PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase FROM OPERA TO ROCK (new song on soundcloud)

SONG TITLE : FROM OPERA TO ROCK.
( CRANK THAT ROCK GUITAR AMPLIFIER !! )
ARTIST : moi...ALF-L ( a lad from london ) (c) 2021 ALF-L
(NOTE..this song is meant to be totally "zany" )

https://soundcloud.com/user-302791555/oprokcalfl2020

SONG DETAILS....done useing biab/rb/reaper
(apologies if people dont like it. please listen useing earbuds.)
1. Back story. how the song came about.
over the years ive sung in various genres of music groups. in these groups i often found it amuseing how some people in one music genre often made fun of/criticised other music genres.
for example in a cathedral choir people would sometimes say...... "gosh how can you sing that yukky rock stuff". or in a rock group people would say "wow you sing in a church group too..? "
i once had a musician in an operetta say to me "that rock is so simple...".
BUT TO ME i love all kinds of music. imho nothing beats a full blown mass choir in a big church with an orchestra. it completely lifts my spirits. and elates me.
what also elates me is hearing lyndleys mercury blues or halens panama and lots of other rock songs through a cranked pair of stereo speakers.
try cranking a pair of horn loaded klipsch
speakers....SUPER WOW ! lol. sadly i cant afford 14k klipschorns just heard a demo once.
so i wrote this song to poke a bit of fun at some peoples "snootiness"/views of other genres.
2. Song Story. This song is about an opera singer that ends up at the wrong gig...lol.
the whole thing is a big joke ..a jape....for fun.
so dont take it seriously in any way.
its meant to be madcap.
he ends up at a rock gig instead of an opera gig. so people are telling him that they want rock. lol
3. tis true tho'..what i say in the lyrics...when i crank that guitar amp, my whole spirit is uplifted, as is the core of my existence. which explains why so many people love rock i ponder.
ie if one is haveing a lousy day just "crank that amplifier". it works for me.
suddenly i'm very happy again.
4. so song intro starts with a bit of opera then segues into a rock song.
please tell me what you think about the guy on one side of the stereo saying right at song end
"crank that amplifier".
i was going for a character "voice".
also please tell me your opinion of my high vocs towards the latter part of the song.....
starting at 2mins25secs. i tried to do them without sounding "screamy".
i kinda like them...but apologies if others dont. i used to hit the really high registers so easily years back ; but not so easy as i age. i'm a purist/dont use vocal tuning.
(there are bits and bobs of my own guitar sprinkled through the song for effect also etc ).

thanks sincerely for listening. please feel free to criticise...i'm a big boy and can take my lumps...lol.

best.
silly old muso.( that likes all sorts of music genres ).

Starts off a bit theatrical, doesn't it? The "crank that amplifier" is a good character voice. It does seem a wee bit loud though.

I like the little guitar bits.

The high notes don't seem screamy at all and you are hitting them just fine.

Good late 70s early 80s rock and roll!

Ezekiel.
thank you for listening to the song.
was lots of work. sorry i didnt thank you earlier..
car problems to deal with.

heres hoping the era of electric cars is simpler..lol.
per the song its hilarious what people argue about regarding different music genres.

every happiness.
oldmuso

JAOM,
It could be my ears but the right side of the stereo image seems to have less happening - well, less happening at the same level and the chugging guitar on the left anyway.
I wanted it to keep going and the right side come up to level and really rock.
Fun stuff though.

Rayc.
thanks for listening mate. and your comments.
you have astute powers of observation. please let me reply.
1. ive learnt certain tricks from people in big studios. as follows. (to do with the psychology of the human brain.)....
2. sometimes a hint at low level works better than showing all ones cards at once.
and in this case i didnt want to drown out "chugger".
i did try being more overt on the other side but it seemed too much. there are often big debates in studios about "less is more" relating to songs.
its always a tough call of course.
3. there are also lots of debates often in studios how much of a "card hand" to actually show.
songs are sorta like poker... lol.
ie in any production how much covert vs overt sounds...and subtleties of "sound picture".
i was going for a certain "vibe". its a very "tricky balanceing act " of course.
(i really enjoyed doing all the different "voices" in the song. lots of fun....lmao.)
4. a tricky part of songwriting is the topic of....
"how to get the listener to keep on coming back to the song". this is a "crafty craft" in itself and debated often amongst song creators. the craft is aptly displayed in the 60/70's era of wonderfull songs. imho.

in conclusion/frankly ray i have no ego when it comes to songs. the song is paramount imho....and i dont claim to be an ace music arranger.
ive been in many music groups and seen songs mucked up by ego lots of times.
so i just do my best and take my lumps....and if my ego takes a bruising....so be it. lol.
every happiness to you and thanks again for listening ray.
oldmuso
ps in the next few weeks i might load up one of my punk style songs.
its a pounder on both sides left n right of the stereo image.

This is indeed a lot of fun. Thanks so much for posting.

It sounds like you had a lot of fun with this one! It felt like listening to a soundtrack to a movie or a musical that you really enjoyed. Thanks for sharing!

David and ember.
kind of you to listen.
i get in these "nutty" silly songwriting moods lol.
btw to clarify when i sing in the higher register
"i dont need your advice"...i was commenting on the "snooty"
types i would meet years ago in various music groups who tried to tell me over and over what music groups i should sing in ..."their own normally".
and comment endlessly like a python skit on how the
"other guys music genre" was "not up to par old chap"..lol.

best
OM

zaniness fulfilled. This really could have been over-produced, but the real comedy (to my funny bone's mind) is that the crowd is so small. Enjoyed the listen a lot.

YES!! Well done, ALF-L. So much fun, and a really good production. Man, I'm right there with ya on the genre snobs. And I really like your answer to Ray's comment --about appealing to the human brain. Keep 'em coming.

This is a big winner in my book! Great story line expertly molded into a fun wonderful song! My compliments to all involved.

Two thumbs up.

Babu..Mario..and Tangmo.
thanks so much for giving the song a listen and your kind comments.
i'll leave from opera to rock up for another day or so ; and then replace it with a new song.
every happiness to everyone.
oldmuso.
ps mario
to clarify some people ask me if different people did all the
different vocs. all vocs were done by me cos i like to do different voc styles. my fault lol.

please note. deleted from soundcloud.
another song coming soon.
best
OM