These are the liner notes accompanying each of my albums in the order of their release:
TAKE A GOOD LOOK
1. CHECKOUT TIME
2. TAKE A GOOD LOOK
3. AMERICAN DREAMS
4. I TRY
5. HOT HANDWRITING
6. THE RISING SUN
7. THE MOVE
8. WAKING UP TO YOU
9. JUST WASTED
10. LIVING ALONE
11. ONLY A MOTHER KNOWS
12. SCARY TALES
13. THE LIKE SONG
14. CHESS PIECES ON PARADE
Bret Alexander and other members of the Badlees provide the sparkling backing tracks for the well-crafted lyrics that have become a Lex Zaleta trademark. You know this isn't a pop album right from the opening lines of CHECKOUT TIME: Late last night you checked into your mind. You were looking for a room with a view. This album forces you to TAKE A GOOD LOOK at yourself, your relationships, the world around you, and the world of your imagination. You will sing along with the proud patriotism of AMERICAN DREAMS, The land of the free, the home of the brave. We breathe liberty from birth to the grave. You'll call your mom and play her ONLY A MOTHER KNOWS just to thank her for being your mom. In fact, you'll probably end up calling all of your friends and playing them tunes from this wonderfully varied album.
This is honest music played by real musicians - with words that mean something. There are no obscenities to hide from young children. No one was shot during the making of this album. No drugs were consumed. TAKE A GOOD LOOK delivers pristine music to your ears, free of impurities and additives. You just might find this album a refreshing change.
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THE EDGE OF SOMEWHERE
1. THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
2. SOMEWHERE THERE'S A SONG
3. SOLITUDE
4. PAST AND PRESENT TENSES
5. NOT JUST A KISS
6. BURSTIN' WITH COURTESY
7. IF I STAND
8. BEHIND THE WHEEL
9. SMOKING GUNS
10. THE EDGE OF SOMEWHERE
11. CABIN BOY LOGS IN
12. TAMING THE BEAST
13. THE TERRIFYING TIE
14. THAT HURTS A LOT
15. I ONCE BEHELD BEAUTY
… You're on the edge of somewhere … The road not taken twists and turns there and burns through to the back of your mind. Somewhere there's a song playing softly behind, a kind of soundtrack to your solitude. Your mind hits fast forward, then rewind, fast forward, and then rewind, a jangled mix of past and present tenses that tangles up your senses. Romance is next on the dance list, and it's easy to see that it's not just a kiss you're after. Burstin' with courtesy and light-hearted laughter, you say to yourself, "If I stand here too long, sweet chance will pass me by." You get behind the wheel of your run-down automobile, put it in gear, and leave a trail of smoking guns in your rearview mirror. You're on the edge of somewhere … Along the line, Cabin Boy logs in and invites you to join him in a quick game of Taming the Beast. You politely tell him that you're far too busy for beasts, and he even more politely replies, "Time is the terrifying tie that binds!" That hurts a lot as it takes you back, back to a time when your youthful eye once beheld beauty … You're on the edge of somewhere …
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THE CROP
Current events are
But a ripple in time
Our stream of consciousness
But a drop in a cosmic pool
The best among us
See the world
Through half-shut eyes
Trapped between their
Dreams of reality
And the reality of
Their dreams
We call them poets
1. START HERE
2. DON'T LET HER TEARS GET IN YOUR WAY
3. THE CROP
4. FIRST TIME IN FOREVER
5. ALL SHE WROTE
6. I LIKE BIKE
7. SENSES TAKER
8. PASS ON THE POISON
9. THE FASTEST WAY TO GONE
10. LIFE'S LAST BIG JOKE
11. GONE TO HEAVEN
12. CHARLESTON
13. TEARS ARE THE WINDOWS
14. NOW YOU SEE HER, NOW I DON'T
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LAST TOMORROW
I sometimes
Think that my
Songs
Are my way of
Bringing
Out previously
Undiscovered
Truths
Tangled up
In the bittersweet
Memories of my
Existence
1. MEMPHIS MINUTE
2. TAKE TIME
3. OUR LAST RACE
4. A CASE OF THE BLUES
5. LAST TOMORROW
6. ONE-RUNG LADDER
7. STUPOR MAN
8. LIFE LOOKS AT YOU
9. DID GOD PUT YOU HERE?
10. SUNGLASSES AND A SMILE
11. WAITIN' FOR YOU, MAMA
12. NEVER LET ME DOWN
13. I'M STEPPIN' OUT
Sometimes life flies by big-city style, and sometimes it does the MEMPHIS MINUTE crawl. Maybe we can TAKE TIME and stick around awhile; get some kind of handle on it all. Realizing this could be OUR LAST RACE can give us a most severe CASE OF THE BLUES. Knowing we used our LAST TOMORROW yesterday certainly can be distressing news. They say the Cross is a ONE-RUNG LADDER, and this riddle once left me like STUPOR MAN. Up it soared, and I sank into sadder, hoping someday to understand. Almost enough about me ... you look at life and LIFE LOOKS AT YOU. Giant shadows of doubt suddenly appear, and like I was, you're without a clue. Why on earth DID GOD PUT YOU HERE? You put on your SUNGLASSES AND A SMILE, and say, "I'm tired of WAITIN' FOR YOU, MAMA!" Then you take that first step of that first mile that leads you from this melodrama.
Now, I know I have a heavenly crown. I just need to slam the door on doubt. The Lord told me so, and He NEVER LET ME DOWN. I'm trusting Him, and I'M STEPPIN' OUT!
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FILLING IN FOR JESUS
1. MEDUSA'S WILD (THE SNAKE EYES SONG)
2. ONE FOOT OUT THE DOOR
3. KILLING ME SLOWLY
4. BEGGING THE QUESTION
5. HOLDING HANDS
6. SHATTERED HEART
7. THE DAY I WENT ASTRAY (with Michi Solo)
8. TEN GALLONS OF LOVE
9. NAILS IN THE ROAD
10. SADNESS CASTS ITS SHADOW (with Sait Koray)
11. ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS
12. THE "I BLEW IT BIG TIME" BLUES
13. I WANT MY YEAR BACK (with Michi Solo)
14. FILLING IN FOR JESUS
FILLING IN FOR JESUS, album number five, and perhaps the most satisfying so far. I stretched for variety, and I think I brought home a fine assortment of tunes. Of course, you'll have to be the judge of that. A "critic" recently said that Simon Cowell of AMERICAN IDOL would cringe upon hearing my work, and that's probably the highest praise I could aspire to. May there always be that chasm between music that "looks good" and music that means something.
Many thanks go out to Bret Alexander and the Badlees, those super professionals at Saturation Acres, for supplying the wonderful backing tracks for "Medusa's Wild" and "Filling in for Jesus," to the multi-talented Michi Solo (Michael Winter) from Austria for the rocking backing tracks for "The Day I Went Astray" and "I Want My Year Back," to Mark Cloutier for his super-clean guitar work on "Killing Me Slowly," and to that marvelously gifted composer from Turkey, Sait Koray, for the unique sounds of "Sadness Casts Its Shadow." All of these artists deserve much greater recognition in the music world - and not from Simon Cowell.
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THE "QUITE A HANDFUL" COMPILATION
For folks looking for an easy way into the Lex Zaleta catalog, Bleeding, Inc. presents THE "QUITE A HANDFUL" COMPILATION with songs from each of Lex's first five albums.
1. "The Road Not Taken" (from THE EDGE OF SOMEWHERE)
2. "The Edge of Somewhere" (from THE EDGE OF SOMEWHERE)
3. "Tears Are the Windows" (from THE CROP)
4. "All She Wrote" (from THE CROP)
5. "Sunglasses and a Smile" (from LAST TOMORROW)
6. "I Try" (from TAKE A GOOD LOOK)
7. "The Like Song" (from TAKE A GOOD LOOK)
8. "Our Last Race" (from LAST TOMORROW)
9. "Sadness Casts Its Shadow" (from FILLING IN FOR JESUS)
10. "The Crop" (from THE CROP)
11. "Medusa's Wild" (from FILLING IN FOR JESUS)
12. "Stupor Man" (from LAST TOMORROW)
13. "Checkout Time" (from TAKE A GOOD LOOK)
14. "The I Blew It Big Time Blues" (from FILLING IN FOR JESUS)
15. "Not Just a Kiss" (from THE EDGE OF SOMEWHERE)
16. "Life Looks at You" (from LAST TOMORROW)
17. "Last Tomorrow" (from LAST TOMORROW)
18. "Filling in for Jesus" (from FILLING IN FOR JESUS)
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TOUGH'S NOT ENOUGH
1. THE GROUND BENEATH YOUR FEET
2. UNBRIDALED LOVE
3. YOU SHOT MY SON
4. BLUE EYES
5. THE ROCK(THAT HE ROLLED)
6. IGNORANCE IS BLISS
7. THE NEW MILLENNIUM MUSEUM
8. THE TEACHERS
9. SHE'S A KEEPER
10. EYES NOW OPEN
11. DEAR JOHN DOE
12. INTO MY LIFE (old-time radio)
13. WHITE-GOLD SOUL
14. TOUGH'S NOT ENOUGH
Once upon a time ...
THE GROUND BENEATH YOUR FEET was unpaved and unpolluted, "UNBRIDALED" LOVE was a sin, and if YOU SHOT MY SON, your BLUE EYES would be looking over your shoulder - until I found you.
Now, ...
THE ROCK THAT HE ROLLED is made into myth, IGNORANCE IS BLISS, and THE NEW MILLENNIUM MUSEUM houses the virtues we once practiced freely. THE TEACHERS are no longer allowed to discuss human nature, right and wrong, and the Golden Rule. "SHE'S A KEEPER!" shout those who think that he who has the gold rules.
I sit here, EYES NOW OPEN, writing this DEAR JOHN DOE letter to let you know the Lord has come INTO MY LIFE, and to let you know you too have a WHITE-GOLD SOUL.
TOUGH'S NOT ENOUGH anymore, but God is.
God is.
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WHAT'S A GUY GOTTA DO?
1. ONE ROAD
2. NOBODY LOVES ME
3. WHENEVER ENDEAVOR
4. TROUBLE
5. LOVE AND LIES
6. THE FUTURE (A WEDDING SONG)
7. FLIRT RHYMES
8. PRAYER TIMES TWO
9. CANDY BAR BLUES
10. SOME SAY (WHAT DOES GOD LOOK LIKE TODAY?)
11. WHAT'S A GUY GOTTA DO?
12. WHERE THE PAIN STARTS
13. SOMEDAY AISLE
I certainly brought a mixed bag of tunes to this album.
1. "One Road" leads to a cold, cold grave, but it leaves us with a hope-filled eternal detour. 2. "Nobody Loves Me" puts the surprise ending in the middle for some comic relief. 3. "Whenever Endeavor" is about as tender as I can let myself get. 4. "Trouble" might be the story of our lives, as it always seems to be at our door - and it doesn't even knock anymore.
5. "Love and Lies" balances on the razor-thin edge of love and hate.
6. "The Future" is a starry-eyed wedding song (maybe this is about as tender as I can let myself get). 7. "Flirt Rhymes" is for all the false-hearted women out there. 8. "Prayer Times Two" is ... whoa!! ... three tender songs on one album! Next album has to be a straight-ahead rocker, for sure. 9. "Candy Bar Blues" is an old favorite of a lot of folks that I was going to "clean up" to make it album quality, but hey, a bar fight is a bar fight ... ya clean up later. 10. "Some Say (What Does God Look Like Today?) dances around some of the "urban myths" of just who our Creator is. 11. "What's a Guy Gotta Do?" might become the anthem of the hundreds of thousands of songwriters who beat their heads against the wall the recording industry has put up against them. 12. "Where the Pain Starts" is excruciatingly and agonizingly humorous - I think. 13. "Someday Aisle" is the path far too many of us walk down. I was going to start the album off with this and end with "One Road," ... but I didn't.
All songs © 2008 Lex Zaleta Please visit at www.LexZaleta.com
Alternate liner notes for WHAT'S A GUY GOTTA DO?
I guess this musical journey began with "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," the first song I learned from Mr. Joseph Bednarek, my guitar teacher. I was seven then, it was 1954, and rock 'n' roll was already calling out to me. Joe said that rock 'n' roll wasn't real music, and through the years I'd ask for "Rebel Rouser" and get "Sadie's Shawl" ... "Walk, Don't Run" and get a czardas ... until I stopped asking - and stopped playing. A few years later, I bought a guitar and amp from a boy who showed me how to play "The House of the Rising Sun" about the same time I was listening to this new guy Bob Dylan singing that same song. I've never put down the guitar or Bob Dylan since.
Funny how life circles around on you. After a fifty-year detour, this seven-year-old "Davy Crockett" picker from Pennsylvania found himself living in the "greenest state in the land of the free." I'm 61 now, and this is my seventh "official" album. I've submitted hundreds of songs to label opportunities, and I've had many close calls. I'll keep writing, recording, and submitting songs as long as the good Lord allows, and I'll keep asking, "What's a guy gotta do?"
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THIS IS WHO I AM
These are some of my "religious" songs that I would love to have done by real musicians - especially real singers! Until that happens, it's just me struggling along. I've always told everyone that our Creator has blessed me with a talent for creative writing, but He has withheld all musical gifts from me - one of those rare displays of cosmic humor, I suppose. Fortunately, I was born without ego. Otherwise, these songs might never be heard by anyone except me.
1. "If I Stand" - from the THE EDGE OF SOMEWHERE album
2. "I'm Steppin' Out" - from the LAST TOMORROW album
3. "Did God Put You Here? - from the LAST TOMORROW album
4. "The Rock (That He Rolled)" - from the TOUGH'S NOT ENOUGH album
5. "Our Last Race" - from the LAST TOMORROW album
6. "The 'I Blew It Big Time' Blues" - from the FILLING IN FOR JESUS album
7. "Somewhere There's a Song" - from the THE EDGE OF SOMEWHERE album
8. "This Is Who I Am" - previously unreleased(chorus-Stu Weber's TENDER WARRIOR)
9. "Nails in the Road" - from the FILLING IN FOR JESUS album
10. "Filling in for Jesus" - from the FILLING IN FOR JESUS album
11. "Tears Are the Windows" - from THE CROP album
12. "One Road" - from the WHAT'S A GUY GOTTA DO? album
13. "Taming the Beast" - from the THE EDGE OF SOMEWHERE album
14. "Dear John Doe" - from the TOUGH'S NOT ENOUGH album
15. "Some Say (What Does God Look Like Today?) - from the WHAT'S A GUY
GOTTA DO? album
16. "One-Rung Ladder" - from the LAST TOMORROW album
17. "You've Got It All Wrong (about Jesus)" - from the SHADOW PEOPLE album
18. "White-Gold Soul" - from the TOUGH'S NOT ENOUGH album
All songs © 2009 Lex Zaleta www.LexZaleta.com
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SHADOW PEOPLE
1. SHADOW PEOPLE
2. ON THE FAR SIDE OF FORGETTING
3. RACE OF GLORY, RACE OF SHAME
4. JUST SAY, "YO!"
5. RAIN TALKS
6. YOU'VE GOT IT ALL WRONG (ABOUT JESUS)
7. WHAT HAVE I DONE? (A BIRTHDAY SONG)
8. CHEESEBURGER EASTERNS
9. LIFE IS SO DAILY
10. AND THAT OLD ROCKING CHAIR GROANS
11. WAY BACK HOME
12. GOING HOME
When my dad passed away on November 14. 2008, I felt the music leave my heart. Sorrow echoed in the void for many days, but our gracious Creator gave me back the gift of music to ease the pain of my loss. This album darts in and out of the shadows, grabs bits of past joy and present sadness, and brings them to you in a mosaic of sound and sense. These songs have to do with light and dark, birth and death, and all of our trials and triumphs in between. Maybe no song will ever truly change the world, but no true songwriter can ever settle for less than trying to make the world a little better through his tunes.
"Race of Glory, Race of Shame" and "Shadow People" expose prejudice for what it is, ignorant arrogance. "Just Say, Yo!" looks at the war on drugs through chemically camouflaged eyes to ridicule the lowdown mentality of getting high. For comic relief, "Cheeseburger Easterns" mixes up over sixty movies and stars, and we may never get them all sorted out again. "Life Is So Daily" would be humorous too - if it didn't hit so close to home. Ah, "home" ... "Way Back Home" takes some heavy shots at the hate-filled music that too many young people are allowing to pollute their minds. "On the Far Side of Forgetting" reveals where we can find forgiveness. "Rain Talks" and "What Have I Done?" violate the "Don't Look Back" rule, and so does "And That Old Rocking Chair Groans." You are blessed if "You've Got it all Wrong (about Jesus)" doesn't apply to you. Ah, "blessed" and "home" ... I pray that both of these apply to my dad, and I hope that my song, "Going Home" pleases him in Heaven.
Cover photography courtesy of Clara Natoli clarita1000@gmail.com
All songs © 2009 Lex Zaleta www.LexZaleta.com
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STILL
"She was only a moonshiner's daughter, but I loved her still."
This might be the most fun I've had making an album, and that's probably because I had so much help from so many quality people. Bret Alexander, Galen Breen, Chordslinger, Jan Destner, and Sait Koray have all contributed their considerable talents to the music here. The subject matter is just as varied - from searching for truth and salvation to uncovering the secrets of songwriting. - with a cast of characters ranging from Charles Manson to Jesus (with a trailer park Cassanova stuck in the middle).
I'm still writing and recording songs as fast as I can, and I'll keep writing and recording as long as someone is still listening. Thank you for being that someone!
Please visit my website when you can:
www.LexZaleta.com
1. (I DON'T WANT TO MISS)
THE REST OF MY LIFE
2. (TRUTH) LIES IN ETERNITY
3. MAKE MY DAY
4. SMILE SERENADE
5. STILL
6. HOPELESS ROMANTIC
7. NO MAN'S SON
8. THIS IS WHO I AM
9. NO NAPKINS IN NASHVILLE
10. HUMBLE YOURSELF
11. THE FIFTH
12. LOST LOVERS' LAKE
13. STILL (extended version)
All songs © 2009 Lex Zaleta/ Bleeding, Inc.
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ONE FROM EVERY ALBUM
I've been carrying some of these songs in my head since high school. I'm not sure if it was courage or advancing years that made me finally start recording them in 1999. Those first five songs have turned into five hundred, and I feel I have about that many more left in me.
It's been a mighty fine run so far.
I've picked one song from each album of my work currently in the marketplace, and I hope there's enough here to give you a fair idea of what I am about.
1. Only a Mother Knows (TAKE A GOOD LOOK)
2. That Hurts a Lot! (THE EDGE OF SOMEWHERE)
3. Don't Let Her Tears Get in Your Way (THE CROP)
4. Memphis Minute (LAST TOMORROW)
5. Killing Me Slowly (FILLING IN FOR JESUS)
6. Love Fool (REX Z - KING ARTHUR COVERS LEX ZALETA)
7. Ignorance Is Bliss (TOUGH'S NOT ENOUGH)
8. Candy Bar Blues (WHAT'S A GUY GOTTA DO?)
9. I Can't Turn My Back on Me (THE PLEASURES THAT LAST - Bret Alexander's Acoustic Interpretations of the Lyrics of Lex Zaleta)
10. This Is Who I Am (THIS IS WHO I AM)
11. Shadow People (SHADOW PEOPLE)
12. No Man's Son (STILL)
13. Serpents of Fire (LZ - The lyrical works of Lex Zaleta set to music by Kephas)
14. Someday Aisle (ONE DUSTY ROAD by Dusty Drake)
All songs © 2009 Bleeding, Inc./ Lex Zaleta
LZALETA@prodigy.net www.LexZaleta.com
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ASKING FOR FOREVER
Heartache is in the air ... Heartbreak is everywhere ... Some families are falling apart, others were never together ... Terrorists are swimming ashore, some are living next door ... The wheel of misfortune is still in spin, but it's not taking a turn for the better ... You can easily lose your shirt in this high-stakes game ... Narrow minds limit our lives, and narrow beds await our deaths ... It all comes down to clever, and not asking for forever ...
1. YOUR MAMA'S BEHIND BARS BLUES
2. NARROW BED
3. WHERE WAS I GOING? (with ChordSlinger)
4. POKER GAME OF PAIN
5. DEAD MAN'S TURN
6. AL QAEDA ON THE WESTERN FRONT
7. LOWDOWN ON MY LUCK
8. WATCH ME DIE (with ChordSlinger)
9. NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO SERVICE BLUES
10. YOU'RE ON TRIAL
11. MR. BAD LUCK
12. IF A HEART BREAKS
13. ZONES
14. ASKING FOR FOREVER
Copyright © 2009 Lex Zaleta/Bleeding, Inc.
www.LexZaleta.com
All artwork courtesy of Ms. Batsceba Hardy
http://batsceba.deviantart.com
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SAY SOMETHING IN POETRY
We are all just this side of alone. It is Ten Minutes to Lonely for every person on this planet. Take any Slice of Life, and you'll find this to be true. Oh, you can try to be Teflon® Man, taking it Day By Day and letting things slide, but - unless you can slip into tomorrow where Blame's Not Born Yet - you'll be getting a severe case of Stage Fright when you are called to that One Night Witness Stand. The Big Daddy of Deceit is always on the prowl, and you must have Sturdy Roots and Steady Wings (made of Faith's Feathers) to avoid his clutches. True love can help, but Love Is Funny. Doesn't matter who you love or how you love, there are times when you can't live with them ... but you sure Can't Love Without 'em. E-X Marks the Spot where we've come to bury our past. We mumble a brief prayer, Say Something in Poetry, and move on ... trying to beat the clock, but it is Ten Minutes to Lonely for you and for me.
1. Blame's Not Born Yet
2. E-X Marks the Spot
3. Faith's Feathers
4. Love Is Funny
5. Say Something in Poetry
6. Can't Love Without 'em
7. One Night Witness Stand
8. Teflon® Man
9. Slice of Life
10. Day By Day
11. Ten Minutes to Lonely
12. Sturdy Roots and Steady Wings
13. Big Daddy of Deceit
14. Stage Fright
All songs © 2010 Lex Zaleta/
Bleeding, Inc. www.LexZaleta.com
All artwork and photography
courtesy of Batsceba Hardy.
http://batsceba.deviantart.com
