Stories of the Years
Liberty Records
1996
This record was recorded in 1996 while John was on the Liberty/Capitol Records label. It features country rock and stone country music from his only major label recording.
Musicians on this recording and a few of their career credits:
John Bunzow: Vocals and Guitars.
Pete Anderson: Producer, Arranger, Guitar (Dwight Yoakam, Steve Forbert).
Dusty Wakeman: Bass (Lucinda Williams, Los Lobos).
Jeff Donavan: Drums (Palladins, Dwight Yoakam).
Dean Parks: Guitars (Bob Dylan, Steely Dan, Willie Nelson, Brian Wilson, Paul Simon).
Al Perkins: Steel Guitar and Dobro (Eagles, Gram Parsons, Flying Burrito Brothers, Emmylou Harris).
Lenny Castro: Percussion (Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger, Randy Newman, George Benson, BB King, Bonnie Raitt, John Mayer).
Anthony Crawford: Background Vocals (Neil Young, Steve Winwood, Dwight Yoakam).
Skip Edwards: Keyboards (Dwight Yoakam, Johnny Rivers).
Gary Ogan: Harmony Vocals (Leon Russell).
Recorded at Mad Dog Studios, Venice, CA
Recorded by Michael Dumas, Dusty Wakeman and Ray Blair
Mixed by David Leonard
Desolation Road
(John Bunzow)
Been steerin’ these eighteen wheels
Goin’ on ten years
Tucson to Orlando
Shiften a lot of gears
Too tired when I got home
To see the hurt in her eyes
Too many nights alone
I just didn’t realize
That it led to
Desolation road
Desolation road
I got her goodbye note
At a truck stop in Orlando
It really shook me up
Like the time I hit the guardrail near Fargo
Can’t handle this emptiness
Wish I could turn back home
It’s driven me to the edge
Gonna jack knife me for sure
Down on desolation road
Desolation road
Where there’s burning bridges
Fog black as diesel smoke
Ice on the turnpike
And my heart’s heavy load
Is losin’ control
Down on desolation road
Desolation road
Desolation road
Muddy Water Under The Bridge
(John Bunzow)
Mary and Jimmy had a lover’s argument
Suddenly emotions got twisted and bent
But their momentary thoughtlessness
Was washed away in a flood of regret
Now it’s muddy water under the bridge
Spiteful thoughts they couldn’t keep hid
Pride can make love’s river run murky
Into the heart’s ocean of love and mercy
Cleansing our souls to forgive
All the muddy water under the bridge
In a rainy school yard there’s two boys fightin’ like a couple bad men
Some kind of extra curricular physical education
And they’re screamin’ dirty words ‘til they’re out of wind
And ten minutes later they’re buddies again
And it’s muddy water under the bridge
Spiteful thoughts they couldn’t keep hid
Pride can make love’s river run murky
Into the heart’s ocean of love and mercy
Cleansing our souls to forgive
All the muddy water under the bridge
Angry thoughts they couldn’t keep hid
Pride can make love’s river run murky
Into the heart’s ocean of love and mercy
Cleansing our souls to forgive
All the muddy water under the bridge
Muddy muddy water under the bridge
One Tear At A Time
(John Bunzow)
They say time heals the heart
But what a cruel remedy
It’s been so long since your goodbye
Each new day still brings no relief
So I’m takin’ one tear at a time
Hopin’ they’ll wash away the memory of your goodbye
Right now tomorrow seems so far away
Yesterday fills my mind
As I try to make it through this sleepless night
Takin’ one tear at a time, one tear at a time
I moved away from our old neighborhood
Got a new job, even changed how I look
But new friends and places dance around me
Can’t take my mind off the heartache I feel
So I’m takin one tear at a time
Hopin’ they’ll wash away the memory of your goodbye
Right now tomorrow seems so far away
Yesterday fills my mind
As I try to make it through this sleepless night
Takin’ one tear at a time, one tear at a time, one tear at a time
Ain’t No Little Thing
(John Bunzow)
I see you’re wonderin’ where this romance leads
Speakin’ from my heart comes hard for me
So I try to hide what I feel
But this time, it’s too big to conceal
This ain’t no little thing
I can do without
Not some plain feeling
I’ll soon forget about
Ain’t no kiss and run
Not some casual thing
No doubt darlin’ love ain’t no little thing
Passion roars like a big freight train
Rollin’ through my heart
Rumblin’ through my brain
Fast in fact situation it goes
Headin’ for true love deep in my soul
This ain’t no little thing
I can do without
Not some plain feeling
I’ll soon forget about
Ain’t no kiss and run
Not some casual thing
No doubt darlin’ love ain’t no little thing
This ain’t no little thing
I can do without
Not some plain feeling
I’ll soon forget about
Ain’t no kiss and run
Not some casual thing
No doubt darlin’ love it ain’t no little thing
This love ain’t no little thing
Ain’t no little thing it ain’t no little thing
ain’t no little thing it ain’t no little thing
Your Mem’ry Will Keep Me Warm
(John Bunzow)
There’s no shame in the truth
There’s no blame when love fades from view
We’ve drifted apart somehow
But memories will always be ours
Though love’s fire turned cold
Beneath the ashes feelings still glow
Wherever I go your mem’ry will keep me warm
We were just a boy and a girl
On a journey through a changing world
Through all of life’s twists and turns
We shared so much we lived and learned
Though love’s fire turned cold
Beneath the ashes feelings still glow
Wherever I go your mem’ry will keep me warm
Emotions endure winds of change
Hearts will bend so they won’t break
The chill of farewell blows by
Funny how just the warm thoughts survive
Though love’s fire turned cold
Beneath the ashes feelings still glow
Wherever I go your mem’ry will keep me warm
Forever more your mem’ry will keep me warm keep me warm
Wherever I go your mem’ry will keep me keep me warm
Easy As One, Two, Three
(John Bunzow)
It’s three long weeks since you’ve been gone
After four years together now I’m alone
There’s a hundred reasons why you said goodbye
And a million memories that keep torturing my mind
I need a oneway ticket
Two bottles of whiskey
And three long years
My remedy
I need a oneway ticket
Two bottles of whiskey
And three long years
To cure my mis’ry
Easy as one, two, three
Easy as one, two, three
I’ll grab two bottles at the store on Third and Vine
And catch the train that leaves at 9:05
I’ve got six hundred bucks to get far away
I’ll be drunk in a brand new town with the same old heartache
I need a oneway ticket
Two bottles of whiskey
And three long years
My remedy
A one way ticket
Two bottles of whiskey
And three long years
To cure my mis’ry
Easy as one, two, three
I need a oneway ticket
Two bottles of whiskey
And three long years
My remedy
A one way ticket
Two bottles of whiskey
And three long years
To cure my mis’ry
Easy as one, two, three
Easy as one, two, three
I need a one-way ticket
Two bottles of whiskey
And three long years
Easy as one, two, three
Easy as one, two, three
Easy as one, two, three
Easy as one, two, three
I Was Just A Holiday
(John Bunzow)
I fell in love with you
But you took me for a ride
You travel from heart to heart
Lookin’ for paradise
But you always get bored
And take a trip to someone new
I tried to make you stay
But you were just passin’ through
I was just a holiday for you
Another vacation to keep you amused
You sailed through my life
On a pleasure cruise
A brief stop along the way
I was just a holiday
Just a holiday
You pack up your charm
And leave broken hearts behind
Souvenir memories
Of romances gone by
You know one of these days
This road will take its’ toll
Your suitcase will be empty
No place will be your home
I was just a holiday for you
Another vacation to keep you amused
You sailed through my life
On a pleasure cruise
A brief stop along the way
I was just a holiday
A holiday for you
Another vacation to keep you amused
You sailed through my life
On a pleasure cruise
A brief stop along the way
I was just a holiday
Just a holiday
That’s all I was darlin’
Just a holiday
One more holiday
I was just a holiday
For you
Poison Mem’ries
(John Bunzow)
My father told me
When I was a kid
Don’t eat wild berries
Or you’re gonna get sick
Later he told me
‘Bout liquor and wine
Don’t savor the high life
It’ll kill you in time
But he never told me
About love and lies
How the sweet taste of her love
Is deadly after awhile
Chorus:
Poison mem’ries
She gave to me
The venom of her lies
Makes me heartsick and weak
Burnin’ with fever
From anger and need
Poison mem’ries
Slowly killin’ me
She said she’d stay always
Then to another she strayed
My lover’s deception
Left this bitter taste
Now a cruel yearning
Flows through my veins
There’s no remedy
For these thoughts I can’t shake
Chorus
Crowded Inside My Heart
(John Bunzow)
We’re such in a couple we disagree all the time
But I love how we make up after a fight
It’s getting’ hard to tell if we’re wrong or right
This contradiction messes up my mind
It’s sure gettin’ crowded inside my heart
All this love and hate passion and lust
Confusion and disgust and
Weakness wonder and fear
It’s such an explosive atmosphere
One more emotion will blow my mind apart
It’s sure gettin’ crowded inside my heart
This emotional push and shove xc
Is a crazy crazy game
Nobody wins but I’m poised to play
Cause everywhere I go every single day
The same old thoughts keep spinnin’ in my head
It’s sure gettin’ crowded inside my heart
All this love and hate passion and lust
Confusion and disgust and
Weakness wonder and fear
It’s such an explosive atmosphere
One more emotion will blow my mind apart
It’s sure getting’ crowded inside my heart
It’s sure gettin’ crowded inside my heart
One more emotion will blow my mind apart
It’s sure gettin’ crowded inside my heart
It’s sure gettin’ crowded inside my heart
It’s gettin’ so crowded inside my heart
I can barley breathe in here
It’s gettin’ so crowded
It’s gettin’ so crowded inside my heart
It’s gettin’ so crowded
Sure getting’ crowded
Stories Of The Years
(John Bunzow)
A symphony of words and laughter
Fills the corner of the park
Where old men gather each morning
For dominos and cards
This ritual brings refuge
From the aches and pains and fears
They rejoice of times and places
Tradin’ stories of the years
When Billy was a sailor
Ran spices from Singapore
His crippled old friend Matthew
Was a hero in the war
And Chester smiles remembrin’
How his Texas oil well sprayed
Then women gamblin’ and drinkin’
Blew his fortune away
Chorus:
They were young men dreamin’
And schemin’ for more
From a life that they love
And always lived hard
They talk of trains and trollies
Babe Ruth and nickel beers
Old men sharin’ stories of the years
Big Jim was a boxer
He went a good round or two
With heavyweight Jack Sharkey
The champ in 1932
And Johnny was a singer
Headlined from New York to Las Vegas
His wife always went with him
Kept his thoughts and shirts cleaned and pressed
Chorus
“Ex-house painter John Bunzow throws formula country songwriting out the window on his arresting debut Stories of the Years. Blending an amiable tenor with economy of language and the minimalistic production of Dwight Yoakam collaborator Pete Anderson, Bunzow makes no secret of his influences — Tom T. Hall on the title song, Merle Haggard on ”Poison Mem’ries” — but uses them merely as jumping-off points for an inventive romp. Grade: A”
Alanna Nash, Entertainment Weekly
“…folks who actually heard the album were surprised to discover a refreshingly direct, no-nonsense record that had more in common with Steve Earle’s best work than any dance-club pretty boys. The CD’s opener, “Desolation Road,” starts things off right with a kickin’ rhythm section and propulsive slide guitar that’s perfectly matched to Bunzow’s mournful delivery. His vocals get even better on ballads, and producer Pete Anderson smartly chooses sparse arrangements that are still interesting enough to complement, rather than just support, the songs. … Bunzow’s songs are of a consistently high quality… be it a surprising melodic twist or a memorable turn of phrase.”
Pemberton Roach, All Music Guide
“A songwriter’s writer, John Bunzow could be the catalyst in Nashville’s eventual shift out of hyper-hat mode. Stories Of The Years is one hell of an impressive debut from this Portland, Oregon native who spent some years doin’ the Nashville thing before laying down an impressive demo that caught the ears and interest of producer Pete Anderson. A shot of James Taylor mixed with a twinge of Dwight Yoakam’s nasal twang, Bunzow’s voice is a most pleasant blend, bringing conviction to the country rockers “Muddy Water Under The Bridge,” “Ain’t No Little Thing” and my pick to click, “Easy As One, Two, Three.” Bunzow writes real honest country songs that don’t get lost in any pop sensibilities. One run through “Poison Mem’ries” hammers that point home. With a natural ability to convey the stories and characters of his songs with such ease, be it the trucker in the opening “Desolation Road” or the closing title track, John Bunzow is bound for a very bright future. ”
Gavin Report
