Category: Albums

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Albums

Album: Tales Of Love And Defiance

Album cover

Released in 2020, Tales Of Love And Defiance is Michael’s most recent album, with fourteen tracks all written and recorded in 2019. Done mainly with Cubase (and some tracks captured with a TASCAM DP32-SP 32-track recorder), the album was mixed and mastered by Paul Ashmore at Audio Animals, Ltd. in London.

“It marks a new phase in recording for me, having someone else mix and master the tracks. The sound is more polished, more professional than anything else I’ve done before. I think many of the songs are some of the best I’ve ever come up with, and the production is second to none in terms of quality. I feel it will amaze many people; at least I certainly hope so!”

Inspired by the 50th anniversary reissue of the Beatles’ famous ‘white’ album, the tracks show a great amount of variation, ranging from the funky rock & roll of Scoundrel, to the down and dirty feel of Hammer Hammer Hammer, the full-on bluegrass of Goodbye Laurie (Sail Away To Sea) and the Dylan-esque vibe of I’m Done With You.

The album also includes what Michael feels to be one of his standout tracks, Come Back To Me.

“To me, it’s very similar to something Lennon might have written. It came out really well and I like how all the parts fit together.”

The CD was pressed by PureMusic Manufacturing in Manchester. Photography was by David White.

SONGS
Scoundrel
Don’t Believe
I’m Done With You
The Belly Of The Beast
Come Back To Me
I Can’t Say I Love You
Goodbye Laurie (Sail Away To Sea)
Hammer Hammer Hammer
The Story Of Me And You
Dirty Little Secret
Nikole
 Free From Sorrow
Give Up The Ghost
You Went Down The Stairs
All songs written and © by Michael S. Carpenter (BMI). All rights reserved.

Tales Of Love And Defiance is available for purchase (physical copies only). Details and more information can be found here.

 

 

Categories
Albums

Album: The World At Large

The World At Large cover

Released in 2005, The World At Large was the last album, with most of the songs having been written between 2003-2004, and several numbers recorded with eight tracks, unlike the previous album which was completely four-tracked.

“With more tracks, many of the songs have a fuller sound, with a lot more energy. After the last album I wanted to rock a bit harder. There are a few ballads to round things out, but this one certainly cranks a lot more than last time. Especially the first half of the CD!”

With songs like Everyday Is Like The One Before and Running For Love, Michael went for a sharper edge in the material. Even some of the slower songs, like The Rock-Bottom Truth seemed to have more ‘kick’ than before

“Since finishing the album, I’ve already recorded several new numbers. Lots of heavy string sounds, but I’ll probably still come up with a few rockers. I like ’em!”

Photos for the CD were taken by Natalie Nosareva at Piccadilly Circus and St. Paul’s Cathedral.

“London is one of my favourite places. We had a mad day, just running around and taking photos.”

SONGS
Benefit
Running For Love
The Rock-Bottom Truth
Cranking At The Hall
In Leningrad
Alphabet Soup
Dancing In A Hurricane
(You Are) The One
Everyday Is Like The One Before
My Cathedral
The World At Large
 All songs written and © by Michael S. Carpenter (BMI). All rights reserved.

No longer in print, but all tracks from this album can be heard via the Soundclick link in the bottom left corner of this page.

Categories
Albums

Album: A Man Alone

A Man Alone CD cover

Released in 2003, A Man Alone was Michael’s first ‘real’ album (2001’s Skies was only a 4-song EP). It’s the result of years of songwriting, but was recorded in just under a year on Mike’s new TASCAM Pocketstudio 5. While most of the material was written in 2002-03, some songs go as far back as the early 80’s.

“I had gotten the new 4-track, and started by laying down older songs that had never been properly recorded. I also began to write like never before, with new material just pouring out of me. I had time on my hands, since I had just moved to England, so I spent hours every day, just writing and recording. When I had enough decent material assembled, I thought it might be good to put together an album.”

But the genesis of A Man Alone had actually started back in 2001, while Michael was recording tracks for the Jeremiah Ellsworth CDs. The album title and artwork had already been worked out. An early version of All I Need was attempted with Rick Beyer, but never finished. Then Michael flew off to the UK, purchased the Pocketstudio, and set to work.

Artwork for the CD was taken by Victoria Carpenter at Whitby Abbey, on the Northeastern coast of England.

“When I saw that photo, of me in the aisle of the church ruins, I knew that was the cover of the album. It was totally unplanned, just holiday snaps really.”

SONGS
Our American Dream
You Say
It’s Just You, It’s Just Me
The Best Years Of My Life
You Got That Something
Broken Waltz
Mary Mary
All I Need
Valentine’s Day
She’s Gone
Happy Birthday To Me
In The Dead Of Night
 All songs written and © by Michael S. Carpenter (BMI). All rights reserved.

No longer in print, but all tracks from this album can be heard via the Soundclick link in the bottom left corner of this page.

Categories
Albums

Album: Skies

Skies cover art4-song CD.

Originally released in 2001, Skies was a modest debut, consisting of only four songs, all recorded on a TASCAM model 144 cassette portastudio. The idea at the time was just to have something, anything, available on a disc. So the four best recordings were carefully transferred from cassette to CD and put out online via the now-defunct MP3.com website.

Two of the tracks, I Caught A Train and Make You Go, were done with a new piece of equipment – a Yamaha PSR330 keyboard. But it wasn’t used as a keyboard on either recording; instead it provided drum tracks. Percussion was a continual problem for Mike in the early days. The cheesy keyboard drums on She’s Out Of Control are proof enough.

When Michael played these two tracks to Rick Beyer over Christmas of 1999, Rick was so impressed that he invited Mike and his keyboard drums to take part in what would eventually wind up as the Jeremiah Ellsworth sessions, resulting in three CDs of work over two years.

“I Caught A Train and Make You Go were the first songs I ever recorded that sounded like real records, instead of crappy demos with me banging on bongos or whatever. I had also just gotten a decent electric guitar, which didn’t hurt any either. In my mind, I always saw them as two sides of a single. Rick was *very* impressed the first time he heard ‘Train.”

SONGS
I Caught A Train
She’s Out Of Control
Someday
Make You Go
 All songs written and © Michael S. Carpenter (BMI). All rights reserved.

No longer in print, but all tracks from this EP can be heard via the Soundclick link in the bottom left corner of this page.