Howdy Friends, been a while.

This post from Torrey inspired me to post again.
KEEP SINGING YOUR SONG (A word of encouragement for all fellow forum members)
by Torrey Bliss. "If your work ends up being a blessing to one listener, it makes it worth all of the effort!"
That's very inspiring Torrey and well said.

Back To "Barcy"

If Interested.......
This is a warts and all "organic" {FX and Plug in free} recording because I was tired of over producing everything.
The song began life in BIAB using GOODNITE.STY but the song is in 6/8, and I am not satisfied with BIAB 6's, so all the tracks were replaced . For convenience I played all the midi patterns that I required into EZKeys which is far easier than trying to mic an acoustic piano. But I can thank BIAB for giving me the original inspiration.
Key A Tempo 65 Time signature 6/8
Sorry that some of the lyrics will confuse you but the essence of the song is that small town people everywhere are the "salt of the earth".
Your feedback helps me to improve so please comment if there is anything you don't like or where I could do better.

"Barcy" is Barcaldine, Queensland.

Heading to "Barcy" to visit my dusty home town
It hasn't changed much , by sundown there's no-one around
Driving down Elm street , I'm travelling back to the past
When I was a kid - where I used to live.

(chorus)

I was a cowboy from the day I could walk
Can drive any tractor , can ride any horse
Muster the cattle while keeping the dingos away
On Saturday night oh boy did we fight
But fammine or flood we would quickly unite
The life of a Jackaroo out on those wide sunburnt plains


By the "Tree of Knowledge" I stole my first kiss
Down by "La Creek" we caught plenty of fish
Running barefoot thru the creeks, grass and mud
We stained the Golden Wattle with our blood
I learnt how to fix anything and use it again
Don't throw it away - those were the days

(chorus)
(outro)
The sky is so big , the stars are so bright
I boiled the billy and settled down for the night
I came back to "Barcy" where life is peaceful and good
Just as it should.

Your song painted an interesting picture of the place, Gary. Enjoyed my listen.

Lots of nostalgia and memories and really well done.

The underlying melody carries your lyric absolutely perfectly.

Great song, and yes, very well done. Congrats.

Hello Gary,

I like your song!
As Ghostgum said it painted a nice picture of you in the past and that town.
The song has a nice build up. at first I thought you missed a tough on the piano (where the verse ends and the chorus starts),
but you repeated that in the next verse/chorus, so it is part of the song. I listened again and it worked nice.
I also think your break close to the end part, is done very well. It makes the song more interesting.
The pianoplay is very enjoyable. Was it you? Or a RealTrack?

One minor thing was your pronouncation of some words, like Night and Fight in "On Saturday night oh boy did we fight".
You say something with 'ich' at the end of each word. It that the Barcy-accent?

But, as I said, I enjoyed it,
Hans

Hi Gary,

Very nice song and excellent piano and vocals.

I liked the build up in the second half of the song.

Well done.

Best Regards
Nigel

Hi Gary,

Man, do I love that piano intro! Your song is so bittersweet and invokes a lot of memories. A few different slang terms and a different twang to your voice and this could have easily been someone in the U.S. Great vocals (warts and all). Good and honest. Thanks for posting, I enjoyed it.

Brian.
I's a nervous wait for the first response after posting a song (as I am sure you are aware) so a big thankyou on both counts.
best regards
Gary.

Trevor.
I am so thrilled to receive a comment from you . Thankyou so much.
regards
Gary.

Hans.
Thank you so much for your well considered comments.

Hans wrote <"The pianoplay is very enjoyable. Was it you? Or a RealTrack?">

The whole piano track was done with EZKeys.

Hans wrote <"You say something with 'ich' at the end of each word. It that the Barcy-accent?">

No , that's a result of my false teeth!

best regards
Gary.

Nigel

Those are lovely words coming from someone with such high quality work.

Gratefully recieved.

kind regards
Gary.

Bawb.
I have always been a fan so I was extra thrilled to read your comments.
Thank you so much.
best regards
Gary.

Gary,
your own Tenterfield Saddler!
It's a good one.
there's some tidying that could be done around the vocal..just some noise etc. and, maybe, some EQing.
That part of the world, free of Joh's corruption, is part of what made Australia and you invoke that well.

Very kind words Ray.

I thank you on behalf of Mr Woolnough and my humble self.

Hope you have settled into your new digs and continue making lots of great music (and videos).

best regards
Gary.

Hi Gary,

Before I even started listening, I liked the idea of the "organic" recording.
I think that with all the effects available to us these days, we can often get drawn into using them when they're really not needed.

This track certainly works for me. Very emotive from the first bar and even more so when the excellent vocal comes in.

Piano sounds wonderful and I loved the whole arrangement - very professional throughout.

Beautiful.

ROG

Those are lovely generous words Rog which I very much appreciate and thank you for!

I'm seeking more magic and less science . Either that or I'm trying to break my plug in addiction.

Best regards and keep your great music coming.
Gary.

So clean and refreshing, Gary. I feel the same --that I overproduce too much. This sounds good. That piano is playing some wonderful accompaniment, yet, forgive me, I still want to reach for the reverb knob just a bit. Well sung vocals too, but there I'm hearing an occasional whoosh sound usually just before you sing. All of those over-producing comments aside, this is a really good song. Such a wonderfully nostalgic feel embracing the fondest memories.

Hi Marty.
Thank you so much for lending me your fresh ears and taking the trouble to comment.

Marty wrote <" I still want to reach for the reverb knob just a bit....
I'm hearing an occasional whoosh sound usually just before you sing.">

That's exactly the type of feedback that I am seeking. It helps me with my next project.

Thanks again Marty and also thankyou for all of your life enhancing joyful music.
regards
Gary.

Really memorable chorus that had me humming along to it. Great work!

Thank you so much TM.
Your opinion means a great deal to me.
best regards
Gary.

Janice said she could immediately picture the story ... epic views she said.

Yes, the imagery is very strong and relatable irrespective of being half a world away.

Fine vocal and key performances and all fits the sparse arrangement.

Kudos on an enjoyable project!


J&B

Thank you Janice and Bud.
I read every response of yours to every poster here. You are both so generous with your time providing comments which are always so well considered and supportive .
In appreciation, and a fan of your fabulous music.
Gary.

Team Merritt Rule O.K.

Gary,

Thanks so much for that little quote from my previous song post! It made my day! It's great to hear you posting a tune again! I was just thinking the other day about how I had not seen anything lately! Your song is a beautiful piece of music telling a touching tale! This song should touch the heart of any listener! I enjoyed it! Thanks, Torrey

Gary,
Good tune with a good dose of nostalgia and humor (I hope I got that right ). Nicely laid piano and very cool lyrics.
Listens very well! Thank you for sharing.
Misha.

P.S. Overproducing.... yep, that is my nemesis. Thank you for reminding me of that.

Hi Torrey.

Your "little quote" was a lightbulb moment for me which has re-ignited my passion for this weird artform known as songwriting . For that I thank you.
Your quote reminded me of why I like this forum so much. I take away (steal) a little piece of everyone's posted song to reassemble into my own song writing jig-saw puzzle. Much of the music posted here is fresh, stimulating and interesting unlike the domination of the mainstream media by bland cookie cutter Hip-Hop. Hence , increasingly I get my music fix right here.
[stepping down from soap box]



Torrey
As for your lovely comments re. my song...
A very,very, humble appreciative thankyou.
Best Regards
Gary.

Hi Misha.

It is always a delight to receive a comment from you.
Thanks for giving it a spin and commenting.
very best wishes
Gary.

Cool tune super vocal. Loved the lyric. Nothing better than going home and revisiting old memories of friends and experiences. Well done

That was a nice listen!

The piano is a great focal point for this song.

Enjoyed the nostalgic story in the the lyrics. Good melody.

Scott(C) & Scott(ES)

Thank you both for your kind words.

best regards
Gary.

I like the organic tone on this.
A nice write, well performed.

Ha ha!

Good to know!

Hans

Gary,

Love the piano in the opening; captures the ear straightaway. The vocal seems perhaps a bit too forward; with a bit of static introduced in the recording each time the vocal kicks in. I might look to soften and sit them back just a tad. The song is solid otherwise—really nice write and the melody is engaging. Good tune!

Best regards to you,

Deej

Hey Gary,

It's great to hear some Australian imagery. I loved it!

As I listened, every now and then the Peter Allen song "Tenterfield Sadler" kept springing to mind. This is a great thing. It's one of my all-time favourite songs.

I really enjoyed listening and I'm a fan of the Queensland images.

I had to look up where Barcaldine is. Wow!!! That's quite a location... the geographical middle of Queensland. It's a long way from Melbourne where I live. Google tells me it's a 20 hour, non-stop drive from here to there!

All the best and thanks for some great listening!
Noel

Deej56
Thank you so much for your very constructive feedback. Once again I am benefitting from the fresh ears and expertise of one of the best vocalist on the showcase and beyond. I am making notes to help with the remix.
Once again Deej56 , thankyou for taking the time to listen and comment.

Thanks Noel.

. Barcy is a great friendly outback town that has it all : heat, dust, flies, 4XXXX beer & Slim Dusty music....what more could you want? In recent times Grey nomads have breathed new life into Barcy and the welcome mat is always out for lock down weary Melbournians.

Thankyou for your listen and comments Noel as it is extra special to get the nod from a fellow Skippy.

Much obliged C'ptn

always good to hear from you.

best regards