Rick Quimby -- The Early Years 2

Here are some more songs that I wrote and recorded during the late 1980s and early 1990s in Worcester, MA. These songs were originally recorded on a 4-track Tascom Portastudio tape deck, and then mixed and archived on 2-track stereo cassette tapes. In 2026 these 2-track tapes were digitally remastered. No additional instrumentation or vocals were added for this re-mastered version, only overall frequency and volume balance.

1. New Year

Wishes for the New Year.

2. Ivory is Burning

In 1989 the decimation of the elephant herds in Africa was much in the news. Richard Leakey was having great success as director of wildlife in Kenya in reducing the poaching of elephants for their ivory tusks. A pivotal moment came when Kenya's president lit a match to set fire to a 18-foot high pyramid of ivory, rather than using this confiscated ivory for financial gain. This moral high road provided a boost to the global crusade against the ivory trade, and was the inspiration for this song.

3. I Can't Decide

It's good to have choices in life -- but some folks have more trouble than others in making those choices.

4. Thirty Years

A song written for one of my friends who was turning 30.

5. Mrs Murphy

Summer camp can be a great thing -- both for the kids and their parents. But those little angels sometimes can be mischievous when they are on their own.

6. Rock Wren

I wrote this song while taking a 2-week birding trip across the country, looking to expand my "life list" of birds.

7. Safari

My first keyboard instrument (other than an actual piano) was a Korg DW-8000, which is actually a synthesizer (you can "build" your own sounds, as well as using built-in preset sounds). I used one of the brass presets for this composition.

8. Harpsicle

Another composition written on the Korg DW-8000, this one using a harpsichord preset.

9. Time Keeper

A dream-like song about time, lost memories, lost love.

10. Circle

Yes, there are other "Circle" songs, but I was inspired to write my own as I contemplated the ups and downs in my own life.