Folky Pop/rock

16 MP3 Songs
POP: Folky Pop, FOLK: Modern Folk



Details:
After such a positive reaction to â12 in a roomâ from the general music public, what with the full page lead off review in Musician Magazine with my picture and all the great fan mail that followed, I decided to make a CD that would be driven by acoustic guitars and
have a Pop edge melody wise. I grew up on infectious ditties that were being produced by Motown, London town, New York and California town. Each week I would get excited by the new arrivals and the radio. I lost all interest in school and wanted to be in the music business. I was taking the LIRR into New York when I was fifteen with demo records of songs I had recorded in my room on Larry Hoffâs tape recorder, who by the way has been the sound recorder for the hit TV show Law and Order for years. We grew up in the same town together and I remember buying Larry's tape machine for fifty dollars. I added a Fender reverb to the mic chain and what do you know? Instant recording studio!

Today I own 24-track Radar hard disc system and pro tools. However, I will never forget the way I felt in those early days, listening back to what I had recorded. I would take those first tapes to a place on Long Island in Hempstead called, Ultra Sonic Recording Studios. There I met a guy named Don Casale who would transfer my home reverb drenched masterpieces to demo records. Don went on to work with Iron Butterfly, The Rascals and Vinalla Fudge. I went on to get an offer from RCA Records with those very demos but wound up making a record for Vanguard Records that I self produced called "Years." I wasn't even 20 years old yet when we started recording the record.

You can see all this stuff at www.mark-johnson.com. I eventually showed up in the Village with an acoustic guitar and playing the open mics. I continued to record songs in my apartment and over time developed what has come to be known as my âcloset of soundâ style of recording. Much like that of Phil Spector, only I was doing most of the tracks myself and making them sound like a band. At the same time I was playing out with my own band called âMark Johnson and the Wild Alligators.â If you lived in New York City in the early eighties you know what Iâm talking about. The music scene then was strong then and there were lots of places to play.

Over time I recorded many songs on my Teac four-track recorder. I assembled the best of them and released â12 in a room.â This record made a bit of ânoise.â It was right around the beginning of the âDIYâ thing and I suppose people wanted to use me as an example of what you could do at home. They sent photographers to my tiny little apartment, I was interviewed by the American and foreign press for months. It seemed as if everyone wanted to do a CD in his or her house. Some guy on the scene even tried to âone upâ me by recording an entire CD in his car! â12 in a Car!â

So this CD, âLast Night on the Roller Coasterâ is really "12 in a room" the second. I think itâs a great road trip CD. You can put it on in Arizona at night in you car and really move some motion down the road. The acoustic guitar is featured in almost each track but played in such a way that it has an energy and rhythm usually associated with rock music. I hope you like the record. Iâve been at this a long while and I like to think I offer something, well - special.