The idea for this one came from Chris, she sent me a demo with vocal and piano and we developed it from there.

The Beacon

The band:

1189:Bass, Electric, HardRockWaltz Ev 140
372:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Hank Sw 120
1183:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopWaltzGrittyArp Ev 120

Chris did the piano, strings, and Pad and I played the lead guitar parts. I used EZDrummer2 for the drums.

Mixed in Reaper, mastered with Ozone 9.

The Beacon (2020, Christiane Spruit)

Where are we now?
Set our sail
Drifting too far from the shore

Break open sky
Lurk in the night
Steering the boat by sight

Northern wind blows
Cold hand of hope
Howling and creaks in the ropes

Beacons light
Shine on and fight
Don't leave our ship to the night

(Chorus)

Blow boys blow
bring back the ship to the shore
Blow boys blow

Where are we now?
Running aground
Steering the ship by sight

Beacons light,
Shine on we'll fight
Don't leave our ship to the night.

(Chorus)

Also on soundcloud (sound quality not as good) here: https://soundcloud.com/blue-attitude/the-beacon-featuring-chris-spruit

And youtube:



As always, all comments are welcome!

Dave & Chris,
An unusual blend of styles - blues rock ballad with a drift towards trad.folk on the chorus
( love that almost sea shanty feel of the "blow boys blow")and very much to my taste!
Those searing guitar breaks are amazing and the drums are nicely subtle- I wish I knew how to create an intro like that.
Simple lyrics with a consistent metaphor, beautifully sung.
One of your best!

Robert

I like the cinematic celtic folk feeling. The mood of seas is very present in the music: the piano has nice melancholy tone and the drums have nice bouncy rhythm. I can feel the northern wind blowing. Enjoyable guitar playing, the solo guitar melody is very beautiful. Chris's amazing voice on top of that turns this into a small masterpiece which I want to listen to again and again.

Janne

Dave / Chris,

The imagery in this song is so vivid. The guitar lines, production, vocals all are top notch. You guys never have a missed moment - the songs always shine.

Excellent work!

Bob

Loved this song. Piano was excellent. Super vocal and lyric. The chord changes were excellent as well. Guitar was gritty and fit the song perfectly. Loved the tailing harmonics on your solo. Sounded so good on the headphones Really neat picture on the reverberation site as well. One of my favs of yours

Thanks for posting this. It is a real pleasure to see other people's work, as I am just starting out creating my own songs, mixing and mastering, etc.

I wanted to comment on the mix, or possibly ask you why you did something. The singer's voice seemed lost in the mix; almost as if some effect had been put on that made it muddy. I had to read the words to figure out what she was saying.

I stayed on to hear the next three Blue Attitude tracks, and the singer was much clearer on those tracks. Being a singer, I want the singer to stand out as much as the beautiful guitar solos!

Forgive me if my ears need cleaning...

Glenn

Hi Dave and Chris,

Well here is the real runner up on Valantines Way! The beacon, with very nice, mysteriously, sweet, dark, but strong vocals. In that case I don't agree with Glenns' words (post above), or maybe my ears need cleaning as well.
I also enjoyed the rhythm of the drums in it, it really supports the melody. And what a beautiful solo you played till the end of this (much too short) song!
So a lot of compliments and just one complain. I think the both of you must be very proud you achieved this result.
It makes you forget there is a virus outside...

Thanks a for this song,
Hans

Shiver me timbers, what booty have we here? A ghostly sea shanty waltz with some Pink Floydian guitar. It could be a new genre.
Chris, I love your piano work, especially in the earlier part of the piece, and of course your vocals are, as always, on song.
Add in Dave's great guitar work and those beguiling drums and we have a wonderful original work.
Thanks for sharing,
Mike

WOW this is really good. Chris's vocal is super as is his piano and other instruments.! Dave's guitar is icing on the cake. The backing tracks are perfect.

Great work that you should both be very proud.

Great atmosphere. I liked the lyrics and vocals. Nice sparse instrumentation. Loved the lead guitar parts. Good job to both of you.

Dave / Chris

A truly wonderful piece of music. Excellent in every way. Chris' piano and vocals were excellent.
The melody build up and narrative were superb.

Loved the guitar (great bend at 2.50).

Top notch.

Peter

Hi, Robert,

Yes, Chris was going for a Sea Shanty feel with the chorus.

As far as the drums go, there is no way to do an intro like that with BIAB drums AFAIK. I mostly use RealDrums, but for stuff like this EZDrummer2 is the best choice IMHO, very easily done using that tool.

Thanks!

Great job, Dave & Chris!! Love nautical themes, especially mysterious ones.
"Northern wind blows
Cold hand of hope
Howling and creaks in the ropes"
Piano sounds perfect, and the guitar always shines bright.

Great work - sets a really nice vibe, and the theme of the song is unique and attention grabbing too. Thought the mix was stellar as well - it flows really well.

Thanks for sharing

Dave & Chris,

Add one more terrific offering from Blue Attitude. If we could turn back the clock, I would not be surprise to hear you guys "got a deal". And we would all wait anxiously for the next record to come out...

Nice everything - as always... piano, bass, DRUMS! (great sound). Chris' usual excellent vocal. Dave's always smoking leads. And the usual solid mix.

On my third listen. (that says it all for me)

fj

Dave and Chris—

Beautifully done—haunting and powerful. Really sweet vocal, Chris—really sails in the chorus (no pun intended). And some great guitar work as always Dave. Love the tune! Great work!

Best regards,

Deej

Wow, the BlueAttitude team certainly knows how to deliver.

Refreshingly different, and superbly produced.

There's so much to like about this. The lead guitar provides a really powerful driving feature.

I listen to a lot of nautical music (old stuff), this was really good. There are a lot of great nautical tunes you guys could do if you wanted, they all are public domain. But whatever you do, it's always first class.

Very happy you liked this one, thanks, Janne!

We rarely quote but Janne really nailed it.

This is one of the best builds we've heard in a production...remarkably effective.

"Epic" is over used, admittedly, but this is an epic ballad.

Janice said she was getting very worried about the sailors near the end, i.e., great imagery.

And BlueAttitude never disappoints with guitar and vocal! And Chris's work on her instrumentals
is perfecto for the feel.

Enjoyed the audio and vid...

J&B

I would not be surprise to hear you guys "got a deal". And we would all wait anxiously for the next record to come out...

well to me that says it all, Christiane beautiful vocals, Dave if I could play guitar leads like you well I would be.....??? Better than I am .

This was class with a capitol c.

Very kind of you, Bob, thanks!

Appreciate that, thanks, Scott!

Hi Glenn,

Thanks for taking the time to listen and comment! Sorry you couldn’t hear the vocal that well, to my ears they are sitting in the mix just where they need to be. But, everyone is entitled to their own opinion

Thanks again for stopping by.

Dave and Chris, this is very good work! Everything sits in a perfect place for my ears! I love Chris's vocals (every time) and your guitars tones are the best (as well as your playing). It's a great song with a perfect music bed to carry the vocal/lyrics! I'm always impressed with your work! Thanks, Torrey

Thanks very much, Hans, I really appreciate your comments and so does Chris

And, happy that we have finally produced a song that you like almost as much as Valentines Way! Although I really like Valentines Way too.

Stay safe over there!

Hi Dave and Chris.
Another cracker from you two. Love the piano and the vocal and guitar work are great as always.
Regards,
Leon

Hi Chris and Dave ...

Before clicking onto any song you post. I know I am going to be pleased and taken on a great journey. This one just dazzles! It's a wonderful blend of styles ... almost a new genre, I would venture to say.

Although Chris Spruit & Janice Merritt are totally different singers, they are similar by virtue of having the innate vocal excellence to bring out the very best in a lyric. Chris' vocal on this one just soars. And Dave, your guitar touch is such a treat for the ears. This is some seriously good writing, performing and presentation. Totally loved it!

Wishing you both the very best. Please be safe ...

Alan

Thanks for the listen and comments, Mike!



Cheers, Mario!

If you pick the right instruments and talent you can have a great song? Well, that just got answered with a big "Yes!"

Talk about haunting. It plays with your emotions. I love it!

Great job!

Thanks for the listen and comments!

Gotta love those two tone bends!

Thanks, Peter, always great to hear from you.

Dear 'BlueAttitude' & Ms. Spruit...

As I was listening (closely, that is! ), to The Beacon, into my mind came the word, 'mystical', the meaning of which a dictionary explains as 'spiritually significant, or symbolic'. The music was mostly responsible for that thought occuring to me, as it has kind of a rising and falling feel to it, like waves in the ocean advancing on, and receding from the shore. The unresolved aura of the strings arrangement contributed to the mystical mood, too.

But it was the lyrics that more powerfully summoned the 'mystical' feel I mentioned. They describe the disorienting sense of being lost and a search for the way out of the darkness:

"Beacons light
Shine on and fight
Don't leave our ship to the night"

Those are compelling words, because, after all, aren't the lives of all of us simply wayward journeys up and down paths that lead us sometimes into darkness, and at other times point us toward 'the light'? And yet, the brisk 3/4 time is uplifting in a quiet way. Maybe that's because, for me, at least, waltz time has always had an upbeat feel that has never failed to brighten my mood (I could listen forever to the late Toots Thieleman performing Bluesette .)

I think The Beacon sets a mood of longing and yearning for a 'safe harbor' for the soul that makes it a entrancing, meditative listening experience.

LOREN/'bluage'

This if great but the 1st vocal not is way too aggressive and slightly buried at the same time - it's a bit the same after the solo.
Excellent arrangement and playing/singing.
That vocal reverb separates it a little.
Sweet solo tone!

Thanks, Marty! Looking forward to having you on board for out next one



Thanks for stopping by, Deryk!

Sounds awesome Dave!

Great production and mix with your signature guitar excellence!

Turning back the clock ... man, I couldn't tell you how many things I would do different if that was possible!

Thanks, floyd!

This song sounds like it's been around for ages, getting a fresh treatment just now..,that old "folk" waltz-time vibe electrified and bandified. An absolute pleasure to listen to.

Thanks, Deej!

Thanks for the listen and comments, Trev!

Never crossed my mind to do a public domain song, might be fun to try that. Thanks for the idea!

Thanks Janice and Bud!

Thanks, Colin!



Thanks Torrey! Love your latest.



Thanks for stopping by, Leon!




Very nice review, thanks very much, Alan!

New Age Viking Blues?

Dave & Chris,

Nice job on this tune. Piano is the king. Guitar rocks at 1:20 and getting nice and wild toward the end. One of the more aggressive drums I have heard in your tunes (second half of the song), but it works very well.

I have heard it first day it was posted, sorry for turtle response. On good note, I got to hear it twice and I actually liked it better on the second round. You know, it is like a soup, it always tastes better on the second day

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

Thanks, Caaron! It was a fun project for us, happy you liked it.



Man, you write the best reviews! Thanks, Loren



I'll get back to this song at some point to tweak the mix, I always do. And when I do I'll check what you mentioned about the vocal mix and reverb.

Thanks, Ray, I always appreciate that kind of feedback



Great to see you back here, David! Thanks, man!



Happy you liked this one, Tang.



"New Age Viking Blues", I like that!

Thank's Misha!