Sing A Song Of Sick Spence on Soundcloud
Sing A Song Of Sick Spence on YouTube

Here's a song about a guy named Spence who did something bad and now is sick about it. Drums stems were used, and the flexibility is perfect. Can't wait for more.
Dave Bell (Blue Attitude) played guitar, and did his usual magic for the intro, fills, solo and outro, but only played on the last chorus. I liked it and was going to paste it to the others, but liked his idea better. Comments, good or bad, are always much appreciated and helpful.

Title: Sing A Song For Sick Spence
Key=F#m, Tempo 115, Length (m:s)=3:49
Style is _DETROIT.STY (Detroit Soul Funk Shuffle w Loop)

Loop in Song: Loops PAK 1\Funk\Drums, Acoustic, SoulFunkShuffleA-B Sw 120.wav
RealTracks in style: 2728:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm BluesShuffleMike Sw 130
RealTracks in style: 2164:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm NewOrleansSwinginPop Sw 130
RealTracks in song: ~~938:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm JazzFreddie Sw 110
RealDrums in Song: PopRock12-8^01-HtSnrKc,RdSnrKc
RealDrums in Song: PopRock12-8^
RealDrums in Song: PopRock12-8^
RealDrums in Song: PopRock12-8^
RealDrums in Song: PopRock12-8^
RealDrums in Song: PopRock12-8^
RealDrums in Song: PopRock12-8^
RealDrums in Song: PopRock12-8^
RealDrums in Song: PopRock12-8^
Dave played guitar, and I played bass and vocals.


Sing A Song For Sick Spence

Sing a song for sick Spence. He's got a ways to go.
He fell and hurt his feelings on the road where no one goes no more.
He's hiding in the woodshed in the back of granny's place,
and calling it his sick bed where he's held up in disgrace.

Sing a song for sick Spence. His life is looming low.
Let me say in his defense he thought we wouldn't know this much.

When the girl was living he would often watch her work.
Her daddy owned the drug store where Spencer was the clerk for years.
One day he found the courage to ask her on a date.
She laughed. He was discouraged, and closed out rather late.

Sing a song for sick Spence. He's crying in his drink.
He's sitting on the picket fence without a thought to think. Whoa woe.

Floating down the river is a bloody paper cup.
He spies it from his sick bed, and knows his time is up real soon.

Sing a song for sick Spence. His pocket's full of rye.
The druggist's daughter's gone away, and he's left there to cry for life.


V-- (F#m F#m D C#7)2 F#m F#m
F#m F#m D C#7

CH-- A7 C#7 D A A7 C#7 D C#7
and after 1st V add: F#m F#m

Poor Spense indeed, he's hiding in the woodshed, his life so much in need.

Great job guys, Once again pro bass, pro vocals and pro guitar . . . quality muscianship you are known for.

I don't follow the flexibility in the various drum stems though. They sound smooth and natural to me.

I misread it as Skip Spence initially.
Skip - sad end but Oar was magnificent.
Sick Spence - no the richer, non the wiser.
It's a cool pun to base a song upon.
The harmonies are rich and well place.
Fab solo, (no surprise there).
Cautionary tale and a good one.
Well done sir.

One day I'll tell you about the lobster & the shark - a very tangentially related story that relies on part of the same pun.

Marty, as usual you and Dave put out another masterpiece.
As Steve said everything is professional, as usual!
I liked the harmonies in the chorus also.
Great work gentlemen.

I do love an interesting lyric, Marty and you have one here.
Good mix.

Before reading the lyric it sounded like you sang " on the road where no one goes SHOW more".
It could be my ears though.

Vic

I misheard the lyrics as "Sing a song for 6 pence"

My favorite part is the chorus, I love those harmonies.
As always when you work with Dave, the result is something special.

Good song, good arrangement, good production...absolutely nothing to complain about

Howdy Marty....

This is a good song.
Flows along nicely with good vox and lyrics.
Blue does a great job on guitar.

Well gone....I enjoyed the listen.

Back to it....

Marty,

Well that’s a really clever title and write . . . great band accentuated by Mr. Bell’s excellent guitar playing. Engaging chorus with some great, really well mixed and balanced harmonies. Another great one, Marty. Well done!

All my best to you,

Deej

Marty

Excellent clever lyrics, well sung, and performed.

Dave's playing always elevates a song and this is no exception.

Really well done.

Peter

Hi Marty,

Great song title and good song.

Loved the instrumentals and harmonies.

Best Regards
Nigel

Ah, "smooth and natural" is the intent. The stems give us the ability to mix each mic from the drum kit --much more flexibility. More than once I've done a Latin song or something and found the perfect drummer. Only problem was I couldn't get rid of or reduce the guiro, which became annoyingly monotonous. For some songs we may want more of the sound from the BOTTOM of the snare, and Stems make that possible. Thanks for your encouraging comment, Steve.


Love tapping into your vast knowledge, Ray. I had to look up Skip. But now you GOTTA tell me/us the story of the lobster and shark. Thanks!


Thanks so much, Mario!

Marty,
such clever write! Awesome drive & vocals. Signature Dave's guitar adds another dimension to this gem. I assume you played the bass.
Overall, very good package & video. Enjoyed it! Gave it a spin in a car couple of days ago (sounds great btw) and today. Super mix. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

HA!

What a CLEVER write. But, more than that, what a TERRIFIC write.
Good lines all over the place.
Excellent alliteration!!!
Solid. Through and through.

And a SOLID BAND. Excellent music.
Dave's guitar work is exceptional, as always.
a beautiful mix.

One of your best! (I seem to be saying that to you all the time anymore).
A favorite....for sure...

fj

Marty, you sang this unique song very well. Also good harmonies. Dave’s guitar is excellent as usual. The lyrics held my attention and are definitely one of a kind. I definitely enjoyed my listen to this well done production, Tom

Catchy!

Well sung, clever write. Good guitar too.

Actually, good everything.

Haha. Not your ears, Vic. They are excellent. It's likely the effect of age on my voice.


Thanks, BD. I wanted 3-part for the harmonies so the low guy starts below the lead then goes above it and back. If I went with 2 above the lead, it would've been way out of my range. Glad you like it.


Ho'dy, Wayne. Thanks for the listen and comment.


Thanks, Deej. Seemed I kept singing "Sing a song for 6 pence" in my head for days, and thought that was awfully cheap to pay for singing a song. But then, unlike happy birthday, it's in public domain, so why would anyone pay anything. The little spark of Lennon I keep in my brain said, "Maybe it's sick Spence."

Excellent Music, and lyrics I loved my listen. I will be listening to more in the future.

Thank you very much, Peter.


Thanks, Nigel.


Thanks, Misha. Every pro studio I've ever been in always had a bunch of different speaker setups, and the final test was always on crappy old car speakers. If it sounds good there, it'll sound good anywhere. They don't make crappy speakers anymore, but I still test them there all the time. It often shows flaws otherwise missed.

The Lennon of "A Spaniard in the Works", right? =8^)

Marty, Marty, Marty...this is so clever a write...it is your usual stellar production and Dave's impeccable work with an ax...love the tempo and bounce of the track...such a sad song for sick Spence (I hope he's hangin' in there)

Hi BabuMusic,

Composition well done and very pleasant to listen to. the lead guitar is well placed. I enjoyed the whole thing.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash

Nice listen. Not sure I totally understand the video but that's just me :-)

Catchy song, feels upbeat although it is a blues with sad story, strange. I'm not familiar with the original nursery rhyme, but I get the clever title. Dave's playing is great, I really enjoyed his interpretation of the melody. The rest of the band and the vocalist are in top shape

Janne

Marty & Dave,
Fun puns in a slightly twisted tale of rejection.Good vocal and amazing guitar. The video has some nice goofy images;the whole is very entertaining!

Robert

Oh yeah! Your lyric is reminiscent of some of the best bluegrass “dark” songs that we often heard and performed back in the day.

Great vocals, and as noted by others, those harmonies are extra nice.

Dave’s always tasteful guitar and your smooth and solid bass are the perfect duo.

Kudos on the drum work. Gotta go down that rabbit hole soon!

You’re a born storyteller Marty! And, per always, a cool video.

J&B

Ah, another fan of alliteration. I wish Ss weren't so easy to alliterate (is that a word?). Thanks for such a warm comment, Floyd. I really enjoy how you keep saying it's one of my best, because YOU are a LARGE part of my improvements. You're the best, Floyd, and I thank you for your inspiration. Thank you.


Thank you, Tom! It means a lot to me.


Thank you, David. Your comments here and on others are so honest and helpful.

Loved the lyric Marty. Very creative. Super vocal and excellent backtrack. Loved the basslines. Dave's guitar riffs were a huge add to the song. Really well done....

Clever, clever. I echo all the accolades. A bit of darkness in that jaunty song. Good work!

Thanks, Bob! And I'll be checking out your YT channel.


Ah, you have some of that on your brain, too, Mark. I was thinking more of Eric Hearble and No Flies On Frank from Lennon's In His Own Works.


Thanks, Dan. Well, Spence is doing fine, but we daresn't mention hanging.


Thanks, Derochette. I can almost hear the music you'd create for Spence's situation.

Thanks, Henry. I wish I could make videos like yours. You always have very entertaining songs and you are SO extraordinarily helpful with your use of BiaB.


Thanks, Janne. It's really only sad for Spencer. I was happy to tell his story, and Dave seemed quite happily telling it with his guitar. hehe Thanks, man. "The nursery rhyme with no reason" was coined 300 years after the first sixpence. Unlike Happy Birthday, it's in the public domain. "Hey, Diddle Diddle" could be next.

Thank you, Robert. Yeah, Spence was not good at taking rejection. In court he explained it was just an accident, but...

I really enjoyed the song and the YouTube video takes it to a whole other level of entertaining (I would go back and listen to it a few more times just to watch the video in addition of the fact that it’s a good song). I also like the combination of actual live played instruments, mixed in with band in the box instruments which makes the song, in my opinion, sound like it was played entirely by live musicians.

Thanks, Henry. I wish I could make videos like yours. You always have very entertaining songs and you are SO extraordinarily helpful with your use of BiaB.

Thank ya sir. I try to do the best with what I have :-)

Marty,

You did a wonderful job on this (as always)>. Very clever title and lyrics! I haven't been around the forum much lately and not been commenting because I have real difficulty typing accurately since my stroke but when I saw this one I had to jump on board and say something! Great vocals and arrangement! It would be a crime not to have Dave playing on one of these bluesy rock songs of yours and glad he was able to help! Marty, I appreciate you more than you know, you are such a valuable member of this forum with the positivity and encouragement you share! Keep up the great work! TB

I really like the style, groove, and overall production Great Job! The lead guitar adds just the right flavor to the moods. NICE !!!

Dark Bluegrass --cool cat o' gory. Thanks you guys. I wanted 3-part, but the lead was up and down. So the low guy had to go above and below while the high guy kept his distance. The drum stems were easy this time because I liked the whole kit, but had the ability to mix them differently. Of course each stem could be taken to DAw on its own track, then mixed with different effects and stuff, but I only LOOKED down that rabbit hole. Man, I gotta get the devil down to Georgia someday. Got a million stories to tell and you guys have at least that many.


Thanks, Scott! Much appreciated.


Thanks, Scott. You can tell that the storyteller had a much better attitude than the subject.

Marty,

I don't know if the lyrics were written with 6 pence in mind, but they are very interesting lyrics.
There are some scary scenes in the video, and I can see that it's not just a heartbreak song.
Vocals, harmonies and guitars are great as usual.
The melody is also very pop.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Hi, Marty and Dave !


What a superb tune
so pro sounding all the way !
One of your best collabs I think !

Cheers
Dani

Thanks, Joe. It's cool how BiaB works in different genres and has some amazing players actually playing parts. I agree with you, having a couple people in there who actually know the song makes a huge difference. Every single bassist available with the software is a hundred times better than I am, and would do my songs far better than I could if they were hired to play on them. Saving all that studio cost makes BiaB priceless. Your songs sound so good, and I'm happy you joined here.


Thank you, Master Torrey. No matter what I write here would be dull compared to the smile you have put on my face. Your new song is outstanding, and you haven't lost a single beat, brother. That broadens my smile to no end.


Thanks, Elliott. You may have an idea of how much I respect your opinion.


Thanks, Shigeki! Good question, although you didn't really ask. It's from an old English nursery rhyme. For some reason it was in my head for a couple days, so I wrote this song to get it out. Here are the first couple verses of the original.
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing.
Wasn't that a dainty (or dandy) dish
To set before the king?

Of course, like Gulliver's Travel, there are many political interpretations.


Thanks, Dani. So glad to hear you're back from Spain.

For me the best part was the name of the song.

What a clever song you two!

I really enjoyed this one.

Great job on everything!

Hi Marty, nice shuffle rock. Nice production and playing as usual.

Mike B.

Hello Marty and Dave
Excellent song
Great melody and vocals
Dave's guitar work of course top notch
The chorus is really cool !!!
fun to listen to your song
Great work
Many greetings
Andi ;-)

Loved it Marty! I knew I would as soon as I saw your name next to the title - always great music, and such a clever write! I've been way to busy for music lately and have spent a little time over the last couple of days trying to catch up with the songs I've missed. I'm sure glad I didn't miss this one buddy! Love your stuff Marty and Dave always provides the perfect touch. Thanks for the smile,

Brad

Hi Marty great job love the vocal bass line and Dave great job as usual on guitar !! Eric

Always love your sound Marty!!!! And Dave can make anything better!!! Fun, catchy tune with excellent production!!! Take care. Greg