In 1972 two of those partners walked into a perfect storm.

Fender bass-man (par excellence) Ron Brown and I co-produced the session.  Even though I wrote the song and created the basic arrangement, Ron led the production.   There was a dream-team of hot, young, musicians – a half-dozen or so who would go on to become hit-making, world-class musicians.  Because of limited record keeping, these six are only the one’s I have followed.  We were in a recording studio in devonshire Downs, California on a balmy California day. It was beyond magic!

The musicians:  Joe Sample of the (Jazz) Crusaders performing on piano, definitely was there.  Anyone with an ear knows his style. I’ve been in touch with his office.  In all probability, the other founding-members of The Crusaders: trombonist Wayne Henderson, drummer Stix Hooper and saxophonist Wilton Felder played on this song.  I say this because my records are mostly limited to memory.  I can’t prove it, you decide.

Al McKay of THE103RD STREET WATTS BAND, EARTH WIND AND FIRE and now THE AL MCKAY ALLSTARS was there.  Al was our lead, guitar player when we were making music in the mid-60s.  Al’s guitar playing is literally etched on my mind like a fine-art print. Surgical-precision is the phrase that comes to mind regarding his playing.

Dean Parks is a guitar player who has performed on many, great mega-hits, such as SUITE FOR JUDY BLUE EYES, by Crosby, Stills and Nash (before Neil Young,) Rod Stewart’s MAGGIE MAE and Michael Jackson’s BEAT IT and countless others. I swear I hear “that” guitar on my song.  Dean Parks performs on acoustic guitar.

Alltogether we had maybe twenty musicians in the orchestra, including strings and horns.  The chief engineer was Glenn Pace.

The master-tapes (I had the original 2-inch tape copied at the Caribou Ranch in Colorado – during Elton John’s recording sessions for his album CARIBOU) have been in storage for 40-years.  My break is over.  Last year I had the tracks copied to disc and uploaded the digital information to computer and created new mixes.  I’ll spotlight each of the principal players on different mixes which will be available for purchase.

May I present to you: I KNOW THE WAY…

Here’s a link where you will soon (January 1, 2012) be able to access MP3  downloads, CDs, photos and more information.

http://www.iknowtheway2011.com 

I needed to have someone make a clone of the tape for whatever reason and I ended up at Applewood, who’s staff producer made a call – then told me I could have the copy made at Caribou Studios, which was just up the mountain from Boulder in a town called Nederland [not a mis-spelling].

Caribou Studios was a nirvana for recording artists in the clean, clear Colorado air, in the middle of pine-forest, and high-valleys about an hour’s drive west of Boulder. The group CHICAGO’S creator James William Guercio was the proprietor of the ridiculously cool, recording ranch.

“James William Guercio was the founder of Caribou Ranch, a popular recording studio in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. The first true radio hit recorded at Caribou was Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way”. In addition to Chicago (starting with Chicago VI), the studio has been used by numerous other artists: Elton John (for his Caribou album as well as Captain Fantastic and Rock of the Westies), Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Carole King, Stephen Stills, Waylon Jennings, Amy Grant and Supertramp.”

The Caribou complex consisted of the ranch-house, recording studio/film studio, stables and more. It was secluded, behind forest with a long access road – with guys in Mercedes with walkie-talkies guarding Elton John et-al. Elton John was staying at the ranch while recording the Caribou album.

While I was doing business in the studio, one of my little girls was grazing at Elton John’s buffet table which was set up for John’s CARIBOU ALBUM recording sessions.

These two gorgeous blondes [the late Lana Clarkson and Rachelle Spector] are so similar in appearance they could have been twins. What a terrible American tragedy this is. These two ladies were poised for success, now one is gone and the other lost her husband – possibly for a long time. And her husband’s story is as tragic as Ms. Clarkson’s. Phil Spector is the premiere Rock and Roll music producer of all time, some might say (including yours truly) not just a producer but an artist in his own right [deleted.] He “played” musicians, recording studio machines and engineers as a musician plays an instrument. The shape of American music would be different had Phil Spector not been on the scene.

With all due respect to the family and friends of Lana Clarkson, I’d really like to believe that the shooting was a horrible accident, maybe I’m extremely naive, but I can’t imagine that this American Music King would throw his life away by intentionally shooting someone. I can see members of my family bristle when I say that. Maybe it’s irresponsible to speculate not knowing all of the details, but Phil Spector has been one of my real-life heroes and role-models since 1958. He touched the angels.

The long “coda” in The Stones “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” was truly inspired. Arguably it’s one of the best minutes (or so) in recorded music.

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It’s like a constantly burning fuse and one day it will blow…