Mondo Magneto is the debut studio Rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 album by Brian Ray

Brian Ray

Brian Thomas Ray is an American session musician, musical director, guitarist and singer–songwriter. He is best known for his work as a guitarist and bassist with Paul McCartney, though he has worked with an extensive list of artists in addition to his own solo career.-Early life:Brian Ray grew up...

, released on October 16, 2006 through his independent record label Whooray Records.

Background

After decades of performing, writing and recording with musical artists, Brian Ray

Brian Ray

Brian Thomas Ray is an American session musician, musical director, guitarist and singer–songwriter. He is best known for his work as a guitarist and bassist with Paul McCartney, though he has worked with an extensive list of artists in addition to his own solo career.-Early life:Brian Ray grew up...

, a guitarist/songwriter/singer/producer released his first solo album, Mondo Magneto. "People have always asked me when I was going to do my own thing," Ray said, "I guess I was just busy."
Unlike other albums, Mondo Magneto was recorded on analog

Analog signal

An analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...

, then moved over to digital

Digital

A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...

 for further editing.

When he asked the blues singer Etta James

Etta James

Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...

 if she would sing with him on the album her answer was simple - and immediate - "I'll do anything for Brian."

Musicians on Mondo Magneto include Scott Shriner

Scott Shriner

Scott G. Shriner is the bass guitarist for the alternative rock band Weezer.-Early life:Shriner was born in Toledo, Ohio. He took up bass in high school. After being discharged from the Marine Corps, he found his high school bass teacher Mark Kieswetter, with whom he studied until moving to Los...

 from Weezer

Weezer

Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...

, Davey Faragher

Davey Faragher

Davey Faragher is an American bass guitarist from Redlands, California. Faragher's career took off and received critical notice as a founding member of the nineties band, Cracker, and his following work with The Imposters, the backing band for Elvis Costello since 2001.Faragher is an accomplished...

 from Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...

's band, as well as Abe Laboriel, Jr., Wix Wickens and Rusty Anderson

Rusty Anderson

Rusty Anderson is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and music producer. He is best known as lead guitarist with Paul McCartney, though he has worked with an extensive list of artists in addition to his own solo career.-Early life:Rusty Anderson grew up in La Habra, California...

 from Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...

's band. The record release party was held at The Mint in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 on January 21, 2006.

Track listing

1. Good For Nothing - 3:21 (Brian Ray)

• Brian Ray
  Brian Ray
  Brian Thomas Ray is an American session musician, musical director, guitarist and singer–songwriter. He is best known for his work as a guitarist and bassist with Paul McCartney, though he has worked with an extensive list of artists in addition to his own solo career.-Early life:Brian Ray grew up...
  
   - Vocals, Harmonies, Electric Guitars, Omnicord
• Matt Laug - Drums
• Scott Shriner
  Scott Shriner
  Scott G. Shriner is the bass guitarist for the alternative rock band Weezer.-Early life:Shriner was born in Toledo, Ohio. He took up bass in high school. After being discharged from the Marine Corps, he found his high school bass teacher Mark Kieswetter, with whom he studied until moving to Los...
  
   - Backing Vocals
• Abe Laboriel Jr.
  Abe Laboriel Jr.
  Abe Laboriel Jr. is an American session drummer. He is the son of Mexican bassist Abraham Laboriel, Sr. and brother of producer, songwriter, and film composer Mateo Laboriel....
  
   - Backing Vocals, Tambourine
• Oliver Leiber - Roland CR-8000

2. Vinyl - 3:35 (Brian Ray/Oliver Leiber)

• Brian Ray - Vocals, Guitar, Slide Guitar
• Abe Laboriel Jr. - Drums, Backing Vocals
• Paul Bushnell - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
• Matt Laug - Tambourine

3. Goin’ Down Swingin’ - 3:52 (Brian Ray/Oliver Leiber/David Gamson)

• Brian Ray - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitar, Maracas
• Oliver Leiber - Drums, Guitar, Maracas
• David Gamson - Bass Guitar, Programming

4.Soft Machine (Featuring Etta James

Etta James

Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...

) - 4:01 (Brian Ray/Tonio K./Steve LeGassick)

• Brian Ray - Vocals, Guitar
• Matt Laug - Drums, Percussion
• David Gamson - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals

5. I Liked You Better - 3:18 (Brian Ray/Adam Cohen/Oliver Leiber)

• Brian Ray - Vocals, Guitar
• Matt Laug - Drums, Percussion
• David Gamson - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
• Russ Irwin - Backing Vocals
• Jason Paige - Backing Vocals

6. All I Know - 4:27 (Brian Ray)

• Brian Ray - Vocals, Harmonies, Guitar, Slide Guitar
• Paul "Wix" Wickens - Mellotron
• Rusty Anderson
  Rusty Anderson
  Rusty Anderson is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and music producer. He is best known as lead guitarist with Paul McCartney, though he has worked with an extensive list of artists in addition to his own solo career.-Early life:Rusty Anderson grew up in La Habra, California...
  
  - Pedal Steel Guitar
• Joe Zook - Tambourine
• Scott Shriner - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
• Abe Laboriel Jr. - Drums, Backing Vocals

7. Coming Up Roses - 3:54 (Brian Ray/Tonio K.)

• Brian Ray - Vocals, Guitar
• Abe Laboriel Jr. - Drums, Percussion
• Paul Bushnell - Bass Guitar
• Scott Shriner - Backing Vocals
• David Gamson - Backing Vocals
• The Dirt Brothers - Metal Vocals

8. Sub Atomic - 3:35 (Brian Ray/Abe Laboriel Jr.)

• Brian Ray - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitar
• Abe Laboriel Jr. - Drums, Tambourine
• Scott Shriner - Bass Guitar

9. If You’re Leaving Me 3:45 (Brian Ray)

• Brian Ray - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion
• Russ Irwin - String Arrangement, Strings, Mellotron, Organ

10. Anywhere But Home - 4:09 (Brian Ray)

• Brian Ray - Vocals, Guitar
• Matt Laug - Drums, Percussion
• Scott Shriner - Backing Vocals
• Abe Laboriel Jr. - Backing Vocals
• David Gamson - Bass Guitar