1988 – Present
Music has always helped to keep me sane – many of these songs were done as I was exploring new techniques of recording and playing. The first recordings are from the late 1980’s, the newest from 2020. Many of my recordings have ended up as soundtrack elements in films I have made. Here is a small selection of Covers, Collaborations, Soundtrack Music and other Songs.
A special nod to my high school buddy Casey Lindstrom, who gave me the one guitar lesson I had in life. I believe he told me to always tune up before practicing. A lesson to remember!
Some of the older music was recorded using analog equipment, then I found a series of digital solutions. Anything less than 15 years old was recorded and mixed using Pro Tools. All of the original recordings are High Resolution and the songs are being played back from Vimeo, currently with a mix of hi quality AAC files and 16 Bit 48K WAV files. Eventually all will be Wav files, which is the best resolution I can currently put on the site.
Instrumental Music
The Devil Dog Dances (2020)
Guitar, Bass, Drums.
Duration: 3:29
This song works best on headphones with your eyes closed imagining the Devil Dog doing his Dance. Played on a Burns Bison Guitar and Bass. And that Wah pedal. Recorded in 2020.
A Jaguar with Horns (2015)
Guitar, Bass, Horns, Drums
Duration: 5:01
A Jaguar with Horns is a recording with the Fender Jaguar, the guitar I have had for a majority of my life and the one I have recorded with and played the most. After completing the music for this upbeat song I was listening to some horn loops and after some experimentation this has become the official version of the song.
Adaptations and Homage
Artaud Gala (1989)
Guitar, Voice, various percussion
Duration: 2:59
Artaud Gala is one of my earliest analog multi-track recordings, most likely with four track cassette, sometime around 1988. The lyrics are a poem by Antonin Artaud which I have adapted to music. In 2002 I went back to the masters and did a bit of digital cleaning, I think replacing some of the drum hits and doing a bit of eq/noise reduction of the original 4 track recording. This was recorded with the Fender Jaguar.
The KKK Took My Baby Away (2005)
Guitar, Bass, Voice, Drums
Duration: 2:32
The KKK Took My Baby Away is performed and produced by Thomas W. Campbell. The song was written and originally performed by The Ramones on their 1981 album “Pleasant Dreams”. Joey Ramone said he wrote it about guitarist Johnny Ramone, who stole his girl and married her. The song was performed, recorded and mixed in the late summer/fall of 2005 – entirely on West 109th Street in New York City using my Fender Jaguar and an unknown bass guitar. This mix was made in 2013 and featured a higher volume of the bass guitar than in
Original Songs and Music
The Covid 19 Blues (2020)
Guitar, Bass, Voice, Drums
Duration: 3:53
The Covid 19 Blues was recorded and mixed in March not long after things took the turn, but before they fell off the cliff. I don’t remember if it was a song or the words came first. The rhythm guitar is a 1967 Goya Rangemaster, there is also a bit of Fender Jaguar and two different bass guitars.
On a Country Road (2020)
Guitar, Bass, Drum
Duration: 6:35
On a Country Road (Somewhere in Vermont) was composed and recorded in Perkinsville, Vermont in October, 2020.
Magnatone Tornado Guitar and Hurricane Bass (California, 1965/66)
Live open Mic Recordings
Additional Editing and Mixing in NYC
Music, Lyrics and Performance by Thomas W. Campbell
Collaborations
Days (2010)
Guitar, Voice, Bass, Drums
Vocals: Dan Ransom
Length: 6:10
A great Kinks song that I first heard performed by Elvis Costello. Dan Ransom is a real Kinks fan and has turned me on to a lot of great music by them. This remains my favorite, with very cool vocals by Dan.
The Very Thing That Makes You Rich, Makes Me Poor (2016/2020)
Guitars, Drum, Bass, Voice
Vocals and Blues Harp: Dan Ransom
Duration: 6:37
Dan has turned me on to some great music over the years. This is our version of the Ry Cooder song The very thing that makes you rich (Makes me poor). The slide was recorded on an EKO Small scale parlor guitar. Guitar tracks were recorded with late 80’s Danelectro copy Lisa Guitar (The only guitar not made in the 1960’s on this album). I don’t remember the bass guitar that was used, but best guess is it was the Burns Baldwin Bison Bass.
I brought the recordings to Vermont and we recorded Dan’s Vocals and Blues Harp in his former family house (the red one with the porch).
Recorded in 2016 and 2017, final mix in 2020.
This is Version 1. We did a second more austere version in 2021, recorded mostly live in Manchester Vermont.
Summertime Blues (2017/2020)
Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Recording, Mixing: Thomas W. Campbell
Voice and Blues Harp: Dan Ransom
Duration: 6:05
Video and Music in development
The Fight – Animation and Video under construction (1999)
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