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This is another song using lyrics written by my friend Richard. The song is a warning to the vain and the greedy that they too will face their fate in due course. BIAB details: Style _DRDUN_G.STY Slow Rock Ballad RealTracks. (Tempo increased from 85 to 95-97) for rhythm guitars (L, R and C), and bass. Style BOSEPMD.STY Med. Bossa El.Piano Trio RealTrack. (Tempo slowed from 140 to 95-97) for electric piano. I added lead guitar fills and a solo, plus vocals and a second electric piano part for a 'choppy feel'. I programmed the drums in Addictive Drums. Direct Link. Lyrics and Tech Notes. John
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This reminded me a lot of the Eagles in their Hotel California phase.... Yeah... I really think this is Eagles influenced in it's many aspects.
The first few verses were a smooth jazz style.....when you hit the (what I thought was) the chorus.... "It's no good running..." I really liked that part of the song. I'm on the second listen now...and the verses make more sense musically now....
The song is really, really long running to well over 9 minutes in length. (9:23)
The guitar solo is really nice, but didn't start until 7:30 minutes into the song. I would have eliminated the 37sec intro and started it at 38 sec.
Lyrically, there's a lot of cool mental imagery in the song. It reminds me of a cross between the Eagles and Neil Young's Down by the river..... especially in the solo, but with better guitar playing and tone than Neil ever used. IIRC correctly NY's DBTR was over 9 min as well.
A cool concept song.
I give it a thumbs up.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd 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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Thanks for taking a listen and the kind comments Herb!
It's actually 6:24 to the end of the fade. I did think of taking out the middle 8 but it's totally intrinsic to the song. Richard's lyrics were so superb I didn't feel there was anything that could be cut!
John
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John, Now this is absolutely FANTASTIC! I hear Steely Dan and Pink Floyd influences. Excellent solo and fills. The vocal is great. The lyrics are great. What an arrangement. The production quality and mix stand up against the best ever posted on the forum. Loved all 6:22 of it. Going back in for another listen, cover me. Tom
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Richard's lyrics were so superb I didn't feel there was anything that could be cut!
John I used to think that way too. Until I stated to work with some writers in Nashville on some of my songs. One started out as close to 5 minutes with 4 verses, prechorus, chorus, and bridge, the other was similar in style and length..... on the advice I was being given, I cut away the non-essential parts, dropping 2 verses, combining the best parts from the existing verses, dropping the bridge, shortening or eliminating the guitar solo's and intro's .... basically boiling it down to the essential and best parts of the song. 2 songs that I did this with are Come & Go and The Best Christmas, both of which are on my music pages in their finished versions. But all of that really only matters if you are seeking to use the songs in a commercial manner. For personal use and fun, write, record, and don't sweat the other stuff.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 10/31/14 04:47 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd 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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John,
Your stuff is always top-shelf - studio quality. I had to go back for a second listen to pay attention to the parts - the mix is SO good, I got lost in it the first time through - the mark of a quality mix.
The hi-hat sounds incredibly good (and I'm no fan of hi-hats) - the whole kit sounds good. Nice job on the entire drum track. The bass is super (did you process that at all? how?). Love your guitar tone. Nice vocals. Terrific arrangement.
Now on my 3rd pass through. Amazing mix. Big wow stuff.
floyd
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John,
Your stuff is always top-shelf - studio quality. I had to go back for a second listen to pay attention to the parts - the mix is SO good, I got lost in it the first time through - the mark of a quality mix.
The hi-hat sounds incredibly good (and I'm no fan of hi-hats) - the whole kit sounds good. Nice job on the entire drum track. The bass is super (did you process that at all? how?). Love your guitar tone. Nice vocals. Terrific arrangement.
Now on my 3rd pass through. Amazing mix. Big wow stuff.
floyd Many thanks Floyd, much appreciated! Bass part: I was very pleased with the bass in this song - mostly thanks to BIAB. I took the BIAB RealTrack into Sonar and then, using Melodyne, converted it to MIDI. I then played it through SampleTank3 using a finger bass sample. I didn't have to apply any EQ or any effects at all. I find I'm using SampleTank all the time now for MIDI sounds, I'm very impressed with it. John
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John, +1 to all said before me. I can find nothing to say but compliments. The intro is wonderful and I too see a Steely Dan influence. The lyrics are above excellent, pass my compliments to Richard especially for When Dan’s on a roll, oligarch style, leading Mammon’s armies around the square mile This song needs quite a few listens and at each pass something new pops up to impress me. A truly professional production. Alyn
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Hi John,
a great song! Excellent solo and fills.
Great lyrics and vocals. Great arrangement and mix.
A throughout impressive production.
The layout of your Lyrics and Tech Notes are made very tastefully.
Guenter
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Killer song John!! (some pun intended but absolutely true). Very timely on Halloween as well. Although I'm listening on a IMac, even these speakers reveal a great mix. I can appreciate a lot of the others' comments. The EP is very Eagles, some Steely Danish chord changes (I am a huge Dan fan), guitar solo is pure Gilmour. It is truly a masterpiece from beginning to end!! Love it. Take care. Greg
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John, you have clearly had that guitar slung around your neck for quite a long time... great songs just flow thru your fingers it seems. I'd have to agree with everybody's comparisons to the Eagles, Steely Dan and Pink Floyd... but I think you also have quite a signature sound of your own.
I'd have to give this song the three-P award:
Polished
Professional
Punchy
I greatly respect your talent.. it is many-faceted and highly developed
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John,
That dreamy intro was a real teaser for the punchy music that followed! Nice surprise!
Super production of a great song. everything works perfectly. there are so many elements to this song and you placed each one in it's perfect place. And your vocal was outstanding! Everything done professionally.
"You used all that power, it didn't use you" Great line!
Thanks for a terrific listen! Best to you ...
Alan & Di
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
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Hi John.
I always like to listen to a song before I read the comments by others and yes, Steely Dan was my first thought. Interesting then, to see how many others said the same thing. Being compared to Steely Dan has to be a good thing, right? They're certainly favourites of mine.
Regarding the length of the song, my take on it is this -
A song is only too long if the listener loses interest before the end.
Personally, I loved every second of it and judging by the number of people who've gone back for another listen, others did too.
Everything about this song says "professional". Certainly one of the best tracks I've heard on here in a long time.
ROG.
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Hello John,
This almost sounds like jaded gigolo part 2.
I detect a similar build up and modulations.
The lead guitar sounds great!
And again, very cool vocals and a very steady and professional production.
Always looking forward to your songs, they are among the best on this forum.
Regards,
Rob
Last edited by R & AM; 11/01/14 07:47 AM.
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This is a great write and production. Plus +1 all the way.
Captivating song. Really enjoyed your guitar work.
Charlie
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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I too have to agree with all the comments about Steely Dan, The Eagle, and Pink Floyd. I am not sure why, but the first band that came to my mind was E.L.O. It really doesn't matter who the song reminds us of, the point is that it is a wonderful offering and well worth listening to. I think the mix was great and hope you don't mind that I added this to the playlist I am currently listening to.
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Many thanks Herb, Tommy, Floyd, Alyn, Guenter, Greg, Pat, Alan & Di, ROG, Rob & Anne-Marie, Charlie, John. It means a lot to me when the fruit of many, many days' work is enjoyed by my peers.  A third song with Richard's lyrics is on the blocks, so I must get back to work! Cheers John
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Many thanks Herb, Tommy, Floyd, Alyn, Guenter, Greg, Pat, Alan & Di, ROG, Rob & Anne-Marie, Charlie, John. It means a lot to me when the fruit of many, many days' work is enjoyed by my peers. A third song with Richard's lyrics is on the blocks, so I must get back to work! Cheers John John, your songs never disappoint! I look forward to hearing your next offering!
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John,
I agree, big production values in there. I really like the message too.
SD
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