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Stewart MacDougall & Colin Lay Recorded,
Mixed and Mastered by Colin Lay Photography
and Graphic Design by Tim Lee Musicians |
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My first poem, written with my father, was a ballad about a freight pulling up Bolkow Hill on the CPR mainline in Northern Ontario. Forty years later, a part of me is still working on that poem. Ghost Trains started out as a piece for the Jack Kereoke Liberation Jam in Regina. It turned into a small book, then Pete Smith said he saw a play in it and the piece evolved into a story about the mileage between fathers and sons. I told Ben Henderson I was hearing music and he hooked me up with Stewart who nailed Track Speed on the first rough demo and sealed the deal. We did the show on the fringe, then on the radio, and then it was translated into French and put back on the stage. And now Stewart has made it into something else, something of his own. I hope it´s ok with him, but when I hear this album I´m back at my parent´s kitchen table, and dad and the uncles are passing the bottle, they´re telling stories, they´re railroadin´. And I´m 12 years tall. And I´m home. Thanks to
the Saskatchewan
Playwrights Centre, Saskatchewan Arts Board and The Berton House in
Dawson
City; Peter Smith and Philip Adams for an early push; Scott Patrick,
Ben
Henderson and Robert Benz for the Fringe; thanks especially to Stewart
for first singing these songs on those long-distance calls.
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| Mansel´s plays include Collateral Damage (Blizzard Publishing) as well as Colonial Tongues,The Heart As It Lived and Downsizing Democracy (Playwrights Canada Press), Rock ´n Rail: Ghost Trains and Spitting Slag (Thistledown Press) and Street Wheat (Coteau Books). He was born in the bush and lives on the prairie. |
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Track
Speed |
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My Father
Is a Brakeman |
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Stan
Twist |
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Stewart MacDougall Troubleclef 2003 Review by Stan Twist For fans of quality western folk and country music in Canada, Stewart MacDougall needs little introduction. His time spent with Laura Vinson's Red Wyng, Ian Tyson's Chinook Arch Riders, k.d. lang's reclines and the Great Western Orchestra speaks well of his musical career in Edmonton since moving there over 20 years ago. In addition, MacDougall's songwriter prowess is well documented, not least in the cover versions recorded by Randy Travis, Ian Tyson and k.d.lang. Since the demise of the much lamented Great Western Orchestra, MacDougall has performed and recorded as a solo act, to much critical acclaim. Two previous albums, "Gathering Time" and "Heresay", revealed Stewart to be a compelling frontman with a rich, warm baritone, as well as showing his continued growth as a world class songwriter. MacDougall's latest project, "Ghost Trains", is a little different than his previous two solo albums. While he's collaborated with other songwriters before on individual songs (with the likes of Billy Cowsill, Mike Shellard and Ian Tyson), this album finds him penning the entire affair with author / playwright Mansel Robinson. The project is based on a play written by Robinson and first performed as a poem for voice and guitar on CBC radio back in 1997. It was later staged as a play including songs co-written with MacDougall at the Fringe Festivals in Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton in 2001, as well as airing as a radio play on CBC radio that same year. MacDougall then conceived a version which would feature the song cycle punctuated with spoken word sequences from the play and submitted the idea to the Canada Council for the Arts. Quicker than you can say "loose Liberal government purse strings", the money was granted and the project recorded in late fall of last year (2002). The original play is set against the backdrop of 100 years of Canadian railroad history and involves an outlaw son and a dying father, both intrinsically tied to the railroad. Now, if the idea of an entire story about trains evokes the specter of a bunch of overweight, balding men gathered in the town's only model shop on a Thursday night talking about Lionel's latest replica of the "Old 97" that used to shunt between Hog's Hollow and Shakeytown, you can be forgiven. Train buffs are the Star Wars nerds of a previous generation and have somewhat tarnished railroad aficionados' image over the years. In a musical sense, however, railroads are a key element in country and folk songwriting, lest we forget that the father of modern country music was Jimmie Rodgers, "The Singing Brakeman". The album is structured so that a spoken word sequence (all narrated beautifully by MacDougall) leads into a song. While this artistic conceit looks good on paper (and no doubt was a selling point with the Canada Council), in reality, it works for about one listen. But, that's why God created programmable CD players. What you're left with is an excellent 8 song album by Stewart MacDougall, in some ways his most consistent to date, if only because the narrative structure forces the lyrics to stick to one subject. This might sound like a bad thing at first, but the story is so compelling and evocative that you quickly get caught up in the imagery and drama. Like his two previous collaborations with producer Colin Lay, this one is sparse in instrumental accompaniment, with most of the focus being on MacDougall’s always-dazzling piano and smooth, clear voice. The album kicks off with a train inspired drum rhythm that sounds like it was lifted whole off of one of Johnny Cash' s early Sun Records singles and MacDougall and Robinson set the scene with "Track Speed", one of the strongest cuts on the album. Overdubbing allows MacDougall to harmonize with himself on a triple tracked lead vocal that might be about trains, might be about life. "Last of the Outlaws" could have easily sat on one of those mid-seventies Waylon 'n' Willie outlaw country albums, not just because of the lyrical concerns, but because of the lilting West Texas waltz that moves the song along. It talks about trains and outlaws, and it only misses being the perfect country song because it doesn't mention Mama. "Dark Territory", on the surface, is about trains, but a closer listening reveals a song about death and loss, one of the best meshings of words and music on the album. My favorite song on the disc is "Angel of the Mainline", a railroader 's ode to a mythical "Queen of the cupola blues" who may be a harlot with a heart of gold or a dying man's first glimpse of heaven. This is one of the few songs on the album to use organ, an instrumental element that I've always enjoyed in MacDougall's past work. The album ends much the same way it began, with a train rhythm shuffle and triple tracked vocal singing about "Ghost Trains". A lament about a dying way of life (and a dying man), with it's "blood burning dirty as coal". I should also point out how well the CD package is put together. First class all the way, with a full lyric booklet and some beautiful photos by Tim Lee. Even taken out of context, these songs work very well on their
own and
make up another superb chapter in Stewart MacDougall's already
impressive
body of work. Stan Twist currently resides in Seattle, Washington and despite a career working in radio, video production, drugstore management and other unsavory trades, his true passion has always been music. A fanatical collector of rock, blues and country, he has a zealot's desire to turn the world on to great music, something he first indulged in by writing weekly reviews for The Daily Gleaner and the Brunswickan in his hometown of Fredericton, New Brunswick. By the mid-80s, his critical output was limited to the occasional quote or article in legendary East Coast music mags like Trouser Press and 99th Floor. In recent years, he’s been content to write reviews for the hundreds of "mix discs" he sends unsolicited to his many music loving friends. He was recently coaxed out of "retirement" by his old friend Stewart MacDougall to write a review for his wonderful "Ghost Trains" CD.
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 October,
2003 |
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| CD Reviews by Larry Delaney |
| CD
Review - STEWART MacDOUGALL - Ghost Trains
STEWART MacDOUGALL Edmonton-based Stewart MacDougall (a Maritimer by birth) is one of the more creative artists on the Canadian musical map (he's played in bands for K.D. Lang, Laura Vinson and Ian Tyson, etc., and he has established himself as a solid solo recording artist in recent years with two truly exceptional albums (Gathering Time and Heresay) of original songs and music. This new offering is a concept album. Ghost Trains is sub-titled “All Of The Songs And Some Of the Story” and it is combination of Stewart MacDougall’s songs about trains, each intro-ed with brief poems on the subject, composed by Mansel Robinson, also a "trains" devotee. Robinson also collaborates on the "songs". Listening to the poems and songs of Ghost Trains is like getting on the CPR and riding the rails from coast to coast (back in the good old frontier days, when you could ride the rails from coast to coast across this great nation (oh yeah, that was Lightfoot's trip). Stewart MacDougall reads the Mansel Robinson poetry…and then segues into the song that relates to the poem. There are many picturesque moments --- everything from jumping on trains hobo style, to runaway trains, to the demise of the railways. The bonus comes in that you don't have to be a lover of "trains" to enjoy this music…MacDougall's intriguing vocal style, his tasty musicianship (his keyboards are supported only by some light percussion and acoustic guitar tracks), and the mystique of the concept itself, all help to make this an album that most everyone will appreciate. Ghost Trains was co-produced by Stewart MacDougall with Colin Lay, and recorded at Edmonton's Beta Sound Studios |
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Music Reviews |
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North CountryNew on the Canadian Country Music chartsBy Peter North |
| Ghost Trains: All of the Songs and Some of the Story Stewart MacDougall / Trouble Clef Music  There's
nothing conventional about Stewart MacDougall's Ghost Trains recording,
which is what makes it one of the more interesting recorded works from
a prairie artist in the past year. The good news is that it's just as
alluring
after repeated listenings as it is interesting.
A spin-off, of sorts, from a Fringe play production that teamed MacDougall with playwright Mansel Robinson, Ghost Trains brings the character of Dougie McCrea to life in both story and song. The images and emotions of romance, adventure, heartbreak, foolhardy behaviour and tragedy dot this journey, that is thematically strung together by the rails that run from one end of this country to the other. MacDougall is not only a gifted artist, but an exceptional craftsman. His pieces are lean, poetic and melodic, and a perfect balance for this set of tunes was found between his vocals and what is a very effective, yet spare, instrumental framework. His keyboard work is the desired, additional punctuation to the precisely written lines of lyrical showstoppers like "97 Cars", "I Just Like Trains", and "Last of the Outlaws", while the narrative inserts MacDougall borrowed from the theatrical production not only add an element of drama, but are essential in completing this intriguing and heartfelt story. A resonant and accomplished singing voice, some effective embellishments from the guitar of Gary Koliger and percussive arsenal of Kenny Chalmers, and exceptional packaging, are the icing on a superb piece of work from this artist who long ago established himself as an artistic force, while working with The Great Western Orchestra, k.d. lang and Ian Tyson. |
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Friday, November 14, 2003 |
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There's nothing like the sound of lonesome whistle blasts announcing
the
arrival of a freight train roaring through the wide open prairie. Such a sound would provide the perfect punctuation to tonight's performance of Ghost Trains, an enterprising undertaking produced by local tunesmith Stewart MacDougall. The outgrowth of a play that combines spoken word and music, Ghost Trains was given it's first reading in early 2001 at the annual Spring Festival of New Plays at the University of Saskatchewan. The brainchild of writer Mansel Robinson, the piece gained some steam after being workshopped at the aforementioned festival and eventually turned up at three prairie fringe festivals. Robinson had been introduced to MacDougall by a mutual friend. The two wrote nine (sic) pieces of music to partner with Robinson's poems, which bear such titles as My Father Is A Brakeman, I Only Ever Robbed One Train and Wits, Guts, Memory, Faith. "I participated in the workshopping of the play as well as a CBC Radio taping of the work and throughout the process found I was really liking the songs," says MacDougall, who was eventually encouraged to apply for a Canada Council grant to record the material. The jury that critiqued his proposal gave it the thumbs up and last year he entered Beta Studio with producer Colin Lay and put the nine (sic) songs to tape. MacDougall also stepped up to the microphone and did his own recitation of Robinson's poems. As of last month, MacDougall's third solo album was available under the title Ghost Trains: All of the Songs and Some of the Story. "I found a comfort zone reading the pieces but I don't consider it acting," said MacDougall, who'll perform the record - spoken word and songs in their entirety - with an impressive cast at Festival Place. Multi-instrumentalist / vocalist Mark Sterling, bass player / vocalist Ron Rault, guitarist Gary Koliger and drummer Scott Anderson will bring additional life to such tunes as Last of the Outlaws, Angel of the Mainline and the lengthy title track that will allow the players a chance to ride the musical rails and stretch out. "Tim Lee, who designed the album jacket, has come up with projections of the photos in the booklet and they'll cover the entire backdrop, from wall to wall and floor to ceiling," said MacDougall. Ghost Trains is just one more intriguing turn in MacDougall's career that includes major songwriting credits for the likes of k.d. lang, Ian Tyson and Randy Travis. |
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| 16 Weekend |
The Edmonton Sun,
Friday,
November 14, 2003
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Staff Writer |
to Festival Place tonight |
 Mosey
over, Ian Tyson. Stewart MacDougall is taking "cowboy poetry" to a new
level - putting it on wheels and sending it off into the night. You
might
even say he's presenting one theatrical side to the age-old contest
between
the horse and the iron horse. Who will win - the horse or the train?
Both
figure prominently in the rhythms of country music, both are heavily
romanticized.
One can carry lots of emotional freight, the other will lovingly nuzzle
your hand. We shall see. MacDougall's unusual CD release for Ghost Trains: All of the Songs and Some of the Story, a mix of music and spoken word at Festival Place in Sherwood Park tonight, is not, he insists, an example of cowboy poetry. It's train poetry. The Ghost Trains CD is a turnabout to Mansel Robinson's 2001 Fringe play of the same name, for which MacDougall wrote the music. As the focus was on the narrative - a complex, romantic tale rich in railroad imagery- the songs got the short shrift.It was, you might say, all of the story and some of the songs. MacDougall liked working on the project so much he decided to record an entire album with the songs fleshed out in a full band setting, including only some of the story. Hence the title of the show. |
Perhaps an
example
of Robinson's "train poetry" is called for here. On the phone, MacDougall gladly obliges: "An eastbound freight drinks at the fuel stand. I shiver with the crows , hopping foot to foot for warmth. Clear signal, second hoot of the whistle, the tonnage groans, I swing on up and in, crouched in the rolling dark of the second unit, eye the floor for the railway cop. Safe. I spin a thermos cap, tea with lemon, sipping it's warmth, mainline and stars. In the fireman's seat I dream and she dances, dipped in white, icing up the aisle, wet dreams of her and me and her. And I wake at dawn in the blank INCO hills of Sudbury to buy these diamond slivers." MacDougall says he was inspired by Robinson's story and "romanticized" view of railroad culture. Also by the fact that trains are on their way out (and, sadly, more modern forms of transportation lack the essential rhythms of trains). Of course, one can always go back to horses, which never go out of style. (Take that, John Henry.) MacDougall considers himself an "honorary cowboy" by virtue of all the cowboy bands in which he's played. He also knows horses. "But in my continually confounding way, I ride English," he laughs, then explains the joke for all the non cowboys out there, "I do like the fox hunting kind of riding, the jumping over fences stuff. You couldn't get much ropin' done from an English saddle because there's nothin' to dally your rope onto." OK, then. But you've been on a horse at least once in the last month, right? "I'm on a horse once a week." In fact you're on a horse right now, aren't you? The honorary cowboy laughs. "I would be on a horse tomorrow if I wasn't getting ready for this show." It must be comforting to know that once this train gig is done, MacDougall's faithful steed will be waiting for him. There's a message in there somewhere. |
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| Track
Speed
There'll be no
forty below Walk him to the
station A good man on the
throttle There'll be no
forty below Lyric by Mansel Robinson & Stewart MacDougall
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| Last
of the Outlaws
He's the last of
the outlaws He's the last of
the outlaws He's the last of
the outlaws He's the last of
the outlaws Lyric by Mansel Robinson & Stewart MacDougall
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| Dark
Territory
A black night on
the mainline
no stars or Northern Lights Into Dark
Territory My father is a
brakeman awash
on the mainline Into Dark
Territory In too dark
territory Lyric by Mansel Robinson & Stewart MacDougall
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| Say
Good-bye (To Diesel and Steam)
Say goodbye
Say goodbye
It's a ghost of a
train that's
still rolling Say goodbye
It's a ghost of a
train that's
still rolling Say goodbye
Lyric by Mansel Robinson & Stewart MacDougall
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| 97 Cars
Ninety-seven cars
rock my
dreams Ninety-seven cars
Ninety-seven
cars Ninety-seven cars
rock my
dreams Lyric by Mansel Robinson & Stewart MacDougall
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| Angel Of The Mainline I got a ten
dollar room at
the railroad hotel Angel of the
mainline On a siding east
of Bisco
I'm sweating it out Angel of the
mainline Angel of the
mainline Lyric by Mansel Robinson & Stewart MacDougall
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| I Just Like Trains My grampa was a
fireman You might say I'm
a bad man Until you've
shovelled coal Lyric by Mansel Robinson & Stewart MacDougall
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| Ghost Trains Steel wheels
singing You know that
track You've run that
line Steel wheels
singing Lyric by Mansel Robinson & Stewart MacDougall
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| My
Father Is A Brakeman
My father is a
brakeman awash
on the mainline The
Canadian like a
pocket liner steams over this horizon. At five and ten I
dream this
dream: Mansel Robinson
It wasn't money
drove my
Uncle Sammy to the rails But wasn't money
sent Sammy
to the road at sixteen years. So Sammy joins up
next month Mansel Robinson
There's still a place on the mainline called dark territory. Like the old maps that used to say, here be dragons to indicate mystery: unexplored oceans, the dark heart of Africa, the New World, here be dragons, dark territory. It's a place not governed by the new technology, central traffic control, computer chips, fail-safe signals. The rules that govern this section are a hundred years old. Which doesn't make them necessarily wrong, it's just that the crew never knows if the train coming at them is following those same ancient rules. You never know until it's too late, you never know until the head-on bump at a combined speed of 120 miles an hour. So you run your train by your wits, your gut, your memory - and your faith. Mansel Robinson
We go into this
pawn shop,
my father and me, when I was a kid. Been there before. Just a
pawnshop.
But today, today behind the counter sits John A. MacDonald
himself,
pouch-eyed, whisky breath. He nods toward a shelf of tools, bucksaws
and
augers, grinding discs and vise grips, a wire brush. Then I see the
reason
for the nod. I see the Last Spike has been pawned. You know the
spike
I mean, "Stand Fast Craigellachie", the last stitch in the twin silver
ribbons, the last inches anchored in the sea to shining sea. Did it
glitter? Mansel Robinson
I only ever
robbed one train. Mansel Robinson
An east-bound
freight drinks
at the fuel stand Mansel Robinson
A lazy son, a
deadbeat, is
the worst thing you can be in a family like ours. Mansel Robinson
On the edge of
his chair
on the outskirts of the night The telephone
rings on the
outskirts of the night The telephone
rings on the
outskirts of the night The telephone
wakes us at
the edge of our dreams Thirty miles out
from the
edge of the end In the heart of
the heart
of the bush now steel biting into
steel I'm sixteen and
wild I'm twelve years
tall rollin
west from Montreal I'm six years old
nose flat
to the glass you're rollin
Mansel Robinson
I only ever
robbed one train. Mansel Robinson
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