Ran On Pure Lightning

This review is part of a series in which I review Neal’s solo records one by one chronologically, and chat with various friends and bandmates who were part of the making of each record.

This short and sweet collection of songs released in 2002 came to be after Neal finished a tour as a part of Beachwood Sparks and joined the incredible Shannon McNally’s touring band, along with Neal’s friends Jeff Hill and Dan Fadel, who would stay up late after shows to listen to records and go on to form Hazy Malaze.

Recorded at what was then known as Cello Studios (formerly Western, now EastWest) in “Jim’s Lounge,” which, as it turns out, was basically a broom closet, they recruited Greg Leisz, Brent Rademaker, Bob Glaub, Don Heffington, Hutch Hutchison, Dayna Manning, and Benmont Tench to lend a hand to this great EP.

The songs on this record are each incredible – two of Neal’s, three of Shannon’s. The pair alternating roles to offer heavenly harmonies and acoustic playing to support the songwriter. McNally has this phenomenal, sultry voice, the charm of which is in full effect here, and her songwriting quite honestly steals the show.

The opening song, “Pale Moon,” blows me away with each listen. “Oh I’d like to find myself trapped in some desert town with you… But I’m not in that desert town and you’re not there with me, I’m underground in NYC.” These lines can resonate deeply with anyone, but are so incredibly personal. She re-recorded this song for her 2005 release Geronimo but this version with Neal’s harmonies has this unmistakeable rawness and depth.

The Neal songs on the album, “Fierce Little Bird,” and “In My Mind” are perfect Casal folk songs, augmented by Leisz’s flawless steel playing. His voice is so close and intimate, accompanied by understated acoustic strums working their magic.

“Sunset Flood” is just Leisz improvising. Greg had been working with Shannon on other projects, and with the Neal connection, it was a given that he’d play on it. On a whim, Neal asked him to make something up on the spot, Greg did his thing, and Neal named it “Sunset Flood.”

Similarly, Benmont Tench closes the album with a little ragtime boogie, named “Benmont’s Boogie” on the CD but re-titled for the digital release as “Alachua County Boogie,” likely a nod to Tench’s place of birth.

Shannon’s “John Finch/Swing Me Easy” is just devastating. Just listen, I don’t really need to describe why. Two flawless tracks seamlessly woven together about a tragic Western romance that take up about a third of the album, songwriting of the highest caliber with its distinct, vivid southern imagery.

Shannon herself graciously responded to my questions about how this album came to be.

Neal and I met through mutual friends in Los Angeles in 1999. I had just gotten signed by Capitol and made a record and it became really clear that I should follow it up with a nice, gentle acoustic record. Neal and I really loved Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris and had a similar vibe so it made sense for us to work together. He was also working with a band called Beachwood Sparks at the time and we were all going to Joshua Tree a lot so it was a natural, easy fit. Jim Scott, the recording engineer and producer and friend of Neal’s, had basically a broom closet at Cello Studio that he let us work out of and that is where we recorded my EP Ran On Pure Lighnting. 

We each brought our own songs and Neal produced the EP. Neal and I both had a complementary songwriting aesthetic so the songs felt like they went together well. 

We were so excited to be at Cello Studios because you never knew who was gonna walk in, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, all the session guys. We were surrounded by complete rockstars, it was pretty dreamy if you’re into that kind of thing. Anywhere close to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, was worth being, even if we were working in a broom closet. Just like the title of the EP suggests, we were running on pure adrenaline, time flew by. Neal really did what he set out to do, I was always really happy for Neal because when I knew him he was struggling to break and I was always happy for his success and all he went on to do. 

Shannon McNally, September 2020

Brent, then of Beachwood Sparks, played bass on John Finch and also shared a few memories:

I was thrilled when Neal asked me to come and play bass on the record he was making with Shannon. I knew he was a proper “studio” & “session” player and I came from a slightly more guarded background. I was slightly nervous , maybe had an indie attitude of sorts. What really stands out in my memory beyond how committed Neal was to making a great record was being put in my place by the ultra cool Jim Scott who was letting Neal use a small space to make the record at Cello Studios.
When I was surprised and complimentary toward the bass sound after being plugged directly into the tape machine Jim said “The Band did it that way, Danko didn’t use no compressors” I guess he could hear my palm muting Danko rip-off quite well…I loved it! Never forgot that and quote it often. I just recorded a song for the Neal tribute with Jim and the bass sounded killer and he did use a compressor ;)!!

Brent Rademaker, October 2020

Shannon’s live-streaming every Tuesday at 6 PM from her Facebook page, and do explore more of this amazing artist’s discography.