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Desert Dreams

by Rick Jones and Valerie Neale

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    in December 2014, we went to Death Valley with the intention of shooting a cover for an album that was to be called Desert Dreams. We came back with lots of photographs, but still we didn’t make the album. It was only this year, in June of 2021, before Rick was going into surgery for esophageal cancer, that we realized that we needed to record some of the songs that we had been playing for years and that were so dear to our hearts. We recorded them on Garageband in increasingly difficult circumstances, but the songs were mixed by our friend Don Turney who did an amazing job in pulling our rag-bag set of tracks together.

    So Desert Dreams was finally released, posthumously in November 2021, using the photographs that we took on that Death Valley trip in 2014. Rick literally stayed alive to finish that CD, and his voice, mostly recorded in June 21 was as strong and powerful as ever. I am so proud that we were able to pull off this project

    For the story of the album and the lyrics, go to our website at www.ricknval.com .
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    Purchasable with gift card

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    The tracks on this album were completed the morning that Rick passed away. He literally stayed alive to see the project completed and to see the artwork, by our dear friend Charlotte Gibb. The album was then printed and released on November 19, 2021.

    The album is signed by Valerie Neale.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Desert Dreams via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days

      $10 USD or more 

     

1.
I have no issues with the past – what’s done is done. The loves, the work, the broken dreams… Some battles lost, some battles won. Is this contentment? Is this success? If Life’s a story – I must confess…. There’s no agenda for today – just hour to hour Another round trip for the sun, Another petal fallen off the flower. Is this enough for me? Is this a mess? Yes, it might be fun to take another run at love…. It’s no fun eating on your own – can’t taste the food. The wine is sour, the jokes are dull. You always end up saying something rude. Am I that lonely bear? Is this the wood? Yes it might be fun to take another run at love.
2.
Thunder 04:36
Sitting in the dark with his heart on fire, Didn’t know if it was hatred or deep desire. But whatever it was her face was there Like a dream on ice her long black was shining. Back in the bar he could hear the crowd It was Friday night they were very loud If he went back in it could all go wrong Maybe the cost was more than a song unwinding She left the door ajar a crack His soul slipped out and he wanted it back He turned and stumbled back into the bar Behind him the sound of a starting car And he wondered. Still sitting there in the neon dark, Saturday morning with a charcoal heart, Maybe it wasn't her old Ford truck But he knew that ancient gearbox grinding He'd been through all this crap before He stared at the beer & grease on the floor Then the waitress came in and then back out the door And the Budweiser clock said 10 to 4 and it was blinding Somebody left the door ajar His soul flew out and jumped in that car And it squealed away to the purple hills Past the Joshua trees and the dead stamp mills And it thundered. He can still be seen in the Eagles Drift Near the pinball machines the sands are shifting Across the original road to town A lonely cop with his girlfriend's dog he's minding Nobody remembers that summer night, Not even him in this afternoon light It’s all gone away with the desert wind, The beer’s still cold and only his sin reminds him Somebody left the door ajar His soul flew out and jumped in that car And it squealed away to the purple hills Past the Joshua trees and the dead stamp mills And it thundered
3.
Its Friday night, i just got home Car’s all packed, we’re ready to go Two guitars, and a suitcase of dreams….. The sun is setting the hills on fire Birds are gathering on the wire, We’re not quite sure where we’re heading to On the road with you. I’ve seen rainbows cross the desert floor Mighty waves pound the Pacific shore Ten rooms of pianos in a tiny Mexican town. A green flash at the ocean as the sun goes down On the road with you. Tonight the road stretches on ahead Aim for the stars, I thought you said Searching for something you’d never see Tomorrow some small desert town We play guitars as the sun goes down Watch the mountains turn to blue On the road with you. I’ve seen ballerinas dance in the dunes Canoed under a rainbow to the call of the loon Ghosts spring to life on a warm Canadian night Angels like butterflies, ghostly white. On the road with you…….
4.
Pictures runnin’ ‘round inside my head Sittin’ here watching the valley turn red Outside my eyes the world is blue All I ever do is think about you Waitin’ for a star to fall – light up the desert like a fireball We were drawin’ pictures in the sand last night Friends’ faces in the pale moonlight I looked at you and your eyes were sad I hoped I hadn’t gone and done something bad Waitin’ for a star to fall – light up the desert like fireball. Desert dreams …… Long way up the marble halls Slow like water the marble falls Wish I could run the film in reverse This forward time is such a curse Waitin’ for a star to fall – light up the desert like fireball. Desert dreams …
5.
Strange 03:18
I was punished, not by my fellow employees, not by the gods or the court I was punished my central control, Cencon we call it for short I was punished, punished for singing a love song and using my scan as a drum Instead of research on time warps for the epic struggle to come And I woke up somewhere else, wearing somebody else’s face Singing with somebody else’s voice, I was a member of the human race! I looked around, and found a few small differences Between your world and mine Love to you was just a word, to us it was sublime Strange that you still go to war, strange that goods are bought and sold Strange that you have rich and poor Strange that you grow old! I was punished. Pain must not be inflicted I was punished in a most humane way They just sent me off to sleep for forever minus a day And I woke up somewhere else, wearing somebody else’s face Singing with somebody else’s voice I was a member of the human race! I looked around and found a few small differences Between your world and mine Love to you was just a word, to us it was divine Strange you slaughter fish and birds Strange you call another ‘king’ Strange that you still dream of peace Strange that you still sing!
6.
Twelve years old, my world was two miles square Jump on my bike, and ride who knows where Down through the park and across the stream Looking for life…….. In search of a dream Came to a wood where the air was cool There stood a boy with eyes like pools He held out his hand with a cheeky grin I laid down my bike and followed him in ….. The boy in the blue caravan ….. Dive through the hedge to the other side Queen Anne’s lace stands four feet high Down a track beside the wood In a shaft of light, ……..the caravan stood Warm and enticing as a candy bar The door to the caravan stood ajar Visions of Narnia through the door But I didn’t go through, so I never saw more…. The boy in the blue caravan.... Draw me a chariot, draw me some kings Draw me a unicorn, with bright golden wings He drew them all, and then some more A heart split in two….., a key to a door….. The wood’s still there, but the field has gone Big glass buildings catch the sun. Did I dream that beside the wood By the hole in the hedge ……….the caravan stood? It shone like a jewel, reflected the sky Queen Anne’s lace stood four feet high His eyes like pools and his puckish grin Would I have seen Narnia if I’d gone in? With the boy in the blue caravan ……
7.
Let me tell you a story – about trust and devotion – About crossing life’s ocean – about music and love; Miraculous skyscapes – true hearts in commotion, The language of liars, the hawk and the dove. Here we have Laura caught up in a love-trap, Whipped by emotion – climbing alone. Here we have children – torn between parents Sides have been taken – the rules set in stone. How does it happen? Pretty houses in heaven, Families at table – laughter and joy, Suddenly broken, suddenly silent Limbs all akimbo like a castaway toy? She was shining and happy – sure of tomorrow, Raising his young ones – mother and child He was her hero – riding tall in the saddle; Strong and protective – handsome and wild. Where do they come from? The girls with agendas That scent of an angel – those come-again eyes? Sent from perdition to test the most steadfast, Then to tear out your heartstrings and say their goodbyes? How does it happen? Sure hearts and sweet music, Voices in concord – raised in sweet song Suddenly broken, suddenly silent. You pick through the ruins to find out what went wrong. Let me tell you a story – about fate and connection, About a heart’s misdirection – for reasons unknown. Harmonious circles and the songs of a madman Echo down through the redwoods – and strike to the bone. Will the circle be mended? – will the lovers remember The path through the forest – to that place in the heart? Will there be justice - in the eyes of the goddess? Will she show him the target? Will she hand him the dart? How does it happen? - pretty houses in heaven Songs of reunion – peace in our time – Pray for the morning – pray for sunlight and music Pray for the lovers – the tune and the rhyme! Pretty houses in heaven, pretty houses in heaven Pretty houses in heaven…….. that used to be mine.
8.
There she stands, like the summer of our childhood Like the promise of redemption Like the mother who would always show me how Like the petals on a bough……. Hear her song, like the morning of creation Like a battlefield in silence Like the sweetness of the loam behind the plow Like the petals on a bough And the words are like arrows in your heart And the tune tears your memory apart And the voice of the woman, takes your fear and your sorrow Its already tomorrow in your mind There she stands….. There she stands, and i think i smell redemption Just a hint of printed cotton And a long lost love that skitters ‘cross her brow Like the petals on a bough Hear her song Its an echo in the forest, and it sings of summer sadness The final hope that loving will allow Like the petals on a bough And the words are like arrows in your heart And the tune tears your memory apart And the voice of the woman, takes your fear and your sorrow Its already tomorrow in your mind And you can no longer borrow any time There she stands…..
9.
Headed east from San Diego, slicin’ through the rain – Looking for the mission, just to see that place again. Sing our favorite duos in the stormy Monday morn To the valley where the rainbows are born. Twenty years and lots of tears have flown into the past No one knew and no one cared how long this love would last Just another double-act, the edges slightly worn To the valley where the rainbows are born. To the valley where the rainbows are born Santa Ysabel, remember? Santa Ysabel, remember? Santa Ysabel, remember? The valley where the rainbows are born Just a simple grove of trees planted long ago Shade for the souls of many folk – I wonder where they go? Here they lived their stories, the saviour and the horn In the valley where the rainbows are born. Once we felt like strangers now it feels like home! Like the trees our roots take hold never more to roam! Unexpected flowers in the desert so forlorn In the valley where rainbows are born. Santa Ysabel, remember? Santa Ysabel, remember? Santa Ysabel, remember? The valley where the rainbows are born
10.
I’m as old as a bristlecone pine But my fingers are still workin’ fine So I’m playin' a tune with you in mind It’s a way to forget and a way to unwind I forget that I’m playing alone I’m as old as the bristlecone. I’m as old as the bristlecone pine But I still like a glass of good wine Can't believe all the lovin’ I got Can't believe that I never got caught And my future's as bright as bone, I'm as old as the Bristlecone Crusty and dusty and set in my ways. Gettin' fatter, singin' flatter Lovin’ these wonderful God given days. Dreaming of you, I never get blue. I’m as old as the bristlecone pine But my feet are still walkin’ the line Don’t remember the times that I sinned Or the loves blown away in the wind The proverbial rolling stone…. I’m as old as the bristlecone.
11.
You're as cozy as an old worn sweater. You're as comfy as my favorite pair of shoes I love to bury my face in your shoulder. Feel your warmth and feel the smell of you. When the first light of dawn slides through the blinds Three cats on the bed, you open your eyes The mocking bird sings night has come to an end, And we say “good morning darling, hello my old friend.” I love it when you fold your arms around me. I love the way you ease me when I'm bruised. With your comfort I feel so much better. It's a recipe to chase away the blues. The morning's light first picks out your face Kick the cats off the bed, stretch to reclaim your place Close your eyes you don't want the night to end But first say “Good morning darling. Hello my old friend.” It’s been a long long time since you came into my life We've had a lot of laughs and we had our share of fights But we've had so many loving afternoons and nights..... You're as easy as that old worn armchair, I like to curl up in and read on a Sunday afternoon You're as warm as that old wool blanket. Wrap me up safe in my cocoon The night rolls in, you've got that look in you eye Three cats settle in, purr their lullaby Before we close our eyes and sleep descends, We say “Good night darlin’ sleep tight my old friend”
12.
Oh it’s hard to write a song about a broken heart When your heart’s not broken anymore. All those shattered pieces seemed to come back together When you walked in my door. We sailed on troubled waters through some wicked old storms And my heart washed up along the shore. Then you waded from the waters of the Ocean of Love And walked right through my door. And my troubles seemed to lift right off my shoulders. And I didn’t have to worry anymore. It might as well have been a band of angels When you walked through the door. Oh it’s hard to write a song about forsaken love Or a marriage strewn across the floor Cuz we’ve been goin’ steady now for the twenty-odd years Since you walked through my door. And maybe all the sailing hasn’t been real smooth And I still have some stuff I'm struggling' for But its easier to stand and look Life straight in the face Since you walked through my door. And my cares just seemed to melt into the morning And life no longer strikes me as a chore It might as well have been a band of angels When you walked through my door.

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released November 19, 2021

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Rick Jones and Valerie Neale Patagonia, Arizona

Husband & Wife. Mutual Muses. Rick Jones and Valerie Neale proved time and time again that some marriages are just plain music in the making.

They released their first cd "Life Drawing" in 2009 and continued to play together without recording another album. Only in 2021, when Rick was diagnosed with cancer, did they realize that they needed to record these songs.

Rick Jones 1937-Oct 7, 2021
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