PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase NEW "COASTAL HIGHWAY" (dedicated to my wife)

SONG TITLE : "ROCK ALONG THE COASTAL HIGHWAY"....
(A SONG TRIBUTE TO MY LOVELY WIFE WHO ENCOURAGES MY SONG CRAZINESS..lol.)

ARTIST : moi..ALF-L..(a lad from london (c) 2015)
****BEFORE PLAYING THE SONG PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING.****
1. due to the variety of playback systems out there. watch your levels till comfortable with song.
2. feel free to critique the song. please use good earbuds. apologies if the listener hates the song.
this is my first ever public airing of the song. is it good enough ? well i like it...lol.
3. like all my songs , i used the biab/rb/reaper combo to create this one. (ive done about 90 original songs useing this combo over many years.)
4. people have asked me for more production details in past songs ive posted.
let me explain why i'm unable to do that, much as i would like to......
awhile back i had very serious surgery i wont bore people with, which i came through thankfully.
(i'm fit as a fiddle now and hope to stay that way.)
as a result (due to this darn world covid situation) my doctors want to protect me /the surgery success and have me isolated with just my wife. ...and limit any interraction with other people which might impact me.
but all my darn song production details are backed up in other locations, which i cant get to right now.
i only have final song stereo mixes here. so please understand.
5. i like to sing in many different vocal styles. this is just one of them. very experimental this one.

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE SONG>>>>>
https://soundcloud.com/user-302791555/coasthwaycalfl2015

SONG DETAILS.
1. this song is about things i like and dont like. the vocals in this song are very very "experimental".
i like to experiment with different voc styles and "characters"...and see what works best. i always try and do a vocal style that i feel the song deserves.
whether i chose the right vocal style for this song...only the listener can confirm that via critique/comment.

i like it, but maybe others wont. which brings me to a point i would like to make.....
ive heard/met too many songwriters never finalising a song cos they are concerned bout criticism from the rest of the world. i personally dont think this is healthy. so what i do is work very hard on a song till i like it...then i hope other people do. if they dont i just take my lumps...lol.
2. the "little fills" guitar on one side of the image was me going for character once again.
this involved a ton of editing. and experimentation.
i really like those fills...hope others do also.
i like the harmonica in the song from biab. i hope others do also. it took a bit of editing.
i'm all about finding "golden nuggets of sound" and i'm always striving for "character" in my tracks..
3. the song is a tribute to my dear wife who puts up with all my song craziness...lol.
amongst several topics, the vocs talk about how i would like a British caterham sports car and take my lovely wife for lots of jaunts in it along coastal highways. with the wind in our hair,
(and of course some great classic rock playing on the radio...lol).
4. i was lucky to be allowed a couple of years back to play the song on high end adam speakers, as i cant afford high end monitoring. i really liked the adams. very impressive speakers.
i also like tannoy dual concentrics. it played well on the adams.
5. i worked very hard on a "character" ending. i like it. but others might not.
ie the "woo" 's at the end.
ive wrestled with how to categorise the music genre of this song...listener got any ideas ?
country pop maybe ?

best and happiness to all.
oldmuso (ALF-L....a lad from london.)

Nice arrangement - the fills worked well, and fit it.

The vocals are a good match for the lyric - good "character" choice.

Rarely have I listened to a song with so many caveats! I own songs excluded, of course.

Fun song! To use your own word, "jaunty".

Tannoy is still a generic name in my head..."the message came over the Tannoy" though I do know better. Better than the noun verbing like "Hoovering" at least.
Cool song, it "travels" well.
You do like to get into "character" and it works pretty well.
I THINK you voice was a little too far forward for the 1st verse. Otherwise the mix was even and balanced. the side licks were ice-cream.

Nice job,
That vocal style is quite Johnny Cash.

moto

Cool vocal. Liked the panning. Backtrack and lyric were very good. Well done

justanoldmuso,

I like your "experimenting" with the vox! As I've stated before, your vocals remind me so much of Ringo Starr that I can't help but like everything you do! After all, who doesn't love Ringo!!

I like the long fade out at the end! It may not be some listeners cup of tea but it works for me! Love the harmonica and resonator parts! They really enhance the song!

Hopefully you're on the mend and can comfortably produce your music soon without physical ailments!

Thanks and take care, Torrey

Hi justanoldmuso,
Cool groove with this song. Your vocals (you say are experimental) sounds good and has a Junior Brown kind of sound to it. Thanks for posting it!

"i like it, but maybe others wont. which brings me to a point i would like to make.....
ive heard/met too many songwriters never finalising a song cos they are concerned bout criticism from the rest of the world. i personally dont think this is healthy. so what i do is work very hard on a song till i like it...then i hope other people do. if they dont i just take my lumps...lol."

I agree. However a number of listeners on this site have given me some very valuable suggestions. I have take a number of lumps on sites also.

OK the song. I tried to find something wrong with it but I had no success. Everything is perfect! Your vocal was very clever and very well done. Great groove and backing tracks.

Loved it.

THANK YOU ALL SOOO VERY MUCH.
(btw medically i'm fine now. thanks torrey. just gotta be carefull.)
i was really very concerned this song wouldnt fly.
it was lots of fun to do. but editing those darn res gtrs took hours/regens etc lol.
sorry late in replying to you all. i was busy this week on family stuff i had to attend to, and of course just as i'm doing that... a new song pops into my silly head.

btw if i post a song that is considered "dreck/junk" be as critical as you wish. be brutal lol.
frankly i was surprised people liked this...cos its a voc style ive never done before.

btw for giggles heres the tres yummy caterham car mentioned in the song i want one day if i got a lottery .lol.

https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialCaterhamUK

mario, i showed my wife your sig regarding "management". we both fell about laughing...lmao.
we just love your sig humor.
as weve both been in mgt at one point in life. we both look forward to your sigs.
god bless everyone. your all such nice people.
oldmuso

om,

A good one. I like your vocals on this. (I thought they could use "just a little" more reverb).

The mix sounds really good.

I felt the drums were the wrong choice for the tempo of the song - mostly noticeable because of the drum fills - they were really fast (which made them sound less-than-natural).

keep 'em coming...

fj

Floyd.
thanks for listening/comments.
re drums.
v v good comment. this is why critique is good. i got so used to the song as is.
on reflection, i should have paid more attention to the fills.

normally what i do with every song is rigorously go through every single biab drum style of the oodles available, rather than limiting myself to a particular genre. to find the best fit. it takes ages.

but sometimes i HAVE TO compromise fj as i cant afford lots of different 3rd party non biab drum sample packs/bundles like the big studios/rigs...
(it ends up mega expensive, and i have other family responsibilities).

over the next year i'm looking to augment my rig further floyd.
the problem i'm finding fj is one has to buy just too many sample packs to get the variety one needs.

my fun is exploring vocs in many different genres, so drum pack flexibility/variety is a given.
cos my background over the years is singing live in everything from church choirs/opera through metal/punk/rock/blues and even some country. thus it can get mega expensive getting drum packs for oodles of such styles.
thus, for now biab has to be my session drummer.

if anyone can recommend a budget drum sample pack covering oodles of different song genres and styles, with oodles of variety includeing latin perc to augment biab drums , i'm all ears.
its just that each time i survey the market i end up back with biab drums due to budget. also i listen to lots of demoes of sample packs that dont always crank me up. sigh..life is all compromise often.

best/happiness FJ. and thanks again. you are very talented, and i appreciate your feedback.
oldmuso

OM
A perfect combination of a skip-a-long beat and some nice poignant life observations . I feel that fade outs rob the song of the impact of a grand exit. Others have mentioned Ringo but I also hear a tinge of Johnny Cash. A fun and enjoyable listen. Your enjoyment of music is quite compelling , keep 'em coming.
regards
Gary.

om,

Love the Johnny Cash vibe... Very cool song.

Bob

Wow, you DO have as many voices as Lon Chaney had faces, om. Excellent use of resonator, the whole band is perfect. This is a good moving song --that is, it's a good song for traveling along the non-Interstate roads with the fun of the wind waving through the hair of the one you love beside you. Well done on every level.

Gary,Marty and Bob.
thanks for listening and comments,
v kind of you.
marty i'm lmao bout the chaney comment.
but its true, frankly over the years ive sung every style
...its my "thing". my wife says i'm nuts lol.
ive always believed music should be fun.
the next song i'm loading up in the showcase in the next day is a crazy punk song, way opposite to this one.
and hopefully people will say "he is bonkers "..lol
best
om

Nice vox, nice song, I enjoyed it, good work!

TuneMonger
thanks for listening.
it was a lot of work..lol.

best
om

It sounds like a young Johnny Cash. I think the vocals are perfect fit to the song!!

Ronnie.
thanks so much.
i work very hard on each song, and it makes my day when
someone enjoys one of my efforts.
happiness to you.
om

sorry for the "bump"...but its my anniversary
for moi and my lovely wife coming up...and i originally
wrote this song for her and dedicated it to this wonderfull woman with the biggest kind heart.
who puts up with and encourages my songwriting madness..lol. plus maybe some new users havent heard it.

ive been going thru some medical stuff recently, but now
will be able to post some new songs in the coming month
for critique/comment.

best to all.
om