www.evanjonesmusic.com
Wakefield Music
Wakefield's first vinyl recording was made in the summer of 1977 or 1978...my memory is getting a little rusty. It was recorded in Minneapolis Minnesota at a famous studio that was renamed many times. I can't remember what it was called at the time we made our 45 RPM recording. The two songs recorded were Wonderstar and Here I am...the first written by myself, the second by Geoff. In those days, they did what is called a "test pressing" which is a vinyl recording that we could listen to on a record player to "test" the master. The test pressing was actually mixed without the band present. The test pressing was sent to us all ready to go. When we heard it, we thought that we could have gotten a better mix if we were present, and told the studio that we wanted to remix it and wanted to participate. We promptly made the trip back to Minneapolis, remixed it, made something like 5 or 10 thousand copies with a blue label, and promptly sold them all (except for a handful that we still have stashed!).
It was years later when I was looking through my old 45 RPM record case (when I was little, that's how I bought all those AM radio hits...in 45 RPM form for $1 each!), when I came across a 45 RPM record with a plain white label with no printing. It was the original unused mix of the test pressing of Wonderstar and Here I Am! At the time, I was putting together a CD of the original Wakefield album and decided to add the 45 RPM as bonus tracks!
The Wakefield Album was recorded at Catamount Studios in Cedar Falls Iowa in 1983. Although we had considerably more originals than what is on the album, we had to narrow down the choices that would be recorded to a manageable number. So one afternoon at a club somewhere in ND after an evening's performance, we ran through each original we had. We put them all on one tape and mailed it down to Catamount (Tom Tatman). He listened to each and the original 9 on the album where actually chosen by him. We trusted his judgement as we all felt to close to the music to make an impartial decision.
Below is a list of each song, with an audio player next to it. Give each a listen (each has only a verse or so available on the website). If you remember the songs (a few were played on radio stations across the Midwest), you may be interested in the updated CD version of the album and 45 (neither of which can be found today...I heard a Wakefield album was sold on eBay for $150!). The CD contains the original artwork, updated credits, and a Wakefield trivia game. The sound quality of the CD recording is relatively poor as I actually connected a turntable to my home computer and converted the vinyl to digital .wav files...which is what you will hear below and on the CD. At times you will actually hear some clicks and pops from the original vinyl recordings as the needle hits some scratches....just like in the old days!
If you are interested in a CD, send $15 + $2.50 shipping and handling ($17.50 total) to 709 Josh Street, Harrisburg SD, 57032. Don't forget to include your return address!
Don't Throw Your Heart Away
You're Gonna Find Out
Hard Nights
It's A Beautiful Day
One Of A Kind Lady
I Want You
Tara
Animals
Living Dangerously
Wonderstar
Here I Am
