Hi people,

Once again, I've been playing around with some of my earlier mixes and seeing if I can add a little extra pizzazz to their production. I don't know how successful I am but I'm really enjoying revisiting some of these prior works. It's fun! It's also quite eye-opening and, in some cases, downright embarrassing!!!

Anyway ...

"Never Again" is a song Brenda and I wrote couple of years ago. It's a jazz waltz and features some Oliver Gannon Realtracks. The song's structure is the standard AABA form.

• ... link to Vimeo (audio/visual)

• ... link to Soundcloud (audio only)

• ... link to Leadsheet (pdf)

Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the song, arrangement, mix, production. Brenda and I appreciate all feedback.

Regards,
Noel and Brenda


BIAB INFORMATION
Bass: RT 926
Guitar: RT 932 (Oliver Gannon - rhythm)
Guitar: RT 1090 (Oliver Gannon - solo)
Piano: RT 934
Drums: RD Jazz Brushes Waltz


LYRICS
© 2013 by Noel Adams & Brenda Smith

[A]
Never again
Will I walk this road
It's a one way street
There's only one way to go

[A]
Never again
Will I see this day
When the sun finally sets
And all the light fades away

[B]
This journey through life
It's like I drift down a stream
Days come and go
On a river of dreams

[A]
Never again
Will I wander through this where and when
No never again

[Instrumental]

[B] (repeat)
This journey through life
It's like I drift down a stream
Days come and go
On a river of dreams

[A] (repeat, plus tag)
Never again
Will I wander through this where and when
No never, no never can this here and now come again
Never again

Hi Noel.

Makes a change for me to get in first!

What a wonderful song. Once again, a very 1930s feel to it and very authentic too.

My first impression was how pleasant and relaxing it was, but as I listened to the lyrics unfold, I found it extremely thought provoking and then quite melancholy.

It almost goes without saying that the vocals, production and mix were, as usual, excellent.

ROG.

Noel (and Brenda)...

Smooth, cool, easy... like a lazy flowing stream. So, Noel... do you walk around your house with a top hat and cane? And wear tails at dinner? Picturing that... You ol' crooner, you...

Your mixes are always spot on. Hardly need to mention it anymore...

Here's a "JMO" on this one... The guitar solo doesn't "do it" for me. It seems too "sharp edged" (staccato, maybe). I wanted it to be a lot smoother - cool jazzier... I listened several times to see if it would "grow on me".. it did not. No doubt there will be others who love it... it's music, after all..

The video is very cool. I watched it the first time, but not the others - preferring to just listen without the visual distraction... again, just my preference.

floyd

Nice job Noel and Brenda!

Rog's observations are keener than mine, so we'll go with his.

While I really liked the hot air balloon footage, it created a bit of cognitive dissonance when the song was creating visons of floating down a river

If you ever want some video of floating down a river, search youtube for HARPERS FERRY TUBING

I'd really like to see you and Brenda develop a new song that specifically plays off the spectacular graphics in the balloon video. It would be interesting to see how you customized a song to work with that particular bit of eye candy.

Lest I come across as a malcontent, I want to end by saying that this song and video make an awesome package with no changes! I stand in awe of your song writing

Noel & Brenda,

Enjoyed the video and music so much. Your friends video was so nice.
+1 to the comments above.

The deer running into the trees......

Thanks for your hard work and sharing!

Hey Noel,

Beautiful video - loved the hot air balloon drifting over the country side and thought it fit the wistfulness of the song perfectly.

No nits from me. Enjoyed everything about it - song, arrangement, mix, video.

Well done.

Hi Noel,


+1

Guenter

Hi ROG,

Thanks for dropping in! I really appreciate your thoughts on the journey you took through the song. It's helped me gain and insight that I didn't have. And thanks, too, for the feedback. Mixing always challenges me and it's good to know that it worked!

Also ... I have to hand it to you. After listening to James' recent song, I found myself once again thinking that you're doing some pretty terrific stuff with you're students. They're lucky to have you mentoring them!

I look forward to hearing more from your studio
Noel

Great job Noel and Brenda

Noel, Brenda,
Like they said. I really enjoyed it. The mix is really crisp. Well done!
I'm curious about the leadsheet since I always do leadsheets, tabs, and full notation for my songs. Was this leadsheet done in BB or some other program?
SD

Noel, we really enjoyed this one. Like Floyd I was struck with the cane and top hat imagery...guess it's all the old flicks Janice and I watch. We'll watch the video later. I really like to form my own imagery first although there were some spoilers in the thread!

And whether we admit or warm up to the thought life is a bit of a one way street isn't it?

Thanks!

Hi Floyd,

Ahhhh.... top hat and tails. Now that got me laughing again! I can't even imagine what I'd look like dressed up to that level of sophistication! LOL!

Glad you like the song. I hear where you're coming from with the solo because I recall feeling something similar when I first put this song together a couple of years ago. The 3/4 time signature restricted my options then. I've grown used to these tracks now, though. Oliver Gannon's playing is pure class in my book.

That being said, you've got me thinking that I should have a look around and see what else is on the menu these days.

Once again, "Thank you"
Noel

Hi Pat,

Thank you for taking time to listen and write a few comments

I hear where you're coming from regarding video. I tossed and turned with exactly the same thoughts. In the end, the balloon really captured my imagination. I think that's why I stayed with it. It was really good of Dave to let me use his video, too.

Thank you for passing on Harpers Ferry Tubing as a possibility. I'm going over to Youtube right now to discover what it's all about.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Frank!

Great to see you

Oh.... you noticed the deer. I have to say that that really caught my eye too.

Thank you for the "thumbs up" kinda feedback!

All the best,
Noel

Hi Josie,

It's always good to see you appear in a thread. I get an instant smile

Thank you for taking time to listen and to comment. Appreciate it.

Best wishes,
Noel

P.S. Hope your video making is going well. It's lots of fun, hey! I love it.

Such a smooth and happy feeling you get when you listen to this song.

Noel not sure if I mentioned this before but your voice is very easy and friendly on the ear.

Great job!

Later,

sweet ride! I just love upright bass and you have mixed it very well

Dear all,

I write to apologise. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to replying to posts. Unfortunately, 'life' has kept me on my toes for these last few weeks! Hopefully it will settle soon.

One thing I've learnt from not being able to be part of the forum for a while is that I really do miss it!

All the best,
Noel

Hi Guenter,

Thank you

Hope your composing is zooming along nicely. Have you ever done anything with Mozart? Rondo Alla Turca, Sonata in C K545, Sonata in A K331, Symphony 40, etc, etc

I bet you could make Mozart sing!

All the best,
Noel

Hi VideoTrack,

Thank you for dropping by, having a listen and taking time to comment. Appreciate it!

All the best,
Noel

Hey SpaceDog,

Thanks for the positive feedback. I can see Brenda smiling when she reads it.

I often use BIAB's notation. In fact, it's my preferred editor because it's just so quick to enter and change notes. That being said, I've also been playing around with MuseScore. It's freeware and it can read in MGU files with around 90% accuracy (if it's a 4/4 time signature). I like the program. The more I use it, the more I appreciate just how powerful it is.

You should try it! There are some good clips on Youtube that explain how to use it.

Regards,
Noel

Hi Janice and Bud,

Thanks for listening! I've never ever had a top hat. I did have a Bowler hat once though. I'm not sure that it enhanced me in any way whatsoever

This was a great song to write. One thing with the AABA song form is that it's often possible to get a great song with a minimum number of lyrics. The Beatles' "Yesterday" only has 84 words in the lyrics; "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" has less than a 100 words. It's a great form!

By the way, I have to say that your songwriting is sure 'up and running'. You're REALLY getting the knack. (Pssst... why not try something jazzy in AABA?)

Best wishes to you both!
Noel

Hello Noel !


I enjoyed this sweet liitle tune
very much !

Cheers
Dani

Hi Danny,

Thank you! You've probably given Brenda a smile that'll last a week with those comments about the song

Also, thanks for the comment about my voice. I still don't see myself as a singer but maybe there's hope for me yet LOL!

All the best,
Noel

Hey gruverider,

Appreciate the comments! Thank you. The bass took ages to get settled into the mix. I've been reading a few books on mixing and it seems that struggling with the bass is par for the course. Like you, I think the upright bass has a magic sound! When I listen to the Realtracks basses, it's so easy to imagine a guy standing on stage playing them.

Once again, thank you for listening!
Noel

Hi Dani,

Great to see you! And thank you for listening

Take care,
Noel