DJJD Volume 28

Created By:  Jonathan Dysart (DJJD)

Original Creation Year:  2008

Year of Re-master:  2010

Song Listing

Side A

1.    In the Mood:  Robert Plant  

2.    Sundown:  Gordon Lightfoot

3.    Bouree:  Jethrol Tull

4.    Don't Count Me Out:  Gerry Rafferty

Side B

5.    It's All the Same:  James Gang

6.    Nature's Way:  Spirit  

7.    Only a Broken Heart:  Tom Petty   

8.    Beginnings:  Chicago    

Side C

9.    Root Beer Rag:  Billy Joel  

10. Come Rain or Come Shine:  Ray Charles      

11. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?:  Al Green    

12. Lucky Man:  Emerson, Lake & Palmer  

Side D

13. La Femme D'argent:  Air

14. Want to Be With You:  The Moody Blues

15. The Other Side:  David Gray

16. Modern Times:  Al Stewart

  

Origin of the Album

            A burst of creativity that came forth from the DJJD Volume 27 album was not at that intensity since DJJD Volume 18.  It’s great to create an album without having to force or work hard for it.  It just came out like a flood.  That creativity naturally flowed from DJJD Volume 27 into this album.  There was not much lead time between the albums.

            The idea of this album came up on Friday night, coming home from a hectic day and early evening at work.  I really did not want to go out, eat out, or watch any television.  I felt compelled to turn off all the lights, light up some candles, turn on my record player, and hear sweet music coming from that beautiful medium of vinyl.  While lying down on the coach, I played some David Bowie, Paul Simon, Led Zeppelin, and Yes.  Listing to the band Yes really pulled me in that cool but psychedelic mode.  I felt relaxed.  I didn't need any booze, drugs, or Yoga to get into that peaceful state of consciousness.  And then it hit me, why can’t I make an album like that – just to listen to something cool, mellow, and relaxed. 

 Concept and Theme of the Album

            I already had Led Zeppelin in the head, especially Robert Plant from his latest solo song “Darkness, Darkness” of DJJD Volume 27.  So, I found the most logical song from Robert Plant to start the album – “In the Mood”.  From there, I just looked for acoustic guitar driven music (but not be so folky) as well as jazzy piano productions.  With that burst of creativity as well as getting inspiration from previous albums, the album came into being.  It was not as fast is development with the previous album, but two to three days is still a fast time to create one.

           

Concept and the Album Cover

            I was picturing being at a local bar or tavern late at night – THE LAST CALL.  All the lights of the bar are off, except for various candles on the tables and lamps alongside the brick walls with a minimum of light.   Across the bar, there are two musicians on a platform, one playing an acoustic guitar and another playing the piano.  They are just grooving to the music.  Everyone is just enjoying their drinks and soaking up the peaceful atmosphere.  You just don't want it to end.

            That is the image and tone that inspired the album cover.  I discovered two images from the internet:  one with a guitar alongside a candle, and the other an overexposed piano keyboard – bright and white.  There was lettering than in guitar picture that just basically colored black.  I then attached the piano keyboard picture to the guitar picture, having a black band in the middle which I used for the album title.  After that, I layered it with an autumn orange color and darkened the cover.  From there I added some black fade around the edges of the top half of the cover and then applied the album title.