Crew Liner Notes

1. Green Board – A few years ago my son, Sgt. Mike Reed, sent me a Navy Cadence CD for my birthday.
He felt I might draw inspiration from the tracks. At first I said to myself, “what the hell am I going to do with
this stuff?” Then I noticed there was no mention of submariners. I said to myself, wouldn’t a submarine
cadence be a great intro to this album. While he was home on leave from Iraq, I had him record the lead to
the cadence. Having some quirky superstitions, I couldn’t finish it until he returned safely from his 2^nd tour.
He did so on 11 Sept 2006. Green Board! 1:00

2. I’m A Pigboat Sailor – All those stories about dirty, slimy, putrid, uncomfortable conditions and
by-the-way, “wouldn’t trade’m for a million bucks” are captured in this tune. I thank Bill Vasquez,
my long time buddy from the Carver, for writing most of the words for this song. 4:03

3. A Toast To The Thresher – Art (Doc) Rehme, bought one of my previous albums and asked me if he
could send me a poem he had written about the USS Thresher. He was a survivor of that fateful boat and
had known many men who had perished on her last dive. I was moved by his words and felt compelled to compliment them with this music. This one’s for all the Thresher sailors on eternal patrol. 2:03

4. Where’s My Crew – Once in awhile we all have one of those weekends where things don’t go according
to plan. John (Gumba) Carcioppolo had such a weekend and he wrote me an eloquent email describing his frustration. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t work down the “Honey-Do-List.” He was extremely perturbed and I readily empathized with him. I replied and said, “Gumba,” I think there is a song in your
message.” Let’s write a tune. He agreed and we were underway. As I was recording it, Ralph Davidson,
a good friend of mine, dropped by my studio and suggested several important changes and instantly became
a member of my crew. This song is dedicated to all those shipmates, friends and family who at various times
helped get the job done. 3: 13

5. We Owe You Guys A Lot – When I made the decision to produce this album, I knew I had to dedicate
it to my heroes, the submariners of WWII. If they hadn’t been so tenacious, we would probably all be
pressing #4 for English. Hand Salute to an incredible group of chance takers! 5:08

6. Looking Down From Ninety North – As unlikely as it may seem, the USS Seadragon and USS Skate rendezvoused at the North Pole and the boats challenged each other to a game of baseball. The conditions
were pretty wicked. Art (Doc) Rehme confirms this great sea story in a poem he sent me called
“A North Pole Trip.” I can’t say who won, but this tune provides some interesting insight into sailing
below the ice. 3:31

7. Somethings Are Hard To Let Go – In 1969 I was discharged from the submarine service and the
Vietnam War was raging. So were many Americans. Far too often veterans of this era were treated with
great distain. I was proud of my service and it hurt me to see those who answered the call treated this way.
Most of my colleagues were vets but we rarely talked about our service days until the early eighties.
This song allowed me to release a lot of the feelings I harbored for all those years. 2:12

8. This Is No Lie – Bill Vasquez is never without inspiration and captured another one with this tune.
No matter what boat you served on, there was at least one guy, who did it all, did it better and never
failed at anything. You might know this guy! I really wanted to put this tune in the traditional Navy
vernacular but I’m starting to mellow. 2:46

9. Submariners Never Go To Heaven – During the summer of 2005 I received an email from Mike
Keating, a fellow submariner and Internet friend. He told me that his granddaughter, who apparently is
quite outspoken, was attending bible school and her teacher said that all of us will be going to heaven.
Not so, she retorted. My Grandpa is not going to heaven; he’s going back to his “Qual Boat.”
That statement sure made me smile. I said to Mike, I think there’s a bunch of us who will reunite on
our Qual Boats. Thanks for the story. 2:43

10. My Good Friend – At some point in naval history, the use of cleaning alcohol (Gilley) was
discontinued. After all, the “Rum Ration” received a similar fate many years ago, so why not.
This tune may not be true, but then again… Bill Vasquez, thanks, you did it again. 2:17

11. I’ve Never Been A Dancer – A few years ago I gave my lovely bride, Margie, a mystery vacation
for Christmas. It happen to be to Key West, FL. One evening we were standing in Mallory Square just
as the sun was scorching the horizon. I became mesmerized by a tall ship named,
“The Hemisphere Dancer.” She took a picture of me in this trance, and when I saw it, there was no doubt
about it, I was sailing aboard her. Join me as we head south towards the equator. 2:53

12. Sometimes It Just Gives Me Chills – Every time I see our young patriots in uniform, I can’t help
but think of the sacrifices they are making for our country. And then I realize that this is not a new
phenomenon. By now, it’s been going on for centuries. One day I looked out my studio window and
saw our flag “straight out in the wind.” I couldn’t help but brew a smile. It’s predictable and I get chills
every time I see her. I picked up my guitar and started writing this song. I sent a copy to Don Ward for
review. He’s a fellow submariner and the best guitar player I know. He liked the words but said, inside
his head, he heard it with only a single guitar and a vocal. I agreed and asked him to record the guitar
track in his studio and send it to me on a CD. This song demonstrates that submariners can always
“depend upon each other.” 3:37

13. Never Mess With A White Hat – In the sixties I took comfort in the fact that someone in DC was
looking out for the welfare of our submariners. This was a great era. Some say it was “Better Living
Through Chemistry.” I say we had fun messing with Navy researchers. One day Art (Doc) Rehme
injected me with another one of his poems called the “Movie Officer’s Blues.” At the time I was
writing a tune about Navy shrinks and thought that integrating both concepts would make a good
marriage. Did you have these guys aboard your boat? 4:22

14. From Dreams To Submarines – Many folks focus on the Holland as our first submarine but it had
a predecessor by the name of the Alligator. Bill Vasquez came through again with his stellar research
and helped me write this song about our very first sub. Thank you Jim Christley, submarine historian,
for the inspiration. 4:12

15. We Are All American – Although Steve Corneliussen and I have never met in person, we have
been corresponding and sharing music for years. In March of 2007, he sent me lyrics to a song he had
written during the opening days of Operation Enduring Freedom. He said if I had room for one more
tune on this album feel free to use it. I happily accepted his generous offer, wrote the music and
recorded it. I feel it says a lot about Americans. 3:32

16. Boats Aren’t Made For Razorblades – A couple of years ago I received an email from Don Smith
the “Master, Web-Master.” He asked me if I could write a tune to honor Bob Opple’s efforts in returning
the USS Razorback from Turkey to Little Rock, AR. I agreed and asked Bill Vasquez to help write this
song. It took us nine months but we did it. 3:47