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Disposable Soul

by Paul Mark & The Van Dorens

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    "Trashy, raucous...As irreverent as they're consistent and tight...This blues band combines a sense of mission with a clever sense of humor...They're a non-formulaic blues band with a sense of urgency."
    - Creative Loafing, Charlotte NC
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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    CD version of Paul Mark & the Van Dorens root rock classic, Disposable Soul.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Disposable Soul via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
Grow Old 04:14
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(Words/music by P. Mark) The world is your playground You like to grab every toy that you can When we’re arm in arm down the boulevard You can’t quit looking at other men The very thing that keeps you young Is making me grow old You sleep late every morning Saying work’ll just have to wait You stumble in way past midnight Saying too much sleep might wrinkle your face The very thing that keeps you young Is making me grow old You spend all my hard-earned money You say, that’s what money’s for You wrecked my brand new automobile You said, easy come easy go The very thing that keeps you young Is making me grow old That trainer’s got you jumpin’ Down at the gym every day of the week It’s plain to see from your wobbling knees You stretch more for him than you do for me The very thing that keeps you young Is making me grow old © Last Warrning Music. All Rights Reserved.
2.
Drinking On the Job 04:58
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(Words/music by P.Mark) I never did much like working But listen here, I got the magic touch Every six weeks a promotion A fat raise every six month How do I do it? I’m working so hard What is my secret? Drinking on the job I don’t need to worry ‘bout meetings Telephones or capital gains I hired Jim Beam as a consultant And Jack Daniels as my right-hand man I used to be a clock-watching go-fer A bean-counting bundle of nerves Now all that’s changed, I’m a deal-making man And everybody calls me sir How did I do it? Working so hard Business is booming Drinking on the job I don’t need to worry ‘bout meetings Telephones or capital gains I hired Jim Beam as a consultant And Jack Daniels as my right-hand man I used to be a power broker A high-flying CEO But now they’ve pushed my desk into the mail room But I feel so much more at home Why did they do it? I been working so hard I found my true calling Drinking on the job © Last Warning Music. All Rights Reserved.
3.
Tidal Wave 02:34
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4.
Prison of One 02:18
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(Words/music by P.Mark) From the album IndigoVertigo Prison break, going over the wall tonight Prison break, going over the wall tonight Gonna hit the ground running Blast on through to the other side Prison break, tunneling out to the railroad tracks Prison break, tunneling out to the railroad tracks Gonna take my chances running No second thoughts, no looking back Prison break, getaway train just round the bend Prison break, getaway train just round the bend Gonna climb up on the mail car Won’t be back this way again © Last Warning Music. All Rights Reserved.
5.
Whatever Happened to Memphis? 04:16
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(Words/music by P.Mark) Who’s job is it To save this city’s soul? I’d do it myself but they say son, do as your told In a wrecking ball world a man’s no more than a stone They’re putting up tombs and expecting us to call them home Is it the times we live in Or are people to blame I seen it all swallowed in a city of flames Whatever happened to Memphis Who’s job is it To keep the king’s name safe? There’s much more to it than museums and holidays Step right up, before the fumes get too strong They remember the voice but no one remembers the song I thought I heard freedom ring Down on Highway 61 But something went wrong The sound of a gun Whatever happened to Memphis Who’s gonna stand up And break this city’s hold? I’d do it myself but my feet have gone stone cold Whether it’s marching on Main Street Or laying down a song There’s a way to do it right And a way to do it wrong Whatever happened to Memphis? © Last Warrning Music. All Rights Reserved.
6.
Somekind of Something 03:26
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(Words/music by P.Mark) From the album Disposable Soul Somekind of something It’s in the way that you smile The way you talk talk talk And don’t say nothing at all I’m sure about one thing It keeps me bothered at night Somekind of something’s Working just right Somekind of something It’s in the way that you walk Looks like you travelled round the world But you been no place at all I’m sure about one thing It keeps me bothered at night Somekind of something’s Working just right Somekind of something The way you wave your little hand You got me fumbling with my words Trying to get you too stay I’m sure about one thing It keeps me bothered at night Somekind of something’s Working just right © Last Warrning Music. All Rights Reserved.
7.
Believing the Truth 04:51
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(Words/music by P.Mark) I was a fool to believe What the man on the TV was telling me And I was crazy to take heed When he newspaper said what would be But I must’ve been completely out of my mind To believe that woman When she said You’re the only one for me Now the newspapers, I don’t read a word And I set the TV right out on the curb And I walked out of that woman’s life For the very last time You may say I stepped too far But how long can you live in the dark Today I start believing the truth Take away a man’s eyes And the colors won’t disappear Take away a man’s ears And the bells will still ring clear But if you take away the one thing The one thing that lets him believe It’ll bring him right down to his knees All that talking on the streets That’s got nothing to do with me What people say will never match what they do I’ve made up my mind Can’t lead my whole life blind Today I start believing the truth Now if I had a chance To walk through this life again If I had a chance to win back all I was destined to lose Somehow it would all turn out the same How much could I really change? Today I start believing the truth © Last Warning Music. All Rights Reserved.
8.
This Haunted Life 03:57
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(Words/music by P.Mark) Tilted mirrors line a crooked hall Off the blue room where she prays Reflections in a world gone wrong Lead me on and block my way Each day is a fight In this haunted life From a king to a pawn Now a storm has clouded my reign And my window’s streaked with pain Ambition is a twisted word When it’s whispered in a prayer Mixed messages spill from the cup She extends but will not share There’s no end to the night In this haunted life From a king to a pawn Now a storm has clouded my reign A my window’s streaked with pain A life’s gamble should be built on trust Like the bet I made on you In the end my debt is alone In a world I built for two What’s wrong is right In this haunted life From a king to a pawn Now a storm has clouded my reign And my window’s streaked with pain © Last Warning Music. All Rights Reserved.
9.
Deanna I Do 03:30
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(Words/music by P.Mark) Deanna I do I think the world of you I got a girl back home She would cry if she knew Deanna I tried To tell the truth but I lied Come on let’s dance And blame it on the night I never thought another girl Could go and agitate my world The way you do Then tonight you sat beside me And with one little smile I knew But there’s a whistle in my mind Blowing each and every time I dance with you Under the dance hall lights The prospects are bright for a fool Deanna I do I think the world of you I got a girl back home She would cry if she knew Deanna I tried To tell the truth but I lied I’m gonna head back home And blame it on the night © Last Warrning Music. All Rights Reserved.
10.
Hard-Hitting Journalism 03:30
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(Words/music by P.Mark) Today they gave the man who wrecked my life A Pulitzer prize They said he found the truth But it was a lie Now there’s cameras pointed at my house My shades, they’re all drawn Hard-hitting journalism Sure is hitting me hard Now my kids are starting fights in school And the maid gave notice today They asked my wife for her best smile When she packed up and drove away My agent says sometimes bad press Is a ticket to the top Hard-hitting journalism Sure is hitting me hard I always made a point to check myself And burn no bridges down But now it seems like every friend I call Is either tied up or out of town You know it’s a crime when one man’s rise Is built on another’s fall Hard-hitting journalism Sure is hitting me hard That lady with a thousand questions In a satellite dish-top van She said she’d set the records straight And I just had to laugh I’m gonna hole up and write each day till I die So when I’m gone they know Hard-hitting journalism Sure is hitting me hard © Last Warning Music. All Rights Reserved.
11.
Walk Into the Fire 03:12
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(Words/music by P.Mark) You can’t follow the seasons Without taking a fall You can’t follow the masses Without stopping at the mall You can’t follow fashion Without losing your style But you can follow my footprints when I walk into the fire You can’t follow the music Without missing the song You can’t follow directions Without getting it wrong You can follow the story Without reading between the lines But you can follow my footprints when I walk into the fire Listen…to the wind What’s the difference Between the straight-and-narrow and a sin You can’t follow the stars Without sleeping through the day You can’t follow leaders Without losing your own way You can’t follow the sun Without blinding your eyes But you can follow my footprints when I walk into the fire You can’t follow history Without reading the news You can’t follow your dreams Without paying your dues You can’t follow you fate Without planning to die But you can follow my footprints when I walk into the fire © Last Warning Music. All Rights Reserved.
12.
Credit Line 04:13
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(Word/music by P.Mark) In the days of my youth They never told me the truth About the wealth you can wield with a pen I had it stuck in my head That without and bread Life was zero on a scale of ten They told me money don’t matter, son With a smile and good manners You can write your ticket to the top floor But learned real fast that without any cash You’d be lucky to get past the front door Then one day it came I was out in the rain Waiting for the mailman to show The unemployment check was due It was all I could do To get through the next week or two Instead he brought me a letter With a plan that was better Than any bookkeeping I learned in school It said your luck has changed, our computer got your name Sign here boy you’re pre-approved I got me a credit line Just put my name on the dotted line Now if I like it, I buy it The price don’t make no difference to me I got me a credit line No more living on the poverty line It’s the new law of the land I’m eating from the hand of corporate generosity At first it was hard Going out with that card My hands twitching with purchasing power A new TV, a CD spinner, new clothes and then some dinner I was maxed out in a couple of hours Now I bet you’re thinking that I must’ve been drinking To have spent without a cent to my name But I’m ahead of the game I knew that times had changed That goodwill was there for all to claim I got me an American Express A Diners Club, a Visa A Discover and a MasterCard And with the cash advance there’s really no chance That monthly payments’ll catch me off guard Now the secret to winning without stealing or sinning Is in scoring every card that you can At every bank downtown There’s credit to be found By any fool with a pulse and a pen Chorus Well they told me life would be hard But nobody ever told me ‘bout the wonders of a platinum card Now even Uncle Sam When he gets in a jam Doesn’t worry about the money he owes He just issues a bond and his troubles are gone Into thin air, as far as I know Now my friends are all saying The way I smile when I paying That I ought to run for office one day And it’s true, no foolin’ They call me George Bush junior ‘Cuz my debts are left for others to pay Chorus © Last Warning Music. All Rights Reserved.

about

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"This New York-based trio delivers the goods...Mark's songs walk a fine line between irony and regret..."
- Commercial Appeal, Memphis TN
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"Cool and savvy, wit and jive, sex and bravado, cynicism and irony...nearly all the songs take an ironic turn...Humor winks from others..."
- High Point Enterprise, High Point NC
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What fantastic planet does this all come from?...

"Disposable Soul", the fourth CD from Paul Mark and his band of trash Americana savants, is a rollicking romp through a hayfield of musical styles and traditions, 12 terrific original tunes constituting a primer on roots rock mayhem. Co-produced with Terry Manning (George Thorogood, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Booker T and the MGs) and recorded at legendary Compass Point Studios in The Bahamas.

The band zigs and zags from swamp rock ("Whatever Happened to Memphis") to ice cool soul ("Prison of One") to surf ("Tidal Rave") to '60s garage rock ("This Haunted Life"). The collection includes the rollicking "Grow Old" and then kicks into the tongue-twisted Texas rocker "Somekinda Something", both staples of the band's live show.

And maybe best of all is "Hard-Hitting Journalism", a mid-tempo Bakersfield lament on the current state of mainstream media. It's among Mark's most taught and trenchant compositions, a sublime indictment of today's headline makers -- and authors.

Kim Wilson (from the Fabulous Thunderbirds) butts in on harp on the instant blues classic "Drinkin' On the Job"...Drinking is just one party activity that goes well with "Disposable Soul".

credits

released June 1, 1997

Produced by Terry Manning and Paul Mark
Recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas.

Joe Costello - Drums
Alan J. Hager - Bass
Kim Wilson - Harmonica
Mark Hamza - Hammond organ
Chalmers & Rhodes - Background vocals
P.Mark - Vocals, guitar, piano

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Paul Mark & The Van Dorens New York, New York

Triple-threat songwriter-musician-producer Paul Mark has been mystifying critics and barflies for decades. With a striking lyrical edge and an encyclopedic facility with American roots music, NYC-based Paul Mark has built a top-drawer original song catalog that tugs on the ears of the literary as well as the liquidated. Mark is principal owner of Radiation Records. ... more

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