Misha/Rustyspoon insisted I get another singer to have a crack at this song.
Eventually Steve Smith volunteered to have a go and provided three main vocals, as well as harmony vocals.
Steve worked from Misha's melody and threw in a few ideas of his won re phrasing and such.
Misha's voice is rich with melange of exotic culture and personal expression and Steve's interpretation is more to do with his placement of words and pauses/emphasis.
It was an interesting contrast to mix.
THE TRACKS:
The BIAB component of this track are the drums (some EQing as usual) and flute (some odd note choices but that's life), it's heart of this is the as the rest was built from that, (there were other ReaTracks but I slowly replaced them).
Guitars are a Squire Mustang Bullet HH and Bruno Royal Artist through a compressor, GDI21 and spring reverb pedal.
Fender 12 string acoustic through a AT2020 mic.
Vantage & Hofner knock off Basses through a comp pedal and BDI21.
Squire Mustang into Mel9 choirs, strings & orchestra through comp pedal, GDI21 tweed settings and spring reverb pedal.
Mellotron string section tape wave files cut & pasted for high drones.
Non Reaper native plug ins are the readily available freebies of Density MkII and PSP Vintage Warmer 2.
There's still no keeper solo but I'm getting there. I did figure I should update you folk before the song is forgotten/consigned to the file shredder.
https://soundcloud.com/rayc/games-none-can-play-pygmy-beat-extended-feat-steve-smith
JUST LIKE THAT the guitar solo arrived, is mixed in and a rendering done...
https://soundcloud.com/rayc/14novaug19stevejames
Written by Misha & I.
Please let me know your thoughts and any suggestions re the mix.
For those of you who used CD slicks and LP covers, (for more than spliff rolling), here're the lyrics as sung..
Games None Can Play
Death of a word
None has said
Condemned man’s plea
Last meal fed

Bottled tears of
Brothel queens
Finding love
In magazines
Pornographic
Valentines
Games none
Can play
Bleeding jester’s
Morbid mirth
Death triumphant
At birth
Borrowed words
Little worth
Games none
Can play

Tissue lies
Truths untold
Signs of longing
Love gone cold
Litany denial
Lies long written
No comfort
Once smitten.

Bleeding jester’s
Morbid mirth
Death triumphant
At birth
Borrowed words
Little worth
Games none
Can play
Newborn, stillborn
Bleeding heart
Morning: evening’s
Dying art
In these we
Play no part
Games none
Can play

Newborn, stillborn
Bleeding heart
Morning: evening’s
Dying art
In these we
Play no part
Games none
Can play
Bottled tears
Brothel queens
Finding love
In magazines
Pornographic
Valentines
Games none
Can play

Close a sentence
Diagnosed in dark
Comes an end
Punctuation mark
Cut open morning
Tear into the light
Before it reveals
Swollen appetite

Death of a word
None has said
Condemned man’s plea
Last meal fed
Act of contrition
Sinners long gone
Words without meaning
Can’t be undone

...and as written, (I took the razor to the original version as it'd have taken a week to sing)...
a game for one player

At the death of a word
That no one has said
A condemned man’s plea
His last meal been fed

Bottled tears of brothel queens
Finding love in magazines
Pornographic valentines
In games of love no one can play
Bleeding jester’s morbid mirth
Death triumphant at each birth
Borrowed words of little worth
In games of love no one can play

In a tissue of lies
The truths still untold
Ten signs of longing
For a love now gone cold
Litany denial
In lies so long written
No easy comfort
For those that were smitten.

Bleeding jester’s morbid mirth
Death triumphant at each birth
Borrowed words of little worth
In games of love no one can play
Newborn, stillborn bleeding heart
Morning: evening’s dying art
In all these we play no part
In games of love no one can play

Newborn, stillborn bleeding heart
Morning: evening’s dying art
In all these we play no part
In games of love no one can play
Bottled tears of brothel queens
Finding love in magazines
Pornographic valentines
In games of love no one can play

The close of a sentence
Diagnosed in the dark
Comes to an end with
A punctuation mark
Cut open the morning
Tear into the light
Before it reveals
A swollen appetite

At the death of a word
That no one has said
A condemned man’s plea
His last meal been fed
An act of contrition
By sinners long gone
Words without meaning
That cannot be undone

That intro got my attention right off.
Reminds of something from the eighties may be a touch of "Split Endz".
Has a real spooky feel but in a good way.
Well crafted lyrics and a great mix.
Morse code at the end was a nice touch.
Well done to all. Rob4580

I like the dark tone that has been portrayed.

My single comment is that the vocals need to come further to the front.

Regardless, interesting and unique.

Great song! Loved it the first time I heard it, love it now. Steve did a good job on the vocal for you.

Hard to comment on the mix. I had to really crank it at this end to hear it properly, but I'm sure that is soundclouds fault.

This has SUCH a great overall sound. It could easily play on a Classic Rock station and I wouldn't question it - other than thinking "Who WAS that??".

Everything sounds great. The guitars, bass, drums... the vocal is excellent.

One SMALL thing (very small compared to the overall excellence) - I have a really hard time making out the lyric in several spots. Cannot get them without the lyric (I need that album cover!). Certainly consistent with a lot of this style Rock from the 70's (I always needed those jackets opened, too)

Excellent listen.

fj

hi guys this is very creative has a pull on the listener right at the beginning nice work guys thanks eric

Well, I like it a lot now with the new vocal. I agree with all the comments above - it grabs you right away, and the new vocal sounds right for the kind of music it is. I understand what people are saying about the vox level, but I'm used to not being able to understand the lyrics in rock music. That's what album jackets were for, back in the day. Fortunately here, we can post our lyrics and read them as we listen.

Outstanding work!

Excellent. Very 80s and that's a good thing.

I agree!! Feel like I time traveled back about 40 years! I think the vocal could be a bit louder. Very hypnotic and addicting music!! Love it!! Take care. Greg

The vocalist on this song is really cool. Sounds like something you'd hear while driving out on the open road. It has a classic rock vibe to the song and sounds like something that would have been on the radio back in the day.

Thanks for sharing!

Ray,
Well I still like Misha`s "exotic" vocal... but the new singer is straight ahead good and the sound still has a great moody propulsion to it ( actually reminds me as much of Echo & The Bunnymen as a 70`s band).
Look forward to that someday guitar solo to complete this.

Robert

Hello, 'rayc'...

The first time I listened to Games None Can Play, it didn't have vocals. The 'bottom line', so to speak, of my comment about it then, was that it possessed an 'implacable, unrelenting drive', that it tasted of mystery, was 'restless and serpentine', all of which contributed to an 'atmosphere of dread' that permeated the music...

...but now, with the addition of lyrics sung in mostly unison harmony, the song took on an entirely different feel and sound! Now, it rocks, still in a rather downbeat way, but the voices...they kind of humanize it, if you will, and lend some emotional gravity to it, so that it doesn't sound as foreboding (only to me, of course) as it did before.

So, what does all this mean? I guess it's just a testimonial to the power of the human voice to 'warm things up', as it conveys such depths of feeling, some of which cannot be translated into words, but can only be felt through the filter of emotions, and therefore transforms the experience of listening to the instrumental music...

...which is interesting in and of itself; that is to say that, to my ears, whenever I listen to music that has lyrics sung by a human voice, the music seems almost always to recede into the background, to whatever degree one perceives that to be happening. But, once again, that's the power of the human voice!

LOREN

Hi Ray,

this is just a very good song, no matter who sings it. But this singer does it very well, too.

I know that I - as a non-native English speaker - am not your main target audience, but I have to admit that I didn't understand enough of the lyrics to even figure out what i they're all about.

I wouldn't dare to compare my stuff with your great-sounding songs, but we encounter that issue almost every time: I hear the lyrics very clearly, because I wrote them, and therefor would like to keep the vocals a bit at the lower end, while Maha insists of bringing them forward for the exact reason: She wouildn't understand the lyrics...

But if I remember it well: Weren't the Seventies and Eighties decades of comparatively low vocal levels (which would make your choice of volume level pretty much authentic)?

Whatever - great song, great sound!

Stfan

Loved this song! First time I heard it. The opening guitars sounded awesome on headphones with the stereo panning. 20 seconds or so later when the other guitars came in that was more sonic sweetness.

Like the vocals how they are now. This song reminded me a lot of the band "Death Cab for Cutie". Very professional sounding.

Wow - what a unique and engaging tune The vocals are really a standout for me - immediately attention grabbing, which is a good thing, and uniquely catchy as well.

Great work and thanks for sharing!

Grabbing intro, intriguing chording,
chorus melody has beauty in darkening
cryptic lyrics in the landscape of lust,
many nice details, nothing I'd adjust.

Janne

Thnaks Rob,
I loved the Enz until they went pop funky so I'll wear that as a plus.
The Morse code was Misha's excellent idea.

Thanks VT,
I discussed the vocal level with Steve and he wants it to remain where it is - he seems to think that's truer to my general "sound".

Thank you sir,
I had the levels fairly low in line with general streamer requirements but, it seems, Soundcloud didn't do what I expected it to do.
I've "normalised" the newer mix.

Thanks fj,
You are very generous in your assessment - but I like it!
As mentioned above the singer is keen to keep the vocal at the current level - I think he agrees with you regarding time/place/genre.
I've provided the lyrics in the OP.

Thanks Eric,
You're very kind.

Tunemonger,
Thanks heaps. Glad you liked it and even gladder you're on board with the vocal level.

Teletwanger,
Thanks...I was in my 20s for most of the 80s so will take that and more.

Greg, thank you very much. 40 years ago I was very much a punk New Wave type who still listened to :Led Zep, Queen and Hawkwind. Good times.

Ember,
You're very kind. I'm pleased you liked it.

Robert,
THANK YOU!
I love Misha's vocal: his interpretation of the lyric is fabulous but I dig Steve's equally individual version too.
Echo & the Bunnymen were huge in my circle at the time - Over the Wall being my personal favourite.
The guitar solo has arrived - see OP.

Loren,
This is a case where many words make light heart.
THANK YOU!

Stefan
You are most kind.
Steve likes the level of vocal as is - he feels it's authentic to my usual style and sound so I'll stick with it. Lyrics have been posted in the OP.
I LOVE reading your lyrics - even without music - as there's always humour and excellent structure to revel in.

sslechta,
Death Cab for Cutie ought to have covered Wreckless Eric's Final Taxi.
They are an ace band so I'll wrap myself in that glow for a bit.
You've been very generous with you praise, thanks.

Deryk,
The engaging aspect is Misha's melody I think.
I'm pleased you like the tune, thank you.

Janne,
a rhyming critique is, for me, unique.
Your generous praise has covered my eyes with a glaze.
THANKS

Love this one Ray! The complex melody and chord structure really appeal to me! The vocalist did an excellent job with this! Above all for me this song has your unmistakable signature on it! High quality work as far as I'm concerned! Has a Police vibe to it!! Thanks, Torrey

Congratulations to you & Misha for the dark & mysterious lyrics...
And Steve did a great job on the vocals...
The production & mix seemed perfect...
I enjoyed the listen.

We only dabbled around listening to 80's rock but heard enough to have
a feel for the period and sub-genre.

The word that comes to mind is anthemic and we may have mentioned that
in our previous review but it has a counter-intuitive feel of being concise/tight yet
also wide open stadium feeling. I doubt that made much senses

As others have mentioned the opening was cool and that repetitive groove just
keeps you glued.

We'll walk the middle road with the vocals as we like both versions. Having said that
all of the performances on this (vocal and instrument) sound great and even for
Bud's aging ears the sound stage wounded excellent on the KRK's.

Well done y'all!!

J&B

ray nice 80s sound to this, the singer done it justice, sounds good apart from the guitar drowns the drums and bass bit more on them balanced would go well , Would love the info on tracks etc.

Thanks

Thanks Torrey,
Misha's responsible for the melody.
Thank you for your kindness.

Thanks Jim,
Misha wrote an ace melody and Steve adapted it well.
Thanks for the generous words.

Thanks J & B,
I'm with bud on the ears thing - my left is a little reduced and tinnitus cuts an huge swath through certain freqs.
I've been using visual cues a little more as a result.
Yes BOTH vocal versions are excellent. I'm glad Misha pushed me to get another one - it serves to confirm how good his take was and provided the grist for contrast & comparison.

Beamaster,
I'll have a look at the balance you've mentioned.
Thanks.

Big production. Fantastic instrumentation. I loved that lead guitar during break. Great. Great lyrics. Vocal perfect. I like this.

And thanks for listen and comments on my song. I appreciate it.

rayc,

Very cool sound to this one—stellar production work on this. Kinda has an R.E.M. type feel for me—engaging to the ear. Love that guitar solo; it kills. Steve does a nice job on that vocal. Great collaboration—well done!

Regards,

Deej

Ray,
You are too generous, my part is tiny compare to the effort you put in this.
Steve done great, his vocals have proper sharp edge that I lack. Guitar solo WAS worth waiting for! A little on dark side, but overall I think it is an excellent project that should stay open for possible future interpretations and mutations Thank you for giving me a chance!

Misha.

Brooding, moody, dark and authentic '70s/'80s rock. The vocals deep in the mix sounds right to me.
Reading the reviews, your song suggests echoes of R.E.M., Echo & The Bunnymen, Death Cab for Cutie, Police and Split Enz. you've got to be happy with that.
I haven't listened to the Misha version yet but I like the vocalist on this.
"Bottled tears of Brothel queens": nice!
Cheers,
Mike
PS: Any trick (hat you can reveal) to the great snare sound on the BIAB drums?