Rollin' And Tumblin'

Rollin' and Tumblin' is a PD song (http://jasobrecht.com/rollin-tumblin-story-song/) that has been recorded by hundreds of artists from Cream to Bob Dylan to zillions of blues bands. Some consider it to be the first 12 bar blues. We heard Imogen Heap sing it with Jeff Beck and got inspired to try a version.

We decided on a bluegrass/celtic/blues arrangement :-) that required way more dicing and splicing of RT's than I had anticipated - particularly to get the banjo to fit.

Janice liked it and I wasn't thrilled and shelved it for a few months. Recently I ran it by floyd and Tom who encouraged me to not ditch it and go with as is. Thanks guys! Floyd offered to sing harmony and here's the result.

Yep, a genre mashup that won't work for everybody but at the very least it's BIAB fun!

Vocal Lead: Rodes NT1 to Blue Icicle to Logic Pro X
Vocal Harmony: Whatever Mr jane does
Mastering: Ozone 5
Effects: Nectar 2
Banjo: RT 591, multiple generations and splices
Mandolin: RT 1755
Guitar: RT 1164
Drums: Bodhran
Bouzouki: RT 1812

ROLLIN' AND TUMBLIN'

WELL, I ROLLED AND I TUMBLED, I CRIED THE WHOLE NIGHT LONG
YES, I ROLLED AND I TUMBLED, I CRIED ALL NIGHT LONG
WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNING, DIDN'T KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG

WELL IF THE RIVER WAS WHISKEY AND I WAS A DIVING DUCK
WELL IF THE RIVER WAS WHISKEY AND I WAS A DIVING DUCK
I'D DIVE TO THE BOTTOM AND NEVER EVER COME UP

WELL, I ROLLED AND I TUMBLED, I CRIED THE WHOLE NIGHT LONG
YES, I ROLLED AND I TUMBLED, I CRIED ALL NIGHT LONG
WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNING, ALL I HAD WAS GONE

WELL, I COULDA HAD RELIGION, HAD BETTER THINGS TO DO
YES, I COULDA HAD RELIGION, HAD BETTER THINGS TO DO
YEAH, WHISKEY AND WILD MEN, THEY HELPED ME MAKE IT THROUGH

WELL, I ROLLED AND I TUMBLED, I CRIED THE WHOLE NIGHT LONG
YES, I ROLLED AND I TUMBLED, I CRIED ALL NIGHT LONG
WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNING, ALL I HAD WAS GONE
YES, I WOKE UP THIS MORNING AND EVERYTHING I HAD WAS GONE

© 2014 TRAD. ARR. JANICE & BUD MERRITT

Woo Hoo!

Sounds like something one might hear at Merlefest!
Totally live sounding, excellent execution all around (as usual)

__ENJOYMENT - O - METER__
ho-hum____________/_YE-HA

Very much a plus one from me. Excellent work getting the banjo to fit, sounded to me every note was in place. Vocals and harmonies spot on. The reward of your hard work for me was the excellent rhythm guitar.

Thanks for posting. I always look forward to your submissions.

Charlie

Hi, Janice & Bud & Floyd !

Can´t get much better than this !
Everything works perfectly and
the voices fit together as a hand
in a glove ! I am at awe at this
display of craftmanship !!!:))

Such a great listen !!!!

Cheers
Dani

Hi janice & Bud ...

Bud, can't believe you were ready to throw this one away! Good for Janice, Floyd & Tom for convincing you otherwise. This is a great listen!

Janice's voice is sweeter and sweeter with every Blues-oriented song you guys do. I've said it before but will be redundant and say it again ... Janice reminds me of Susan Tedeschi in some ways. But we'd rather listen to Janice and you guys ... your music is more heartfelt and compelling.

That banjo really set this one off. Great write, production and arrangement. Top shelf all the way! Holy smokes, this is terrific!

Best to you ...

Alan & Di

Hi J. B. and Floyd,

We had to listen to the musical arrangement a couple of times.
At first glance we thought one or more instruments weren't quite in sync, but listening back a few times, that wasn't the case.
May have had something to do with the mashing up the rt's?
Janice's vocals are top notch as always and Floyd did an extremely good job with the backing vocals.

Regards,
Rob and Anne-Marie

Works perfectly for me!! Glad you came back to it. Never heard it before but I dig the song. I like those "real blues" sentiments. Track was a lot of fun and all of you delivered it just right! Take care. Greg

First time I've ever heard that song with a banjer. I like it.


Regards,

Bob

after multiple listens, new things get noticed:

Floyd's voice has a very distinct signature sound in his own songs... but on this song it sounds to me as though he adapted to Janice's style. If I didn't know from the credits that Floyd was singing backup, I wouldn't have caught it.

I assume this was a conscious decision on your part, Floyd, since you don't tend to approach projects randomly.

Personally, I think it is a highly desirable trait in a song to have harmonizing vocalists mirroring one another.

I dig it y'all. Very nice. I really like the groove. Well done. The banjo works perfectly and so do the vocals.

Thank you very much Pat...we tried for years to get to Merlefest and it was always conflicting with our mountain bike race series....now that we don't race any more I hear that the fest has gotten so big you have to be shuttled to stages!
Hey, glad to be on the right side (literally and figuratively) of that meter!

J&B



Thanks Charlie. All I did to the guitar was add a little reverb and cut the low's a bit. Glad it all worked for you.

Bud



Thank you Dani....they do sing together well don't they?

Bud

B&J, I have been a fan of song of this song for a long time. This version stands up against any that have been recorded in the past. I heard a preview of this, but the addition of the floyd harmony adds a lot. I think this is your best mix/master to date. Each instrument stands on its own. Just the right amount of crispness and low end. Definitely a lesson in how acoustic instruments should be processed. Who knew a banjo could sound so funky. Outstanding work! Oh yeah you too Janice. Tom

wow oh yeah good stuff all been said great production thanks for sharing eric

Hi Janice & Bud,

I'm not a friend of bluegrass, but this banjo really rocks.
Janice's voice is top. Floyd did a great job syncing the harmonies. An enjoyable listen (actually several) all over.

Guenter

a phrase I would NEVER have expected from Guenter:


Now I can die, knowing I have heard the song that elicited this response!

Hey J&B,

Honestly I wasn't crazy about the banjo. But with arrangements everybody's got their own taste and opinion.

The duet is great. Loved it. Oh, and add great job on that mix too Bud!


Josie

Dang guys, that is mighty nice and genuinely appreciated. Y'all's support on this blues journey is never forgotten. Thank you.

J&B




Thanks and yep they did blend well for sure. I think that if you listen to the bodhran, the Celtic guitar and the Bouzouki RTs you will hear the tension you mentioned. I don't think the mandolin or banjo are the reason. Also the bodhran has a syncopated feel to it even when soloed. We always appreciate y'all's observations.

I have listened to this a hundred times (preparing to do the harmony).

Every one of them a pure joy...

Bud's artistry with the RT palette.

Janice's incredible vocal.

Joy.



Thanks for letting me be a part of this, guys!

fj

Thanks Greg, yup, this is about as far back as you can get when it comes to recorded 12 bar blues.





Thanks Bob, The Seldom Scene did a full bluegrass version many years ago.




Thanks Pat (on fj's behalf). The more they sing parts together the better the blend gets!

Loved it! Nothing more to say... Everything about this works perfectly. Great, great job.

Bob