stan ridgway
the way i feel today 		crooning the classics

overview
First, the simple facts: Stan Ridgway recently completed a side project, an album called The Way I Feel Today: Crooning The Classics. It's a collection of nineteen standards of songs from the 30's and 40's.

It was made available for sale in mid-October of 1998. As of this writing (a month later), there are still copies available for purchase through ridgwaymusic@attbi.com. Each copy was $25, plus $2 postage/handling for delivery inside the US, and $5 postage/handling for delivery outside the US. All prices in US dollars.

These days, it's available at live shows and through CD Baby for the low low price of $15. Buy two, they're swell!

So, what's it like? Why, it is a sheer delight. Musically, the standards are brilliant big-band arrangements; they've got horns, and strings, and squonky little synthesizers lurking in the background (manned by ex-WOV member and Drywall producer Bill Noland). Stan takes to singing those great old songs like a duck to water, as if he's been singing them all his life. But why not decide for yourself... continue on, gentle reader. $2$3$5

trivia question
With this single CD, Stan multiplies fourfold the number of standards he's ever recorded. Trivia question time: name all the covers Stan has recorded that are available on CD, not counting The Way I Feel Today. Hint: there are seven. The answer is here.

hear it yourself!
I was going to write a review of this wonderful CD, but I figured you should make up your own mind. With the gracious permission of Mr. Ridgway himself, I've sampled three full tracks and six excerpts to give you the flavor of this wonderful CD.

All samples are MP3 files, and they are virtually CD quality (stereo, 128k/sec). To listen to 'em, you'll need an MP3 player, a special piece of software that turns MP3 files back into sound. They're easy to use; they work just like little CD players, except they play files. Where can you get one? Head to http://www.mp3.com/ and poke around. They've got 'em for all platforms. If you're a Windows user, WinAmp is a good choice. I haven't used any MP3 players on other platforms; feel free to send me mail and recommend one if you find one that works well for you and I'll mention it on the site.

full tracks
The Coffee Song (2:35, 2.5MB)
Under My Skin (3:44, 3.6MB)
What A Beautiful Morning (2:17, 2.2MB)

excerpts
It Had To Be You (0:31, 505K)
My Way (0:25, 410K)
Send In The Clowns (0:29, 466K)
Witchcraft (0:17, 280K)

outtakes
New for 2004! Stan has graciously shared these four previously-unreleased additional tracks as high-quality MP3s! Download 'em and share 'em with everyone you know.

Didgi (3:35, 4.93MB)
Oklahoma Medley (2:30, 3.44MB)
Some Enchanted Evening (2:52, 3.95MB)
Surrey With The Fringe On Top (1:15, 1.72MB) (sung through a PVC pipe! in one take!)

track list
  1. Witchcraft 3:13
  2. What Now My Love 3:00
  3. Under My Skin 3:42
  4. I Concentrate On You 2:37
  5. Angel Eyes 3:47
  6. It Had To Be You 2:48
  7. Yesterdays 4:22
  8. The Coffee Song 2:38
  9. My Way 5:09
  10. One For My Baby 4:29
  11. My Baby Just Cares For Me 2:03
  12. What A Beautiful Morning 2:17
  13. On A Clear Day 3:06
  14. If I Ruled The World 3:02
  15. Old Man River 3:04
  16. Make Someone Happy 1:51
  17. As Time Goes By 2:35
  18. The Impossible Dream 2:35
  19. Send In The Clowns 3:51

liner notes
credits
Produced by Robert McNeely, Pietra Wextun, Bill Noland, and Stan Ridgway.
A Hi-Fi / Stereo Impala Digital Limited Release.
Recorded at Evergreen, El Rey and Impala Studios, Los Angeles, CA, February 1998
Many heartfelt thanks to the very talented musicians that contributed to this recording.

dedication
For my parents Stan and Connie.
This recording is dedicated to the writers and original performers of these songs. Long may they sing.

artists
David Sutton acoustic bass
Don Bell brass master and saxophones
Bill Noland keyboards and consulting
Hecate's Angels background vocals
Jaycee Jordon studio hospitality
Mark Plemsone string orchestrations
Michael Ditrick copyist and music editor
Pietra Wextun background vocals
Randall Jahnson lyrical overview
Rick King guitar and merlot
Stanard Ridgway vocals, harmonica
The Robert McNeely Big Band of North Hollywood everything else

trivia answer
The question was, what are the seven covers Stan Ridgway has previously recorded? Here they are, in alphabetical order:
  1. As I Went Out One Morning by "Uncle" Bob Dylan, available on Black Diamond
  2. The Cannon Song by Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, and Marc Blitzstein, available on Songs That Made This Country Great and Lost In The Stars: The Music Of Kurt Weil
  3. Foggy River by Fred Rose, available on The Big Heat (1993 reissue)
  4. The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly by Ennio Morricone, available on The Index Masters
  5. Hang 'Em High by Ennio Morricone, Joseph L. Kirkland, Derek Murphy, and Ali Malek, available on The Index Masters
  6. Nadine by Chuck Berry, available on The Big Heat (1993 reissue)
  7. Ring Of Fire by June Carter and Merle Kilgore, available on The Index Masters and Songs That Made This Country Great

For bonus points, here are all the covers Stan has performed live but not recorded (or at least the ones I know about):

  1. The Man In The Long Black Coat by Bob Dylan
  2. Only A Hobo by Bob Dylan
  3. Rags And Old Iron by Oscar Brown Jr. and Norman Curtis
  4. Sixteen Tons by Merle Travis
Stan Ridgway: The Way I Feel Today / Larry Hastings / larry@hastings.org