Hi Forum friends. Thanks for all the wonderful comments on Down on Your Love!! It really means a lot to me. There is a lot of great talent on this forum and to get such positive feedback is appreciated more than you know. I know there are some on the forum who are Steely Dan fans. I am a huge fan of The Dan!! In my mind, Becker and Fagan occupy a status in music that shares the rarified air with very few, such as Lennon and McCartney. The more I learn about music....arranging, mixing, soloing.....the more these guys just blow my mind. This tune is basically a Steely Dan tribute. BIAB has some great tracks for such music. In fact, recently watching a Steely Dan performance on Youtube, they mentioned Jon Herrington, who was sitting in and plays guitar on this track, as "a long time friend of the band". Hope you enjoy and would love to get your feedback. Take care. Greg
The band:
Bass. 3682 EP. 904 Lead guitar. 2604 Sax. 1055 Drums. ElecCymbalSw16 Horns. Kontakt Session Horns pro BG vows. Eastwest Hollywood backup singers
Shorty’s Place
Clock on the wall is stopped at 5:05 But the patrons here don’t notice that at all Long as the whiskey pours things move ‘round here And Shorty keeps it rolling to last call
Every night is just the same but no one seems to mind They drink their entertainment from a glass Same old crowd is laughing loud Things move at the same pace Things don’t ever change at Shorty’s Place
Joey takes the booth next to the telephone Though he knows it hasn’t rung in 30 years He leaves the liquor to the younger crowd But you’ll never catch him once without his beer
Lucy tells her stories how she almost made in big In the good old glory days of Hollywood Shorty backs her up with a sly smile on his face Cause Lucy is the queen of Shorty’s Place
Every night is just the same but no one seems to mind They drink their entertainment from a glass Same old crowd is laughing loud Things move at the same pace Things don’t ever change at Shorty’s Place
Wow, this is a cool tribute! Nailed the vibe, and the vocals are right on. Not sure how you did all those harmonies and BGVs, but they sound great as well. I agree with you on Steely Dan. Enjoyed your tune a lot!
FWIW, there is a BiaB "LA Pop" MIDI set that is based on a bunch of early Steely Dan tunes. Fun to play with.
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
As others have mentioned, man, you sure have a great sound here. A great mix and arrangement, strong writing and you kill it with the vocals. I kind of liked the way you panned the oohs/aahs to one side, and the guitar was sounding so cool. This one has it all!
Lovely nostalgic mood, I can really feel Shorty's Place become alive and meet those people of the story. And wow what an arrangement! The sax and the electric guitar are perfect choices. The mix is honey to my ears. Definitely has strong Steely Dan vibe, excellent vocals and those background vocals sound really polished!
I've never heard Steely Dan but this song is SUPERB. It makes a story come alive - I feel, having listened to the song just once, as if I know Shorty, Joey, Lucy ... and that I'd find that bar out of a thousand, and be able to get around it just as easily. And, again, the song itself is really beautiful and so well-crafted. Your voice is at its usual, phenomenal crooner best. Bravo.
Great song, arrangement, mix, lyrics and vocals! I've been meaning to ask this for awhile: Many posting BiaB samples used write as you do: Bass. 3682 EP. 904 Lead guitar. 2604 Sax. 1055 But these numbers mean nothing to me. Is there a way in BiaB to search specifically for such?
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
Ah, that sensational sound... What a great tribute, Gerg. In my opinion, they should be writing tribute songs about you. Right from that sax opening, I heard the influence of The Dan. Velvet voice, excellent arrangment, masterful mix. My guess is that Shorty is about 7 feet tall, but no mistaken Lucy's looks.
Enjoy whatever happens! marty
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub Band in a Box, Reaper, Cakewalk, Ozone 12, EZDrummer
"Joey takes the booth next to the telephone Though he knows it hasn’t rung in 30 years He leaves the liquor to the younger crowd But you’ll never catch him once without his beer"
Love that.
Man, what a great narrative! Absolutely terrific imagery.
Janice has always been a fan of Steely Dan and often mentions their vocals. Bud is a Johnny Come Lately but has also become a fan.
Not too long ago we watched an excellent Classic Album series episode on them.
As others have said you really captured the feel with the write, band, vocals and production. Excellent mix.
This is an excellent tribute that we much enjoyed!
J&B
BTW, I noticed that you and Janice are on the same Spotify playlist ... 70s Chill. Cool.
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
What an aural treat! Mix and placement couldn't be done any better. Love the tune and the singing is your usual smooth croon. Lyrics are ace, and my fave line is "He leaves the liquor to the younger crowd/But you’ll never catch him once without his beer."
Greg...stellar production...this sounds like a studio cut...very sophisticated and tight track...your vocals are always a treat and this is your style brother...keep bringing it...it's a treat for all of us!
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but this song is SUPERB. It makes a story come alive - I feel, having listened to the song just once, as if I know Shorty, Joey, Lucy ... and that I'd find that bar out of a thousand, and be able to get around it just as easily. And, again, the song itself is really beautiful and so well-crafted. Your voice is at its usual, phenomenal crooner best. Bravo.
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