$10 including shipping, handling & tax

Release Date:  February 07, 2009

‘When The Tree Fell’ is the ‘live’ culmination of Joe Chinnici’s three previous studio discs. With each of these two discs, we get to hear what Joe & his band brought all over the U.S. in the Fall of 2007. The band, incidentally, consisted of Rusty Homan on guitar, sax & vocals, James Pagano on bass & vocals and Mike Viola on drums & vocals.

Naturally, we hear live versions of many of Joe’s original songs. The differences are that not only are these versions live, but also since Joe’s not playing all of the instruments, we’re treated to fresh interpretations of them.

Some unexpected treats are some of the covers included. Cleverly intertwined with Joe’s own ‘Nothin’ In Between’ is Neil Young’s infamous ‘Down By The River’. There’s a great acoustic rendition of the Counting Crows’ ‘Round Here’. Also included is a close-as-you’re-gonna-get version of Pink Floyd’s ‘Time’ and a seriously updated ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone’ that Mickey Dolenz & friends would be proud to hear. But the really big cover climax is the final song on Disc 2: the timeless ‘Comes Alive’ version of Peter Frampton’s ‘Do You Feel Like We Do’. Joe and company obviously put in a great amount of time & effort for that one, and it paid off. Kudos to each and every one of them.

So, in essence, if you’ve enjoyed Chinnici’s previous endeavors but didn’t catch him while he was out & about with the boys in ’07, this would be the next best thing, without a doubt. Sounds like they really had fun with it.

Track Listing

1. Disc 1
2. 01.  The Lonely Road
3. 02.  Change Of Heart
4. 03.  Kama Sutra
5. 04.  Walk Away {joe walsh}
6. 05.  The Suitcase
7. 06.  I Wanna Go Home
8. 07.  All Sides Now
9. 08.  Forgiveness
10. 09.  Leave My Girl Alone {buddy guy}
11. 10.  (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone {tommy boyce & bobby hart}
12. 11.  Everybody Needs Somebody To Talk To
13. 12.  Feelin’ Alright {dave mason}
14.  
15. Disc 2
16. 01.  Ain’t No Sunshine {bill withers}
17. 02.  Nobody But Me
18. 03.  Round Here {adam duritz, dave janusko, dan jewett, chris roldan & david bryson}
19. 04.  I Don’t Want To Be The One
20. 05.  Big Ol’ House (In The Country)
21. 06.  Me & My Guitar
22. 07.  Don’t Walk Away
23. 08.  Here I Am
24. 09.  Groovin’
25. 10.  Nothin’ In Between / Down By The River {joe chinnici / neil young}
26. 11.  Time {nick mason, roger waters, richard wright, david gilmour}
27. 12.  Do You Feel Like We Do {rick wills, mick gallagher, john siomos & peter frampton}
28.  
29. Recorded live during the North American tour of 2007
30.  
31. Mike Viola: drums & vocals
    James Pagano: bass & vocals
    Rusty Homan: guitar, sax, percussion & vocals
    Joe Chinnici: vocals, guitar & talkbox
32.  
33. All songs written by Joe Chinnici, except where indicated
34. 
    Recorded, Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Joe Chinnici

$10 including shipping, handling & tax

Release Date:  September 25, 2004

When you pop in Joe Chinnici’s ‘Here I Am’ CD, you are right away clobbered over the head with the raunchy guitar of the title track. Then, as you take in the lyrics you realize: wow, somebody really pissed this guy off; a strong song to open an album. Then, just to totally twist your mood around, ‘Don’t Walk Away’ takes you on a bouncy little ride. Shifting the mood again, ‘I Don’t Want To Be The One’ is so sweet & touching; making the statement that all of us, regardless of our handicaps, really just want to be loved and treated with respect, not pitied. Meanwhile, where ‘Forgiveness’ is once again raunchy and ‘I’ll Be Here’ is another bouncy ditty, they both tell tales of a more or less sleazy guy that is just after sex. In contrast, ‘June’ (a very nice ballad) and ‘3 Messages’ (starts mellow, but rocks pretty hard) both convey the woes of a love-sick guy pining for ‘her’ to come back to him. With ‘Soul’, we perhaps get a truer picture of the real Joe due to the fact that music seems to be the lone consistency in the subject’s life. And then there is the closer ‘Use My Name’, a very catchy tune that sticks with you. It also quite possibly illustrates that Mr. Chinnici either knows a LOT of females (or just a bunch of girls’ names), and also makes plain that he’s apparently a fan of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (as is the author of this review, or it would have been over looked – I get the joke, Joe!).

An aspect that absolutely cannot be overlooked is the fact that Chinnici played all instruments on the disc; with the isolated exception of ‘Soul’, on which he & other fellow musicians played (collectively known as The Wankers…interesting). So, yeah, that means in addition to the typical guitar, bass & drums he also played violin, cello, French horn, trumpet, piano, and a pan flute; not to mention all the vocals involved. The cover art is also very interesting. As the insert is unfolded, an intricate photo of a Strat (maybe not of the Fender variety) is revealed, surrounded by countless other items that we can only assume mean something to the artist. You’ll always find something new when you take a closer look.

You’ve heard the term Renaissance Man? Well, ladies & gents, here is a Renaissance Musician.

Track Listing

01. Here I Am
02. Don’t Walk Away
03. I Don’t Want To Be The One
04. Gotta Get Real
05. The Lonely Road
06. Forgiveness
07. 3 Messages
08. Groovin’
09. Soul (Carry On)
10. I’ll Be Here
11. June
12. Use My Name

Joe Chinnici: all vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, violin, cello, trumpet, french horn, pan flute, percussion & drums (no drum machines) except…

Soul (Carry On)

Mike Viola: drums, vocals
Mike Deichsel: bass
Bob Douglass: acoustic , 1st guitar solo, vocals
Dave Mitchell: harmonica, vocals

All Songs Written, Arranged, Produced, Engineered, Mixed & Mastered by Joe Chinnici

$10 including shipping, handling & tax

Release Date:  January 02, 2002

We will all remember the year 2001; a pivotal, devastating point in History. Joe Chinnici would likely have had that year stick out in his memory without the devastation. It was the year he took a very creative approach to his songwriting. He had decided, at the end of 2000 that his next musical project would be to write and record a song each month of the year, compile them in order of composition and hope that it all fell together. Not only did it all come together, but a lot of great songs came out of his little project, and he’s gracious enough to share them with us.

Even the layout of the insert is clever (and he credits that to a dear friend) – it takes the form of an actual calendar of 2001, month by month. The tracks are not numbered, but assigned the months in which they were composed. Each month (song) gives details of what tasks were completed on which day of that particular month; in a “Beatles Anthology” sort of way. From the looks of it, he put quite the deadline on himself each month (and barely made it sometimes).

February’s ‘Change Of Heart’ is just so catchy; March’s ‘Kama Sutra’ is not about what you may think; June’s ‘She Thinks’ has a Southern-pop feel and universal lyrics to any guy that ever had an egomaniac female snap her fingers & expect him to jump; the gory imagery of July’s ‘The Suitcase’ is disturbing & kind of funny (black-humor wise), but when you read the liner notes on it, you realize the sad, sick reality that exists in this world. You find yourself wondering how he would approach September. It was 2001, after all. ‘Psychotherapy’ was just that, apparently, an instrumental that is heavy on guitar; for some things words just aren’t necessary. October’s ‘All Sides Now’ begs for tolerance & peace among people in general; and November’s ‘Run Away’ is just as powerful as any of the others. Hell, they’re all powerful.

Just as a bonus Mr. Chinnici, on top of all the monthly deadlines he imposed on himself, also included two videos on the CD, one for February and one for April. What a treat when you put the thing into a CD Rom.

There is really nothing negative to say about this disc. With that, one has to wonder what the hell the major label guys do all day long and why material such as this is stuck solely in cyberspace.

Track Listing

01. He Said, She Said
02. Change Of Heart
03. Kama Sutra
04. Nothin’ In Between
05. I Wanna Go Home
06. She Thinks
07. The Suitcase
08. Society’s Mind
09. Psychotherapy {instrumental}
10. All Sides Now
11. Run Away
12. The Big Score

Joe Chinnici: all vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion & drums (no drum machines)

All Songs Written, Arranged, Produced, Engineered, Mixed & Mastered by Joe Chinnici

$10 including shipping, handling & tax

Release Date:  January 02, 2001

As the liner notes of this disc state, ‘Nobody But Me…’ was Mr. Chinnici’s first solo endeavor (after he split ways with a long-lived band). That makes this album particularly intriguing. Much like a divorce, or any other relationship split, imagine taking all the pertinent responsibility on yourself. No longer going to individual musicians asking (or looking for suggestions) to play on certain songs or harmonies, etc. That had to be intimidating for the man; being used to such interaction. At the same time, it was most likely liberating, as well. And that comes through loud & clear.

Some great lyrical lines include: ‘…the doctors & lawyers, princes, crooks & thieves seem to bring all the girls to their knees…’ from the opener, ‘Ordinary Guy’; ‘…she took me to the church & pushed me down the aisle…’ (‘Big Ol’ House’); ‘…she’d want me more than triple chocolate cake…’ (‘Baby, Baby’); and ‘…long, sexy neck & G-string…’ (‘Me & My Guitar’). Lines like that keep the listener interested. Of course, the music they’re attached to has to be just as, if not more captivating – and it is, on all tracks. While every album has its ‘weaker’ tracks, it is difficult to point a finger when they are surrounded by so many hooks, riffs & catchy phrases.

Essentially, ‘Nobody But Me…’ would fit in very nicely with just about any Rock & Roll fan’s collection.

Track Listing

01. Ordinary Guy
02. Big Ol’ House (In The Country)
03. Nobody But Me
04. Not Goin’ Back
05. Me & My Guitar
06. Everybody Needs Somebody To Talk To
07. The Clock Is Tickin’
08. The Air I Breathe
09. Take Your Time (P.S. I Love You)
10. Baby, Baby (Talk To Me)
11. Mama
12. Cold Hearted Bitch

Joe Chinnici: all vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, banjo, percussion & drums (no drum machines)

All Songs Written, Arranged, Produced, Engineered, Mixed & Mastered by Joe Chinnici

Release Date:  February 13, 1999

Track Listing

Disc 1
01. Ordinary Guy {joe chinnici}
02. Respect {otis redding}
03. Stay Here With Me {rick juliano}
04. For What It’s Worth {stephen stills}
05. Devil’s Tower {joe chinnici}
06. Johnny B. Goode {chuck berry}
07. Cinderella’s Revelation {joe chinnici}
08. Pride & Joy {stevie ray vaughan}
09. A Little Pain {joe chinnici}
10. Me & Bobby McGee {fred foster, kris kristofferson}
11. You Bring Me Up {rick juliano}
12. When I’m Gone {joe chinnici}

Disc 2
01. Leave My Girl Alone {buddy guy}
02. Baby, Baby (Talk To Me) {joe chinnici}
03. California Dreamin’ {john phillips, michelle phillips}
04. Don’t Walk Away {joe chinnici}
05. Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights) {stan lewis}
06. Forgiveness {joe chinnici}
07. One Way Out / Call Me The Breeze {elmore james, marshall sehorn / j.j. cale}
08. Soul (Carry On) {joe chinnici}
09. Walkin’ On Sunshine {eddy grant}
10. June {joe chinnici}
11. Abbey Road Intro {john lennon, paul mccartney}
12. Mean Mr. Mustard {john lennon, paul mccartney}
13. Polythene Pam {john lennon, paul mccartney}
14. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window {john lennon, paul mccartney}
15. Golden Slumbers {john lennon, paul mccartney}
16. Carry That Weight {john lennon, paul mccartney}
17. The End {john lennon, paul mccartney}

Recorded live to 2-track stereo on February 13, 1999

Bill McIntyre: drums & vocals
James Pagano: bass & vocals
Rick Juliano: guitar & vocals
Joe Chinnici: vocals, guitar & keyboards
Jean McCormick: vocals, keyboards & percussion

Release Date:  January 1997

Track Listing

01. Soul (Carry On)
02. Don’t Walk Away
03. Stay Here With Me {rick juliano}
04. Ordinary Guy
05. Cinderella’s Revelation
06. S.O.B.
07. She’s A Woman
08. When I’m Gone
09. For What It’s Worth {stephen stills}
10. June
11. Dreamin’
12. Upstream, Downstream
13. A Little Pain
14. A Little Treat (hidden track)

Bill McIntyre: drums & vocals
James Pagano: bass & vocals
Rick Juliano: guitar & vocals
Joe Chinnici: vocals, guitar & keyboards
Jean McCormick: vocals, keyboards & percussion

All Songs Written by Joe Chinnici, except where indicated

Release Date:  December 22, 1989

Track Listing

01. In Your Eyes {mike demita, jamie}
02. When I’m Gone
03. It’s Only Love {jamie}
04. Where Do I Go Now?
05. Struttin’ Her Stuff
06. Reason To Leave {jamie}
07. How Could It Be Wrong?
08. Non-Sexual Lover
09. White Collar Crime {bill mcintyre}
10. Daddy Don’t
11. Pipe Dreams
12. Eyes Of Persuasion {joe chinnici, mike demita, bill mcintyre, jamie}
13. Backstabber

Bill McIntyre: drums & vocals
Mike DeMita: bass, keyboards & vocals
Joe Chinnici: guitar, keyboards & vocals
Jamie: vocals & guitar

Joe Kuhl: piano on ‘How Could It Be Wrong’

All Songs Written by Joe Chinnici, except where indicated

Release Date:  October 10, 1988

Track Listing

Disc 1
01. I Go For Them {joe chinnici, jamie}
02. Struttin’ Her Stuff {joe chinnici}
03. Upstream, Downstream {joe chinnici}
04. Non-Sexual Lover {joe chinnici}
05. Rock And Roll Dreamin’ {mike demita, jamie}
06. A Change In You {joe chinnici}
07. It’s Only Love {jamie}
08. That’s Not You {bill mcintyre}
09. Where Do I Go Now? {joe chinnici}
10. If I’d Been The One {don barnes, jeff carlisi, donnie van zant}
11. Paradise By The Dashboard Light {jim steinman}

Disc 2
01. California Man {roy wood}
02. Living Ain’t Easy {jamie}
03. White Collar Crime {bill mcintyre}
04. Backstabber {joe chinnici}
05. The Little Drummer Boy {katherine davis, henry onorati, harry simeone}
06. Carry On {joe chinnici}
07. We’re An American Band {don brewer}
08. Pipe Dreams {joe chinnici}
09. Headed Toward The Door {joe chinnici, sam west}
10. Rock And Roll {john bonham, john paul jones, jimmy page, robert plant}
11. Keeps You Runnin’ {joe chinnici}

Recorded live on April 30, 1988

Bill McIntyre: drums & vocals
Mike DeMita: bass, keyboards & vocals
Joe Chinnici: guitar & vocals
Jamie: vocals & guitar

Release Date:  April 30, 1988

Track Listing

01. Upstream, Downstream {joe chinnici}
02. Headed Toward The Door {joe chinnici, sam west}
03. Rock And Roll Dreamin’ {mike demita, jamie}
04. A Change In You {joe chinnici}
05. Carry On {joe chinnici}
06. I Go For Them {joe chinnici}
07. Living Ain’t Easy {jamie}
08. That’s Not You {bill mcintyre}
09. Keeps You Runnin’ {joe chinnici}

Bill McIntyre: drums & vocals
Mike DeMita: bass, keyboards & vocals
Joe Chinnici: guitar, keyboards & vocals
Jamie: vocals & guitar