Hi Folks,

Is it Country, maybe Crossover, or perhaps just a song with an incidental pedal steel guitar?
I'm just a poor boy from the North of England and my knowledge of Country is strictly limited to what I've learned from Floyd over the years, but I'm sure my friends on the forum will put me right on this.

The pedal steel and the backing vocals are RTs.
The piano is a DX7 which belongs to a pal and which is with me for a spot of programming.
The strings and bass are from an Oberheim plugin and the drums are samples.
For the first time, I'm not playing guitar on a track!
It was all recorded in Realband and mixed in Harrison Mixbus 32C.

A Change In The Weather
You could ask me how it goes
Now that I'm back on my own
And you could ask me how it feels to see you walk away
And not be coming home
And you could ask me how it ends
And if I sometimes still see our friends
And I could say -
"It looks like a change in the weather".

And you could ask me one more time
Was it my fault that it all went wrong?
And you could ask me why I live my life the way I do
Like a cowboy in a country song
And you could ask if I blame myself
When I see you walking out with someone else
And I could say -
"It looks like a change in the weather".

And you could ask if this means goodbye
And I could look you in the eye
And I could say -
"It looks like a change in the weather".

I'm always grateful for a listen from anyone who has the time.
Take care all, in these strange times.

ROG

Hi Rog,

I had to smile when I read your comment about your knowledge of Country being strictly limited to what you've learned from Floyd over the years, mine too!

Good song, love the sound of that steel! Nice vocal too.

Enjoyed!

Howdy ROG....

Ha....well...I don't listen to or write country songs either but you have a good one here.

As Dave says...that pedal steel is pretty sweet and your vox is well performed.
I did think the vox could come up just a db or so but my fossilized ears may be deceiving me.

Good job....have a great day.

Rog,

This is really sweet! Nice work all around.

Regards,

Bob

This is very good. Better vocals than when you use that other old fool who sings flat!!

Hi Rog,

It's a very pleasant country ballad. The lyrics are endearing and your voice lends itself wonderfully. Nice work. I appreciated.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJavkFlash

I'm going to say you have a good pop rock ballad with a steel guitar. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. It just doesn't feel like country to me.

I love the mix... Superb quality on everything.

Totally enjoyed the song.

Light and airy.

Nice.

moto

ROG,

As Kris Kristofferson used to say... "Close enough for Country...")
(although he was referring to whether his guitar was in tune or not )

A really good write (I'd call it my favorite of yours).
Solid lyric and a cool melody.

The vocal is very cool - has a Beatlesque quality.

Excellent mix. Great balance between backing and vocals.

Very much enjoyed!

fj (who cannot help being Country no matter how hard he tries otherwise)

This is really good.

Good write, pleasant on the ears, tugs at heartstrings in an understated way, cool melody and vocals.

If I were making mixtapes, it would go on my collection of cool stuff from bands no one's ever heard of that deserved much more airplay.

Rog

A very pretty song whatever genre you'd like it to be, had a 70's soft rock sound to me.

I enjoyed it, especially the lovely vocal arrangement.

Peter

Rog,

This is really, really nice! I have to agree with Floyd, this is one of my favorites of yours. The lyrics are so strong, and the melody is superb - love the lift on "and I could say..." - and then the resolve to "It looks like a change in the weather." To me, that's what really gives it that Beatles feel (the Beatles were big country fans - they introduced Buck Owens to the UK, and did a cover of his hit Act Naturally - written by Johnny Russell and Voni Morrison.)

The second I heard your song start, I was struck with how full and warm it sounded. I have used Mixbus 32C on several mixes, and it is an outstanding DAW, particularly for mixing. It has a natural analog sound, and a really great built in saturation on all the mixbusses. Of course, none of this means anything, if it is not used properly. You certainly used it properly. Great sound. Great song. (And great pedal steel.) - I should know, I have lived over half my life around Austin, Texas. (Herb, if I couldn't live in Nashville, Austin is not too bad...)

Great job!

Steve

Ah, is it a classical song because we use violins instead of fiddles? Ha! Categories are for record stores and DJs. Nearly every song has a crossover component. There is definitely one indisputable category for this one, Rog. It's a good one, man. I also hear the magic of North England. We all have learned a great deal from Floyd. Excellent vocal and harmony in this. I've been using a lot of pedal recently too and have asked myself that same question. Regardless of the answer, this is a very well written song and the pedal is perfect for it and so are the strings.

Excellent production ROG! Really love the sounds!

Wonderful vocals. Kind of ELO in a way.

Wow loved this tune Rog. Very cool backtrack. Super vocal and loved the effects on the vocal. Well done

Very nice delicate lyrics written around the title line.
Beautiful chord progression, not very country to me, rather reminds me of Alan Parsons work, thus falling into my favorite of your songs.
Great vocals, lovely sounding high notes.
The band sounds warm and the piano has that homely 80's vibe. The pedal steel works very well.

Janne

ROG,
A very enjoyable change of pace; reflective lyrics, strong melody and an excellent understated vocal with a nice hint of falsetto.
No guitar,well ok, just this once.
Us Brits do hear country differently- I like your take very much!

Robert

Hi Dave,
This was a bit of a change of direction for me, so I'm pleased you liked it.
One thing that I've learned from Floyd is that Country is a lot more varied then I used to think.
I may have another go at some time in the future.
Many thanks for the review.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Chulaivet,
I've just got round to auditioning the pedal steel RTs and they're great.
It's the only type of guitar which I've never played, so it's good to have them on hand.
Thanks for the review and the kind comments.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Bob,
It's great to see your name in my reviews - I always value your opinion.
Many thanks for looking in on this one - much appreciated.
Cheers,
ROG

Thanks Eddie, that's very kind.
I won't embarrass the other guy by mentioning his name!
Cheers,
ROG.

Superb production, everything here works very well indeed.

Lyrically intriguing, including masterful phrasing and topped off with an excellent vocal delivery, this song really has a lot to like about it.

This is a really nice song. Very strong write, arrangement, production and performance. You're in good company recording a country song that's not a country song but a great song even if it's really more a pop song.

Probably the most famous pop song featuring the pedal steel is "Teach Your Children" by CSN with Jerry Garcia brandishing the Pedal Steel. Then there's Three Dog Night covering an actual country write by Hoyt Axton but turning it into a top 10 (5) pop hit, "Never Been To Spain" with Rusty Young (Poco) doing the Pedal Steel honors. Even Paul McCartney got into the Pedal Steel when he recorded tracks for the "Juniors Farm" Album in 1974. The best known tune with PSG reached number 17 in the US with "Sally G".

There's much to like with your song and this is surely a favorite of mine. Enjoyed my listen.

Hi Derochette,
Many thanks for looking in, for the review and for the positive comments.
Cheers,
ROG

Hi Herb,
Pleased you enjoyed it.
Many thanks for the review and the comments about the mix - much appreciated.
Cheers,
ROG

Hi Cap'n,
Many thanks for the review.
Cheers,
ROG

Hi Floyd,
I've heard "Close enough for Country" so many times and never known it was attributed - thanks for that!
I really appreciate the positive review and if this is your favourite of mine, I'm more than satisfied.
Many thanks.
ROG.

Whatever you call, it certainly works for me, ROG. A very pleasant listen indeed.
Regards,
Leon

However you categorise it, ROG, I like it a lot. A very pleasant listen.
Regards,
Leon

Hi David,
I'm pleased that it tugged at your heart strings, albeit in an understated way!
Those are really nice comments - thank you, much appreciated.
ROG.

Hi Peter,
I'm happy with 70s soft rock, as long as you enjoyed it.
Many thanks.
ROG.

Great backing track with judicious use of pedal-steel.
The song benefits from a strong lyric which I think deserves a slightly stronger vocal in the mix. However, lines such as "it looks like a change in the weather," suggests an affected disinterest - in which case a dispassionate tone is thoroughly appropriate. Well done.

ROG,

Love the sound and feel of this. Pro all the way.

Excellent!

Bob

It may sound odd but we felt (you can blame it on Janice) that it gave a hint of Brian Wilson. The background, the melody and the lyric fit in with the feel of his many as Janice again says "pretty songs."

We are suckers for light airy mixes and this is an excellent one.

And the BiaB vocals were a nice delicate touch as was the judicious use of the steel.

Enjoyed it!

J&B

Hi Steve,
Many thanks for such a full and detailed review.
I'm so pleased you liked it and if it's now one of your favourites of mine then I'm delighted.
Yes, Mixbus 32C is excellent. I love the way that they've modelled the sound of a real 32 Channel,
so that when you import the stems and hit play it immediately sounds analog.
The editing is way behind Realband though, so I just use 32C for mixdown, which is what it's best at.

Thanks again for the kind comments.

ROG.

ROG,
I really enjoyed this. Whatever genre you (and FJ) decide to call it, I thought it was quite pretty and had a nice depth in the mix.

Josie

REALLY COOL.I do think the stereo vocal could be made mono or some of the treatment dropped to allow more clarity and a centered position.

Hi Marty,
You speak a lot of sense about categories being for record stores and DJs.
Pleased you liked this one. I've just discovered how good the pedal steel RTs are, so they will probably feature again soon.
Many thanks for the review.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi David,
Always appreciate a review from you - pleased you liked it.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Scott,
Many thanks for looking in and for the positive comments.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Janne,
Many thanks for the review and the Alan Parsons reference.
Pleased it made your favourites list.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Robert,
Yes, certainly a change of pace from my recent songs and thanks for the positive comments.
I'm sure I'll be picking up the guitar again next time!
As a Brit I don't find that writing Country is easy, so I'm pleased you liked it.
Many thanks,
ROG.

Hi Trev,
Very nice comments and much appreciated.
I particularly liked "Lyrically intriguing".
Many thanks for looking in.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Charlie,
Thanks for such a detailed review!
I was fascinated by all the tracks you mentioned - thanks for taking the time to do that.
Pleased it made your favourite list.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Leon,
Many thanks for the listen and review - pleased you liked it.
Cheers,
ROG.

This sounds really good. It's such a gentle song and sung quite well. My new favorite of yours.

You definitely have a winner here.

Great tune with a good hook! Not too country, more soft pop. But very, very good. Maybe the best I've heard from you. Excellent work!

ROG ...

I left a comment on this song last might ... but it somehow just disappeared. Will get back to you with a proper comment in the next day or so ... my time here is extremely limited right now. Great song ...

Alan

Hi Ghostgum,
Many thanks for detailed review - much appreciated.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Bob,
Thanks for looking in and for the positive review.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi there J&B,
Thanks for the listen and I'm more than pleased with the Brian Wilson reference.
This might be the only "pretty" song I've written!
I always value your comments - much appreciated.
Cheers,
ROG.

I'm back.

This is instantly one of my very favorites of yours. As far as genre, it reminds of some of the crossover groups of the 70s. Although this is not not an "Eagles-type" song, they never hesitated to add a pedal steel when needed. Rumor has they had a pretty good run! As I listen "Pure Prairie League came to mind, as far as style. But i think this is a bit more sophisticated than their music. But the eras have something to do with that, too.

Your vocal is great and sits perfectly in the mix - slightly back in the mix but yet clearly present.

So many good things to say about this one. But, since my time on these forums is very limited for a little while, so, please know I think you composed and delivered an ace of a song that was very enjoyable to listen to. Best to you ...

Alan

Hi Josie,
So nice to see your name on my review list - many thanks and much appreciated.
Pleased you enjoyed it.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Ray,
Thanks for looking in and for the review.
I appreciate your comments, but seriously my voice really needs that much treatment!
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Ezekiel,
I always appreciate your reviews and I'm pleased that this has become a favourite.
Many thanks,
ROG.

Hi TM,
Very kind comments, thank you and much appreciated.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Alan,
First of all, I'm pleased that this has become one of your favourites of mine.
"Pure Prairie League" took me back a few years - I'm going to have to look them up again.
Pleased you liked the vocal because I'm always lacking in confidence about singing.
So, many thanks for all the kind comments - much appreciated.
Take care old friend and give my best to Di as well.
Cheers,
ROG.