: December 27, 2007
on Imaginary Lines II

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Keyboards, Bass, Percussion, Vocals
Ron Simasek
Drums

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: The song takes a calm, romantic approach, loosely based on the sound of Phil Spector.

Song Trivia
This song was originally intended to be the last section of a four part, 16 minute “Ocean Suite”, following “He Was the Ocean” (later renamed “The Old Man In the Sea”), “Twilight of Innocence”, and “Dawning of Decadence”. This song was the only part completed in time for Imaginary Lines II.

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

The Old Man In the Sea

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Written by Sue Kovaleski & Ric Albano Song Length: 3:54
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:TheOldManInTheSea.mp3]
Lyrics
Another time, another place, geo-era so sincere
The perfect rhyme, the sweetest taste, another summertime is here
And we would go sailing into the ocean

From near and far our sundry clan would congregate upon these shores
And at our heart there was one man who gave us all and so much more
And he would go sailing into the sea

So deep, so dark, yet able to fathom
So many of life’s unpredictable tides
The sailor’s heart helped us navigate her labyrinth
And we’d never run aground with him by our side
He gave us time…

He marked the time with his routines and let us know that we each had
A quite distinguished ardency to heaven’s character he’ll add
Now that he is the current of the sea

Now that he’s gone she will never be the same
Although to her we’ll return to reflect on the bliss
To listen to her tide whisper his unique name
Reassures us someday we will witness
Another time…

Another time, another place, all destinations lead to here
The endless prime, the smoothest pace
The endless summertime, it’s clear
That he is now sailing upon this ocean

Composition © 2006 Sue Kovaleski & Ric Albano
Publication © 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on March 17, 2006
Recorded starting on October 5, 2007
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Bret Alexander
Mixed and Mastered in 2009
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Janet Rains
Lead Vocals
Ric Albano
Keyboards, Bass, Vocals
Erik Trabert
Guitars
Ron Simasek
Drums

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: Janet Rains takes lead vocals for much of this song, which includes a simple melody and arrangement and a nice outtro guitar, with a unique fading mix.

Song Trivia
“He Was the Ocean” was a poem written by Sue Kovaleski about her grandfather, Paul Heckman. It inspired this song as was its original title.

Please offer your own analysis of The Old Man In the Sea by leaving a comment in the box below.

The Cup

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 4:18
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:TheCup.mp3]
Lyrics
Take this cup away from me
I have been blinded by what I cannot see
Can no longer recall whether I’ve breached the door
Can no longer predict if I’ll reach safe shores
Or was this just a one-time score?

I burned my heart on a much bigger stove
Got myself lost in the sea which I’d dove
But I still dance to tunes that only I hear
And I still flee from ghosts that only I fear
You’ve done your share of harm through the years

For when I was thirsty, you offered me salt
And when I sought refuge, you sealed up the vault
And when I asked questions, you spat out clichés
You bumbled the objectives then you bailed from the malaise

And now that you are exposed
You beg of me, may I finally understand?
That when you were weeping, I made a nice scapegoat
While chasms were deepening, you dug a deeper mote
And when you made statements they dissolved within a day
Save that solemn refusal to take this cup away

Take this cup away, take this cup away
Take this cup, away, away

Composition © 2006 Ric Albano
Publication © 2007, 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on March 2, 2006
Recorded starting on April 13, 2007
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Bret Alexander
Mixed and Mastered in 2009
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: December 27, 2007
on Imaginary Lines II
This Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Keyboards, Bass, Vocals
Ron Simasek
Drums

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: Perhaps the most regrettable song in the Imaginary Lines collection, this has several fine individual parts but never quite meshes as a cohesive “whole”.

Song Trivia
The title of this song was derived from line in “Gethsemane” in the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.

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