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The Journey

by Allan Thomas

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1.
The Journey 04:30
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The Journey words and 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 Condos Mi Amigo May you find your way on the winding road May we meet again on the journey Somewhere on the journey You and I we had our moment When the world stood still but for the wind The destination never mattered It was always the journey 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 We chose the road less traveled Always having to let go Via Condos Mi Amigo Via Condos Mi Amiga May you find your way on the winding road May we meet again down the line Somewhere on the journey So Many crossroads And strange pilgrims on the way ©2021 Black Bamboo Music - BM
2.
Van 04:13
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words Allan Thomas music Bryan Kessler 1- Time to go live in a van Join the tiny home clan Eat nothing but bread and spam Living large in my van 2- Take the leap make a stand Anybody's guess where you land The rent money no longer can Off the hook in my van 3- Claim a spot by a lake or a stream Have plenty of time to daydream AirPods and some Steely Dan Keepin ya company in your van 4- The one percent priced the ninety-nine out The almighty dollars what it’s all about Be happy as a clam Chillaxin' in your van Bridge- So many options to consider Gas range wifi for twitter Queen-size bed solar fan Here’s to livin’ inside your van 5- Tinted windows ladder to the roof Stash the surfboards and stay aloof It's anything but bland Invite your lover on a one night stand 6- Camp out under the Milky Way Come dawn you might just stay Sipping lime and grenadine Off the grid and in between 7- Cross latitudes without a plan No one to tell you you can't or can Work on your left arm tan Social distancing in your van 8- No bills at the beginning of the month If the tax man comes I’m out to lunch No time to sit around and hate That’s how you make America great Bridge - Sunbathe somewhere in the nude Nothing but a positive attitude Life can be oh so grand Just living inside your van 9- Time to go live in a van Join the tiny home clan Eat nothing but toast and jam Living large in my van Here’s to livin’ inside your van ©2021 Black Bamboo Music - BMI Brian Kessler Music - ASCAP
3.
You Never Know 04:11
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Words Allan Thomas & Ed Haaker Music Michael Ruff 1 - Just picking weeds in the garden anything can happen You may be hit by an asteroid while your nappin’ Or you’re sailing in paradise its a beautiful day Suddenly you’re capsized by a monster rouge wave You never know which way it’s gonna go Don’t plan plan too far ahead you just never know 2 - Just walkin’ the dog you get hit by a car Choke on a chicken bone in Lucy’s bar Walk into Starbucks for some coffee in a cup Out of the blue you get held up You never know 3 - Foul ball at the game hits your son in the head Fills you up with guilt and dread Or you’re hunkering down during the corona scare Run out of Charmin but the shelves were bare You just never know 4 - Life has its surprises as you grow old In one minute things can go from hot to cold Here one day gone the next You could have a stroke in the middle of a text You never know which way it’s gonna go You just never know 5 - You’re mistakenly arrested and wind up in jail Can’t reach your lawyer to post your bail Or a tornado appears and rips your house apart Now you gotta make a brand new start You never know which way it’s gonna go Might think you’ve got it made in the shade but no 6 - You’ve had so many issues and things that went wrong Yet here you are standing amongst the living throng Jody’s looking for love since the senior prom dance Finally found it in an old folks cruise to France See how you never know 7 - Bragging about the bubble of a bull market high Till the bottom falls out and all you can do is cry Got no work walking with you’re you’re honey Stumble upon a Brink’s bag full of money You never know 8 - Sitting in your kitchen having a bite Reading the news about the worlds current plight Suddenly a plane crashes into your ceiling Leaving you shocked rocked and reeling How could you know 9 - Yes it could happen to you regardless of your status No one’s immune to what life throws at us You never know which way it’s gonna go You just never know Don’t plan plan too far ahead Sneaks up on you You just never know ©2021 Black Bamboo Music_Ed Haaker Music_Ruff Mix Music BMI
4.
It's All Good 03:34
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words Allan Thomas and Ed Haaker music Bryan Kessler 1- Sometimes you fail and come up short Gave your best shot and left the port Don’t fret about what others think you should do It’s up to you 2- You may not have much money But the sun still shines And the rivers keep running Regardless of the twilight zone times that we’re in *CH1- Its all good Its more than what you see under the hood Think I finally get it knock on wood V3- Once I was at the top of the heap Things have changed now I’m sweeping the street Shit job to you but its bread and butter to me V4- My reality check bounced when it hit the bank Illusions of grandeur sank Then thought of my friend Who almost lost his house in a hurricane CH2-It’s all good Way more than what you see under the hood Think I finally get it knock on wood Its all good Bk- At least you’re in the big picture Still in the game You may be sitting on the bench Waiting for the coach to call out your name Ch3- It’s all good We’re more than what you see under the hood I think I finally get it knock on wood It’s all good Ch 4 - It’s all good But so misunderstood Ain’t no Mr Rogers neighborhood Think I finally got it knock on wood It’s all good - It’s all good ©2021 Black Bamboo Music - BMI Ed Haaker Music - BMI Bryan Kessler Music - ASCAP
5.
After The Storm 04:25
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words & music - Allan Thomas music - Bryan Kessler V1- Woke up at first light 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 Ch1- After the wind and rain Nothing gonna be the same My whole world changed after the storm V2- 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 Ch2- After the wind fire 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 Bk- Who could ever forget it When it's everywhere you turn But life goes on you live and you learn V3- Starting over back on line Picking up the pieces one day at a time It's bringing people together Tearing others apart It's a blessing in disguise or a broken heart Ch3- 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 Brian Kessler Music - ASCAP
6.
Devil's Rock 04:13
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Words Ed Haaker - Allan Thomas Music Michael Ruff I was just 23 and it seemed to me The key to life was to be at sea Loved exotic women of the night And caught a dose Been in brawls with danger close Once torpedoed and lost at sea But I always kept some West Indian rum with me I enjoyed that trip six weeks before I smashed her up four miles from shore Lost my ticket it was a bust Sailing on that old bucket of rust For 50 years she plowed rough seas While starving rats ate our provisions of cheese And on that ship to help me think A good supply of rum that I would drink But the rum helped me lose a man at sea And I shall pay that debt and never be free My soul was filled with fear and shock When I smashed that filthy old ship on devil's rock I staggered to the wheelhouse To keep watch that fateful night Tried to kept an even keel But the wind shifted and I lost sight Then the ship rose up and hit something I couldn’t see And swept the helmsman off his feet And into the main mast not three yards in front of me The blood gushed out when he struck his head And he lie there already dead I cradled his head in my lap and cried And cursed him for his foolish pride And wished I was back in dry dock The night we crashed into devils rock When back in port I stood before the inquiry board And swore the truth before the almighty lord They found me innocent of any crime But I’m paying my penance till the end of time Now I sit in an old sailors rest home With the cranky sea in view Faded carpet on the floors Walls of green and blue But nightmares awaken me constant as a clock Reminding me of that horrific night The night on devil's rock ©2019 Black Bamboo Music - BMI Ruff Mix Music - BMI Ed Haaker Music - BMI
7.
Allan Thomas and Bryan Kessler - It Goes Without Saying 04:34
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8.
Love's Way 03:56
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Words Allan Thomas and Bryan Kessler Music Bryan Kessler V1- You can’t purchase love it’s a gift freely given Makes no difference if your lazy or driven No matter if you’re rich or poor It’s the only thing worth asking for CH1- Loves way loves way Always has the last say Not up to you it will leave or stay That’s the mystery of love V2- Your lucky if it finds you unlucky if it don’t But you don’t have a say if it will or it won’t And when it’s gone you can’t get it back Like a runaway race car knocked off the track CH2- Loves way loves way Hope it lasts another day You can’t make it change or mold it like clay That’s the mystery of loves way V3- There’s no saying how long it will last It’s fluid and unpredictable no future no past You may wish to extend it till your dying day But it’s not in your power whether you cry beg or pray CH3- Loves way loves way Always has the last say Not up to you it will leave or stay That’s the mystery of love Bridge - It’s an unsolved mystery a real life thriller A stunning victory or a dream killer V4- Celebrate if you’re under its sway And if not there’s always another day But there’s one thing you must understand Win or lose it’s not in your hands CH4- Loves way loves way Hope it lasts another day Not up to you be that as it may That’s the secret of love CH5- Loves way loves way Always has the last say Not up to you it will leave or stay That’s the mystery of love ©2020 Black Bamboo Music - BMI Brian Kessler Music- ASCAP
9.
So Far So Good 04:37
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Words Allan Thomas - Ed Haaker - Bryan Kessler Music Bryan Kessler Woke up to the morning sun Brewed a cup the day had begun Snow capped peaks were glistening Winter melting into spring Tried to figure out where I stood We’re never quite out of the woods so far so good You can’t predict the future yet to be written It’s a ball of confusion from where I’m sitting Whatever the case it must be understood If you’re still above ground so far so good The only thing you can count on the unexpected It’s a miracle in itself to remain unaffected Saying a prayer for us gonna touch wood Fingers crossed so far so good I feel like I'm sheltered under a great umbrella Avoiding catastrophe one lucky fella Don’t sweat the small stuff this ain’t Hollywood One breath at a time so far so good The only thing you can count on things will change No one can claim the credit no one can take the blame Saying a prayer for us gotta touch wood Fingers crossed so far so good So far so good ©2021 Black Bamboo Music - BMI Brian Kessler Music - ASCAP Ed Haaker Music - BMI
10.
Real Life Love 04:16
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Allan Thomas - words and music Bryan Kessler - music We were like two distant planets Bound to collide in time It’s as good as it gets So good it’s scary And for all the right reasons The Chinese call it good fortune I call it the luck of the draw You’re a wildcard woman a windfall I’m a party of one no longer *I found a real life love A real love And it’s light years better Than I could imagine This is a real life love I know that kisses are not contracts Nor is a promise guarantee Hard times come like waves Whether or not you're ready And when they do We will help each other sail right through *Yes with real life love Talkin’ real life love No ones picture perfect Don’t expect you to be Anything but real life love to me Heart over heels nothing else matters We whisper in the night Fine tuning and fearless determination Is what its gonna take to keep it tight *Yeah real life love Something worth waiting for Up till now my heart wasn’t in it Didn’t know about real life love We got a real life love And we deserve each other baby Chicken skin and cold sweat Joined at the hip I have no doubt about it No expectations Light years better Than I’ve ever known This is a real life love Love real life love C 2020 Black Bamboo Music Brian Kessler Music - BMI
11.
Change Of Plans 05:41
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Words Allan Thomas and Ed Haaker Music Bryan Kessler V1- You said it all without saying a word Didn’t think I noticed but I heard Felt it approaching a million miles an hour With no way to stop it like a meteor shower *Ch1- Fell through my fingers like shifting sand There’s nothing worse heart in my hand How much more can I withstand Change of plans V2- It is what it is ain’t no going back It stings like hell but that’s where its at At the end of the day there’s always hell to pay When good love goes bad there’s nothing left to say *Ch2- Fell through my fingers like grains of sand Woke up in a wasteland heart in my hand How much more can a man withstand Change of plans Bridge- Went to see a shaman on the floating isle He questioned me as to why I couldn’t smile I asked him which way I should go The sacred valley where the tall corn grow V3- Booked my passage on the Cusco train Wash away my troubles in the pouring rain The grass was always greener in the back of your mind Have Scotty beam you up there see what you can find *Ch3- Fell through my fingers like like shifting sand There’s nothing worse heart in my hand How much more can a man withstand Change of plans V4- There’s billions of people on Mother Earth Holding out for love’s rebirth It’s like trying to slide your fingers through a slab of granite Without giving in to the urge to panic *Ch4- I’m sinking deeper caught in quicksand There’s nothing worse heart in my hand How much more can I withstand Change of plans Change of plans Change of plans Change of plans ©2020 Black Bamboo Music - Ed Haaker Music - BMI Bryan Kessler Music - ASCAP
12.
Allan Thomas and Andy Salvanos - The Invisible Man 04:00
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Words Allan Thomas Music Andy Salvanos 1- He's someone who’s still present but rarely ever seen Flying under the radar of everyones screen A persona-non-grata no longer in demand Whom all has forsaken call him the invisible man 2- A cast aside relic from a previous time and day Only cats dogs and children don’t turn the other way Has to check just to see if his shadows still intact Make sure his existence hasn't been completely hacked 3- Is there even a sound when his shoes touch the ground Or an image staring back in the mirror to be found Peer through an X-ray scan you’ll see the invisible man The one whose been lost track of from the world of men now banned 4- Floating down from his flying dream he perches on a telephone pole Searches the empty faces gazing up from below The fear of being forgotten the curse of growing old The desire to walk among the living and come in from the cold 5- Craving a shred of acknowledgment some form of recognition Something to remind him this wasn’t always his condition To distinguish himself once more from that of an empty shell To relive the soaring heights from which he once did dwell The invisible man 6- If only there was someone who could remember his real name Shine a light on his uncertainty eclipse the darkness of his shame Look him in the eye or touch his wrinkled skin Revive a hidden memory rekindle a longing within 7- Nonexistent to those nearby who’s got time for a closer look? Like the print that’s been erased from the pages of a dusty book Between the latitude of illusion and the longitude of dreams He tries to find his bearings but the map is lost it seems 8- Could something have gone differently regrets come in every form Should he have begged her to stay in the middle of that deadly storm But nothing seems to quench the need to be seen once more Before the lights go out for good and you pass through that open door The invisible man ©2021 Black Bamboo Music - BMI Andy Salvanos Music - APRA

about

The Journey is my 7th studio album and celebrates my 50th year of releasing albums.
Recorded in a year and a half at the start of the pandemic that spread all over the world. The studio was about as safe a place as could be, as well as the ocean where I would surf and windsurf between session dates.

9 of the songs were written during this period of intense creativity and collaboration between my self and co-writers Ed Haaker, Bryan Kessler, Michael Ruff, and Andy Salvanos. Three of the songs were dug out of the unreleased gems catalog from the AT archives, so sweet for them to finally see the light.

Featuring Steely Dan and Sting drummer Keith Carlock, James Taylor and Elton John bassist Jimmy Johnson, Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder session guitarist Dean Parks, Joni Mitchell and Miles Davis sideman Michael Landau, Yellowjackets composer and pianist Russell Ferrante and my usual amazing backing greats Michael Ruff on keys, Bryan Kessler guitar, Olivia Ruff singing backups and several new surprise guests.

credits

released August 2, 2021

Allan Thomas - vocal all songs, acoustic guitar 1, 7
Bryan Kessler - guitar, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10
Michael Landau - guitar, 5, 8, 11
Dean Parks - guitar, 2
Michael Ruff - keyboards all songs except 8, 9
Russell Ferrante - piano 9
James Raymond - pads, Wurlitzer, 8, 9
Jimmy Johnson - bass all songs except 12
Keith Carlock - drums all songs except 6, 7, 12
M.B. Gordy - drums, percussion 7
Olivia Ruff - backing vocals, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11
Amanda Frazier - backing vocals, 8
Tripp Sprague - Tenor sax, 3
Andy Salvanos - Chapman stick, 12
Jack Lee - oceanic pads, 12
Paul Northfield - drone pad, 12

All songs by Allan Thomas ©2021 Black Bamboo Music BMI
Ed Haaker Music BMI - songs 3, 6, 9, 11
Brian Kessler Music ASCAP - songs 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Ruff Mix Music BMI - songs 3, 6
Andy Salvanos Music APRA - song 12

Produced and recorded by Allan Thomas

Mixed by Paul Northfield and Allan Thomas

Associate producer Bryan Kessler

Executive producer Ed Haaker tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 11

Arrangements by Michael Ruff tracks 1, 3, 5, 6

Backing vocals recorded by Dave Tucciarone track 8

Front cover photo - Aaron Feinberg

Graphic art - Bret Linford

Inside and back CD photos Allan Thomas

Additional graphic art - Christel Janssen

In association with Treble In Paradise Studios, Kauai, Hawaii.

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Allan Thomas Hanalei, Hawaii

Aloha and welcome to my Bandcamp Music Store home page. Here you can listen to full-length samples of all seven Allan Thomas albums and three singles. Also to be found are credits, photos, stories and lyrics for all songs. Dig in...

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