We'll let Ralph himself describe the motivation behind, and the purpose of, this first volume of his "Songwriter Series":

"One of my favorite things about solo acoustic shows is the interplay that takes place between me and the audience. People shout out requests for their favorites, a mix of songs from the albums and unrecorded tunes. I enjoy not knowing what song will come next, and playing songs I otherwise might not have thought about that night. It transforms a show into more of a conversation.

The Songwriter Series CDs are based on the idea of expanding this kind of dialogue and applying it to recordings. At a show in July 1999, I circulated a piece of paper around the crowd, and asked folks to write down songs they'd like to own acoustic versions of. These are the songs they chose. Just like the shows themselves, the songs are a mix of new and old, fast and slow, happy and sad. It's quite an eclectic grouping - even to me.

The tracks were recorded in one sitting just like a show, with the songs following the order of the requests. Engineer Mark Schwartz approached the recording with a simple, unadorned sound.

So thanks to all of you for the requests at this "show" and all the others like it. Hopefully you'll find some of your favorites here.

My Dog Has Been Barking - Lyrics . Real Audio  
Raspberry Jam - Lyrics . Real Audio
Bedtime Girl - Lyrics . Real Audio
Floating In My Coffee -Lyrics . Real Audio
Byzantine Whores - Lyrics . Real Audio
Jack Dark, Space Assassin - Lyrics . Real Audio
Somewhere That Feels Like Home - Lyrics . Real Audio
Salamander Green - Lyrics . Real Audio
Me and Mary - Lyrics . Real Audio
Drowning In My Senses - Lyrics . Real Audio
Bad Girl - Lyrics . Real Audio
Hey St. Peter - Lyrics . Real Audio
Floating Into Morning - Lyrics . Real Audio
Ragtime to Rags - Lyrics . Real Audio
Out Of My Element - Lyrics . Real Audio

Recorded acoustic at Uber Studio, 8-23-99

Sammy The Dog - Lyrics . Real Audio  
Failing With The Best Intentions - Lyrics . Real Audio
The Dream Will Awaken - Lyrics . Real Audio
One Perfect Moment -Lyrics . Real Audio
Your Ex-Girlfriend - Lyrics . Real Audio
Ghost Of A Joke - Lyrics . Real Audio
The Last Two Days Of My Life - Lyrics . Real Audio
Kiss-O-Rama - Lyrics . Real Audio
Complicated - Lyrics . Real Audio
Cold Shivers - Lyrics . Real Audio
Long Drive Back From Madison - Lyrics . Real Audio
Sidewinder - Lyrics . Real Audio
Adam McCarthy - Lyrics . Real Audio
Small Grey Rain - Lyrics . Real Audio
A Lark - Lyrics . Real Audio

Recorded acoustic at Uber Studio, 8-23-99