[2019-06-07] Tommy James "Alive" with guests Stevie Van Zandt, Gene Cornish and TONE-z (Aura)

David Baker · 31 Oct 2006

Description
Here are Tommy's comments...

ALIVE started out as an acoustic album, but little by little, I realized that there was no way I could interpret all of the songs acoustically so I gave into electricity!

It was a very long time in the making. Some songs go back 30, 40, and even 50 years and some are brand new. There are lots of different kinds of songs. If there's one big theme it's that there's absolutely no theme. I wasn't listening to the radio or what was going on around me musically, I just recorded songs that I had wanted to do for a long time or now.

For instance, there's a ballad version of "I Think We're Alone Now" that's very different than the original one. I'd also been thinking about a remake of "Draggin' The Line" for a long time and felt that a street or rap version might be perfect. So I got a hold of T.O.N.E-z, who is a great friend and an amazing talent, to lay down a rap on "Draggin' The Line." Then, I called in another great friend Stevie Van Zandt to record a guitar solo.

The Rolling Stone's "The Last Time" had been rattling around in my head for awhile so I did a very different version of it. T.O.N.E-z contributed to that one too.

For the remake of "I'm Alive," a song I originally recorded for my Crimson and Clover album, I asked my good buddy from the Rascals, Gene Cornish, to do some guitar parts for it.

Jonathan Ashe, who played bass on "Mony Mony" back in 1968, and has been a Shondell for years, was a constant presence as a co-writer and player. He really played a key part in the process. My good buddy Jimmy "The Wiz" Wisner was my co-producer until he passed away. ALIVE has really been a labor of love... a personal statement of where I am today.

Tracklist
1. So Beautiful
2. Distant Thunder
3. Draggin' The Line II [ft. T.O.N.E-z]
4. Rising Water
5. I'm Alive
6. A Different Way
7. I Think We're Alone Now (Acoustic)
8. A Doo Wop Shuffle (Part 1)
9. A Doo Wop Shuffle (Part 2)
10. Who Speaks For Love
11. The Last Time [ft. T.O.N.E-z]
12. From The Neck Up
13. Never Too Late
14. Slam
15. One Helluva Ride

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QPCHJFL/?tag=imwan-20

David Baker · 31 Oct 2006

Part YASCA, part new material. And with a guest rapper. The first single, “So Beautiful,” is surprisingly good, and is getting play on a couple of Sirius XM stations. It’s even made Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Airplay chart (#29 this week, up from #30).

AFAIK, this is his first new album since the 2008 Christmas album, which I quite liked.

Linda · **Posted:** Tue Apr 16, 2019 7:57 pm

The album has now been scheduled for a general release on CD, coming June 7th:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QPCHJFL/?tag=imwan-20

Here's the official lyric video for the remake of "Draggin' The Line":

Rick A · 23 Jul 2006

I bought almost every 45rpm from Tommy James & The Shondells when I was a kid. Their records sounded fantastic on my NY AM radio.

Linda · **Posted:** Sat May 11, 2019 10:31 am

The pre-order price has dropped by $3, down to $13.99:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QPCHJFL/?tag=imwan-20

Linda · **Posted:** Mon Jun 03, 2019 11:21 pm

Linda wrote:

The pre-order price has dropped by $3, down to $13.99:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QPCHJFL/?tag=imwan-20

Further reduced to $13.14. The CD is coming out this Friday!

[2019-06-07] Tommy James "Alive" with guests Stevie Van Zandt, Gene Cornish and TONE-z (Aura)

Who is WANline