Notes by Rod MacDonald:

In the fall of 1976 we began a series of recordings at Mike Lobel's studio in East New York, NJ, produced by Bill Warburton. David Ganelin, the earliest member of the band, had been touring with me all summer on harmonica, and was joined by Bernie Shanahan (then known as Jesse Walden) on piano and 2d acoustic guitar, Steve Miller on bass, and Jeff Berman on drums. The group recorded "Ballerina", "Sleepless Nights," and "All Of the Same Ole Saviours," all brand new songs, with Tom Intondi guesting on harmonies. Mark Dann replaced Steve Miller on bass in December, and the group recorded "Somebody Waiting", "Memories," and "Island" that winter. In March Mark Dann, embarking on his long and distinguished career as a recording producer in New York, recorded the band live in his parents' house, producing "The Night's Still On Our Side", "City Lights", "Ernesto Miranda", and "Hard Times". The last cut, "You Don't Wanna Dance," was recorded at RPM in NYC in 1978. The full band debuted in January 1977 at Folk City in Greenwich Village, where I had played solo and with David and different musicians for several months. The band quickly became one of the Village's most popular acts, playing several weeks (Wednesday-Sunday) at Folk City in 1977, plus numerous other clubs and concerts in New York City. A "top 30" poll of Folk City staff and regulars named "Ballerina" their #1 song, with "Saviours" at #7, and we received excellent reviews in the Village Voice and Soho News. During this time I was working with John Hammond at Columbia Records on a recording contract, which fell through when John had health problems and retired. The group disbanded in 1978. With the exception of "You Don't Wanna Dance", which was released as a 45 rpm by Stash Records in 1980, these recordings were never published except for a few cassette demos in the 1970s. These tapes have remained in storage since that time, and were recently re-mastered for this project. Thanks to Mark Dann for his recording work, and to my father, H.O. MacDonald, for his help in recovering these tapes of one of my very favorite bands.