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This is part of Joanne's project. I selected Fools Errand to work on. A partial re-write and structural changes and this is the result.

FOOLS ERRAND

I will post the tracks later.
As I sat listening to this the 1st time around I thought this needs a solo and then it appeared. Really nice in the superlative version of nice!

Beautiful, wonderful excellent Herb, if those are good words for such an awful subject.

Joanne, You write some impressive songs and about some thought provoking subjects, well done!!
And you certainly picked some stars to perform the songs.

This is a mega project!! Anyway time for another listen smile

Alyn
Beautifully done!! Love the whole feel. I like that kind of heavy rhythmic feel. Vocals worked incredibly well. Piano was perfect. Herb was the perfect choice for this one. Another home run, no grand slam!! Take care. Greg
Tracks and misc info:

Bass 1036
Drums Real drums Nashville even 16 HH ride
RB guitar 367
RB guitar 1538
Piano 1725
B3 688

Live tracks & midi tracks played

Guitar 1 Taylor acoustic mic'd
Guitar 2 Taylor acoustic mic'd
Guitar lead: Tele into my Mesa Boogie mic'd
Midi piano with sampled piano Piano part starting final choruses

vocals:

JT 2 leads, 2 layered leads, 2 high harmony, 2 low harmony, one spoken word track

HH 1 lead, one each high, mid, low harmony.... I cut myself short on the vox tracks.... some are in the muted track list.

total of 32 tracks in this BUT, not all of them are being used. 6 tracks are entirely muted. There are
4 busses in use.

FX include reverb & EQ, and Ozone. Melodyne was used on the lead vocal tracks.

Any other questions.... simply ask.
Gibson & Greg..... thanks for the kind words. This has been a fun project from the start.

I'm glad you listened and commented.

Magnificent!
One of the best, most interesting and well produced songs I have heard on this forum.
Don't know how you do it Herb and Joanne but this one is epic. Cheers.
Posted By: RnAM Re: Fools Errand (Joanne Cooper & Herb Hartley) - 04/24/15 07:49 PM

This is beautiful guys! The bridge in particular followed by the a capella part.
Vocals, everything sits well in the crystal-clear mix. A very nice ending too. And then we almost forgot the guitar solo!

Rob & Anne-Marie
Posted By: ROG Re: Fools Errand (Joanne Cooper & Herb Hartley) - 04/24/15 08:04 PM
A moving song with a great arrangement.

Lots of changes in texture which hold the attention right through.

Nicely performed with a good recording and mix.

ROG.
Rich: I was thinking as I was working on this.... man, this is going to be an "epic" tune..... glad you saw that in this, Thanks
Originally Posted By: RnAM

This is beautiful guys! The bridge in particular followed by the a capella part.
Vocals, everything sits well in the crystal-clear mix. A very nice ending too. And then we almost forgot the guitar solo!

Rob & Anne-Marie


RnAM: The bridge didn't exist in Joanne's original version. Joanne had a really strong basic draft idea waiting to be polished and structured a bit. She had the chorus twice with different words, and me, being who I am, and how I think...suggested that we eliminate the "B" chorus and convert it into a honest to goodness bridge..... then, we needed to release the tension of the bridge for the final chorus......simple piano part with unison vox seemed to work perfectly there. The solo actually started life as an acoustic guitar solo, but again.... the overdriven guitar won the day. Thank you for listening and commenting. I almost passed on this song in favor of a different one but changed my mind ...and I'm glad now that I selected this tune. Joanne is a great writer and super person to work with.
Originally Posted By: ROG
A moving song with a great arrangement.

Lots of changes in texture which hold the attention right through.

Nicely performed with a good recording and mix.

ROG.


thanks.... I don't ever like to have the same thing going from one verse or chorus to the next....got to shake it up and got to keep it interesting. I try to think how, if this was a real band, on stage, how would the parts be arranged, to keep everyone in the band happy, and to have a moment in the spotlight....well kind of.....
This song is so impressive. Herb your input put everything in the right place and provided that extra little push to bring this to the epic proportions the song deserves.

Joanne, don't ever let anyone fool you, this project and the distinctive touch and uniqueness these forum artists are bringing to your songs showcase the fact you are establishing yourself as a talented, first rate songwriter.

Everyone one of the project songs have proven to be top notch and this one is excellent on every level.

Bravo,

Charlie
Herb and Joanne,

It's very easy to hear the amount of effort that has gone into creating "Fools Errand". It's a terrific listen. Congratulations on a fine collaborative accomplishment!

Regards,
Noel


Charlie: Yeah, I have to agree. Joanne is writing some really strong stuff..... a bit of polish and an edit here or there and the result is impressive. A word that occurred to me during the mix on this , especially towards the end...... Anthemic.


Noel96: This was a lot of work. Especially the editing of the tracks and the mixing..... but worth every second of that time. I had a song with "good bones" to work with so that made it easier and a ton of fun. And.... JC was a pleasure to work with. Thanks for listening and commenting.
Hi Joanne and Herb,
Originally Posted By: Greg Johnson
Beautifully done!! Love the whole feel. I like that kind of heavy rhythmic feel. Vocals worked incredibly well. Piano was perfect. Herb was the perfect choice for this one. Another home run, no grand slam!!

+1 from me. Great guitars.

Guenter
Jo and Herb

this is a great remix. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks.
Hello all.
I am just back from a weekend of sailing so please excuse my absence from this thread thus far.

Thank you Herb for how you have turned this song around from dirge to epic.

With a few expert touches Herb made the lyrics more easily understood. He then turned to his production, vocal, arrangement and guitar playing skills to produce this wonderful version of Fools Errand.

Alyn – I certainly did pick some stars. Thank you!

Greg – Thank you so much. We appreciate the listen

Rich – Thank you. Herb has definitely made this one interesting and the production is excellent

Rob and Ann-Marie – Thank you so much. Are you referring to the spoken word part when you say “the a cappella” part? If so, thanks, I was a little worried about my delivery in the spoken word section.

ROG – Thank you. I agree that the changes in texture are exactly what makes this so interesting.

Charlie – Thank you. All the artists on this project are really making my songs shine! I love this forum!

Noel – Certainly a lot of work went into this production (and it shows)

Guenter and Trevor – Thank you both.

Hi

this is one of the most beautiful song I've heard
on the site

Great melody, voices and background vocal.

Very fine.

Hello
Super job! I think maybe the combo of the piano and "protest" lyric bring John Lennon to mind.

I really appreciate the thought and creativity that went into the arrangement and its varied movements.

well done!
Boehm: Glad you liked the guitars.... psssstt... me too.

Videotrack: Glad you liked it Thanks

JosieC: this was a fun project.... working with you was a breeze.

Sergio: Thank you. Yes, I think this song has a great melody in it. Especially that killer chorus....

Gruverider: I didn't start out thinking that this would be a piano based song. As I work, things just tend to take their own path.

I've said once or twice in the past that a song will tell you how it should be written and produced if you just listen to what it's telling you. This one is a shining example of that philosophy.
Joanne, I loved this song the first time around. Congrats on your concept album. It is turning out better than I imagined it would. All the songs have been terrific. Herb, You have out done yourself on this one . The arrangement is superb. The Neil Young type vocal is spot on. The recording, playing and editing doesn't get much better. The ending is inspired. This is truly some of your best studio work. Bravo! Tom
Originally Posted By: tommyad
Joanne, I loved this song the first time around. Congrats on your concept album. It is turning out better than I imagined it would. All the songs have been terrific. Herb, You have out done yourself on this one . The arrangement is superb. The Neil Young type vocal is spot on. The recording, playing and editing doesn't get much better. The ending is inspired. This is truly some of your best studio work. Bravo! Tom


I can only say.... thank you!
Originally Posted By: tommyad
Joanne, I loved this song the first time around. Congrats on your concept album. It is turning out better than I imagined it would. All the songs have been terrific. Herb, You have out done yourself on this one . The arrangement is superb. The Neil Young type vocal is spot on. The recording, playing and editing doesn't get much better. The ending is inspired. This is truly some of your best studio work. Bravo! Tom


Big +1... Loved it.

Bob

Originally Posted By: boehm
Hi Joanne and Herb,
Originally Posted By: Greg Johnson
Beautifully done!! Love the whole feel. I like that kind of heavy rhythmic feel. Vocals worked incredibly well. Piano was perfect. Herb was the perfect choice for this one. Another home run, no grand slam!!

+1 from me. Great guitars.

Guenter


+ Me too! Great job.

Josie
RSdean & Sundance: Thank you both for listening and commenting...
Well, I'm on my second listen. smile

Fantastic job all the way around.

Bravo!

Thanks for the music,
Dan
Wow...

I've been away so this is the first of your project songs I've heard Joanne.. but its one of the most penetrating songs I've heard here on the forum! It packs a real punch in every way possible.. your message, the arrangement, the mixing... everything! Both you and Herb brought REALLY good things to this collaboration, and the comments you're getting across the board testify to the fact that you both nailed it!

Herb, I don't know if you did it on purpose or not, but your contribution really took the song in the direction of a Neil Young eco-statement type of anthem. It really works in light of the message. I can actually imagine Neil Young writing this song.

Lots of good stuff happening here in my absence.. I need to go away more often!
Big741: Thanks for the listen..... feel free to listen as often and as many times as you wish.

Pat: Don't stay away for so long. Actually the song kind of evolved into what it became. I didn't set out to make this anthemic in nature, but it certainly did turn out that way...especially right there at the end. The Neil Young influence just tends to come out naturally. That's a compliment to say this could have been a NY composition if he had thought of it first. Thanks for listening.
A fine write for a very worthy cause.
Definitely hear a Neal young vibe.

Kudos!

J&B
Janice & Bud... thanks for checking in and having a listen.
Joanne, First thank you for thinking of this collaboration project and following through. The project has been an overwhelming success.

Herb, excellent arrangement and production work.

Both of you, I like how your individual accents and voices compliment each other.

Just a great job on a great song.

Thank you both for sharing the result of your efforts.
Originally Posted By: JimFogle
Joanne, First thank you for thinking of this collaboration project and following through. The project has been an overwhelming success.

At the risk of being clique, I should say that the pleasure has been all mine. It has been wonderful getting to know the various artists on the forum a little better and the contributions have all been outstanding. (And there are still a few more on their way). I am hoping this is just the beginning for this collaboration project but will tell you all more later.
Excellent write, arrangement, mix, and production.

Gives the song punch, impact, and realizes its full potential. Well done:)
Jim & Oleman: Thanks to you both for listening and commenting... it is much appreciated when our peers comment good or bad. Again ..... thanks
Originally Posted By: JosieC

..... I should say that the pleasure has been all mine.....



Don't worry... you didn't have all the pleasure...... what a great project this has turned out to be.
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