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Wheels of Fortune

Story of the Song:

The song started out as a standard 55 BPM slow blues, a straight I-IV-V 12 bar, one of many BIAB tracks I created that I use to jam over. Last week Marty came up with a melody and wrote a couple of verses for me to sing. I tried a few approaches, but it wasn't coming together, didn't have the right feel.

On Sunday I tried a completely different approach, came up with more of a J.J Cale/Dire Straits type groove, different chord changes, faster BPM, and a different melody, and by changing some of the lyrics and adding a few more, they fit the new melody and BPM perfectly. I then wrote a bridge to lead into the guitar solo.

The Band:

1410:Piano, SynthLayer, Rhythm Soul70sA-B Ev16 100
3164:Guitar, Baritone Electric, Rhythm BluesyPopSteady8thsCleanBrent Ev 100

Marty Straub: Bass
Dave Bell: Guitars and vocal

EZDrummer2: Drums and Percussion

Mixed in Reaper, mastered with Ozone9

Wheels of Fortune (2022, Marty Straub and Dave Bell)

The wheels of fortune are rollin' right on by me now.  They're speeding by this sorrow, that I just can't hide.
I'm sinking in the shadows of social poverty now. Now that you left me lying here with pain inside.
Oh, the emptiness I'm feelin' stays here when you are gone.  I can't go on like this, no, no.  I can't go on.  

The wheels of fortune are flying off the cart. They're rollin' right on by me in the dark.
I have no chance to catch them, not knowing where you are.  They roll on by me as I'm searchin' where to start.
Oh, I can't go on with searchin' if you can't be found.  You gotta lower me down, down, down.  You can't be found.

The wheels of fortune keep on rollin' on, they always seem to pass on by.
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on, I just want a piece of the pie.
Rollin' on ..... right on by.

Solo

Outro:
The wheels of fortune are rolling right on by me now.
Rollin' on ....


All comments welcome!

EDIT: Uploaded a new mix, minor tweaks (01/10/2022)

Last edited by BlueAttitude; 01/10/22 03:17 AM. Reason: new mix
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Hi Dave and Marty,

Well, J.J. Cale is alive and back in this very atractive song!
(and with his brilliant partner Marty of course)

Like this kind of music very much.
A very strong solo and nice rhythm.
I longe for my rum after this.

Very well done, both of you!!!
And nive 2022
Hans


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Of course this is showing my age, but it sounds a lot like the Doors back in the 60s, great mix!!

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Originally Posted By: Birchwood
Hi Dave and Marty,

Well, J.J. Cale is alive and back in this very atractive song!
(and with his brilliant partner Marty of course)

Like this kind of music very much.
A very strong solo and nice rhythm.
I longe for my rum after this.

Very well done, both of you!!!
And nive 2022
Hans


Hi Hans,

Thanks for the very nice review, very much appreciated!

Hey, one of these days I'll get back to Holland, and when I do, the rum is on me!

Best to you and yours for 2022.

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What a slick sound you've got going here Dave! Marty's contributions to this are invaluable! Everything here is first class! Great guitar sound and chops! That chorus has got a catchy melody! Thanks, Torrey

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Cool tune.

I'm currently binge watching Breaking Bad, and I could hear this as one of the rare underscore songs. It has that dark feel that would work well in a show like that. The slightly out of tune guitar fits it well as does the almost whispered vocal track.

Nicely done.


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Dave & Marty

Sounds like a lost J J Cale classic.

Loved the drum programming - you do that very well.

Nice bass, vocals and some excellent melodic and always interesting guitar phrases (nice bend near the start of the solo!)

Top notch.

Peter

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Hi Dave,

Love the groove - it reminds me of JJ Cale (which is a very good thing).
NB Just noticed that Peter had already made the comment about JJ Cale.

I like your vocals too - I would like to hear them a bit louder in the mix.

Well Done.

Best Regards
Nigel

Last edited by NigelSpiers; 01/07/22 02:15 AM.

Nigel Spiers
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Well, this got earwormed for me real quick and isn't going away any time soon. Subtle variations to the usual slow blues made this special. Nice work, now get out of my ear you guys. ; )


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Ooooh! Slinky!

The vocal really helps set the mood.

Lots of ear candy, like the bell tree, scratchy guitar and the congas. Nice stereo imaging, too! Nice build into the guitar solo.


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Yep it has THAT vibe and delivery. Different lead guitar style and tone but that's a good thing as it marks it as your own.
Really nice playing Marty...nice lyrics too.
Dave...done good...played hard!


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Originally Posted By: Ronnie Fields
Of course this is showing my age, but it sounds a lot like the Doors back in the 60s, great mix!!


Hey Ronnie, thanks for taking the time to listen and comment!

Man, I listened to the Doors a lot back in the 60's and early 70's, still own most of their albums.

Originally Posted By: Torrey Bliss
What a slick sound you've got going here Dave! Marty's contributions to this are invaluable! Everything here is first class! Great guitar sound and chops! That chorus has got a catchy melody! Thanks, Torrey


Hi Torrey,

Well, this song wouldn't have been born without help from Marty, my lyric writing skills are mediocre at best eek

Thanks for the listen and kind words, very much appreciated!

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Originally Posted By: Guitarhacker
Cool tune.

I'm currently binge watching Breaking Bad, and I could hear this as one of the rare underscore songs. It has that dark feel that would work well in a show like that. The slightly out of tune guitar fits it well as does the almost whispered vocal track.

Nicely done.


Hey Herb,

Happy you liked the song!

Breaking Bad certainly lends itself for binge watching, I've done that myself twice now.

Guitars are not out of tune BTW, I have to disagree with you on that. I always check the tuning at the beginning of a recording session, and several times during as well.

Thanks for taking the time to listen and comment!

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Dave & Marty,

Love the feel of this! To David's "slinky" I'll add "Silky" and Smokey" - a great combination.

The vocal is COOL. (I wanted it to have just a little bit more of a "close mic" sound - to match the tone).

Marty's bass is nicely silky and smokey, too!!

Nice guitar work throughout. Good fills & leads. The scratchy funk is a nice touch.

Drums sound good. In a really good space.

Excellent mix. On my 3rd listen...

fj

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Originally Posted By: dcuny
Ooooh! Slinky!

The vocal really helps set the mood.

Lots of ear candy, like the bell tree, scratchy guitar and the congas. Nice stereo imaging, too! Nice build into the guitar solo.


I totally agree.

I also got a Doors feeling on this one. Outstanding groove and a magnificent vocal, bass and lead work.

Loved it.


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Dave & Marty,
Love this! Not sure what it was before, fuhgeddaboudit. This one is great! Excellent theme and vocals. JJ was a great influencer, I am sure he would approve. Neat solo and ace playing by both of you. Really liked this one. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

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Thanks for everything, Dave, and please take me with you to visit Hans. Meeting you in person is surely on my bucket list, Hans. Thanks to all who mentioned me and JJ Cale. smile Herb & Dave, hope you guys binged on Better Call Saul, too.


Enjoy whatever happens!
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Originally Posted By: PeterF
Dave & Marty

Sounds like a lost J J Cale classic.

Loved the drum programming - you do that very well.

Nice bass, vocals and some excellent melodic and always interesting guitar phrases (nice bend near the start of the solo!)

Top notch.

Peter


Thanks very much, Peter!

Originally Posted By: NigelSpiers
Hi Dave,

Love the groove - it reminds me of JJ Cale (which is a very good thing).
NB Just noticed that Peter had already made the comment about JJ Cale.

I like your vocals too - I would like to hear them a bit louder in the mix.

Well Done.

Best Regards
Nigel


Hi Nigel,

Well, I still cringe at the sound of my own voice, not quite ready to turn it up wink Thanks for the positive comments!

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Nice work. Great guitar playing. The Bass is in the groove. Good use of the band. Outstanding blues here. Good job to all.


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Originally Posted By: BabuMusic
Thanks for everything, Dave, and please take me with you to visit Hans. Meeting you in person is surely on my bucket list, Hans. Thanks to all who mentioned me and JJ Cale. smile Herb & Dave, hope you guys binged on Better Call Saul, too.


Well Dave and Marty, you are very welcome! bring your guitars with you (I have only acoustic stuff) and we have a wonderful jam session, accompanied by nice rum(bottles)...
I'm proud to be on your bucketlist, Marty. No other Dutchy does, I bet ;-)

See you,
Hans


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