Here's a song built from the ground up with BIAB.
I started with a couple of chord progressions and the lyrics, (rejected by a couple of potential users because of the theme).
Chord sequence placed in BIAB and a full arrangement built in there.
I then, slowly, replaced the BIAB guitars & bass with my own playing to get the sounds/riffs I wanted.
Stephen accepted the challenge.
The vocals have been manually de-essed using a pre-fx volume envelope. In the choruses I opted for a send parallel vocal track set up with overdrive and a flanger & blended with the original to give the vocals a boost & some grit.
Vantage Bass, Fender Squire Bullet Mustang, Fender 12 string acoustic, super cheap spring reverb pedal and some handy Marshall Cabinet impulse responses helped liven things a little. I also double tracked the arpeggio guitar - one set DI & the other mic'd amp.
BIAB Real Drums, organ & Ahhs remain from the build process.
I HOPE to have a real solo by next week.
Mixed and augmented in Reaper.
https://soundcloud.com/rayc/narcissistswife-pygmy-beat-extended-featuring-stephen-smith

Mixes WITH SOLOs.
1st guitar as played by my co-writer from 76 - Eric Drabwell...
https://soundcloud.com/rayc/narcissists-wife-guitar-pygmy-beat-extended-featuring-stephen-smith-eric-drabwell

2nd BIAB CELLO solo...
https://soundcloud.com/rayc/narcissists-wife-cello-pygmy-beat-extended-featuring-stephen-smith
I used two lots of compression as well as overdrive on the cello to help it cut through a thick mix.

AND, just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water ... a version with BOTH...
https://soundcloud.com/rayc/late-october14combosolo

THOUGHTS?

Lyrics...
The Narcissist's Wife
The man who keeps his powder dry
And neither smokes nor drinks
Will have you plead for hard relief
With just the way he thinks.

The narcissist’s wife.
She
She lives alone
Despite his presence in the house
His word
Cuts like a knife
Despite his calm
She
Knows he isn’t
Cut close to the life
Of the narcissist’s wife

His foreplay has been perfected
Scripted blow by blow
Each moan or cry in place
The wife tells friends it’s so.
Each moan or cry
The wife tells friends it’s so

The narcissist’s wife.
She
She lives alone
Despite his presence in the house
Always
Plays the jack-knife
Despite his charm
She
Knows he hasn’t
Cut close to the life
Of the narcissist’s wife

solo

The narcissist’s wife.
She
She lives alone
Despite his presence in the house
His word
Cuts like a knife
Offhanded harm
She
Knows he means it
Cut close to the life
Of the narcissist’s wife

The calm impassive voice
Of a man who wields power
Who knows he can make you
Never to have existed
Within the subsequent hour.
Never to have existed

Cut so keenly close to life
With just the way he thinks

Music & lyrics by Stephen Smith & ray cochrane

Clever writing as usual, Ray! I like the way you change that chorus each time.

Good vocal by Stephen.

Looking forward to hearing it with the real solo.

ray,

What an INTERESTING write!

The tracks form a perfect bed for the lyric and melody.

A really good mix. Everything blends well. A treat for the ear.

fj

Ray,
The lyrics are original and grab attention- glad you found an unsqueamish vocalist- and he does well with a cool, surprising set of changes.
Really like the instrumental sequence at 2:30 and those ringing guitar arpeggios throughout.
I`m ready for the solo now.

Robert

Ray, everything you come up with has such interesting twists and turns in it and in this case, it's the melodic changes in the chorus! It's a highly memorable and enjoyable melody sung in excellent fashion by the vocalist! Very good production and performance Ray! Thanks, Torrey

I too like the ringing guitar! Interesting lyrics--makes me wander what was unacceptable with earlier drafts. Sound a little Bowie-esque.

Intriguing, has that 'wish I knew more about this' thing like a lot of short stories I read have. Singer is good! Sounds like some artist I used to listen to but my musical past is too vast now to identify who. Youtube and Spotify have compounded that problem.

Thanks Dave,
I'm easily bored so writing changes into a chorus keeps me busy.
There's a draft solo done but I think I need to do a little timing correction in a spot before I post it.

Thanks fj,
I was a little worried mixing the organ prominently in the choruses but, in the end, it seems to work.
I'm pleased your like the mix.

Thanks Robert,
I can understand someone being uncomfortable with the topic but it's one of those things that needs to be discussed.
Solo will be SOON.

Torrey,
As you know - I have no melodic sense at all but for this one I'd managed to sort the phrasing out pretty well and that lead Stephen to the melody.
Thanks again.

The ringing guitar is a direct result of buying a cheap spring reverb pedal: it gave me the initial impetus for the song.
The lyrics were only very slightly changed for this version so hold true to the theme. A couple of folk were uncomfortable, understandably so, singing about sexual violence & spouse abuse.
Thank you for your kind comparison.

Tunemonger,
A vast past has left you aghast?
Hopefully it sounds a little like Pygmy Beat as well.
Thanks.

Hi Ray, hi Steve,

what a write - can't even imagine who that song's all about... . Very interesting chord progressions - not easy to find a fitting melody in some parts, but Steve, you really did well.

Great rich sound (as we would always expect from you, Ray) -I was thinking on what I was reminded: Scott nailed it: bowie-esque. Ray, I do envy you for your ability to work with all that tech-stuff - it really pays off.

Great production.

Best regards,

Stefan

I really like the way you captured the darkness of the underlying theme.

Interesting chord progressions that worked well to further exemplify the story being delivered.

Moreover, the ending certainly indicated that there is 'no end in sight' for the situation.

Definitely well portrayed.

Good lyrics from you & Stephen Smith...
Dark but good...
And I genuinely enjoyed the chord progression on this piece...
I believe It heightened the melodic structure & lyrics of your song...
All in all a very nice collaboration,

Great song. Great performance. Reminds me of Ziggy Stardust era Bowie. Excellent.

Big sound. Very Ziggy, which is very cool. Great use of BIAB as a foundation. BIAB is a great tool. Great instrumentation that you added too. Excellent mix.

I like it!

The title certainly begs the question of how a narcissist could gain a wife
I must confess that even given my background in clinical psychology I can't figure it out!

The write is brilliant. The message creatively comes across with just the right
amount of subtlety.

The fine instrumental and vocal performances are wrapped up in another of
your room filling mixes...outstanding.

We enjoyed it and look forward to the next version...

J&B

Thanks Stefan,
My minimal skills come from some excellent tutors in a couple of forums.
You're very kind in your assessment of the song.

Thanks Videotrack,
The narrative came into my scone almost fully formed.
It was a quick scrawl to get it down.
the chords were inspired by the cheapo spring reverb pedal mentioned. Certain chords ring through well, some choke and otters get muddy so the tool was the sorting hat!

Jim.
Thanks very much. Simple chord shapes (in this instance A, F, G, E followed by Em G, C, Am A) are all I'm capable of really.

Thanks teletwanger,
Nice to have an aural reference like that!

Thanks jptX3,
It is an excellent tool indeed.
Gettin' jiggy with Ziggy eh?
Ta!

Abusive relationships seem to be very complex interactions that outsiders like me see as B & W.
Feeding needs/isolation/fear/self worth/ and so many other things, as you know, congeal.
A couple of people have opined that this is a narrative about the president and his spouse but a casual reading shows the lyric ascribes an external self control that he who shall not be named does not possess.
The new mix is in the OP with a choice of solos - I'd appreciate your opinion as to which serves the song best.

Ray,
Very cool write! Seems it took quite some time to produce this, and got to tell you, it came out great! Musical bed is rich and full of surprises. I like a more pronounced Eric Drabwell guitar on it. Lyrical phrasing is very tricky on this and Stephen worked this out very skillfully. Vocals have a very distinct dimension. If I was the one to mix, I would leave them just the way they are and would not try to put them "deeper" into the mix. I liked the version on the second link.

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

Wow - what a unique and captivating tune. I loved the delivery, and the differences in each chorus kept it refreshing the whole way through. You captured a dark vibe really well, and it flows miraculously well. Really nice lyricism too.

I wouldn't change a thing on this one - thanks for sharing

Agreed!! Very interesting and clever!! I would bring the lead vocal a db or 2 louder.....it is very well performed! This reminds me a bit of The Wall. Very cool!!! Take care. Greg

You are, as always, very kind Misha, thank you!
Yeah, I think I'm OK with the vocal level on this.
There's a new mix with a combo of cello & guitar up now.

Thanks Deryk,
unfortunately I have made a change though - combo solo!

Thanks Greg, you're generous as always.

Ray,

This is very unique and captivating... Love your creativity.

Very well done.

Bob

This is a very cool song Love the chord changes. Vocalist is also very good . Well done

Ray,

I listened to the last link, with the cello et al. . . . pretty brilliant tune. Love the complexity of the melody and the vocal is delivered with emotion and just the right prosody. From a production standpoint—and it may just be me—the vocal seems a bit back behind the music . . . or muted slightly . . . not sure how to describe it . . . maybe too compressed? Anyway, maybe just a bit crisper? Again, just one guy’s opinion—it’s such a great vocal and to me some of the nuance gets lost. Food for thought if nothing else.

But just an impressive tune. Wow!

Hope all is well with you.

Deej

Well stated re the abusive relationships. Tom posted a song he and Janice wrote about spousal abuse a couple of years ago. Tough subject. And, yes, the "shall not be named" is totally bereft of self control.

We just kicked back and listened to all three on the monitors. We favor the combo mix. You did a great job with the compression on the cello. Often it seems that a cello in a mix tends to muddy things up with a droning sound. Your's cuts and adds to the production. Guitar is very cool.

Enjoyed the comparos and appreciate the effort you put into them.

J&B

Hi Ray,

I'm a bit late getting to this one. I'm glad you've still got it posted on Soundcloud.

I found this mesmerising to listen to. The backing is excellent. You've created a bed of sound that induces a feeling of oppression and danger that matches the lyrics so very well.

You are remarkably creative in all you do. I seriously admire your talent!

All the best,
Noel