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Brooklyn Boy In Paradise

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by Allan Thomas

Brooklyn Boy In Paradise Cover Art
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about
Brooklyn Boy In Paradise - The Unreleased Collection


The Band:

Allan Thomas - Rhythm guitar and Vocals
Bryan Kessler - Guitar
David Anderson - Guitar
Zeke Zirngiebel - Guitar
Chris Templeton - Lap Steel Guitar
Armando Compean & Dave Inamine - Bass
Michael Buono - Drums
Diane Michelle & Michael Ruff - Backing Vocals
Michael Ruff - Pete Wasner - Charles Judge -
Keyboards


Backstory:

This collection of recordings is composed of songs I wrote and recorded between 1980 and 1994 - The beginning of my Hawaii years. Most of the songs were written with co-writers. Some of the tracks were recorded in real working recording studios with actual producers, engineers, and vintage mic's and mic preamps, while others were laid down in my or my co-writers home studios with whatever recording device we happened to have.

For one reason or another these tracks never found their way onto one of my four studio album releases, but having withstood the test of years gone by, my long time producer and friend Stephen Barncard and I felt it was time they saw the light of day - and perhaps momentarily satisfy the legion of die-hard AT fans clamoring for yet another taste.

We tried to find the best versions with the least amount of generations and tinkering. Lucky for me Barncard has always been unceasingly adept at archiving mine and others recorded works.

Brooklyn Boy In Paradise is offered as a single song or full CD download, including a PDF of the artwork and liner notes for purchase with credit card or PayPal.

The audio CD and a PDF of the artwork can also be purchased through www.allanthomas.com

I have included anecdotes about how the songs came to be, as well as details about the recording sessions for those of you who might be interested.

About the recordings:

Speaking for myself regarding the recording of music, I am a much reluctant engineer of the new digital-age school, and only learned - in all my years of recording, from my first singing group demo when I was twelve, right up to 1992 or so - in the last 17 years. I was never that interested in what mic's, compressors, or pre amps the recording engineers used on my records. I didn't have a clue or even care what they used, as I really had enough to think about with leading the band, playing a solid guitar part, and performing a convincing vocal. I thought it best left up to the producer or engineer of the session to figure out what tool worked best for the job. But with the advent of affordable home digital recording rigs, and the price of buying studio time in commercial recording studios rising and becoming unaffordable, it became imperative for me to learn the medium. Instead of paying for studio time elsewhere why not invest what I could into my own rig. So that's the tack I took, and I'm glad of it. But when the shit hits the fan tech-wise, I go the the old-school recording engineers for advice and direction.
credits
released 08 May 1994
Production & Recording credits


1 - The Gift - produced & recorded by Stephen Barncard


2 - Rock The World - produced by Stephen Barncard
and Charles Judge

3 - Lost In Your Touch - produced and recorded by
Michael Ruff

4 - Fear Of Falling - produced by Bobby David


5 - Troubled Times - produced and recorded by AT


6 - The Journey - produced and recorded by AT


7 - Intimate Strangers - produced and recorded by
Stephen Barncard

8 - Soldier Of Misfortune - produced and recorded by
Bryan Kessler

9 - Bad Behavior - produced and recorded by Zeke
Zirengieble

10 - She's Starlight - produced and recorded by AT


11 - After The Storm - produced and recorded by AT &
Bryan Kessler

12 - Need Your Love - produced and recorded by
Stephen Barncard

13 - Love Can Change Your World - produced &
recorded by Bryan Kessler & Chris Templeton

14 - Unlock The Heart - produced and recorded by
Stephen Barncard


Mastered by Stephen Barncard

Photo: Lynn Shipley
tags
tags: = rhythm & beach. blues folk jazz pop rock singer-songwriter Hawaii
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Aloha and welcome to my Bandcamp Music Store home page. Here you can listen to full-length samples of all six Allan Thomas albums. Also to be found are credits, photos, stories and lyrics for all songs. Dig in...

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Track Name: The Gift
The Gift

words & music - Allan Thomas & Randy Handley


I've traveled the round world sailed the sea
Looking for who knows what
Lived like a king been knocked on my knees
Watched the doors open and shut
Played the game like a natural fool
But I won when I found you.

How can I just say I love you
You are all I can see
How can I tell you how grateful I am
For the gift that you are to me
The gift that you are to me

Everyone's talkin' 'bout the end of the world
But my world's just begun
It started when you walked into my life
And I'm not gonna turn and run
Wanna open myself to you
See where that leads us to

How can I just say I love you
You are all I can see
How can I tell you how grateful I am
For the gift that you are to me
The treasure you are to me

Your loving makes me humble
Sometimes I lose my nerve
I've got so much to tell you
In only three words

How can I just say I love you
You are all I can see
How can I tell you how grateful I am
For the gift that you are to me
The treasure you are to me
The gift that you are to me


© 1982 Black Bamboo Music - BMI
Randy Handley Music - BMI
Track Name: Rock The World
Rock The World

words - Allan Thomas
music - Charles Judge


Feels like I'm sleepwalking
Dreaming my life away
Caught in the confusion
And taking it so seriously
Going fast but going nowhere

Tear down all the walls inside me
Walls that keep me from seeing what's real
Burn down the walls that bind me
And rock my world

You read it in the paper
You see it in the street
Out of the blue it could happen
To you or to me
And just like that it's over

Tear down all the walls inside me
Walls that keep me from seeing what's real
Burn down anything that confines me
And rock my world

Rock the world
Rock the world

Tear down these ancient walls inside me
They can't help me anymore
Burn down the walls that blind me
And rock my world

Tear down these walls around us
The fear ignorance and denial
Yeah break down these walls between us
And we can rock this world

Rock the world
We can rock the world
Rock the world
Rock my world


© 1991 - Black Bamboo Music - BMI
Charles Judge Music - BMI
Track Name: Lost In Your Touch
Lost In Your Touch

words - Allan Thomas
music - Michael Ruff


Let our bodies do the talking
Lips and fingers be our guide
No second thoughts or mixed emotions
No fantasy denied
Free from time and mind
Losing all composure

I feel a river of passion
And the currents too much
I get swept away
Lost in your touch

Like a scene you see in a movie
Steamy music and candlelight
Making love like it's the first time
Fat chance we'll forget this night
Oblivion and ecstasy
Coming to our senses

And there's a river of passion
If I let go enough
I get swept away
I get lost in your touch

Lets not think about tomorrow
or worry about the past
There's nothing but this moment
And the desire to make it last

This river of passion
This ocean of love
I get swept away baby
I get lost in your touch

Took a long hard look at the big picture
Talkin' story to my soul
And I saw this thread of sadness there
Just running through us all

Maybe that's why I'd like to get lost in your touch
Maybe that's why I wanna be lost in your touch


© 1990 Black Bamboo Music - BMI
Ruff Mix Music - BM!
Track Name: Fear Of Falling
Fear Of Falling

words & music - Allan Thomas & Bobby David


I know you've had men you could tell what to do
Where are they now
They all ended up boring you
You need a lover you can't control
One who'll be there to catch you
When you let go
Of the fear of falling
The fear of Falling

Masquerade pretending everything's OK
If someone comes too close
Find a reason to just blow them away
Gotta quit holding on to the pain of the past
Help each other to get free at last
Of the fear of falling
The fear of falling

We all want someone to love us put our fears to rest
But it takes courage to step out over the edge
Of the fear of falling
The fear of falling
Fear of falling
The fear of falling
Fear of falling


© 1990 Black Bamboo Music - BMI
Bobby David Music - BMI
Track Name: Troubled Times
Troubled Times

words & music - Allan Thomas


Down in Africa and the Middle East
Nobody Knows the meaning of peace
Step out your door poverty and crime
Where you go there's troubled times
We're living in troubled times
Noting but troubled times

The inner city suburbs too
Just like a plague that won't let go of you
Drugs in the hood guns in school
Never reach your prime living in troubled times

We're living in troubled times
Hard to keep hope alive
Living in troubled times

Wake up at night
Thinking maybe it's a nightmare
But in the clear morning light
It's the same story

We're living in troubled times
Can't escape these troubled times

High cost of living low paying jobs
Government's a joke
But no one's laughing very hard
World gone mad waiting for a sign
Something gotta give end these troubled times

We're living in troubled times
How to keep hope alive
Living in troubled times

Righteous religions watch us bleed
Nothing's sacred but power and greed
You watch the news eyes open wide
Praying for a way out of these troubled times

We live in troubled times
Noting but troubled times
Can't escape these troubled times
Hard to keep hope alive
Living in troubled times


© 1994 Black Bamboo Music - BMI
Track Name: The Journey
The Journey

words & music - ALLAN THOMAS


I’D LIKE TO GO BACK IN TIME IN MY LIFE
VISIT WITH ALL MY OLD FRIENDS AND RELATIONS
TALK TO THOSE I MISS ON THE JOURNEY

I KNOW WE ALL HAD OUR OWN ROADS TO TRAVEL
BRIEFLY MEETING BY CHANCE ALONG THE WAY
WE GO IT ALONE WE GAVE IT EVERYTHING

VIA CONDIOS MI AMIGO
MAY YOU FIND YOUR WAY ON THE WINDING ROAD
MAY WE MEET AGAIN ON THE JOURNEY

YOU AND I WE HAD OUR MOMENT
WHEN THE WORLD STOOD STILL
BUT FOR THE WIND
THE DESTINATION NEVER MATTERED
WAS ALWAYS THE JOURNEY

VIA CONDIOS MI AMIGO
MAY YOU FIND YOUR WAY ON THE WINDING ROAD
MAY WE MEET AGAIN ON THE JOURNEY

WE CHOSE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
ALWAYS HAVING TO LET GO

SO WE WOUND UP GOING DOWN
DIFFERENT HIGHWAYS
WISH YOU WELL WHEREVER YOU GO
BETTER TO HAVE LIVED AND LOVED YOU
THAN NEVER LOVED YOU AT ALL

VIA CONDIOS MI AMIGO
MAY YOU FIND YOUR WAY ON THE WINDING ROAD
AND MAY WE MEET AGAIN ON THE JOURNEY

SOMEWHERE ON THE JOURNEY
SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE
SO MANY CROSSROADS
AND STRANGE PILGRIMS ON THE WAY


tuning: EADEAE


© 1996 BLACK BAMBOO MUSIC - BMI
Track Name: Intimate Strangers
Intimate Strangers

words & music Allan Thomas


You were a gift from the giver
I was grateful from the start
We filled our cup every moment
Cause we knew you'd soon depart

And it was sugar in the morning
Sugar in the afternoon
We were intimate strangers
Under the spell of the moon

And I found you a mysterious treasure
A creature of infinite delight
A source of endless pleasure
Loving you felt so right

Sugar in the morning
Sugar in the afternoon
Couple of intimate strangers
On a honeymoon

Some say romance is just illusion
Comes and goes like the wind
And I have no expectations
But I'd love to see you again

Sugar in the morning
Sugar in the evening
Sugar in the afternoon
Couple of intimate strangers
Under the spell of the moon

I don't know if I dreamed you
I don't know you at all
All I know is that the way you made me feel
Left me hungry for more

Sugar in the morning
Sugar in the afternoon
We were intimate strangers
A Couple of intimate strangers
Two intimate strangers
Under the spell of the moon


© 1980 Black Bamboo Music - BMI
Track Name: Soldier Of Misfortune
Soldier Of Misfortune

words & music - Allan Thomas
music - Bryan Kessler


They say that in a dark time
The eye begins to see
And at the bottom of the abyss
Comes the voice of salvation
Sometimes I'm so high I'm walking on water
It's like standing at the top of the world
Other times I'm a lost cause
In a jam I'm walking in sand
A soldier of misfortune

People say the way down is the way up
You gotta do it wrong to get it right
Well that's certainly my case
Wrong time right face
Too many miles and Margaritas
Been two-timed double-crossed
It was a sure thing but I lost
I'm a soldier of misfortune
A soldier soldier of misfortune

My friends are a cast of characters
Misfits and renegades one and all
Don't know where they're going
But you can tell where they been
Soldier of misfortune

I'm a ship on the open ocean
Driftin' in the night
No map or radio compass or starlight
Time for a weather-check on my soul
My life's a big fiasco
Gotta get a grip maybe take a trip to Thailand
Hookup with some sweet Mamasan
I'm a soldier of misfortune
A soldier soldier of misfortune


© 1992 Black Bamboo Music - BMI
Bryan Kessler Music - ASCAP
Track Name: Bad Behavior
Bad Behavior

words & music Allan Thomas
music Zeke Zirngiebel


You're minding your own business
Up comes this woman this character right out of a novel
She wants to know if you'll follow her
Into the house of dreams
She's got soft shoulders and dancing hands
She's got the tools and the talent
You weigh the possibilities
You'll take the chance and the challenge

Half the town is talking 'bout the things she do
They thinks it's bad behavior
You have to see if it's true

You call her Julianna
You like her perfume you love her chatter
You don't care what anybody thinks
Nor does she it doesn't matter
You dig her cut-rate clothes
Her nicotine patina
Her disregard for rules
Her spunky demeanor

Half the town is talking 'bout the things you do
They call it bad behavior
Bad behavior
But there's nothing wrong with you

Julianna nobody tells you
What you should or shouldn't do
Julianna

It's never dull she likes to keep it spicy
She's got the gift of gab
Especially pillow talk
She dare to be different
One of the notorious and few

The town is talking 'bout your saucy attitude
They say it's bad behavior
But that doesn't phase you
Just cheap talkin' 'bout the capers you get into
They're convinced it's bad behavior
Bad behavior
Bad behavior
Julianna I love your bad behavior
Bad behavior


© 1991 Black Bamboo Music - BMI
Zeke Zirngiebel Music - BMI
Track Name: She's Starlight
She's Starlight

music by Allan Thomas
words by Charles John Quarto


The moon is like a skipping stone
Dancing on the the sea
Your kiss is like Saint Elmo's Fire
Makes rainbows out of me

We watched the world go churning 'round
In shifts across the bay
Big ships are in the water
But it's the sky that sails away

She's starlight now
She reaches me
Without me ever waking up or making believe
She's starlight now she touches me
Starlight starlight up my sleeve

There's magic in her silence
Music when she speaks
Angels in her innocence
Spilling secrets in the deep

She's starlight now
She teaches me
Without me ever waking up or making believe
She's starlight now she touches me

Starlight Starlight up my sleeve
Starlight up my sleeve
She's starlight now
She's starlight now


© 1994 Black Bamboo Music
CJQ Music - BMI
Track Name: After The Storm
After The Storm

words & music - Allan Thomas
music - Bryan Kessler


I opened my eyes from a night like no other
Was I dreaming or is this real
All around me everything in ruin
Gonna take some time for things to heal

After the wind and rain
Nothing gonna be the same
My whole world changed after the storm

Take something so strong
Make you feel so small
Blows away your illusions in no time at all
Nature gone insane
Homes hammered by the hurricane
And the sound of the trees breaking in two
And there's nothing you can do

After the wind and the rain
Nothing gonna feel the same
Our world changed
After the storm
After the damage was done
We were crying in the morning sun
Now its back to square one
After the storm

Who could ever forget it
When it's everywhere you turn
But life goes on you live and you learn

Starting over back on line
Picking up the pieces one day at a time
It's bringing people together
It's tearing others apart
It's a blessing in disguise or a broken heart

After the wind and rain
Nothing gonna look the same
Everybody's world changed after the storm
After the danger was done
We were crying in the morning sun
Yes its back to square one
After the storm
After the driving rain what could ever be the same
Life can be so strange after the storm


© 1993 Black Bamboo Music - BMI
Bryan Kessler Music - ASCAP
Track Name: Need Your Love
Need Your Love

words & music - Allan Thomas


They say the earth could be as small
As a tiny grain of sand
Floating in the universe
Moved by an unseen hand
Well maybe so I don't know
But one thing is for certain
I need your love

Some say that everything we see with these eyes
Is nothing but illusion
We're living in a fools paradise
And everything is constantly changing
But one thing remains the same
I need your love
Need your love
Like a ship without a captain
Like the earth without the sun
I need your love

Need your love
I need your love

Some say that absence makes the heart grow fonder
But this is taking it too far
I'm governed by the hand of fate and fortune
But I wanna be where you are
Of all the things I say and do
This much I know is true
I need your love
Need your love
I need your love
I need your love


© 1980 Black Bamboo Music - BMI
Track Name: Love Can Change Your World
Love Can Change Your World

words & music - Allan Thomas
music - Chris Templeton


Full moon rising and it's nights like this
When it feels ages since the last good kiss
Well its better to have had love and lost it
Than never have love at all
It's time to let your defenses fall

I could love you if you let me
Make the lonely nights a thing of the past
Love can change your world if you let it
Open up and let the love in

Stealing glimpses of you through the store window
Find myself in line buying things I just don't need
And every move I make in your direction
You take another tack
It's two steps forward and ten steps back

But I could love you if you would let me
Be the one you come to on nights like this
It can change your world if you let it
Just open up and let the love begin

Love can change your world
Open up open up baby

I would love you if you would let me
Make these lonely nights a thing of the past
It can change your whole world if you let it
So open up and let my love in

I could love you if you would let me
Be the one who holds you times like this
Love can change your world if you let it
Just open up let the love begin

Love can change your world
It can can change your world
Love can change the world
Our world baby


© 1989 Black Bamboo Music - BMI
Chris Templeton Music - BMI
Track Name: Unlock The Heart
Unlock The Heart

words & Music - Allan Thomas


I want to know you through and through
Until I do I'll be after you
I need to love you and be loved by you
Nothing else will do
What else can I do
For love to start let go unlock the heart

I want to see you be with you
No matter what I do got to get close to you
Together or apart we're just one big ole heart
There's just one thing to do
Let that love come through
For love to start let go unlock the heart

For love to start let go unlock the heart
For love to start go to let go unlock the heart


© 1981 Black Bamboo Music - BMI