UPS n DOWNS
Morning Folk,
I had a song from a year or so ago that didn't work out as intended.
I stripped it back to its BIAB bones, cut & rejigged the chassis then built a new body on that.
The engine was imported - Gene Pensari's lead playing powers this piece.
BIAB RealDrums & organ to which I added
Squire Mustang guitar with various voices.
Bass the usual Vantage through a BDI21- retracked MANY times and a final session on Monday won.
An eBow track for fun.
Mellotron tracks cut & pasted in.
Vocals - often whispered or sotto voce as I had to operate stealthily so folk could sleep.
When I couldn't actually sing the harmonies, I managed some but being very specific with some notes is way beyond my league, I relied on tuning software to get me there..I pushed that envelope to get a bit of a VOCODER vibe.
I wrote four different lyrics for this and they were all useless.
Finally I went back to the process I used on Half Life of Truth and tracked scraps & ideas AS they came to me then stitched them together.
This song is done in that it has been professionally mastered so I won't be changing it BUT any/all comments/suggestions recommendations will be harvested and stored for the next crop.

LYRICS
Ups n Downs

Frencman's gift
Beans ground sniffed
Cuts of cane
Toke back down again.
Rhythms clocked by pain

Nicotine
Caffeine
Sucrose
Cannabis
Put the mind in order

Smoke guillotine
Drink routine
Poison we chose
Oblivion knows
DNA predisposed

Nicotine
Caffeine
Sucrose
Cannabis
Mind upon the border

solo

Nicotine
Caffeine
Sucrose
Cannabis
Experience re-order

Take you up
Loving cup
Called your own
Personal touchstone.
Needs must is chaperone

Nicotine
Caffeine
Sucrose
Cannabis

ray,

That PBX Sound has become a truly identifiable signature.

Bass sounds great. Gene's guitar is icing.
The drums are well balanced (they are VERY SLIGHTLY "dull" sounding to my ear - and I emphasize VERY SLIGHTLY).
A cool lyric. Works well for the PBX sound.

After a couple of listens, it begins to feel like a song that you know well from your youth. An old friend.

fj

Yeah this sounds cool!

The mastering works well on this.

Definitely your sound!

Ray,

It's obvious that an incredible amount of work went into producing this! I picked up lots of little touches you added here and there! Such as changing the rhythmic feel of the drums. Love the melody of the vocal lines and also the spacey ethereal sounds giving the backtrack a lot of depth! Your bass work is fantastic again! Enjoyed the listen!

Thanks, Torrey

I know you prefer your vocals low in the mix, and I'm coming round to your thinking. My second time through --when I was better with the words-- it seemed so perfect. Yeah, the whole mix is superb. Gene was a good choice. Man, he adds so much. Very creative craft, Ray! BTW, that ending bow is really cool.

Excellent tune Ray. Cool chord progressions. Guitar was excellent as well.

I like it, Ray. Gene's lead playing is indeed excellent. I couldn't have made out the lyrics without reading them, but I don't think that matters. Not that the lyrics aren't good (they are), but your vocal part integrates into the mix so well. The sounds are right, even if the words are not always clear.
Regards,
Leon

Ray,

Love the way this sounds. Has an epic feel to it. Great job!

Bob

Ray,

Love the opening of this, and I like what you’ve done with the vocals. Has a vocaloid vibe to it, but really sweet and soft in the mix, and I think it works well. The production value on this is off the charts—very professional feel to it. Really well done piece!

All my best to you,

Deej

Great vocal, super lead guitar, and the perfect mix.

This has everything a great song needs, thus it is a great song.

Two thumbs up

Ray,
You getting very creative with sound design. Excellent bass work! Composition and mix are top notch, I would not change a thing, but vocals to my ears are way too quiet. Cool ending.

"I had to operate stealthily so folk could sleep."
That's funny. I know the feeling Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Thanks Floyd,
Yes, I agree about the dulling of the drums - sadly the cymbals & hihats in particular were sizzly and annoying. I tried automated EQ but it was in & out so often I opted for IN.

Thanks David,
Fran does his job well.
AND he lets me know when a song isn't ready or if the mix needs work.

Ta Torrey,
I took my time rebuilding this and added "touches" here n there as I did so - rather like the construction and tracking of the vocal.
I threw that bass track on at the last minute - I had a part I really liked and that I'd laboured over but I couldn't get it to "sound" right. In the end I tracked and retracked half a dozen times in a row & went with the better take - tonally it has very little done to it.
The drums were heavily modded on the same day as the bass work...it needed a lift and I couldn't get it to work in BAIB as I wanted so exported it and sliced it up in Reaper.
Lots of 11th hour stuff on this one.

Hi Ray
Very interesting song
The background track holds some surprises ;-)
Good work Ray
Many greetings
Andi ;-)

Thanks Marty - eBowing is fun AND frustrating but it does offer some cool tones as well as being very accommodating with ITB octave changes.
Like you, I do feel this vocal is in the right place...it takes a little work but that's the sort of rock I grew up listening to.

Thanks Scott,
Reimagining is useful.

Thanks for "getting it" Leon.

Thanks Bob,
I appreciate it.

Thanks Deej,
It was a pleasant project to work on and having not settled on a lyric, let alone melody, until quite late I wasn't in a position to con someone into singing so needed to use the technology to assist with the >needs must" situation.

Two thanks - one each for your prehensile appendages Mario.

Thanks Misha,
I had time to kill so sculpting the noise kept me busy.

Thanks Andi,
I'm pleased it offered some surprises.

LYRICS CORRECTION
Unfortunately I can't edit the OP.

Ups n Downs

Frencman's gift
Beans ground sniffed
Cuts of cane
Toke back down again.
Rhythms clocked by pain

Nicotine
& Caffeine
Sucrose
Cannabis
(Put the mind in) order

Smoke guillotine
Drink routine
Poison we chose
Oblivion knows
DNA predisposed

Nicotine
& Caffeine
Sucrose
Cannabis
(Mind upon the) border

solo

Nicotine
& Caffeine
Sucrose
Cannabis
(Experience) re-order

Take you up
Loving cup
Called your own
Personal touchstone.
Needs must is chaperone

Nicotine
& Caffeine
Sucrose
Cannabis
Reorder

Hi Rayc really like this tune i agree a lot of work went into this i like your vocals, a lot just a thought maybe up a little on the vocal but it works no matter what. well done sir thanks Eric

This has a great groove going in every aspect.
Gritty stadium filling epic rock it is.

Janice said she envisioned the clock hands moving as the day goes by and the different stimulants take effect. Caffeine certainly helps put our minds in order each morning!

The way you wrote the lyric worked very well and your vocals sound just right to us.

Gene’s playing nails your established vibe to the max.

Your bass and guitar, as always, sound great and the mix and mastering is ace.

Enjoyed it!

J&B

P.S. Your stealthiness paid off!

Cool tune, Ray, definitely has your signature sound, and that's a good thing.

I like the vocal level, treating it more like an instrument in the mix.

Bass sounds great, so does Gene, he adds just what is needed and nothing more.

One of the coolest endings I've ever heard I think!

Nice.

The minute the vocal set in it had that mystical 70s sound! I detect Beatles influences in this but also early (Syd Barrett) Pink Floyd.

Great production!

Rob