Endless Roads and Northern Lights
It’s a pity to me that John Stewart had so many great songs that few people got to hear. I truly believe that John was comfortable in his own skin. He didn’t care that much for fame or fortune- though he had both for awhile with the Trio but that’s another story- as long as he had the latest gadget and a gig where he could play what he wanted. His attitude toward record companies and the suits who ran them pretty much spelled the end of his career as a ‘popular artist’. There were some labels, Appleseed and Jim Musselman for one, who saw the merit in his work and supported him. Others blew him off a la the story of the Piano Album.
John needed to have his work heard and this led to many home recorded albums and songs. Some of the albums had songs that had been done before. John loved to tinker with his older stuff and was always certain that a new effects pedal would be just what the song needed. Some of these cd’s such as Buster, Johnny Moonlight and Rocket Roy have probably not ever sold more than a few hundred copies, either through the Neon Dreams website or at gigs where Dave and John would set up the store after the show. There are some great songs on these cd’s. Here is one of them. When John recorded the Buster cd it was short one track. The tune for this song had been going through his head and he finished it. It became my favorite song from the Buster cd and when I sequenced and made the selections for the Best of Neon Dreams cd it was the first song that I picked.
Here is Endless Roads and Northern Lights from the Buster cd.
Endless Roads And Northern Lights
On another note, the chillywinds website has been down for several months due to the floods in New England. The page for ordering cd’s from Neon Dreams can still be accessed at:
or from Dave Batti at Homecoming Records at:
this old song 
Paul. . .great post. . .and it was nice to hear Endless Roads and Northern Lights again. . .when I think of some of the stuff John did that never saw the light of day–some of the stuff I have on old cassettes. . .man. . .but, what you say is true. . .he tinkered (not always successfully–although I know to some that is profane). . .and he was one of a kind. . .Great to see this post, by the way, Paul. . .quality stuff as usual from you. . .all best–Floyd
Thanks, Floyd. Effects pedals, drum machines, echo… Hey, they were his songs and he could (and did) do anything he wanted with them. Fortunately, there were many versions so we could pick the ones we liked the best.