A little tale of pirates and scallywags.

As kids, I'm sure most of us have read the old classic Treasure Island with Jim and Long John Silver. I happened across a Starz series called Black Sails. Without too much persuasion, I started watching the series. (4 seasons) Somewhere in the 3rd season I started to put the pieces together that Black Sails is the prequel, the back story to where the treasure came from how it got to the island and so many more aspects of the book. Yep.... I had to go back and read the book again after I saw the series. It helps to know some of the characters in the book by seeing them in the series. Highly recommend it if you like sea dogs and sword play. Black Sails is not a kids series by any means.

So... I hadn't been working on any music so I decided to write something....anything and why not write a song about pirates? I mean what could possibly go wrong?

Influences include: Led Zepplin, ZZ Top, Game of Thrones, Black Sails.

I threw out all the rules I normally abide by in this one. Short intro...gone.... under 3:30... yep not happening.... As things went along, I added some interesting things..... and yes... it fades at the end....keep your ear peeled....

So.... have a listen and see what you think.


UNDER THE BLACK

The band is:

Drums: hard rock thrash half time 16 even
Bass: 1268
Cello: 3287
Horn pipe flute: midi from 3189
Fiddle: 3189
Guitars: 3299 & 3302

I'm playing the lead guitars. I was planning on recording the BB guitars but they just worked so I left them in. Why fix perfection?

The lyrics:

Under the black

Fifteen men on a dead mans chest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Seven men left only one came back
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

INTRO

Mast on the horizon, sails upon the sea,
man of war is coming is it friend or enemy
Three days out of Nassau 90 barrels full of rum
Spanish gold and sugar from cane
There's nowhere left to run

Ships made with hemp and wood, and men with iron and bone
Under sail on a following sea, just trying to make it home
There's lightning in the distance, looks like a mighty blow
We'll be Swinging from the yardarms if they catch us with this load

Tales are told of rum and gold, shiny stones in a bloody leather sack
The ocean plays for keeps, the deck is always stacked, and the governor's noose is never slack
Trust no one, don't close your eyes , and always, always, watch your back
Blood will be spilled When you're sailing under the Black

Flint and Veines and John they say can be seen on distant shores
On a moonless night when the stars are bright, you can hear the clash of swords
Blood on the sand, blade and fire, with a dying oath he swore
X marks the spot on a pirate's map only dead men know for sure

Tales are told of rum and gold, shiny stones in a bloody leather sack
The ocean plays for keeps, the deck is always stacked, and the governor's noose is never slack
Trust no one, don't close your eyes , and always, always, watch your back
Blood will be spilled When you're sailing under the Black
Blood will be spilled when you're sailing under the Black

Now that is nothing short of Awesome. Definitely my all time favorite from you and I have been a fan for many years. So many nice little additions, twin guitars, headstock arpeggios, Horn pipe ending. Tremendous scowling vocal. 5 minutes plus and never bored. That says it all. Time well spent. Stay well my friend, Tom

Hi Herb,

This is simply inspired.

It sounds like just one track taken from a "Concept" album, as we used to call
them back in the day. Maybe you could write the other tracks and give us the full
story.

I loved the whole thing. There's so much going on and so many different textures, but
it all hangs together beautifully.

Excellent throughout.

ROG.

Herb...

This is epic! So many textures so expertly transitioned. Definitely my favorite from you. Your creative mind and musicianship put in a lot of overtime. There wasn't a single second that wasn't exciting and captivating. Excellent in ever detail and facet.

Loved this couplet:

Blood on the sand, blade and fire, with a dying oath he swore
X marks the spot on a pirate's map only dead men know for sure

I'm in total awe of what you accomplished here. Excellent!

Best to you. Be safe ...

Alan

Kicking off with Kashmir Rum flavours can only be a good thing.
Your vocal is strong and confident BUT it does need some taming in spots as it esses and distorts a little.
Great fun and a nice way to wear your influences.
Rum was my preferred tipple when I was a social drinker a couple of decades ago.

Yeah!

Loved everything about this, just outstanding in every way. Epic!

Nice to hear you playing guitar on this also.

Somebody on SC mentioned a similarity to Jeff Bridges.
We agree as we have listened to and enjoyed his music.

"Blood on the sand, blade and fire, with a dying oath he swore
X marks the spot on a pirate's map only dead men know for sure"

Al has already quoted that but we will join in. Strong!

Cool backstory to go with story lyric.

Several listens are needed to absorb all the nuances of the story
and the production.

Excellent vocal/guitar performances, arrangement and mix (nice snare pop).

A rich story song taken to the max! Janice said she was visualizing
epic scenes from Game Of Thrones.

Much enjoyed,

J&B

Hi Herb,

It's amazing what a book could do to a human.
This is a very good song.
All fits and your guitar was very very strong. A pity it isn't a realtrack. I certainly would use it in a future song!...
And what right you are on that, with your humble remark: "Why fix perfection"?

I enjoyed listening to it and could almost see myself aboard the Black...eh, only to get me a rum and coke...

Hans

Wow.... I'm glad you and others are liking this song. It was one of those songs that you write and you wonder if it was a waste of time.... you know, one more on the road to the next "good" one. It was certainly an indulgence into fantasy.

The "head stock arpeggios" were simply muted strings on the 15th fret or so and sweep picked. There were some 12th fret harmonics early on but the distortion removed any semblance of harmonics.... lol.

I'm glad you enjoyed and stayed with it for the ride across the waves.

ROG,

You know, I was thinking along similar lines about the "concept" aspect to this song. I doubt I will even attempt to write an entire concept album, but hey, you never know. It would certainly make for a mighty fine video don't ya think? Thanks for dropping in so quickly and commenting.

A. Magnificent. Opus.

Incredible. Awesome. Thrilling. Did I mentioned that I liked this masterpiece?

I'm so glad you threw out the rule book. This is pro all the way.

Thank you!

Herb I am so glad you did this. Excellent vocal and loved the story in the lyric and super delivery. Guitars and backtrack were perfect for the some. Definitely not a waste of time. Epic !!!!

Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you picked out my favorite line from the song. I agree, but the interesting thing is it came out pretty easily and quickly. I did debate changing the lines in the first part, but now, I'm glad I didn't.

It was during the process of writing this song that I happened to catch Kashmire somewhere.... I thought to myself that that was a good riff progression.... dark and moving...so I variated it a bit and used it to good effect.

I've never actually been into rum as a drink. I tend to like bourbon whiskey of a few particular brands. But... I think there is some rum in the cupboard somewhere in the back. I have drunk my fair share of rum in the past.... it's just not on my favorites list.

Thanks for the listen and the comments

Thanks... And I really do try to play something on every one of my projects. Some more than others. Glad you enjoyed the song.

Herb,

Terrific rock tune—superbly pieced together from a production standpoint. Impressive. Love the solo guitar work. Great write as well. Reminiscent to me of 70’s classic rock—really stellar. Cool stuff!

All my best,

Deej

Hi Herb
Shiver me timbers, but I do love a good pirate tale. Really evocative storytelling and great sounds. Beautifully done.
Regards,
Leon

I had to look up Jeff Bridges to see who you were talking about. I wasn't aware he was a recording artist. Learn something new every day around here. I'm glad you like that same line as Al.

I too watched the Game of Thrones after the series was totally finished. So I was able to binge it from start to end. I've always been a fan of such fantasy stories, especially when the plot is good and requires some thought on the part of the observer. So naturally, Black Sails fell right into this same category. I hated that it was only 4 seasons long. There is a series that is several seasons about Treasure Island and I might have to give that a shot too.

Thank you for listening to the song. And I think you are right. It takes a few listens to get all the things that are there in this song.

Glad you enjoyed this.

Hans,,,, thank you for listening.

Books, yes, they can take you places. Places that are across seas and time. I like futuristic sci-fi, but the old times, wooden ships, rolling seas, swords, and other such things have always held a certain fascination.

The funny thing is this song was written more as a throw away, self indulgent, binge into massive guitar sound, so it's quite humbling to know that many are enjoying it in such a way as they are describing.

Thank you for being in that group.

The tracks.... yeah, I was intending to replace the 2 BB tracks that are basically rhythm. I mean, easy peesy right? But they simply just worked and there wasn't anything to be gained from doing that. So I left them. for the most part, you don't really hear them clearly except right before the 3rd verse about Flint and the boys on the beach..... Also, I had considered making some user tracks of my playing but I figured again.... why bother as I simply play what needs to be played on any given song. I hadn't thought about making it available to others to use..... maybe that;s something I will consider in the future.

Again thanks.

A good old pirates song. Yes, the music does have a Led Zeppelin flavor. The prosody is very fitting. Nice write!

I'm glad that you didn't throw this one away. This outstanding.

Everything I wanted to say already has been said, i.e. great vocal, mix, and lyrics.

Loved that ending!

Many thanks for listening and commenting. My songs don't usually get such glowing reviews. Again thank you.

Thanks. I love to write story songs. And I'm glad you listened and commented on this.

Can certainly hear the Zeppelin and ZZ influence. Has that groove.

Made me think of going through Pirates Of The Caribbean at Disney World. That same kind of typical pirate images. The first time through it seemed amazing, but as we did it a few more times it lost its appeal. The last time we went - which was years ago - it had a lot of parts that were needing repair - unusual for Disney - and they were roped off and not operational. I guess everything shows its age at some point. It also reminded me that I have a "sort of" pirate song called "The Pirate Of Peterson Park" - about a homeless guy in Montreal. Written about 40 years ago. I might have to work that up. I'm sure I could find plenty of stuff in BIAB to bring it to life.

Good mix. I enjoyed the listen. Good ending.

Hi Herb,

Superb - awesome - killer. You need to throw the rule book more often. Everything about this is top notch. I was just watching a video analyzing Smells Like Teen Spirit, and I immediately got the same kind of vibe from your song here - raw, powerful, inspired, with a real attitude.

Great stuff!

I'm glad you really liked this tune. Thank you for listing and commenting with your kind words.

I had actually considered using that... Shiver me timbers.... in the song but I couldn't find anywhere where it didn't sound .... uhhhh cheezie.... so I left it out... Good thing huh? I figured I could tell the story with out the shivering part. Besides that... I never once heard that expression or several other common "pirate" sayings used in the series. Not a single Arrrrrgh either.

Thanks for listening.

Thanks for listening and commenting. Glad you like it.

Mario, Me too. Thanks for listening and commenting. The ending isn't something you normally hear every day, is it?

Yep... Kashmire was the influence for the groove. What is interesting is that Kasmire is in 4/4 and the guitar part is 6/8. Every other cycle it's "out of time"...

I don't know if you have seen the series this is based on, but it is certainly not the stereotypical image of the pirates we have come to know.

Thanks for listening and commenting and I'm glad you enjoyed the tune. If I was to do a second version, there are a few things I would do differently and words would be changed too.... but that's neither here nor there now.

Thanks for listening. It's a compliment to be compared with Nirvana in this manner.

Again, thanks.

Now THAT'S entertainment! Two words. E Pic. Band and arrangement are killer. Lyric is really well-wrought and those husky, testosterone-spiked vocals nailed the vibe. Dang! Just great.

Super cool. I dig it. I agree that the music has a Led Zeppelin feel, which is great. Great hook too.

Herb,
Cool track! Classic Rock headbanger, with unusual twist. Brings strange memories. As kids, we used to find old tractor tire tubes, make small rafts and play pirates on the river. Nice guitars and vocals! Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Herb

Most impressive - top quality throughout and certainly attention getting.

Excellent work.

Peter

Tangmo, now that's an epic review. I think my voice was kinda rough sounding when I recorded it and I thought it might work so I pushed it a bit.

I'm really glad this pushed the right buttons for you. Thanks for listening.

Thanks for commenting. I see you are a new user here in the forums. Welcome. Yes indeed, I had heard the song Kashmir during the time I was starting to work on this and really thought that groove would fit well. I'm glad you enjoyed the song.

Herb,

Can I join your black pirate ship man?

Will there be dirty deeds done dirt cheap?

I am ready to sign up! Great song!

Outstanding piece of work. Zep is right, lyrically and musically. Great lyrics and vocal delivery. Fantastic electric guitar playing. Loved the fade out music too. Top notch production.

This grabbed me by the collar and didn't let go until five minutes later. I loved the ride. So much you put into this, it kept my interest at every turn. Exceptional work, much respect.

Strange memories. It's amazing that we survived our childhood. I recall some of the things I did.... Maybe that explains a few things huh?

Glad you enjoyed the guitars. I really like certain parts of this myself. The guitars in the chorus especially.

Thanks for listening

Hey Peter, thanks for listening.

Aye matey, come aboard.

We always have dirty deeds done.

Thanks for listening Dave.

Thanks for listening. I don't often fade my tunes, preferring instead to button up the endings but in this one.... I could see old John heading down the dirt road dragging a sea chest behind him while humming a sea chantey about a bottle of rum.

Well, it did it's job then. A song is supposed to take the listener on a magical ride. Thanks for listening.