From The Vault - Rarities (1997)
Tracks
- Stratus (5:29)
- Into Fire (3:42)
- Fire / Waste Away (6:01)
- The Light - home demo (15:26)
- Excerpts from The Doorway - live (2:25)
- The Doorway - home demo (10:20)
- Waste Away - alt. mix (5:23)
- Walking On The Wind - home demo (10:40)
- Go The Way You Go - home demo (12:03)
Lyrics
Stratus
Instrumental
(Original by Billy Cobham)
Neal Morse:
“Originally on Billy Cobham’s Spectrum LP, we recorded it during the Kindness of Strangers sessions in April of ‘97 at Kevin Gilbert’s studio. It was going to be the bonus track for Kindness, but, Ryo brought in a sketch of what would become ‘Into Fire’ and Stratus just couldn’t compare! Since it’s Nick’s favorite way to start rehearsals, and Al and I have been jamming to it since we were teenagers, we thought it would be fun to record. And it was.”
Into Fire
They rage into the night
Cloaked in gowns of thunder
And the rising tide
Your flesh will start to burn with the hunger
Your soul will open wide
All the devils that tormented you
All the angels that you never knew
Into the depths you will plunder
You will plunder
Into the fire!
Bathed in tainted blood
As the death count grows higher
It’s the dawn of the day
Licensed with the will of desire
It’s a crime that doesn’t pay
It’s the temple of all sacrifice
It’s the burning that will leave no ice
Throw yourself upon the flaming pyre
It’s getting higher
Into the fire!
They rage into the night
Cloaked in gowns of thunder
And the rising tide
Your flesh will start to burn with the hunger
Your soul will open wide
People remember what you see
‘Cause what you did - did THIS to me!
Into the depths you will plunder
You will plunder
Into the fire!
Neal Morse:
“Dave says of this writing/recording session, “By far, that’s the most fun I’ve ever had in the studio!”. This was also recorded at Kevin’s in April of ‘97 and was written and recorded in 4 hours. Ryo brought the charts (he had written the music that day) and while the rest of the band was cutting the track, I was in the corner scribbling down lines like “Throw yourself upon the flaming pyre”. In the 3rd hour Dave, Ryo and I wrote the whole lyric. I remember Dave throwing in critical words when I was stuck like, ‘tainted’, to which came a resounding “ooohhhh, that’s good!” from the rest of us, and the line “bathed in tainted blood” was born. collaboration at it’s finest! Note: that’s Ryo on the top background vocal part. While Dave, Ryo and I were doing the backgrounds we were laughing so hard we were crying! Maybe you had to be there…” Note:
“Into Fire” is the result of JVC requesting a Heavy Metal song as a bonus track for the Japanese release of “The Kindness Of Strangers”
Fire
Live at Progfest ‘97
Alright,
now dig this, baby
You don’t care for me
I don’t a-care about that
Got a new fool, ha
I’d like to laugh at
I have only one burning desire,
let me stand next to your fire
Hey (Let me stand next to your fire)
Let me stand next to your fire
(Let me stand next to your fire)
Whoa, let me stand, baby
(Let me stand next to your fire)
Let me stand
(Let me stand next to your fire)
Yeah, baby
Listen here, baby
and stop actin’ so crazy
You say your mom ain’t home,
it ain’t my concern
Just a-play with me
and you won’t get burned
I have only one itchin’ desire,
let me stand next to your fire
Msssst, yeah (Let me stand next to your fire)
Let me stand, baby
(Let me stand next to your fire)
Let me stand
(Let me stand next to your fire)
Oh, let me stand
(Let me stand next to your fire)
Ow!
Ahh, move over, Rover
and let Jimi take over
Yeah, you know what I’m talk(in’) about
Yeah, get on with it, baby
Ow
Yeah
Thats what I’m talkin’ about
Now dig this
Ha!
Now listen, baby
You try to give me your money,
you better save it, babe
Save it for your rainy day
I have only one burnin’ desire,
let me stand next to your fire, ha
Ow (Let me stand next to your fire)
Uh, let me stand
(Let me stand next to your fire)
Oh, let me stand, baby
(Let me stand next to your fire)
I ain’t gonna do you no harm
(Let me stand next to your fire)
Ow
Yeah
You better move over, baby
I ain’t gonna hurt ya, baby
Ah, I ain’t talk(in’) with your ol’ lady
Ow
Ah, yes, this is Jimi talkin’ to you
Yeah, baby
Doooo
(Original by Jimi Hendrix)
Neal Morse:
“We did this originally because, as an encore, ‘Waste Away’ is too slow. So we surrounded it with ‘Fire’ by Hendrix to make it more exciting. This is the first time we ever performed this rather odd segue, so it’s definitely loose but the energy is there. Also, I left off the last verse because they wanted to get John Wetton on, and we were already over time”
Excerpt from The Doorway (live)
Neal Morse:
“Recorded at Progfest ‘95, this is so nobody feels left out of this bonus track thing. The other one (on Darkness) is ‘On The Edge’ from our ‘Live Bootleg’ album. You may breathe normally; your collection is complete. Al and I break into something called ‘Asylum’ that we wrote when we were 13 and 15. It came about because our guitars happened to be tuned a minor third apart so, when we started playing, there was a naturally bizarre sound to it. It was Al’s idea to throw it in ‘The Doorway’.”