Originally recorded as a live duet with Derek on oud and Javad Butah on tabla by Hussain Jiffry at his studio in Tarzana, CA on 2014-05-02. Brazilian percussion parts were overdubbed by Derek in Goleta, CA on 2014-09-22.

Originally recorded as a live improvisation with Robert Kyle on flute, Derek Wright on oud, and Nininho on elú (a hand drum from Pernambuco, Brazil) in Los Angeles, CA on 2012-09-16. The raw take was nearly 15:20 in total duration. Derek edited this down to 6:53 (including harvesting the out-of-time oud introduction for a future release), composed the Pernambucano percussion arrangement (based on various versions of ijexá/afoxé combined with elements of maracatu bate livre).

The melody used in this piece was originally taught to Derek and his brother Matt Wright (along with many fellow students) at the Lark in the Morning music camp in Mendocino, CA by Ernie Fischbach, David Brown and Brian Steeger. None of them knew a title for it, but all the students loved it. They were only able to refer to it as the "Long Afghan melody in Major, 7/8". That got shorted to "LAM7" and the name stuck.

Originally recorded by David Bergeaud on 2014-03-05 in Topanga, CA as a live improvisation with Derek on oud and David on tongue drum. The raw track was 7:45 long. Derek edited that down to 6:38, arranged all the Pernambucano percussion parts (mostly maracatú and afoxé), and overdubbed those on 2014-11-19 at the Alchemy Castle in Hollywood, CA.

The melody for this track is a traditional Greek song, "Karaguna".

The name comes from a Eugene Debs quote: "When I rise it will be with the ranks, not from the ranks". The song is based on a drum arrangement Derek learned from Nininho of Maracatu Badia called "Subindo a Ladeira", which is Portuguese for "climbing the hill". The struggle for a new society of justice, equality, liberation, love, compassion, sustainability, and peace can at times seem like an extremely tall mountain to climb. It can even feel like we'll never get there.