Mark Ian
After graduating high school, Mark began his solo pop-rock career in earnest. He learned of a new
recording studio that had opened up a few blocks from his home, and one day he strolled in with his
guitar in hand. There he met Doug Fearn, who would not only record and produce almost all of his early
recordings but would also become a lifelong friend. Later recordings at Veritable were co-produced by
Mark and the talented Joe McSorley (sound engineer).
The master tapes of these recordings were lost over the years, and only cassette copies (a less than ideal
medium) remain of their early work together. Digital audio software has been applied to clean up these
copies while using the least amount of processing possible in order to retain the flavor of the original
recordings.
Mark explains the detailed history of each of these songs below.
recording studio that had opened up a few blocks from his home, and one day he strolled in with his
guitar in hand. There he met Doug Fearn, who would not only record and produce almost all of his early
recordings but would also become a lifelong friend. Later recordings at Veritable were co-produced by
Mark and the talented Joe McSorley (sound engineer).
The master tapes of these recordings were lost over the years, and only cassette copies (a less than ideal
medium) remain of their early work together. Digital audio software has been applied to clean up these
copies while using the least amount of processing possible in order to retain the flavor of the original
recordings.
Mark explains the detailed history of each of these songs below.
You Can't Let Go |
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In the late 70's I entered the studio once again to record a new song with the idea of forming another band. At that time the only other musician I had recruited was a great drummer, Billy Lehrer, who I had met through my best friend and guitarist extraordinaire, Tony D'Addono. Both Tony and Billy played on the previous recordings I did in 1977, engineered by Joe McSorley. Billy and I decided to go in and cut the song ourselves as a demo, with the hopes of luring other musicians into the band.
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Credits
Artist: Mark Ian Song: You Can't Let Go Copyright 1979 Mark Minassian ~ All Rights Reserved Recorded at Veritable Recording Studios in Ardmore, PA (1979) Producers: Joe McSorley and Mark Minassian Sound Engineer: Joe McSorley Post Production: Leo Valentino and Mark Minassian (2017) Graphic Design: Sweet Ice Cream Photography Graphic Alterations and Titling: Mark Minassian Mark Minassian: lead vocals, background vocals, electric guitars, bass, and piano Billy Lehrer: drums, lead vocal (bridge) |
Billy played drums and I played everything else. Billy had a great voice and a vocal style that was reminiscent of Dennis DeYoung of Styx, so I decided to have him sing the bridge. As best as I can recall, I handled the rest of the background vocals, which was not unusual for me, as I love to harmonize with my own voice.
Unfortunately the project ended there, but the song did resurface when I later formed the Bomp Zone with bassist, John Roberts in the early 1980's. It became part of our standard repertoire, although the only other recording of the song is a live version recorded in the now defunct, but historic Joe's Sportsman Lounge in West Chester, PA.
Unfortunately the project ended there, but the song did resurface when I later formed the Bomp Zone with bassist, John Roberts in the early 1980's. It became part of our standard repertoire, although the only other recording of the song is a live version recorded in the now defunct, but historic Joe's Sportsman Lounge in West Chester, PA.
My Number Has Arrived |
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My Number Has Arrived was recorded in 1977 when pop rock music was employing more synthesizers in the musical arrangements. I was influenced by this trend, too, as this song demonstrates. It is one of the very few songs I recorded in which I played piano rather than guitar. Besides the lead vocal, the quasi "Beach Boy" style background vocals were also performed by me, and required many overdubs. I was accustomed to doing that and wanted to push the bounds of what my voice was capable of doing in past recordings.
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Credits
Artist: Mark Ian Song: My Number Has Arrived Copyright 1977 Mark Minassian ~ All Rights Reserved Recorded at Veritable Recording Studios in Lansdowne, PA (1977) Producers: Joe McSorley and Mark Minassian Engineer: Joe McSorley Post Production: Leo Valentino and Mark Minassian (2017) Graphic Design: Sabine Sauermaul Graphic Alterations and Titling: Mark Minassian Mark Minassian: piano, lead vocals, background vocals Tony D'Addono: electric and acoustic guitars Frank Di Giovanni: keyboards and synthesizers Jim Peters: bass guitar Billy Lehrer: drums |
The song's lyrics were heavily influenced by the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey which was directed by Stanley Kubrick and released in 1968, almost 10 years earlier. The movie obviously had a profound effect on me as I'm sure it has had on many others who have experienced it.
You Make Me Feel |
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“You Make Me Feel” was written and recorded in 1977 along with two other songs, “My Number Has Arrived” and a cover of ”1984” written by Randy California of Spirit. I believe this is the shortest song I've ever written coming in just above 2 ½ minutes. It was intended to be a radio single, so I was shooting for the “under 3 minute” mark. |
Credits
Artist: Mark Ian Song: You Make Me Feel Copyright 1977 Mark Minassian ~ All Rights Reserved Recorded at Veritable Recording Studios in Lansdowne, PA (1977) Producers: Joe McSorley and Mark Minassian Engineer: Joe McSorley Post Production: Leo Valentino and Mark Minassian (2017) Graphic Design: Mark Minassian Mark Minassian: lead vocals, background vocals, electric guitar Tony D'Addono: lead electric guitars Frank Di Giovanni: keyboards and synthesizers Jim Peters: bass guitar Billy Lehrer: drums |
That time frame still hounded most artists releasing singles, except for the very few who were able to get airplay beyond that arbitrary time limit, which someone came up with to define the attention span of the average radio listener. The song was recorded with some of the best musicians in the Philadelphia area at the time, while Joe McSorley handled the engineering. It was never commercially released.
Lay Your Cards On The Table |
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"Lay Your Cards On The Table" was recorded in 1976. A pop rock song with a Latin feel and jazz overtones at the end of the song, this was new ground for me as an artist. It also gave me the opportunity to play with two of my childhood musician friends, Don Freeman and Jim Gaudiello, both of whom went on to tour with Sister Sledge and Astrud Gilberto.
Comment: ■ Love it! Especially since it's Adult Pop Rock. ~ Paula Anderson Trout ■ Best song ~ Onions Churchill |
Credits
Artist: Mark Ian Song: Lay Your Cards On The Table Copyright 1976 Mark Minassian Recorded at Veritable Recording Studios in Lansdowne, PA in 1976. Produced and engineered by D.W. Fearn. Graphic design: Mark Minassian Mark Ian: acoustic guitar, vocals, and background vocals Andy Celli: keyboard Bob Chavis: bass Tony D'Addono: electric guitar Don Freeman: piano Jim Gaudiello: drums |
Love Again At All |
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Love Again At All was recorded in 1976. It's a pop rock song with a tinge of country flavor. This style of combining country and rock was becoming more popular during that time with artists like the Byrds, Graham Parsons, and The Flying Burrito Brothers.
Comments:
■ Your music is awesome especially Mark Ian - Love Again At All. ~ Seda |
Credits
Artist: Mark Ian Song: Love Again At All Copyright 1977 Mark Minassian ~ All Rights Reserved Recorded at Veritable Recording Studios in Lansdowne, PA (1977) Produced and engineered by D.W. Fearn. Post Production: Leo Valentino and Mark Minassian (2017) Graphic Design: Mark Minassian Mark Minassian: acoustic guitar, lead vocals, background vocals Dave Edmiston: Electric Guitar Michael Abatangelo: Keyboards Gino Paoli: Bass Jimmy Gaudiello: Drums |
Class Of 65 |
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In 1975 I was approached by Frank Fioravanti of Sound Gems records to record a single of a song that he and Pal Rakes wrote, called the Class of 65. Frank had been the executive producer and coordinator of a huge hit record in 1974, William DeVaughn’s “Be Thankful For What You Got” (“Though you may not drive, a great big Cadillac….”). He secured the song's release on Roxbury Records, a subsidiary of Chelsea Records. The song reached #1 on the U.S. R&B charts and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In fact, I played bass on the demos with William at Veritable Studios for his follow-up album tracks.
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Credits*
Artist: Mark Ian Song: Class Of 65 Published 1975 Sound Gems, Inc. Copyright 1977 F. Fioravanti & Pal Rakes ~ All Rights Reserved Recorded at Veritable Studios in Lansdowne, PA (1975) Produced and engineered by D.W. Fearn. Arranged By Joe & Louis Parente Post Production: Leo Valentino and Mark Minassian (2017) Mark Minassian: acoustic guitar, lead vocals, background vocals Dave Edmiston: electric guitar Michael Abatangelo: keyboards Gino Paoli: bass Jimmy Gaudiello: drums Background vocals and orchestral arrangement: Joe & Louis Parente *Musicians listed are to the best of my recollection. |
Frank wanted to release a single on his own label, Sound Gems, and was looking for a pop artist to perform his song. Class of 65 was recorded at Veritable Recording Studios and produced by D.W Fearn, with whom I had been working for quite a few years on my own material. The arrangers were two talented friends, Joe & Louis Parente.
Although I thought the song would be better served by having Pal Rakes record it, I forged ahead and did the sessions, with the hope that it would be my big break, even though I preferred recording my own material. This is the point where I officially adopted the name Mark Ian (Ian was derived from the last three letters of my own real last name, Minassian, and had no connection to the famous Janis Ian).
Class of 65 was released in 1975 with the hopes of catching the 10-year reunion fever of those people who graduated in 1965. No such luck. It received some airplay on local college stations, and I performed (lip synced) it on Steele Pier, a relatively local TV show hosted by the legendary Ed Hurst. My oldest brother Pete and I made the rounds at the local radio stations, attempting to get air play, but without success. It pretty much ended there, so I went back to writing and recording my own songs, with the hope of one day having that big hit single.
For some historical perspective, you can listen to the original demo that Frank recorded of Pal Rakes doing the song. It is posted below. I think if he had recorded it as a country song, it might have been a crossover hit. And so it goes...
Although I thought the song would be better served by having Pal Rakes record it, I forged ahead and did the sessions, with the hope that it would be my big break, even though I preferred recording my own material. This is the point where I officially adopted the name Mark Ian (Ian was derived from the last three letters of my own real last name, Minassian, and had no connection to the famous Janis Ian).
Class of 65 was released in 1975 with the hopes of catching the 10-year reunion fever of those people who graduated in 1965. No such luck. It received some airplay on local college stations, and I performed (lip synced) it on Steele Pier, a relatively local TV show hosted by the legendary Ed Hurst. My oldest brother Pete and I made the rounds at the local radio stations, attempting to get air play, but without success. It pretty much ended there, so I went back to writing and recording my own songs, with the hope of one day having that big hit single.
For some historical perspective, you can listen to the original demo that Frank recorded of Pal Rakes doing the song. It is posted below. I think if he had recorded it as a country song, it might have been a crossover hit. And so it goes...
Class Of 65
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Credits
Artist: Pal Rakes Song: Class of 65 (Demo) Copyright 1975 F. Fioravanti & Pal Rakes ~ All Rights Reserved Demo recorded by Frank Fioravanti Performed by Pal Rakes Post Production: Leo Valentino and Mark Minassian 2017 Pal Rakes: Guitar and vocals |
This is the original demo of the single I released in 1975 called Class of 65, which was written by Frank Fioravanti & Pal Rakes. The demo is performed by Pal Rakes who has a wonderfully authentic country voice. Frank had formed his own record label called Sound Gems, after his success with William DeVaughn's smash hit, “Be Thankful For What You Got” on Roxbury Records. He approached me to record this song, and I reluctantly said yes. I always felt that Pal should have recorded it. I think the demo has a very heartfelt and authentic country flavor to it, where my version of the tune is too much of a polished pop arrangement. I prefer Pal's version even as a demo.
Of Kings and Queens |
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When I graduated high school in 1970, I knew I would pursue a career in music. Hearing that a local recording studio had opened in a store front not far from my home, I gathered up my guitar and walked down to its location. It was there that I met D.W. Fearn for the first time. He listened to my songs and was interested in recording them. And so my musical journey and long friendship with Doug (which has lasted to this day) began.
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Credits
Artist: Mark (aka Mark Ian, aka I Am Winkle) Song: Of Kings and Queens Copyright 1971 Mark Minassian ~ All Rights Reserved Recorded at Veritable in Lansdowne, PA (1971) Produced and engineered by D.W. Fearn Post Production: Leo Valentino and Mark Minassian (2017) Graphic Design: Lynne Greene Graphic Alterations and Titling: Arthur Minassian Mark Minassian: acoustic guitar, lead vocals, electric banshee guitar Jimmy Gaudiello: organ and percussion Liz Sutor: background vocals: |
Doug eventually went on to form the successful D.W Fearn Company, manufacturer of some of the most highly sought after tube equipment for professional recording studios in the world. We have remained good friends to this day and still record some of my songs at his home recording studio.
One of the first songs we recorded together, and the centerpiece for an album that we envisioned releasing with the same name, was Of Kings & Queens. I had an old “no name” electric guitar that had only one string on it that I lowered down onto the neck 'til it rattled against the frets, producing the eerie sound you hear in the recording. We called it the banshee guitar.
At the time I was listening to a lot of folk music in which the artists had re-tuned their guitars to various open tunings. At this point in my guitar playing, I knew little about it, but loved the sound. So I stretched my hands in some of the most convoluted schemes that one could imagine to write and play this song in standard tuning.
Doug's wife, Liz Sutor, supplied the beautiful and haunting background vocals, and my old longtime friend, Jim Gaudiello played percussion and organ. Although I went on to record many more songs with Doug, the album we envisioned sadly was never realized.
The artwork that was to be used for the album was done by an art teacher at my high school, Lynne Greene. She presented me with several woodcut prints of myself as a personal award for being the most creative high school student of 1970. I was surprised and flattered, especially since she wasn't even my art teacher! She had snuck into my art class, while I was posing with my guitar for a sketching exercise, and drawn the picture that would become the basis for the woodcut. I still have one of the original prints she gave me framed and hanging on the wall.
It's unfortunate that the only recording left of this song is a very old cassette. We did our best to make it listenable, while still retaining the authenticity of the original recording.
Comment:
■ Amazing composition and great restoration. I can now burn your wonderful song on a CDR and listen to it in my car and wherever I need it.
A pity your album was never realized ... I'll miss it for the rest of my life! And congratulations to Lynne Greene for the wonderful artwork! ~ Etienne Reyser
One of the first songs we recorded together, and the centerpiece for an album that we envisioned releasing with the same name, was Of Kings & Queens. I had an old “no name” electric guitar that had only one string on it that I lowered down onto the neck 'til it rattled against the frets, producing the eerie sound you hear in the recording. We called it the banshee guitar.
At the time I was listening to a lot of folk music in which the artists had re-tuned their guitars to various open tunings. At this point in my guitar playing, I knew little about it, but loved the sound. So I stretched my hands in some of the most convoluted schemes that one could imagine to write and play this song in standard tuning.
Doug's wife, Liz Sutor, supplied the beautiful and haunting background vocals, and my old longtime friend, Jim Gaudiello played percussion and organ. Although I went on to record many more songs with Doug, the album we envisioned sadly was never realized.
The artwork that was to be used for the album was done by an art teacher at my high school, Lynne Greene. She presented me with several woodcut prints of myself as a personal award for being the most creative high school student of 1970. I was surprised and flattered, especially since she wasn't even my art teacher! She had snuck into my art class, while I was posing with my guitar for a sketching exercise, and drawn the picture that would become the basis for the woodcut. I still have one of the original prints she gave me framed and hanging on the wall.
It's unfortunate that the only recording left of this song is a very old cassette. We did our best to make it listenable, while still retaining the authenticity of the original recording.
Comment:
■ Amazing composition and great restoration. I can now burn your wonderful song on a CDR and listen to it in my car and wherever I need it.
A pity your album was never realized ... I'll miss it for the rest of my life! And congratulations to Lynne Greene for the wonderful artwork! ~ Etienne Reyser
