JANUARY 2 • 2020 | 29 recorded songs was divided between Mandell and Will, a Seattle business- man and performer who had worked in California bands with Mandell. They also are producing a limited number of videos to accompany the music. As the two planned out the rock opera, Will had one completed number to offer. “The Sum of It All, ” originally written to honor the memory of his mother, would apply to the loss of people at the stadium. “That song describes all that my mother brought to my life and the idea that she lives on spiritually, ” says Will, who operates a commercial music studio near his home. As work on the recording formalized, Mandell and Will decided to name their refreshed duo Good to Mention. They arranged for Liverpool professionals — Big Country bassist Scott Whitley, Queen bass- ist Callum Williams and studio guitarist Scott Poley — to add layers remotely. Mandell’ s wife, Jenna, and his brother Steven, a pathologist who appears with choral groups, filled in vocals led by the duo. Family participation is important to Mandell because family introduced musical interests. Relatives played piano and had favorite albums he regularly heard in their homes before he was old enough to attend school. After being drawn to the coronet, Mandell became interested in drums. As abilities advanced, he joined with music buddies at Southfield High School to form a band. They played for many parties, espe- cially bar mitzvahs because of their ages and religious affiliations. Mandell had his bar mitzvah at Congregation B’ nai David in Southfield. Mandell, who headed to California in 1975 for performance opportunities, returned to Michigan in 1994 for work and family stability. THE ROCK OPERA Only one song, “You’ ll Never Walk Alone” by Rodgers and Hammerstein, is not origi- nal; but it is included because of its associa- tion with the Hillsborough Family Support Group. Five percent of proceeds from first-year album sales separately will benefit the support group and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which is important to one of Mandell’ s four children. “The opera format is based on one of my earliest favorite albums, Tommy by The Who, ” says Mandell, who studied music at Wayne State University, Berklee College of Music in Boston and California State University-Northridge. “Tommy was a big influ- ence on me. I’ ve seen the play and movie, and I tried to match that genre as we came up with the storyline, arrangements and ambience so it all gives a sense of being in the midst of the tragedy. There’ s not dialogue in every case; some segments provide thematic material. ” Songs are divided into four segments: “Innocence” leading up to the match; “Tragedy” imagining the heartbreak experi- enced by the victims; “Redemption” explor- ing grief joined with court action; and “Hope” involving the healing process. One song that Mandell wrote, “On the Edge, ” has special resonance with him beyond the rock opera. “It’ s the song about the police overseeing the game and making the fateful decision to open the exit gate where people rushed in and crushed fans, ” Mandell explains. “It reflects each person’ s struggle to do and say the right things and then question how better choices could have been made. I think we all go through times when we’ re on the edge between right and wrong decisions. ” Mandell wrote three related songs to present different per- spectives toward the tragedy. “I Can Never Go Home” has to do with the composite character representing the outlook of a young person not coming back. “You Can Never Go Home” conveys the emotions of victims’ loved ones. “We Must All Go Home” addresses everyone’ s eventu- al demise. The first video to accompany the record- ing, “This Is Christmas, ” was produced to provide a sense of restoring outlook through the mood of the holiday as under- stood even by people who do not observe it. The video was filmed in Seattle with the duo singing as Marshall plays guitar and Will plays keyboards. Now that Mandell, 66, has taken on one rock opera, he has acquired the energy for another. Ideas are swirling for a tale about a time traveler, and Will has signed on. “The idea about coming back to where we were — even temporarily — cannot escape me,” Mandell says. “I’ m finding my own route through music.” “The idea about coming back to where we were — even temporarily — cannot escape me. I’m fi nding my own route through music.” — MARSHALL MANDELL details 96 can be streamed or purchased through the many digital music sites, such as Amazon and Spotify. The first video is available on YouTube.