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#848611 04/06/25 04:59 PM
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I've been working on this for a while, and a few times I thought seriously about just hitting "DELETE" on this project but, I figured, what could go wrong? Post it!!

This has a few BB tracks, I think 2 Hammond B3 tracks... 674 on rhythm and the lead work is 3993.
The drums and bass I believe are something other than BB or me. I toyed with using Jamstix for the drums which sounded really nice but... I got lazy.

The guitars, 4 tracks and vocals, 2 tracks are me. Guitars are the Tele & the SG through the Quilter.

It rocks pretty hard so hang on.


Bad Case of the Blues


The Lyrics:

Bad case of the blues


Woke up this morning my house was really cold
Heart heavy like an anchor my body feeling old
Thought I had it bad but it got much worse
Sometimes you need a good day just to break that curse

Sky's turning gray and the rain starts to fall
Life's one big circus and I'm dropping the ball
Thought the worst was over but it's hard to see
When a bad case of the blues got a hold on me

[Chorus]
Nothing ever works out, I knew it all along
You think you got it easy then it all goes wrong
When you’re down in the dirt and you always lose
When nothing brings good news, you got a bad case of the blues


Neighbors all staring cause my roof's caving in
Car won't start I gotta jump it again
Sinkhole in the yard and the dog's run away
There's a sadness in the struggle when you live day to day

Every silver lining got a cloud creeping by
Ain't no point in fighting when you're too tired to try
So you fight against the pain but it carry's you on
They say the darkest hour is, just before the dawn

[Chorus]
Nothing ever works out, I knew it all along
You think you got it easy then it all goes wrong
When you’re down in the dirt and there's more bad news
When nothing brings good news you get a bad case of the blues


Comments and crits are welcome, as always.

Enjoy


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
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The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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G'day Herb! Yep, that's thumping! I wish I had that much punch in my vocals, and the guitars fully support this with the same attitude as well. I note from your website you also do a bit of folk (wouldn't have imagined after listening to Bad Case of the Blues, but I must take a listen to check out your diversity.

I'm seriously hoping those lyrics aren't talking from personal experience!

Andrew D


Regards,
Andrew D
Adelaide, Sth Aust
Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/SQE4btVvNVkLq74e9
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@andrewoftheantipodes
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"Repeat" (not "Delete") is the button to push with this one. Like I just did wink

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Herb, super song! LOVE those rhythm guitars, and your vocals are appropriately energetic and raw. That's a fun twin "solo", too. Really strong mix that translates the required energy and thump. The B3s a nice accent as well.

Know what it's like to get down on a song that's really quite nice (like this one). "Post it!" was the right choice!


DC Ron
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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That's a well-delivered statement. It's very consistent in style. Long live rock and roll.
Laurent

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Herb, good to hear you singing again. The guitar work is top notch and your use of the B3 is very effective. The mix is even and polished. Everything is professional sounding. Loved it! Tom

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Herb,

Great! Love the vocal and arrangement. The mix is awesome.

Bob

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Originally Posted by Andrew Dee
G'day Herb! Yep, that's thumping! I wish I had that much punch in my vocals, and the guitars fully support this with the same attitude as well. I note from your website you also do a bit of folk (wouldn't have imagined after listening to Bad Case of the Blues, but I must take a listen to check out your diversity.

I'm seriously hoping those lyrics aren't talking from personal experience!

Andrew D


Andrew,
Thanks... I actually thought the vocals were the weakest point of the song and the reason I was considering dumping it. ( nobody likes their own singing....LOL)

Actually, yes, I have quite diverse taste in music and it runs the gamete from folk and country, to hard rock. Do feel free to visit my web site and listen to the music I have posted there. Just keep in mind, it's a lot of my older stuff.

Thanks for listening.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

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Originally Posted by Ghostgum
"Repeat" (not "Delete") is the button to push with this one. Like I just did wink


I must have misspelled the word.... thanks for correcting that. Glad you liked it.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Originally Posted by DC Ron
Herb, super song! LOVE those rhythm guitars, and your vocals are appropriately energetic and raw. That's a fun twin "solo", too. Really strong mix that translates the required energy and thump. The B3s a nice accent as well.

Know what it's like to get down on a song that's really quite nice (like this one). "Post it!" was the right choice!


Ron, thanks.. I wasn't totally satisfied with the twin lead tone, a little too fuzzy and overdriven, but it was fun.

Those B3's really did surprise me. The hardest part was the fact that the chords are neither major nor minor, and Band in A Box really wants to play in one or the other. 5 chords are kinda OK but don't really hit the right buttons. So the rhythm is kept low and the solo had to be selectively used and edited for content.

I'm really liking those rhythm guitars too.

I'm glad you are liking it.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Originally Posted by laurent4114
That's a well-delivered statement. It's very consistent in style. Long live rock and roll.
Laurent
Thanks. I've known a few people who lived their lives like this.....


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
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Loved it! Hard hitting, my kind of music. Nothing else to add, it was simply super!


Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
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Originally Posted by tommyad
Herb, good to hear you singing again. The guitar work is top notch and your use of the B3 is very effective. The mix is even and polished. Everything is professional sounding. Loved it! Tom

Yeah, It's good to be singing again. Thanks for listening and commenting. I do appreciate it.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Originally Posted by rsdean
Herb,

Great! Love the vocal and arrangement. The mix is awesome.

Bob


Thanks Bob.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Very 70s. Obviously there is a deep familiarity with Molly Hatchet and stuff like that here.

Anyone who is a fan of the genre will certainly notice the influences. Good stuff.

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Originally Posted by Guitarhacker
I've been working on this for a while, and a few times I thought seriously about just hitting "DELETE" on this project
Never do that - let it sit for a while, weeks, months, it doesn't matter. One day you come back, in a different mood, and your brain has a different idea of where the song should go, and suddenly it works.
I had a song (working title: fast hard rock ballad) that was going nowhere, and a month later I almost halved the tempo, changed from 4/4 to 3/4, and voila!
Still not a good song, but at least it worked.

That being said, your song is not bad at all, a nice little southern rocker with a lot of energy.
Billy Gibbons says "hello".
Your vocals also fit this genre well, nothing to complain here.

The only thing I'd change is the chorus, which is a bit too long (others will disagree I guess).
I would split it into 2 lines pre-chorus and 2 lines chorus to keep it short and crisp and varied.

Enjoyed my listen.
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Sounds great, Herb, I'm a big fan of blues/rock. You have a good voice for this type of material, and your guitar work is right on the money.

Excellent!

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Originally Posted by TuneMonger
Loved it! Hard hitting, my kind of music. Nothing else to add, it was simply super!


I like to rock out every now and then, glad you enjoyed this song.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Originally Posted by David Snyder
Very 70s. Obviously there is a deep familiarity with Molly Hatchet and stuff like that here.

Anyone who is a fan of the genre will certainly notice the influences. Good stuff.


Thanks for listening. I was certainly a fan of Molly Hatchet back in the day. Glad you liked it


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Great arrangement and perfect instrumentation. Definitely not a delete!


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.
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