RHYTHMS MAGAZINE
"American-born, Australian-based performer, Joe Dolce is a man of many talents. Creator of the multimillion-selling song, Shaddap You Face, member of the Difficult Women performance group, and sensitive, thinking-minded singer-songwriter. Freelovedays is full of tantalising images (love, beliefs, dreams), memorable characters (Mozart, Martin Luther King Jr, Frida Kahlo) and stimulating music (folk, rock, blues, classical, choral.) The wonderful Lin Van Hek provides vocal assistance; with instrumental support including acoustic and electric guitar, synth and piano bass, keyboard and, of course, harmonica. Joe Dolce's Freelovedays is immensely appealing and one of the best albums of the year." Sue Barett
SUNDAY HERALD FOUR STAR ****
" . . .The effervescent Freelovedays bubbles over with glorious melodies and clever lyrics. While the eclectic collection of musical ideas resists categorisation, the evidence is that Dolce is born of that folk-blues tradition that flourished before John, Paul, George and Ringo changed the rules. Indeed, the title track feels a little like Dylan's My Back Pages, and Jack of Diamonds could easily have slipped off Blood on the Tracks. . . . .the highlight is the barely orchestrated tribute to the Greek poetess Sappho whose legendary work remains only in brief fragments. Dolce sings Fragment 64 accompanied by Miriam Morris's viola in a moment of unlikely beauty, not a million miles from William Orbit's Pieces in a Modern Style. " PETE BEST
THE MELBOURNE AGE
"Joe Dolce, as assured guitarist and blues harp player, is also a tireless performer . . . His independent CD Freelovedays is a powerful and diverse work. A highlight is the gospel-blues opener, Marchin' With Martin Luther King Jr, with its rousing vocal harmonies, but the pick of the disc is his quirky 'reinvention' of Michael Jackson's Thriller." MIKE DALY
TRACK LISTING
1. Marchin' With Martin Luther King Jr. (dolce) 4:17
This song was recorded with some of the core singers and musicians of Adoration on the Gospel Train, whom I had the pleasure of performing it with, live in concert several times, once for 18,000 people, at the Sydney Superdome.
2. Freelovedays (dolce) 3:35
A fond reflection and meditation of younger days, living on the Northern California commune of StarMountain, and friendship with Lou Gottlieb, the founder of Morningstar Ranch, the first Open Land Commune in California. Later, moving to Hawaii, I ended up in two more experiemental communities, 'The Papaya Orchard', on the Big Island, and 'Huelo Paradise', in Maui. (Not to mention all the crazy stuff in Berkeley, Philadelphia, the Russian River and Athens, Ohio. Don't remind me. Still . . . many beautiful and unforgettable memories!)
3. Jack of Diamonds (dolce-motherwell) 3:53
The song was originally created, for just mandolin, blues harp and voice, as part of the score written with playwright Phil Motherwell for his play, Held in Camera, performed at La Mama Theatre in Melbourne. Later, thanks to a commission by the Castlemaine State Festival, I was able to expand the arrangement to include bass, drums and some nice blues scoring for a string quartet, which is the way it appears here.
4. Flowers (dolce) 2:57
Written, originally for just two voices and guitar, and performed with Lin Van Hek, as part of the original music for our show, 'Difficult Women.' This version, sung as a duet with Lin, also includes a band and string quartet arrangement.
5. She's a Writer (dolce) 3:01
A ballad written for my partner and best friend, Lin.
6. Simpler Life (dolce) 3:12
A nostalgic musical pop throwback to my first psychedelic pop and blues band, The Headstone Circus. I formed this group during my college years at Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio, way back in the late '60s. I had originally gone to college to be an architect and I still remember that moment: with a huge night of cram studying ahead of me for a final exam, (I was always about a month behind), I made the decision to drop out of college and commit to being a professional musician. I shut the book about Frank Lloyd Wright that I was studying, lit up a joint, put Jimi Hendrix on the headphones, and closed my eyes. . . .
7. Sleep on the Ferryboat (dolce) 3:47
This melody was written when I lived on the StarMountain commune, in Sonoma County, CA, back in 1972, and it was originally just an instrumental lullabye for my friend Sunny Supplee's baby, Quinn. Later, I wrote some lyrics and it became part of a Sylvia Plath vignette in the show, 'Difficult Women.' Lin Van Hek sings the duet with me, with sparse string quartet accompaniment.
8. In the Garden With Monet (dolce) 5:43
There's not much more to say about this song that's not already in the lyrics. A colourful musical and poetic journey, with a string quartet entering in the final section, two-part vocal counterpoint, and some wonderfully dynamic drumming by Sean McLeod.
9. A Girl is Born in Bethlehem (dolce) 2:57
This hymn was first performed a capella by The Melbourne Chamber Singers, directed by Faye Dumont. Some of the original choir members join me on this arrangement for tenor voice, with guitar, bass and string quartet scoring. I always dedicate this hymn to all the female children born in Bethlehem, who, basically, didn't get the 'Press' coverage.
10. Sappho: Fragment 64 (sappho-barnard-dolce) 5:42
This is the second movement of a four part composition called, 'Evocation of Sappho,' first performed with a soprano soloist, whom I accompanied on guitar, for a 12th anniversary celebration for Melbourne singer, Judy Small and her partner, Sue Dyson. I'm singing this version and playing guitar. To me, the harp-like plucking, alternating with chordal bowing, of the accompanying viola da gamba, seems to cross the centuries from Sappho's time to the present, capturing the immortal resonance of her poem. (Watch out for that last note!)
PLUS 2 bonus tracks!
11. Thriller (r.temperton-morrison-arr. dolce) 3:00
'Thriller' came about as a dare. I was given the Musical Challenge' by Triple M radio's Andrew Denton. They pick a song. I have two days to come up with an arrangement. What you hear is 50% improvised and 100% live-to-air. What occurred was unpredictable (you can hear naughty Andrew and Amanda Keller cacking up in the background) and I'm fond of this recording so I thought you might like it, too.
* Crop Circles in My Marijuana (dolce) 2:40 (enhanced CD-Rom videoclip - mac & pc existing only as this wacky videoclip made for the first show of NuCountry television in Melbourne. Shades of Big Joe Texas! Here it is in all its hillbilly splendour.)
Lin Van Hek: vocal harmony Sean McLeod: drums Sfz String Quartet: Karen Columbine: Violin, Stephanie Lindner: Vioin, Kerryn Hirst: Viola, Fiona Furphy: Violoncello Dave 'Fingerbones' Carter: Piano & organ on 'Marchin' With Martin Luther King Jr' Miriam Morris: viola da gamba and arrangement insights on 'Sappho - Fragment 64' Lil' Susie & The BBQ Possum Gospel Singers: Susie Ahern, David Williamson & James Uluave - vocal and harmony ideas on 'Marchin' With Martin Luther King Jr' Dr Gottlieb Memorial Herz und Mund Chorale: Andrew McGrail, Scott Hamilton, Kathleen Hislop, Elizabeth Guthrie, on 'A Girl is Born in Bethlehem'
Engineer: Robbie 'retro' Adams. Mastered by Martin Pullan at Edensound. Mostly recorded at The Adam's Family Commune. Videoclip for 'Crop Circles in My Marijuana,' created by Joe Dolce and Peter Hosking. Cover photo: Kati Vaas.