''Mr Buechner's Dream'' is the thirteenth studio album by

Christian alternative rock Christian alternative rock is a form of alternative rock music that is lyrically grounded in a Christian worldview. Some critics have suggested that unlike CCM and older Christian rock, Christian alternative rock generally emphasizes musical ...

band

Daniel Amos Daniel Amos (aka D. A., Dä) is an American Christian rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter (musician), Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. ...

, issued in 2001 by

Stunt Records Stunt Records is an independent record label formed in 1990 by Daniel Amos, Terry Scott Taylor, and Tom Gulotta. This is different from the Stunt Records which is a jazz record label in Denmark. Discography # The Swirling Eddies – ''Swirlin ...

. It was the band's first album in six years - and last for twelve years - and the only double album in their catalog.

Background

Although the album includes over 30 songs, the band did not set out to record a double album. "I think Chris Colbert (the band's engineer) thought we were a little crazy. It’s my sense that the sheer joy of being together again in a creative setting after a seven years absence opened the floodgates of the creativity I believe is unique to Daniel Amos", explains Taylor, the band's lyricist. Lyrically the album reflected the tumultuous events experienced by members of the band in recent years: the death of two young and very dear friends, including producer and studio owner

Gene Eugene Gene Andrusco (April 6, 1961 – March 20, 2000), better known as Gene Eugene, was a Canadian-born actor, record producer, engineer, composer, and musician. Andrusco was best known as the leader of the alternative rock band Adam Again, a member ...

, cancer in Taylor's family, and in the families of other close friends. The "Mr Buechner" referred to in the title is

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

nominated author

Frederick Buechner Carl Frederick Buechner ( ; July 11, 1926 – August 15, 2022) was an American author, Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies ...

, who has been a major inspiration on the band's lyrics for years. The album also pays tribute to authors

Walker Percy Walker Percy, Oblate of Saint Benedict, OblSB (May 28, 1916 – May 10, 1990) was an American writer whose interests included philosophy and semiotics. Percy is noted for his philosophical novels set in and around New Orleans; his first, ''Th ...

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...

G. K. Chesterton Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English author, philosopher, Christian apologist, journalist and magazine editor, and literary and art critic. Chesterton created the fictional priest-detective Father Brow ...

Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. O'Connor was a Southern writer who of ...

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

, and

Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Leigh Sayers ( ; 13 June 1893 – 17 December 1957) was an English crime novelist, playwright, translator and critic. Born in Oxford, Sayers was brought up in rural East Anglia and educated at Godolphin School in Salisbury and Somerv ...

. Some of the studio sessions and rehearsals for the album were filmed by friends of the band. Those films were later edited together to create a "behind the scenes" DVD, appropriately entitled '' The Making of Mr. Buechner's Dream''.

Reissue

For the album's tenth anniversary in 2011, Stunt Records rereleased the CD with an expanded booklet and one bonus track - "Nowhere Is Someplace," a song that was originally only released through the band's website in 2001 and on the Making of.. DVD.

Track listing

All lyrics by

Terry Scott Taylor Terry Scott Taylor (born May 24, 1950) is an American songwriter, record producer, writer and founding member of the bands Daniel Amos and The Swirling Eddies (credited as Camarillo Eddy). Taylor is also a member of the roots and alternative ...

, and music by Daniel Amos.

Mr Buechner's Dream (The First Collection)

# "This is the One" (2:18) # "Mr. Buechner's Dream" (1:23) # "The Author of the Story" (4:49) # "Your Long Year" (3:52) # "Who's Who Here?" (4:06) # "Thick Skin" (2:54) # "Ribbons & Bows" (3:23) # "Ordinary Extraordinary Day" (3:20) # "I Get to Wondering" (2:56) # "Faithful Street" (2:36) # "The Lucky Ones" (2:10) # "Rice Paper Wings" (2:39) # "The Tale You Told" (2:43) # "Meanwhile" (3:10) # "Over Her Shoulder" (3:01) # "The Staggering Gods" (3:24) # "A Little Grace" (2:30) # "My Beautiful Martyr" (3:54) # "Mr. Buechner Wakes Up" (0:40) # "Joel" (3:17)

And So It Goes (The Second Collection)

# "Pretty Little Lies" (4:12) # "Child on a Leash" (2:55) # "Small Great Things" (2:55) # "Nowhere Is Someplace" only on the 2011 re-issue (2:24) # "Easy for You" (4:38) # "Maybe All I Need" (3:17) # "Pregnant Pause" (3:26) # "She's a Hard Drink" (2:44) # "So Far So Good" (3:47) # "Flash in Your Eyes" (a song for

) (3:30) # "Nobody Will" (2:50) # "Fingertips" (3:10) # "Steal Away" (2:44) # "And So it Goes" (18:56)

Personnel

Tim Chandler Tim Chandler (February 3, 1960 – October 8, 2018) was an American bass guitar player, best known for his work with the rock bands Daniel Amos, The Swirling Eddies (credited as Berger Roy Al), and The Choir. Chandler was also a session musicia ...

— bass and guitars * Greg Flesch — guitars, piano, keyboards, harmonica, accordion, and mandolin *

Ed McTaggart Ed McTaggart (born July 10, 1951) is an American drummer and artist. He is best known as the drummer of the rock band Daniel Amos. McTaggart joined DA in 1976, after years of playing with Bill Sprouse Jr.'s band The Road Home. In the 1980s, Mc ...

— drums and percussion *

— guitars and lead vocals

Additional musicians

* Vince Hizon — saxophone on "She's A Hard Drink" and "Faithful Street" * Tim Jacobs — trumpet on "She's A Hard Drink" and "Faithful Street" *

Frank Lenz Frank Lenz (born 18 June 1967 in San Leandro, California) is a drummer from Southern California who has done work for many bands and artists, including Richard Swift, The Weepies, Everest, Pedro The Lion, Starflyer 59, Lassie Foundation, Dural ...

— additional keyboards and percussion * Shaunte Palmer — trombone on "She's A Hard Drink" and "Faithful Street"

Production notes

* Produced by Daniel Amos. * Executive Producers: Daniel Amos, Eric Townsend, Jason Townsend, JT Feavel. * Recorded and mixed by Chris Colbert @ " The Fabulous Green Room",

Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as of ...

, with additional engineering by Frank Lenz and T.S. Taylor. * Digital editing by Andrew Pricket. * Mastering by Chris Colbert @ The Green Room. * Jacket design by Ed McTaggart, The Color Edge,

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...

. * New layout and design by Eric Townsend, and Tom Gulotta. * Proofreading assistance by Kenny Paxton and Ron Easton. * Photos by Kristy McTaggart, Ed McTaggart, Jason Hoffman, Dennis Grimaud, and Tom Gulotta.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mister Buechner's Dream 2001 albums Stunt Records albums Daniel Amos albums