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compiled by Tom Brennan last updated: October 18, 2014

Mike Gibbins' second solo album was released on October 31, 2000 on Exile Music CDMG02.

The album was recorded with an 8-track Adat, a 16 track Mackie mixer and a few cheap outboard effects. Exile Studios has been moved

The band:
Mike Gibbins: vocals, piano, drums
Rick Warsing: guitars, bass
Ron Griffiths: vocals on "Time Will Tell Us" and backup vocals on "Oxydynamo"
Allen Hewgley: harp on "Time Will Tell Us" and "Oxydynamo"

Mike Gibbins thanks:
Joe Skinner for his support and David Himes for the CD artwork

Rick Warsing thanks:
The Gibbins family for their love and support; My family and especially my mother Ruth for her love; My sweet wife CarolJean for her supervision; Pete Ham for his inspiration; Les Soltesz for his photography and friendship; and Sharon Walters for her donny dollars.

I would like to say I enjoyed making this kind of music... it brings back memories!

Recorded at Exile Music, Orlando, Florida
Engineered and mixed by Mike Gibbins
Mastered by Doug Bare
Produced by Mike Gibbins and Rick Warsing for Exile Music, Inc.


Here is the track listing (total time is 52:30):
1. Wired [9:46]
2. Two And Two [3:22] Key of C
3. Time Will Tell Us [4:20], lead vocal by Ron Griffiths; Key of C
4. Chains [5:32]
5. Dirty Old Bugger [5:41]
6. Oxydynamo [6:34], backing vocal by Ron Griffiths; Key of E minor
7. Love Song [3:24]
8. Hold On To Your Dream [4:14]
9. Dream On... Fall To Pieces [9:37]

The tracks:

Wired
This is a long, improvisational -type track that goes on way too long, but showcases the musical abilities of Gibbins and Warsing pretty well. This opening track comes crashing in to start the album, but rambles after the first 3 1/2 minutes of the song.

Two And Two
This is a boogie woogie-type blues number that could also have been called "Noah's Blues". Mike keeps the tempo on piano & drums, while Rick Warsing plays incredible blues guitar.

Time Will Tell Us
This is easily one of the best tracks on the CD and it features a strong comeback from former Iveys' bassist and vocalist, Ron Griffiths. This track is Mike's tribute to the music business and features a strong vocal performance from Ron Griffiths with Mike on backing vocals.

Chains
Mike's husky voice is perfectly suited for this type of heart wrenching love song about the struggle to keep a relationship going. Warsing plays nice slide guitar reminiscing of Badfinger's "Day After Day." Also, some nice synthesizer playing by Mike.

Dirty Old Bugger
This track has the most catchy riff on the whole CD and never gets tiring to listen to. Mike has written a classic here and plays some great piano here. This is my favorite track. It shows Mike's sense of humor and is very enjoyable because of all the different changes (the piano riff, the guitar solo, great backing track, and the ending drum solo).

Oxydynamo
This is a stream of consciousness type number where Mike says what's on his mind. The track is a slow blues number with Ron singing harmonies with Mike in various places. Elvis and John Lennon are mentioned in the lyrics.
Mike Gibbins: "I like Oxydynamo... it's one of the more pliable tunes on the CD. Rick came up with the bass riff when I was getting a bass sound for him for a completely different track. I recorded 8 or 9 minutes of this and put it aside. A few weeks later, I played it back to Rick with piano, vocals and drums. He was amazed and we immediately recorded guitars to give it that dark bluesy feel, and to top it off, me old band mate Ron Griffiths helped out on backing vocals. So, all in all, it's a magical tune!"

Love Song
This one is exactly what the title implies. This is one of Mike's finest songs. At times during this album, it's as though Mike was really inspired by Pete Ham. An alternate title could have been "All I Want Is You."

Hold On To Your Dream
Another excellent piano ballad by Mike with nice slide guitar from Warsing. This could have really been tremendous with some more production work, like an orchestra or some big string arrangement.

Dream On ... Fall To Pieces
A big medley ala Badfinger's "Wish You Were Here" LP. Another in a series of Mike's "Dream" songs (see also the previous track and 1996's "Dream Harder").

Comments:
Overall, this is a tremendous CD by Mike and Rick Warsing. Ron Griffiths' contributions only make it even better. After the first few listenings, I've got to admit that I didn't like it very much, but the more I've played it, the more I've really enjoyed it. There's so much great songwriting and musicianship on this CD that it takes numerous listenings to catch all the great parts throughout all the songs. The only complaint I have is that the first track is a weak song and gives the first time listener a bad first impression of what the rest of the CD is going to be like. No Badfinger fan should be without this CD. It's probably the best solo CD by any Badfinger member, and is a lot of fun to listen to repeatedly.