Top Secrecy

Rick Santers – lead vocals, electric and accoustic guitars, keyboards
Mark Santers – drums, percussion and background vocals
Rick Lazaroff – bass

Produced and Engineered by Rick Santers
Mixed by Brian Allen and Rick Santers
Except Come and Get It and Top Secrecy mixed by Graham Brewer and Rick Santers

Recorded at Dandelion Studios, Toronto ON
Mixed at Metalworks Studios, Mississauga ON
Digitally Mastered by Bill Kipper at disques SNB, Montreal QC
Remastered by Edward Tobin at ECV Mastering Studios, Toronto ON

Graphic Artwork Sebastian Kozak

Words and Music by Rick Santers
All songs © 1986 Santoonz Music (SOCAN)

Lyrics used by permission. All rights reserved. 

Original sound recording ℗  © 1986, 1998 Dandelion Records

Come and Get It
Words and Music by Rick Santers

Now is the time you’d better be ready for action. Sit back and wait, you’ll never get your turn again, never again. Open your eyes and see the sun rising. You’ve got life in your hands. Keep hesitation on the horizon. Let them hear your command. You gotta have something, better than nothing to believe in, so just come and get it now. Better be ready, hold it steady. Come and get it now. Some people believe that someone will solve all of their problems. They sit around saying “Look at how life’s treated me, so bad”! You’ve got the keys to break from your prison. Nothing can hold you down. Don’t waste time just make your decision. Send your power all around. chorus

Top Secrecy
Words and Music by Rick Santers

You pretend that you are the lucky one. You’re ten million miles away. You’ve gone too far, the ice is thin. Too dangerous for what you’re getting in. You tangle your threads, you can’t recall. All’s not one and one’s not all. Don’t you water down desire. Don’t you crucify our love. Seems like all the world’s on fire, but you’re burning alone. Top Secrecy, playing hide and seek. Top Secrecy, it’s killing me. If you think that you are invincible. Then you’re in for a big surprise. You turn to the left, turn to the right, all that surrounds you is just one big fight. You tangle your threads, you can’t recall. All’s not one and one’s not all. chorus

Leigh Ann
Words and Music by Rick Santers

She was a girl who I used to know. Somehow I left her behind. Now the light is beginning to show at the scene of the crime. Through all the days and into the nights. Me and my heart all alone. I gotta carry on this fight. I’m so far, far from home. Around the world I go. I’ve gotta find you Leigh Ann. Oh! Leigh Ann. I’m gonna find you Leigh Ann. I’ve been waitin’ so long. The sun shine wherever she goes. I don’t belong in the rain. She has control where the four winds blow from China to Spain. She’s stolen my heart possessing my soul. You’ve gotta see to believe. I never know what I’m gonna get she’s got tricks up her sleeve. Things that can’t be seen. chorus You got me waiting with anticipation every single night. My heart is breaking every day it’s you in all my dreams. Didn’t wanna lose you chorus 

Dry Your Tears
Words and Music by Rick Santers

Now that you’re all alone it seems love has come and gone too fast. If only you could trade your throne for a moment for those good times that passed. Tell me how were you to know that we would let it go? Dry your tears away. There’s nothing more to say. We have to wave goodbye to yesterday. Dry your tears away. Here comes a brighter day. Discover what you need, we all have our own hearts that bleed. That’s how the story goes. We walked the line right to the bitter end. Your heart won’t let you go. Still, you fight with nothing to defend. It was never meant to be. Baby can’t you see? chorus Tomorrow you will see a future waits for you. The land of make-believe is where your dreams come true. chorus  

Lightning’s Gonna Srike
Words and Music by Rick Santers

Wake up in the middle of the night. Everything is wrong and nothing seems right. Sit up and wipe the sweat off your face. Start asking yourself who’s winning the race. Your conscience is cold. You say that you’ll never grow old. What was is that you say you sold. You wanna leave the ground but something holds you down. Lookout! Lightning’s gonna strike you if you turn and run away. Lightning’s gonna strike you. Did you forget you had to pay? Driving up a one way street you don’t give a damn and you always wanna cheat. Don’t know how you’re gonna make it through life. If you wanna survive you better think twice. Your memory was sold. You’re grey and you’re growin’ old. You’ll never find a heart of gold. You wanna leave the ground but something holds you down. chorus Watch for Lightning! 

Heaven On Earth
Words and Music by Rick Santers

Time is running out hear it ticking away. The future’s closing in no reason to delay. Something’s at the door I hit the floor, sit in wonder. Throw away the chains and start again, up from under. All I wanna know is there heaven on earth? So let hell be cursed. I want heaven on earth tonight. Heaven on earth, do away with the hurt. Give me heaven on earth tonight. It’s gonna be right, all right tonight. Clouds are rolling in, hear the thunder in the distance. Home is made of stone to weather resistance. Now it comes crashing in the walls are thin. Break down the system. Strong winds are all around what is their sound? Don’t wanna listen. Where can I go? chorus

Love Back Guarantee
Words and Music by Rick Santers

Time can choose a victim. No sense of right or wrong. He turns his back to walk away. You wonder where you belong. Love will try and come back to you to start all over again. Misunderstand what you’re going through until you finally reach the end. You want it now, a love back guarantee. To fix, somehow, a broken heart under warranty. Just sign it now down on the bottom right on the dotted line. Feeling better with a love back guarantee. No one stopped to warn you. Better read between the lines. You can’t believe or imagine that you were left behind. You want the tables to turn around to start all over again. No one will hear if you make a sound. It’s too late you can’t pretend chorus You’ll feel better with a name. It’s a lonely dealer’s game. Feeling better with your love back guarantee, love back guarantee.

Never Wanna Let You Go
Words and Music by Rick Santers

I found what I was looking for. A shelter from the rain. Your smile was saying that you felt the same. When you surrounded me with magic and released me from the past I never had to doubt it was gonna last. You gotta feel it’s right. Just keep our love in sight. I’m ready for you. You were made for me. Oh! Baby let it be. I never wanna let you go. My heart just wants to tell you so. I never wanna let you go. Oh! I just wanna let you know. I was living in the darkness. Thought I’d never see the light. Then you showed me the morning through the night. All the words can’t tell you what I’m feeling. My life will never be the same. Can’t bear to leave you now and look for love again. chorus

Red Sky
Words and Music by Rick Santers

Comes a time you have to take a chance. You roll the dice just to see them dance. Look over your shoulder don’t play the fool. ‘Cause somebody out there breaking the rules. There’s gonna be trouble there’s gonna be pain. You can’t turn your back when you’re playing this game. Throw your cards on the table, wait and see. Are you the winner or is it a dream. There’s a red sky tonight. Tomorrow will be all right. It’s a red sky tonight. Lady luck be your guiding light. You start to tremble you start to shake. Come to the conclusion your life is at stake. Forget all your problems forget all your fears. Look to the future and save your last tear. chorus You want a warning say you need a sign. You can make it on through. You’ll find all the answers they’re just behind the line. Soon all your dreams will come true. chorus

What’s Tearing Us Apart?
Words and Music by Rick Santers

Seasons are changing. There’s a winter like never before. The winds are blowing. Feeling colder we wait at the door. Watching as our worlds are burning, turning, learning. Almost like our time is over. Can’t you see we’re on a new road again. What’s tearing us apart? I wanna know. We’re playing from the heart. A never ending show. What’s tearing us apart? I wanna know. Deep feelings from the heart. They will never go. Life from the shadows. Adventures have just begun. Climbing the mountain. As we’re reaching towards the sun. Can’t you hear the future calling? “Follow, tomorrow”. Don’t believe your time is over. Can’t you see we’re on a new road again. chorusul. You’ve gotta see to believe. I never know what I’m gonna get she’s got tricks up her sleeve. Things that can’t be seen. chorus You got me waiting with anticipation every single night. My heart is breaking every day it’s you in all my dreams. Didn’t wanna lose you chorus  

Thanks to: Gottlieb and Linda, Alex, KJay, Andrew Kowalchuk, Steve Harrell and Toshi Aramaki

Special thanks to: Erik, Connor, Sabrina and Tania.

It was the summer of 1985 and Rick Santers decided it was time to build a studio of his own. In came the console, tape machine, speakers, microphones, cables and outboard gear and SANTERS started to get to work on a new album. The songs Rick had written were decidedly more lyrical and so he wanted to experiment with using a more layered keyboard sound. The recordings on Top Secrecy were initially intended to be demos to be used to shop for producers and international record labels. It only was after the band had finished recording that the received notice that their Canadian record label, Ready Records, had ceasing operations. 

Despite many responses declaring the “demos” actually sounded like a finished album, the band was unable to secure a release. Laying dormant in the vault for over ten years, Top Secrecy finally appeared as a bonus album on the SANTERS IV Box Set release in 1998 through Avex Records Of Japan.

With the release of “The Definitive Remasters Collection” SANTERS fans can finally listen to the band’s vast catalogue of rock classics mastered to the level of sound quality that was originally intended. So, sit back, crank it up and listen to SANTERS the way they were meant to be heard. Enjoy!

COMING SOON!