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"This is a three-and-a-half minute movie that tells a two-hour story - and tells it superbly. " Man, did Al ever sum it up with that.
You could be scat singing the melody and it would still be a lovely and remarkably well arranged/produced song. But the subject matter takes it to another realm. We think very, very few writers (good writers) could read the history of these predators and then manage to so powerfully create a lyric.
For us it's thought provoking on two levels, firstly, the exposure to a tragic scenario we never knew existed and all the implications of it and, secondly, the song writing process behind it. I can readily think of situations that I've encountered or read about in my life - some of which perhaps "deserve" to be told - but the song writing skill necessary to accomplish this will likely forever elude me.
Well done on so many levels.
J&B
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
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Floyd,
A very original story idea that you`ve fleshed out with details that are telling. You learnt a ton from those idols of your youth.
The best part of this song for me is that you nailed the " voice " of the narrator (sleaze with charm!) and made it so believable.
That phone-call bridge is a surprise and really well done.
Crystal clear production and vocals as good as we expect.
One of my Floyd favourites.
Robert Appreciate that, Robert.... "sleaze with charm"... perfect! Thanks!
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REALLY fabulous. Your voice and the narrative are the stars.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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Floyd, this is simply great songwriting! You have presented us with a very large body of work, but in my humble opinion, this is one of your very best! You should be proud of this one! Also, lets not forget James Taylor in that list of writers. I could hear subtle hints of his influence in the music bed of this one. Two thumbs up! Torrey
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Another winner from FJ, keep up the great tunes!!!!! Hi, Steve... always nice to see you drop by.... Hello, floyd
Your interpretation of this song is really wonderful.
Beautiful melody soothes my heart.
The chord progression (G - G on F# - Em - Em on D - C - D7 -G) is also my favorite.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.
Best regards.
Shigeki Adachi Shigeki Adachi - thanks, again, for your continued support..
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I grew up listening to a lot of songwriting story tellers.
John Prine, Steve Goodman, Danny O'Keefe, Randy Newman.
Jim Croce, Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joel.
Cat Stevens, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Bruce Sprinsteen.
Joni Mitchell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Janis Ian, Gordon Lightfoot.
Tom Waits. Harry Chapin. (The masters...)
I heard Alan Shamblin once say that he liked to feed his brain with great music. He said the computer science guys at his college said "garbage in, garbage out". So apparently, Floyd fed his brain with great music, and great music comes out. This is BEAUTIFUL!!! Such a pretty melody, and a sad story delivered with wonderful craft. AND, what a great use of BIAB. If I worked at PG music, I would ask Floyd for permission to use this to market the product- "This is what this product is capable of in the right hands". This is masterful!! It belongs on the PG wall of fame! Great one Floyd! Take care. Greg
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floyd,
I've just had a listen. The track is really masterfully put together. The introduction reminded me of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" intro. You certainly know how to tweak those dials and slide those sliders so that a powerfully rich mix greets the listeners' ears. Adding to this, your performance is first class.
In relation to the topic material... your song has caused me a great deal of reflection. I found it quite a moving journey. The topic of greed preying on loneliness has left me with feelings of disquiet and sadness. I don't know how you did that and I envy that skill of yours that allowed you to accomplish this. It's a credit to your songwriting ability that your song has had this effect to me. In all honesty, I'm presently puzzled and I'm going to be thinking a great deal about how you managed to engage my feelings to this extent. The music and the lyrics were spectacular.
You have definitely, 100%, conquered writing both the story and the song.
Another outstanding work for your catalogue!
All the best,
Noel Noel... This is really nice to hear - that the song had the effect that it was intended to. There are a number of things that contribute to the feeling that you talk about... when I have more time, I'll write something up discussing that - it is something that hasn't really been touched on before (here at least).
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Top shelf, Floyd. Gut wrenching, to think....
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Floyd,
Beautiful, engaged lyrics.
And again, that Garth Brooks sound we love!
Rob and Anne-Marie
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Absolutely awesome write, arrangement and performance.
Charlie Thanks, Charlie. This was very cool song Floyd I swore I was watching a movie while listening to the lyrics . Backtrack was so complimentary to your vocal Well done Thanks, Scott. If these type songs seem "cinematic" then gotta say, it worked...
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Hey Floyd,
Great song.
In terms of production, overall sound and relationship to storytelling giants this reminded me a lot of Dan Fogelberg.
So much so, I feel I could go to one of this albums, put on the needle and hear his.
Probably one of your best productions yet, and very 70s in its sound and arrangement--and I mean that as a high compliment.
Awesome job.
Thank you, Mr. Snyder... I had forgotten about Fogelberg... he was a good storyteller, too - though I did not spend a lot of time listening to (or "studying", since that is how I approached a lot of these writers) his catalogue. Had one of his early records... Floyd,
Great song and vocal excellent story telling - I can hear the Fogelberg that David mentions.
From the production point of view I see you've used 2 violins a cello and a midi string section and it sounds really nice - well done!
Gets better each play.
Peter
Thanks, Peter... The violins and cello are mixed in with the midi string section at fairly low levels in order to give movement (and "reality") to the strings... just one more GREAT thing about BIAB...
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Really excellent delivery here Floyd. As usual, your arrangements are first class, and this is no exception.
Your intention to tell a story has certainly been achieved.
Consider this story 'told'
Appreciate that, Trev! This was very cool song Floyd I swore I was watching a movie while listening to the lyrics . Backtrack was so complimentary to your vocal Well done Alan here - Di is not feeling well . Scott pretty much took the thoughts straight from my mind. This is a three-and-a-half minute movie that tells a two-hour story - and tells it superbly. Your writing created all the images necessary - camera not needed. You're a musical wizard. It seems all you have to do is pick up a pen and magic ink takes over. You open your mouth and vocal excellence falls out with no effort. You turn a "knob" on the mixing gear and suddenly some words and notes become an audio masterpiece. By the way - I liked the song! The name that came to mind after the first verse and chorus was Tom T. Hall, probably the greatest story-teller in many decades. Another "Floyd song". Alan (I'm sure Di would want me to say "Hi" on her behalf) Thanks, Alan. Hope that Di is feeling better. Appreciate all the nice comments... No question Tom T. is one of the great story tellers...
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I'm growing up listening to a lot of songwriting story tellers.
John Prine, Steve Goodman, Danny O'Keefe, Randy Newman.
Jim Croce, Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joel.
Cat Stevens, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Bruce Sprinsteen.
Joni Mitchell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Janis Ian, Gordon Lightfoot.
Tom Waits. Harry Chapin. Floyd Jane.(The masters...) That may sound like some smart arse, trying to be funny remark. It's not. I mean it!
This song is beautiful Floyd. You know exactly what to put at the right time. The percussion comes in to move things forward in a sensible way. The strings give it the warm lift at the perfect moment. The interplay between the piano and guitar is gorgeous!
It's timeless.
Thank you for writing and sharing this.
Last edited by HearToLearn; 06/06/17 04:46 PM.
Chad (Hope that makes it easier)
TEMPO TANTRUM: What a lead singer has when they can't stay in time.
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I enjoyed the story especially as I've just returned to ballroom dancing. Here in Hong Kong, about 10 years back the daughter of one of the powers in HSBC sued a dance teacher for the return of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ballroom dancing can be big money in Asia. Great topic, great song and I enjoyed it. Check out the original Japanese Movie "Shall we Dance" for a big laugh.
Last edited by lambada; 06/07/17 02:20 AM.
Windows 10 Home 20H2 Build 19042.487
BIAB 2021 (Build 818)
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Zoom UAC-2 (USB 3 interface-built in midi)
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This is an amazing write on a difficult subject handled with great care and skill. A terrific vocal delivery. The bridge is great. The strings are excellent. The nylon guitar fits really well. Great choice of percussion. It is a testament to your arranging how well all the real tracks work together. Perfect mix. Another one in a long list of winners. Superb,Tom Well, Tom... in a few sentences you cover ALL the things that I think are important. So if I go those right, how could I not be pleased. Thanks for a wonderful review. Warmed my heart... Floyd,
I think this is a new favorite for me... I really love the song and production, but your voice and delivery is truly outstanding - there is a quiet restraint to your vocal that really brings this song home.
Excellent!
Bob Thanks, Bob. That means a lot to me...
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This is an amazing write on a difficult subject handled with great care and skill. A terrific vocal delivery. The bridge is great. The strings are excellent. The nylon guitar fits really well. Great choice of percussion. It is a testament to your arranging how well all the real tracks work together. Perfect mix. Another one in a long list of winners. Superb,Tom What he said. Regards, Lefty I certainly don't mind having that repeated... Thanks, Robert...
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"This is a three-and-a-half minute movie that tells a two-hour story - and tells it superbly. " Man, did Al ever sum it up with that.
You could be scat singing the melody and it would still be a lovely and remarkably well arranged/produced song. But the subject matter takes it to another realm. We think very, very few writers (good writers) could read the history of these predators and then manage to so powerfully create a lyric.
For us it's thought provoking on two levels, firstly, the exposure to a tragic scenario we never knew existed and all the implications of it and, secondly, the song writing process behind it. I can readily think of situations that I've encountered or read about in my life - some of which perhaps "deserve" to be told - but the song writing skill necessary to accomplish this will likely forever elude me.
Well done on so many levels.
J&B
I appreciate such a nice review. I'd have to say... you are pretty good at "seeing" a situation and applying it to song... REALLY fabulous. Your voice and the narrative are the stars. Thanks, ray....
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Floyd, this is simply great songwriting! You have presented us with a very large body of work, but in my humble opinion, this is one of your very best! You should be proud of this one! Also, lets not forget James Taylor in that list of writers. I could hear subtle hints of his influence in the music bed of this one. Two thumbs up! Torrey Thanks, Torrey, that is much appreciated... JT influenced me as much as any did... though I never thought of him as a "story teller writer" - more a "song guy"... I grew up listening to a lot of songwriting story tellers.
John Prine, Steve Goodman, Danny O'Keefe, Randy Newman.
Jim Croce, Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joel.
Cat Stevens, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Bruce Sprinsteen.
Joni Mitchell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Janis Ian, Gordon Lightfoot.
Tom Waits. Harry Chapin. (The masters...)
I heard Alan Shamblin once say that he liked to feed his brain with great music. He said the computer science guys at his college said "garbage in, garbage out". So apparently, Floyd fed his brain with great music, and great music comes out. This is BEAUTIFUL!!! Such a pretty melody, and a sad story delivered with wonderful craft. AND, what a great use of BIAB. If I worked at PG music, I would ask Floyd for permission to use this to market the product- "This is what this product is capable of in the right hands". This is masterful!! It belongs on the PG wall of fame! Great one Floyd! Take care. Greg Greg - thanks for such a wonderful review... any time you get a chance to sit around listening to guys like Alan talk about songwriting, it is time well spent...
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Top shelf, Floyd. Gut wrenching, to think.... Thanks, Ed... Floyd,
Beautiful, engaged lyrics.
And again, that Garth Brooks sound we love!
Rob and Anne-Marie Appreciate that, y'all...
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I'm growing up listening to a lot of songwriting story tellers.
John Prine, Steve Goodman, Danny O'Keefe, Randy Newman.
Jim Croce, Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joel.
Cat Stevens, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Bruce Sprinsteen.
Joni Mitchell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Janis Ian, Gordon Lightfoot.
Tom Waits. Harry Chapin. Floyd Jane.(The masters...) That may sound like some smart arse, trying to be funny remark. It's not. I mean it!
This song is beautiful Floyd. You know exactly what to put at the right time. The percussion comes in to move things forward in a sensible way. The strings give it the warm lift at the perfect moment. The interplay between the piano and guitar is gorgeous!
It's timeless.
Thank you for writing and sharing this. Caaron - You've left me speechless - so I'll just say - Thanks for listening and making such nice comments....
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