1. The Muse - 3:31 2. Get What's Mine - 4:23
3. You Got a Way - 3:49
4. Buffalo Taxi - 4:30
5. Ransom - 4:08
6. Private Hell - 4:56
7. Long Lonely Night - 2:33
8. Grain of Salt - 4:02 mp3 - 1509.kb
9. Catch the Brass Ring - 3:30 mp3 - 990.kb
10. Life is But a Dream - 3:40 mp3 - 1539.kb
11. Grain of Salt (edit) - 2:53
Produced by Monte Nordstrom Engineered by Damien Graham at Bagel Boy Studio.
Technical Support: Rick Salt.
Additional recording & Mixing done by Craig Arnatt at Desolation Sound, Vancouver, BC.
Mixing by Craig Arnatt, Monte Nordstrom & Wayne Diggins.
Cover Art by Toby Nilsson, Photography by Paul Fletcher, Layout by Blackbird Graphics
Musicians:
Monte Nordstrom: vocals, guitars, GR1 (Bass on 7, 9, & 10)
Wayne Diggins: Alto Sax & Vocals
Bill Winter: Keyboards
Michael Harney: Drums
Pierre Komen: Tenor Sax
Steve McKinnon: Bass
Damien Graham: Drums (on 7, 8, 9 & 10)
Dedicated to Greg Winter & Dave Attewell
Liner Notes:
Monte Nordstrom is a veteran singer-songwriter with a progressive background. His early work was influenced by the late guitar master, Lenny Breau. Monte's acoustic duo, 'ptarmigan' opened for Lenny on a two week stint at 'le Hibou' in Ottawa in 1972. Stand-up bass, drums & percussion were added to Monte's 12 string guitar & Glen Dias' recorders when the 'ptarmigan' LP was produced by the renowned flautist, Paul Horn for Columbia Records in 1974. (This unusual recording was to be re-released on CD by the progressive California label 'Synphonic Records' in 1994).
Subsequent to the disbanding of 'ptarmigan', Monte formed the publishing company Northstream Music. His writing encompassed an ever-widiening variety of styles over the next few years while he performed & recorded songs for demos and albums for indie release, including 'Maelstrom' (AKA 'Silhouette of Our Insanity') in 1978, 'Wild & Lonely' in 1980, and 'Voodoo Rage' in 1983.
In 1986 Monte formed a working band which became 'The Beaumonts', a guitar-led quintet with keys, sax and rhythm section. An album entitled 'Nothing More Better' was released in 1992, and over the next two years a fiercely independent campaign was undertaken. Travelling to Austin, Texas for SXSW 93 provided monte an opportunity to network with the majors. This was followed by a train trip to New Orleans where he wrote the song 'Grain of Salt' (in a Storyville bar). On by train to Memphis where Monte was inspired to write 'Long Lonely Night' after recording an instrumental session at the legendary Sun Studio. Monte further investigated his soul & blues roots in the steamy clubs of Beale Street before continuing his journey into deepest America with a sojourn of song-pitching on Music Row in Nashville.
By now the bulk of the material for this self-titled album was compiled. A further R'n'R (reggae & recreation) mission occured with an excursion to Jamaica before recording began on this rootsy collection of Soul, Blues, Rock-a-Billy, Reggae and Contemporary Rock.
