2007: Supertramp’s Last Stand (outro portion | feat Joe Solo)
A song recorded at Solar Hill Studios II in Sunnyside Queens. I asked Joe to play lead guitar at the end through the outro. He was gracious enough to do it and took it seriously. I have edited out the majority of the song here to only include the outro piece that features Joe. Thanks to Jesse for engineering.
2012.5.28 Silver Sky (rough take | scratch vocal)
This is a rough take and a scratch vocal meant to be a placeholder to build the recording. This is merely a sketch not even close to a finished product. Joe might protest to sharing. Sorry Joe! Being that there are a couple of other versions on this website that only include acoustic I thought it worth sharing as this has bass and drums . You can get an idea here what he wanted to do with this and how it could have been electric in the studio as a straight blues based rock n roll.
2012.9.24: Whatcha Know (first take | Don’s place)
There are numerous versions of this on the site. I have other versions I have not uploaded either. I recall this day clearly in my back “studio”. This is a first time run through of a new song. The levels are imperfect and Joe delivers a better performance captured on 1.18.2013 just below. But I like the banter and that it is Joe’s first time trying to lay it down. I was never happy with sound quality and Joe laughs at my OCD with the mics and levels.
2012.12.6 Writing “When Two Worlds Collide“
This is barely worth sharing and has little replay value as far as song or performance. This is like so many brief moments captured that tell of a potential song. The chorus was horrendous and predictable. We tried a bunch and there is a piano version somewhere, which was the intent. But I like documenting moments of collaboration and capturing Joe’s enthusiasm.
2013.1.18 Whatcha Know | Jon’s PA Place
This might be the best take Joe has from both from a recording quality and performance perspective. It’s better than the first one at my place, better than the couch series, better than the music video version and the various others I recently uncovered which were only fragments at a time. This is the one I play for my kids and they sing every word.
2013.6.15 Improbably West 8th Street
Of all the Joe recordings I have collected through the years, no post albums original pops up more consistently than Probably. This is a mere segment. I have even more versions I have yet to upload and already have a handful. I just like the playful shoutout that captures Joe’s free-style mood
2013.11.5 Lost and Found (no vox)
This is beautiful. From the finger-picking and intricate lead guitar to the well-fitted rhythm guitar part Joe layered. Sound really nice with the dobro when he tried it with Jesse years later. But this recording which is without vocals, could stand on its own as a sweet soundtrack.
2013.12.5 Forever
This is the last recording I found. I had it for years and only just rediscovered. Another beautiful Joe original, working with Jesse on dobro (yet again). Jesse’s bluegrass passion serves Joe’s originals so well. They were a great duo. The verse here makes me feel like I’m walking around without a care in the world. A simple ditty, that’s deceptively complicated. But it’s the chorus that takes it to the next level. Joe knew how to take a verse into a chorus. Vox need to be more present in the mix, but we are lucky to have this at all!
Waterfalls (date verification pending)
I have a few earlier versions of this. I’m guessing this is 2013ish. But this is the cleanest one I believe. I think taken at Jon’s apartment. Probably in PA. Joe loves slapping the guitar and did much more finger-picking after the two studio albums. What a catchy chorus and pretty tune.
2017.7.28 (Couch Series)
Converted From Video. See Videos Page for Vids
2017.7.28 Spanish Serenade
2017.7.28 Whatcha Know
2017.7.28 Fatboy
2017.7.28 Don’t Think Twice (Bob Dylan)
2017.7.28 Get Yourself Together
2017.7.28 Lost & Found
2017.7.28 Hold On
2017.7.28 NYC
2017.7.28 Too Deep
Couch Series Concluded
Worked Up
This is silly to include on a page dedicated to Joe’s music. It’s more or less nonsensical nothingness clearly being made off the top of my head. But I include for two reasons. 1.) Its just us being natural and improvising which is what we often did 2.) Joe dug this up and sent to me over a decade after the fact so he liked it on some level. This is us after a night out on the city. We’d often get back to Joe’s apartment and he’d play loudly indifferent to his neighbors, which would always make me anxious. So I made up nonsense and played as soft as I could. I could listen to it just for Joe’s brief laugh at the end.
2017.8.25 Don’t Think Twice (Bob Dylan)
Dylan is the greatest songwriter. The finger-picking here feels so complicated to me, yet Joe handles it with ease. I’d jump off the F line after work to his apt like I regularly did those years. We’d play a couple of songs and go out. When he started this song it made me so happy so I hit record. Unfortunately my voice is closer to the phone as I talk-sing through it. So it’s not a great “performance”, really wasn’t meant to be. But it means so much to me. Joe could just start a song out of nowhere and it would get me all enthused. He sat on his bed and I at his desk. This is one of those hang out companion records as opposed to something worth playing. It’s more personal to me. Check out the Videos page to see Joe do this better alone.
Park Slope Jams
Dates pending. Likely 2012-13
Open Up the Jar
Jam 1
Jam 2
2014.6.10 Park Slope Freestyle Funk
More jams coming….maybe…
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