I met Jonathan Stuart in 1976. I was twenty and working as a tape listener at Warner Bros. Records during the last of the "good ol' days" in the record biz. At the time, Jonathan had written an off-Broadway musical called "Mary Jane"; a sort-of celebration of pot and the culture that surrounds it. I saw a preview performance, and was amused to say the least. It was pure seventies theatre and to this day I can still hum a few tunes.

  In 1998, Jonathan came to me with an idea to resurrect "Mary Jane" as a multi-artist CD in the style of a series I produced. At first the idea seemed a little odd, but Jonathan pointed out that the project meant a lot more than a celebration of marijuana. He showed me videotapes of the history; what good it had done, the political side that turned against it, and how the people responsible for making marijuana illegal greatly increased their personal wealth. I liked the new songs he had written to update the project, and with a trust and belief in Jonathan's talent and vision, I agreed to do the project.

  Stylewise, the songs from the original "Mary Jane" were not typical theatre. Within the show, rock, jazz, vaudeville, and R&B were incorporated. The newer songs added traditional folk and cynical pop music to the mix. Considering the diversity of vocal styles to come, we felt a house band would be the only way to achieve any consistency.

  As the arranger from the original production, Chris Brubeck was an important link to the past, and a brilliant bass player and trombonist. Guitarists Wayne Kramer and Chris Spedding , both important architects of rock , signed on, and with Jonathan and myself, we locked ourselves in Kramer's home studio and didn't emerge until we had deconstructed and rearranged all twelve songs. After a few sessions at The Village, basic tracks were completed with Ric Parnell on drums, and the amazing Danny Frankel on drums and percussion.

  The biggest challenge on this recording was figuring out who would sing what. Though I have been involved with quite a few multi-artist projects ("I got out of it...and they're dragin' me back in!!"), most of those records were of "classic" material that the artists approached were somewhat familiar with. This was different, as the songs were new and about a controversial subject matter. Eventually this ceased to be a problem.

  Sweet Pea Atkinson and Sir Harry Bowens started the ball rolling, and what a way to start. The Mighty Echoes took my favorite novelty song to new heights, and even gave us a Do-wop concert after the session. We Traveled to New Orleans to record John Sinclair and Charmaine Neville. Watching respectable businessmen revisiting their college adolescence at the fairgrounds during Jazzfest, to seeing the legendary John Sinclair at MargareetaVille at night is a contrast I will never forget. On to New York for sessions with Cy Curnin, Peter Stamphel, and Eric Mingus. Dee Dee Ramone and Taj Mahal did the last of the vocals in LA and the circle was complete.

  With Eric Liljestrand's patience and skill including putting up with my stampede samples, New Prohibition got finished and became a reality. Not only is it a finished realized project, I actually enjoy listening to it. The theatricality of it seems to be intact, with it not seeming too theatrical. There is virtually every style of music on this recording...and it seems to flow. There is a lesson to be learned here, but I don't really know what it is.

Thanks to all who ventured into the gaping hole of the studio with us.
I'll be seeing you,
Hal Willner