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Posted By: ROG IT'S SO HARD - 01/07/19 08:11 PM
Hi Folks, back again!

Been travelling around Europe a lot last year, which has kept me off the forum more than I'd like,
but my New Year's resolution is get back to writing and to listening to all the great songs on here.

So, trying to hit the ground running in 2019, here's a bit of good old Rock & Roll.
The Sax, Harmonica and Piano are all RTs, whilst I'm playing the guitars and bass.
The drums are samples programmed-up using a midi VST sample player. The project kicked off
in PowerTracks for the guitars and then moved to Realband to add the RTs. Finally, it was back
into PowerTracks to track-up the vocals and then to mix.

IT'S SO HARD
I tried to call my Baby on the telephone
The number kept on ringing like there's no one home
Every time I call her, seems there's no reply
I'm getting re-directed but I really don't know why
Everytime I call her it's the same routine
Maybe she's just busy but that's not the way it seems

It's so hard, getting through to you
It's so hard, getting through to you
If you don't pick up the phone
I'm gonna call somebody new

I put it on speed-dial and tried it one more time
I called the operator and said can you test this line
The operator tried and said - there really ain't no doubt
The phone is working fine but the number just rings out
Perhaps she's in the shower, or maybe not at home
Or maybe she's just lazy and not picking up the phone

I called her in the morning, and left it off the hook
I let it ring till twelve-o-clock before I had a look
The phone just kept on ringing so I let it go till nine
I can't believe she's out all day and no one's on the line
Perhaps the bell is broken, or maybe she's gone deaf
I wish she'd pick the phone up and finish all this mess

Always grateful to everyone who has the time to listen. Many thanks.

Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: Robertkc Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/07/19 08:33 PM
That was fun! From those opening drums ( love the garage band sound they convey) to the cute chorus harmonies. I like the humour in the lyrics- rockn`roll with a Bob Dylan twist.
Welcome back!

Robert
Posted By: rayc Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 04:34 AM
Chugs along nicely.
The only nit I'd offer is that the backing vocals are too loud - their very effectedness doesn't suit being so forward in the mix.
The guitars and bass are cool.
The vocals remind me of something from the 1st couple of Stiff compilations - Sean tyler sings in The Takeaways - Food.
Posted By: Jim Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 07:09 AM
Enjoyed your new Rock & Roll tune...
Good luck with all your 2019 productions.
Posted By: floyd jane Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 11:06 AM
ROG,

Good to see you! This was a fun listen. Great energy.

"If you don't pick up the phone
I'm gonna call somebody new"

A terrific payoff. A good write throughout.

I always enjoy your vocals. (I thought the bgvs worked fine). At first listen, I thought the main vocal could use a bit more reverb (for this style of song), but as it continued, I became accustom to it.

The instrumentation was nice. Especially the guitar. The sax worked well. The drum sound is good (a ROG signature). I did not care for the constant harmonica tucked under the track - I found it distracting to my ear. (Just a personal note).

Really enjoyed the song. It has stuck in my head - the mark of a good one...

fj
Posted By: Deryk - PG Music Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 11:08 AM
Welcome back - although travelling Europe is a pretty great excuse not to post!

Really liked the tune - the old school rock n' roll groove on this got my foot tapping right away, and your vocal delivery was top notch as well. The harmonies complimented the lead vocals perfectly and were a great touch. Plus that solo at 1:30 is fantastic!

Solid tune altogether. Can't wait to hear more from you - thanks for sharing smile
Posted By: dani48 Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 11:14 AM
Hi, ROG !

What a wonderful rocker,
really gets all of us jumping
to get rid of that hard melted
turkey !!!!!!!

Loved it !!!

A Most Good New Year to you ROG !

Cheers
Dani
Posted By: Janice & Bud Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 11:32 AM
Rock on ROG!!!

What a cool surprise to see a new song from you.

This contains all the goodness we have learned to love from your productions over the years...so not unexpectedly, the write, your vocals, and your guitar/bass performance are top notch (as are the RT/RD choices and the mix).

As floyd mentioned it sticks with you...begging for another listen which we are about to do!

Kudos!

J&B
Posted By: KeithS Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 02:29 PM
Sounds good ROG
Posted By: rsdean Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 02:37 PM
ROG,

That was great... Loved the groove and production.

Excellent!

Bob
Posted By: jannesan Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 04:27 PM
Welcome back! You seem to have invented the rocking wheel again and it still works very well smile Excellent party music with funny lyrics, great band and groove.

Janne
Posted By: 44kfl Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 04:30 PM
A great rocker!

glad to hear your music again

nice guitar!

super backing vocals

catchy as hell


Kenny
Posted By: Guitarhacker Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 05:14 PM
Kool old rock and roll style tune.

Your music is always something to look forward to hearing.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 08:07 PM
Originally Posted By: Robertkc
That was fun! From those opening drums ( love the garage band sound they convey) to the cute chorus harmonies. I like the humour in the lyrics- rockn`roll with a Bob Dylan twist.
Welcome back!

Robert

Thanks, Robert.
Yeah, it feels good to be back. Many thanks for kicking off the reviews and for the kind words.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 08:08 PM
Originally Posted By: rayc
Chugs along nicely.
The only nit I'd offer is that the backing vocals are too loud - their very effectedness doesn't suit being so forward in the mix.
The guitars and bass are cool.
The vocals remind me of something from the 1st couple of Stiff compilations - Sean tyler sings in The Takeaways - Food.

Hi Ray.
Many thanks for the review - much appreciated.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 08:09 PM
Originally Posted By: Jim
Enjoyed your new Rock & Roll tune...
Good luck with all your 2019 productions.

Thanks, Jim.
Pleased that you liked it and thanks for the good wishes.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/08/19 08:18 PM
Originally Posted By: floyd jane
ROG,

Good to see you! This was a fun listen. Great energy.

"If you don't pick up the phone
I'm gonna call somebody new"

A terrific payoff. A good write throughout.

I always enjoy your vocals. (I thought the bgvs worked fine). At first listen, I thought the main vocal could use a bit more reverb (for this style of song), but as it continued, I became accustom to it.

The instrumentation was nice. Especially the guitar. The sax worked well. The drum sound is good (a ROG signature). I did not care for the constant harmonica tucked under the track - I found it distracting to my ear. (Just a personal note).

Really enjoyed the song. It has stuck in my head - the mark of a good one...

fj

Hi Floyd.
Always pleased to hear your thoughts. Yeah, I tried three different reverbs on that vocal, but I'd left the backing mainly dry
in order to get it to punch harder, so each time I felt I could hear the reverb working on the vocals. Eventually, I just used
a really small room with no early refections. Now you point it out, you could be right about the harmonica.
Many thanks as always for looking in on this.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: dcuny Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/09/19 03:22 AM
The drums in the beginning announced what the song was about, and there were no disappointments.

This does everything a rocker should do in all the right places!

Super fun listen. laugh
Posted By: Skyline Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/09/19 11:26 AM
Nice to see, and hear, you back Rog.
This is a very tasty bit of rock to be sure! it reminds me of the old Steve Gibbons band. The vocal delivery is just right for the sentiment, and the drive is just perfect. Good stuff!
cool
John
Posted By: Crossroads Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/09/19 02:48 PM
Hi Rog,

I'm pretty new to this forum, so this is the first song of yours that I had the great pleasure to listen to. Very nice, needless to say that the girl you're adressing must be Maybelline's daughter...

That's a veery fresh way to continue what Chuck started - I really enjoyed it a lot !

And I think I'm not the first one to tell you that your voice and way of singing has a lot in common with the young Ray Davis, for example singing 'Too Much Monkey Business'... Just to make sure: That's a huge compliment !

Stefan
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/09/19 08:12 PM
Originally Posted By: Deryk - PG Music
Welcome back - although travelling Europe is a pretty great excuse not to post!

Really liked the tune - the old school rock n' roll groove on this got my foot tapping right away, and your vocal delivery was top notch as well. The harmonies complimented the lead vocals perfectly and were a great touch. Plus that solo at 1:30 is fantastic!

Solid tune altogether. Can't wait to hear more from you - thanks for sharing smile

Many thanks, Deryk and pleased you approved my excuse for absence!
Really glad you liked the song and, yes, I should be back to posting regularly this year.
Thanks for all the nice comments, especially about the solo.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/09/19 08:15 PM
Originally Posted By: dani48
Hi, ROG !

What a wonderful rocker,
really gets all of us jumping
to get rid of that hard melted
turkey !!!!!!!

Loved it !!!

A Most Good New Year to you ROG !

Cheers
Dani

Hi Dani,
Great to get a review from you and thanks for all the positives.
And if it's not too late, Happy New Year to you too, my friend.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/09/19 08:19 PM
Originally Posted By: Janice & Bud
Rock on ROG!!!

What a cool surprise to see a new song from you.

This contains all the goodness we have learned to love from your productions over the years...so not unexpectedly, the write, your vocals, and your guitar/bass performance are top notch (as are the RT/RD choices and the mix).

As floyd mentioned it sticks with you...begging for another listen which we are about to do!

Kudos!

J&B

Hi there J&B.
Hey, thanks for looking in!
As always, I really appreciate getting a review from you two, and I'm so pleased you liked it.
Looking forward to spending more time here this year.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/09/19 08:20 PM
Originally Posted By: KeithS
Sounds good ROG

Hi Keith.
Many thanks for the review and nice comments.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/10/19 08:10 PM
Originally Posted By: rsdean
ROG,

That was great... Loved the groove and production.

Excellent!

Bob

Thanks, Bob. Appreciate the listen and nice comments.
Cheers, ROG
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/10/19 08:13 PM
Originally Posted By: jannesan
Welcome back! You seem to have invented the rocking wheel again and it still works very well smile Excellent party music with funny lyrics, great band and groove.

Janne

Many thanks, Janne.
I always enjoy playing Rock & Roll and I'm pleased you enjoyed it.
Cheers, ROG
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/10/19 08:14 PM
Originally Posted By: 44kfl
A great rocker!

glad to hear your music again

nice guitar!

super backing vocals

catchy as hell


Kenny

Hi Kenny.
I always value your comments and I'm pleased this found favour with you.
Many thanks for looking in.
Cheers, ROG
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/10/19 08:17 PM
Originally Posted By: Guitarhacker
Kool old rock and roll style tune.

Your music is always something to look forward to hearing.

Hi Herb.
That's very kind of you. Much appreciated and many thanks for the review.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/13/19 01:19 PM
Originally Posted By: dcuny
The drums in the beginning announced what the song was about, and there were no disappointments.

This does everything a rocker should do in all the right places!

Super fun listen. laugh

Hi David.
Many thanks for the comments - much appreciated.
Cheers, ROG
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/13/19 01:28 PM
Originally Posted By: Skyline
Nice to see, and hear, you back Rog.
This is a very tasty bit of rock to be sure! it reminds me of the old Steve Gibbons band. The vocal delivery is just right for the sentiment, and the drive is just perfect. Good stuff!
cool
John

Hi John.
Yeah, I remember Steve Gibbons - saw the band live back in the early 70s. Brilliant! I actually share the same birthday as Steve, but
he's a bit older than me. In fact, he's still gigging now at age 77. As Tom Petty said - If you never slow down, you never
grow old. (Last Dance With Mary Jane)
So, it's good to be back and many thanks for the kind review.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/13/19 01:31 PM
Originally Posted By: Crossroads
Hi Rog,

I'm pretty new to this forum, so this is the first song of yours that I had the great pleasure to listen to. Very nice, needless to say that the girl you're adressing must be Maybelline's daughter...

That's a veery fresh way to continue what Chuck started - I really enjoyed it a lot !

And I think I'm not the first one to tell you that your voice and way of singing has a lot in common with the young Ray Davis, for example singing 'Too Much Monkey Business'... Just to make sure: That's a huge compliment !

Stefan

Hi Stefan.
Many thanks for looking in on this one and I take it all as a complement!
Always been a fan of Chuck Berry and I guess it shows through a bit in this one.
Thanks again for the nice comments.
Cheers, ROG
Posted By: Torrey Bliss Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/13/19 06:47 PM
Rog, I just sat back and smiled listening to what you did with a 3 chord song! Excellent man!!! Guitar was great along with all vocals!! I really liked the effects on the background vocals! It made me realize how I need to pay more attention to that part of my workflow! Thanks, Torrey
Posted By: Charlie Fogle Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/14/19 09:56 AM
Rock and roll as it should be. I always love your production. Top notch at every level.
Posted By: Belladonna Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/14/19 10:18 AM
Love the old 60s style rock and roll. Hear a twinge of Tom Petty in the vocals. Definitely one to get you up and dancing. Good write.
Posted By: Ezekiel's Storm Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/14/19 10:35 AM
This is great. It sounds like the songs that came out of the rock resurgence in the late 70's. A lot of fun, great lyrics, and searing energy!
Posted By: Noel96 Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/14/19 08:15 PM
Hi ROG,

This is a really well created and equally well presented song. I reckon that classic rock n roll is one of the most inviting musical genres around and you've capitalised on all it brings to the table. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this. In fact, my feet started bouncing up and down from around bar 1 beat 2 and just kept on going until the end.

Very, very listenable music iced with very entertaining lyrics and singing!

All the best,
Noel
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/15/19 08:28 PM
Originally Posted By: Torrey Bliss
Rog, I just sat back and smiled listening to what you did with a 3 chord song! Excellent man!!! Guitar was great along with all vocals!! I really liked the effects on the background vocals! It made me realize how I need to pay more attention to that part of my workflow! Thanks, Torrey

Hi Torrey.
I really appreciate the review and all the positive comments, especially about the BVs. They are quite time consuming
so it's good to get feedback - it makes it all worthwhile.
Many thanks.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/15/19 08:30 PM
Originally Posted By: Charlie Fogle
Rock and roll as it should be. I always love your production. Top notch at every level.

Hi Charlie.
I've always loved playing Rock & Roll and I'm so pleased you you liked it.
Many thanks.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/15/19 08:33 PM
Originally Posted By: Belladonna
Love the old 60s style rock and roll. Hear a twinge of Tom Petty in the vocals. Definitely one to get you up and dancing. Good write.

Hi Belladonna.
Many thanks for the review and the kind words. I'm a great fan of both Rock & Roll and Tom Petty, so I guess it's
showing through in this one.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/17/19 08:40 PM
Originally Posted By: Ezekiel's Storm
This is great. It sounds like the songs that came out of the rock resurgence in the late 70's. A lot of fun, great lyrics, and searing energy!

Hi Ezekiel.
Many thanks for the review and kind comments.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/17/19 08:42 PM
Originally Posted By: Noel96
Hi ROG,

This is a really well created and equally well presented song. I reckon that classic rock n roll is one of the most inviting musical genres around and you've capitalised on all it brings to the table. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this. In fact, my feet started bouncing up and down from around bar 1 beat 2 and just kept on going until the end.

Very, very listenable music iced with very entertaining lyrics and singing!

All the best,
Noel

Hi Noel.
You know that I always value your comments and insight, so I'm pleased you enjoyed it.
Many thanks for looking in and the positive review.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: Greg Johnson Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/19/19 06:15 PM
A fine rocker, loaded with lots of attitude and energy!! Love the mix, and the guitar!! Very big, live feel. Awesome!! Take care. Greg
Posted By: beatmaster Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/19/19 06:38 PM
Enjoyed this well put together foot stomper.

Put me in mind of a British band called Madness.

Thanks
Posted By: RnAM Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/19/19 08:14 PM
Hi ROG,

This song is really rockin'!
Great guitars and vocals. Lyrics are fun.

Europe eh, did you visit Amsterdam?

Rob and Anne-Marie
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/23/19 08:35 PM
Originally Posted By: Greg Johnson
A fine rocker, loaded with lots of attitude and energy!! Love the mix, and the guitar!! Very big, live feel. Awesome!! Take care. Greg

Hi Greg.
It's always good to get a review from you - much appreciated and I value your comments.
Many thanks.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/23/19 08:37 PM
Originally Posted By: beatmaster
Enjoyed this well put together foot stomper.

Put me in mind of a British band called Madness.

Thanks

Many thanks, Beatmaster.
Yeah, always been a fan of Madness - thanks for that.
Cheers, ROG.
Posted By: ROG Re: IT'S SO HARD - 01/23/19 08:44 PM
Originally Posted By: RnAM
Hi ROG,

This song is really rockin'!
Great guitars and vocals. Lyrics are fun.

Europe eh, did you visit Amsterdam?

Rob and Anne-Marie

Hi there Rob & Anne-Marie.
Pleased you liked it. I love all your stuff and really appreciate your comments.
Amsterdam is definitely on the list, but this time we worked our way around Portugal, Spain, France
and Italy, plus a trip over to Malta. We plan to move up into Scandinavia before too long though.
Many thanks for the review.
Cheers, ROG.
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