Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
#305692 08/07/15 10:56 PM
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,105
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,105
Love is a circus....

A blues song, though perhaps, not a typical one...
I got an extraordinary blues singer to sing this!!!

And a Band to match...
Style is _TBLZSLB.STY (TexBlz12-8 BrentGuitarSolo[60RS])
RealTracks in style: 1922:Bass, Electric, TexasBluesRockSlow12-8 Sw 060
RealTracks in style: 1923:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm TexasBluesRockSlow12-8Brent Sw 060
RealTracks in style: 1924:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm TexasBluesRockSlow12-8Sol Sw 060
RealTracks in style: 1925:Guitar, Electric, Soloist TexasBluesRockSlow12-8Brent Sw 060
RealDrums in style: BluesRock128^6-a:Snare, HiHat Loose , b:Snare, Ride

vocal: Janice Merritt
harmonies: me


THE CON

love is just an illusion
house of mirrors, a million sides
prices might not seem so high
but add up after so many rides
mud when it rains, dust when it's dry
better look before you leap
the show tents are all in place
but the stakes don't go so deep
that's the con, it's the carnival way
you cannot win if you don't pay to play

no one walks away without losing
so you may as well try your hand
if you haven't the strength to reach the top
make concessions to make your stand
but what of your heart when the hurting starts
when it's packed up and moved away
did you ever see the sad debris
when the big top has ended its stay
that's the con, it's the carnival way
you cannot win if you don't pay to play

my heart is the brass ring
anyone can try
promise them anything
just to get them in to take the ride
if it seems like a dream
like you've been played, just somebody's pawn
try to remember
the clown's smile is painted on
that's the con, it's the carnival way
you cannot win if you don't pay to play


Thanks, Bud.. for engineering the vocal!
Thanks, Janice... for being so incredible. You are special.

Thanks PG Music. For everything!

Hope y'all enjoy this....
Have at it.

floyd

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,305
C
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
C
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,305
Not my favorite genre, but two of my favorite talents. Meatloaf made a career out of Two Out of Three so along with the absolute gorgeous vocals, excellent choice of RT's and a great mix by Floyd and Bud - It's a superb song.

I was struct immediately that this song style, Janice's vocal and production brought to mind a popular recording group here on the east coast. This song fits their female lead singer like a glove. A perfect match in my opinion. I am acquainted with her and her manager and while I can make no promise, I can certainly contact them to see if they will listen to an mp3 of this.

I won't make any attempt until you guys have approved but this group has been the top CBMA (Beach Awards Group) on the east coast at least the last two consecutive years and one many awards from CBMA. They get a lot of airplay on beach radio.

Last edited by c_fogle; 08/08/15 02:14 AM.

BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
User Showcase
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,072
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,072
I love the analogy. Now I know without any doubt I'll get flack for saying this and people will line up to disagree with my opinion which is why I probably should keep it to myself.

Verse two sings best for this genre. Verse one and three lyrics sound forced for the singer in spots and could benefit from some smoothing out to make it a great traditional blues song as opposed to a good one. It's fine as it is and I love the analogy. I wouldn't bother facing the retaliation I'll get if I didn't think the overall write was a good one.

The arrangement and production are spot on and Janice is in her element.

User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 2,888
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 2,888
Hi Floyd and Janice,

great blues. Janice's voice and your harmonies
are the usual high standard.
Unfortunately I don't understand the lyrics fully.
Enjoyable listen.

Guenter

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 7,013
G
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
G
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 7,013
I am a great fan of metaphorical writing and a great fan of FJ. Add to that I am a great fan of Janice's vocals and what could possibly be missing? NOTHING!! This is an extremely clever write-too many examples to mention, although I particularly got a kick out of concessions and stand being linked in that line. Vocal knocked it out of the park, and the arrangement (particularly the solo) felt custom-I was looking to see if it was Tommyad. Everything about this was done right!! Great work guys. Take care. Greg

User Showcase
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 4,219
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 4,219
Floyd, Janice and Bud, I listened earlier and was immediately struck with the concession and stand line. Leave it to Greg to get there first! Beautifully sung. I honestly don't know if anyone in the world could have done that any better. That is a voice to die for with a smile on your face. Very clever write and much different than any song in this genre. Also unique to this song is the harmony. Totally unexpected and very well done. Another superb collab. Backing instruments are right where they need to be. Nice reverb on the vocal! Expert mix. You know how much I love blues so you must know how much I love this. Tom

User Showcase
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,719
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,719
Very nice very nice.
A big fan of Janice's blues voice and FJ's writing and production.
Thought verse 2 worked the best. Cheers.

User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,646
P
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
P
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,646
I love the vocal on this; the guitar is pure magic, and the harmony is pure; thanks for sharing!


My Tunes

Psalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 971
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 971
Yep, all the best compliments were already made so I'm forced to listen and smilingly agree:)

'did you ever see the sad debris
when the big top has ended its stay'

The words paint a thousand pictures.

And good timing on the seasonal images, fairs are abundant this time of summer.

Impressive y'all. You just keep crankin' out all of these great songs, solo writes, collabs....

Take a bow.

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,139
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,139
"...that's the con, it's the carnival way
you cannot win if you don't pay to play."



That line is golden. Ditto what everyone said -

This will be the title song on the new boot..., er... unauthorized album - "fj and The Georgia Chanteuse!" grin


Regards,

Bob

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,314
ROG Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,314
Hi Floyd.

Well, I love the blues and I'm just about Janice's biggest fan, so what can I say?

Brilliant.

ROG.

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,678
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,678
hi guys increditable tune here great vocal great use of biab for sure sweet mix very talented and creative stuff thanks for sharing eric


AMD (TM) 5950 4.9 GHz 16Core Processor 64 bit 32 bits of ram windows 10 pro 64 bit os. sound card Antelope ZenQ guitars Ibanez 2202a 1968 les Paul Custom and Cavin ae 185 Guitar boss Gt-100,GT1000 pedal Yamaha HS8 studio monitors
User Showcase
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,049
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,049
Hi Floyd and Janice,

We cannot think of much to add to all these comments, all's been said already!
But wait... yes, we definitely like the metaphorical lyrics on this grin

Rob and Anne-Marie


We are Rob Meulman and Anne-Marie Bovenkamp from The Netherlands.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1gsdNLE7_Gy8qavoOplQow/videos
http://rnam.net/


User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,742
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,742
A big thanks to everybody! When floyd sent me this I could hardly wait to get started on it. It's an imaginative twist on the blues and Bud and I both love metaphorical writes. Fun!!

Janice


You can listen to our catalog on Apple Music or Spotify by searching on Janice Merritt
Our Videos are here on our website
User Showcase
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,917
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,917
You two, Janice and Floyd NEVER fail to enthrall me with your beautiful vocals, harmonies, production and song-writing. Gotta go now...as usual you have given me something to aspire to and motivated me to keep writing.


Hundreds of Backing Tracks here Band-in-a-Box Files
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,105
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,105
Originally Posted By: c_fogle
Not my favorite genre, but two of my favorite talents. Meatloaf made a career out of Two Out of Three so along with the absolute gorgeous vocals, excellent choice of RT's and a great mix by Floyd and Bud - It's a superb song.

I was struct immediately that this song style, Janice's vocal and production brought to mind a popular recording group here on the east coast. This song fits their female lead singer like a glove. A perfect match in my opinion. I am acquainted with her and her manager and while I can make no promise, I can certainly contact them to see if they will listen to an mp3 of this.

I won't make any attempt until you guys have approved but this group has been the top CBMA (Beach Awards Group) on the east coast at least the last two consecutive years and one many awards from CBMA. They get a lot of airplay on beach radio.


Charlie...thanks... I am currently out of town... And struggling a bit trying to type... Feel free to show this to whomever... Appreciate it.

User Showcase
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 147
C
Apprentice
Offline
Apprentice
C
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 147
Floyd,
I wouldn't know where to start - I've never thought myself a blues fan, but with Janice as the lead vocalist I can easily change my mind.
One of the more "cerebral" writes I've heard in a while. I think, for me, the reference to the Clown's painted on smile was a perfect concluding verse.
Another "10" from me.
btw - I should mention that Bud is one talented fellow, too...

User Showcase
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,831
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,831
Very well done! Every aspect is so in the pocket! Great sound!

User Showcase
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,542
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,542
Hi Floyd and Janice,

I love the blues and I know the blues and you guys could have walked on stage with any of the real blues players and been an instant hit.

By the time you had the first note of the five chord in the intro played the band would have known where you were going with this. And if there would have been a horn player he or she would have liked the fact it was in B flat. I assume you put it in that key for Janice.

The vocals are as good as it gets. By the time I got past the intro I had my guitar in my hand to play along. Doing this in 12/8 is the gold standard for most slow blues. In real life on stage with someone like Johnny Clyde Copeland or Albert Collins 12/8 time is very close to what they would have played. I call what they actually did "blues time"...not sure if it can even be written.

The lyrics to the song would have been well received and understood as they are today. Because there are a lot of words, there is not much space to place guitar fills in between the words or chase the voice as we say in the blues world. You did a pretty good job of not covering Janice voice, a cardinal sin in blues, well old school blues.

Not much I would have done differently, perhaps infer the triplets accent a bit more on rhythm guitar or on the Hi Hat.

Leaving out the 4 chord on the turn around is a cool departure from perhaps what could be considered standard. If you dig very deep into the blues you will find this progression somewhere. The blues is much more complex and hard to do well that many people assume..Great Job!!


This plays super well today and would have been a well received tune in 1950.

Keep playin dem blues cause wee's be likin it!!


Cheers,


Billy

Last edited by Planobilly; 08/11/15 03:36 PM.

New location, new environment, new music coming soon

Seize the moo-ment
If you feel like you’ve herd all these cow puns before, you probably have deja-moo
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,105
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,105
Originally Posted By: Sundance
I love the analogy. Now I know without any doubt I'll get flack for saying this and people will line up to disagree with my opinion which is why I probably should keep it to myself.

Verse two sings best for this genre. Verse one and three lyrics sound forced for the singer in spots and could benefit from some smoothing out to make it a great traditional blues song as opposed to a good one. It's fine as it is and I love the analogy. I wouldn't bother facing the retaliation I'll get if I didn't think the overall write was a good one.

The arrangement and production are spot on and Janice is in her element.


hi Josie... Thanks for the review. I've listened a number of times with your comments in mind. I don't see it. Blues is, of course, very much an interpreters genre...and Janice sang this -phrasing-wise similar to the way I would do myself...with the exception of the "promise line"...but I don't have a problem with her choice...

If you would be interested, I'd be happy to send the track to you for you to do a version the way you hear it...would make for an interesting thread...

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
New! Xtra Styles PAK 19 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 and Higher for Windows!

Xtra Styles PAK 19 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2024 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!

We’ve got 200 new styles coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres as well as the second iteration of our Blues volume!

In this PAK you'll find: soft singer-songwriter pop, New Orleans grooves, lilting country waltzes, tight ‘n’ groovy funk, garage punk, smooth soul, gospel jazz, up-tempo train grooves, and more variations on the blues than you’ll know what to do with! Xtra Style PAK 19 features these styles and many, many more!

All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 19 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 19.

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 19 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2024 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

New! XPro Styles PAK 8 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 and higher for Windows!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 8 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2024 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 32 RealTracks/RealDrums!

With XPro Styles PAK 8 there are the usual 75 styles spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each), as well as 25 styles utilizing world music instruments, bringing the total to an even 100.

Here’s a sample of what XPro Styles PAK 8 has to offer: 12-8 country-rock ballads, cool soul-jazz, easy listening Americana, hip-hop beats, Latin jazz-fusion, classic rock, electronic dance music, heavy modern-jazz, charming indie-folk, and even some experimental ‘60s rock! Order’s up and hot to go!

Special Pricing! Until December 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 8 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Video: XPro Styles PAK 8 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

New! Xtra Styles PAK 19 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!

Xtra Styles PAK 19 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2024 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!

We’ve got 200 new styles coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres as well as the second iteration of our Blues volume!

In this PAK you'll find: soft singer-songwriter pop, New Orleans grooves, lilting country waltzes, tight ‘n’ groovy funk, garage punk, smooth soul, gospel jazz, up-tempo train grooves, and more variations on the blues than you’ll know what to do with! Xtra Style PAK 19 features these styles and many, many more!

All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 19 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of Xtra Styles PAK 19

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 19 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2024 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

New! XPro Styles PAK 8 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 8 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2024 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 32 RealTracks/RealDrums!

With XPro Styles PAK 8 there are the usual 75 styles spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each), as well as 25 styles utilizing world music instruments, bringing the total to an even 100.

Here’s a sample of what XPro Styles PAK 8 has to offer: 12-8 country-rock ballads, cool soul-jazz, easy listening Americana, hip-hop beats, Latin jazz-fusion, classic rock, electronic dance music, heavy modern-jazz, charming indie-folk, and even some experimental ‘60s rock! Order’s up and hot to go!

Special Pricing! Until December 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 8 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Video: XPro Styles PAK 8 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

Generate Lyrics for your Band-in-a-Box songs with LyricLab!

Need some lyrics to complete your Band-in-a-Box song? LyricLab is here to help!

LyricLab (by Joanne Cooper) is an AI-powered tool designed to quickly create lyrics and chords to fit your music. Just enter a rough idea of your lyrics, and let the AI bring them to life. Once you're happy with the results, simply import the LyricLab file into Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or newer. From there, you can pick your style and generate melodies to match your song’s chords!

Learn more about LyricLab here!

Watch the video.


Band-in-a-Box 2024 Italian for Mac is Here!

Ci siamo dati da fare e abbiamo aggiunto oltre 50 nuove funzionalità e una straordinaria raccolta di nuovi contenuti, tra cui 222 RealTracks, nuovi RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 3, Playable RealDrums Set 2, due nuovi set di "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 e altro ancora!

Tutti Pacchetti | Nuove Caratteristiche

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 German for Mac is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 für Mac Deutsch ist verfügbar!

Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK & 7, Xtra Styles PAK 17 & 18, und mehr!

Paket | Was ist Neu

Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics83,182
Posts755,128
Members39,058
Most Online3,932
Nov 19th, 2024
Newest Members
Buffalo 9, frubbers, JohnFran1960, jblackie, JazzyAlex
39,058 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
jpettit 264
DrDan 165
Rob Helms 152
MarioD 130
rharv 108
DC Ron 106
Noel96 102
Today's Birthdays
bluestu, J. Rich, Mel Laraway
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5