MICHAEL STANLEY
''THE GROUND''
NOVEMBER 11 2003
68:49
1/The Ground/4:54
2/Romeo Is Bleeding/5:08
3/Bound to ?Be
Bill Deasy/6:21
4/You Would, You Have, You Will/3:51
5/My Last Day on Earth/5:18
6/In for a Dollar/5:23
7/Long Way Past Midnight/5:29
8/Different Reasons
Bob Pelander / Michael Stanley/5:47
9/From a Train/5:47
10/One Good Day in a Row/5:22
11/Ugly All Day
Charlie Sexton/4:42
12/Easy
Marc Lee Shannon / Michael Stanley/4:41
13/Some Things/6:06
Jennifer Lee/Vocals
Bob Pelander/Bass, Organ, Piano, Synthesizer
Danny Powers/Bass, Drums, Guitars (Acoustic, Electric),
Rodney Psyka/Percussion
Michael Stanley/Bass, Dobro, Drums, Guitars (Acoustic, Electric) , Synthesizer, Vocals
REVIEW
"How many songs do you sing till you find your voice"? Stanley asks during the title song, and apparently he found his voice and has something to say. The overall message of the album is stated on the inside of the liner notes, where it says: "It's Your World, Pay Attention". The Ground features the story telling and intelligent lyrics long-time fans have come to expect, with themes that are relevant to us all.
"My Last Day On Earth" is a song about what he would like to do if there was only going to be one more day - things we take for granted on a daily basis but deep down are very important, like "counting all of my blessings, and thank God for these friends of mine".
"In For A Dollar" is a rocker that responds to folks who have suggested that Stanley's better days might be behind him.
He sings "I don't mean to disappoint you, but here comes the noise", or as he has introduced the song in concert, "yes, I'm old....but I can still do this". Yes, he certainly can.
"Long Way Past Midnight" is the first of three straight ballads, this one featuring a sax solo from Paul Christensen, while "Different Reasons" is focused more on Bob Pelander's keyboards, but both are about love that cannot last.
The third song of this trilogy is about love finally fulfilled after years of waiting. "From A Train" revisits the couple we first met in the MSB ballad "Spanish Nights" a bit over 20 years previous, as he sings "some races do get won, but nothing happens if you don't believe.”
The Ground will make you believe that "some things are easier said than done...but then again, some things have just begun.” Produced by Michael Stanley and mixed by Bill Szymczyk.
BIOGRAPHY
by Bret Adams
Cleveland native Michael Stanley became a regional phenomenon, but the singer/songwriter/guitarist and his Michael Stanley Band deserved more national success than they achieved. Stanley, whose real name is Michael Stanley Gee, played bass with the folk-rock group Silk in the late '60s. He then went solo and released two solo albums in the early '70s that fit right in with the "singer/songwriter" era. His talent attracted the likes of producer Bill Szymczyk and guest musicians Joe Walsh, Todd Rundgren, and David Sanborn from the beginning. He formed the Michael Stanley Band (aka MSB) in 1975 and pursued a more straightforward rock direction. MSB recorded a string of albums through the late '70s and early '80s that were modest successes nationally but major hits in Ohio. In fact, the Michael Stanley Band was such a sensation at home that it still holds attendance records at major concert venues. 1980's Heartland was easily MSB's best album, and Stanley agrees. It included the hit single "He Can't Love You" (sung by vocalist/keyboardist Kevin Raleigh) and the minor hit "Lover" (sung by Stanley and featuring blistering saxophone by Clarence Clemons). MSB's second and last Top 40 hit was Stanley's anthem "My Town" in 1983. After recording for Epic, Arista, and EMI, MSB independently released two albums on their own before breaking up in 1987.
The Michael Stanley Band was a reliably consistent, meat-and-potatoes enterprise responsible for superb Midwestern rock & roll. Stanley went on to become a popular television and radio personality in Cleveland. He still regularly releases albums -- solo and the one-off group project the Ghost Poets -- and performs annual summer and New Year's Eve shows along with occasional acoustic dates; these concerts and albums both feature MSB alumni and other Cleveland musicians. Razor & Tie has reissued most of MSB's catalog and two excellent best-of collections on compact disc.
DoWnLoAd
''THE GROUND''
NOVEMBER 11 2003
68:49
1/The Ground/4:54
2/Romeo Is Bleeding/5:08
3/Bound to ?Be
Bill Deasy/6:21
4/You Would, You Have, You Will/3:51
5/My Last Day on Earth/5:18
6/In for a Dollar/5:23
7/Long Way Past Midnight/5:29
8/Different Reasons
Bob Pelander / Michael Stanley/5:47
9/From a Train/5:47
10/One Good Day in a Row/5:22
11/Ugly All Day
Charlie Sexton/4:42
12/Easy
Marc Lee Shannon / Michael Stanley/4:41
13/Some Things/6:06
Jennifer Lee/Vocals
Bob Pelander/Bass, Organ, Piano, Synthesizer
Danny Powers/Bass, Drums, Guitars (Acoustic, Electric),
Rodney Psyka/Percussion
Michael Stanley/Bass, Dobro, Drums, Guitars (Acoustic, Electric) , Synthesizer, Vocals
REVIEW
"How many songs do you sing till you find your voice"? Stanley asks during the title song, and apparently he found his voice and has something to say. The overall message of the album is stated on the inside of the liner notes, where it says: "It's Your World, Pay Attention". The Ground features the story telling and intelligent lyrics long-time fans have come to expect, with themes that are relevant to us all.
"My Last Day On Earth" is a song about what he would like to do if there was only going to be one more day - things we take for granted on a daily basis but deep down are very important, like "counting all of my blessings, and thank God for these friends of mine".
"In For A Dollar" is a rocker that responds to folks who have suggested that Stanley's better days might be behind him.
He sings "I don't mean to disappoint you, but here comes the noise", or as he has introduced the song in concert, "yes, I'm old....but I can still do this". Yes, he certainly can.
"Long Way Past Midnight" is the first of three straight ballads, this one featuring a sax solo from Paul Christensen, while "Different Reasons" is focused more on Bob Pelander's keyboards, but both are about love that cannot last.
The third song of this trilogy is about love finally fulfilled after years of waiting. "From A Train" revisits the couple we first met in the MSB ballad "Spanish Nights" a bit over 20 years previous, as he sings "some races do get won, but nothing happens if you don't believe.”
The Ground will make you believe that "some things are easier said than done...but then again, some things have just begun.” Produced by Michael Stanley and mixed by Bill Szymczyk.
BIOGRAPHY
by Bret Adams
Cleveland native Michael Stanley became a regional phenomenon, but the singer/songwriter/guitarist and his Michael Stanley Band deserved more national success than they achieved. Stanley, whose real name is Michael Stanley Gee, played bass with the folk-rock group Silk in the late '60s. He then went solo and released two solo albums in the early '70s that fit right in with the "singer/songwriter" era. His talent attracted the likes of producer Bill Szymczyk and guest musicians Joe Walsh, Todd Rundgren, and David Sanborn from the beginning. He formed the Michael Stanley Band (aka MSB) in 1975 and pursued a more straightforward rock direction. MSB recorded a string of albums through the late '70s and early '80s that were modest successes nationally but major hits in Ohio. In fact, the Michael Stanley Band was such a sensation at home that it still holds attendance records at major concert venues. 1980's Heartland was easily MSB's best album, and Stanley agrees. It included the hit single "He Can't Love You" (sung by vocalist/keyboardist Kevin Raleigh) and the minor hit "Lover" (sung by Stanley and featuring blistering saxophone by Clarence Clemons). MSB's second and last Top 40 hit was Stanley's anthem "My Town" in 1983. After recording for Epic, Arista, and EMI, MSB independently released two albums on their own before breaking up in 1987.
The Michael Stanley Band was a reliably consistent, meat-and-potatoes enterprise responsible for superb Midwestern rock & roll. Stanley went on to become a popular television and radio personality in Cleveland. He still regularly releases albums -- solo and the one-off group project the Ghost Poets -- and performs annual summer and New Year's Eve shows along with occasional acoustic dates; these concerts and albums both feature MSB alumni and other Cleveland musicians. Razor & Tie has reissued most of MSB's catalog and two excellent best-of collections on compact disc.
DoWnLoAd
