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This CD was originally released on Vinyl (see history books for
definition) as The Banana Brothers (Greg Murat & Jamie
Phalen) and titled FACES. The CD has a couple of additions
to the original album; The title tune and Lifeline. It is an eclectic
collection of original songs with an overall happy island feel.
Scott and I got together after another of numerous
break ups of the Banana Brothers and we decided to make a Greg Murat
album. With Dan Kenkella on drums and Scott on bass we laid the
foundation for the majority of the album in a couple of days. We
had an absolute blast for a couple of 12 hour sessions.
On the rest of the songs Jamie and I played our very much free form
style and Scott and Dan painstakingly added rhythm tracks after
the fact.
We brought in many great players including Doug
Hamilton on Sax. Doug was a part of the Banana Bros before we disbanded
once again. Doug has a way of playing that hooks you right into
a tune. He added his signature to Love Me One More Time, Spinning
and Faces. Dale Fuentes added his Flute salsa on Springtime and
Just Don't Know and percussion & wood flute on Love Me One More
Time. We brought in the now famous Jim McLaughlin on Baby Cannot
Sleep but ended up using Tom Phalen's Harmonica instead. It certainly
wasn't because of the performance. To top it off I misspelled Jim's
name on the cover, I am so sorry.
So much gets left off albums as I continue to see,
like my son Josh's incredible solo on his brother Freedom's album.
Dale played a beautiful solo on Spinning: not there. Doug blues'd
out on Baby: not there. It is hard to imagine Dawn without Dale's
flute solo's: not there. But so much is there.
Scott took on the bass, keyboards, electric guitars
and synthesizers and his solo guitar work is dazzling. God bless
Dan Owens who made it on the album playing Fender Rhodes on Spinning
after Scott and I went round and round about it. He has lost his
ability to play due to a debilitating illness. He shines on that
tune.
Stan Vellis, owner of Venus Pizza (now called Stanello's)
in Bellingham, was the Executive producer and made pressing the
album possible. The band reformed before its release and the name
was changed to Banana Brothers but it wasn't really the Banana Brothers.
We had a whole different feel and flavor and I wish we had gone,
as Doug suggested, right back in and made a real Banana Brothers
album. Most people who have this CD on cassette or vinyl still play
it because the music is timeless. It is a yesterday that lingers. |
PRODUCED
by SCOTT MACGOUGAN
Recorded
at Scott MacGougan's Little Studio That Could in Tacoma, Washington./
Great friends and great fun, this is a timeless album of classics.
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