December Cover Song Challenge - GET WRITING!

[Skol303]

🎄 December Cover Song Challenge 🎄

As is tradition, we're doing something a bit different for December... so instead of composing to a photo, we’re running a covers competition. Basically, choose a song or instrumental that you like and write your own version of it. You can be faithful to the original or left of field; the choice is yours.

All of the usual rules apply with a few additional caveats:

• It doesn’t have to be a Christmas song.
• You’re welcome to submit anything recorded this year (not just from December), so there’s no excuse for those of you in cover bands not to enter.
• Don’t go lifting any samples from whatever song you intend to cover, as that will breach the usual terms and conditions leading to extreme punitive measures.
• Bagpipes are allowed this one time only! But that still doesn't make them right.

The deadline for entries is midnight on December 24th.

[MoonBassAlpha]

I think I will be IN this month, we've just recorded a cover that we've knocked about a couple of times over the years, but tonight we changed the genre. Drums, guitar and vox down, just need to put a more coherent bass  on, then mix, and, by Jove!, it'll be done!

[lurksalot]

The family Lurks are getting stuck in , I’m trying for some cheap votes with the grandson on vocals , Lurksalittle in formal mode as well as singing hopefully , loads of panpipes as I can’t find a bagpipe VST, all with a good dose of political satire thrown in .

It might just end up on the studio floor yet though 

[Dad3353]

I'm trying to sort something out, simply for participation's sake, by recording a song I played (drums...) on, nearly fifty years ago now, when rehearsing stuff with Alan Stirling's band in my front room at Shepperton. It's from memory (as was last year's effort, in similar circumstances...), and will certainly be unknown to anyone. I count it as a cover, as I didn't compose the original. We'll see how I get on with it; be prepared for disappointment, though. 

[MoonBassAlpha]

23 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

. We'll see how I get on with it; be prepared for disappointment, though. 

Don't worry Douglas, we're used to it by now

[SH73]

Well. I picked a song without knowing how many covers there are. I can't sing though.

I might knock it on the head as family/ work commitments won't allow me to enter. Besides all my recording stuff needs setting up from box whenever I want to record which is time consuming.

[Dad3353]

3 hours ago, MoonBassAlpha said:

Don't worry Douglas, we're used to it by now

Edited December 8, 2018 by Dad3353

[MoonBassAlpha]

This is the entry, I think! I was going to mix it again and add some more vocals, but my guitarist put the rough mix up on our band SoundCloud already.

So, it may get tweaked if I find time, or this will be it. This was the second take, as the tempo first time through was "wrong", apparently, bass-warts n all!

Irie-Psychokiller

[Skol303]

I’ve been very lazy with the BC composition challenge this year! Not for lack of enthusiasm… just a very busy year for me at work, but with the promise of a slightly more sane work life next year. So I expect to be back in the saddle here in 2019.

In the meantime, here’s a cover track I managed to get written earlier this year: a remix of ‘Rules’ by Starita. Hopefully something you might even dance to, with sufficient sherry in your belly 😉

Arrangement, mixing and bass guitar by yours truly (Fender Jazz if I remember right):

https://soundcloud.com/skollob/rules-remix

Cheers.

EDIT to say this track contains mild swearing 🤬

Edited December 10, 2018 by Skol303

[bobbass4k]

Super important completely hypothetical question - If I wanted to do a cover of an obscure song using the original vocal stem that has been freely published for remix purposes is that kosher within the spirit of the thing or is it too "remixy"?

[Skol303]

2 hours ago, bobbass4k said:

Super important completely hypothetical question - If I wanted to do a cover of an obscure song using the original vocal stem that has been freely published for remix purposes is that kosher within the spirit of the thing or is it too "remixy"?

That's pretty much what I've done above. I think so long as the vocal stem was made available for free usage, then it's fine.

NB: the purpose of the Christmas Special challenge is just to have a bit of fun (even more so than usual) and muster up a diverse selection of music that folks can enjoy over the festive period - in my case, often as a 'digestif' with a glass of sherry in hand. Cover versions of literally anything are welcome; and I think that for argument's sake, remixes can be counted as cover versions.

Heck, even bagpipes are permitted at this time of year! 😬

[paul_c2]

I'm keen to get involved in this, sounds a lot of fun. Am I interpreting it right, because we can cover an existing song, its more an arrange/playing/recording challenge?

[Skol303]

1 hour ago, paul_c2 said:

I'm keen to get involved in this, sounds a lot of fun. Am I interpreting it right, because we can cover an existing song, its more an arrange/playing/recording challenge?

Yep. Normally, the challenge involves writing a new piece of music inspired by a picture (chosen by the previous month's winner).

During December we run a 'Cover Song Challenge for fun, during which folks are welcome to submit their own take on any song (or instrumental) they choose. I think people tend to vote on 'gut feeling', favouring whichever entries they like best according to personal taste (ultimately a mix of arrangement/playing/recording and more).

The key point is: don't sweat it! The focus is always on having fun and just getting stuck in. And this month more than ever! 😉

Edited December 10, 2018 by Skol303

[Dad3353]

10 hours ago, Skol303 said:

...music that folks can enjoy over the festive period - in my case, often as a 'digestif' with a glass of sherry in hand...

Apologies for the 'party-pooping; I can't pretend to be in the most merry mood, despite the calendar, but here is my contribution to the December 2018 Basschat Christmas Covers Challenge...
All very well, but I don't know any stuff to 'cover', so I've chosen instead to record my version of a song, written and composed by Alan Stirling, a great fellow I rehearsed with many decades ago, in Shepperton. (If you're reading this, Alan, I'd like to 'leap the in-betweens' and hear from you..?)
My Verithin guitars are played here, with a Ruby bass. Drums were programmed using BFD3 (excellent Vst; very pleased with it...). The vocals are mine, as you'll hear. Auto-tune is all very well, but there's only so much it can do with the dross I fed into 'em. Sorry about that; I assure you that it sounded great sung by Alan and the girl he sang with.
Recorded and mixed with Reaper, of course, with as much post-production as I could ladle on to get some glitter rolled onto it, as it cannot be polished, obviously.
I've done this from memory; no mean feat, as it's nearly half a century ago that I last heard/played this (on drums...). I've had to re-write the lyrics as best as I could, too, hoping not to have betrayed too much the original work; scroll down if you want to read 'em. 
Not very festive, I'm afraid, but with personal relevance that I'd rather not dwell on, here. That being said, thanks for listening, if you already have; if you're about to, enjoy.

Lyrics...

I long
I really, really long to find a place
It seems I can't belong to time or space
Life's laughing in my face
I wish
You can't believe how badly I wish you'd
Say you love me; sadly, but it's true
You never do

And if some time
You could see your way to write a line
That would be so fine
And if one time
We could do it again...
Now I see there is no sense
I'd still be trying to make you mine

It's crazy, I know
Why anyone could ever feel this low
It's a crime
But here I am...

Who knows
A ghost that seems like reason may appear
To leap the in-betweens and lift me clear
I need you here
Who cares..?
Who cares for blindfold reasons and such
Reduced to questionnaires life don't mean much
Without your touch

We walk in lines
Tightrope tense with new designs
I look for signs
We talk in rhymes
We try to define the truth we all know in our minds
That life so surely undermines

It's crazy, I know
Why anyone should ever feel this low
It's a crime
But here I am...

I'm beat
There's no retreat
Death's taste is sweet
You've got me nailed down so neat
You're the one
You are my one and only one
You're the one.

See this face, with its mask of time
It's mine
See these hands, with their broken lines
They're mine
See this key for the jamboree
It belongs to me
See this heart, with its so many parts
It's all yours, lady it's all yours

I'm beat
There's no retreat
Death's taste is sweet
Life's got me nailed down so neat
You're the one
You are my one and only one
You're the one.

[lurksalot]

To be honest gents, my modus operandi in this joyful Christmas period, is to pick a well known song and Murder it to death.

that is exactly what I am doing !

as I still haven’t got a bagpipe vst , I am making do with the panpipes, but the vocal will tell its own story 😎

[Skol303]

1 hour ago, lurksalot said:

....as I still haven’t got a bagpipe vst , I am making do with the panpipes

You're a sick man, Lurks. And twisted too 😁

[SH73]

I was going to cover The Street Fighting Man. Spend hours on it recording guitars. 6 layers of guitar riff but now fed up with it.

[MoonBassAlpha]

1 minute ago, SH73 said:

I was going to cover The Street Fighting Man. Spend hours on it recording guitars. 6 layers of guitar riff but now fed up with it.

Give it a few days and come back to it, then it will seem like someone else has done all the guitar tracks for you!

[christofloffer]

hey folks, i got something this time. i am still not doing to well with inspiration these days. i tried several tunes but i either lost interest quickly (really not getting on well with drums these days) or they sounded so bad that i couldnt insult your ears with them. so i went for another one instrument, one track and one take approach like i did before. it was a toss up in the end between "Landslide" and "Is there anybody out there" but i couldnt get close to a clean take of floyd so landslide won out.

 

[Mornats]

On 10/12/2018 at 15:01, Skol303 said:

Heck, even bagpipes are permitted at this time of year!

Well then, maybe, just maybe I can try and find some time this month...  

(in all seriousness, I'm away from my PC most of the time at the moment so probably won't be able to join in again this month.)

[Skol303]

On 10/12/2018 at 15:01, Skol303 said:

Heck, even bagpipes are permitted at this time of year! 😬

Thing is, whatever horrors can be dreamt up are guaranteed to be found somewhere on the Internet.

I particularly like this in the comments section: "I played this on a library's computer wired to the PA system and they said it was an act of terrorism."

 

[Dad3353]

I gave it all of fifty seconds (but it seemed longer...). Just about everything I detest, all in one sitting. I'll have to play a bit of Anthem Of The Sun now to get that 'woomph woomph woomph' out of my ears. Act of terrorism..? High treason, more like..!

[Bleat]

Being a big fan of the Classic 80's Tangerine Dream sound, I thought I would enter this one . It probably won't  be everyone's cup of Tetley, but it's about as recent as my covers get....  

 

Choronzon

 

Cheers,

James.

 

Just realised it has to have been done this year?

Edited December 12, 2018 by Bleat

[Skol303]

1 hour ago, Bleat said:

Just realised it has to have been done this year?

Ideally yes. But we're not inundated with entries (yet) so a blind eye can be turned... "There's room at the Inn". Etc 😉

PS: just noticed you're in Herefordshire. I grew up there. Weaned on cider.

 

[Bleat]

Cheers Skol !

 

It only took as long to do as what I would usually take to do a piece of music for the monthly contests to be honest,. It's not like I have worked on it for 2 years solid! 🤪

I'm not a native, but have lived here for about 16 years now... In the vicinity of H*rg*st  R*dge.  

 

Can't be giving my location away 😉

Edited December 13, 2018 by Bleat