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Two originals - opinions please :)


Wonky2
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Hello peeps :)

Wondered if anyone would take a minute to have a listen and give opinion on a couple of recordings ive done as a session with a few guys I know and a great song writer.....

All originals, 10 tracks recorded in just one day ! in a small studio just as a demo, live recordings as a band, we had about 4 rehersal in advance.....

My gear was MM sterling with DI from my mesa walk about and it was miked up at front too..... It's not a bad sound for a demo but it's not gonna sound great on an iPad ,especially the bass :)

Love playing but it's getting hard with the arthritis ,I can hear the creaks in my playing but wondered if I was just being self critical....after all, just a few run through from scratch prior to recording...

(4 rehersal, 10 songs.... Did about 5 takes of each one, for the benefit of the guit'ard ;) )

here's a couple :

https://alroberts.bandcamp.com/track/wake-up-and-dream

https://alroberts.bandcamp.com/track/live-in-a-sunny-day


Nice songs, great song writer, hope you like....
The full albums on there, as is one I did earlier last December....

Be straight, if there's an area you think I need work on please do tell me :)

Thanks guys

Wonky

Edited by Wonky2
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[quote name='Wonky2' timestamp='1442431275' post='2866963']
Hello peeps :)

Wondered if anyone would take a minute to have a listen and give opinion...
[/quote]

Good evening, Wonky...

Rather a cursory audition, I'm afraid, but an enjoyable one, using my headphones (I've no monitor speakers...). Comments..? It's fine, the bass is perfectly audible and entirely adequate and in keeping with the genre (if 'genre' there is...). Good composition, clear, uncluttered arrangements, these could be played as a solo singer/guitar or more fully orchestrated; the road chosen here has value. Nice to hear subdued brushes, and no criticism of the other instruments. Less keen on the voice, as I suspect (I may be wrong...) that the accent used is our old friend, the 'transatlantic'. Apologies if the singer is, in fact, born and bred states-side, but I'm not fond of the overall drawl ('fide' for 'fight'; there are many, too many, more...). The lyrics are worth hearing, though, so all is not negative on that side, although I thought that the treatment (or lack of it...) on the voice was the biggest drawback, and could/should have brought out a more forward tone. The recording is of a high standard, as is the execution by all players. References..? It brought to mind distant memories of 'New Riders of the Purple Sage', and some aspects of Grateful Dead ('China Doll'..?). Take both as a compliment.
Well done to all concerned, good luck with the promotion and distribution and thanks for sharing.

(Well, you [i]did [/i]ask ... :blush: )

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Cheers guys, all comments are genuinely welcomed.....

I agree with the "accent" comment.... Yes, Agree with that..... But such is the job of the bass man to turn and play :)
The point on vocal mix is bang on too, I feel it's too far forward in the mix, but the reality is, we recorded 10 tracks in one day and they are pretty much as they landed in the mix, the backing vox and the VERY rough mix was done in little more than an evening 6-11 ish... with mostly just the levels being ironed out and a bit of compression.... So Yep, no effect at all really which leaves it all a bit raw.....
But it's a demo, we knew it would be a "draft" ..... it gets the tracks down I suppose.

The drummer was on snare and brushes with a ride cymbal only.... That's it..... Dobro is week in the mix but the player only bought it the week before just to suit the vibe , my own feelings were that a week before a recording was not the time to learn a new style- instrument hahaha but he pulled it off well enough ( he's a great country/ travis picker ).....


There's no real intention to do anything with it, the songwriter simply has a raft of songs he's wrote and wants to get them down before they disappear into the ether .....

Your compliments are very kind, thanks...

As far as genre, any suggestions ? I can't relate it to anything. ......

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Wow, thanks boy.....that's really very nice....

Meeting them next Tuesday to see if we liked it enough to try and make it a regular thing.... No idea where we could find a gig with that kind of stuff but, sod it..... I enjoy playing with them... All a pretty easy going bunch of blokes too :)

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I liked them both.

'Wake Up And Dream': the short section from about 1:45 to 2:00 seems a little shapeless... ? I think maybe I'd drop an instrument out there?

'Live in a sunny day' is the better of the two, to my ear. I like the 'loose', relaxed feel. Again the transition between sections is a bit indistinct in places.

Edited by alyctes
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Cheers chaps....
The squeeze ref we hear a lot, and when I sing along myself in the car I can't help but sing that low octave chris differs type harmony.... Sound s good to my ear ?

I'm from liverpool but the others are from just outside.....

Alyctes, did you listen on headphones or through an amp/ hifi ? If not it does seem to drop out in parts as I move up the neck? Maybe the frequencies here don't work well with ipad/ laptop type......? But if you did, fair do's I'll focus on it:)

Thanks

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  • 2 weeks later...

I followed the link to the album and listened to Alias in Wonderland.

It's pretty good and a different tempo to the other 2 tacks you linked to.

It's all pretty cool really. Shame Al clearly thinks he was born the wrong side of "the pond".

You mention arthritis. There's another player here in this parish with that "gift". She can only play 15-20 mins at a time. So when the fingers get bad she plays a U-bass. Good luck with your playing/fingers. You sound cool.

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Granjur, a genuine thank you , on count of compliment and consideration..... Alias came out a lot faster than we intended but it works well enough.... You can really hear the desperation of the band trying to deliver that song having only ever played it a few times hahahaha
Still listen to it and can't get over the fact the drummer only has a snare and a ride cymbal.... That's it ! Sounds so full ....

There is a great song on the end of it called that's my dad...... Bit of a sad story really, we recorded one album and poor Al lost his dad mid way through..... He wrote that's my dad and we did it on this last album.... Such a sweet a perfectly lovely song... :)
http://alroberts.bandcamp.com/track/thats-my-dad

We are meeting tomorrow night to rehearse and learn another batch of al's songs.... A gig lined up for early December too im told...

Just hope I can be fight fit in the night...... It's been a while :)

Edited by Wonky2
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