Ultrasound

Ramona Silver

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Ultrasound

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She sounds like a sisterly version of Jonathan Richman in her oblique street-simple yet street smart lyrics that posit such philosophical puzzles as "Being's just a reaction to everything we can't control" ...

What has marked the work of Ramona Silver up to this point has been her vivid songcraft and her obvious need to do things her way with

She sounds like a sisterly version of Jonathan Richman in her oblique street-simple yet street smart lyrics that posit such philosophical puzzles as "Being's just a reaction to everything we can't control" ...

What has marked the work of Ramona Silver up to this point has been her vivid songcraft and her obvious need to do things her way with imagination and style. Silver steers clear of the paint-by-numbers rock acts...a collection of tunes that rely on her colorful vocals, calliope keyboards, and delicious hooks. It's a supremely savvy effort.

She sounds like a sisterly version of Jonathan Richman in her oblique street-simple yet street-smart lyrics that posit such philosophical puzzles as "Being's just a reaction to everything we can't control." -- The Boston Globe

From Aimee Mann to Jennifer Trynin to Mary Lou Lord, the next in line is Ramona Silver. She's one of the best young songwriters in any genre that Boston has produced...wit, style, substance, with intelligent lyrics, smart meldodies and muscle. Undoubtedly, Silver's a major talent.-- Billboard Magazine

There are a lot of great female artists coming out of New England right now, but few come close to Ramona Silver. Silver and her band are truly charming performers and songwriters, and Ultrasound is the album that finally captures what this act is all about. -- CMJ Weekly

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    B.J.'s Got the Butterflies

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ULTRASOUND: TRACKLIST, CREDITS & LYRICS

SONGS  

  1. BJ's Got the Butterflies
  2. Mary's Beatup Truck
  3. In Your Soul*
  4. Woman (by Danny Horrid)
  5. Honeydew
  6. The Jog
  7. Cookies
  8. Motivator*
  9. Had My Day*
  10. Star, Star* (by RS and Cortneau Free Hallas)
  11. All Skate
  12. Closet
  13. Remarks to Mr. McLuhan (by Mark Heard)

CREDITS

RS: vocals, organ, keyboards, guitar

Danny Horrid: backup vocals, guitar, ukulele, cornet, trombone, glockenspiel, tambourine

Wil marth: bass, acoustic guitar, tambourine

Jim Weston: drums

Produced, engineered and mixed by Danny Horrid

Mixed at DLS Mobile, except * mixed at Mortal Music.  

Executive Producers: Dan Russell and Chuck Long

Mastered by Bill Winn and Mark Donahue at Sound Mirror

Thank you to Jim Hodgson for Hindu temple recordings used in "Closet."

Art direction and design by Stephen W. Flynn for FlyDesign

Design assistance by Jeff Flynn

Art assistance by Harv and Fredrika

Color photos by Harv

"Train Wheels and Crank Pins" cover art by Free Hallas

All songs Ramona Silver, copyright 1998,  Tootsie Music, ASCAP, except where noted *.

 

LYRICS

1. BJ'S GOT THE BUTTERFLIES

BJs got the butterflies

Says she always does before a surprise 

Prescott is the place to be when you’re inside winding it high

Lit the camera as we walked

Just pretend, just pretend to be talking

I can only do what I do and look you through with wide eyes

 

Send me an arrow with a secret message on it 

Maybe I’ll follow back to the place where I’m supposed to be

 

Hanging at the school-yard blues

Mom said not to go too far so I cannot lose

Buzzing up the neighbor’s bell to let me in

My cornerstore binge

 

Playing in the hall again

Bouncing balls and ripping up all the little men

Marking off the days on days until the sun and dirty fun

 

Send me an arrow with a secret message on it 

Maybe I’ll follow on to the place where I’m supposed to be

On to the gold where everything is free

And all the rags I’m in and all the books I read 

And all my stupid friends and lovers on t.v.

And on and on and on and on this city song

 

2. MARY’S BEATUP TRUCK

Mary packed her brand new beatup truck

Drove around and didn’t have much luck selling chickens

Daddy gave his pot-o-luck away to his girl

With words of gold he’d say

Take a listen... “You can have it if you wan’t it”

Selling at the local marketplace

 

She could smile an awful evil face at the men swearing...

“You can stab it, you can stuff it

You can hang it, or you can huck it

Just buy it honey, ha, ha, haaa”

“You can have it, I don’t want it”

 

I can climb my fueled-up carousel

I can sit on top of all this wealth in jeans

(I heard them say)

 

“Cause there are Kents and there are Gables”

(It works this way)

“They own parks and they drive bulldozers”

(The truth is tough)

“They’re the tongues who tame the funnies”

(The ones who love)

“The ones who love won’t see the money”

If you please. please let me be

Child build your house

 

3. IN YOUR SOUL 

Make a story, make it fast

We can make the nighttime last tonight by moonlight

She knows he waits beneath the sill

She knows to pray God save her still

When she’s through it’s almost 2

 

Giving’s just a reaction to love

Sinning’s just a reaction to all the things we dream of

Being’s just a reaction to everything we can’t control

It’s in your soul

 

The window drops behind the shade

The roof is cool on feet so faint 

See the fawn cross the lawn

The motor purrs as she draws close

Release the door and greet the host

She is one with Don Juan

 

Giving’s just a reaction to love

Sinning’s just a reaction to all the things we dream of

Being’s just a reaction to everything we can’t control

It’s in your soul

 

4. WOMAN (by Danny Horrid)

Everything turned black and white

You turned on me, you bitch in flight

You never put up any fight

You're no friend for stormy weather

What about our thing together

What about birds of a feather

You're so full and self-deceiving

Over-worked and unachieving

Come to think of you as leaving

Telling all our favorite secrets

Tell me why it is that he gets

All rewards and I get regrets?

 

You want to be a woman but you're more of a man than I

 

5. HONEYDEW 

Nothing smells quite like you

A rain-washed street, a honey dew

You’re beautiful

Coming to me right on time

Teaching me we’re living fine, our hands are full

 

He’s got imagination

This kid could rule a nation, and I pray that you do 

Dancing in your Daddy’s shoes

  

Drummer boy dipped in sun

Blues buried in his eyes from everyone

I can only stare like this

And watch you raise that flag aboard your one-way ship

 

Inside every rainbow

the angels play a private show for ones who believe

Ones who use their ears to see

Knowing what it is to know Free

 

He’s got imagination

This kid could rule a nation, and I pray that you do

Staring at me like you do

I’m living out my life, it’s true

In your beautiful, beautiful blues

 

6. THE JOG

I make amends, I take time to pretend life’s safe

I make amends, hide, save, find, and defend life’s saints

I make amends, hide, save, find, and defend life’s saints

I make amends, I take time to pretend life’s safe

 

7. COOKIES (Instrumental)

 

8. MOTIVATOR

I thought love to be a motivator

Then it acts more like an alligator, a ha

I can’t stand the truth

So I hide inside my bubble mind

Hoping everyone around is blind to my cries

 I’m running out of youth

 

When the war inside is high behind my so-called trusting eyes

And the ground is lost beneath a homey mess

You know that I can’t buy another solid-telling lie

from my breast on which to rest

 

I pray love, you be the motivator

When my heart has failed to find me later, a ha 

Remember what we said

That it’s not about the funny feelings that set your heart and mind a-reeling, a ha! – it’s about this test

 

Cindy’s got her claw annd Larry’s got blue ball

And they lie in separate fields inside one bed

And they’ll stand for a demise if they can get a shiny new prize instead, thinking love is dead

 

I say, love, you aint a motivator

You’re more like an elevator, a ha, giving me the ride

And instead of dying for the honor

And working hard in troubled waters, a ha 

We let it lie, cut it down to small size

 

9. HAD MY DAY

I had my chance to run, I had my day

You have your life to come in many ways

 

Though you haven’t felt the sun and you haven’t felt the rain

You know your life’s begun, May you meet with grace

 

You can’t believe it’s me when you turn the photo back

I once was all of these, and I could laugh

 

Though we hardly felt the sun and we hardly felt the rain

We knew that we could run and hide from all the pain 

Standing here with you is the only way to deal

And I pray that when we’re through, we may all be healed

You hardly felt the sun and you hardly felt the rain

 

You knew that you could run and hide from all the shame

But I’m standing here with you cause it’s the only way to deal

And I pray that when we’re through, we may all be healed

 

10. STAR, STAR  (By Ramona Silver and Cortneau Free Hallas)

 

Star, star, here we go

Star, star, here we go 

Star, star, here we go 

Star, star, here we go

 

11. ALL SKATE (Instrumental, a one-shot 4-track recording)

 

12. CLOSET

One, two, three, four (4x)

One, two, in bed again 

Lying still, dreary-eyed

Your head is as big as the closet

...I couldn’t pass this way without you again, oh no...

 

Arms flat, tilt head back

Nailing the cross to our laps

It’s been thrilling til they set in

 

...Isn’t it just a beautiful morning, isn’t it just a beautiful day...

 

Side to side, my head it winds, a cartoon cat, a cyclone mind

I feel like anything but human

 

...Send my love a letter, I’ll be coming home soon...

 

Face, face, five in all

Complete with voices, names, smells

These monsters march across the ceiling

Here they come!

These monsters march across the ceiling

Here they come!

 

They talk to me, unworthy

They’re taunting me, uncleansing 

They are so big and unconvincing

 

Everytime we lay down, I see less of them around

Everytime we lay down, I see less of them around

Everytime we lay down, I see less of them around

Everytime we lay down, I see less of them around

 

13. REMARKS TO MR. MCLUHAN (By Mark Heard 1980 / Ideola Music / Bug Music) 

What difference does it make if this was once upon a time?

You supply the stereo and I'll supply the rhyme

I'm aided by machinery in hopes to reach your mind

Can you hear me, can you hear me now?

 

Just a needle scratching ridges on this one-way plastic groove

My vinyl destination, my revolving imputation

I am singing and I'm playing but my lips don't have to move

Can you hear me, can you hear me now?

 

Just as loud and clear I hear your voice come through the air

Funny but it's close as I can come to really being there

 

Frozen in these records are fingerprints and messages

Can you hear me, can you hear me now?