Hi everyone,

Barge Haulers

This is our new song based on the beautiful Russian painting by Ilya Repin.
Any comments are welcome.

Rob and Anne-Marie

Style is _CPPBSAJ.STY (Solo Acoustic Piano Ballad Slow)
592:Bass, Acoustic Bluegrass Doc Ev 100
2045:Piano, Acoustic, Solo-Accompaniment CountryPopJohn Ev 085
1856:Cello, Background PopCountry Ev 085
1118:Guitar, 12-String Acoustic, Strumming Ev 085
2451:String Quartet, Rhythm PopSwingChamber Sw 110
2449:Guitar, Electric, Background, PopDreamyBrent Ev 085 (CustomFX)
RealDrums: CountryEven16: a: Brushes b: Snare, HiHat

Lyrics:

See them dragging, see them hauling,
See their footsteps in the sand
Hear them moaning, hear them groaning
They must prevent the barge to strand

Life’s a burden, can’t get loose
No escape, nothing to choose
It’s their living, way of life
Flock of men, eleven of them
A men-drawn vessel at the end
They are eleven backs to bend
Eleven backs to bend

Will tomorrow bring them sorrow
Will tomorrow bring them work
Will they still be together then
Be 11 or just 10

The rich led forward by the poor
Working like horses, they endure
And yet.. nothing guaranteed
but … so many mouths to feed
Is the last man going strong
Seems he won’t be holding on
Is this hauler being hauled

The rich led forward by the poor
Working like horses, they endure
And yet.. nothing guaranteed
but … so many mouths to feed
A men- drawn vessel at the end
They are eleven backs to bend
Eleven backs to bend...

I really like this one. Great vocal and mix. I'd say that this is a great tribute to the painter as it captured the painting perfectly IMHO.

You should be very proud of this one.

Rob and Anne-Marie,

I enjoyed this very much and got lost in the video.
Its a really different idea for a song. The painting is stunning and hints at such a story its easy to see how you were inspired.
To me your lyrics and plaintive vocals capture the strain on those faces... " Eleven backs to bend"- great line.

The animation of eyes moving in the video is unsettling but well done!

Robert

Rob and Anne-Marie

WOW, what a great way to study a great painting.
The 2 senses of hearing and seeing in perfect harmony, one can almost feel the despair in the faces.

Stupendous!

Well done both

Alyn

Rob & Ann-Marie

Superb concept - very clever and captivating. Beautifully recorded and sung. Great subtle use of video effects.

Excellent!

Peter

A great concept. I never would have thought of that. It gives you time to really think and study the painting. I most likely would not have invested that much time studying the painting. Now I sure am glad I did. Excellent work as usual. Tom

That is a brilliant video in concept and execution. It's stunningly effective.

The vocals are off the chart good and the production, as always, adds just what is
needed and never distracts from the vocal performance.

And the lyric is something to think about, indeed, when we feel burdened.

Just wonderful.

J&B

Thanks Mario!
It was very nice to have this painting for inspiration.
Rob and Anne-Marie

Very weird, I posted a reply, saw it show up and now it is not here. Hmmm...

Anyway, what I said I said last time in more words is that I love everything about this, and the video is beautiful.

There is something very "human" about your music that touches me to the core. The lyrics here are deeply poetic. Great job.

I really like this song, the chord progressions, the mix, the deepness of the lyrics. Great work!!

Rob and Anne-Marie,

This was a very clever idea and executed to perfection. You really drew the listener in to the plight of the Barge Haulers with the plaintive melody and lyrical imagery.

The video really held my attention and was helped by the lyrics being used to highlight aspects of the painting. What a surprise with the subtle use of animation; I did a double take! Very unsettling as Robert said.

Really excellent work.
Rec

Really creative to use a painting as inspiration for a song.
And as everyone else has said you did a fabulous job on it!

Only RnAM and I mean ONLY, can come up with a song around a Russian painting and make it unique, workable, and pertinent to the artwork. This show a incredible working relationship between the close fit there is between the expression of art to canvas and the art of music and song. I am in awe

Paddy G

Rob and Ann- Marie,

This is beautifully done - as always. Beautiful vocals and production and mix.

The video is excellent - you worked the painting well - interesting throughout the song play. The facial and eye movements were cool.

The real art here, though, is re-painting the story contained in the canvas using words. Truly Outstanding!!! Inspired writing!

floyd

Thank you Robert!
I have to say I hadn't seen this painting before until recently. It had quite an impact on me.

Rob

Thank you for sharing this! I always love the videos you put together for your songs

This is our "Hot Forum Topic" for today!

-Callie

Very beautifully done, music and video!! Vocals really shine, as usual. And again, your music is so creative. You always keep me guessing where the music will go next. It's never where I expect, but always works great. Fabulous job with this!! Take care. Greg

Thank you Alyn,

Yes, this was a very inspirational painting. It is being shown currently in a museum quite nearby where we live. We'll be visiting soon.

Rob & Anne-Marie

Beautiful vocal and lyric. Loved this one.

Beautiful. This goes so well with the painting -- both the painting and the song complement each other very well, and provide a perfect accompaniment for studying the intricacies of each. I love the last line, too, and it provides a very tense ending that fits so well with the vibe of the whole piece. Great job!

This was a beautiful and moving song. The melody and chord structure were perfect and vocals excellent!! Thanks, Torrey

Thank you Peter, much appreciated!

Everything is good. Very enjoyable song.
Sergio

Really interesting and poignant song, guys; you really brought the painting to life. Love the vid too. Crystal clear production as always. Nice!

Thanks Tom and nice to hear we got you to study the painting!

Thanks a lot Janice & Bud.
A painting like this makes one realize we live in times that are far better than they used to be.

Thank you David!

We have no idea why the comment doesn't show up on our YouTube channel....
But your comments here on the forum are very much appreciated.

Rob & Anne-Marie

Thank you Mat, much appreciated!

Thank you receder!

Yep, we couldn't resist to add a couple of subtle animations ;-) in the video.

More great quality from you two. Beautiful vocal delivery, accompanied by a remarkable and graphical visual presentation.
Again, thanks.

Thanks Josie, Paddy, Floyd, Callie, Greg, Scott, Will, Torrey, Sergio, Matcham and VideoTrack.
Your comments are very much appreciated!

Rob and Anne-Marie,

What you have created here is truly spectacular. The production gleams with 24 carat gold purity and Rob, your singing is outstanding, really outstanding. Then there's the video... I'm guessing that this was mostly done by Anne-Marie. It in itself is a work of art. It's an incredibly effective way to study a painting. Those discreet animations were icing on a very spectacular cake.

Gibson made the comment...


I couldn't have put it better. In fact, there's a whole field of educational psychology devoted to analysing how the senses of sight and hearing work together. It's called 'Dual Coding Theory' and was developed by Professor Allan Paivio of Canada. As I watched the video, it was so well conceived that I found myself wondering if you'd read his book "Imagery and Text".

To my way of thinking, this composition, writing and music, and production are stunning!

Regards,
Noel