Sci-Fi Songs: DADGAD

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Sci-Fi Song #25: The Ballad of Wilson Cole

The Ballad of Wilson Cole (Acoustic).mp3

Here's an acoustic version of my song: "The Ballad of Wilson Cole". The song was inspired by Mike Resnick's "Starship" series of books. The sheet music and lyrics for "The Ballad of Wilson Cole" appear in the appendix of Resnick's "Starship:Flagship". The song features five verses; one for each book in the series. Click here to read more about it.

This is a bare-bones version of the song; just acoustic guitar (in DADGAD tuning) and vocals. I intend to release a version of the song with a more fully orchestrated arrangement. Perhaps that will see the light of day in January or February. Completing my new NaNoWriMo and Holiday songs as well as releasing my Sci-Fi Songs album took up most of my time over the past two months.

Considering that this song is supposed to be a folk hero ballad, I think that the stripped down approach works pretty well.

I hope you enjoy it,

John Anealio

http://twitter.com/JohnAnealio

The Ballad of Wilson Cole
by John Anealio

Verse 1

In the time of the Galactic Era

In the year of 1966

Commander Cole had to wrestle control

from the Polonoi running the ship

and despite his four medals of courage

they court marshaled him anyway

the men of his crew came to his rescue

and embarked on their own deep in space

Refrain

Yes they say Wilson Cole was a hero

and the captain of the Teddy R.

He kept up the fight and he did what was right

as he led his fleet through the stars

Verse 2

Then it came to 1967

after the ship's mutiny

they made a deal with David Copperfield

and they allied with the Valkyrie

And he didn't make much of a pirate

Wilson was an honest man

he went and retrieved a Tale of Two Cities

and decided that he'd change his plan

Refrain

Verse 3

Then they became mercenaries

the year was 1968

Their destination was Singapore Station

so they met at the Platinum Duke's Place

Then they met the Teroni Jacovic

who became the ship's Third Officer

Cole marshaled One Thousand Ships against a lunatic

Csonti retreated then went berserk

Refrain

Verse 4

The Navy murdered First Officer Forrice

at a brothel on Braccio II

Cole went and avenged the death of his best friend

killing the Endless Night and its crew

Then the Navy laid waste to the planet

and Wilson searched for volunteers

He gathered a fleet that would never retreat

as it defended the Inner Frontier

Refrain

Verse 5

And then in 1970

Cole infiltrated Deluros VIII

He aimed his gun at the Admiral just as the sky filled

with enemies set to invade

Wilson Cole led the Theodore Roosevelt

and the ships of the Republican Fleet

The enemy was defeated and the Secretary ceded

Cole's mission was finally complete

Refrain

Genre Break Song #3: Kathy's Kalifornia

Kathy's Kalifornia.mp3

A few years ago, before I got into the lucrative world of writing songs about science fiction and fantasy novels, I released a fairly straight ahead singer/songwriter CD. In the time between that CD release and the start of Sci-Fi Songs, I composed a number of songs that have never seen the light of day.

Just as it is healthy to read books outside of the sci-fi/fantasy niche, I thought that it would be interesting to feature a song that isn't based on a speculative fiction novel once in a while. The first song in the Genre Break series was San Luis Obispo and you can download that for free right here .

While in my mid twenties, I spent a summer "finding myself" by driving up and down the coast of California. I had a great time residing in the youth hostels of San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. For a guy who had never left the confines of New Jersey, this was a life changing experience. "Kathy's Kalifornia" was inspired by some of my experiences in San Francisco. One day, I'll put a few of the songs from this period together and release a "California" EP.

The recording of "Kathy's Kalifornia" was done rather quickly a few years ago for a songwriting contest. This was a one take performance where I recorded my acoustic guitar (in DADGAD tuning) and voice at the same time. I'd still like to do a better recording of this someday, but I feel like this is a good representation of how I used to perform the song live in the coffee shops of New Jersey.

Hope you enjoy it,

John Anealio

If you have any ideas for the blog contact me at 27summers@gmail.com or via Facebook or Twitter .

http://twitter.com/JohnAnealio

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Kathy's Kalifornia

by John Anealio

The crucifix is dangling from her gold chain
Its June 26th, her birthday. She's on her way.
She served her time at St. Marys with Sister Bernadette
She's had her fill of New Jersey and the Old Testament

Now San Francisco calls her name.

Get out of her way its Kathy's Kalifornia now.
Its Kathy's Kalifornia now.
Get out of her way its Kathy's Kalifornia now.
Its Kathy's Kalifornia now.

She cables down the hill sets up her easel and starts to paint
a landscape of St. Paul and Peter and the Golden Gate.

No gallery will show her work

Chorus

I heard she's waiting tables at some bar on Market Street
and memories of New Jersey suddenly seem bittersweet.
She believes that she can make it if she sticks it out.
But its been a year of loneliness, frustration, and doubt.

Chorus

Related Posts

1. Genre Break Song #1: San Luis Obispo
2. Genre Break Song #2: Hospital Girl

Steampunk Song #1: The God-Clown is Near

The God-Clown is Near.mp3

The God-Clown is Near was inspired by the Jay Lake short story of the same name, which appears in Ann and Jeff Vandermeer's Steampunk anthology . Check out some of the recent Sci-Fi Songs Podcasts to hear more about the process of writing this song as well as other Steampunk inspired music.

The God-Clown is Near

music and lyrics by John Anealio

I sit at Cafe Valdosta's table

with my Sloe-Eyed Jack

I peel off the Absinthe label

and then I put it back

I'm known as the finest sculptor

in all of Triune Town

The brothers Sueno need a doctor

to build a moral clown

I look at the plans on the microfiche reader

It must be some divine engineer

Now I see the graffiti displayed on the tower

it says that the God-Clown is Near

The brothers want me to build them a judge

and an executioner

I'm drinking absinthe and sweating blood

as I sabotage their savior

I took the brain of a large male goat

from a local slaughterhouse

I shoot myself with the antidote

when the clown begins to shout

I look at the plans on the microfiche reader

It must be some divine engineer

Now I see the graffiti displayed on the tower

it says that the God-Clown is Near

Here are some of the tools that I used to create the track

Martin Acoustic Guitar in DADGAD tuning with a capo placed at the second fret.
Pearl Bell Kit Xylophone
Bundy Clarinet
Washburn Electric Bass Guitar
Rode NT1 and NT3 condenser microphones
Apple Logic Pro 8

ES2 soft synth for the analog synthesizer sounds and solo
EVP88 for the electric piano parts
Ultrabeat for the bass drum and hand clap sounds
Logic's included Reverb and Compressor plug-ins.

I hope you enjoy it,
John Anealio

Related Podcasts:

Genre Break Song #1: San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo.mp3

A few years ago, before I got into the lucrative world of writing songs about science fiction and fantasy novels, I released a fairly straight ahead singer/songwriter CD (read more about that here). In the time between that CD release and the start of Sci-Fi Songs, I composed a number of songs that have never seen the light of day.

Just as it is healthy to read books outside of the sci-fi/fantasy niche, I thought that it would be interesting to feature a song that isn't based on a speculative fiction novel once in a while. I remain focused on the sci-fi songs though. In the coming weeks, I will be posting songs based on the novels of Gregory Frost, Bruce Sterling, and Steven Erikson.

Hope you enjoy it,

John

San Luis Obispo

by John Anealio

It was three years ago today

I spent the summer drifting up and down the coast

It was just a temporary stay

I needed time to run away from Torie's ghost

There's a seaside town where she can be found

I wish I was there today

I want to go where summer lasts forever

I want to go where everything is clear

I want to go where summer lasts forever

I want to go to San Luis Obispo

Kate worked on Higuera street

Waiting tables and sending pay home to her mom

She asked me what I'd like to eat

Then smiled and I asked if I'd be there for very long

Her green eyes glowed and her red hair flowed

I wish I was there today

Chorus

California seems so far away

and Katie moved back home to Santa Fe

and I'm happy in New Jersey anyway

Chorus

Here are some of the tools that I used to record the track:

Martin Acoustic Guitar in DADGAD tuning
G&L ASAT Telecaster for the electric guitar parts
Washburn Bass Guitar
Trinity College Irish Bouzouki/Octave Mandolin
Rode NT-3 microphone (to record the acoustic guitar and my vocals)
Apple Logic Pro 7 recording software
1. The EXS24 Sampler for the drum sounds
2. The ES2 software synth
3. Logic's included compressor, delay, and reverb plug-ins
4. The electric guitar parts were recorded through Logic's Guitar Amp Pro plug-in

Sci-Fi Song #9: Beautiful Vampire

Beautiful Vampire.mp3

As the season passes into October, I thought that it would be fitting to post a few songs that were influenced by the Gothic/Horror side of speculative fiction.

Beautiful Vampire was inspired by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Gothic novella "Carmilla". According to Wikipedia, the novella "tells the story of a young woman's susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla."

I actually wrote this song about four or five years ago. I took the character of Carmilla and placed her in a modern setting, which in this case happens to be a goth club in New Jersey where she is working as a bartender.

This song was a staple of my live set for years. At the time, I was into using digital loop samplers. I would often create an ambient, reversed drone of a loop to set an atmosphere and I would improvise a solo using my lap steel (a string instrument played on the lap with a metal slide bar). That is exactly what I did for the intro of "Beautiful Vampire". In retrospect, I wish that I had cut the intro and placed it as a separate track on the CD, as it runs for about one minute and thirty seconds before the actual songs begin. If you get impatient listening to this piece, I recommend downloading it and skipping ahead to the '1:30' mark on the track.

I hope you enjoy it,
John

Here are the lyrics:

Beautiful Vampire
by John Anealio

With ample fear I descend into this dungeon paradise
The atmosphere is a haze of sweat and smoke and false black light
That illuminates the room into fluorescent shades of green
Elven queens and Gothic boys are high on Benzedrine
She's pulling on her vinyl dress

Carmilla reigns, dispensing drinks and supernatural stares
Mascara stains her ivory face and flowing chestnut hair
I'm captured in her regal glance

Now she wants to be alone with me, this Beautiful Vampire
She wants to be alone with me but I won't invite her in

As techno blares, she offers wine and immortality
As strobe lights flare, dark women act out sapphic fantasies
I'm clutching on my crucifix

Now she wants to be alone with me, this Beautiful Vampire
She wants to be alone with me but I won't invite her in

Her eternal life began in 1810
when she was bitten by an English nobleman
Just a farm girl who was young and innocent
And as the decades past she hasn't aged a bit

Now she wants to be alone with me, this Beautiful Vampire
She wants to be alone with me but I won't invite her in

Full disclosure:
I actually released this song on CD a few years ago. If you are interested in hearing the other songs on this CD, you can check it out here. When I started Sci-Fi Songs this summer, I decided to use a pen name. It is not much of a pen name though. John is my real first name and Anealio is my real middle name. I just dropped my last name. If you click on the links to my old CD, you will see my real last name with no mention of my middle name. I hope that isn't too confusing. I didn't want to receive an e-mail from someone telling me that I was ripping some other guy off when that other guy is me. :-) From this point on, I plan on using John Anealio for all of my music.

Here are the links:

Please don't feel pressured to buy anything. I am still going to release a new free song every two weeks here on the blog. I may even post some other songs from that CD here in the future if they are applicable to the sci-fi theme. I just thought that some people might be curious to hear some of my older work.

Sci-Fi Song #7: Merithyn's Promise

Merithyn's Promise.mp3

Sci-Fi Song #7 is a solo acoustic guitar piece played in the DADGAD tuning and was inspired by Elizabeth Haydon's Requiem For The Sun.

My initial interest in fantasy literature was fueled by the experience of reading Elizabeth Haydon's original Rhapsody trilogy. I vividly remember ordering the first book from Amazon when I discovered that the main character was a musician. For me, this trilogy functioned as a gateway to the works of Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, and Tad Williams. Here are a few links to a series of excellent reviews of the first three Rhapsody books at Dragons, Heroes, and Wizards.

Merithyn is a character of great importance to the history and backstory of the Symphony of Ages series. Merithyn's Promise refers to the oath that the sailor Merithyn made to his lover, Elynsynos, swearing that he would return to her from his long voyage at sea.

Hope you enjoy it,
John

Sci-Fi Song #6: Rachel Rosen

Rachel Rosen.mp3

Sci-Fi Song #6 was inspired by the Philip K. Dick classic, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. This song is sung from the point of view of the novel's main character, Rick Deckard. I'd like to thank the moderators and members of the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club at Good Reads for picking this as the book of the month for July.

Here are a couple of good recent reviews of the book

Here are some of the tools that I used to record the track:

Martin Acoustic Guitar in DADGAD tuning
Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar
Washburn Bass Guitar
Rode NT-3 microphone (to record the acoustic guitar and my vocals)
Apple Logic Pro 7 recording software

The ES2 software synth for the synthesizer solo
Logic's included compressor, delay, and reverb plug-ins
The electric guitar parts were recorded through Logic's Guitar Amp Pro plug-in
The drum parts were created using Beta Monkey's Drum Werks V loop collection

Hope you enjoy it,
John

Here are the lyrics:

Rachel Rosen (Is She Really an Android?)

My name is Rick Deckard, I'm in my hover car
I'm a bounty hunter for the city
There's six androids free, and it's left to me tonight

They're the Nexus 6 and they get their kicks
From singing opera and killing humans
She's got short dark hair and an icy stare, alright

Is Rachel Rosen really an android
Can Rachel Rosen really be alive
Is Rachel Rosen really an android
Can Rachel Rosen really be alive

I give the Voigt-Kampff test to bounty hunter Phil Resch
cause he fears that he might be an android
He's got a laser tube and a bad attitude, tonight

I book a hotel room, I hope she gets here soon
I've got three androids to retire
We share an android kiss at the St. Francis tonight

Sci-Fi Song #4: The Return of Titus Quinn

The Return of Titus Quinn.mp3

This week's song was inspired by the protagonist from Kay Kenyon's excellent Bright of the Sky. The Return of Titus Quinn is a solo acoustic guitar piece played in the DADGAD alternate tuning.

In the novel, Titus Quinn takes on the identity of Dai Shen, a Chalin man. The Chalin are a race of people that bear a strong cultural resemblance to earth's Asian population. I tried to interpret this by taking my initial "Titus" theme of the A section and transposing it into the Chinese pentatonic scale of the B section.

This piece is a bit of a departure for me. Many of my formative influences (Steve Morse, Alex Lifeson, Steve Howe, Leo Kottke, John Fahey, and Michael Hedges) have recorded numerous solo acoustic guitar pieces. As much as I love this style, I've never given a serious attempt to compose and record one of my own. I had great fun putting this together, and I hope you like it.

Has a novel ever inspired you to write a piece of music? Has a song ever inspired you to compose a novel, short story, or piece of visual art?

-John

More info on Bright of the Sky