SITTIN' ON TOP OF THE WORLD

We used to perform this tune with our bluegrass band and later recorded a blues version with a great harmonica player friend. This week we decided to put together a Western Swing version. Our goal was to mimic the 1930‘s sound of Bob Will’s and the Texas Playboys. To get his strong, steady, consistent rhythm section we used a very basic drum track, a comping guitar and a “chopping” mandolin. Janice’s “shout outs” on the solos are a tribute to Bob who constantly talked to his band during performances. I also tried to approximate his tags by piecing together Realtrack bars that play in unison for the short tag. I tweaked the lyrics and wrote some new lines to make it from the gal perspective.

Hey, “If it ain’t got that swing it don’t mean a thing!”

NOTE: "Sitting" is in the Public Domain thus we own all rights to this version. It's an old war horse that has been performed by countless, folk, bluegrass, blues, country, pop and rock bands over the decades. You could spend a long time reading all the versions to the lyrics. I suppose the popularity is driven by the cool melody and that it is royalty free.


Bass: RT 399 Jazz 4's only with simple option
Drums: N'ville Swing 8's
Fiddles: Composite of multiple generations of RT's 1296 and 1871 Western Swing
Dobro: Composite of multiple generations of RT 1868 Western Swing
Piano: Composite of multiple generations of RT 1866 Western Swing
Guitar: RT 558 “4 to the bar”
Mandolin: Composite of RT’s 1862 Western Swing and 611 Country

wow,

another killer rendition of a tried and true crowd pleaser!
I really liked the shout outs at the solos.. it gave the song the perfect "live" feel!

I may have said this before, but I'll say it again: much of what you two do reminds me of the music that Garrison Keillor always had on his/NPRs Prairie Home Companion show.

Hi, J&B !

Just super ! This was the
real swing thing !!
Congrats


Dani

Enjoyed this very much - vocal and production.

Well done.

Thanks Dani, Josie and Pat

And, yes, Pat I was shooting for a live feel to the tune. There is a song called "What makes Bob Holler" that is about Bob Wills and his shouts to the band...and when one of the band members was really cooking he'd shout. Sorta what Gregg Allman calls "hittin' the note."

Bud

Pretty darn solid from every aspect!

Later,

You kids have certainly gotten the Bob Wills thing happenin' here. Excellent production throughout. Thanks for posting.

Very authentic! I absolutely loved it!

Greg

Bud and Janice,

What can I say that hasn't already been said? This is one of my favorites of yours! I have always enjoyed Texas Swing, from Bob Will, himself, to Asleep At The Wheel, and now to you!

Thanks for sharing this one.

Steve

What a cool, slippery sliding bluesy vocal. Love it. I like the shout out to the western swing tradition of callin out to band, makes it authentic. Great job all around. Tom

Wow Janice and Bud, you just continue to belt out such great numbers. Fantastic talent, love the strong fiddle at the intro and the choice of a variety of short, succinct instrumentals. And as usual, the vocals really make it.

Like Tommy said "What a cool, slippery sliding bluesy vocal". Couldn't have put it any better.

Toe Tappin' and Fantastic!

Hi Janice and Bud,

it's all been said.
Very enjoyable listen. And the voice!!

Guenter

Nice work....

I have used the multiple render of a track on many of the tunes I do. It's totally possible to get a slamming solo in that manner..... it does take a fair amount of time to envelope and edit to get it just right.

Bob Wills would be proud.

Janice and Bud...

How can each thing you do be better than the last? It's like perfection topped with a bit of... more perfection!

Incredibly authentic. Incredibly enjoyable to listen to. Incredible production and mix. Incredibly incredible vocal performance.

Incredible.

floyd

Danny, Don, Greg, Steve, Tom, Videotrack, Guenter, Guitarhacker and Floyd:

Thank you all very much and particularly for noting both Janice's vocal and my attempts to create the Texas Playboys feel.

We appreciate it.

Bud

Janice and Bud:

Nice editing of the Realtracks and , as usual, a really nice vocal performance.

Good job.

John

Wow! Your voice is very impressive. It almost reminds me of Patsy Cline a little. It is very natural and clean.

Thanks John and RickeG, we appreciate y'all!

Janice

Janice and Bud,

Yet another splendid creation! Once again, everything is a perfectly assembled jigsaw puzzle. The two of you sure have the knack for making consistently fine music. I always smile when I enter the forum and find song of yours that I haven't yet heard.

All the best,
Noel

sweet sound, smooth too!