Road,River & Rail

An old song written when I "discovered" country.
Listens and constructive comments appreciated!

Key=G , Tempo 105, Length (m:s)=3:43
No intro. 94 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 94. Repeat x1 chorus
No Melody
No Soloist track.
Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0,
Song is saved with bar changes for Volume Changes,
Style is _TAILG8.STY (Tailgate Southern Rock w Banjo)

RealTracks in style: 1417:Bass, Electric, RootsRock Ev 100
RealTracks in style: 638:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm RootsRockTremolo Ev 100
RealTracks in style: 802:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm SouthernSnappyGritty Ev 090 (B:8ths)
RealTracks in style: ~589:Banjo, Bluegrass Doc Ev 100 (Rhythm)
RealDrums in style: BluesRockSlowEv^2-a:SideStick , b:Snare, HiHat
RT 602 Harmonica Soloist Train


Road, River & Rail

road road river and rail
been around this world
`til I`m chasing my tail
now you won`t see nothing
but a vapor trail
when I fly back home

momma won`t you look for me
look for me in your memory
in picture books there do you see
a boy with sparrow eyes

you`ll see me coming through the golden wheat
touch the tracks feel my heartbeat
I`m a stranger but I know your street
and I still love you

road road river and rail
been around this world
`til I`m chasing my tail
you won`t see nothing
but a vapor trail
when I fly back home

lord lord will you say I failed
I set out searching
for the holy grail
somewhere out there
on that crooked trail
all I found was a man

papa can you still hear me
hear me in your grave so green
my shoes are worn and my wounds are deep
now my tears fall down for you

I left all the dreams you had for my life
had to climb high to where my river ran dry
now my hand`s reaching down to where you lie
I know you were my friend

road road river and rail
been around this world
`til I`m chasing my tail
now you won`t see nothing
but a vapor trail
when I fly back home

life life so hard and so frail
I`ve been the hammer
and I`ve been the nail
you broke my wheels
then gave me a sail
to find my way back home


© Robert Cordrey Feb.1994

Robert

Good catchy song - nice chorus. Some nice dynamics as the song develops.

Peter

Hi Robertkc, Great job on this! Really dig the harmonica it adds flavor to the whole song. Well done!

Enjoyed that Robert especially the boy with sparrow eyes. Cheers.

I saw this one yesterday, was logged into soundcloud and the upload showed up on my stream. Great song, love the lyrics and especially the strong hook in the chorus.

Hi robert. Love love the acapella start to this. The melody is very engaging. A great write and also a great production. Good job!

Great sound on this. Totally pro. Excellent production. Love the lyrics.

Thanks for that, Peter. I tried to change things up between chorus & verses - glad it worked.

Robert



Hi Joe,
Harmonica was the first instrument I played and I always carried a couple when travelling so it was a good fit for this song. Thanks for your kind comments.

Robert



Thank you!
Yeah,I like that line too- lots of cliches in the lyrics on this song, but that one`s original.

Robert



Dave,
Thanks for your listen and comments here and on SoundCloud -The chorus "hook" on this might be the only really catchy one I`ve written!

Robert

Robert,

An interesting write. The band is cool - works well.

The arrangement is nice. I thought the vocal could use more reverb - it seems quite dry.

Enjoyed the listen.

fj

Very cool start to the song. Excellent vocal, lyric and backtrack

Robert,

Like Joanne, the vocal-only start really appealed to me. It worked like a charm and pulled me right into the lyrics.

I found this a very interesting journey. I like the way the slightly folk-sounding melody interacted with the country backing. To me it was a very effective cross-over of genres... creative plus!

Enjoyed it!

Regards,
Noel

I found this a very interesting journey. I like the way the slightly folk-sounding melody interacted with the country backing. To me it was a very effective cross-over of genres... creative plus!

(what Noel said)

very good description of my impression,
good song, has re-play value
enjoyed it!

Kenny

I think the lyrics for this are top drawer - very good and I wish i had written them. What a great chorus.

I liked the melody too , but I must be honest I didnt like the arrangements - The introduction and dropping of instruments somehow sounded a bit unnatural to me - I think you absolutely have the right instinct to have little moments thoughtout the song - but they just didnt seem quite authentic to my ears. My thought would be to work on the arrangement.

I actually wonder if it wouldnt be nicer in an arrangement with just your voice(s) and a single guitar - there is a power in your lyric which would stand up to a more bare-bones production

Anyway I hope that is useful feedback!

Thanks Joanne!



David,
Wow, you are too kind... have to laugh a little on the production -I had a back problem and had to do all the mixing lying on the floor... maybe it gave me sharper ears?

Robert





Floyd,
I`m glad you liked the arrangement - this was a complete redo after recording the song at a slower tempo with a much folkier band.
I used a different "rock" preset for the vocal this time which sounded a bit edgier to me- I`ll have another listen and see if I can hear what you mean on the reverb.

Robert

Robert,

I think this is my favorite from you so far... Everything about this song is excellent.

Bob

Scott,
Many thanks for your listens and likes.

Robert

Noel,
Thank you!
Your comments always let me know that you`ve really listened
to the song - it helps make the "journey" of getting all that production stuff done that bit more satisfying.

Robert



Thanks, Kenny ... this was a song I found would wake folks up after playing more introspective fare.

Robert

I appreciate your listen and thoughtful comments- yes, I find them useful!
I played this song with just guitar & harp for years, so I tried that simple arrangement on first recording with BiaB... and then thought " not enough fun!" and decided to try and rock out just a little.The syncopation of this "Southern" rock style took a fair bit of practice to get right for the vocals and I`m quite pleased with the result.
I get what you`re saying about the changes in instrumentation through the song and I might revisit some of the fade-in/outs in any future version.

Robert

Excellent song. Very much like early country rock in the 70's in the storyline, choice of instruments and presentation.

Enjoyed my listen.


Charlie

Robert,

We agree with all being said here. Very cool production with very nice lyrics!

Rob & Anne-Marie

Thanks Bob.
A musician friend of mine thinks its the only song I`ve written with commercial potential, so I tell him now that`s out of the way I can just write what I like!

Robert

Charlie,
Yes, its certainly not the kind of country that`s popular now.
I`m happy you enjoyed!

Robert




Rob & Anne-Marie,
Thank you for that - I`m especially glad you liked the production.

Robert

Hello, Robert

Very catchy!
As Joanne and Noel said, the vocal-only start really appealed to me, too. The melody is very engaging.
I don't know why this tune reminds me of "I've Been Working on the Railroad", though your song is quite different from it.
Very enjoyable listen.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Very nice! Other than "vapor trail" and "fly" and the fine write has somewhat of a Victorian feel.

Your vocal is very much showcased in this tune and that is good...very good. As fj mentioned a wee bit more 'verb on it would spread the soundstage love

We agree with Charlie regarding the early country rock feel. Back to the formative years of the sub-genre... a la Stone Poneys, etc.

One to be pleased with for sure!!

J&B

Sigeki,

Thanks very much!

Robert


J&B,

I`m glad you enjoyed this - thanks for your listen and comments. I `ve now added a touch of reverb to the vocal and it does seem fuller sounding.
I like the early country rock of bands like Poco & the Byrds - though this was written after I started listening to more recent Nashville sounds.

Robert

Hi Robert,

We liked this a lot. A nice arrangement and we really liked the last verse:

life life so hard and so frail
I`ve been the hammer
and I`ve been the nail
you broke my wheels
then gave me a sail
to find my way back home

Just a couple of things caught our attention:

1. We think the bass line could be brought quite a bit more forward in the mix
2. bringing the banjo a little more forward on the left channel would balance the mix a wee bit better.

Of course, those are just our thoughts. Everyone has a slightly different ake on all that.

We enjoyed our listen a lot. Thanks for the entertainment!

Alan & Di

Alan & Di,

Thanks for taking the time to listen and comment - I`m glad you liked the song.
Its very useful to have folks with keen ears give feedback. I`m almost always quite "done" with a song by the time I get to mix balancing and invariably need to go back and tweek after posting & taking a break.
I agree that the bass should come up.Not sure about the banjo- maybe it is a little lost when the whole band is playing.
Cheers,

Robert

Excellent one Robert.
For me your best.

Great real tracks used, super vocal and lyrics.

I like it.

Sergio

Robert, another very good one from you! As a musician I always catch myself trying to predict where the chords and melody are going in a song and can usually do that but you kept me from doing so here (which I like). Very interesting and good use of cross genre instrumentation. Thanks, Torrey

Thank you, Sergio!

Robert




Torrey,
I`m happy you liked this and thought the arrangement worked.
Thanks for listening and commenting!

Robert

Excellent, every part of it.

The harmonica slotted in so perfectly.

In particular, the mix was clean and powerful at the same time. Delivered through a strong vocal. No complaints, that's for sure.

Robert, That was a very effective vocal intro using the chorus. Nicely put together arrangement. Your voice sounds really good here. I enjoyed the lyrics. Tom

Thank you!
For the harp it took a few regens and blending the solo RT with background so I`m happy you thought it worked.

Robert

Tom,
I appreciate your listen and comments.
I found starting with the verse took some oomph out of the song- glad you liked the chorus intro.

Robert

I love that the vocal comes in first... then that catchy music starts playing... and whaddya know - my foot won't stop tappin'! You did a GREAT job with this one!!!

This is today's Hot Forum Topic

Very nice, Rober. Reminded me a little bit of America, with more edge. I like the arrangement. Like the a capella beginning.

Good job.

Steve

Thanks for this, Callie.
I`m glad you enjoyed it... I`ve noticed that highlighting a song in this way does send a few listeners my way, so that`s appreciated.

Robert


Steve,
Thanks for listening and the positive comments.

Robert

Really good stuff Robert!! Very energetic. Engaging music and some really good lyrics. Very nice! Take care. Greg

Greg,

I`m glad you liked this!
Thanks for listening and also for listening back through the many pages here and commenting on songs ( like Dread ) now off the radar...I`ve been wondering where you were.

Robert

Robert,

What a great intro! Very Orbison! And a cool transition to the song itself.
Definitely another winner!

Rob

Rob,
Funny you should mention Roy Orbison - I was looking in vain for that extra octave today!
Thanks for listening and liking this again.

Robert