Hello forum friends. Happy New Year to all!! Last fall, while listening to music from my favorite source (the forum), I heard an instrumental by Al David called Maybe Next Time. It had this sweet kind of country rock, Eagles vibe. I immediately was inspired by it and re-created "the band", using some of the chord changes and wrote a lyric, using Al's title as the hook. I emailed Al and told him and he was so gracious and encouraging. He helped with the arrangement and guitar solo and gave me some feedback on the mix. He was humble about his contribution but he wrote the title and created the vibe. The rest was easy. We'd love to hear your feedback on it. Hope you enjoy. Take care. Greg

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

MAYBE NEXT TIME

Well, I heard you were moving away
I heard you’d be traveling on
I guess there’s no more reason for you to stay
Now that everything that held you is gone
And when I think about you it breaks my heart
Guess there’s no going back to the start
Our road’s at the end, but I’ll miss you my friend
Will love ever try to be kind?
Maybe next time

I’m not sure quite how love got away
I don’t think anyone was to blame
A few careless steps and we lost our way
And somehow things were never the same
I wish I could go back and make it right
Cause I’m missing you like crazy tonite
Baby I can’t undo what’s between me and you
But I hope that what you need you will find
Maybe next time

Maybe next time we’ll see what’s beyond the bend
See that fork in the road before we come to the end
Maybe next time we’ll see when the hurt’s begun
And stop before the damage is done

Well, I guess I’ll leave the past in the past
Really nothing else I can do
But I swear to you whatever may come to pass
I’ll never find another like you
And when I think about how good my life could be
It’ll always be your face that I see
That’s when I knew love, what dreams are made of
When I look back from the end of the line
I’ll know this was my time

What a beautiful tune Greg and Alsn. Super vocal and super backtrack.. Guitar was so sweet Alan. Well done...

Beautifully lush ballad with a simple but perfect melancholy arrangement. And the guitar solo is gorgeous, although it stops bit abruptly.

Vocals are really exceptional, I admire how you can sing those higher notes. Also the backing vocals fit the mood perfectly.

Janne

Greg (and Alan)...

This is beautiful. A super write - simple, yet thoughtful and meaningful... and a gorgeous melody.

A gorgeous vocal (and backgrounds). Such a nice backing track - simple and full - a perfect compliment to the write...

The guitar solos are nice. A good mix.

Bring to mind the best of Glenn Frey's solo work.

LOVED IT!

fj

Very nice treatment of this song Greg and Alan! It's a beautiful tune with super vocals and musical performance! Great post! Thanks, Torrey

Alan here.

I've been absent from the site for several weeks. Di has been in and out of the hospital over the holidays and I caught the flu - still feel horrible. I also fell last week and fractured my left hand and cracked my patella. Hope to be back soon.

Anyway, thanks to all for the wonderful comments. Greg was such a pleasure to work with. You won't find a nicer person on the site ... or anywhere else. Greg's vocal and lyric are simply fabulous. I expressed to him how I wish I could sing even half that good.

Greg ... thank you so much for the collab. This was a wonderful experience and such a pleasure. You're a wonderful writer, vocalist and composer. Thanks for the experience!

Happy new year to all.

Again, thanks Greg! You're the real star of this production.

Alan

Greg / Alan,

This is absolutely beautiful... A very inspired piece and it shows. Great work guys!

Bob

Greg and Alan

Stunningly pretty song with wonderful vocals - loved the harmony parts, beautiful melody and complimentary guitars.
Great work all round.

Peter

I 100% agree with what has been said.

The play between the Lead and backing vocals is so cool. You have NO idea how much I LOVE that type of thing. You executed that REALLY well. I don't hear many do this, so put me down for impressed.

I understand you have a certain airy tonal quality to your voice, but what are you doing to get such a great sound on the backing vocals? What a treat to listen to!

The guitar solo has just the right feel and strengthens at the perfect time. Well done.

Any chance you can list what tracks you used?

Thanks for sharing this song!

Super tune and such a great production. It really captures the Eagles vibe. To me, the tempo and lush arrangement makes this song a showpiece for Timothy B. Schmit to take the lead vocals on this one.

Excellent performance from both you guys. Enjoyed this a lot.

Charlie

Thanks so much Scott! Guitar was actually a Brent solo but Alan generated and filtered through renderings for the song. Brent is AMAZING!! Thanks for listening. Take care. Gre

Greg, I also was thinking Timothy B Schmidt. You guys surely nailed the vibe. Some excellent guitar editing on Alan's part. Sounds like it was played just for this song. Just gorgeous vocals
and great harmonies on the bridge. A beautiful write and arrangement by two of my favorite musicians on the forum. Fantastic Pro sounding production. I wish you both well, Tom

"Maybe next time we’ll see what’s beyond the bend
See that fork in the road before we come to the end"

Wonderful lyric and performance. And, yep, this production is stamped all over with Eagles. It seems that a lot of Eagle's softer songs were under heralded but we've always enjoyed them and this is right in the pocket.

Dittos regarding ALL of the above accolades.

Wonderful collab!

J&B

Hi Greg and Alan,

Apart from being a fabulous song, this is so, SO, professional on every level.

A lovely chord progression with a perfect choice of instruments, beautifully mixed and an amazing vocal performance even by the high standard which we've come to expect from Greg.

This song has the potential to earn money!

Cheers, ROG.

Alan Again,

Still sick but wanted to follow up on the wonderful comments Greg and I have received. Many, many heartfelt thanks.

I hope I didn't mislead anyone to think i was the original guitarist on the lead track. I recorded 11 versions of the track, narrowed down to the three I liked best and sent them to Greg for his consideration. He preferred the same one I did! It's a Brent Mason track (RealTracks in style: 2690:Guitar, Electric, Soloist Slow16thsPopBrentSimple Ev16 075). I worked it over a bit, but that's about it for my contribution to the lead guitar track.

I cannot say enough about the great experience of working with Greg on this project. His lyric and vocal (lead & background vocals - all by him) is beautiful beyond description. His vocals are the selling point on this. As I said before, all I did was throw some chords together and created a basic backing track that Greg massaged to perfection.

Thanks again, Greg! And thanks to all the folks who have commented so kindly.

I hope to post something new when I get feeling better.

Alan.

Man, so good!!! Vocals are fabulous, and when you bring in the background vocals ... wonderful!

Nice collab guys, enjoyed very much!

GREAT lyrics, nice melody and lovely arrangement. Superb song

Thanks so much Janne! Really appreciate your kind words. This song stretched the edge of my vocal range. Had to tune some of the high notes a bit. Thanks again. Take care. Greg

Thanks so much Floyd! As you know, I treasure your kind reviews. Means more than I can say! Take care. Greg

Yeah guys, I loved this too!

I agree with Floyd there is some Glenn Fry in here, I also hear the melodic vibe of some Bread in here as well.

Gorgeous all the way around and very well produced. Excellent lyrics and build.

And Mr. David, was that you on guitar? Man that was awesome!!!!

Great job you two.

Hi Greg

This is so great! Your last song has had me in stunned mode...
Great back up vocals on this song.... I am still trying to figure out
how you made your last song!

Thanks Torrey! Really appreciate the kind words. You've been knockin' it out of the park lately! Take care. Greg

Alan, you are too modest. You really create some great songs and great musical vibes. I heard your song and the road map was there! I'll post the other song one of your songs inspired in the near future. Great working with you! Take care. Greg

Gorgeous song! Great mellow vibe and creative melody.

This is a grand slam for sure!

Greg & Alan,
Really enjoyed my listens to your sweet collaboration.
Perhaps the best vocal (and harmonies) I`ve heard by Greg and the production hits all the marks.
I agree with ROG - this has commercial potential.
Lovely song.

Robert

Thanks, Scott. We really appreciate that. What a voice Greg has - and his lyric is so good!

Alan

Hi Janne,

Glad you enjoyed it. And yes, Greg's voice is golden!

Alan

Floyd,

Your input and comments are always so valuable and encouraging. Delighted you liked it. As I said somewhere along the way, all I did was massage a Brent Mason RB track and throw a few chords together. Greg took it from there and now you hear what his talent produced with just a small contribution from me. Thanks again!

Alan

hello Torrey!

Thanks so much. We truly appreciate those kind words. I'm starting to feel almost human again, although my left hand hurts like heck where I fractured it. Will be over to hear and and as many of the of newer as I can real soon. Many thanks.

Alan

Hi Bob!

Thank you so much - we're happy you liked it!

Alan

Petert,

Thank you for those very nice comments. Greg's the best!

Alan

Hi!

Many thanks. Your comments put a smile on my face ... and I'm willing to bet the same is true for Greg. And yeah, can't be too kind about the golden voice Greg possesses. Thanks again.

Alan

Hi Charlie,

I'm almost among the living again ... flu really kicked my butt! I fully agree about the Timothy B. Schmit analogy. That soft, upper-range vocal Greg is blessed is analogous to Timothy B. Good call! Glad you liked it.

Alan

Hi Tom,

You're one of my very favorites on the board - heck, everyone is so blessed with such wonderful talent. I'm always anxious to hear your comments. Thank you for the kindness you gave us on this one. Appreciate it so much! Greg is one of a song's best friends.

Alan

Hi You Two,

Yeah, not only can Greg sing with a golden voice, he writes a pretty danged good lyric, too. Thank you for the the super comments. As one of the most terrific artists on the site, along with the other terrific talent that abounds here, we appreciate your comments so much. Glad it settles nicely in your ears.

Alan

ROG,

Such wonderful praise from such a super-talented artist! We sure do appreciate that! Greg is the selling point on this. I just threw in a little here and there and he ran with it - what a run! Thanks again.

Alan

Hi Dave,

You hit the nail on the head - greg's voice is so sweet! And what a great lyric he put together. He's terrific to work with, too. This was such a great experience. thank you very much for the really nice comments.

Alan

Hi Graham,

You're my favorite accordion player! (sp?). Thank you so much! I'm sure Greg appreciate those kind words as much as I do. Many thanks.

Alan

Hi David,

I feeling almost human again. Di got some horrible news a couple of days ago. Her best friend, Bonnie, with whom she went to school back in Tennessee and ran around with socially, called her. Her friend informed her that her (Bonnie's) daughter and granddaughter were shot and killed on Christmas Eve. They were 48 and 26 years old respectively. They were shot by a family member who was high on meth. Di is a mess. We went online to the local newspaper back in Tennessee and read the account. It was a real shock. They've been best friends since the late 1950s.

Anyway, thank you for those very kind words. Coming from an artist of such talent, it means a lot. I can't begin to say enough about Greg's talent and what a pleasure he is to work with - kind of like a forum member know from North Carolina! Again, thanks so much. I'm sure Greg's as appreciative as I am.

Will get get back to you on the other, non-music project, we're working on, over the weekend.

Alan

Howdy!

Thank you so much for the nice words. And yeah, Greg's a pretty talented guy and "dial twister"! Thanks again for the kindness.

Alan

Hi Laurence,

Thahnk you very much. We really appreciate your time to listen and fro the super comments! Big smile on my face - on Greg's too, I'll bet!

Alan

Hi Robert,

I certainly agree with you regarding Greg's vocals. He's amazing! We're delighted you enjoyed it,. Thanks so much for letting us know!

Alan

Greg,

I've already mentioned a couple of times how much I'm in awe of your talent. But the good part? I didn't have to lie about it! Again, many thanks! You took a guitar part and a few chords and turned them into the great song.

I'll send you a PM tonight about something regarding the song. I have to get Di ready for bed in a few minutes. Again, it was a true pleasure! Hope 2018 is your best year ever.

Alan

Hello, Greg & Alan

A great collaboration!
Very beautiful song.
Your vocal is especially pleasant.
This tune reminds me of the theme song of the movie "Melody" in the 70's by Bee Gees a little bit.
Interlude guitar solo is also wonderful.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

All the best for 2018!

Shigeki Adachi

Thanks so much Bob! Really, really loved your last one!! Take care. Greg

Thanks so much for the kind words Bob! Loved Paper Airplane! Take care. Greg

Thanks for the very kind review. I will try to post the RTs (they are exactly the ones in Al David's Maybe Next Time. With the BG vocals, I use Waves CLA vocals. I push everything pretty high except bass which is very low. I use the wall setting on compression which I think makes it so BG and lead vocals don't compete (that and the high end EQ of BGs). I sing each harmony part (2 in this case) twice and pan the output of the plugin to the extreme wide range. Thanks again for your kind words. Take care. Greg

Thanks Charlie. Great to hear from you! Yeah, it definitely has that Eagles vibe-that's what drew me in with Alan's instrumental. Thanks for your kind words! Take care. Greg

Thanks Tom! Yeah, that guitar part in Alan's original instrumental was a huge motivating factor, so in a sense the song was written around the guitar part. I love the Eagles, ever since hearing Take it Easy when I was 15 years old. Thanks for the kind words! Take care. Greg

Greg and Alan,

What a joy to it is, at a bit after 6:00 am here in Australia, to sit back, to close my eyes and to drift along on the sound of this wonderful song. Everything about this is gentle on the soul and the psyche.



Greg, these lyrics are outstanding. The rhyme scheme is amazing and it guides the listener's ears along seamlessly from thought to thought. When I look closely at these rhymes, I see an ABABCCDDEE rhyme pattern.

But there are some REALLY, REALLY interesting things happening that take the song's lyrics to that much sort after 'next level'.

The first is that the DD rhyme occurs as an internal rhyme in line 7 of each A-section (very nicely done!). This is a very cool moment of lyric acceleration which made my ears pay attention.... an excellent way to set up the hook!

The second thing that I saw was that all the rhymes are perfect rhymes with the exception of the last two lines in each A-section. With these closing couplets, you've chosen to use the less resolute assonance rhyme. Because this rhyme lacks some the closure that perfect rhyme has, the effect is that the final line is left hanging a little. What a stunning choice for making: (a) the title stand out; (b) the listener sit back and reflect on the lyric journey; (c) boost the emotion resonance of the A-sections.

The third thing that stood out to me was how adroitly you've used the design device of 'apostrophe' as the vehicle for these lyrics. When I was listening to these words, in my mind, the singer had a glass of red wine in his right hand and was holding a framed photo of his lost love in his left hand. To me, these lyrics were a one-sided conversation with that photo. This conversation was anchored in self-reflection.

Every way I look at it, this is skillful, skillful, skillful lyric writing. I also marvel at how challenging it must have been to write such heavily rhymed sections and, all the while, maintain a relaxed, conversation style so that the rhymes slip by as perfectly natural. Just....



Alan, your music is stunning. I have never heard AABA form used and arranged any better that what you've created here. The musical journey sails from chord change to chord change with sense and purpose and, all the while, nothing but beautiful melody glides across the sea of harmony. Just wonderful.

All up, it's a definite and resounding...



As I said at the start, what a joy it is to sit back and listen to this music unfold.

All the best to you both,
Noel

Thanks guys! Your new one is really well done....very moving subject and very poignant!! Take care. Greg

Just following up on the newer comments and Greg's replies. Again, many thanks to all. Greg is carrying the load on the replies, many thanks to him! I log on when I get a chance. Pust know, Di and I, and I'm sure Greg, appreciate your kindness.

Hope 2018 is everyone's best year ever.

Alan & Di

This is some seriously sweet stuff!