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#516061 - 01/07/19 03:11 PM [User Showcase] IT'S SO HARD
Registered: 12/12/11
Posts: 3308
Loc: York, England
ROG Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/12/11
Posts: 3308
Loc: York, England
Hi Folks, back again!

Been travelling around Europe a lot last year, which has kept me off the forum more than I'd like,
but my New Year's resolution is get back to writing and to listening to all the great songs on here.

So, trying to hit the ground running in 2019, here's a bit of good old Rock & Roll.
The Sax, Harmonica and Piano are all RTs, whilst I'm playing the guitars and bass.
The drums are samples programmed-up using a midi VST sample player. The project kicked off
in PowerTracks for the guitars and then moved to Realband to add the RTs. Finally, it was back
into PowerTracks to track-up the vocals and then to mix.

IT'S SO HARD
I tried to call my Baby on the telephone
The number kept on ringing like there's no one home
Every time I call her, seems there's no reply
I'm getting re-directed but I really don't know why
Everytime I call her it's the same routine
Maybe she's just busy but that's not the way it seems

It's so hard, getting through to you
It's so hard, getting through to you
If you don't pick up the phone
I'm gonna call somebody new

I put it on speed-dial and tried it one more time
I called the operator and said can you test this line
The operator tried and said - there really ain't no doubt
The phone is working fine but the number just rings out
Perhaps she's in the shower, or maybe not at home
Or maybe she's just lazy and not picking up the phone

I called her in the morning, and left it off the hook
I let it ring till twelve-o-clock before I had a look
The phone just kept on ringing so I let it go till nine
I can't believe she's out all day and no one's on the line
Perhaps the bell is broken, or maybe she's gone deaf
I wish she'd pick the phone up and finish all this mess

Always grateful to everyone who has the time to listen. Many thanks.

Cheers, ROG.

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#516067 - 01/07/19 03:33 PM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 06/09/16
Posts: 3357
Robertkc Offline
Veteran

Registered: 06/09/16
Posts: 3357
That was fun! From those opening drums ( love the garage band sound they convey) to the cute chorus harmonies. I like the humour in the lyrics- rockn`roll with a Bob Dylan twist.
Welcome back!

Robert

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#516146 - 01/07/19 11:34 PM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 04/13/16
Posts: 5920
Loc: Cooran Queensland Australia
rayc Offline
Veteran

Registered: 04/13/16
Posts: 5920
Loc: Cooran Queensland Australia
Chugs along nicely.
The only nit I'd offer is that the backing vocals are too loud - their very effectedness doesn't suit being so forward in the mix.
The guitars and bass are cool.
The vocals remind me of something from the 1st couple of Stiff compilations - Sean tyler sings in The Takeaways - Food.


Edited by rayc (01/07/19 11:44 PM)
_________________________
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe

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#516160 - 01/08/19 02:09 AM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 06/16/00
Posts: 1944
Loc: Texas
Jim Offline
Expert

Registered: 06/16/00
Posts: 1944
Loc: Texas
Enjoyed your new Rock & Roll tune...
Good luck with all your 2019 productions.
_________________________
Jim
†=☮&♥

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#516183 - 01/08/19 06:06 AM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 08/10/12
Posts: 11105
Loc: Florida
floyd jane Offline
Veteran

Registered: 08/10/12
Posts: 11105
Loc: Florida
ROG,

Good to see you! This was a fun listen. Great energy.

"If you don't pick up the phone
I'm gonna call somebody new"

A terrific payoff. A good write throughout.

I always enjoy your vocals. (I thought the bgvs worked fine). At first listen, I thought the main vocal could use a bit more reverb (for this style of song), but as it continued, I became accustom to it.

The instrumentation was nice. Especially the guitar. The sax worked well. The drum sound is good (a ROG signature). I did not care for the constant harmonica tucked under the track - I found it distracting to my ear. (Just a personal note).

Really enjoyed the song. It has stuck in my head - the mark of a good one...

fj

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#516186 - 01/08/19 06:08 AM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 02/15/17
Posts: 3414
Deryk - PG Music Offline
PG Music Staff

Registered: 02/15/17
Posts: 3414
Welcome back - although travelling Europe is a pretty great excuse not to post!

Really liked the tune - the old school rock n' roll groove on this got my foot tapping right away, and your vocal delivery was top notch as well. The harmonies complimented the lead vocals perfectly and were a great touch. Plus that solo at 1:30 is fantastic!

Solid tune altogether. Can't wait to hear more from you - thanks for sharing smile


Edited by Deryk - PG Music (01/08/19 06:09 AM)
_________________________
Cheers,
Deryk

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#516190 - 01/08/19 06:14 AM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 03/02/13
Posts: 4430
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
dani48 Offline
Veteran

Registered: 03/02/13
Posts: 4430
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
Hi, ROG !

What a wonderful rocker,
really gets all of us jumping
to get rid of that hard melted
turkey !!!!!!!

Loved it !!!

A Most Good New Year to you ROG !

Cheers
Dani

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#516194 - 01/08/19 06:32 AM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 12/05/11
Posts: 13338
Loc: GA USA
Janice & Bud Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/05/11
Posts: 13338
Loc: GA USA
Rock on ROG!!!

What a cool surprise to see a new song from you.

This contains all the goodness we have learned to love from your productions over the years...so not unexpectedly, the write, your vocals, and your guitar/bass performance are top notch (as are the RT/RD choices and the mix).

As floyd mentioned it sticks with you...begging for another listen which we are about to do!

Kudos!

J&B
_________________________
J&B Videos
J&B Soundcloud
J&B Website

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#516219 - 01/08/19 09:29 AM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 06/09/03
Posts: 1095
Loc: Mobile, Alabama
KeithS Offline
Expert

Registered: 06/09/03
Posts: 1095
Loc: Mobile, Alabama
Sounds good ROG
_________________________
Keith
2023 Audiophile Windows 11 AMD RYZEN THREADRIPPER 3960X 4.5GHZ 128 GB RAM 2 Nvidia RTX 3090s, Vegas,Acid,SoundForge,Izotope Production,Melodyne Studio,Cakewalk,Raven Mti

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#516222 - 01/08/19 09:37 AM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 08/09/10
Posts: 5960
Loc: New York
rsdean Offline
Veteran

Registered: 08/09/10
Posts: 5960
Loc: New York
ROG,

That was great... Loved the groove and production.

Excellent!

Bob

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#516243 - 01/08/19 11:27 AM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 11/29/06
Posts: 3442
Loc: Finland
jannesan Offline
Veteran

Registered: 11/29/06
Posts: 3442
Loc: Finland
Welcome back! You seem to have invented the rocking wheel again and it still works very well smile Excellent party music with funny lyrics, great band and groove.

Janne
_________________________
Hear My Music:

Soundcloud
YouTube


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#516244 - 01/08/19 11:30 AM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 11/19/12
Posts: 2360
Loc: Middletown, PA.
44kfl Offline
Veteran

Registered: 11/19/12
Posts: 2360
Loc: Middletown, PA.
A great rocker!

glad to hear your music again

nice guitar!

super backing vocals

catchy as hell


Kenny

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#516262 - 01/08/19 12:14 PM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 04/03/09
Posts: 9028
Guitarhacker Offline
Veteran

Registered: 04/03/09
Posts: 9028
Kool old rock and roll style tune.

Your music is always something to look forward to hearing.
_________________________
You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com

Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.

You can make excuses or you can make progress but you can't do both.

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#516292 - 01/08/19 03:07 PM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: Robertkc]
Registered: 12/12/11
Posts: 3308
Loc: York, England
ROG Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/12/11
Posts: 3308
Loc: York, England
Originally Posted By: Robertkc
That was fun! From those opening drums ( love the garage band sound they convey) to the cute chorus harmonies. I like the humour in the lyrics- rockn`roll with a Bob Dylan twist.
Welcome back!

Robert

Thanks, Robert.
Yeah, it feels good to be back. Many thanks for kicking off the reviews and for the kind words.
Cheers, ROG.

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#516293 - 01/08/19 03:08 PM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: rayc]
Registered: 12/12/11
Posts: 3308
Loc: York, England
ROG Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/12/11
Posts: 3308
Loc: York, England
Originally Posted By: rayc
Chugs along nicely.
The only nit I'd offer is that the backing vocals are too loud - their very effectedness doesn't suit being so forward in the mix.
The guitars and bass are cool.
The vocals remind me of something from the 1st couple of Stiff compilations - Sean tyler sings in The Takeaways - Food.

Hi Ray.
Many thanks for the review - much appreciated.
Cheers, ROG.

Top
#516297 - 01/08/19 03:09 PM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: Jim]
Registered: 12/12/11
Posts: 3308
Loc: York, England
ROG Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/12/11
Posts: 3308
Loc: York, England
Originally Posted By: Jim
Enjoyed your new Rock & Roll tune...
Good luck with all your 2019 productions.

Thanks, Jim.
Pleased that you liked it and thanks for the good wishes.
Cheers, ROG.

Top
#516299 - 01/08/19 03:18 PM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: floyd jane]
Registered: 12/12/11
Posts: 3308
Loc: York, England
ROG Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/12/11
Posts: 3308
Loc: York, England
Originally Posted By: floyd jane
ROG,

Good to see you! This was a fun listen. Great energy.

"If you don't pick up the phone
I'm gonna call somebody new"

A terrific payoff. A good write throughout.

I always enjoy your vocals. (I thought the bgvs worked fine). At first listen, I thought the main vocal could use a bit more reverb (for this style of song), but as it continued, I became accustom to it.

The instrumentation was nice. Especially the guitar. The sax worked well. The drum sound is good (a ROG signature). I did not care for the constant harmonica tucked under the track - I found it distracting to my ear. (Just a personal note).

Really enjoyed the song. It has stuck in my head - the mark of a good one...

fj

Hi Floyd.
Always pleased to hear your thoughts. Yeah, I tried three different reverbs on that vocal, but I'd left the backing mainly dry
in order to get it to punch harder, so each time I felt I could hear the reverb working on the vocals. Eventually, I just used
a really small room with no early refections. Now you point it out, you could be right about the harmonica.
Many thanks as always for looking in on this.
Cheers, ROG.

Top
#516362 - 01/08/19 10:22 PM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 09/27/10
Posts: 5967
Loc: Sacramento, California
dcuny Offline
Veteran

Registered: 09/27/10
Posts: 5967
Loc: Sacramento, California
The drums in the beginning announced what the song was about, and there were no disappointments.

This does everything a rocker should do in all the right places!

Super fun listen. laugh
_________________________
-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?

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#516411 - 01/09/19 06:26 AM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 02/11/03
Posts: 2426
Loc: Warwickshire, UK
Skyline Offline
Veteran

Registered: 02/11/03
Posts: 2426
Loc: Warwickshire, UK
Nice to see, and hear, you back Rog.
This is a very tasty bit of rock to be sure! it reminds me of the old Steve Gibbons band. The vocal delivery is just right for the sentiment, and the drive is just perfect. Good stuff!
cool
John
_________________________
Songs web site
YouTube Channel
BIAB 2019
Cakewalk by BandLab
Studio One 4

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#516452 - 01/09/19 09:48 AM [User Showcase] Re: IT'S SO HARD [Re: ROG]
Registered: 02/03/16
Posts: 1675
Loc: Germany
Crossroads Offline
Expert

Registered: 02/03/16
Posts: 1675
Loc: Germany
Hi Rog,

I'm pretty new to this forum, so this is the first song of yours that I had the great pleasure to listen to. Very nice, needless to say that the girl you're adressing must be Maybelline's daughter...

That's a veery fresh way to continue what Chuck started - I really enjoyed it a lot !

And I think I'm not the first one to tell you that your voice and way of singing has a lot in common with the young Ray Davis, for example singing 'Too Much Monkey Business'... Just to make sure: That's a huge compliment !

Stefan

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