/ Suburban 2-Step (2012) / Heartland Variations (2010) / No More Range To Roam (1978) /

Suburban 2-Step (2012) - Overview

Songlist

1. Home At Last (3:30)
2. The Numbers (3:50)
3. High (4:01)
4. Autumn Song (3:32)
5. Roseland (4:06)
6. Montreal Again (3:35)
7. Mrs. Pennington (3:54)
8. Drivin' (3:56)
9. Surburban 2-Step (3:50)
10. Hoop Dreams (4:19)
11. Rock County Line (3:36)
12. The World Rolls On (3:53)

Musicians:

• Christopher Mark Jones - lead vocals (all), harmony vocals (12), acoustic guitar (all), electric guitar (4), piano (3,7), organ (2,3,4)
• Roger Day - tuba (12)
• Paul Eiss - tenor (3) & soprano (12) sax
• Bev Futrell - vocal harmonies (8,12), mandolin (1,6,8,9) & harmonica (11)
• Dave Gillespie - vocal harmonies (1,2,3,5,6,9,10,12). acoustic (1,6,8) & electric (2,3,5,9,10) guitars
• David Hart - tres (2) & mandolin (12)
• Karen Jones - vocal harmonies (1,2,5,6,8,9,10.12) & fiddle (5,6,8,9)
• Regina Ketter - viola & violin (1,4,7)
• Gordon Kirkwood - cello (1,4,7)
• Marc Reisman - harmonica (5,10)
• Jim Spears - bass (1,2,3,4,5,6,9,10)
• Mark Weakland - drums (1,2,3,4,5,6,9,10)

Notes: Produced, arranged and recorded by Christopher Mark Jones from July-December 2011 in Pittsburgh and Detroit.

All of these songs were written in the two years prior to this recording, with the exception of Roseland, which was written in the Eighties and refers to living in central London (making some of the references--the Circus, the Mall, kippers, the Underground etc--a bit clearer.) I brought in Jim Spears on bass this time, figuring I had enough to do, and a general studio upgrade allowed for recording the entire rhythm section (+ guide track) all at once, which I'm sure was easier for drummer Mark Weakland. This was my first time arranging strings, but I invoked the spirit of my father William (who was a PhD in music theory) and the advice of my brother Jeff. That and some contributions from Gina Ketter and Gordon Kirkwood resulted in an addition I like, especially when the arrangments are a bit sparse--Autumn Song and Mrs. Pennington. I set up the studio for a weekend in my cousin Dave Gillespie's house in Detroit, and "family band" members Dave, Karen Jones and Bev Futrell got a lot of their contributions down then, though Dave continued to send me guitar parts for a while after. Roger Day, Marc Reisman, David Hart and Paul Eiss all came in on separate occasions to work their magic and spend a moment in the suburbs (though I don't remember any two-steps--must have missed them...).

Heartland Variations (2010) - Overview

Songlist:

1. Black Earth
2. Cincinnati Night
3. Question of Style
4. Uncertain Times
5. Loves Not a Fashion
6. Gas It Up
7. Yes
8. I Work Hard (For a Livin')
9. Dakota Territory

Musicians:

• Christopher Mark Jones - electric and acoustic guitar, electric bass, cello, drum programming
• Jack Bowen - piano (8)
• Bev Futrell - harmonica (2), mandolin (3,6,9)
• David Gillespie - lead acoustic guitar (6)
• Jeffrey Jones - vocal harmony (1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9)
• Karen Jones - fiddle (7,9) vocal harmony (1,6,8)
• Mark Weakland - drums and percussion

Produced and recorded by Christopher Mark Jones in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Lexington, Kentucky from 2007-2009.

This is a catching-up album, including songs I've had in my bag for awhile, which means they'd also stood the test of time. Exceptions are "Gas It Up", a song I wrote for Uptown Combo in 2006 or so, "I Work Hard," a tune reworked from a concept that had lain around waiting to be finished, and "Dakota Territory," written about the harsh upper Midwest of my forefathers. A lot of this work was done alone in my studio. The family contributions--Bev, David, Jeffrey, Karen--were overdubbed in Lexington. Mark came in when most of the rest had already been done.

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No More Range to Roam (1978) - Overview

Songlist:

1. Dust to Dust
2. Hard To Imagine
3. Morning Glory
4. Holy
5. Steelhead Blues
6. No More Range To Roam
7. Whatever You Do
8. The Road To Spain
9. Baby Don't Go
10. Ballerina

Musicians:

• Christopher Mark Jones - acoustic guitar, piano, cello and vocals
• Jeffrey Jones- harmony vocals (1,3,4,5,6,8,9) acoustic guitar (7,8), piano (3,10), viola (2,7,10), harmonica (1,) harmonium (6,8)
• Mick Linnard - bass (all but 7,10), acoustic lead (3), 2nd acoustic (9,10)
• Pick Withers - drums (all but 7,10)
• Gerald Moore - electric guitar (1,2,5,6,9)

Produced by Christopher Mark Jones and Bill Leader. Recorded by Bill Leader at Leader Sound in Yorkshire, U.K., Oct.-Dec. 1977.

Notes: In the fall of '77, Bill Leader invited me up to his studio in the Yorkshire Dales (U.K.) to make a album under his imprint for Transatlantic Records. My brother Jeffrey Jones, back-up guitarist Mick Linnard and I spent most of a week there, with early work from Dire Straits drummer Pick Withers, and a later visit from London guitarist Gerald Moore. The resulting recording was reasonably successful, being released in five countries and getting me on some prominent bills at folk festivals (Rotterdam, Bristol), and extensive radio play, including BBC1 and Capitol Radio in the U.K. In the intervening years Transatlantic and its catalogue disappeared in a series of mergers and acquisitions. This is a remastered version of the original vinyl, retaining the pristine sound of Bill’s great mics and touch, while matching the levels a bit and removing the clicks and pops. The songs (with one or two exceptions) have held up pretty well, and I’m glad to have them available again.

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