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Joined: Aug 2025
Posts: 432
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Aug 2025
Posts: 432 |
No Parade - Soundcloud No Parade - Youtube This is my latest labour fellow boxers, I fear though it isn't a labour of love!!! Another case of an overheard, over produced.... just over it!! This was another themed project write, between Mr Dee, myself and our friend, where we had to come up with a song with a storyline. I originally set my mark to be something like Hazard by Richard Marx. Absolutely love that song and the imagery it evokes. Alas, this is nothing like that, and I don't know where I got onto this particular theme. I set the song to WW2 England, thinking that's a neutral place to base it. But it's message is applicable to any conflict past or present, that not only do the brave soldiers who make the ultimate sacrifice, but it's also the innocent children who pay through no fault of their own, whilst the cowards who set the scenarios in motion, usually get off Scott free and profit from it. I was really happy with the style and the Tin Whistle, an underrated instrument, is just perfect throughout this. I was happy with the vocal in the first verse and outro, other verses and chorus I felt the vocal got away from me as the subject intensity grew. I was hoping to get a Gerry Rafferty or maybe David Gray feel to the vocal, but that never quite worked out. I do seem to be somewhat set in a morbid songwriting mode, subject wise. I need to break out and go in a new direction. All said, it's not bad, but it's not great either...overall I'd give it a B-. Happy to hear your thoughts, reviews and impressions, Kind regards. Title: No Parade File:No Parade.SGU Key=A , Tempo 120, Length (m:s)=4:16 Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0, Song is saved with bar changes for Tempo,Volume Changes, Style is _WHISTLE.STY (Tin Whistle Light Folk Pop) RealTracks in style: ~683:Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesPush Ev 120 RealTracks in style: 2762:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm 70sBritPopMike Ev 110 RealTracks in style: 3770:Tin Whistle, Low, BackgroundSoloist Folk8thsGeoff Ev 110 RealDrums in style:** N/A ** NashvilleEven16^4-a,b:Sidestick, HiHat Seagull Acoustic Rhythm Guitar My vocals NO PARADE 120 bpm INTRO: Bm / / / C#m / / / Bm7 / / / E / / / Esus / / / VERSE 1 Amaj7 Skyline of terraced housing, backlit with an amber glow. Bm C#m The place, London Town. City blocks raised to the ground. Amaj7 At the end of the street, a ruined house kids would meet. Bm C#m Bm7 E Esus4 Wasting, night away, till the, light of day…. rolls on around. VERSE 2 Amaj7 Tommy, Jim, me and you, owned the streets back in ‘42. Bm C#m Playground, made of rubble, horseplay, in and out of trouble. Amaj7 Spotlight… spotlights, danger overhead. Bm C#m Bm7 Esus4 E7 We all hit the ground, couldn’t hear a sound… then.. CHORUS Dmaj7 Amaj7 Tommy, there’ll be no parade for you. Dmaj7 F#m C#m No parade for the innocents lost. Dmaj7 Amaj7 No parade for all the fallen children. Dmaj7 C#m F#m And no judgement day for the guilty. BREAK Bm / / / / / / / C#m / / / / / / / Bm7 / / / / / / / E / / / Esus4 / / / E / / / E / / / VERSE 3 Amaj7 Shell shock, disbelief, numb to all sense of grief. Bm C#m Jim, me and you, still brothers through and through. Amaj7 Air raid sirens wail through the air. Bm C#m Bm7 Esus4 E7 Earth trembles, building shakes, floor below breaks…. then.. CHORUS Dmaj7 Amaj7 Jimmy, there’ll be no parade for you. Dmaj7 F#m C#m No parade for the innocents lost. Dmaj7 Amaj7 No parade for all the fallen children. Dmaj7 C#m F#m And no judgement day for the guilty. BREAK Bm / / / / / / / C#m / / / / / / / Bm7 / / / / / / / E / / / Esus4 / / / E / / / E / / / OUTRO Amaj7 You and me married summer ‘53 Bm C#m (Tempo slows to 102 bpm) Vows made in fear and trauma, and to our fallen brothers. Amaj7 Church bells, church bells, call for all to gather here. Bm C#m Bm7 Esus E7 Amaj7 But it’s no parade for all the fallen children…. …everywhere.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,263
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,263 |
Hi, Lee. Nice folk sound - a early '70s sound. It feels rough, but that fits the song well enough. My way of thinking: a finished song beats any unfinished song.  FYI, Wikipedia says Marx considered the song Hazard a "stupid song that no one would pay attention to" and only recorded it to prove his wife wrong; she had told him it was going to be a huge hit song. 
-- David Cuny My virtual singer development blogVocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 1,212
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 1,212 |
Hi Lee!
I'm glad you got to post this today - after the 'big reveal' at our jam* this morning. I wanted to hear it through my headphones, and it hasn't disappointed! I find it amazing/intriguing to hear how each of us approaches the task of writing a story song and the end result. Always a pleasant delight. I never would have come up with a story like yours - quite unique. I heard once that performing art is either comedy or tragedy - mine is the former and yours the latter.
I love the tin whistle - it provides a simplicity and melancholy that would have been present in the war and post war years - particularly when remembering the loss of loved ones and the devastation. Your vocal recording has an intimate quality in the verses that demonstrates the vulnerability of the storyteller, and your doubled vocal on the choruses 'Tommy ...' and 'Jimmy ...' which make them stand out without departing far from the style of the verses.
You gave yourself a B-, but as an independent results moderator, I'm going to recommend an upgrade to A-, and only a minus because I want to leave room - because with the trajectory you're on with your songwriting and recording, we are going to hear some good music from you in the coming months and years. I am sure of it!
Andrew Dee
* For those reading at home, K-Dub Ya (Lee), Mike (a common friend) and I meet every 5 to 6 weeks where we reveal our songs in response to a songwriting challenge we take turns in setting. Each of us produced something different but enjoyable. Our friend Mike is soon to have BIAB 2026 in his hands, so Lee and I are hoping we might see him posting to the forum sometime in the future. He'll be receiving 'encouragement' from us.
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 6,077
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 6,077 |
Good song, I like the story line you came up with. Both my parents were young children in Britain during WW2 and I heard many stories from both of them what it was like to live through that.
Nice vocal, good style choice, and the tin whistle worked a treat.
Well done!
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,773
Veteran
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,773 |
Lee, really nicely done. I'm hearing a bit of that "Baker Street" vibe in there, if that was the Gerry Rafferty feel you were going for. Super song, well sung. Lovely imagery. Sweet arrangement that cradles the story well. That tin whistle is cool indeed. The ending is creative but works quite well. I do think you self-grade WAY too harshly...
You've done a smashing job here.
My brother (lyrics) and I (music) share our stuff before it feels ready quite a bit. The only difference is he never reworks his part, and I almost always do. I do find the practice of "finishing" a song and then coming back to it later helpful in creating perspective.
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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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 9,063
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 9,063 |
Lee,
What an excellent song...
Love the story and you're great vocal - perfect for this piece. The backing tracks are exactly right and that tin whistle is a heartbreaker, like an old memory.
My new favorite from you.
Bob
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
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Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
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Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
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-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
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XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
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Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
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