Hi folks.

Here is my painful attempt to jump over my head. Song is about last days of circus/sideshow tiger. Kind of sad song... Poor mixing skills and lots of technical frustration, still I enjoyed making this tune Special Thanks to member R for support and helping me polish lyrics.
Best regards,
Misha.

Old Tiger

BIAB did most of the hard work. I made the soup.
~700: Bass, Electric,PopHalfNotesPush Ev85
2157:Piano,ElectricVintage, Rhytm Funky Groove60sJohn EV 100
RealDrums BluesRokSlowEV
~508:Guitar,Electric,Rhythm Dire EV 85
2582: Synt,Rhythm MutedMelody Ev 16
1947:Mandolin,Rhythm PopModernGrooveAndy
2521:String Quartet, Rhythm Pop (not played by strings:)


Lyrics:
Spinning, trembling, roller coaster, sweet cotton candy,
Magic show, fire eater and pretty ladies.
Happy plastic Rollee-Polees bobbing empty heads,
Kids are happy and exhausted going home to beds.

I am an old tiger... sick and forgotten,
Livid scars are hiding under my stripes.
Flies enjoy my meal, till it’s half rotten,
Rusty cage bars blocking blue skies.

Doped giraffe is counting stars, he is very clever,
Chimp is puzzled with toy blocks, searching for endeavor.
Drunken clowns are playing cards, duping honest fellas,
Hairy chested, fat Strongman, gropes the fortune teller.

I am an old tiger, senses are worn out,
Still I bristle at a human scent.
Streets and cars are way too loud,
Come tomorrow... my last event.

I am an old tiger, I am too sleepy,
Whispers from jungles are calling me.
Grasses are swaying, ghostly mist rising
Clear blue skies, set me free.

I LOVE this.
Another important story told briefly and well.
Musically adventurous and fresh.
There's some European charm with this that increases the wonderfulness.

Simply wonderful. Pictures painted with broad strokes like a lyrical impressionism. We'll hear what we hear. The production is extra-fine. And your voice (accent and all) tells the tale well, then soars at the end. Really like this.

Rusty

This may have been painful putting it together, but it was pleasure to listen to. You’ve taken a wonderful idea and concept and gave it tons of heart. I’m feeling for that caged tiger. And the vocal brings makes it all the more compelling--lots of emotion. This is really good stuff. Nicely done!

Best regards,

Deej

Good song! Well written, well performed, and very original and fresh.

Your vocal works well (love the bit at the end!)

Your best yet, enjoyed the listen!

Guys, thank you for words of support!

I know it has many weak spots, please do not be shy, if you hear something that doesn't sound right, please tell me. It got me exhausted now, but one day I hope to re-do this tune.

Misha.

Well done is all aspects. Timely for us as we recently watched an American Experience documentary on circuses.

Enjoyed it!

J&B

A good write. Well sung. A good production - nice "circus sound" - and well mixed.

Seems like you've got it covered.

What an imaginative song idea and your vocals are free and expressive. There`s a sense of theatre in this which reminds me of the best songs from animation movies... and that`s the only thing that occurs on the production- I like the tiger growls and felt you could have done a little more in the sound effects dept. to set the scene.
Not a plug, but I had fun making a circus song a few years back and found some cool loops that fit.

Robert

"Rustyspoon"...

Listening to your song, "Old Tiger", was a poignant, emotional, and angering listening experience, sir. It reminded me of why I have not patronized, or taken any children, to zoos or circuses for the last twenty years. IF you pay close enough attention to captive creatures pacing up and down, up and down in their cages, behaving aggressively toward each other, or lying on the ground virtually inert, apparently sleeping all day until it's time to eat, you realize that they're miserable and sick because they're out of their natural element.

Enough of that, right? Sure. This is not a forum for animal activism. I get that. Now, back to your song. I think your lyrics are humane and heart-breakingly sensitive, yet savagely imaginative at the same time. You succeeded in pulling me, a simple listener, into the mind and heart of a so-called "wild" animal, a non-human creature of an entirely different species that I have no hope of ever encountering unless I take a trip to its home country and environs. And yet, you caused me to empathize with its suffering.

The music echoed the hypnotic performance music of circuses and carnival midways, but with a near-sinister minor-key funkiness that enabled your extended intro to pull me into your world.

I would say that "Old Tiger" is some kind of achievement in this forum. I've only participated in it since 2009, I think, but I'm pretty sure I've never heard a song about any kind of animals.

In Genesis, God gave man "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." However, I didn't read anything there about us humans being given permission to coerce those "living things" to jump through hoops of fire, stand on their hind legs and prance around wearing flower wreaths around their necks, all to the sound of a leather whip being cracked.

God bless you, "Rustyspoon", for using your musical talent to rouse your listeners' empathy for the animal victims of a form of "so-called" entertainment that needs to end, in my opinion.

Truly,

LOREN (a.k.a. "bluage")

Janice & Bud, thank you! American Experience - circuses looks interesting. I watched 1st part, Barnum was quite an original guy

FJ, thank you for support! Still have a long way to go to "get it covered". I have a friend, he told me that he heard a real circus band performing Beatles songs. That would probably be an interesting audition.

Robert, thank you! You guessed it correctly. I wanted more FX. I did not want to take sounds from the web for (c) reasons, so I dug out some original CDs with sound FX that I bought 20+ years ago. Unfortunately 3 out of 4 did not work, but on the one that did, I got lucky and found roars

Loren, Thank you! Believe it or not, yours is probably the most advanced feedback on my tune ever. I enjoyed reading it. I do share your view that many of large species should not be caged and tortured. There are however some exceptions of true bond between humans and wild cats. There are recent attempts to make some zoos more humane, a step toward transforming them into sanctuaries. A few years back I read a book by Sara Gruen "Water for the Elephants", which shows a very intimate and dark side of circus life. Loren, far not all circuses are that dramatic. Some shows do not even have any kind of animals and mostly based on human talent.
Some feature dogs, which I am very positive do not sleep in cages and actually enjoy being stars

P.S. Couple of weeks ago, I saw a bobcat up close where I live. This is a very rare event for my area. That was in part inspiration for this tune.

Dear "Rustyspoon#"...

Thanks for bringing me up-to-date on the state of circuses. As I mentioned in my post, I have not seen a circus, or visited a zoo, in twenty years. I'm happy to hear that things have improved for the animals.

Sincerely,

LOREN

Hi Misha,

I do not hear any significant issues with this. I loved it as I listened. Your voice is captivating and so full of emotion on every song you sing.

Great lyric and vocal. And I think you used the perfect set of instruments to capture the "circus sound". For me, this was a true delight. Excellent work!

Alan

Misha… The soup is ready to be served! What an interesting, creative song! As I’ve said before, your particular life-view presents such interesting word combinations and choices, ones that I don’t think are normally heard in song lyrics. I thought the whole concept was great, and the execution is very well done. I especially liked the wordless singing that you added at the end, and the sound effects are perfect additions. Thanks for sharing your creative work!