Over the past 10 years or so, I have had many people ask me if I was ever going to release my first solo recording on CD. Mirage came out in 1989, and up until now (April 2005) has only been available on cassette. But over this past winter I've been plugging away at remixing and remastering it for CD, and as I write this, it's at the duplicators getting pressed in to CDs.

Mirage is in many ways an homage to and a celebration of life in my home of the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. Of course it has love songs, songs of personal growth and songs of social perception and commentary just like every other solo project I've ever put out, but it all seems to me to be very rooted in this area.

The songs in Mirage were written and recorded throughout the latter half of the 1980's. They were songs that I felt didn't fit in Tumbleweed, the band I was in at the time, but yet I wanted to get them out so they could sort of "breathe the free air" out in the world and be heard. I felt that I could not afford to record them in a large 24-track professional studio as Tumbleweed had done with its studio projects, so the only other option seemed to be a small 4-track cassette recorder that I had taken in payment for a Tumbleweed bar gig where the bar owner couldn't pay the band.

It's been very interesting revisiting these recordings that were really a start to my present career path of running a recording studio. The recording format of a 4-track cassette recorder presented definite limitations in both track count and fidelity in the original recordings, yet they sound surprisingly good, and with careful "bouncing" or premixing of tracks during the recording process, I was able to squeeze in as many as 9 or 10 different tracks on to the 4-track format. There's certainly plenty going on in the arrangements. I didn't re-record anything in the remixing process except for a couple words in one song that always bugged me. (I won't tell you where.)

Cover

The CD cover is actually a different photo than the one used on the cassette, although they were probably taken only seconds apart. The cover photo and also the other photo of me in the CD booklet were both taken by the late Peter Green, who was a very talented artist in many media and was my neighbor at the time, and unfortunately met a very untimely and rather gruesome death. I honor his memory and send my thanks out to Peter, wherever he may be.

Tray Card

I am again grateful to my dear friend Dave Montgomery for letting me use one of his beautiful and moving images for the tray card (back) of Mirage. Here is the pre-release version of the back of the CD package -

Liner notes

(click on the song titles to access lyrics, song charts, and MP3s)

1. High Lonesome (3:35)
2. Flying After You (6:27)
3. I Can’t Let You Go (4:12)
4. Horn of the Moon (3:24)
5. Be Waiting (3:59)
6. Down in the Valley (3:18)
7. Mirage (4:18)
8. Woman by the Fire (3:49)
9. Me and Chico (5:28)
10. Cathedral (5:27)
11. Heaven (5:50)
12. Amalia (6:53)

This project was originally recorded in the late 1980s on a Tascam 244 4-track cassette Portastudio and was released on cassette in 1989. The original 4-track cassette tracks were transferred to digital, remixed and mastered by me (Don) at Howlin’ Dog Recording in the winter of 2005. Although present-day recording techniques and technology are light-years ahead of the original Mirage recordings, I have resisted the temptation to re-record and replace tracks. The source tapes may have their limitations, but I believe the music still comes through.

As it said in the original liner notes - this CD is especially directed toward the people of El Valle de San Luis and the high southwest; the land of mirage, chico, canyons, cathedrals, and heaven. Since the original Mirage tape first came out, I have continued to live in and often write about this area, its beauty, its people, and the joys and challenges of living here. It is my profound hope that these songs help those who hear them to appreciate, honor, protect and nurture this unique and precious area and the people that live here.

Credits –

All instruments and voices by Don Richmond. All music by D.L. Richmond. All lyrics by D.L. Richmond except Cathedral by D.L. Richmond and T.J. McCartney. Cover photography and original cassette layout and design by Peter Michael Green, CD design update by Don Richmond. Tray card painting “Parade of Junipers” by David Montgomery. Contact him at www.davidmontgomerypaintings.com or 719-580-5574.

I would like to thank the special ones who contributed and inspired. Thanks for your love and understanding and for sharing the spirit that moves us all.

Additional copies of this CD and other Don Richmond CDs can be ordered from Howlin’ Dog Records, P.O. Box 825 Alamosa CO 81101, by phone at 800-689-7786 or on the web at www.howlindogrecords.com. Song lyrics can be found at www.donrichmond.com. Email Don at donrichmond@worldnet.att.net.

Also by Don Richmond on Howlin’ Dog Records –

No Man’s Land (2002)

Instrument (1999)

A Lot in Common (1996)

Story (1992)

Address: Don Richmond P.O. Box 825 Alamosa CO 81101

Info, contact and order hotline: 800-689-7786

Email - DonRichmond@worldnet.att.net

Other websites - www.howlindogrecords.com www.hired-hands.com www.rifters.net www.gymptf.com