Contact: mikeaguitarman@blueyonder.co.uk

Being able to record your own CDs in your own home, and achieve professional recording studio quality to boot, has been the dream of thousands of musicians in the past. Now it's an everyday fact of life thanks to the amazing advances in computer technology, the dream's now a reality!

  I use Sound Forge to record my songs as wave files and then convert them to audio files and burn the CDs using Nero Burn. I normally  set up my gear and play as if I was performing "live" and do it in one take, but, if so desired, I could use the multi-track facility and edit any number of tracks down to 2-channel stereo.

  Another extremely effective gizmo I use is a Midi Harmony Box on my PA. I can play up to a 5 part harmony on the keyboard when making up a song, and save it as part of the midifile on a specific channel which activates the Harmony Box and produces the harmonies as I sing. It only produces harmonies when there's a midi signal;  no signal ..... no harmony. It enables one person to do just about anything ... Beachboys, Eagles, you name it. The chords you can "sing" are virtually limitless!

  Anyway, back to the CDs......

COUNTRY WAYS - 16 TRACKS 

    Duellin' Banjos : Little Ol' Wine Drinker Me : Sea Of Heartbreak : If God Made Paradise : Friends In Low Places : Kiss An Angel Good Morning : Lonesome Me : You Decorated My Life : On The Road Again : Please Help Me I'm Falling : You Needed Me : Against The Grain : Coward Of The County : Fields Of Athenry : American Trilogy : Yackety Sax.

COUNTRY CLASSICS - 16 TRACKS

    Banks Of The Ohio : Blanket On The Ground : Desperado : Bobby McGee : Cheatin' Heart : Ghostriders : Four In The Morning : Gypsy Woman : Jambalaya : El Silenzio : King Of The Road : Peaceful Easy Feeling : Wild Side Of Life : Lucille : Okie From Muskogee : Working Man Blues.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN - 16 TRACKS

     On The Road Again : Drink Up And Be Somebody : Almost Persuaded : If The Jukebox Took Teardrops : Christine : Sing Me An Old-Fashioned Song : One Night At A Time : I Didn't Know : Bootscootin' Boogie : Swingin' Doors : Achy Breaky Heart : Silver Wings : I Don't Believe I'll Fall In Love Today : Send My Body Home On A Freight Train : If I Said You Have A Beautiful Body : For The Good Times.

LOOKIN' WESTWARD - 16 TRACKS 

     Line Dancin' Days : Not Countin' You : Adios Amigo : Country Club : Call Me Mr Blue : Today I Started Lovin' You Again : From A Jack To A King : If Tomorrow Never Comes : Ribbon Of Highway : You're A Light : Workin' Man : Let Your Love Flow : Lay Down Beside Me : You're My Best Friend : Walk Downhill To The Jukebox : Best Of Friends.

COUNTRY THROUGH & THROUGH - 16 TRACKS 

      A Goodhearted Woman : Designated Drinker : Seeing My Father In Me : Blue Rose Is : Jessico : Don't Fence Me In : Land Of Enchantment : All My Exs Live In Texas : Murder On Music Row : Smokey Places : King Of The Mountain : He Drinks Tequila : You Are No Angel : Red Hot Salsa : Seven Spanish Angels : Dixieplus.

SOME OLD 'UNS & SOME NEW 'UNS - 18 TRACKS

      A Love Like That : 18 Wheels : A Little Bluer Than That : El Paso : The Cowboy Rides Away : A Spade's A Spade : He'll Have To Go : Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down : Honky Tonk Asshole : End Of The World : When Love Comes Around : Louisiana Way : High Noon : Once A Day : Tennessee Waltz : Lonesome Fugitive : Folsom Prison Blues : Help Me Make It Through The Night.

CORNISH COUNTRY - 14 TRACKS

    Golden Sunset : More & More : Wastin' Time : Pocketful Of Stardust : Summer Sun : The Gig Race : The Islands : The Rat Race : The Dockyard Blues : Deep Down I'm Country : If God Made Paradise : Christine : A Spade's A Spade : You're A Light.                                 This CD consists of my own material.

 MOODS - 16 TRACKS

     Fool If You Think It's Over : I Don't Know Why I Love You : Foot Tapper : It's Impossible : Little Things Mean A Lot : You're Sixteen : Argentina : Who's Sorry Now : Amazing Grace : Blueberry Hill : Dream Lover : Albatross : Singing The Blues : Sometimes When We Touch : Wind Beneath My Wings : Ghostriders.

ROMANTICALLY YOURS - 16 TRACKS

     Love You Every Second : Remember You're Mine : I Just Wanna Dance With You : California Blue : Please Help Me I'm Falling : True Love : Amazing Grace : Some Broken Hearts : You Belong To Me : When I Fall In Love : Let It Be Me : Be Nobody's Darlin' : Cryin' Time : I'll Take Texas : I Want You, I Need You, I Love You : Halfway To Paradise.

ROCK'N ROLL - 16 TRACKS

     C'mon Everybody : Teddy Bear : Great Balls Of Fire : Halfway To Paradise : Let's Twist Again : Heartbeat : Johnny B Goode : I Don't Know Why I Love You : See Ya Later Alligator : Oh Carol : Go Away Little Girl : Dream Lover : Don't Be Cruel : Only You : Oh Boy : Lovin' You.

ONE MORE TIME - 16 TRACKS

     Danny Boy : Let There Be Love : Cherokee : Cavatina : I've Got You Under My Skin : Moonlight Serenade : American Patrol : Smile : All The Way : I Wanna Be Around : Ain't She Sweet : True Love : Once In A While : A Slow Boat To China : Mr Sandman :My Way.

ANOTHER TIME ANOTHER PHASE - 16 TRACKS

     Just In Time : Girl From Ipponema : Embraceable You : Lover : Meditation : A Certain Smile : The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise : One Note Samba : Marie Helena : Here's That Rainy Day : Spanish Eyes : Satin Doll : Teach Me Tonight : O Pato : The Shadow Of Your Smile : Sweet Georgia Brown.

A MERRY CHRISTMAS - 14 TRACKS

      Mary's Boychild : Christmas Song : Rockin' Around The Xmas Tree : When A Child Is Born : Silver Bells : 12 Days Of Christmas : Blue Christmas : I Wish It Could Be Xmas Every Day : Christmas Rock : White Christmas : Merry Xmas Everybody : Christmas Disco : Silent Night.

 BACK TO ROOTS - 18 TRACKS

     Buicks To The Moon : Cool Water : It's Alright To Be A Redneck : Hello Walls : Mama Tried : Oh My Darling I Love You : Livin' On Love : Mexican Girl : That'd Be Alright : Walk Tall : Maybe I Should Stay Here : Settlin' For What They Get : Olivia : Adilida : Welcome To My World : Meat And Potato Man : Summertime Blues : She Believes In Me.

THE LONG DRIVE HOME - 16 TRACKS

     Poor Boy Blues: I'm Diggin' Up Bones: Cowboy Bill: Don't Rock The Jukebox: Here In The Real World: Forever and Ever Amen: I'm An Old Cowhand: Right In The Middle: On The Other Hand: Nobody Gets Off In This Town: Too Gone Too Long: Waltz Across Texas: 5 O'Clock Somewhere: Who says You Can't Have It All: There Goes My Heart: Asshole.

     Anyone intrigued by the title of the 16th song on the CD should be informed that it is a song that I heard my old friends Dillinger play at a festival we played together in Nantwich last year. I was so tickled with it I asked the lads if they had any objections to me recording it and their response was "feel free", so if anyone knows a person who fits the description it is the ideal song to play to them, and take it from me, it is very effective!

    I recently purchased a new programme from Edirol called Home Studio 2004XL. It's a nifty bit of software giving you the opportunity to combine midi and audio and convert what you put together into wave format or mp3 format. It's a guitarist's dream because it means you can multi-track til the cows come home. My latest CD release is the result of playing with this programme having taken 16 songs from my repertoire, most of which have vocals normally, and playing them as guitar instrumentals, hence the title "Geetar Pickin".

GEETAR PICKIN'

     Welcome to my World: Diggin' Up Bones: Black Hills of Dakota: Crazy: Be Nobody's Darlin': Adios Amigo: Jambalaya: Could I Have This Dance: Land of Enchantment: Eighteen Wheels: Duellin' Banjos: End of the World: Cheatin' Heart: Some Broken Hearts: Smokey Places: Ghostriders.

MY KIND OF MUSIC

     Three Wooden Crosses: She Thinks I Still Care; Pick Up The Oars and Row; Everybody's Talkin'; Famous Last Words of a Fool; A Better Class of Loser; Farewell Party; I'll Take Texas; Up To My Ears in Tears; 'Til I Gain Control Again; We Bury The Hatchet; Four Walls; Strong Enough; Could I Have This Dance; It's Hard to Kiss The Lips At Night ( that chew your ass off all day long).

     A while ago, my good friend Gordon Clarke of Video Images, came along to one of my gigs and videoed the evening for me. From the footage he gave me I compiled a DVD which I entitled "An Evening with Mike A" which incorporates 14 tracks of Country Music and plays for approximately 60 minutes, details below:

AN EVENING WITH MIKE A (Video DVD)

     A Better Class of Loser; All My Exes Live in Texas; A Good-hearted Woman; Adios Amigo; Strong Enough; Don't Rock The Jukebox; Farewell Party; Folsom Prison Blues; Seeing My Father In Me; Duellin' Banjos; 'Til I Gain Control Again; Red Hot Salsa, Meat and Potato Man and Summertime Blues.