SUNBURN FOR THE SOUL
Sunburn for the Soul
After a considerable hiatus featuring potential homelessness (thank you Lettuce Truss), among other life events, here is my 15th collection of tunes. The long layoff was, I feel, in retrospect, a benefit because I am as happy with this album as I have ever been with any of the previous 14, or it might be senility !!
The record was released on 05/05/25 approximately 30 years after the first one !!
For those who don’t know, I am a singer songwriter of somewhat long standing. I spent my early years ‘On the Rock’n’Roll Road’ in the USA and Europe in the 60’s and 70’s learning how good you really have to be!
My music is a mixture of Americana, Country and Hawaiiana with many other elements shoehorned in.
For all biog, lyrics, info and other stuff go to :-
Track Notes below.
I hope you enjoy xxx
01 BORN ON THE BAYOU (Fogerty)
My favourite Creedence tune here featuring Harmonica by the great Jez who doesn’t know he’s on it. He recorded the part for me about 10 years ago when we were in a band together. Swampy !!
02 BUCKETS OF RAIN (Dylan)
Bob Dylan moves to Hawaii or somewhere similar. Ukulele, Bongos and Lap Steel Guitar.
03 GETTING ROUND TO GOODBYE (Greene)
I wrote the music for this when I was living in California in 2005. It was a test piece for the studio I was setting up that featured all the instruments I could lay my hands on.
I always liked the result but had no words that fitted it until last year when I was thinking about how our children grow up so fast.
04 I DON’T HAVE TO CRAWL (Crowell)
A Rodney Crowell song written, presumably, for EmmyLou Harris. Pedal Steel !
05 WISH I COULD’VE KNOWN YOU BETTER (Greene)
A lyric inspired by losing the great Jerry Garcia.
I knew him a bit, we once drove from Iowa City to Lincoln Nebraska together when I was but a callow youth.
I was WAY out of my depth but I knew things weren’t right.
Also applies to every person that left us too soon.
Piano by Rosalie James.
06 THE CRYING GAME (Stephens)
Made famous by Dave Berry back in the 60’s this is a strange tune musically.
Crazy chord changes and melody. Always loved it and swore I’d record it one day.
07 SUNBURN FOR THE SOUL (Greene)
Weird piano part that came from nowhere as they do. Lyrically a reflection on the hippie movement and how it accomplished so much more than we knew at the time.
We scared them !!
08 THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (Black/Arnold/Westlake/Greene)
OK, here’s an excuse for me to have a rant about the state of the world over a driving tune.
Make it look like an accident !
09 SAYS A FOOL LIKE ME (Greene)
Back to Hawaii for this confessional piece.
10 WHITE FREIGHTLINER BLUES (Van Zandt)
A Townes Van Zandt tune from Texas. Pedal Steel !
Thanks to Richard Bennett for teaching it to me.
11 YOU’RE GONNA LOSE THAT GIRL (Lennon/McCartney)
What can I say, a Beatles song re-imagined with help from Rosalie James on Backing Vocals.
Like most Lennon tunes there is much more going on than is immediately obvious. Love It X
Recorded & Produced in Truro, Cornwall by
John Greene © 2024/5
The album was recorded entirely on headphones in the bedroom of my new home in Truro, Cornwall using Cubase 5 (DAW), one decent condenser microphone and a plethora of assorted guitars, the electric ones through Amplitube 3
The drums were programmed using Superior Drummer 2 and the keyboard and bass parts mainly through a Nektar Impact LX61 in conjunction with N.I. Kontakt 4.
The Hammond B3 with N.I. B4II.
The harmonica on ‘Born on the Bayou’ was played by Jez, a long, long time ago and Rosalie James contributed piano on ‘Wish I Could’ve Known you Better’ and wonderful vocals on
‘You’re Gonna Lose That Girl’
Otherwise it’s all me.
XXX
John Greene 
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