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Posted By: BlueAttitude Summers High - 06/07/19 10:38 AM
A song to celebrate summer: Summers High

The band:

RealTracks in song: 2615:Bass, Electric, FunkPumpingQuarters Ev 100 (note: I selected the simplify option)
RealTracks in song: ~425:Organ, B3, Background Blues Sw 120
Loop in Song: Percussion Loops\Loop124bpm Cowbell Quarters 4 bars.wma

I used EZDrummer2 for the drums, shaker, and congos, and I am playing the three guitar parts.

Mixed with Reaper using plugins from waves and iZotope, mastered with Ozone8.


Summers High (Christiane Spruit, 2019)

Summers High and the smell of Thyme
Warm wind, sunrise and butterflies
Kites are dancing in the sky
And so do I

Summers high and life is so easy
take your time, well life is so kind
we are chasing the clouds out of our mind
Summertime

Warm wind, sunrise, when life is so easy
take your time, life is so fine
no clouds are in the sky
Summers high

All comments are welcome as always !

EDIT: Uploaded to soundcloud, here: https://soundcloud.com/blue-attitude/summers-high-featuring-chris-spruit
Posted By: Deryk - PG Music Re: Summers High - 06/07/19 11:29 AM
It isn't feeling too much like summer on the west coast at the moment - but I like the tune! Definitely getting those warm vibes, and the vocals and mix are top notch. Really professional sounding, and a solid earworm. And when those harmonies come in - I was sold!

Thanks for sharing smile
Posted By: Jim Re: Summers High - 06/07/19 12:08 PM
Another find collaboration...
Your magnificent playing & Chris' sultry voice & harmonies makes your song pleasing to my ears.
Thanks!
Posted By: HearToLearn Re: Summers High - 06/07/19 12:20 PM
Man...way to send a message from the get go! That bass is awesome. I'm keeping it short; but what a cool song. A groove to die for, if you ask me. Sol-id!

Nit picking-and this might be the system I'm listening to it on (not the best) but I would ask your shaker player to maybe step a little more off the mic wink...and at times a little too fast for my taste. TOTALLY nit picking there. And again, it may completely be what I'm listening to it on. I'm in a vehicle with windows down, so...not the best reference. lol But it did stand out at that.

Now back to the "other stuff." Excellent use of percussion! I would pay to see this band for sure. smile And it all laying the foundation for fantastic guitar and vocals. Man, I will be listening to this song often! Very, very cool!
Posted By: floyd jane Re: Summers High - 06/07/19 04:41 PM
Dave & Chris,

COOL opening. You always get the greatest sound out of the BIAB bass tracks!!
(You have made me think about and "work harder" on getting a good bass sound)

Nice guitar work throughout.

A good jazzy/blues/rock write. Chris' vocal is awesome. The BGVs in the chorus are delicious!

I thought the shaker "here I am!" moment was neat. And thought the rest of the volume level was fine (though I thought it was panned too hard left - a personal preference).
Love the cowbell. Another BIAB done-just-right track (loop). (just used it myself)

SUCH Tasty leads!! Very musical.

Excellent mix.

This should be on the radio. Y'all KILLED this one!

fj
Posted By: Joe -PG Music Re: Summers High - 06/07/19 06:58 PM
Hi BlueAttitude, wowzers! Fantastic selection of instruments here and very soothing to hear. Very captivating lyrics. Looking forward to hear more!
Posted By: TuneMonger Re: Summers High - 06/07/19 07:28 PM
Very nice track, esp. liked the second guitar pass, kicking it!
Posted By: Robertkc Re: Summers High - 06/07/19 07:28 PM
Dave & Chris,
Fantastic intro & the percussion throughout is as good as it gets ( love the congas).
The big,layered vocal sound really suits the song -which sounds more upbeat & radio friendly than your other work I`m familiar with. Then there`s the signature guitar ...
now that is the icing.
Very good!

Robert
Posted By: rsdean Re: Summers High - 06/07/19 09:02 PM
Dave / Christiane,

I love the sound and feel of this song. The mix is tremendous!

Awesome vocals and some exceptional guitar parts...

Great, great stuff!

Bob
Posted By: Rustyspoon# Re: Summers High - 06/07/19 11:22 PM
Dave & Chris,

Nice to see that Duo is shedding old skin and re-growing new, colorful one for the summer smile
This has very different feel than most of the tunes I have heard by Blue Attitude. Got this gospel hint of spice in this. Very positive! Vocals, guitar, production is at expert level. Dave, sweet solo!

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.
Posted By: Tangmo Re: Summers High - 06/08/19 03:00 AM
Fonky! The rhythm section is solid and Chris is right there with it. Backing vocals strong as well. I'd nitpick over a lyric choice here and there, but the writer sings and that's the song. Loved the false ending and the kick back into the solo. Tone and play on the money. One of the best, if not up there at the top, I think....though I haven't heard them all.

I'll listen again at SoundCloud. A few too many buffering "breaks" and likely not where you intended them. smile
Posted By: PeterF Re: Summers High - 06/08/19 04:17 AM
Dave & Chris

Expertly done. Some wonderful musical moments, lovely vocal and an strong overall write.
Damn that last solo was good!

Peter
Posted By: Birchwood Re: Summers High - 06/08/19 11:58 AM
Hi Dave and Chris,

This is a very good performance. Sounds very professional to me!
Heard another song of you as well (Bitten twice). Also very well done.
I can not be recorded in a ordinary 'home studio', I think.

Hans Berkhout
Posted By: jannesan Re: Summers High - 06/08/19 03:09 PM
Love the intro, nice funky and blues guitar riffs. Great vocals and harmonies. Solo guitar really kicks hard. Hot stuff, definitely works here while already suffering/enjoying the local heat wave smile

Janne
Posted By: Ember - PG Music Re: Summers High - 06/08/19 07:36 PM
Really great use of RealTracks! Thanks for sharing.
Posted By: Scott C Re: Summers High - 06/08/19 10:29 PM
Perfect timing and perfect song to introduce summer. Such a cool vocal from Chris. Your guitar work was excellent. Such a cool tone. Just jumps out and grabs you. Well done..
Posted By: dcuny Re: Summers High - 06/09/19 12:19 AM
Love it! Funky, great percussion, excellent vocals.

The guitars weren't bad, either. wink

Fake ending caught me by surprise.

Fantastic mix, fun listen!
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/09/19 07:18 AM
Originally Posted By: Deryk - PG Music
It isn't feeling too much like summer on the west coast at the moment - but I like the tune! Definitely getting those warm vibes, and the vocals and mix are top notch. Really professional sounding, and a solid earworm. And when those harmonies come in - I was sold!

Thanks for sharing smile


Yeah, the harmonies turned out pretty good I think. Thanks for the listen and comment, Deryk!

Originally Posted By: Jim
Another find collaboration...
Your magnificent playing & Chris' sultry voice & harmonies makes your song pleasing to my ears.
Thanks!


Thanks for the support, Jim!

Originally Posted By: HearToLearn
Man...way to send a message from the get go! That bass is awesome. I'm keeping it short; but what a cool song. A groove to die for, if you ask me. Sol-id!

Nit picking-and this might be the system I'm listening to it on (not the best) but I would ask your shaker player to maybe step a little more off the mic wink...and at times a little too fast for my taste. TOTALLY nit picking there. And again, it may completely be what I'm listening to it on. I'm in a vehicle with windows down, so...not the best reference. lol But it did stand out at that.

Now back to the "other stuff." Excellent use of percussion! I would pay to see this band for sure. smile And it all laying the foundation for fantastic guitar and vocals. Man, I will be listening to this song often! Very, very cool!



Thanks for the listen and detailed comments comments, very much appreciate it!

And I love it when people tell me what they don't like, makes me pay closer attention when I go to remix. I always revisit a mix after I have had time away from the song for a while and almost always hear stuff I missed the first time.

Happy you liked the percussion, I had fun putting that together smile
Posted By: Greg Johnson Re: Summers High - 06/09/19 11:03 PM
Not sure I welcome Summer (hot where I live) BUT I sure welcome this song!! Really catchy.....grabs ya! Delicious guitar playing and Chris just seems to get better and better!! This is some GREAT stuff!!! Take care. Greg
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/10/19 06:52 AM
Originally Posted By: floyd jane
Dave & Chris,

COOL opening. You always get the greatest sound out of the BIAB bass tracks!!
(You have made me think about and "work harder" on getting a good bass sound)

Nice guitar work throughout.


I've been using CLA Bass for the last few months, I think it was Bud or maybe Tom that told me about it. Makes it very easy to dial in a good bass sound.

Sometimes I also use the EQ portion of Neutron to carve out a hole for the BD to live if there is a conflict there, but most of the time I don't need to do that.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, sometimes I use Melodyne on the bass track to tighten up the timing, I've found that some of the realtrack bass parts can be a bit too far off the beat for my liking.

Originally Posted By: floyd jane


A good jazzy/blues/rock write. Chris' vocal is awesome. The BGVs in the chorus are delicious!

I thought the shaker "here I am!" moment was neat. And thought the rest of the volume level was fine (though I thought it was panned too hard left - a personal preference).
Love the cowbell. Another BIAB done-just-right track (loop). (just used it myself)


Yes, that cowbell loop is the cats meow! I had originally tried to use EZDrummer2 to add a cowbell part but it didn't sound very good, so then discovered the BIAB cowbell loop.

Originally Posted By: floyd jane

SUCH Tasty leads!! Very musical.

Excellent mix.

This should be on the radio. Y'all KILLED this one!

fj


Thanks very much floyd, makes my day to read comments like that smile
Posted By: Teunis Re: Summers High - 06/10/19 07:15 AM
Very, very classy. All of it.

Tony
Posted By: 44kfl Re: Summers High - 06/10/19 10:25 AM
Cool!!!

great sound, awesome guitars

nice bass, super vocals

sounds like it was fun to record

love the solo, good fade

Kenny
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/10/19 02:22 PM
Originally Posted By: Joe -PG Music
Hi BlueAttitude, wowzers! Fantastic selection of instruments here and very soothing to hear. Very captivating lyrics. Looking forward to hear more!


Thanks for stopping by, Joe!

And we have another 40 songs or so up on reverbnation and soundcloud if you want to hear more smile

Originally Posted By: TuneMonger
Very nice track, esp. liked the second guitar pass, kicking it!


Yeah, I had fun with that outro solo. Happy you liked it!

Originally Posted By: Robertkc
Dave & Chris,
Fantastic intro & the percussion throughout is as good as it gets ( love the congas).
The big,layered vocal sound really suits the song -which sounds more upbeat & radio friendly than your other work I`m familiar with. Then there`s the signature guitar ...
now that is the icing.
Very good!

Robert


We have done a few upbeat tunes, but you are right, mostly we do slow minor key stuff. I have another upbeat one in the works, but next up will be a slow ballad that Chris wrote.

Thanks for the listen and comments, Robert, appreciated!
Posted By: Janice & Bud Re: Summers High - 06/10/19 02:37 PM


Hey y'all, this is over the top good.

The funky groove, the write, the fabulous slinky vocal, the killer guitar, the cool arrangment and the mix...everything is slap down in the pocket for us.

This is one of the tunes where we'd rather just listen more than to parse things out. For us it ALL works.

We listen to music like this (and related to this) daily and this is as good as the best we hear. And we mean that with all the sincerity we can muster!

J&B

PS Yeah I use CLA bass and the bass rider but haven't nailed the clarity that you get. As in the way it cuts through the mix but steps on nothing. Nice.
PPS Glad you added it to SC so we can add it to our playlist smile
PPPS Grace slick leaves psychedelia and joins a funk blues band smile



Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/11/19 07:38 AM
Originally Posted By: rsdean
Dave / Christiane,

I love the sound and feel of this song. The mix is tremendous!

Awesome vocals and some exceptional guitar parts...

Great, great stuff!

Bob


Thanks, Bob!

Originally Posted By: Rustyspoon#
Dave & Chris,

Nice to see that Duo is shedding old skin and re-growing new, colorful one for the summer smile
This has very different feel than most of the tunes I have heard by Blue Attitude. Got this gospel hint of spice in this. Very positive! Vocals, guitar, production is at expert level. Dave, sweet solo!

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.



Hi Misha,
Well, the new, colorful skin is not going to last all summer I'm afraid, next one up will be a minor key ballad smile
Thanks for your positive comments, it is appreciated!
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/12/19 06:39 AM
Originally Posted By: Tangmo
Fonky! The rhythm section is solid and Chris is right there with it. Backing vocals strong as well. I'd nitpick over a lyric choice here and there, but the writer sings and that's the song. Loved the false ending and the kick back into the solo. Tone and play on the money. One of the best, if not up there at the top, I think....though I haven't heard them all.

I'll listen again at SoundCloud. A few too many buffering "breaks" and likely not where you intended them. smile


"Fonky"! I like that!

Glad you liked the false ending, that was a last minute addition.

Originally Posted By: PeterF
Dave & Chris

Expertly done. Some wonderful musical moments, lovely vocal and an strong overall write.
Damn that last solo was good!

Peter


Hi Peter, yeah, I had fun with the last solo. Always nice to get comments like that from a fellow guitarist!
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/12/19 10:25 AM
Originally Posted By: Birchwood
Hi Dave and Chris,

This is a very good performance. Sounds very professional to me!
Heard another song of you as well (Bitten twice). Also very well done.
I can not be recorded in a ordinary 'home studio', I think.

Hans Berkhout


Hi Hans,

Thanks for the listen and comments, and thanks for listening to the other song also!

All of the songs we do are just in a home studio with no outboard equipment, just the soundcard into the PC. I do have quite a collection of plug-in effects from both waves and iZotope though which really helps.
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/12/19 11:06 PM

Originally Posted By: jannesan
Love the intro, nice funky and blues guitar riffs. Great vocals and harmonies. Solo guitar really kicks hard. Hot stuff, definitely works here while already suffering/enjoying the local heat wave smile

Janne


Thanks, Janne! smile
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/13/19 10:09 AM
Originally Posted By: Ember - PG Music
Really great use of RealTracks! Thanks for sharing.


Hi Ember,

I'm happy you liked the realtracks eek


Originally Posted By: Scott C
Perfect timing and perfect song to introduce summer. Such a cool vocal from Chris. Your guitar work was excellent. Such a cool tone. Just jumps out and grabs you. Well done..


Thanks, Scott! We had fun with this one.
Posted By: Torrey Bliss Re: Summers High - 06/13/19 09:24 PM
Great intro buildup Dave! Great vibe and WOW Chris's vocals are absolutely perfect! Now lets get to the guitar work....that solo is pro in every sense of the word!! Dave, I feel this one is at the top of anything you have ever posted here and that's saying a lot!! Thanks, Torrey
Posted By: Sundance Re: Summers High - 06/14/19 04:12 AM
Impressive harmonies really iced the funk vibe cake for me with the sexy smooth lead vocal and the bass opening was a great choice for catchy retro flavor. Great job.
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/14/19 10:59 AM
Originally Posted By: dcuny
Love it! Funky, great percussion, excellent vocals.

The guitars weren't bad, either. wink

Fake ending caught me by surprise.

Fantastic mix, fun listen!


The fake ending was an afterthought, never done that before in a song, but I thought it turned out pretty good. Thanks for the listen and comments, I appreciate it!

Originally Posted By: Greg Johnson
Not sure I welcome Summer (hot where I live) BUT I sure welcome this song!! Really catchy.....grabs ya! Delicious guitar playing and Chris just seems to get better and better!! This is some GREAT stuff!!! Take care. Greg


Man, we really need summer to arrive here! With the exception of a couple of nice days it's been much colder and wetter than normal for this time of year.

Thanks for the support, Greg!
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/14/19 07:59 PM
Originally Posted By: Teunis
Very, very classy. All of it.

Tony


Thanks for the listen and comment, Tony!
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/14/19 08:06 PM
Originally Posted By: 44kfl
Cool!!!

great sound, awesome guitars

nice bass, super vocals

sounds like it was fun to record

love the solo, good fade

Kenny


Hey Kenny,

Yeah, we had fun with it. At the end of the day that’s what matters IMHO. Happy you liked the solos!
Posted By: mkg50 (Mike G) Re: Summers High - 06/15/19 01:14 AM
As usual with Blue Attitude productions, the standard is very high.
I could listen to Dave's guitar all night. Love the tone, love the notes.
Chris's singing is beautiful. Listen to the change in her voice when she sings 'and butterflies' in the first verse. Sublime.
Thanks for sharing.
Mike
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/15/19 09:35 PM

Originally Posted By: Janice & Bud


Hey y'all, this is over the top good.

The funky groove, the write, the fabulous slinky vocal, the killer guitar, the cool arrangment and the mix...everything is slap down in the pocket for us.

This is one of the tunes where we'd rather just listen more than to parse things out. For us it ALL works.

We listen to music like this (and related to this) daily and this is as good as the best we hear. And we mean that with all the sincerity we can muster!

J&B

PS Yeah I use CLA bass and the bass rider but haven't nailed the clarity that you get. As in the way it cuts through the mix but steps on nothing. Nice.
PPS Glad you added it to SC so we can add it to our playlist smile
PPPS Grace slick leaves psychedelia and joins a funk blues band smile





Awesome comments, thanks so much!

And thanks for the PPPS, I’ve always thought she sounds like Grace Slick too. I’ve passed that along to her smile
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/16/19 09:29 AM
Originally Posted By: Torrey Bliss
Great intro buildup Dave! Great vibe and WOW Chris's vocals are absolutely perfect! Now lets get to the guitar work....that solo is pro in every sense of the word!! Dave, I feel this one is at the top of anything you have ever posted here and that's saying a lot!! Thanks, Torrey


We both had a blast working on this one so it's great to get this kind of positive feedback smile

Thanks, Torrey!
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 06/17/19 07:25 AM
Originally Posted By: Sundance
Impressive harmonies really iced the funk vibe cake for me with the sexy smooth lead vocal and the bass opening was a great choice for catchy retro flavor. Great job.


Thanks for the listen and comment!

Originally Posted By: mkg50 (Mike G)
As usual with Blue Attitude productions, the standard is very high.
I could listen to Dave's guitar all night. Love the tone, love the notes.
Chris's singing is beautiful. Listen to the change in her voice when she sings 'and butterflies' in the first verse. Sublime.
Thanks for sharing.
Mike


Happy you liked this, thanks for stopping by, Mike!
Posted By: Noel96 Re: Summers High - 07/02/19 08:54 PM
Dave,

I missed this one!

The backing is out-of-this-world outstanding.

I absolutely love this arrangement, Your playing is super and along with Chris's lyrics and vocals, the two of your take this presentation to a level of professionalism that I strive to achieve but have yet to attain. This is as radio-friendly as anything I've ever heard anywhere!

In a word... BRILLIANT!

All the best,
Noel
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 07/03/19 08:49 AM
Originally Posted By: Noel96
Dave,

I missed this one!

The backing is out-of-this-world outstanding.

I absolutely love this arrangement, Your playing is super and along with Chris's lyrics and vocals, the two of your take this presentation to a level of professionalism that I strive to achieve but have yet to attain. This is as radio-friendly as anything I've ever heard anywhere!

In a word... BRILLIANT!

All the best,
Noel


Thanks very much for the listen and positive comments, Noel, I appreciate it! And so does Chris smile
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Summers High - 07/03/19 10:46 AM


Chris just finished a video for this song, here:

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