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A somewhat unsettling visit to the county fair... At the Fair THANK YOU in advance for your time and any comments. The county fair was a complicated thing back in the day. This is a rare (almost) all MIDI band for us. Tried a lot of high end sample patches but the pesky TTS-1 sounded too perfect. Go figure. Lyrics: R.W. Davis Vocals, harmony arrangement: D.A. Hughes Manning the Midway: Me Style is FUNNY1.STY (Funny1 - Goofy 3/4 Circus Music) MIDI Instruments are : Tuba (59), Music Box (11), Ocarina (80), Trombone (58) (I changed the FUNNY1.STY bassoon to tuba) RealDrums: EthnicWaltz^2-a:Brushes, , b:Snare, Ride All MIDI instruments rendered by Roland TTS-1 At the fair and partly cloudy They say that it might rain But it hasn’t rained in weeks We’ve seen all the sideshow freaks That we cared to contain In our minds And our hearts Are beating slowly for ourselves The stuffed animals on the shelves Are beckoning us to squander all our savings For our cravings Just to show’em that we got a giant bear Or something stupid like that What’s that smell in the air? Boiled peanuts? Roasted? Toasted? Parched? Or Spoiled? I can’t tell It’s just the smell Cotton Candy Candied Apples Grappled mem’ries In our minds Find some purpose This ride could hurt us We could lose our supper, sure It’s me and her And someone else I can’t remember details It’s all a blur Little Thimble Just a symbol Of our stupidity My soliloquy While waiting for her to recover I just discovered That the hay is in my hair Oh, touch of despair Can she make it? It shaked us up and down and around and around and faster At the fair and partly cloudy I found myself amused Rather confused By the nature of it all Call an ambulance My head is spinning And I’m not winning Any favor By sitting still And hoping for some hope
Last edited by DC Ron; 04/12/24 05:43 AM.
DC Ron
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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You've the jaunty/jerky Ferris-wheel music machine sound down well.
The words paint a picture of the scene but the vocal could slip into a different flow for contrast or emphasis.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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Ron,
Now that is original! The MIDI sounds great here - you have really used it to its full advantage.
Love the lyrics and the vocal. Overall, great production!
Bob
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DC, RW, DA,
Killer Lyric.
Perfect Band.
Good vocals.
All mixed well.
fj
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I'm not sure if I understand what the song is about, but it has a kinda hypnotic effect on me. Not that I like this genre, but I can't stop listening to it. Weird... 
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DC,
Wow this is awesome!
Almost as cool as the sound of the ice cream truck when it's driving through our Leave it to Beaver neighborhood every afternoon.
How is it even remotely possible to be depressed or upset about anything when you hear the sound of an ice cream truck??
🙂
That's the way this song made me feel so if that's what you're looking for you won man!!
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You've the jaunty/jerky Ferris-wheel music machine sound down well. The words paint a picture of the scene but the vocal could slip into a different flow for contrast or emphasis. Ray, THANKS for the listen and suggestions! Agree with the "different flow" philosophically, but since the lyrics don't have a traditional verse/chorus/bridge structure, I didn't have a crisp opportunity on this song in my view. Thought Dusty did a great job varying the vocal flow a bit in the second half of the song through selective harmonies. Ron, Now that is original! The MIDI sounds great here - you have really used it to its full advantage. Love the lyrics and the vocal. Overall, great production! Bob Bob, ha! Yeah, wanted to venture out from our "normal" submissions for this one. "Circus music" is an off the beaten track genre for sure. Glad you liked it! DC, RW, DA, Killer Lyric. Perfect Band. Good vocals. All mixed well. fj Floyd, THANKS for the listen! The lyrics are of a time and place that are SO specific to a unique musical style. I was surprised to find a perfect BiaB style for it. Glad you enjoyed it! I'm not sure if I understand what the song is about, but it has a kinda hypnotic effect on me. Not that I like this genre, but I can't stop listening to it. Weird... B.D., that may be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. In selecting the SoundCloud genre from the pull down menu, I couldn't find one that fit, so I've self-assigned this one to the "circus music" genre. Knew when I posted this one that it could be confusing. The song is about a boy and girl on a date at a county fair in south Georgia, USA, circa 1978. The county fair of this song was a mix of agricultural displays, thrilling rides, clowns, games of skill (usually rigged) and side shows like sword swallowers. The "county fair" concept is sometimes called a carnival or festival in other places, and many circuses share some of the same exotic participants and happenings. The lyrics also have a bunch of double meanings that can lead to confusion. They confuse me sometimes! But I like the idea of this song producing a weird hypnotic effect, because that's EXACTLY what happens to many when experiencing the sights and sounds of the fair. Glad you liked(?) it!! Ha!
Last edited by DC Ron; 04/12/24 02:16 PM.
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Glad you liked(?) it!! Ha! Yep, I do  ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif)
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Hi Ron,
What a funny, but also intriguing melody.
And what a nice way of singing, in 'broken' lines I would describe it.
You made good use of those midi instruments.
I never really liked a Tuba, or Bassoon in a song, but after your performance I might...
They worked out very good.
Enjoyed it much!
Hans
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Ha! Bringing back the memories for sure. The midi works well. Clever instrumentation.
Last edited by Ezekiel's Storm; 04/13/24 03:35 AM.
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Ray said, "You've the jaunty/jerky Ferris-wheel music machine sound down well."
Yes! Every aspect of the production including the great vocals contributed most excellently to that vibe.
There is enough fine imagery in the write for several songs. Well done.
County fair memories galore ... from the rides to the food and on to more.
Love the subtlety of some of the references.
Excellent!
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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Ron...well that was different! you are quite eclectic in your compositions...I think you captured the carnival atmosphere of the fair ...it took me back to boyhood memories when we used to sneak into the county fair and spend the day...thanks for the memories...a delightful little trip! Oh, BTW super vocals as usual
PS: this also reminded me of a episode of "The X-files" where Scully and Mulder go to the freak show to solve a murder...the guy with the little brother growing out of his abdomen did it...not him...the appendage...the truth is out there!
www.soundclick.com/firesongBiaB 2024, Steinberg Cubase Pro 13, Wavelab 11.2, SpetraLayers Pro 10, Audacity, Steinberg UR44 Interface, Yamaha Genos, Roland FP60 and FP10, Windows 10 You are who you are because you do what you do because of what you believe.
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WOW, BiaB has a bassoon tuba? This is so cool, Ron. Man, a great composion really. Excellent lyrics especially for those of us fortunate enough to attend lovasl fairs. 3/4 Circus Music. Isa there any other tempos clowns can dance? Brilliantly creative, Ron.
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Hi Ron,
Very different and original!
Enjoyed everything about this, well done to all three of you.
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DC, Wow this is awesome! Almost as cool as the sound of the ice cream truck when it's driving through our Leave it to Beaver neighborhood every afternoon. How is it even remotely possible to be depressed or upset about anything when you hear the sound of an ice cream truck?? 🙂That's the way this song made me feel so if that's what you're looking for you won man!! Ha! Thanks, David. There's something about the relentlessly happy ice cream truck tune that has the same effect on me as a clown chasing me with a balloon: "Hey, isn't THIS fun?!" That's the same mashup of excitement and dread that I was trying to capture here. Happy to have brightened your day! Hi Ron, What a funny, but also intriguing melody. And what a nice way of singing, in 'broken' lines I would describe it. You made good use of those midi instruments. I never really liked a Tuba, or Bassoon in a song, but after your performance I might...They worked out very good. Enjoyed it much! Hans Hans, so glad you liked it! Because of all the word play I did break up the rhythms in some unusual ways to (hopefully) highlight the lyrical ambiguity. Yeah, that tuba sounds GREAT to me, but not because of anything I did. It just FITS. THANKS for the listen! Ha! Bringing back the memories for sure. The midi works well. Clever instrumentation. THANKS, Ezekial! Yeah, those were the days, for better or worse.
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Unsettling, that's how the music sounds, it feels all the time that some instrument is missing, but that seems to be the secret juice. And together with the bumby melody and the weird lyrics the effect is complete. You have made it all work as a very original tune and delivered the visit perfectly. Only thing missing is a psychedelic video Janne
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Hi DC.
It's an amusing song and sounds old fairgroundy to me.
Vic
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Great quirky and original song! While I love bassoon you did right going for the tuba as it fits perfectly for the fairground scenario. I was raised in a UK seaside resort with a permanent fairground open all summer and when I was at art school in my late teens I worked 3 summer seasons, 67-69, on the fairground. Every Friday night a new batch of tourists would arrive, mostly coming for a fortnight, and all of the teen daughters would descend on the fairground looking for their holiday romances! I enjoyed at least 6 holiday romances each summer, so your song brought back some great memories! 
Last edited by WaoBand; 04/13/24 10:46 AM.
Some favourite Waoist Adages:
#1: Play on the Way.
#13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you.
#58: Bring consciousness to it.
#63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made.
#92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
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Ray said, "You've the jaunty/jerky Ferris-wheel music machine sound down well." Yes! Every aspect of the production including the great vocals contributed most excellently to that vibe. There is enough fine imagery in the write for several songs. Well done. County fair memories galore ... from the rides to the food and on to more. Love the subtlety of some of the references. Excellent! J&B J&B, yes, the lyrics are quite evocative of the country fair. Glad this resonated for ya'll! Ron...well that was different! you are quite eclectic in your compositions...I think you captured the carnival atmosphere of the fair ...it took me back to boyhood memories when we used to sneak into the county fair and spend the day...thanks for the memories...a delightful little trip! Oh, BTW super vocals as usual. PS: this also reminded me of a episode of "The X-files" where Scully and Mulder go to the freak show to solve a murder...the guy with the little brother growing out of his abdomen did it...not him...the appendage...the truth is out there! Dan, ha! True story: I once pursuaded my girfriend (now wife of 25+ years) to watch her first X-Files episode, and it turned out to be an episode that was so unspeakably horrific that it was later issued a TV-MA rating and banned from broadcast. She was not impressed, though, well...she DID marry me anyway. So a happy ending! Glad you enjoyed revisiting your memories of the fair! (Even if your X-Files episode is pretty crazy, too) WOW, BiaB has a bassoon tuba? This is so cool, Ron. Man, a great composion really. Excellent lyrics especially for those of us fortunate enough to attend lovasl fairs. 3/4 Circus Music. Isa there any other tempos clowns can dance? Brilliantly creative, Ron. Marty, glad you liked it! I switched the GM patch from bassoon to tuba since I thought the "oompah" was cooler. (Not a biggie, but is "lovasl" = "local"? Google helped a little...) Hi Ron, Very different and original! Enjoyed everything about this, well done to all three of you. THANKS, Dave! "Different" and "original" are high praise indeed. Glad you enjoyed it.
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
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Unsettling, that's how the music sounds, it feels all the time that some instrument is missing, but that seems to be the secret juice. And together with the bumby melody and the weird lyrics the effect is complete. You have made it all work as a very original tune and delivered the visit perfectly. Only thing missing is a psychedelic video Janne Janne, glad it worked for you! Yes, it's unsettling for sure, but...so is the fair. I'll leave the video for AI or perhaps an evil clown. Plenty enough of both. Ha! Hi DC. It's an amusing song and sounds old fairgroundy to me. Vic Vic, amusement is our goal, so...THANK YOU! Great quirky and original song! While I love bassoon you did right going for the tuba as it fits perfectly for the fairground scenario. I was raised in a UK seaside resort with a permanent fairground open all summer and when I was at art school in my late teens I worked 3 summer seasons, 67-69, on the fairground. Every Friday night a new batch of tourists would arrive, mostly coming for a fortnight, and all of the teen daughters would descend on the fairground looking for their holiday romances! I enjoyed at least 6 holiday romances each summer, so your song brought back some great memories! Chay, well...wow, didn't see THAT coming! Glad to have stirred up some happy memories. My spouse is an expat Brit, but I only know UK seaside resorts through movies and songs. They do sound quite lovely, even without the teenage association. THANKS for the listen!
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM
Presonus Faderport 16
Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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