We are happy to announce that the song "Battlefileds" that was performed for our troops in Iraq and Kuwait has finally been completed and has been posted. There was quite a delay in getting this done, for many reasons, but mainly scheduling - some of us are East Coast and some are on the West Coast.

The performers were as follows:

Vocals - Joe Lynn Turner

Guitars - Carlos Cavazo (and Phil - acoustics)

Bass - Phil Soussan

Drums - Simon Wright

Wa are also greatly indebted to Bob Carpenter (of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fame) for his beautiful piano and B3 playing on this song


Anyway, the music was recorded and send to Joe in NJ who then sang the vocal and sent it back to LA where it was mixed and mastered. We are really happy to have it up here although we have to wait for clearance to allow it to be distributed. In the mentime you may add it to your profile and please listen to it all you want.

It is really an emotional song and it brings us right back to the special time that we were able to share with all of our troops in all the remotest locations. It is also dedicated to all the troops that we were not able to see, and those in other parts of the world; we know that you are out there putting it all on the line for our security, freedom and safety, and we THANK YOU!

PHIL- Personally, I would like to explain how these lyrics relate to our experience in Iraq and Kuwait. I want to make sure that no-one misinterpret the lyrics as this is such an important subject and we are so supportive of our troops.
The lyrics tell the story of a soldier's personal struggle to put his/her life aside until their job is done. It explores whether they feel that they are the only ones who are doing this, on either side of the struggle and wherever in the world they might be. It is not specific to Iraq, but more of an internal turmoil in the mind.
It is the idea that the soldier has put their own life on hold, while duty calls, indefinitely, that is the most striking. While we are sometimes only concerned with what we want to do, on a day by day basis, it is the sacrifice that these men and women make in that they can only do what they are required to do. We saw them away from their families, their loved ones, they have to bite through being absent from the happy celebrations, and having to deal with with differences and difficulties over the long distance telephone line. The lyric "...before it's too late.." certainly takes on many meanings.
We wanted this song to also relate to troops in many other parts of the world and in any other conflicts, which is where the second verse comes in. After seeing most of our troops working through the day to day, and mundane tasks; those feats of accomplishment that never seem to make the news, the soldier questions whether he is "...fighting someone just like me.." He wonders whether the other side feels the same way that he/she does; do they also have a life to be getting on with? It must be easy to lose track of what is happening in the big picture, being on the ground. It must be easy to lose track of "...what am I fighting for".
Of course, let us never forget the horribly possible tragedy that these brave men and women face every day in the protection of us, our freedom, our liberty, our safety and the right to stand up and speak our minds. May the "red river" never flow again.

Our lives will certainly never be the same, nor taken for granted, after meeting all of you fantastic man and women of our Military, and we Salute you - God bless you all.



("Battlefields" was produced and recorded by Phil Soussan)