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https://www.johnwalradt.com/music/songs/farfromhome-master2026april.mp3The original style Style I used was _TOUGHIT.STY (Tough It Swinging Funk Rock). I wanted it to sound like Stephen Stills's "Carry On." After a few re-records, I discarded all the Band in a Box files though I thought they were very good and may try it again. But I remastered this a couple of days ago with Martin's instruments and vocals by Clay Collins on FiveRR and I'm really happy with it. The inspiration of the story comes from when I drove by myself across a very desolate part of the Mojave Desert on Highway 62 back in 1976 when I was 21. The melody has the same tempo and beat as "Carry On" by Stephen Stills and the words inspired by Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street." [Chords] |a) Em C| A| Em C| A| Em C| A| C D| Em| | C D| Em|%|%|%| |a) Em C| A| Em C| A| Em C| A| C D| Em| | C D| Em|%| |a) Em C| A| Em C| A| Em C| A| C D| Em| | C D| Em| |a) D| C| G| D C| D| C| G| D C| | G D| C G| D| C D| |a) Em C| A| Em C| A| Em C| A| C D| Em| | C D| Em| |b) D| C| G| D C| D| C| G| D C| | G D| C G| D| C D| |a) Em C| A| Em C| A| Em C| A| C D| Em| | C D| Em| C D| |a) C| D| Am7| D| Am7| D| Em9| Em9...|end) Em9| FAR FROM HOME Words and music: John Walradt You’re a runaway flower child of the land Skipping and tripping over patches of sand Now you’re running far, as far as you can To get far from home, far from home. Yeah, the vistas are endless and the highway is long Your friends are loose and you’re singing a song The car is old but the spirit is strong To get far from home, far from home. Follow your heart and see what it is you can find You might run out of money but I know you won’t run out of time. And when you drive into a strange new town Do you see cold faces and do you see frowns? Does it feel like you’ve got no friends around When you’re far from home, far from home. Follow your heart and see what it is you can find You might run out of money but I know you won’t run out of time. So when they take advantage of you Until your heart is breaking in two Do you know what you’re going to do? ‘Cause you’re far from home, far from home Far from home.
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I don't know what Stephen Still sounds like, but I know a good song when I hear one. And that's a VERY good song, it's actually my new favorite of yours. Very well sung, very well mixed and produced. Excellent guitar work. Enjoyed. A LOT  ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif)
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Hi John!
I love the feel and style you’ve written this song in - one doesn’t hear enough of this nowadays. Swing - really good. Your Fiverr singer was an excellent choice, and I can definitely hear CSNY harmonies in the tag line.
I’m going back for a second helping!
Andrew
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John,
That's an excellent song. Wonderful production. Some great guitar tones and that vocal by Clay is perfect for your arrangement & lyrics.
Very nicely done!
Bob
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Hi John,
Wow, this sounds like a real band, very well performed and recorded.
I also like easy feel of this song. Good vocals, background vocals, guitars and other instruments. It's great!
AurealiusB
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Excellent song, John! The harmonies are exceptionally good, Totally enjoyed the listen.
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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Oh yea what a fantastic song.
A super chord progression, vocal and harmonies
We need more music like this
Loved it
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Hi John
That's a fine song, well written and played. Clay has done a great job on the vocals for you, he's given it an extra texture. Only downside, it was over too soon!
Another great song from and for you. Kind regards
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Wow, what nice comments!
Hey, BD, thank you very much and that's a wonderful compliment from you! Your songs are terrific.
John
Hi, Andrew! Thank you for listening...twice! I've used Clay Collins for vocals on a few of my songs but I don't think he's available anymore. I always enjoy it when I come up with a catchy upbeat tune. It's always delightful to get a message from you. I really enjoy your tunes as well.
John
Thank you, Bob, AurealiusB, and WaoBand, for your comments and enjoyment of the song!
Hi, Mario! I think the music industry lost the craft of songwriting a couple of decades ago. I've noticed the lyrics are sung in 32nd and 64th notes instead of the 8th and 16th notes we grew up with. And there's nothing like a catchy upbeat tune as well! Thank you very much for your comments, especially the one where we need more music like this! I'll treasure that!
John
Hi, KDYa! I got a comment from Art Corey that he thought it was too short, too. Well, short and sweet! I've asked him to get on the forums because he's the one who introduced me to Band in a Box! Anyway, I'm happy you enjoyed the song. Thank you very much!
John
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Well, you sure picked a couple of the best tunes to emulate, John, and did a terrific job. Love Carry On, and you're right, this one carries me away too. It was a fast trip so i decided to take it 3 times. Excellent lyrics and what a wonderfully moving beat. A great travelling song. Your pleasent mix makes the ride so enjoyable.
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Yeah, I'm with everyone else on this fine song, the only problem with it is that it's too short. Vocals were ace, both lead and harmonies. Well done!
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
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Super song, John! Like everything about it. The vocals and harmonies are superb. What are "Martin's instruments" you reference? Nice backing track, but if you discarded all the BiaB tracks I'm not sure what I'm hearing. I do like it a lot though.
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Hi, Marty! I'm honored that you listened three times down the desert highway! It was 1980, I was 25 when I composed "Far From Home." I think I was sick with the flu and I was playing with some chords. When I did the Em, C, A progression to the same tempo and beat as "Carry On," I knew I had something. And finally, after the last five years, I can mix songs without getting them all muddy!
Hi, TM, Yep, short and sweet. But you're showing your age. The younger set doesn't have a long attention span like we do thanks to the rapid buckshot method of stimuli shooting out of the Internet. I don't think melodies and substance mean anything anymore either. Now I sound old and cranky, sitting on the rocking chair on the porch and yelling, "Git yer goddang dog offa my lawn, you dang whippersnappers. You don't know a thing about integrity and music with your dang rap and mouthful of yer so-called filthy lyrics and AI! NOW BACK IN MY DAY!!!..." But back to the topic, I am pleased and honored that you enjoyed my song. Thank you!
Hey, DC Ron. Thank you much, I'm happy you enjoyed it! I started it with just my horrible guitar playing (after 45 years, I'm still a novice) and awful vocals. I took Band in a Box and applied a CSNY style to it. I thought it was wonderful but it had a different feel. After I learned about FiveRR, I got Martin (I think he's from Russia) to do guitar, drums, and bass, and David Luke on Vocals. After a couple more years, I decided to put Clay Collins on vocals after he was taking a long break. So I replaced Band in a Box instruments with Martin's instruments. I still have the Band in a Box tracks and I've been putting them back into a copy to see how that will work out. FiveRR used to have low prices but now they're getting out of reach for me!
John
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It's a very good song with beautiful vocal parts and a very well-crafted intro.
Laurent
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Hi John,
This is a great creation. I'm always a fan of AABA form and you've used it to perfection to create a really enjoyable, foot-tapping musical journey. The production is excellent in every way, and Clay's vocals are a perfect fit for the song and the backing.
I really enjoyed going where you took me!
--Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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An excellent creation, wrapped in a perfect delivery.
This is really worthy of air-time.
Well done.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Laurent, thank you very much! I enjoyed doing it!
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Hi, Noel. I'm delighted to see a post from you and that you enjoyed it! I think this is the best mix I've done so far, even if I do consider the core words and music to be 90 percent of any song. Everything else is cotton candy on top. Arranging and mixing it is a good deal of fun.
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Hey, AT. I've seen you post here and there. You're certainly ahead of me with your musical knowledge. I taught myself how to read music and some music theory...just enough to be a nuisance! It's one of those songs where I knew after coming up with the first 16 measures, wow!, this one's a hit! Thank you very much, it's wonderful to see this from you!
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To all, cheers, kind regards, and many thanks!
John
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