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Stawberries & Bread Draft

Here's a quick edit that has made the spaghetti clearer and added, experimentally, some Ahhs.I also knocked some vocal out at 3300Hz as it seemed a bit strident.
Strawberries and Bread 9bc - ahhs.

One step further along the path. I've swapped some guitars...tweaked the spaghetti, reduced the compensatory EQ on the vocals and fiddle faddled about here 'n' there.
strawberries & bread-10

A quick track based on the very limited shopping list my wife & sister-in-law prepared a few nights ago.
I laughed at the list when I found it on the way to bed.
I wrote the lyric when in bed and constructed the song with BIAB the following day.
I've replaced the BIAB guitars and bass etc. but retained the drums.

The Style is Weekend Warrior.
I used a Guyatone LT125 for guitar parts...the meaty ones through a Marshall Superbass, the accent and "spaghetti solos" through a Joyo ACtone. The Spaghetti guitar was tracked with tremolo, Spring Reverb and a little EQ. One of the meaty tracks was with a slight boost from a Boss SD1, (no dirt).
Having acquired a new interface, (SSL2),part way through the process I did the vocals using it and the 4K button.
Vocals are double tracked rather than comped...this is because of my thin, reedy voice.

Short yet deliberately repetitive both lyrically and melodically.

For me it was a bit of fun...trying to learn the monitoring latency stuff for the new interface being a key reason for continuing to do it.

This is a simple mix, there's nothing on the stereo/master bus.

ANY/ALL comments, suggestions, critiques and communication is welcome.


STRAWBERRIES & BREAD
Strawberries and bread
Break my bones until I've bled
Strawberries and bread
Break their bones until they've bled
Strawberries and bread
Break your bones until you've bled
Strawberries and bread
Bloodless white congealed red.

You don't know what you're doing to me
Don't know what you're doing through me
Don't know what we're doing do we?
Don't know what we're doing.

Strawberries and bread
Take your pain to bed
Strawberries and bread
Trap it in your head
Strawberries and bread
Wake up when you're dead
Strawberries and bread
Bloodless white congealed red.

You don't know what it's doing for me
Don't know what it's doing to me
Don't know what we're doing do we?
Don't know what we're doing.

Strawberries and bread
You're Snow White and I'm Rose Dead
Strawberries and bread
Sliced white and plump fed
Strawberries and bread
Break our bones until we've bled
Strawberries and bread
Bloodless white congealed red.

ray,

For a "quick track" that sounds pretty dang good.

The tone of the opening guitar is very cool. Would have liked to hear more of that, but it disappears under everything else quickly. A good balance of "everything". Good job with guitars and bass.

I really like the doubled vocal. Sounds good!

This sounds like a "modern" version of the great AM bands of the late 60's, early 70's - Lemon Pipers, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Buckinghams...

I like it (though I can't say I know what it is about - shopping and bleeding...)

fj

Really does nail that proto-psychedelic 60s sound.

The lyric is perfect for that, too, following the Iron Butterfly / Moby Grape naming principle of Absurd Biological Concatenation. Take something organic and benign and bolt on something mechanical or menacing. In this case, a nice little sammidge and the grim scene of gelatinous mayhem it resembles. Take that, Strawberry Alarm Clock!

I aint been around lately, just catching up on some good songs.

Funny how we never know where the next inspiration will come from.

Fun.

moto

Very nice Ray for just throwing this down quickly! I admit I don't understand the lyrics but I don't question that because your lyric writing is way beyond a lot of what is posted here! Nice job with your guitar and bass performances! I think your vocals were delivered very well also! I admit that I always want them louder in the mix but they may be where they need to be! Rock on! T

Thanks FJ,
The intro guitar, naturally an after thought, came about, like the solo, after trying various BIAB soloists... they all seemed to be stumped by the tempo and progression and simply walked the changes. i figured I could do that to and spaghetti western baritone would be the easy way. I'll work on the balance of that intro today...your thoughts on it are similar to mine but I wasn't sure. No I am.
That's a lovely bunch of bands to make comparison too. They were fun and cool.

Thanks mark.
Goth/Emo/absurdist even?
You're very kind.

Thanks Moto,
inspiration is like love.

Hello Torrey,
I thought the vocal was heroically loud in this one. Oh, well...The cringe factor usually wins with me.
Thanks for your very kind words.

Ray,
Cool tune, especially considering timeframe. Cool conception idea. Excellent work on vocals, doubling worked very well! Solid drive. What happened at 2:56? Guitar? Fun fx. In most of your songs, vocals are a bit "under". To my ears, this tune has them right where they need to be Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Thanks Misha.
2.56 is a traditional pick scrape...not really the sound for spaghetti lead but it almost fits.
Yeah, I think the vocal are about at the right level THOUGH I did EQ them a little in the latest version (they were a bit strident at about 3300Hz so I expect folk'll tell me if I removed definition or that it caused level loss.

Hi Rayc,

In this composition, I especially appreciated your work on the vocal which gives a very good result. The sequence of chords is very pleasant. I didn't understand your lyrics very well, but that's a detail. Well done.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash

I used an online "deep dream" generator to mutate a picture of strawberries and bread, hoping it would come up with berries with eyes and creepy stuff like that, but it looks more like cauliflower stained with beet juice.

Loved it. It took me back to the late 60's. This could have been done by a number of groups from that era like Strawberry Alarm Clock, Count 5, etc. You squarely hit that vibe right on the head.

Outstanding song!

Ray,

It sounds like rock n roll to me! Love the energy and vibe.

Bob

Rayc.
re latest 10 version.
yes i hear that nice classic vibe...
just some ideas....
1. for me i would dial back the fx.
i DO LIKE that lone guitar that starts off the song.
but for me..too far back. try it dry with a hint or more of only pg dx echo chorus.
2. an old trick recording studios would employ re tracking vocals , was to firstly before tracking the vocs, to lay down a synth lead line or two that matched note for note what the vocallist would be singing.
thus it would give the vocallist a base reference in the vocal tracking phase.
3. i feel some high femme vocs in the chorus could really elevate the song.
best/every happiness
om

This is fun.
The opening riff (and tone) reminded me of The Cramps, a fun band I listened to a lot years ago.

I don't get the lyric at all but I enjoy the sound and feel of the song.

Mark said, "proto-psychedelic 60s sound." Nailed.

That short interesting period before psychedelia became obsessed with itself.

The lead double tracking and harmony worked very well and sits nicely in
the mix.

Your performances wrapped a fine band around the RDs.

Enjoyed it and now it's time to look at Janice's grocery list and get, hopefully, slammed with some lyric inspiration!

J&B

Jani,
Thanks.
The lyrics....strawberries & bread, red & white, blood & bone.
It could be a murder mystery, could be a blood cult or it could be the words Black Sabbath rejects that make mine just words.

Well, Mark, it does has a lovely psych colour blur to it.