SIDE EFFECTS (For those with SoundCloud issues: Side Effects )

Happy New Year everybody and thank you for your support, encouragement and your listening time over the past year. We appreciate you one and all!

Hey, ever get tired of the prescription drug ads (at least in the US) on tv and in all the magazines? And then there's the invariable listing of side effects they always throw at you.....thinking about them inspired this eight bar blues tune featuring Janice on vocals and Tom Adams (tommyad) on lead guitar. We welcome comments!

Vocal: Janice/Rodes NT1/Blue Icicle USB
Guitar Lead: Tom Adams (www.tommyadamsmusic.com) Thanks Tom!!
Bass: RT 1392 Jazz Ballad SW Very Simple
Piano R: RT 2167 Country Swing SW
Piano Solo (fills): RT 2047 Country SW
Drums: RD Blues Rock
Guitar R: RT 566 Blues SW (amp sim via Logic Pro X)
(All RT's and the Drum Track were comped from multiple regens)

Mixing: Logic Pro X
Effects/Mastering: Nectar 2/Ozone 6

Side effects

I get side effects from you baby yes I do
Yeah they come from hanging round you
Maybe I should have read your label cause
When you're away they make me blue

I get side effects every time you walk by
They always make me feel oh so high 
Maybe I should have read your label cause
My heart flutters when you catch my eye

I get side effects when I'm in your arms
They come on quick and set off my alarms
Maybe I should have read your label cause
I get dizzy when you turn on your charms

I get side effects when you call me sweetheart
when you say I'm yours they always start
Maybe I should have read your label cause
They run my temperature right off the chart 

Come on baby give me some side effects

© 2015 Janice & Bud Merritt

Janice and Bud,
What a great vocal performance and guitar lead. Thanks for posting. I really enjoyed it. Happy New Year!
SD

Really nice. Another great write, mix and performance. The Janice, Bud and Tom Team is gathering steam with each new post. You guys should have a great 2015. Your own unique sound is developing.

Charlie

Thanks....glad you enjoyed the spin...

J&B

Just when I thought you guys couldn't get any better....WOW!! Vocal is killer, and Tom plays with an authority that few possess. Great job on EVERYTHING! Take care. Greg

Thanks Charlie. Suggesting we are developing our own sound is high praise and we appreciate it.

Hehehe. I cheated and read the lyrics first - a great write - they're hilarious.

As usual, excellently sung by Janice, and the mix convinces me I'm surrounded by a group of professional players.

-- David

You 2 make a great music pair; Love the use of side effects; thanks for sharing!

Hi Janice, Bud and Tommy,

what witty lyrics. Great vocals and lead.
Your collaboration is a trademark.
Side effect: Great listening.
Happy New Your to the three of you.

Guenter

Wow! Clever lyrics, sexy vocal, tasty guitar work, and a really nice arrangement and mix. The recording quality on the vocal is tremendous - so present, but still sitting well in the mix. I like it a lot!

Thanks,
Bruce

Indeed the vocal is so close i'd think you were standing next to me. All very well played composed and mastered.
Loved Tom's guitar play,

Greetings
Fred

Hi there Janice, Bud & Tom.

Hey, what's not to like here? A super smooth blues with clever lyrics, excellent choice of RTs and some really nice relaxed guitar work.

And then, of course, there's Janice. What can I say that I haven't said before? Janice, when you sing like that you send shivers down my back. Wonderful.

Great track, team.

ROG.

Janice Bud and Tom,

Hmmm you three are getting quite good
Great vocals and stellar guitar, as usual from Janice and Tom. And a lot of work I assume from Bud.

If only the side effects of prescription drugs were as delightful as this song then I would willing swallow the tabs I take.

There are definitely no contraindications with 500 mgs of Janice and Bud; 500 mgs of Tom and 50 mls of BIAB. Guaranteed to make you happy!!

Alyn

Nice of you to say that Greg....this was one of my rare writes that came together relatively quickly. Most of them are geologic in time.
J&B





Thanks David!!




Glad you liked it!

Happy new year to you guys as well. Thanks for helping it get off to a very good note.

Geez...walk in a little late and all the accolades have been taken... Hey, Doc! can you refill my accolade prescription?!?!

Stellar. Awesome. Delightful. Gorgeous. Tasty. Beautiful.

Gulp.

The girl just gets better and better and better... how can that be????

Very clever write. Pro instrumentation and mix. Tasty lead - in all the perfect places.

Bravo. Bravo. Bravo.

fj

Janice, Bud & Tom,

This is very cool - loved everything about it. Great work.

Bob

Ha Ha! All fabulous. Particularly love your phrasing Janice. Cheers.

Hi, Bud & Janice !!


Impossible to get by
listening to this without
side effects (like tapping
your feet, snapping your fingers
swaying your head and feeling
those good heat waves and
goosebumps rolling in
over you when listening to
that silky smooth wonderful
voice of Janice !! ohhh ahhh !!!

I do not find the right words
for how to praise this
superb tune and that superb voice !!!

A most Happy New Year to you too

Dani
the Spaniard in spe

Thank you Guenter. Glad you liked it and thanks for mentioning the collaboration!

J&B




Thanks Bruce. Tom and floyd have provided me great counsel in mixing vocals. I'm starting to get a little confident with Janice's voice.

Bud



Thanks Fred! Glad you like the vocal mix and Tom's guitar -- it all seemed to worked out well.

Bud



ROG, that is extremely nice of you to say that! We all very much appreciate your comments and your posts.

J&B

LOL! Great job team.

Josie

Great vocal, smooth as silk!

Nice guitar too, perfectly judged.

A great track which I can imagine being performed in a smoky Jazz club.

Rec

Nice job.... you got it happening with the blues.

Nice guitar playing as well.

Thanks to everyone for commenting on the guitar work. Bud and Janice make this very easy for me to do. Tom

Hey Alyn, now that was a clever arrangement....of remarks! Thank you.

J&B




Glad you liked it Josie. Hope you have a great year.
J&B


Thank you so much! Reading those comments from somebody of your abilities is overwhelming. We are much flattered!




Thanks Bob!

J&B



Thanks for the phrasing comment!

J&B

Dani, that is so nice of you to say that about my singing. I really do appreciate it.

Janice

Love the inspiration for this song! And Tom gives a lesson in "less is more"!

Thanks y'all! Pardon the brevity. Typing on my phone.

Bud

I thought I commented on this song the day it was posted... I guess I got distracted and left before I hit the SUBMIT button... oh well... there's still time

1) Bud, you are the MASTER of the clean airy mix! just enough of everything, and it never sounds like you need something more to make it complete! You'll have to teach me that skill some day...

2) And the lyrics are really cleverly conceived!... not a completely original idea, but what is in blues? We've been addicted to love, hooked on a feeling, we've known girls who are a hard habit to break... and now we know how side effects of love might manifest. It basically leaves me feeling' like "I want me some dem side 'fecks!"

3) Tommy, apart from the rock solid delivery that has become your trade mark, what impresses me here is that it's not a regurgitation of the same licks you used in other projects. That's VERY easy to do when you're working with basically the same 3 chords for a couple of songs in a row.. but you have enough unique ideas that you don't need to reuse any! In this particular project I also like the way the drums and guitar mirror each other in the ending. That was cool, and its the epitome what rarely happens with real tracks alone. I also liked the echo and slight breakup in the guitar tone.. it created a very authentic period guitar sound.

4) Janice... you are such a pro! Everything you sing sounds so effortlessly perfect, even though you probably never record more than one take of anything! Whether you want to make income with your singing or just have fun with it, you seem equally well poised in both directions. I know you're having fun, and that makes me happy. I hope if you are interested in making money that an opportunity will come your way. And if not, I hope you continue having a blast casting your sultry spell on all of us here on the showcase!

Thanks Herb....this bend to the blues does seem to be working out for us. Still odd after 40 years of bluegrass!




Thanks Tom. We much appreciate what you do for our tunes!!!


J&B

Oh yeah!

[

Thanks Lawrence...it was fun.

J&B



Pat, thank you very much for taking the time to listen and to give that response. It is so apparent that you devote a lot of thought and consideration into your responses. We VERY much appreciate it. And "sultry spell" was worth the entire production time!!

J&B

Janice & Bud,

You have several nice blues songs to choose from on your SoundCloud link. Keep 'em coming as I'm enjoying listening to them all.

Hi Janice, Budd and Tommy,

Lovely song with great vocals (as usual).
Tommy's guitar sounds great. Lyrics... very original!

Rpb and Anne-Marie

A super big +1

I love the blues and this was top shelf, radio air play ready.

This is a keeper.

PS - it reminded me of the line "Do you know that tingling feeling you get when you meet your loved one for the first time? It is common sense leaving your body!"

Glad you found them Jim. We appreciate it.


J&B





Thank y'all. We appreciate you.

J&B



That was funny....and thanks for the comments!

J&B

Another great collaborations. This is one of my favorites of yours. Love the feel to the song. All aspects so very well done..

Thanks!




Thanks Scott. Glad it worked well for you.


J&B

Late on this one - great stuff all around!


Regards,

Bob

Thanks Bob. It was a lot of fun.

I very much enjoyed that! Great job on the RT's and production. Tasty guitar work from Tom.... And as I've said before... I could listen to her sing all day!

Great Job,

Greg

Thanks! We very much appreciate you both listening and commenting.

Really professional sounding track! The mix really fits together seamlessly.

The line "maybe I should have read your label" makes me think of how some people don't let you read their label. Or if they do, the label does not give the correct info!

Thank you and an extra thanks for your interpretation of that line. We appreciate that.

J&B

Hi Janice and Bud,

I thought for certain that I posted a comment on your SC page, but I just looked and ... evidently not. But I did see this:

Ever get tired of those prescription drug ads and their litany of side effects? That inspired this tune. A big thanks to Tom Adams for playing lead guitar.

What I wanted to say was,

Picture this: a young couple loping in slow motion toward each other under a blue sky in a springtime meadow. Romantic music. The announcer is saying - quickly, quietly - possible side effects of Durfenol include: Your head falling off; other body parts falling off; fatigue; blindness; and explosive diarrhea. If more than one body part falls off, please visit your doctor."

Sorry to be so late on this great tune.

Dean

Dean, that is genuinely hilarious!!! We'll never divest ourselves of that imagery

Janice and Bud,

It's taken me a long while to get back to this song. I don't know where time goes. When I checked out the document that I started typing up in relation to “Side Effects”, I discovered it was created on January 25! I thought it was only a couple of weeks ago!!!

From a 'whole package' perspective, this song shines brilliantly, dazzles even. From an individual component perspective, each contribution sparkles: Janice's vocals, Tom's guitar work, Bud's mix. Everything about “Side Effects” is top notch. Everything.

Regarding the lyrics, they really intrigued me and, believe it or not, took me on quite an academic journey as I tried make sense of their structure.

I'll explain …

It all began with the rhyme scheme. The first thing I noticed was that the AAXA rhyme pattern consistently used perfect rhyme; that is, do/you/blue, by/high/eye, etc. This instantly appealed to me because I'm finding myself leaning more and more to perfect rhyme as a starting place in my own lyrics these days. The reason for this is that the brain-cell weightlifting needed to find a perfect rhyme and then to get it to work lyrically in a conversational tone is, sometimes, quite a challenge and one that I really enjoy. This process also opens up many lyric possibilities that would never have occurred to me if I hadn't tried to find a perfect rhyme. I greatly admired your lyrics.

I asked Google to help me out with AAXA (and a little later, AABA) because I couldn't think of any poem that I knew that had this rhyme scheme. Google led me to this site and introduced me to the Rubai/Rubaiyat – a form called the Persian Quatrain. I'd never come across this before. Below is an example taken from that web-page.


I've discovered that to appreciate how a rhyme scheme flows, it's necessary for me to read the poem or lyrics aloud. It is only then that I can feel the journey of the rhyme and the effect that it creates.

When I read your lyrics and then the above poem aloud, I found that the AAXA rhyme scheme creates an interesting effect to my ears. At the end of the second line, when the rhyme is paired, there's the usual sense of completion that accompanies such a pairing. Line 3 came along and with its different ending, my brain anticipated that line 4 would create a rhyme pair with line 3. This is often used and would have produced an AABB series of couplets. It didn't happen, though. Instead, line 3 dangled rhymeless and line 4 swerved back to lines 1 and 2. The effect was one of pleasant surprise. Having 3 lines of rhyme interspersed with a non-rhyming line created a lyrical instability for me. What a wonderful way (alliteration intentional) to boost emotional intensity!

In addition, that fourth line, third rhyme, caused each stanza to float like in a dream. Perfect prosody for the concept of 'side effects'. That's clever writing! This fourth line also gave the song a 12-bar blues feel from a lyric perspective even though it's only 8-bars (compare 3 lines of AAA found in many 12-bar blues songs).

All in all … a terrific write!

Regards to everyone,
Noel

P.S. Because of "Side Effects", I've now discovered and like the concept of an interlocking Rubaiyat that uses the rhyme scheme AABA BBCB CCDC. I've made a note to write some lyrics that use this pattern! It could be interesting. Thank you for the journey you've taken me on

• latest song: Just A Little After Midnight

Noel, just you taking the time to write the above about our song is alone flattering...but then to have put so much thought provoking information into it makes it even more so.

When I first started work on the song I had a 12 bar blues in mind (AAA) but it just seemed that the lyric needed more information. I didn't want a chorus or a bridge so I turned to an 8 bar blues format. I wanted to keep the "I should have read your label cause..." line in every verse but I knew that finding rhymes for cause for all 4 verses that worked with the particular "side effect" in the verse would be about impossible.

That's when I decided to see if I could get away with the AAXA scheme. I thought using better rhymes might soften the dissonance of having line three "hanging out there." It's very exciting that you not only noted this and explored but it, most importantly, that you thought it worked.

We have a saying here that "if a blind hog roots around long enough, he'll find an acorn." That's the way I feel about my song writing attempts. I know so little about convention that sometimes (but not often!) my floundering around produces something that seems to work.

And thanks for digging out that example of the AAXA. It was fascinating to see and read it.

Thanks again for your time, patience and analysis of this structure. And we look forward to seeing where you take it.

Best regards,

J&B

Thanks for the extra information. That's good to know!

Regards,
Noel

• latest song: Just A Little After Midnight