Hello forum friends. I've been busy lately mixing tracks for my 2nd CD with BIAB. This is the 10th and last tune for the CD. I love songs that are deep and heavy but this is not one. Once I heard that New Orleans piano style real track, I just had to have some fun with it. It's great to write the serious songs but, as a wise man named Floyd Jane once said "Sometimes you gotta go fishin'". Comments encouraged!! Take care. Greg

https://soundcloud.com/gjohnson-2/ebbandflowcdcdalt

Real Bass 1011 Elec. brit. invasion
Pno 1563 Rhythm brit. blues invasion
Gtr 496 elec rhythm stonez
Gtr 502 " "
Bottle neck solo by Bill Edwards (my son's guitar teacher)



EBB AND FLOW

Was out in Vegas about a week ago
Playin’ slots and sippin’ the booze
I was killin’ them one armed bandits
Seemed I couldn’t lose

Walkin’ by that roulette wheel
Voice in my head callin” “BLACK”
30 spins and 6 drinks later
I’d given every penny back

It just ebbs and flows, ebbs and flows
That’s how luck is, that’s just the way it goes
If you’re flyin’ high, you’ll soon be headin’ down
First you’re steamin’ hot, then you’re freezin’ cold
You chase that rainbow for the pot of gold
But when you get there, you find nothin’ but the cold, hard ground

Back at the job, I had the day from hell
Then drivin’ home, got a flat
Had to hoof it in the pourin’ rain
Now just imagine that

Walk in the door my baby’s standin’ there
Wearin’ little more than a smile
Life can be hard but it’s the little things
Make it all worthwhile

It’s just the ebb and flow, ebb and flow
She drives me crazy with that rock and roll
Somethin’ ‘bout a woman’s touch drives a man insane
It’s just the ebb and flow, ebb and flow
That rhythm shakes me to my very soul
Sometimes you’ll find the rainbow’s worth sufferin’ through a little rain

I liked the lyrics... great rhyme and meter, and an interesting story to boot!

As a guitar player I really enjoyed the slide solo... its always great to get a solo that's tailor made for the song!

One problem with using those British invasion tracks is that they create the expectation that Mick Jaggers voice will provide the vocals. ;(

I really liked the energy in this song too.. its a real toe tapper!


The important thing is that with no changes whatsoever, this song rocks!

Nice killer rock song. Good vocals and backing vocals -- No mick Jagger needed on this one.

Really nice job by your guitarist.

Liked this one from start to finish.


Charlie

Hi Greg,

This is a great song!
To me it has rather a feel of Paul Mc Cartneys "Wings over America" with Denny Laine at the vocals. I certainly don't mind that 70's feeling
Your vocals hit the spot!

The song is full of energy. Bill does a great job on the solo!

Grtz,

Fred

Greg,

I'll echo what others have said so far for the most part.. great track, very nice guitar work and tone. The vocals sound good and the mix sounds pretty well balanced. As as arranger though, I think I would have approached the intro one of two ways:

1) Have only the piano playing for the first four bars at the start, or

2) extend the intro another four bars playing the progression with the full band before coming in for the verse.

The intro as it is sounds a bit lacking to my ears. There's nothing wrong with having a sparse introduction per se, but having a bass playing a rhythm without something happening with the drums with this kind of a song context sounds like it is missing something. But overall, I like the song and your attention to production. I just think the intro could be a little stronger.

BR,
David

Hey Greg,

Great sounding track! I think this is your best mix to date. Loved the arrangement too. Fun and feel good song.

Much enjoyed.

Josie

Greg,

"Ooh Lah lahlah". I must use that backing vocal idea on one of mine.
I love the feel reminded me of some great bands from the 70's.

good stuff

Alyn

Hey Greg. LOVE that guitar work....If only.... very well done on the vocals and especially the backup vocals. Loved it.

Very nice.

Tasty slide solo. I'd roll the highs off a bit because it's almost abrasive on the high end... still excellent work.

Loved the lyrical crafting... the chorus was well written. Loved the whole song but the chorus was especially sweet.

Got some truth in those lyrics too....

Hi Greg,

Nice story told in the lyrics.
Good vocals and backing vocals. I love those ooh lalaas! Bill did a really nice job.
I enjoyed this very much.

Guenter

WOW! Lovin' us some slide.

This amazing rocker got added
to our SC playlist before it was
half over. Why?

- great vocal
- a top notch write
- cool and well executed vocals to match the lyric and the vibe
- scorching slide playing and tone and we are big time slide fans -- Janice's brother plays a mean bottleneck (coricidin bottle actually)
- a mix that sounds perfect on both of our systems - ideal soundstage

This is one to share with family and friends!

J&B

Greg,

A great listen. I'm on about my 10th, I think...

Killer guitar - keep that boy close!

A good write. One of the hardest things the do is write a fun rocker that actually says enough interesting stuff to keep it interesting throughout... very catchy chorus... I really like how you turned it from down-in-the-dumps to positive at the end... nicely done. And FUN!

The mix sounds great at low volume (which is important). When I crank it (which you HAVE to do with this) it breaks down a bit. It's crispy. More high end across the whole mix than it needs - you could pull that down considerably and still have plenty of high end. But even more interesting is that when I got it up there, the bottom kind of disappeared. I expected a big thumping bass but it wasn't there (and I had noticed it at low levels). The drums were good and loud. Your vocal has excellent processing on it (nice reverb). The guitars are nice. I wanted a driving bass under all that. I thought the piano could come up a little (but I usually say that...)

Super harmonies, too. Beatlesque...

You really "get" POP. I like that!

floyd

Greg, First of all I really like the write. Perfect for the genre. The guitar solos are stellar! The ooh lalaa's are just right. Now you know that I always comment on how great your vocals are and make no mistake this is sung with great expertise, but I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't comment on the processing. I am sure this may be a matter of taste, but I am hearing something like too much saturation or compression from whatever plug-in you are using. Your voice has such an expressive natural tone that any tweaks with processing should be kept to a minimum. I am thinking like the way Don Henley keeps it pretty straightforward regarding processing. Why screw with the best instrument in the mix. I am very surprised that no one else has picked up on this. Make no mistake about it this is a great piece of work and I am only saying what I would have done. It's all subjective. I thoroughly enjoyed my multiple listens. In fact I am going back for another. Tom

Nice work; love the harmonies and great mix and performance as well thanks for sharing

Greg,

Enjoy the slap back echo effect on your voice. Good choice for the fun vibes of this song. Good background vocals and choice of RealTracks.

Really enjoy being surprised by some of the production tricks you pulled on this one.

Addendum to previous comments:

We just listened again. Janice smiled and said "Traveling Wilburys -- it's got that combination of old and new rock! ooh la lala."

Yeah man.

J&B

Hello Greg,

I have to say I do prefer that more serious and heavy stuff, ha ha, but this one is nice for a change.
The mix, the arrangement and the backing vocals (!!) however sound very professional! you sure know how to use this program to the max!

regards,
Rob

Fantastic. Nuthin else to say! Cheers.

Greg,

Fantastic - sounds like a new ELO song - loved it!

Bob

Great nostalgic vibe! wonderful write!

Great

You keep coming up with some great arrangements. Here is another.

Really like the '70's feel. This song could easily be something that Ringo did or even Status Quo.

Top job

Trev

Hi Greg,

This is a fantastic song! You've certainly got the knack for putting a great creation together.

For what it's worth ... on my system, when I turned the volume up a bit, the mix had a brittle edge to it. It got me wondering what the song would sound like if the high frequencies were eq'd back a tad. I found it most noticeable in the piano.

All in all, though, I stand by what I said at the beginning. This is one heck of a song write! It's lots of applause from me.

Regards,
Noel

• latest song: Just A Little After Midnight

Greg, I'm bumping this up. <grin> Ooo lalala Love the song.

Are you eqing the reverb? Sometimes that's the culprit - speaking as one who gets a bit crispy at times.


Josie

Hi Pat. Thanks!! I too am a big fan of Jagger's voice-great texture and tone, and he could blast when he needed to. I noticed you edited your original comments-nice of you to do so but I was curious about the cliche (rainbow for the pot of gold?). Tried to twist it around a bit. Thanks so much for all your support. Take care. Greg

Thanks Charlie!! Much appreciated your kind words. Take care. Greg

Thanks a lot Fred!! Any comparison to any Beatle is the ultimate compliment. I consider myself one of their truest fans. Musically speaking, times will never be that good again, at least in our lifetimes. Take care. Greg

Thanks David. I considered your suggestions. I appreciate your careful and thoughtful listen. Thanks for posting your comments and listening. Much appreciated!! Take care. Greg

Hi Josie. You know you are a favorite of mine (as a writer and a listener). THanks for the nice words, and thanks for the bump up. I have re-worked the vocal at Tom's suggestion and think it is better now. My kids were playing some high pitch on the Ipod touch the other day and teasing me for not being able to hear it. I know my tracks get a little sizzly but I am in "high treble rehab" Got to remember "It's all about the bass" THanks again. Take care. Greg

Thanks Alyn!! You and I appreciate the same era. I always love to "hear" your comments, and hear your music-very creative and inspired! Take care. Greg

Thanks Joann. Yeah, that guy can play! I gave up hope of being a decent musician long ago. I am living vicariously through my son's potential! Take care. Greg

THanks Herb!! Took your advice on the guitar solo and rolled off the highs a bit. You have great ears, in addition to a lot of writing/playing talent. Thanks for the feedback. Take care. Greg

Thanks Guenter!! Appreciate your consistent support, AND am constantly blown away with what you're doing with re-mixes-Simply amazing!! Take care, and keep posting! Greg

Nice straight ahead rocker.

Oooh la la, indeed. Sometimes I forget how much fun songs can be, and this is a good reminder.

I'm with floyd on the high end being a bit "crispy" - there's so much high end that I have trouble making out the articulation of the words.

Congratulations on finishing up your CD!

Hi Greg.

I'm late again and as usual it's all been said, but...

What a great combination of Blues and Rock. I love that sound.

A great track and a very creative piece of writing.

And yeah, hope you paid the slide guy well - superb bit of playing.

ROG.

J and B, thanks for all the kind words. Very appreciative of your steady support, and thanks for the re-post!! I've never had a song that got to 100 listens on Soundcloud that fast. Take care. Greg

Thanks for the kind words and helpful suggestions Floyd. I did try to tame the piano and highs in the vocals a bit. You do have golden ears! Thanks again for all your help and support. Take care. Greg

Thanks for the feedback Tom, and the kind words! Your comments have really helped my approach to the mix. Take care. Greg

Thanks much for the support!! Always appreciate you taking time to listen and post. Take care. Greg

Thanks for the kind feedback Jim! I had fun putting this together. The mix was a bit challenging but some of the wizards on the forum have made great suggestions. Appreciate the listen!! Take care. Greg

Thanks R and AM!! I loved your new one. I could have sworn I posted a comment and it got eaten up in the e-world. It was really excellent work. You guys constantly amaze!! Take care. Greg

THanks Rich!! Always appreciate your steady support and encouragement! Take care. Greg

THanks Bob!! Enjoy all of your posts-you've got an interesting and fresh style! Take care. Greg

hi greg awesome work here smokeing guitar chops thanks for sharing eric

Ive always liked British invasion.
I have never used this one as it reminds me too much of the Stones.
I think you pulled it off, there is a Statas Quo feel and a even a touch of Beatles in the chorus.
I liked the delay on the word black.
God story telling.
Rob.

Thanks for the kind words Lawrence! Always love to hear from you (feedback or a new tune)! Thanks again. Take care. Greg

Thanks Trevor I really appreciate your consistent support!! Take care. Greg

Thanks for the kind words Noel!! Funny you should mention the highs. My kids have an ap that allows you to play different frequencies through the speaker. They were laughing at me cause I peak at around 6200 hz. I'm in rehab trying to tame the highs. Thanks again. Take care. Greg

Thanks David. Much appreciated!! Haven't seen a new one from you in a bit. Looking forward to it! Take care. Greg

Thanks ROG!! Always love hearing from you. You post some great stuff. Last mix was over the top!! Take care. Greg

Thanks Eric. Really appreciate the kind words!! Love you guitar sound! Take care. Greg

Thanks for the kind words Rob!! The British invasion was my musical awakening. To my ears, music has never been better. Really enjoying your tunes! Take care. Greg

Greg,

This is really nice! Yes, I hear some Traveling Wilburys, and a little Edgar Winter in there too. Love the slide. All well done.

Steve

Thanks Steve. Comments are much appreciated! Really enjoyed your last post. Beautifully done!! Take care. Greg

Greg,
Excellent vocals on this one. Fun song. Thanks for posting.
SD

Hi Greg, Good song really enjoyed the listen.For me it had a kinda Gerry Rafferty feel to it (oops showing my age here) but all in all a good write. +1 from me.