Danny Morgan - The Swimmer (w/ Remix by Seahawks) [Be With Records]

Format: 12" in printed sleeve.

The lost private press gem The Swimmer by Florida native Danny Morgan is a fresh, enveloping delight, softly floating in from 1987. It should have been a hit. It still could be. It's a marine masterpiece – laidback and utterly Balearic. In recent years it has earned a cult following, even though the album it comes from is virtually impossible to acquire.

Finally available on a standalone, fully remastered 12”, it comes with an instant classic remix: Seahawks Swimming Through Space Remix, courtesy of the beloved Jon Tye and Pete Fowler.

These won't be around for long—only 500 copies were made worldwide—so don’t drown in procrastination.

One listen, and you’ll want to dive in.

Those who enjoy the hypnotic, nautical, and somewhat narcotic cuts of Dennis Wilson or Michael Nesmith’s The Prison will be instantly enchanted by the beauty of The Swimmer. After locating Danny, we wanted to know more. How does something so magical come about? Danny himself responded:

“At the time, I was running many miles on the beach on Sanibel Island and doing some swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. To keep my mind occupied during long runs, I would imagine hypothetical movie scenes. Almost always there was someone sitting on the beach observing what was going on. Back at my desk, I started fingerpicking some chords, and the image in my head appeared. I programmed a rhythmic loop, and the song started to take shape.

Adrian Belew and I had the same manager, Stan Hertzman, so I was listening to Adrian’s work quite a bit. I also was a big fan of Joni Mitchell and the unusual chord changes and melodies in some of her songs. All of this influenced the sound of The Swimmer.

I had a backing band at that time living with me at my house on Sanibel Island, so we rehearsed a lot. We created an arrangement for the song and took it across the causeway to John McLane’s Important Studios to record it. I played fingerpicking acoustic guitar and sang, Tim Miller played drums, Jeff Holck fretless bass, Dave Dust lead guitar, and John McLane keyboards and backing vocals.”

Our deepest thanks go to Jon Tye (MLO / Seahawks / Ocean Moon) for showing Be With this hidden treasure. We returned the favor by giving him the stems and asking for a relaxed B-side remix—he came back, after conspiring with Pete Fowler, with a cosmic, subtropical rework: the Seahawks Swimming Through Space Remix.

The artwork design for this 12” was a very enjoyable process. We were glad to be able to reinterpret the original Beach Life album cover using unreleased photos sent by Danny himself. We wanted to create something that looked like a natural extension of the original LP. We believe we succeeded. Simon Francis remastered Danny’s original audio, and Cicely Balston’s precise cut at Alchemy at AIR Studios ensures this 12” sounds exceptionally good. Record Industry’s impeccable pressing will ensure that this once lost masterpiece remains found forever.