The Pines
This was one of the songs that inspired the CD title, Stars.
I first wrote the melody of this song to accompany a sweet little children’s poem written by Robert Louis Stevenson called, Escape at Bedtime, published in 1885.
RLS’s poem describes a child’s imagination while stargazing before getting into bed. The child is amazed at the number of stars in the sky and eventually gets into bed, taking with him the memory of a sky, crowded with glittering stars and constellations.
Joel wrote new lyrics for the song, inspired by the beautiful white pines which surround his country home in Beaverbank, Nova Scotia. This song is about homesickness. Leaving the laid back country life and heading for the city. Knowing all the constellations are there in the sky but not being able to see them through the bright city lights.
When we come from such a wonderful place like Eastern Canada and live somewhere else for a while, no matter how beautiful it may be, we really appreciate and come to miss the things we have at home.
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Captain Kennedy
I heard this song on a lesser known Neil Young recording from 1980, called Hawks and Doves. I thought it would sound great with an Irish/sea shanty type treatment, using the bodhran to drive the song along.
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Out Here on the Water
The inspiration behind this song comes from a story I once heard about a father and his two sons who were out on the open sea one fine day, in a dory. By and by, to their astonishment, the waters around their dory became littered with a pod of pilot whales. The whales were just as curious about them as they were about the giant mammals and they all floated along together, sizing each other up.
I’ve had similar experiences on a number of occasions while sea kayaking off the shores of Cheticamp, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Although it’s an amazing experience, it can also be overwhelming. They’re so beautiful, yet powerful. There’s nothing like being out on the water with whales.
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Western Highway
This is one of my favourite songs on the album. I love the acoustic simplicity of the arrangement. Shannon Quinn plays such a beautiful Irish style fiddle on this track, complimented by Joel’s guitar playing. The overall vibe reminds me of how homesick I get when I’m on the road for a long stretch of time.
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Gasoline Alley
This song came out of The Faces era of Rod Stewart’s career.
I love the arrangement of this tune; whistles, fiddle, dobro, mandolin and acoustic guitar, all following the melody and the lead vocal. Awesome!
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Georgie
This is an old, traditional song that Joel and I arranged to work with the atmosphere of this recording. Joel found it on one of the many older bluegrass recordings he has in his collection.
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Boat On a River
Joel and I had the idea of taking this song from its gypsy-influenced original arrangement to a more Celtic sound. It’ll be interesting to see how many people recognize or remember this song from the original.
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Pretty Anne McGuire
This is another example of a song where I wrote the melody and Joel wrote the words. I think it sounds a bit like an old traditional English tune.
It’s a murder ballad about a woman who seeks the ultimate revenge on her husband for having cheated on her with the fairest lady in town. The song ends tragically.
I absolutely love the instrumental break in this tune featuring Darren McMullen on mandolin and Joel e. Hunt on Guitar.
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Winter Slowly Passing
My father always said that we have to respect the sea because it can be your best friend one minute and your worst enemy the next. He grew up in a small fishing village on the south side of St. John’s, Newfoundland called Fort Amherst. His father was a fisherman as were most of the men in the community. He recalls many times as a child, when his mother would be worried sick about whether or not her husband, brother, uncle etc. would return home from sea. When the time came for Dad to choose a path in life, although he loved being at sea, he chose a job that would keep him close to the land and his family.
Winter Slowly Passing was inspired by my father’s story and the true story of a ship called the Tubal Cain that sank off the coast of St. Pierre, Miquelon and what the families of the people on that ship might have gone through.
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Heart Like a Wheel
I heard the original recording of this song from Kate and Anna McGarrigle’s 1975 self titled album. Even though the production of their version is a little dated, the song is strong and beautiful. I remember playing a Celtic festival in Montreal right before the McGarrigle Sisters performed. That was a night to remember.
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’39
This is the song that ties my CDs, Space and Stars, together musically and thematically. Although it sounds like an old traditional song about sailing the seven seas, it’s actually about space and time travel. Hope you like it too!
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Fair and Tender Ladies
Fair and Tender Ladies is one of the few traditional love songs written from a woman’s perspective. Beautiful.
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Small and Few
This is an abbreviated version of a pretty song written by maritime singer/songwriter, Al Tuck. I really like the vibe we achieved with this song - sort of Friendly Giant-esque! I love that it’s a French/English song as well. A lovely way to end the album.