Music:

Organic Software: Penny Hanna's Pop Tunes from the 1980's

Over a three year period beginning in 1985, Ms. Hanna penned and recorded three albums worth of pop tunes under the "Organic Software" banner. These recordings were done in our home project studio using what was in the 1980s the latest computer-controlled synthesizer technology along with semi-pro multi-track tape machines. Penny would write the tunes and author the basic MIDI tracks and then hand them over to Slim for further enhancement before laying down the vocals and other instruments. Back then we got as far as the album cover but unfortunately none of these albums ever made it to vinyl -- so we just sold cassette versions at our gigs. There's some terrific (if somewhat dated) material here, so please give a listen...

We're currently in the process of remastering and re-releasing all of these recordings. Volumes one, two ("Cruel Lottery") and three ("Often Running") are published here and on the major streaming services. A collection of unreleased singles are also in the works.

Volume 1

Volume 1 is pure pop music fun. "Breakin' Away" sets the mood as one by one these songs tackle the ups and downs of young relationships.

Organic Software Vol. 1
  •  Breakin' Away
  •  Trinidad
  •  Just Like A Hurricane
  •  Don't Look Back
  •  It's Raining
  •  Volcano
  •  Easy To Break A Broken Heart
  •  Tell Me
  •  I Fantasize
Lyrics: Click here to view the lyric sheet for this album

Download a zip of the album: Click here to download
(it's 47MB of mp3s and you can import the expanded folder into iTunes.)

Note: Links to Volume 1 on the streaming services will be added in the coming weeks. In the meantime you can listen to and/or download the album here.

Video: Just Like A Hurricane

This tune was originally recorded in 1984, shortly after we obtained our first MIDI controlled gear, which had just hit the market: a Prophet 600 Synthesizer and a Drumtraks drum box, both released by Dave Smith's Sequential Circuits. These were some of the earliest MIDI-controlled devices on the market and they were a total game changer for us. These instruments could be played live by a computer during mixdown, providing actual additional tracks beyond the 8 track recorder we were using at the time. It may sound trivial by today's standards, but back then it was huge. Many of the other tunes on the Organic Software Vol. 1 were done a bit later after we'd obtained more MIDI synths and drum boxes, but "Just Like A Hurricane" lit the fire that led us to quickly expand on the possibilities this new technology afforded.

The video contains visualizations based on the original MIDI tracks that were used to record this tune. We used MIDITrail and Groove Agent for the keyboards and drum visualizations. The still pix are from a live video as well as a photo shoot from that time period. The hurricane backdrop is courtesy of NASA.

Volume 2: Cruel Lottery

Penny's songs on this album were, with a couple of exceptions, political in nature. It was 1987, Reagan was in the White House and plenty of bad stuff was happening here in the USA. The lyrics riff on wide-ranging subjects including nuclear annihilation in "DEW Line" and "They Say, I Say", televangelist con men in "Oral Tradition" (fellow oldsters might remember Oral Roberts in the prayer tower), the never-ending racism towards African Americans in "Still Walkin'", the feminist lament "Girls Can Play", and Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (aka Star Wars) in "Somewhere Up In Outer Space". Sadly, much of her biting commentary holds true to this day. Most of all, I hope that you'll agree that the craftsmanship in these songs, both lyrically and musically, is exceptional -- a thing of beauty.

- Slim, February 2023

Organic Software Vol. 2 - Cruel Lottery
  •  DEW Line
  •  Still Walkin'
  •  They Say, I Say
  •  Girls Can Play
  •  Rock Out
  •  Oral Tradition
  •  Somethin' Happened
  •  Somewhere Up In Outer Space


Cruel Lottery on Streaming Sites: Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube
Download a zip of the album (50MB of mp3s, can import the expanded folder into iTunes): Click here to download
Lyrics:Click here to view the lyric sheet for the Cruel Lottery album
Still Walkin' video (with lyrics):

Volume 3: Often Running



Organic Software Vol. 3 - Often Running
  •  Electric Touch
  •  If I Give You My Heart
  •  Love Rises Up
  •  White Lace & Pink Champagne
  •  Plenty Is Not A Lot
  •  Smoke On The Land
  •  I Hear Thunder
  •  Lover Be Mine


Often Running on Streaming Sites: Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube
Download a zip of the album (37MB of mp3s, can import the expanded folder into iTunes): Click here to download
Lyrics:Click here to view the lyric sheet for the Often Running album
Electric Touch video (with lyrics):

If I Give You My Heart video (with lyrics):