All songs written by Joe Dooley except for North Sea Coast by Joe and Jim Dooley

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This album is culled from many sources through the years—live recordings in nightclubs, out-takes and cuts from Dooley Brothers albums, and from myriad "albums" recorded by Joe through the years. Since the 1960s, Joe recorded his songs on reel-to-reel tapes in a variety of places, most at our family homestead in River Forest. He recorded these in different rooms: many in his bedroom, some in the bathroom (good echo, of course), the kitchen, the attic, the backyard, and the old coal bin in the basement. The character of the overall sound of the tracks on this cd range from studio quality to a bit more rough. Many were recorded in one take and were meant to be used more for personal reference and enjoyment than to be released as final products. In each of them, it is the song itself that counts—the feeling, enthusiasm, humor or dreaminess. There are all kinds of songs here: folk, jazz, rock, world, vaudeville. But they have one common thread: they were all written by Joe.

I know all these songs like the back of my hand. Joe and I exchanged ideas and songs constantly. As often as not, Joe and I recorded together— and many times with brothers Mike and Bill. I remember fondly the lone, bare red bulb lit in the attic during a tremendous blizzard at 2:00am as we recorded “Moonshadows”.

It was a house exploding with creative sparks. We all were singing, writing, drawing, playing any instrument that happened to be lying around —a piano or a ukulele, a calypso drum box, a bird whistle, a washboard, wind chimes, a melodica and of course, guitars and more guitars of every size and shape—whatever thing we could get a sound out of. There was no limit to how we could craft our songs, because there was no pressure. Sure, we wanted to "make it" in music, and we were mindful of the public eye and ear, as we also were constantly performing at clubs and concerts. But in our own minds we had in every sense already made it. We churned out our own "albums” on reel-to-reel tapes as fast as we could record them, complete with hand-drawn album covers and liner notes. We recorded literally hundreds of original songs and tunes.

Some of Joe’s album titles include: “The Story of My Life”, “Shepherd’s Morning”, “Roots of Grass”, “Stained Glass Greenhouse”, “The Chimes of Insanity”, and “Drunk in My Underpants in Ireland” (one of the most classic album titles of any person—ever). Just as we looked forward to album releases by groups such as The Beatles, Byrds, Kinks etc., each of us looked forward to the other brother’s newest “release”. In what direction was his music going now? What were the subjects? Was it a concept album? How would it begin and how would it end? How was the trip?

Well, my family and I now live in the old family homestead, and I still have all of these albums (thank you, Anna, my beautiful wife, for your incredible patience with all the storage!). And I just realized as I am writing this, that this “Joe Album” is also being put together in the same house. It’s only logical.

Man, we had fun. We were letting our minds and souls flow—and the best part of it was that we knew we were! We were taking our gifts from God and trying to express them as well as we could. How could life get any better than that?

Joe is one of the most creative people that I’ve ever met. His pureness of songwriting and style is almost frightening in its apparent easiness. He would hardly ever talk about it; he’d just do it as a matter of course. And like songwriters such as Lennon and McCartney, and Ray Davies, he didn’t waste time analyzing his songs and thinking they were cool; he just wrote them and liked them for what they were. He would personally walk into his own song and dwell there—how cool is that? I have always had the firm belief that if an artist first creates for himself, and if he is true to himself, then the creation will be enjoyed by others as a human experience.

I hope you enjoy these brilliant songs as much as I do. Once I met him in the hall of our home, singing and playing his guitar as he walked past. I looked into the room he had left. The tape recorder was still recording; I realized he was doing a fade-out on a song. He then turned smoothly around, still strumming—and went back into the room, starting a new song.

Thanks, Joe. I consider it a privilege to have been a part of this. And this is only volume one.

Jim Dooley

 You go, Joe!