Bill Payne's Keyboards for Bob Seger

Bob Seger has worked with keyboardist Bill Payne from 1978 onwards. Session musician Bill Payne is part of the southern rock band Little Feat. Bill first worked with Bob playing piano & organ on his 1978 hit “Hollywood Nights” from the “Stranger in Town” album. Bill’s keyboards are just organ at the start. During the first verse, he brings in his piano which adds depth to the song. The piano rocks well with some notable moments. A few years later Bill played all the keyboards (piano, organ & synth) on the ballad “You’ll Accomp’ny Me” from the “Against the Wind” album. This song opens with acoustic guitar and Bill soon brings in his piano & organ. His synth is hard to hear. The piano makes this song whole and there are strong organ moments. In both songs, Bill played with Bob who was the sole guitarist.

Hollywood Nights (1978)

You’ll Accomp’ny Me (1980)

On the next album “The Distance”, two songs Bill played piano include the country hit “Shame on the Moon” and the ballad “Love’s the Last to Know”. On the Rodney Crowell cover “Shame On the Moon”, the sole keyboards at the start are organ. After the first chorus, Bill brings in a memorable piano solo with piano continuing throughout the song. Bill’s piano elevates “Shame On the Moon”. Piano is the main instrument on the ballad “Love’s the Last to Know” giving Bill a stronger presence than the previous songs. He plays gently and melodically giving the power of a piano ballad. In these three songs, he played with Silver Bullet Band keyboardist Craig Frost on organ and would do the same on the songs in the next paragraph.

Bill played keyboards (piano & synth) on most tracks on the 1986 “Like a Rock” album. This is the most prominent presence he’s had on a Bob Seger album. I will describe what I consider to be his best contribution from that album. In the heartland rocker “American Storm”, his piano is driving the song. In the rock ballad title track, he was playing gently and supported Rick Vito’s slide guitar solos well. In the intense rock song “Sometimes”, he played a good supporting role and provided a memorable piano solo.

American Storm (1986)

This album also has songs with the combination of him on piano and Craig Frost on synth. The two keyboards went well together on “The Aftermath” with Bill rocking out well. The two instruments were used in a different way on the ballad “Somewhere Tonight”. Somewhere Tonight has gentle sections driven by Bill’s piano and rockier sections driven by Rick Vito’s guitar. On the following 1991 album “The Fire Inside”, he played on two Tom Waits covers. One of them was the jazz song “New Coat of Paint” which brings a completely different sound to what Bob normally does. Bill does incredible piano playing including having two piano solos. The other one was the country song “Blind Love” with his prominent gentle country playing.

We’re now going back to a Bob Seger original. Bill played piano on the 2006 rock ballad “Wait for Me” which is a very Bob Seger song. Bill gives warm melodic playing. He backed Bob Seger’s guitar solo. I didn't like how the “Face the Promise” album this song is from had a lack of keyboards on it. I wanted there to be more piano on the album. I wish Bill could have played on more tracks. His presence would have elevated the material like how he did on “Hollywood Nights” as that song was recorded as a band without the keyboards first. I’m imagining how great the title track could have sounded with Bill’s piano & organ.

Wait for Me (2006)

On Bob’s last album “I Knew You When” in 2017, Bill played on three songs. The “I Knew You When” songs featured unreleased songs, most of which had been updated as well as a few covers and newly written songs. These songs Bill played on were from the unreleased “Blue Ridge” album recorded in the late 1990s. On the piano ballad “I Knew You When”, Bill plays in a relaxed, gentle way. In aggressive rocker “Forward Into the Past”, Bill plays a supporting role. He gives good rock piano moments throughout the song. The song “Blue Ridge” opens with real drums and steel drums. I suspect these steel drums are played by Craig Frost on keyboards as I didn’t see any steel drums in the credits. Soon, Bill’s piano appears. It gives a good presence in this melodic rocker. Bill accompanies Bob on his rocking guitar solo.

Blue Ridge (2017)

These songs showcase Bill Payne’s contributions to Bob Seger’s work. He is one of the key session musicians Bob has worked with over the years. Bill contributed to the iconic Bob Seger sound and brought vibes from americana & southern rock. The Bob Seger songs he played on are rockers & ballads and also other genres like country & jazz. Bill showed the power of the piano as a rock instrument. I hope to see Bill Payne reunited on the next Bob Seger album.

Sri Lankan Jazz by Rukshan Perera

I decided to feature two original jazz songs in English by Sri Lankan singer Rukshan Perera in a blog post. Rukshan has been a member of the popular Sri Lankan bands “The Golden Chimes” and “The Super Golden Chimes” in the 1970s. Rukshan’s main instrument is the guitar, but he’s a multi-instrumentalist who is also an exceptional keyboardist. I will be embedding the songs “What Time Is It?” and “Cool Cats” from Rukshan Perera’s YouTube channel.

What Time Is It?

Rukshan describes this as a jazz funk song. This song features piano playing by Rukshan with accompaniment by the jazz fusion band Thriloka. The song opens with Rukshan playing only with his right hand. He then is joined with his left hand playing a chord featuring light accompaniment from the bass and drums. After the intro, the piano changes to a more energetic part and the whole band comes in. There is an interesting subtle electric guitar strumming part. Rukshan brings back the notes with both hands from the intro briefly twice where it’s just his piano. In parts of the song, Rukshan speaks with the instruments stopping.

There is a long upbeat piano solo. Following the piano solo, Rukshan does jazz scatting after the piano solo where he plays the piano and sings musical sounds to match the piano notes. He plays another solo and starts singing again. Rukshan does ad-lib singing relating to the time at the end. Rukshan sings soulfully. This song reminds me of the Chicago jazz rock song “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”. That song is also performed by a singing pianist (Robert Lamm) and I had featured it in my article about non-relationship rock songs.

Cool Cats

This video features the lyrics displayed. There is a prominent bass part by Ray Gomes in this song. This song is a tribute to singers George Benson and Ella Fitzgerald with Rukshan singing in praise of them. There is the lyric “I bow my head to my masters when I do my scat”. Rukshan performs with a guitar in the first half including a section where he does the scatting and guitar playing that George Benson does (Rukshan performed the piano version of scatting in the previous song) and just sings in the second half.

After Rukshan’s scat, we have Ricky Senn’s saxophone solo followed by Herschel Rodrigo’s piano solo. Rukshan sings another scat towards the end of the song. In this case, there are no guitar notes accompanying his singing. His scatting in the second scat is more intense and adventurous. I hear what seems to be African influences in this scat. I like how in this song Rukshan sings in the Sri Lankan/British pronunciations instead of the American pronunciations. It is even cooler as he’s a US citizen. Rukshan lived in the US from the 1980s to the 2000s. I both have an interest in the US and like the international approaches of doing things. I’m not a US citizen, but I’m also a Sri Lankan dual citizen like Rukshan.

These are two melodic jazz songs by Rukshan Perera. Rukshan showcases his creative singing, songwriting and instrumentation skills in these songs. There is a contrast in the songs as “What Time Is It?” is fast with “Cool Cats” being a slower ballad. Rukshan gave us two great universally accessible jazz songs.

Ten Great Jackson Browne Songs by Ten Different Piano Players

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I am a fan of piano so I decided to write an article of great Jackson Browne songs featuring piano with each piano player being different. Jackson has musical similarities with my two favourite singers Elton John & Bob Seger. Also, Elton played piano on one of Jackson’s songs which is on this list. This is the Jackson Browne version of my Bob Seger article “Ten Great Bob Seger Songs by Ten Different Piano Players”. Two of the piano players are the same in both articles. I’ve previously featured Jackson Browne songs in my articles about piano rock songs, non-relationship rock songs and songs David Paich played on. I’m using the same song from my David Paich article with an added sentence. The first song comes from Jackson’s self-titled debut album.

Jamaica Say You Will - Jackson Browne (1972)  

This is a melodic and gentle ballad featuring piano played by Jackson himself. This song sounds like Elton John. This is a piano driven song whose guitar part is only a little acoustic guitar. David Crosby’s harmony vocals mix well with Jackson’s voice. Jackson’s piano sounds full and powerful giving the best kind of playing for a ballad.

These Days - David Paich (1973)

This song begins with just Jackson and his acoustic guitar with some slide guitar parts. It continues that way until just before the chorus when David Paich’s piano comes in at just under a minute. David’s piano is a welcome addition that makes the song whole. He gives good accompaniment including being a good match for David Lindley’s slide guitar. This song is a piano and guitar driven rock ballad.

Red Neck Friend - Elton John (1973) 

We’re now increasing the pace to a full on rock song. It opens with David Lindley’s slide guitar which is soon joined by the piano. The piano is played by none other than Elton John. This slide guitar is prominent. Elton’s piano goes very well with David’s guitar playing. Eagle Glenn Frey provides noticeable harmony vocals during the chorus. The piano is most prominent in the chorus. Elton plays incredible rock & roll piano in the chorus featuring four glissandos in a row. In the final chorus he gives an instance of eight glissandos in a row. His piano playing is reminiscent of the piano in Bob Seger’s “Katmandu” (1975). I’m pleased that the Jackson Browne song Elton John played on is an intense rock song as that enabled him to feature his great rock & roll piano playing.

Fountain of Sorrow - Jai Winding (1974) 

This is the first epic long song on this list. It opens with Jai’s piano which is soon joined by Jackson’s soothing vocals. The piano is supported by David Lindley’s guitar which provides interesting subtle accompaniment. The harmony vocals by Don Henley, Dan Fogelberg & J.D. Souther are gentle which match well with Jackson’s singing. At the five minute mark, there’s a short section with only the piano. It’s great how Jai plays the piano in a slow way while giving a clear rock vibe. 

Your Bright Baby Blues - Roy Bittan (1976) 

The song is initially driven by acoustic guitar and organ. About forty eight seconds into the song, the piano comes in. The piano gives off a gentle pop rock vibe. At three minutes and seventeen seconds, we get a slide guitar played by Lowell George that comes in via a solo. The slide guitar comes back in a subtle way in the last chorus before closing with another guitar solo. Roy Bittan’s piano playing is warm. This song reminds me of Bob Seger’s “Like A Rock” (1986) as they are both six minute rock ballads having acoustic guitar and organ in the first verse before the piano comes in and two slide guitar solos. Bill Payne who played the piano on “Like A Rock” (1986) plays the organ on this song and piano on the next one. 

Here Come Those Tears Again - Bill Payne (1976)

We are now going to a shorter song after two long ones. This song starts with the song title being sung. The only instrument we hear is the piano for the first eighteen seconds. It’s interesting how the piano does sudden jumps in places. Mike Utley’s organ is featured prominently in parts of the song. It’s interesting that Jackson sings “You might look like a friend of mine” as he would later have a hit duet “You’re a Friend of Mine” with Clarence Clemons in 1985. Bonnie Raitt and Rosemary Butler sing powerful harmony vocals. This is a mid-tempo rocker with a full band sound. This song is driven by Bill’s melodic piano. 

Running on Empty - Craig Doerge (1977) 

This is one of Jackson Browne’s big hits. It opens with Craig’s piano notes. His piano notes in the song are iconic and instantly recognisable. This is a live song as no studio recording has been released. It rocks very well. Craig plays his piano fast and delivers good accompaniment to David Lindley’s two incredible slide guitar solos. While this song is more guitar driven, the piano has a good prominent place.

My Problem Is You - David Garfield (1995)  

This is from an album by Cuban percussionist Luis Conte. It was recorded by Jackson a few years earlier which Luis played on. The original version has a pop rock sound whereas this version has a latin jazz sound. Luis plays congas and maracas on this. David Garfield’s latin piano playing gives off a relaxed lounge vibe. His playing is warm. A saxophone is featured. Parts of the song are sung in Spanish which wasn’t in the original version. The next two songs also have a latin vibe.

Lausoa Kristalean - Mikel Azpiroz (2011) 

This is a duet with Basque singer Jabier Muguruza, who along with pianist Mikel Azpiroz are from Basque Country, an autonomous community in Northern Spain. It’s the only song on this list not written or co-written by Jackson. It’s an unusual collaboration which isn’t widely known. I hope this song is a nice surprise for Jackson Browne fans, finding a duet of his which they didn’t know existed. It opens with Mikel’s piano which is soon joined by Jabier’s singing in the Basque language Euskara. After the first verse, there is an accordion played by Jabier. 

Jackson then sings a verse in English. His English singing offers a good contrast to Jabier’s singing in Euskara. We have another verse from Jabier with accordion before and after it. This is a slow ballad with few instruments that works very well. It has a good melody. Mikel and Jabier do a good job to make this song captivating with mainly the two instruments of piano and accordion. As the piano is my favourite instrument, I enjoy discovering a new style of music featuring piano. Special thanks to Mikel for answering my questions about this song via email.

A Song For Barcelona - Jeff Young (2021) 

This is a new song which Jackson co-wrote with the five musicians in his band who play on it alongside Spanish musician Raúl Rodriguez who plays palmas (a Flamenco form of hand clapping). This song has a great beat. This is an epic eight and a half minute long latin rocker bringing back rock to this list. This is a very musical song with a great melody. It’s interesting to hear Jackson make reference to the “ninety-nine words for snow”. I wonder what that means. 

Jeff fuses the latin and rock styles in his piano playing very well. The two guitarists Greg Leisz & Val McCallum provide great guitar playing. I like how Jackson refers to many different places in the world where people visit Barcelona from. Places he mentions include the US, Canada, Norway & China. Close to the seven minute mark, the song stops seemingly concluding especially by the specific piano notes. Four seconds later the song comes back powerfully with Jeff’s piano notes. It’s soon joined by Catalan singing by Jackson and the backing vocalists. The band gradually comes back, has a brief instrumental section followed by places in or near Barcelona sung solely by Jackson. This song is not only a celebration of Barcelona, but also a celebration of humanity. 

While the first song “Jamaica Say You Will” is referring to a girl’s name, I am interested in different countries so I’m pleased how we’re both beginning and ending with an international destination in this list. This list went into rock and beyond. The rock songs covered rock ballads, soft rock, pop rock, mid-tempo rockers, intense 70s rock & roll and heartland rock. The latin flavoured songs cover jazz, Basque music and a latin rocker. The latin rocker “A Song For Barcelona” comes full circle fusing the two styles thus going back to rock, the primary genre of this article. Jackson Browne is known for being a rock artist. Jackson used piano less over the years and I’d like to see him make an album with a lot of piano again. Even though his debut album which opens this list was released in 1972, it was recorded in 1971 so these songs cover a 50 year period from 1971 to 2021.

Ten Great Songs Featuring David Paich

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David Paich is a keyboardist and founder member of the American rock band Toto. He sang their most popular song “Africa”. Toto is a band of session musicians, thus David has a prolific session career playing on numerous albums. In this article, I am featuring ten songs David has played keyboards on including one song by his band Toto. David is joined by most of his original Toto bandmates on some of the non-Toto tracks on this list. I had previously featured two songs David Paich played on in my article “Ten Great Piano Rock Songs by Ten Different Singers”. 

These Days - Jackson Browne (1973)

This song begins with just Jackson and his acoustic guitar with some slide guitar parts. It continues that way until just before the chorus when David Paich’s piano comes in at just under a minute. David’s piano is a welcome addition that makes the song whole. He gives good accompaniment including being a good match for David Lindley’s slide guitar. 

Put Out the Light - Joe Cocker (1974)

This is a soulful rocker featuring David Paich’s piano, wacky guitars, horns and powerful backing vocals. Joe Cocker sings with such passion. While the piano isn’t the loudest instrument, it has a great presence including some glissandos. The saxophone is there throughout a lot of the song including some solos. 

Doctor Wu - Steely Dan (1975)

This is a piano driven soft rock song with a jazz influence as Steely Dan are a jazz rock band. David stated that he played on this song, so I’m assuming that the piano part is his. David is joined by his future Toto bandmate Jeff Porcaro who also plays on the next two songs. There is a saxophone through sections of the song including a solo. The guitar part is subtle. The piano playing is cool and melodic. The sax and piano goes in a more jazz direction towards the end of the song.

Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs (1976)

This is a popular song by Boz Scaggs which is co-written with David Paich. Elton John is an influence of David Paich which comes through in this song as it sounds like an Elton John song including its piano. The song features the bass and drums in the first twenty seconds until all the instruments come in. There are horns which are most prominent during the chorus. David is playing all the keyboards on this song which include piano and synths. He is joined by another future Toto bandmate, bassist David Hungate. Boz sings powerfully with his high voice. There are prominent synth parts in the last minute of the song which David doubles with his piano. Having both piano and synths gives a foreshadow of Toto’s sound. 

Manuela Run - Toto (1978)

I’m now including a song by David Paich’s band Toto. This is a song from their 1978 debut album (which also features their hit song “Hold the Line”) which he wrote, played on and sang lead vocals. It opens with David’s piano riff which is played throughout the song. David sings “round” in an interesting way. Bobby Kimball sings good backing vocals. It also features good synthesizer playing by Steve Porcaro and a guitar solo by Steve Lukather. It has a unique end with a few piano notes followed by a closing door. This song is both pop rock and progressive rock.  

The Retreat - Elton John (1980)

This is a great Elton John ballad about the American Civil War. The guitar is played by fellow Toto member Steve Lukather. It has Elton’s piano and singing for up until the end of the first verse. The full band comes in from the first chorus featuring prominent organ by David Paich and interesting guitar parts by Steve Lukather. The organ continues throughout the song and adds to it. There is a synthesizer by James Newton Howard which comes in during the last minute of the song. The synthesizer goes back and forth with the organ and then with the guitar. 

Allies - Heart (1983)

This song features David Paich on piano and synth. It was written by Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain and this song is somewhat reminiscent of the Journey hit “Don’t Stop Believin’” with its combination of piano and intense guitars. It opens with the piano and is soon joined by Ann Wilson’s voice. The strong guitars come in as brief interjections in the first verse before fully coming in during the chorus. Ann sings powerfully on this song, especially in the harder rocking parts. The verses are piano driven. There is a section with David’s piano playing with his synth which reminds me of Toto. This is an intense ballad featuring powerful rock piano. 

New York Minute - Don Henley (1989)

This is an epic six and a half minute song which has a jazz influence. It opens with an orchestra that’s arranged by David Paich with flourishes of his piano. Following that there are keyboard notes which are soon joined by Pino Palladino’s bass and David’s piano. Jeff Porcaro’s drums and Pino’s bass have some jazz vibes. David’s piano too does this in the verses. Close to the two minute mark, Danny Kortchmar’s guitar brings rock to the song which goes away in the second verse and comes back for the chorus. African-American Christian vocal group Take 6 provide backing vocals during the chorus. At around the three minute and forty five second mark, the trumpet appears and has some notes throughout the remainder of the song. 

There Is No Greater Love - Wayne Watson (1992)

As a Christian, I was pleased to find out that David Paich played on a Christian song. The opening orchestra notes are similar to the previous song. This song has the simple arrangement of piano and orchestra. Piano and orchestra without any guitar, bass and drums is not my favourite arrangement as that runs the risk of it being a boring ballad for me. Thankfully, that is not the case here. David plays his piano powerfully. 

Please Forgive Me - Bryan Adams (1993)

David Paich’s acoustic piano comes for a short moment at the start of the song. What appears to be an electric piano replaces it until the chorus where the acoustic piano comes back. The acoustic piano is powerful when it returns. The chorus rocks with strong guitars and some hard hitting piano. This is a powerful rock ballad.  

David has played on a variety of different rock styles featured here being pop rock, soft rock, hard rock, progressive rock, jazz rock and rock & roll. There is also a Christian song featured. These songs cover a twenty year period from 1973 to 1993. I’m a fan of piano in rock music and piano is featured in all of these songs. David played piano on all the songs except one which is played by Elton John. This is fitting as Elton is a hero of David’s. These songs showcase David Paich’s great piano & keyboard playing as well as his skills as a songwriter, singer, arranger and producer. 

Ten Great Non-Relationship Rock Songs by Ten Different Singers

While romantic relationships are the most popular song topic, I personally prefer lyrics about other topics. Therefore, I decided to compile a list of classic rock songs about other issues. I had previously written a similar article featuring many of the same artists called “Ten Great Piano Rock Songs by Ten Different Singers”. There is also piano on all of these songs as I like piano in rock music. Two of the songs use electric piano and more than half of them feature its piano part played by the singer-songwriter. I’m featuring the official YouTube embeds for each of these songs so you can listen to any or all of them if you wish.

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - Chicago (1969)

I’m discussing the arrangement of the album version which opens with a long jazz solo by pianist Robert Lamm, also the songwriter and singer of the song. After the solo the horns come in a good way. This song is jazz rock. There are good backing vocals by Peter Cetera and Terry Kath. I like how there is also some talking in the background. The song opens with someone being asked what the time is. He responds with a long humorous monologue beginning with “Does anybody really know what time it is”. This humorous monologue is the chorus which has two more different prompts leading to it.

Doctor My Eyes - Jackson Browne (1972)

This song is about a person talking to a doctor therapist seeking help. It deals with this person’s

perceptions of the world where he is talking to his doctor. Jackson plays the piano on this song. The

song has good congas by Russ Kunkel who also plays drums. Jackson’s YouTube channel recently

released a live performance of the song which is even better as it has rockier guitar and the addition of organ.

Kings - Steely Dan (1972)

This song is about English King Richard from the 12th century by jazz rock band Steely Dan. It talks about his issues which include his plundering which makes me think of corrupt heads of state. It also talks positively about his brother King John who succeeded him. I would like to give my views of these kings, but I won’t as I know hardly anything about them. This song has rocking piano and jazz influenced guitar including a solo. The piano part is played by singer and co-writer Donald Fagen.

Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy - Elton John (1975)

This is the opening track from Elton John’s 1975 album of the same name. It is about Elton John

(Captain Fantastic) and his lyricist Bernie Taupin (The Brown Dirt Cowboy). It opens with Davey

Johnstone’s acoustic guitars also featuring Elton’s electric piano. It sounds country in the first verse,

before making the sudden switch to hard rock in the chorus where Davey’s intense electric guitars

come in. The next verse goes back to the country sound but with a rock presence as there is some

electric guitar now. It ends with the same opening. Interestingly, a modified version of the same

opening/closing part was used in the closing title track of the 2006 sequel album “The Captain & The Kid”. The lyrics “The Captain and the Kid” were mentioned in this song. I love the lyric “From the end of the world to your town”. 

Hello Old Friend - Eric Clapton (1976)

I would classify this song as both pop rock and country rock. This song is about the pleasure of seeing a friend or acquaintance after a while. It has good positive vibes. There is a keyboard presence of piano and organ. Eric’s guitar shines throughout with his playing. 

The Logical Song - Supertramp (1979)

This is a Roger Hodgson Supertramp song in the light progressive rock style. Roger plays a notable electric piano part. This song deals with the meaning of life and has thought provoking lyrics. Roger

sings how special life was in his childhood, which unfortunately changed when he was sent to boarding school. He is critiquing what we are taught at school. There is a reference to cynicism which is a view I personally am not fond of. There is a nice saxophone solo by John Helliwell. 

I Gotta Try - Kenny Loggins (1982) 

This song was written by Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. Michael first released his version in August 1982 and Kenny released his version one month later. While both versions are soft rock,

Kenny’s version rocks better. Michael does play keyboards on this version too. The song seems to talk about the importance of trying to make your life better. It points out how people’s perceptions differ with truth being a theme of this song. The importance of persistence is given. I love the lyrics “They say it’s a hopeless fight, but I say I gotta try”. There are some lyrical similarities with the previous song as both deal with issues we face in this world.

Sometimes - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1986)

It’s now time to change the pace up with a harder rocking song. This song has very good lyrics about someone who has issues with his life connected with where he lives so he wants to move somewhere else. There’s a saxophone solo by the late Alto Reed. Alto was Bob Seger’s saxophonist in the Silver Bullet Band who sadly passed away in December 2020. The saxophone solo is followed by a melodic piano solo and an intense guitar solo. There are horns throughout the song. Towards the end of the song, there are good piano notes. 

The Doctor - The Doobie Brothers (1989)

This song opens with a good piano/guitar rocking combination. I suspect the piano is played by Bill

Payne, who was the piano player on the previous song. It is about the healing power of music,

referring to music as the doctor. This is the second doctor song on this list. It is sung by Tom Johnston and is the last hit single by The Doobie Brothers. It features a powerful guitar solo by Tom. This song reminds me of Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock & Roll” with its lyrics and musical sound. There are the similar lyrics “good time rock and roll”. I love the lyrics “Music is the doctor of my soul” which rings true to me. 

The River Of Dreams - Billy Joel (1993)

This is a gospel rock song which seems to be about the meaning of life. Billy sings about “searching

for something” in his dreams involving a river which he is required to cross. Crossing this river is

difficult. There are prominent gospel style backing vocals. This song is very melodic and has a brilliant rocking piano solo by Billy.  

I hope you enjoyed reading about and/or listening to these songs. They address a variety of themes

which include politics, identity, loneliness, persistence, the meaning of life, the state of the world and

friendship. Feel free to give your thoughts and interpretations on any of these songs. I’d be interested in hearing them.