A COLLABORATION ALBUM?

After the Pineyfest Demo Derby, there just might be enough material for a collab album—provided it included not only songs written with others, but also songs written by me and played with others. The list looks like:

(1) DEAD THINGS IN THE SHOWER, co-wrote with Bobbie Gallup. Will get recorded by the Nashville Gang at Pineyfest.

(2) ABOUT LOVE—lyrics by Marge McKinnis, music by me. Will get recorded by the Nashville Gang at Pineyfest. I’ve described this one as Buddy Holly with a bluegrass band.

(3) DISTRACTION—lyrics by Diane Ewing, music by me. Will get recorded by the Nashville Gang at Pineyfest. Country music with a 1950s pop feel.

(4) SO FAR—lyrics by Marge McKinnis, music by me. Will get recorded by the Nashville Gang at Pineyfest. Slow, sexy blues. The original home recording of this had a lamb bleating at one point, that I’d like to replicate if I could.

(5) ALABAMA BLUES—lyrics by Diane Ewing, music by me. Will get recorded by the Nashville Gang at Pineyfest. Sad but bouncy country blues.

(6) TEST TUBE BABY, by me. Old Dodson Drifters hit, and my only rock ‘n’ roll song. Will get recorded by the Nashville Gang at Pineyfest.

(7) BORN AGAIN BARBIE, co-wrote and co-performed with Scott Rose, who also did the mixing. Came across as an Everly Brothers-style piece, a fusion of rock (Scott) and country (me).

(8) SHE AIN’T STARVIN’ HERSELF, also by me. Performed as a bluegrass blues by The Collaborators, in one of the best mixing and production jobs I’ve heard.

(9) OIL IN THE CORNFIELD, also by me. Performed with Vikki Flawith and Mississippi Spud (Spud also did the mixing). This is the recording I sent to the Woody Guthrie Song Contest (where it didn’t win).

(10) THE SIX-LEGGED POLKA, by me. Performed with (and mixed by) Gem Watson, whose “saxocordion” riffs (done on an electric guitar) give the song its international flavor.

(11) THE CAT WITH THE STRAT, by me. Performed as a talking blues by The Collaborators, with can’t-repeat-outside-the-studio sound effects and mixing by Vikki Flawith. Both guitars on the recording were Strats (of course)—and the rhythm instrument is (surprise!) a piano.

(12) GLOBAL WARMING SANDWICH—lyrics by Gem Watson, music by me. Performed with (and mixed by) Gem. Came out as 1940s-style Western music, with dual guitar leads by Gem and me.

So, is there a common theme that connects (or can connect) all these? We’ve got a wide range of styles here, from bluegrass through rock ‘n’ roll, and from Bob Wills to Jimmy Sturr (the polka), and from sad songs and serious love songs to things that aren’t serious at all. How do we make it not come across as a hodgepodge? Or is a hodgepodge okay?

Joe