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Wisdom of the Heart

by Ritz & Wesson

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    Comes in a lovely fold-out lyrics crystal case, with artwork by Claudia Myatt and photography by Zoran Matic

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1.
2.
Just Fine 03:58
Just Fine (Ritz/Wesson) You’re my friend along the way In fair weather or rainy days We took a track, no turning back It never crossed our minds We walked a line, and that’s just fine We gave our word, nothing to sign Contract with no hidden lines We made a deal, never broke the seal It never crossed our minds We walked a line, and that’s just fine We listen well, we read the lines Hear the meaning, see the signs Keep an open mind, and that’s just fine We told not lies, no alibis No secrets, no things to hide We paid the price, not thinking twice It never crossed our minds We walked a line, and that’s just fine
3.
Laze Away 04:16
Laze Away (Wesson) It’s pretty clear to see, there’s nothing both’rin’ me I’m at ease in my mind When somethin’s missing - I just go fishin' Take me to Lake Michigan again Way down in Saugatuck where they have all the luck They have a whale of a time Just head across the lake and watch the foaming wake As you leave your vagaries behind When some peace is what I lack The Lake of Michigan is calling me back Carefree days that you can laze away It’s like you're out to sea, that’s where you want to be As the shoreline recedes Clear your mind a while, live a life of style Put the child inside at ease
4.
Let’s Get Away (Wesson) Life is too short to be cowered and caught By the rules that are hemming you in Refusing to lose is the start of beginning to win Too many years I’ve been stuck in this rut Chances I’ve wasted away I need to escape while I’ve still got something to say No matter the season - the rhyme, or the reason If this is as good as it gets We’ve no time to repent and no time to gather regrets If you take my hand Maybe we’ll find a new life that’s better than planned Let’s get up and dance Time is a healer, but time is a stealer as well…. as you can tell Take me to anywhere I can be free of care Let’s get away from it all I’m ready to go and my bag is down in the hall.
5.
Street Band 03:28
Street Band (Ritz) I’m heading down to London Town, where Bruno plays in a band There by the Underground - folks are clapping their hands In Leicester Square or Oxford Street, no one can compete This electric folkie band busking by the barista stand The Street Band, they keep a great beat and People tapping their feet and clapping their hands The Street Band, they keep a great beat and People tapping their feet and clapping their hands … for the Street Band The flute is full like Jethro Tull, Bruno plays lead guitar Stevie plays the Fender bass, planning to be a star A bodhran drum, Jon singing songs, banjo, and accordion This electric folkie band, busking by the barista stand Movie house and theatre queues dig their folky blues In Soho or Denmark Street they could not be beat London live here in the groove, they learnt their trade there too This electric folkie band busking by the barista stand.
6.
The Wisdom of the Heart (Wesson) From a bleak Saturday night To a lonely Sunday morning Thinking of the night before You once gave me your word Just as the day was dawning I’d never see you walk away We all make mistakes We promise from the start We get carried away We should listen to the Wisdom of the Heart It’s not hard to remember It’s so hard to forget Love is not a numbers game If you leave here today And just walk away Will you ever love again? Now you stand at the edge Of your emotional ledge Unsteady as you sway I can't say what you should do It’s truly up to you For what it’s worth I wish you would stay
7.
8.
Dark River 04:59
Dark River (Ritz/Wesson) Childhood days by your waterside To my eyes you were so dark and wide We combed for treasures at low tide Baiting eels in the creeks where they hide Since ancient times, the river winds each day Dark River made me stay From Putney Bridge to Richmond Town The river path was all our own Me and Gill and John and Jan Eel Pie Island and the Ferry Man All the friends I made then played their part Dark River’s in my heart You move so slow yet run so deep I’ll never know the secrets you keep You ebb and flow past London streets Dark River Dark River Dark River Fulham lads and Wandsworth boys Their riverbank was strewn with toys Abandoned boats where we’d play Beneath the bridges we’d find our way In post-war times, the wastelands, and the grime Dark River was still mine. Dark River Dark River Dark River I can feel the tears that you weep Dark River never sleeps Now the towers of stone and glass The riverside divides by class No more boys and girls at play On riverbanks on sunny days In their place the soul-less concrete cells Dark River’s loss foretells
9.
Liquorhead 03:36
Liquor Head (Wesson/Whybrow) Don’t want you back on that liquor again I gotta better way to ease your pain I love ya baby, but like I said … I can’t stand no liquor head Hey liquor head that ain’t no way to be Put down that drink, have a dance with me You got your troubles - you don’t need booze Get over here in them dancing shoes Liquor only gets your head to spin My way is better than the state you’re in Get out that corner step on that floor I’m gonna spin you for an hour or more Forget the whisky, forget the wine I can show you a better time It don’t have to be a bore When you’re dancing on the floor When the music falls upon your ear Your inhibitions simply disappear Feel the back beat as you take the floor You’ll feel better than you did before
10.
No Easy Break from the Blues (Ritz/Wesson) The air soon cools when the sun goes down Like the warmth of love that’s left you now Shadows of sunset surround you, The night seems longer too You’re learning what they say is true No easy break from the blues You can’t lose them when you choose If you hide them, you’ll lose There’s no easy break from the blues You feel her there, but hear no sound The ghost of love will haunt you now Sunrise can’t come too soon; the day seems empty too You better find friends that are true
11.
Waiting For You (Wesson) Once I was looking for pleasure, once I was looking for fun So I walked out at my leisure, under the gaze of the sun A park right here on the hill is where the two of us met You can see the city below Teeming buildings, row after row, all filled with folks that you’ll never know Now I’m here, just waiting for you, yes I’m here, just waiting for you. Yes I’m here and I’m waiting for you A memory freeze-framed for all my life I’m just planning to stay here, I’m just biding my time. There’s always something to see here, and no one needs to wait in line. On the top of this hill the kites are flying away I’m just sitting so still The sun and wind are making my day, the one I love is coming this way Below and walking towards me a figure I’m longing to see Her eyes were fixed on the skyline, now she’s looking back at me It’s all I wanted to see, it’s like its starting anew Life’s just perfect for me So all my time of waiting is through, I knew somehow that it would be you Now it’s done, my waiting is through, now it’s done, my waiting is through Yes it’s done, its worth waiting for you. A memory freeze-framed for all my life
12.
The Times They Sure Have Changed (Ritz) The times they sure have changed Things have come and gone So much re-arranged Since Dylan wrote his song The times they sure have changed We’ve lost and we’ve gained Can we really say the world’s in a better way? Children empowered, not to kneel or to cower Their sprits rising free with more liberty But with cameras everywhere We’re still running scared They’re watching us each day Please let the children, let the children play The marvels of medicine, now save us so much pain There’s knowledge we can share, with access everywhere But we live our lives on screens Obsessed with our machines We hardly see the sky Letting nature. Mother Nature pass us by
13.
Learning to be One (Wesson) I have a tale of two lovers who grew up before their time They met by chance on a train Not even knowing they were searching for the one To meet their longing to belong Their life just begun Together but alone Learning to be one Learning to care for a life just begun First, they said it couldn’t happen, then they said it wouldn’t last The time for compromise was past They never thought of giving up, they put their faith in luck This was their time to believe. It was strange to be married when so recently a child No time to know what you should do Learning from mistakes, common sense, and lucky breaks That’s the only way to follow through
14.
She’s Moving On (Ritz) Diamond dew on the lawn The hedge alive with song She leaves with the dawn Alone too long - she’s moving on Cobwebs brush her face A dragon fly on the pond Closing up the gate Too much fine wrong - she’s moving on She’s moving on - it wasn’t what she planned She’s moving on - not for another man She’s moving on - will he understand? She was too alone; the love had gone. By chance she had loved Entwined they’d danced as one Just not strong enough The music’s wrong - she’s moving on The shadows fade away They’ve been there too long The open road today A line on the phone - she’s moving on. Diamond dew on the lawn The hedge alive with song
15.
Sunset 02:05

about

‘Haunting and Original Acoustic Sound. Not your usual singer songwriter offering’ RnR


REVIEW ON FOLKING.COM December 2022 www.folking.com/ritz-wesson-wisdom-of-the-heart-backstage-music/

RITZ & WESSON – Wisdom Of The Heart (Backstage Music)

Wisdom Of The Heart is their third album, a record that combines the comfortingly old-fashioned and the modern. The mix of original songs reflects the sort of sets you might have heard back then and shows how much they learned paying their dues has stayed with them.

Bryan plays acoustic guitar and Nigel plays guitars, banjo and mandolin so the instrumental ‘Sunrise’ is an appropriate opener and if you’re wondering, yes, the final track is its other half, ‘Sunset’. There is a third instrumental. ‘Three Sisters’, also written by Nigel, which neatly divides the set. Their guitar sound is clean and clear, one might say plangent without the connotation of mournfulness. Both sing, harmonise comfortably and are supported by multi-instrumentalist and engineer Gavin Beckwith and percussionist Andrew McClennon.

The first song is a joint composition, ‘Just Fine’, which is about friendship or perhaps a long and happy marriage, but generally Ritz and Wesson take different paths in their writing. Wesson has a philosophical bent which is apparent in the next two songs, ‘Laze Away’ and ‘Let’s Get Away’, both about turning your back on the pace and pressures of modern life. Ritz favours blues and ragtime and more uptempo tunes. ‘Street Band’ is his big production number with accordion by Romano Vazzani and flute by Geoff Duckworth giving the whole thing a busking vibe.

That’s not to say that there is a yin-yang thing going on. Their influences rub off on each other. The joint composition, ‘Dark River’, a meditation on the Thames in their boyhood days and a contrast with modern times where “the riverside divides by class” proves that point eloquently. So Bryan’s ‘She’s Moving On’ is a tender reflection on the sad ending of a relationship and Nigel’s ‘Liquor Head’ is an uptempo song about replacing booze with music.

The only track I have any doubts about is Bryan’s ‘The Times They Sure Have Changed’. It’s a good idea and makes valid points about modern life but dragging Dylan into the chorus grates a bit (I’m a long-time Dylan fan) – once would have been fine but the repeats are too much, I feel. You probably won’t agree and it’s a minor niggle in the context of a very enjoyable album.

Dai Jeffries

Ritz & Wesson are all over the internet but don’t have a website of their own. Nor is there a video from Wisdom Of The Heart available. Think of it as an early Easter egg and see what you can find.


WISDOM OF THE HEART by Ritz and Wesson

Track Listing
1. Sunrise (instrumental) (Wesson)
2. Just Fine (Ritz/Wesson)
3. Laze Away (Wesson)
4. Let’s Get Away (Wesson)
5. Street Band (Ritz)
6. Wisdom of the Heart (Wesson)
7. Three Sisters (Wesson)
8. Dark River (Ritz/Wesson)
9. Liquor Head (Wesson/Whybrow)
10. No Easy Break from the Blues (Ritz/Wesson)
11. Waiting for You (Wesson)
12. The Times Sure Have Changed (Ritz)
13. Learning to be One (Wesson)
14. She’s Moving On (Ritz)
15. Sunset (instrumental) (Wesson)

Copyright
Tracks 1,3,4,6,7,9,11,13 & 15 Wessongs 2022
Tracks 2,5,8,10, 12, 14 Backstage Music (London) 2022

Recording Published by Backstage Music (London) part of Backstage Books and Music 2022 Catalogue: Backstage 22010 4 Belgrave Mews, 28 Stockleigh Road, St Leonards-on-Sea TN38 0JP

Recording owned by Bryan Ritz and Nigel Wesson 2022

Contact: backstagebooks.br@gmail.com Telephone: 07944 685056

credits

released November 8, 2022

Musicians
Bryan Ritz – acoustic guitars, vocals
Nigel Wesson – acoustic guitars, banjo, tenor guitar, mandolin, vocals
Gavin Beckwith - guitars, bass, violin, drum programming, backing vocals
Andrew McClennon – hand drums and percussion

Guest Musicians
Seb Wesson – Acoustic lead on No Easy Break from the Blues
Electric lead on Dark River
Romano Viazzani – Accordion on Street Band
Geoff Duckworth – Flute on Street Band

Recording Notes
Recorded during 2020/2022 by Nigel and Bryan – Mac file sharing during Pandemic
Engineering. Mastering and Production – Gavin Beckwith at GB Sound Studios, London
Recording owned by Bryan Ritz and Nigel Wesson 2022
Produced by Gavin Beckwith and Ritz & Wesson

Songs Copyright
Tracks 1,3,5,7,9,11,13 & 14 Wessongs 2022
Tracks 2,4,6,8,10, 12 Backstage Music (London) 2022
Recording Published by Backstage Music (London) part of Backstage Books and Music 2022
Recording owned by Bryan Ritz and Nigel Wesson 2022

Contact: backstagebooks.br@gmail.com Telephone: 07944 685056

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Ritz & Wesson Saint Leonards, UK

Nigel Wesson has been a constant singer and performer since 1966 and he completed over 400 Saturday evening performances at Bunjies the famous venue on London’s folk scene. Bryan’s songs Museum and Roundabout were recommended to Island Music by Muff Winwood and he has worked with the renowned folk music producer Bill Leader of Topic. Nigel and Bryan teamed up again in 2012 - making 3 albums ... more

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