The Turn
https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130/the-turn

This song is about how someone thinks life should have been lived, but in retrospect sees that he should have done it differently.
In a way, a story of many people. Like in that beautiful song from J&B, 'No fault zone' (how I interpret their lyrics). It is autobiografic, but I'm sure a lot of you will recognize it too!

I made the song with nice harmonies and a violin in a predictable, but cool Blues.Just before placing in on SoundCloud in september, I 'got bored' and tried something else. I changed drums for congas and a gospel piano for a fingerpicking guitar and sang it solo. Not really what you use in a Blues. The result was I didn't know what I liked most. A couple of friendly 'judges' had to make the decision. They chose this version and, after some hesitation, I am satisfied with this.
That is what BIAB can do to you, giving you so mutch to do with your songs. And I love that!

I really hope you can enjoy the song and like the story.
Feel free to tell me what I did good or can do better. That's what this forum is about, isn't it?

Hans Berkhout
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Istruments
Style: HOMESIK.STY (Homesick Soft Pop Serenade)

RealTracks:  628:Bas, Elec., Funk James FingerSlap Gel 100
RealTracks: 3526:Piano, Acoustic, Gospel Cool 16de Sw 75
RealTracks: 3059:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm, muted 16den Fintan Gel16 80
RealTracks: 1766:Mandoline, Rhythm, Pop 16 Sync Gel 85
RealTracks: 2975:Vocal Oohs-Aahs, Pop 3-vocals Gel 85
RealTracks: 3159:Guitar, Bariton Elec., Americana Slow 16de Gel 60 FX
RealDrums [in Song:CongasEv16[single] [Multi]

I used Logic Pro X, Neutron 3 and Native Instruments (for reverb and compressors) for mixing,
Ozone 9 Advanced for mastering.
No pitch control or D-essing.

--------------------------------
The lyrics
The turn (I have to make)
(c)HwBerkhout 240720

Verse
Must make a turn now, I've lost my way
My certainties fade away
and I'm not sure which one will stay

Chorus 1
Out of nowhere it knocked me over
I was one of those fools
who saw too much injustice
and fought against mean rules

Verse
Times ago I felt so strong
But I heard around me this won't last long
And years after, my strength was gone

Chorus 2
Out of nowhere it knocked me over,
I belonged to those fools
who saw too much indifference
and fought against bad rules
I always believed honesty shall prevail
I didn't see, no didn't see, this will mostly fail

-solo-

Chorus 3
Out of nowhere it knocked me over,
we were some old fools
who saw too much dishonesty
and fought against unjust rules

Chorus 4
Out of nowhere it knocked me over,
I'm now surrounded by new fools
who see so much greed
but won't fight against those who rules,   poor we
I always believed I had to fight and stay strong, oh me
I didn't see, no didn't see  it was all wrong

Hans,

First off, love the concept of the song. It’s a compelling theme. Your vocal is for me the star on this one, with a great use of the oohs and aahs RTs. And here too, the appearance of one of my favorite guitar track (the muted Fintan) . . . and really digging the Gospel Cool piano RT. Very nice sound to this, gravitating. Impressive production!

All my best,

Deej

Hans,
Good message in the lyrics.
Love the beat, the bongos and all.

Only one recommendation:
Instruments are a bit loud, diminishing the importance of the vocals.

moto

Very cool intro on this tune Hans. Love the bass. Some very cool riffs in there. Another excellent vocal and lyrics. Loved the back track. Excellent mix. Well done

Good morning Hans,

Congas work well, good choice. Love the bass also. Really like your vocal in this, but then I always do. Good use of the Oohs and Aahs.
Nice modulation towards the end, didn't see that coming but it worked well I thought.

Well done, enjoyed!

A cool song and story.
You have a harsh frequency "cracking" at, mainly, the beginning of many phrases...could be mic proximity or effects - I can't tell. It isn't a bad thing but it caused a little listen fatigue for me.
Cool song nonetheless.

Interesting song. I liked the fact that the melody in the chorus was unpredictable. Unique.

Hans,

A good, introspective write.

A very cool BAND. An interesting combination creating an original sound.

The BGVs are nicely done.
A good main vocal (slightly "brighter" than it needs to be).

You are making interesting, original music. With some deep messages.
Cool stuff.

fj

Hi Hans,

like Floayd wrote: You're making a lot of interesting songs with deep messages.

This one is a very good one, too. I think your singing has improved a lot (although I've liked it from the start) and I have to repeat what I've said so often: That backing track is kjst amazing.

And the mix sounds definitely pretty close to perfect - hats off!!

All the best, we're gonna stay in personal contact anyway.

Stefan

Hi Deej, thank you for these words. They made my day!
Although I still altered the song to a lower key today. I heard I didn't reach one of the last words because of a little cold I had (No Corona, I tested negative on that). On that lower key all could be sang more intimate...
About the use of the Oohs and Aahs; Misha told me to use them.




Hi Captain Moto,
Thanks for your compliments! The lyrics are telling something of my real life, but I think many can identify with it as well.
And you were right on that louness. I thought the same the same evening I posted it. I changed that the following day, but later on I also changed the key of the song, so I had to do everything again. Some work...

Hello Birchwood,

I have always appreciated your very philosophical lyrics. It reminds me of people who after a disaster or a war said "never again" and we find that nothing changes. Quite philosophical, the blue atmosphere is very pleasant and the arrangement very pleasant. Well done.

Kindly regard

Dero13
alias JaniJackFlash

Hi Scott, thanks for these compliments. First I had a more 'conservative version'of the song, but I decided to go for this one. Afterwards I became convinced I made the wrong choice, but that is the theme of the lyrics after all...



Hi Dave, this morning you were very early commenting on this song! Don't tell me this is how you fill the days now because of Corona? (or even without that?). I am glad you did, of course. You gave me a nice compliment and that's where we live for, don't we?



Hi Ray, you are one of my most loyal fans, I guess. And don't tell me you are not and you are just (trying to) teach(ing) me how to make a proper song. I took notice of the cracking complains you had. I didn't hear them. I even did everything all over; the singing (in a lower key) and some rendering on the instruments. I came to the conclusion you heard the aging of my vocals! But I thought Blues had to be sung with a crackling voice. That's why I don't sing lovesongs...
Can you live with this excuse?


Thanks everyone,
Have a nice day,
Hans

Hans, you are really quite special. Another wonderful song. So well thought out and conceived (which is not really redundant haha). Poignant lyrics on a very deep subject, one which many would rather ignore it seems. We could sit and talk about this for hours with a couple bottles and two glasses. Not sure what your "friendly judges" threw out, but I really like their choice of this one. Congas make everything sound better. I traveled with a conga player for years. You know I'd like that bass: perfect. Your voice is perfect, too. You remind me of John Lennon.

This is a very good song Hans that grooves along nicely, great choice of instruments and rhythm section with a nice build up to chorus 4.

Your vocals are excellent and the song has a nice message.

A very enjoyable listen.

Hans,
Unusual and tastefully done blues. I like that bass opening and percussion works very well with this. Solid message, I guess most can relate to in some way. Good mix and vocals. But I would use some d-essing. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Hi, Hans !:))


What a wonderful tune
so masterfully done in
every aspect !

My congrats !

Cheers
Dani

Cool song!! Interesting lyric, and great musical vibe........love that bass!! There is a great motion in the music.....very engaging! Well done!! Take care. Greg

Hans
The internal journey you take us on with that everchanging chorus surprised me- its subtle and real searching you`ve turned into a very good song.
Nice oohs and a good backing helped to keep the mood from becoming too serious.
Perhaps its your voice, but I got a Lennon vibe(from his Imagine days) from this, which,of course is a good thing!

Robert

I like all the interesting choices you made arrangement-wise. It made the song refreshing and just a little different than what we normally get from you. I also liked the contemplative vocal, really gave some gravitas to the lyrics. Well done!

As we've said before and as Marty mentioned your vocal reminded us of John Lennon. And as Marty mentioned we'd like to join in the conversation about the lyric (with a couple of pint glasses ).

The band is excellent -- particularly the piano and the bass. The congas were a nice addition and the BGV's worked well.

"I always believed honesty shall prevail
I didn't see, no didn't see, this will mostly fail"

Sadly that is too often the situation.

We REALLY like this and as Janice just said, "he sings with a lot of soul."

Excellent production Hans!

J&B

Well done Hans. This is a strong song sung with conviction.
I Loved the band, especially the funk bass and the gospel piano (I've taken a note of them for future productions).
Top mix too.
Thanks for sharing this one.
Cheers,
Mike

The intro grabbed me. First the percussion, and then that fantastic bass line. I didn't hear your other version, but listening to one tells me you made the right choice. Love all elements of this. This is my new favorite song of yours. Your vocal is one of your best!

I hope you don't mind this comparison, but it reminds me of some of the non-bubblegum tracks of The Monkees, around their fourth album.

Hi Ghostgum, very nice compliment you gave me. I (sometimes) like to be (a bit) unpredictable.
Although in this song I thought I was very predictable; I started with singing about 'me' (the person in the story)who has to make a turn and I explained why: his whole live was based on a 'wrong' presupposition. To notice this did hurt him. And I sung with a lot of sorrow in my voice. But of course the song is also cynical. The real message is not to let this (turn) happen!



Hi Floyd, thanks for your observations and compliments! And I don't mind if you tell me straight away my eq-problem is still at hand here. But you putted it mildly: 'slightly 'brighter! Nice!
I think I adjusted it, but Misha is telling me the same as you (bluntly compared to you...).
I like stories with some dept in in. But not everyone listens to lyrics. In discusions at home I'm always confronted with that. But I don't like to learn on that.



Hello Stefan, it's good to have you around again! Especially with your kind of comments on my song ;-)
No, really thanks for them. You are too kind by not mentioning my 'bright' voice, or I already fixed it before your comment.




Hi Dero13 JJJ, Very nice words from you. Thanks! Yes, sometimes I warn myself not to become too cynical with my thoughts. But I really am amazed in what tempo things change and not in a good way. Don't you think so? But it is also a good thing to see it in perspective as well. Thanks for listening (again)!

Ha ha, Babu M, We surely could be talking, thinking and drinking for hours! Not only about 'heavy' lyrics, but say... about your travels with that conga player. Sounded cool! And my judges will certainly aprove it! Thanks for your nice compliments and the comparison with John Lennon. After all these similair posts about him and me I make a start believing there must be some truth in it. Although I don't hear any resemblance I do wear round glasses now. My wife still hesitates wearing a black wig,coloured glasses and be called Yoko.



Hi Musiclover, I am very pleased with your so kind words! I was hesitating between two versions and now am glad I chose this one. Thanks!



The eq problems keep sticking their heads out every now and then, Misha! But in this song I decided not to use effects other than some basic eq, compression and reverb. So no Melodyne,tuning or D-es. And I didn't hear the need of it, but now you mentioned it is still a bit harsh on my esses. Life sucks...
But another thing: you remember writing me lately to use the Ooh's and Aah's Realtracks? I told you I was working on a song with them in it. Well this was the one! I hoped you to be flabbergasted by it, but nothing... How come, Misha?
Still I thank you a lot for your compliments on this song.

Thanks for listening an stay safe everyone,
Hans

Hi Dani, thanks for your nice opinion on this song. Appreciate that!



Hi Greg, that bass did it! I liked it very much too, but was hesitating using it at first. It could distract from the lyrics, but luckily it didn't. Thanks for your nice reaction!



Hello Robbert, thanks for writing these nice words on the song. I like how you described my chorusses! I did it this way to describe an increasing situation. The structure of the sentences was almost alike, only a few words alter. Altogether it made me build up that ending.
And read what I wrote to BabuMusic on that Lennon comparison. Of course I'm proud reading this, although I don't recognize it myself. But it doesn't matter much. To me the biggest compliment is you all liked this song!



What nicely said, TuneMonger! But to be honest, I had to look up what you meant with 'contemplative vocal'. We use this word in religion matters, but I understood that you mean the rehearsal of words that might work somewhat like a mantra. Did you mean that? In that case I think you are right, however I wouldn't have written this myself; I'm honoured!



Hi Bud and Janice, I think we have gathered a nice group of people willing to discuss everything with some booze! It's only 'Where?' that has to be settled. Tomorrow I fly from Europe to Yucatán, Mexico. You think you can come over for our 'discussion fiesta'? Let me know!
But thanks a lot for your nice words on the song ad of course what Janice said about my singing. I think she is more than right on that, but we can discuss about it. And the John Lennon vibe I seem to have... I begin to think you are right on that too. I heard some songs from him again and he has that Birchwood vibe. I can't ignore that. But that can also be part of our discussion. It will be great fun. we have a swimmingpool for ourselves, so...?

But I want to end here with the following words; I'm really honoured by your words!

Thank you all for the efforts you made in writing me these nice words!
Stay safe,
Hans

Hi Mike, thank you for your kind words. But I took good notice of what you wrote between brackets; you want to use these instruments in future songs! Well, I can't wait for that. And put in some Ooh's and aah's or gospelladies too!



Hello Ezekiel, thanks for what you wrote! My other version was not published. I always sent my songs to 2 or 3 people before publishing. They are my 'judges'. Mostly the verdict is not unanimous. If it is, I put it on SoundCloud (and the forum) immidiatly. Else I have to figure out why they are so devided. It is a complicated proces, but how do you say that? I'm a believer this method works fine for me.
And with that last line I want you to know I don't mind any comparison, even if it was John Lennon. But it was that -as a child- I liked that song from the Monkees, but never had the chance hearing more serious songs from them. So this comparison has to be chewed on for some time. Join the 'discussion fiesta' in Mexico the coming week (see my post above).

Thanks for listening and watch for creepy viruses,
Hans

Hans, Your vocal is very nice on this! The combination of instrumentation has created an interesting sound! Nice work! T