This is the remastered (and, in some cases, rerecorded) version of the Far Stairs' first album. In our more introspective moments, we reached a place of honesty where we had to admit to ourselves that we had rushed through the production of certain songs in order to have the album ready for a deadline which existed only in our minds. Now, with the prospect that someone might actually care enough to listen to these songs, we have gone back and made them as good as they originally should have been, which is pretty good.

From the original liner notes (the ones you're reading now):

'The Long Afternoon' is The Far Stairs' first full-length album of original songs. If there's any kind of theme to the album, it's that adulthood is the biggest farce in human history and that anyone who claims to know what they're doing is not to be trusted.

We were hired to compose the soundtrack for an independent film called THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM. We were very excited about the project, and we began to do background research on historical mysteries and lost civilizations in order to get the right feel for the music.

We weren't quite sure why we were looking into these particular topics except for a vague recollection that they had something to do with the plot of the film. Someone suggested we request a copy of the script. We tried to reach our contact on the film's production team, but we couldn't remember who that was or how they had initially found us.

We tried contacting our record label. Having heard nothing from them for several months, we checked behind the door that says RECORD LABEL, and all we saw was a roomful of cats.

We (The Far Stairs) were lucky enough to get our hands on the original demo recordings for Paul Astor's experimental stage show THE PARANORMAL OPERA. We were inspired to record our own versions of these songs as a way to get this interesting and largely unheard work out to the public.

The OPERA has never been performed live and isn't likely to be anytime soon. Since Astor's disappearance, the material (including the original demo recordings) is currently under copyright dispute. We were only able to get around this thorny legal situation by recording "covers" of the songs. This may be the only chance you'll ever get to hear this bizarre and fascinating work. Hopefully we did it justice.

To read more about Astor and THE PARANORMAL OPERA, check out the liner notes that come with this download or visit https://thefarstairs.blogspot.com/2017/03/about-astor-and-opera.html

Happy Father's Day to David Livingston, my favorite dad of all dads in the world and the man who inspired me to become a musician. As a present, I recorded this cover of a song he wrote and recorded with his songwriting partner, Robert Rose. It's so beautiful, it sounds like a lost folk rock classic from the Sixties, as good as anything Dylan ever managed.