Ella Records

05/11/2024

New Willie Wisely and Kristin Mooney! "In A Silent Way" is streaming now at Spotify!

03/03/2024

https://youtu.be/MD3oU1gowu4?si=c6-_PUSUxgGLJnAL

Wow, a great doc. I read the big article that came out 7-8 years ago with the backstory. But seeing the copious footage was a delight.

Best quip: "Wow, if a bomb goes off in here, John Denver will be back on top." - Paul Simon

Biggest fan-boy moment: Working out harmonies is something I do with my friends and collaborators. But to see the Titans discussing the options, and then rendering them instantly with their inimitable voices… well, my brain and heart and tear ducts exploded.

Coolest Side-bar: Steve Perry and Darryl Hall sitting on the floor, hanging out like teenagers, making perfect harmony suggestions to Huey Lewis.

Biggest 'Coulda Guessed': Prince playing head games, not showing up, bringing out the worst in everyone, essentially forcing Quincy Jones & Ken Kragen to invite Sheila E. as a lure for Prince. To be clear, there was no one in that room more talented than Prince, and he should've fu***ng been there, and they should've just said yes and given him the outro guitar solo he suggested, even if it would've made the song even longer than it already insufferably was. But what they didn't realize is that it would've been another Prince "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame, or "Purple Rain" at the Superbowl moment for the ages. Regardless, as much as I idolize Prince, he was truly a prick.

Sneakiest Bit: Ray Charles cut his lead vocal next day, blowing the get-everything-in-one-night myth. This was minimized in terms of doc, not really mentioned beyond a remark way off camera, someone says, "Ray's gotta go, he's older than me."

Best Arrangement: Ray Charles' solo piano version off in the corner during warm ups. Honestly, the recording should've been arranged around Ray's piano, not those sesh-cat backing tracks. The vanilla performances and 80's production standards of this recording dated it the minute it was released, which to me is much of why the song is not truly timeless. The bigger reason though is a structural problem: when it goes to the minor-6 "There's a choice we're making…, we're saving our own lives"… that's as cringy, saccharine and hackneyed as can be. And, makes the melody go sky-high, impossible for the average person to sing. That said, it did allow great singers to shine: Steve Perry, Cindy Lauper & Bruce I believe all nailed that moment, maybe others.

Biggest question for Business Affairs Dept.: Did everyone in the room sign releases before the shoot? Did everyone who appeared (or their Estate), have to sign off on the documentary's edits? If so, clearances on this must've taken decades! How do you get Al Jarreau's Estate to sign off on including his embarrassing drunkenness; Dylan on his seeming incompetence?

Biggest Query for Wikipedia: Does the song still generate meaningful royalties to feed those in need in Africa?

Most conspicuous absences: Dolly Parton, Madonna
Worst hair: Lindsey Buckingham
Best Dressed for 2024: Cindy Lauper
Biggest ouch: The artists are listed on the 7" sleeve in alphabetical order, which means Dan Akroyd was top billing.

Best Fantasia (Mine): To see Dylan absolutely petrified, zipping his leather jacket collar up to almost over his chin, alone in front of an expensive microphone and the world of talent watching, with his lips sputtering like sycamore leaves falling in the breeze, wishing the jacket would black-hole portal him to another universe, was priceless; if only because it made something clear: he is not capable of singing as other people do. I like to believe that up until that moment in his life, he'd always thought to himself, "hey, I'm just a singer, and I sound like I'm singin'." But in that moment he realized, "hmmmm, I can't do what they do, and I can't even start to do what they're asking of me." As genius as he is, and as much as he remains one of my greatest heroes, I see him as largely naive, a savant, unaware and unable to emotionally connect with other people or ideas he didn't invent. So, to see his fear and shame, it seemed in that minute we saw him discovering Self. His Greek God/Mark Twain masks were back at home in the closet. The man who rewrote the Bible for atheists of a certain age "Chronicles Volume One", there without his trusty typewriter, and certainly no way to snark his way around a song with zero cynicism. He had to play like everyone else, and he realized, "I'm not capable".

But to his credit, after much discomfort, he suddenly pivots, "Hey Steve, can you play this on the piano for me." Then Steve, (as in Stevie Wonder) not only starts playing for him, but starts to sing an "extemporized" vocal part in a pitch-imperfect Dylan patois. Wonder had to re-remind Dylan how to sing like Dylan! And by the end of this sidebar, surrounded by a dozen stars all wanting Zimmy to get through this shining, Dylan is guffawing at himself, relieved and knowing exactly now what to sing. It's like watching a cat seeing itself in the mirror for the first time.

And now decades on, with Dylan having recorded so many old standards and dusty holiday tunes, I Wonder (pun intended) if Bob didn't find that evening transformative, enough to find joy in doing what other people do: "just singers, singin' songs."

Premiering January 29th, the untold story of how the global hit “We are the World” almost didn’t happen! 46 of the biggest pop music stars had only one night...

02/13/2024

Love's many faces. Enjoy a playlist, beautifully crafted for Valentine's Day.
SPOTIFY:
https://spoti.fi/3rbELPB
APPLE MUSIC:
https://apple.co/3s6wnQA

02/03/2024

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
- Emily Dickinson

Enjoy a playlist, carefully crafted for this season of love.
SPOTIFY:
https://spoti.fi/3rbELPB
APPLE MUSIC:
https://apple.co/3s6wnQA

12/31/2023

Thanks for a year of your eyes and ears. More in '24. https://fb.watch/phpUKUHIg5/

12/23/2023

The kids were a lot younger (and darn cute too) when I wrote this song the day before Xmas in 2018. It inspired me to write another every year since and release my new EP "Christmastide Dreams". Add it to your holiday playlists! Listen here: https://orcd.co/christmastide

https://fb.watch/p6YYsHjAXJ/

10/25/2023

Move over Halloween, it's time to rejoice in our Christmastide dreams!

Check this out! Listen now on .

10/25/2023

Billy McLaughlin's legendary Coming Back Alive concert capturing his remarkable return to live performances is now streaming at Spotify!

Check this out! Listen now on .

10/25/2023

Celebrating "Soldier Man" from Claire Holley's upcoming release Advent & Christmas Carols!

Choose your preferred music service

05/26/2023

Celebrating the first single "Hold On To Forever" from Billy McLaughlin upcoming Coming Back Alive: The Complete Concert soundtrack!
https://orcd.co/billymclaughin_comingbackalive

04/30/2022

The long lost film score to Tromeo & Juliet is now available. Composer Willie Wisely dug deep into the TROMA vaults to compile 33 unheard tracks plus more goodies. Let your eyes and ears devour the film's highlights, to the pulse and drama of Lloyd Kaufman (director) and James Gunn (screenplay). Features film score, dialogue from Lemmy Kilmister and original music from Willie Wisely. https://open.spotify.com/album/2ZJB1zcIMja3FKvHRCVBSd?si=kHeBk32WRTqduQ0-L4D8fw

04/30/2022

04/29/2022

Willie Wisely's film work as a composer includes his Troma Films score for Tromeo & Juliet, directed by Lloyd Kaufman from a screenplay by James Gunn. The long lost Original Score album featuring all the instrumentals, key dialogue from the incomparably Lemmy of Motorhead and music from Willie himself, is finally available now!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQcevhAtcZiJR4--qt3d44n1pnaCEGy-l

Willie Wisely's film work as a composer includes his Troma Films score for Tromeo & Juliet, directed by Lloyd Kaufman from a screenplay by James Gunn. The lo...

03/10/2022

The "Tromeo & Juliet Love Theme" is now available to add to your playlists. Listen at Spotify and Apple! Stay tuned for more, the long lost full original score album will be released in April!
https://open.spotify.com/album/0dKDrC4GCx8liZv8LjjIQU?si=Q0uRvRCtTjO53-VcjcByOA

03/09/2022

The "Tromeo & Juliet Love Theme" is now available to add to your playlists. Listen at Spotify and Apple! Stay tuned for more, the long lost full original score album will be released in April!

https://open.spotify.com/album/0dKDrC4GCx8liZv8LjjIQU?si=JtwxVN4tQDm5lnsZ0bsLUA

Willie Wisely · Single · 2022 · 1 songs.

02/18/2022

"Tromeo & Juliet Love Theme” is the first single and video from the long lost original score album for Tromeo & Juliet. Expect a unique variety of music score, spoken word narration from Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, dialogue from the film and key thematic songs from Willie Wisely including this long sought after "Tromeo & Juliet Love Theme" a duet with Willie Wisely and Kerith Spencer-Shapiro, backed by The Conquerors.
https://youtu.be/ZRwNa-PXOeQ

Add "Tromeo & Juliet Love Theme" to your playlists! Get it here: https://open.spotify.com/album/2ZJB1zcIMja3FKvHRCVBSdhttps://itunes.apple.com/album/id/16067...

02/18/2022

The "Tromeo & Juliet Love Theme" is now available to add to your playlists. Listen at Spotify and Apple! Stay tuned for more, the long lost full original score will be released in April.

02/13/2022

Happy Valentine's Day! You can finally add the "Tromeo & Juliet Love Theme" to your playlists, now available at Spotify and the full original score will be released in April.
https://open.spotify.com/album/0dKDrC4GCx8liZv8LjjIQU?si=xkCxjF0mTCub7q_MpXqS0g

Willie Wisely · Single · 2022 · 1 songs.