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Dear fellow PG music community, it has been a pleasure getting to know your work. This is a wonderful forum and I continue to enjoy it a great deal. This is another BIAB creation, inspired by a band combo they have (it may be called calypso rock). Used it intact and EZDrummer for drums. I use Pro Tools MP-9 and Waves plugins. This is a Jimmy Buffett homage. The tracks put me in that mood and I wrote it that way. Like THE RIGHT LANE OF LIFE, it represents my fantasy of freedom versus my 6 days of work and 7 days of kids reality. Hope you enjoy it. Take care all! https://soundcloud.com/gjohnson-2/mercy AT THE MERCY OF THE WIND Ever since I can remember, I’ve heard Poseidon calling me The freedom and the wonder of a life out on the sea No property to bind me, No borders to defend Adrift without an anchor, at the mercy of the wind I once tried my hand at business, but their values clashed with mine It was take control and sell your soul just to make the bottom line At sixty-five, if you’re still alive, you can be that lucky man To finally earn the freedom that was yours when you began A speck out on the ocean, to Saint Anthony I pray For the wind to keep my sails filled, and the stars to guide my way I cherish every day While man hammers on the planet, does what damage he will do I’ll find some distant ocean refuge where the water’s still as blue I cast my line at sunset, pull my dinner from the sea One day I will return there and set me spirit free There’ve been many roads not taken, far fewer still to come My few regrets I swallow, with the passion fruit and rum No property to bind me, No borders to defend Adrift without an anchor, at the mercy of the wind Adrift out on the ocean at the mercy of the wind Adrift without an anchor at the mercy of the wind
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Very well written and performed thanks for sharing!
My TunesPsalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
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Hi Greg...
This is a really cool song! Light and easy-going to the max. And your vocal really shines. Nice instrument selection and well-mixed.
If you click onto the memo of the song (in BIAB), it will give you all the information for the tracks and style. we always enjoy checking out the tracks used by our forum friends.
Again, A real nice song. We totally enjoyed the listen...thanks!
Al & Di
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
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Very nice Greg. BTW - spiced rum goes well with passion fruit.  Regards, Bob
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Loved your song. Excellent vocal and playing
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Greg,
A VERY well-written song! Obviously, you did not "just pick this up"! A well-honed craft in that pen.
And this ain't your first rodeo recording-wise either... nice mix. Excellent vocals - so "comfortable". A truly enjoyable listen...
I would really like to hear why you choose to use EZDrummer instead of a RealDrum. The rimshot is nicely done. The snare seemed slightly "mis-matched" in the mix (VERY slightly - not trying to take away from the overall song/mix/listen) - just "a little thing" that sort of caught my attention... (maybe too much actual snare - springs - a more "leathery" snare might set in better? - just thinking out loud).
Terrific stuff!
floyd
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Hi Greg,
a nicely written song, excellent vocals and well-mixed. En enjoyable listen.
Guenter
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We enjoyed it all. A nice crispy well mixed production on my monitors. Great sound on the vocal. Well written and a fine melody to support it. Looking forward to more.
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Always enjoy your work Greg, and this one is no exception. Nice smooth bounce with well placed holds. Great solo. Thanks again
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Beautiful song Greg. Love the lyrics and melody. We all know how I feel about your voice. LOL! I'm a fan.
Josie
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Greg, Very well written and sung. The mix sounds good. Thanks for sharing. Tom
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What a great song. I love Jimmy Buffett, and you have captured everything I love best about his music. The lyrics are wonderful and reminiscent of John Masefield's "Sea-Fever" ("all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.") Beautifully arranged and pleasant to listen to, and as others have mentioned, your vocals are a real treat.
The whole thing makes me long to be out on the waves. Thank you for sharing this!
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Loved the lyrics! At 65 + a "bit" I can feel what you are getting at.  Classy backer too - the dubro guitar is great . We must enjoy this Planet whilst we can - there won't be much left for future generations at the rate we are going. Ian
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'To finally earn the freedom that was yours when you began'
What a line! What a lyric!!
This is a beautiful song, beautifully performed. Take a bow.
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Hi, Greg !:))
I liked your sweet little tune with those lyrics that included a dream I guess many of us share ! Who knows, maybe I´ll join you someday on that far away Island ?:)) In fact, me and my wife used to dream about moving to an Island the kind you are describing !:))
Cheers Dani
Last edited by dani48; 01/29/14 01:51 AM.
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Nice tune..... it took me back to the Jimmy Buffet album "Son of son of a sailor" ..... lots of great songs about freedom and sailing and swimming in a sea that's not roped off....
Loved your take on this topic.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 01/29/14 06:25 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Everything I wanted to say has already been said!
So all I can add is you did Jimmy justice!
Dad, how will I know when I've become an adult.
When your day is ruined because they rearranged the grocery store.
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Thanks Floyd. Really appreciated the feedback and nice words. The main reason I don't use real drums too often is the inability to separate the different drums/cymbals for processing. A lot of the real drums are excellent in terms of feel (very natural). The snare may have been a bit too much. When it comes to mixing, I feel Waves plugins make it pretty easy to get a decent sound. They've helped me a lot as I'm relatively new at mixing. THanks again for your feedback. Take care. Greg
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Thanks much Josie. Always appreciate your positive vibes!! Take care. Greg
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Thanks so much. I love Jimmy Buffett as well. He wrote some beauties, a lot of which are unknown by much of his audience (When the coast is clear, Changing channels, The 12 volt man)-true genius. I'm glad you felt the "Buffett vibe" from my song. Take care. Greg
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
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And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
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Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
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Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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