album notes

This album comes in several formats:
• CD (10 songs with 11 dubs)
• Vinyl 12 inch Picture Disc (side a: 6 songs, side b: 6 dubs)
• Digital  Basic (10 songs with 11 dubs) with PDF liner notes
• Digital Deluxe (10 songs with 11 dubs) 
with PDF liner notes
                AND instrumentals 
(non-dub),
                AND Karaoke tracks (with background vocals)
                AND two bonus vocal (alternate mixes) 

Track listing (CD and Digital Basic edition)
VOCALS
1 • Going Down That Road
2 • Next Big Thing
3 • Flats Fixed
4 • I Don't Know 
5 • The Part U R Missing 
6 • Hey Little Kitty
7 • I'll Take the Fifth
8 • Calculus of Romance
9 • Please Don't Break My Heart
10• When I Was Last on Cherry Street

DUBS (instrumental versions)
11 • Destination (Dub of Road)
12 • Restoration (Dub of Flats Fixed)
13 • Perception (Dub of I Don't Know)
14 • Found (Dub of Part U R Missing)
15 • Cabal (Dub of Conspiracy)
16 • Meow (Dub of Hey Little Kitty)
17 • Combinatorics (Dub of Calculus of Romance)
18 • Cobblestone (Dub of Cherry Street)
19 • Trending (Dub of Next Big Thing)
20 • Amendment (Dub of I'll Take the Fifth)
21 • Reconstruction (Dub of Don't Break My Heart)

Music, Lyrics, Engineering and Production by Louie Fleck
Mastered by Alan Douches • Art by Erica Harris
Benchwarrant Records • copyright © 2020 all rights reserved

Featuring NYC REGGAE COLLECTIVE
• Travis Calvert • Marcia Davis • Tim Zamboni • Doug Fischer • Louie Fleck •
• Pam Fleming • Nando Griffiths • Simone Gordon • Keith Johnston • Aya Kato • 
• Vince "Kazi" McCoy • Norman "Smurph" Murphy • Stan Rifken • Janet Roitz • 
• Guy Sherman • Nedelka Sotelo • Tony Trischka • Laury Webb • Robert Wood •

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this project. You know who you are! Special Thanks to Travis Calvert, Carla Parisi, Ron MacDonald, Karen Brooks Hopkins, BAMunion UAW Local 2110, 
Mary Rhymer, Sandy Imhoff, Flecks, Rosens, Paladinos and Kims worldwide, Lyudmila Kim and...
The NYC Reggae Jam!


In Memorium: Earl Appleton and Rich N Famous (Tom Twyman)


SONG CREDITS

All songs COMPOSED and Produced by Louie FLeck

1 • GOING DOWN THAT ROAD
Drums: Vince "Kazi" McCoy • Bass: Rupert McKenzie • Keyboards: Aya Kato
Trombone: Doug Fischer • Saxophone: Travis Calvert • Trumpet: Pam Fleming
Cuica: Stan Rifken • Background Vocals: Laury Webb and Nedelka Sotelo 
Lead Vocals, Guitars, Occasional Keys and Percussion: Louie Fleck

2 • NEXT BIG THING 
Drums: Vince "Kazi" McCoy • Bass: Tim Zamboni • Keyboards: Aya Kato
Trombone: Doug Fischer • Saxophone: Travis Calvert • Pedal Steel Guitar: Tony Trischka
Background Vocals: Marcia Davis, Simone Gordon, Keith Johnston
Lead Vocals, Guitars and Percussion: Louie Fleck

3 • FLAT FIXED
Drums: Vince "Kazi" McCoy • Bass: Rupert McKenzie • Keyboards: Aya Kato
Trombone: Doug Fischer • Saxophone: Travis Calvert • Trumpet: Pam Fleming
Background Vocals: Nedelka Sotelo
Lead Vocals, Guitars and Percussion: Louie Fleck

4 • I DON'T KNOW 
Drums: Vince "Kazi" McCoy • Bass: Rupert McKenzie • Keyboards: Aya Kato
Trombone: Doug Fischer • Saxophone: Travis Calvert 
Background Vocals: Simone Gordon, Nando Griffiths and Tim Zamboni 
 Vocals, Guitars and Percussion: Louie Fleck

5 • THE PART U R MISSING 
Drums: Vince "Kazi" McCoy • Bass: Tim Zamboni • Keyboards: Aya Kato
Trombone: Doug Fischer • Saxophone: Travis Calvert
Pedal Steel Guitar: Tony Trischka   
Background Vocals: Norman "Smurph" Murphy 
Lead Vocals, Guitars and Percussion: Louie Fleck

6 - HEY LITTLE KITTY
Drums: Vince "Kazi" McCoy • Bass: Tim Zamboni • Keyboards: Aya Kato
Trombone: Doug Fischer • Saxophone: Travis Calvert 
Background Vocals: Janet Roitz • Percussion: Guy Sherman 
Lead Vocals, Guitars, Keys and Percussion: Louie Fleck

7 - I'LL TAKE THE FIFTH 
Drums: Vince "Kazi" McCoy • Bass: Tim Zamboni • Keyboards: Aya Kato
Trombone: Doug Fischer • Saxophone: Travis Calvert 
Background Vocals: Simone Gordon • Cuica: Stan Rifken 
Lead Vocals, Guitars and Percussion: Louie Fleck

8 - CALCULUS OF ROMANCE 
Drums: Vince "Kazi" McCoy • Bass: Tim Zamboni • Keyboards: Aya Kato
Trombone: Doug Fischer • Saxophone: Travis Calvert 
Background Vocals: Nedelka Sotelo 
Lead Vocals, Guitars and Percussion: Louie Fleck

9 - PLEASE DON'T BREAK MY HEART
Drums: Vince "Kazi" McCoy • Bass: Rupert McKenzie • Keyboards: Aya Kato
Trombone: Doug Fischer • Saxophone: Travis Calvert 
Background Vocals: Norman "Smurph" Murphy 
Lead Vocals, Guitars and Percussion: Louie Fleck

10 - CHERRY STREET
Drums: Vince "Kazi" McCoy • Bass: Rupert McKenzie • Keyboards: Aya Kato
Trombone: Doug Fischer • Saxophone: Travis Calvert 
Pedal Steel Guitar: Tony Trischka  
Background Vocals: Nedelka Sotelo
Lead Vocals, Guitars and Percussion: Louie Fleck •

CONSPIRACY (12 inch vinyl only)
Drums: Matt Chamberlain • Keyboards: Aya Kato • Background Vocals: Nedelka Sotelo
Lead Vocals, Bass, Guitars, Keys and Percussion: Louie Fleck 



LYRICS
GOING DOWN THAT ROAD
Let's call it a warning, there's no need for a reply
Right now there's nothing burning, but, you could say that I'm twice shy
Sure, you've got the right to find a better way
But if you want some truth from me, all that I can say is…

I'm watching for the detours, I'm carrying a heavy load
I've got to make sure I won't be going down that road,
going down that road

I've been to every truck stop, and every back-woods town
May not have been everywhere, but Lord, I've been around
You don't want to hear it, a pack of well made lies
I know you've got a point and that's what I despise (chorus)

I'm watching for the detours, I'm carrying a heavy load
I've got to make sure I won't be going down that road
I'm searching for the map, its here somewhere,
I'm trying to break the code
I've got to make sure I won't be going down that road,
going down that road

I never thought I'd say it, it feels like I've gone blind
There's no other way to play it, You've been on my mind
Explaining and complaining about what's become of me 
If I was smart, I'd park my heart and throw away the key
From here to there and back, and down above and up below
Sometimes it's best to wait, but, now it's time to go (chorus)

To hell with all the detours, now I can't be slowed
Bound to be a big mistake, going down that road
I never had a map you know, I'll never break the code
Motors purring like a kitten, hope she don't explode
So climb aboard, shut the door, we're going down that road   
Going down that road, going down that road

THE NEXT BIG THING
The next big thing is as sharp as a tack…
The next big thing’s gonna be the new black
The next big thing… better pull down the blinds
‘cause the next big thing’s gonna blow a few minds
It’s a walk in the park, it’s a flickering spark,
I swear that it’s true and it reminds me of you
If you find it first won’t you give me a ring?
Everybody’s looking for the next big thing

The next big thing might be found underground…
The next big thing won’t be square or be round
The next big thing may have gone far away,
Before the next big thing had a moment to stay
Better wake up the dead, better get out the lead…
Make sure you don’t miss, it’s as soft as a kiss
Nobody knows what the future will bring…
Everybody’s looking for the next big thing

You may prosper, you may burn, wait until it is your turn
Pull me close, hold me near, don’t give up before it’s here…

The next big thing is such a delight…
The next big thing… man I hope it’s tonight!
The next big thing, it could be a mistake…
The next big thing keeps the neighbors awake
The next big thing could be green or be blue…
The next big thing won’t be anything new
The next big thing is a door to the past…
The next big thing might as well be the last

Down at the playground, right by the swing…
Down at the compound, hear the phone ring 
Nobody knows what the future will bring…
Everybody’s looking for the next big thing 

FLATS FIXED
I want to make it so you don’t complain, now baby
I want to turn off that part of your brain, now baby
Have a sandwich or something sweet, I don’t care, but you should eat
You’ll be feeling warm and fine, try a glass of this red wine
I want to make it so you don’t complain, now baby

I want to break those chains and set us free, now baby
I want to pull you close right next to me, now baby
I’ve been here so long, it’s true, I’d like end up some place new
Under the covers, no one’s right, no one’s wrong, at least tonight
I want to break those chains and set us free, now baby

There’s no time left to rehearse, there’s awful days and others worse
Some days are not so bad… don’t drive yourself completely mad

I want to see you smile when you see me, now baby
It may take a while, so let it be, now baby
I say we all make mistakes... You can repair the heart that breaks
I thought our future was secure, baby don’t slam the door!
I want to see you smile when you see me, now baby
I want to make it so you don’t complain, now baby
I want to break those chains and set us free, now baby

I DON’T KNOW
I don’t know, it’s all I’ve thinking of
I don’t know, what destroyed our love
I don’t know, you hide, I seek, we never speak… it’s true
I don’t know, I’m kind of lost without you

I don’t know, we drifted apart, so sadly
I don’t know, how we got along so badly
I don’t know, I grumble and I curse, I stumble and I falter 
I don’t know, why I left you at the alter

I used to know a thing or two, that was way back when, 
I used to know a thing or two, that was before I knew that..

I don’t know, I made me some bad decision
I don’t know, when I’ll be breaking out of prison
I won’t know, for eternity why you threw away the key
I don’t know, what’s become of me

I don’t know… I’m kind of lost without you

THE PART U R MISSING
Your recipe 4 happiness needs 2 B adjusted
The chef who cooked it up really can’t B trusted
Some ingredients R wrong… the spices R 2 strong…
You left it in the oven & it may have been too long
There’s 1 thing you’ll need B 4 it’s 2 late 2 C. 
The part that U R missing...

There’s no option or advance & the studio hasn’t bitten
This draft of your screenplay can’t get shot as written
The through line isn’t strong, the exposition… long
And 1 of the characters is absolutely wrong!
There’s 1 thing you’ll need B 4 it’s 2 late 2 see.
The part that U R missing

To think I think the world revolves around me isn’t true.
I wish U would C the world 4 me still only turns 4 U.

There’s no room 4 subtlety, perhaps U should confess
While you’ve got the best intentions, you’ve really made a mess
Your will is very strong, & U might w8 2 long…
Please don’t let both of us turn out 2 B wrong
There’s 1 thing you’ll need B 4 it’s 2 late 2 C…
The part that U R missing… the part U will B missing
The part that U R missing is me.

HEY LITTLE KITTY
Hey little kitty, hang around my door,
I know this kitty what she come here for  
Sad little cries coming from her soul,
She needs more than an empty bowl      
Oh yes, hey little kitty… Oh no, my little girl  

Hey little kitty with your eyes so green,
Fur so dirty and your look so lean 
It's a cruel world on a sunny day,
This little kitty needs a place to stay 
Oh yes, hey little kitty… Oh no, my little girl  

Did you pick me or I pick you?
Hey little kitty, what you gonna do? 
Did I pick you or you pick me?
We'll be together for eternity  

Hey little kitty there's no need to hide,
Hey little kitty, you can come inside 
Take a look around, tell me what you see,
The night so long, you can stay with me 
Oh yes, hey little kitty… Oh no, my little girl  

I’LL TAKE THE FIFTH
Polite warnings and defiant denials,
Fat little fingers clutching checkerboard tiles 
Bitter accusations, frozen two-faced smiles
I refuse to take part in this emotional witch trial 
Boring board games only breed distraction 
Winning won't bring either of us any closer to satisfaction 
The price is steep, so is the cliff
No, no, my little duckie, I'll take the fifth… I'll take the fifth

Sometimes you act so mature, sometimes like a real adult 
So why am I on the floor adding compliment to insult?
You want to make a settlement, but you've got no case 
Even those innocent eyes cannot hide that guilty face 
Boring board games only breed distraction 
Winning won't bring either of us any closer to satisfaction 
You're so cheap, even the waitress got stiffed 
No, no, my little duckie, I'll take the fifth… I'll take the fifth

She wonders why I'm always so tired 
She asks me to tell her exactly what here might have changed
And when I told her my library card had expired
She didn't believe me, but, everything else was the same 
Boring board games only breed distraction 
Winning won't bring either of us any closer to satisfaction 
The price is steep, so is the cliff,
You're so cheap, even the waitress got stiffed 
You're lucky, but maybe you're not so swift, 
No, no, my little duckie, I'll take the fifth… I'll take the fifth

CALCULUS OF ROMANCE
I’m changing it up, I’m shaking it down, 
I am making space and time, so I won’t have to drown
In my former life, which was out of control,
I found my baggage, and it’s taken its toll
It’s the calculus of romance, make sure that you don’t dwell
In the virtual, contextual illusionary spell

I reduce and reuse, I upscale and down size,
I want a regular girl, who’s like one of the guys 
Not a vampire I will need to kill with a spike 
I hope pretty soon I’ll find someone I like
I’m looking for the funny, I’m sick of the sad,
I’m looking at your picture and hey, you don’t look half bad
I’m tracking down a unicorn, I’m looking for a light,
So we can spend a lifetime here in a single night

It’s the calculus of romance, there’s mirrors and there’s smoke
The odds are in my favor, my calculator’s broke
I can’t resist smoking when I have a drink,
I’m known to read minds, so watch out what you think
I am under the radar, and off of the street,
This one seems like someone I would like to meet
I’m naughty and nasty, I am painfully shy,
I hope that I can find you before the day I die

It’s the calculus of romance, where the future meets the past
And strangers become frenemies, it happens pretty fast
In the calculus of romance, there’s a formula to sell
Cold case of code to crack, there’s no chance in hell…
I’ll find you amongst these pages… we haven’t talked in ages

PLEASE DON’T BREAK MY HEART
Please don’t break my heart, I would rather hear your lies
There is no crime like the truth to bring tears to these eyes
Rumors and tales of your past (I won’t believe) are the talk of the town
My friends say it’s a matter of time until you put me down.
Don’t break my heart, please don’t break my heart,
Please don’t break my heart,

Please don’t make me sad, Stay here and be true
I had never known love, until the day I found you
I am drawn to the flame and still I always return
(though I’ve been burned)
So maybe I’m an optimist or maybe I never learn
Don’t break my heart, please don’t break my heart,
Please don’t break my heart,

At any moment the shoe might drop,
The cake might fall, the spell might break
But could any moment of loving you really be a such a big mistake?

Please don’t break my heart, I do not think it can mend
I know I have no control, I know one day it must end
Please don’t say goodbye, you are the one I would miss
(I would miss)
Let it be some other day, I am not ready for this.
Don’t break my heart, please don’t break my heart,
Please don’t break my heart,
Please don’t break my heart, please don’t break my heart,
Please don’t break my heart

CHERRY STREET
When you were last on Cherry Street, the fifth floor walk-up tenement flat
You slept out on the fire escape above the stoop where old men sat
When you were last on Cherry Street, your mother’s newsstand by the shul
Is where you worked most everyday before and sometimes after school
When you were last on Cherry Street, a parting letter told them not to fear
Having joined the Merchant Marines and you would return some other year 

You can go but you can’t get back, through the stormy times and when the sea is calm
I had a few hundred questions, about the way it was, 
I guess I’ll make it all up now ‘cause you are gone.

When you were last on Cherry Street before the strike changed his fate
Your father pressed another cloak from way to early to way to late
When you were last on Cherry Street It was a hot wet sweaty night
You kissed a girl by the Manhattan Bridge and stayed out ‘til it was light
When you were last on Cherry Street
Where English was the foreign tongue
Your mother never learned to speak,
but from the temple walls the wise men sung

You can go but you can’t get back,
through the stormy times and when the sea is calm
I had a few hundred questions, about the way it was, 
I guess I’ll make it all up now ‘cause you are gone.

When you were last on Cherry Street It was a noisy dirty place
The cobblestones had been paved over, your mother’s home had been replaced
When you were last on Cherry Street, you know it might’ve been too long
Thought you were only driving through, a ghost called out and sang this song

CONSPIRACY (vinyl only)
It runs dark, it runs deep, and surely it runs wide
We know there’s many an agent working it out from the inside 
Everywhere are cameras, microphones and prying eyes
Recording in the background, surely now, its no surprise

The truth is somewhere... Conspiracy
Act like you don’t care... Conspiracy 
What are you gonna do? Conspiracy…
Everyone knows but you

It’s not hard to imagine, so why can’t you understand?
Just because you don’t know how or where or when,
Surely it was quite well planned
Yes it seems inevitable. Yes, it makes me leery
Something stinks in Denmark, this is not a theory

Behind your neighbor’s door… Conspiracy
Yet another secret war… Conspiracy
You say it cannot be a conspiracy…
And then they come for you

From the job you work to the place where your friends meet
From the halls of power to the shadows lurking on your street
Take a look at the evidence, foundation under attack
Everywhere you turn, you better watch your back

You can say I’m paranoid or say that I’ve gone mad
But I’ve been around the block a few times, this is really bad
From media to government, there’s a target on the truth
Could I be specific? Why the Hell do you need more proof?