Goodbye Mr Pills (remix)

Armistice

Armistice

Son of Yoda
Hiya - song from about 2 years ago - I'm a bit better at this now and thought I'd spend a bit of time with it cleaning up the things about the previous mix that irked me - some loose guitaring and mix issues - given I'm thinking "album" at the moment.

As usual - any and all feedback welcome.

View attachment Goodbye Mr Pills.mp3


Goodbye Mr Pills

He was always a man looking to push the envelope
He said I never met a drug I didn’t like so don’t talk to me of a slippery slope
He was always a man who knew exactly what he wanted to do
Started most his evenings with a choice of pink, white or blue

Goodbye Mr Pills, Mr Pills, we miss you already
Goodbye Mr Pills, what a thrill

He was on a first name basis, with some of the local ambulance crew
And he dated women he met in rehab or NA and whose names he barely knew
There was a story on his arms that’d take a life time to tell
He was always on the edge of the periphery, I guess we didn’t know him all that well

Goodbye Mr Pills, Mr Pills, we miss you already
Goodbye Mr Pills, what a thrill

Some people just make different choices
And live their lives guided by different voices
We didn’t ask too many questions
He didn’t listen to many suggestions
He wasn’t overly concerned with making a good impression

And then there was this night, where he pushed it all a bit too hard
He went all in, put his chips on the table and turned his final card
I heard the story from some guy I know, but maybe it was lies
Said you could see completion in his face and acceptance in his eyes

Goodbye Mr Pills, Mr Pills, we miss you already
Goodbye Mr Pills, Mr Pills, we miss you already
Goodbye Mr Pills, Mr Pills, we miss you already
Goodbye Mr Pills, what a thrill
 
I think I would like to hear a touch more gain on the hard panned leads, something to make it shimmer a bit more between the strokes (sounds like your finger picking that blues riff though). Vocals sound damn good. Drums and bass too. Really balanced well and very full sounding. Perhaps a bit more verb on the vocals, especially the verse. I like the "hey's" toward the end. Good touch and they blend nicely.

Sorry, not a whole lot to add. This is very good.
 
Awesome job dude! Just a addendum to the song an the inspiration. A few years back my brother in law passed away at 43 from a heroin overdose...Such a sad waste of a very talented, charming guy who had ran the gauntlet of party land arose from the fire and had a amazing life going only to fall back into the pit of addiction never to return. In going through his stuff I found a letter he wrote to Mr. Pills when he had gotten out of a recovery program and posted it here Armistice got inspiration and wrote the tune ( thanks Man!)

Footnote...My brother in law had a teenage son who spent 6 years of his childhood with his Dad in jail for cooking meth....no more than about 14 months after my Brother in law died his son went out the same at barely 19 years old...Heroin is a deadly freeking epidemic ...This is just one of but thousands upon thousands of tragic stories that all have the same sad ending.

Here's the letter and I also am including a draft e-mail we found later basically expressing his thoughts on the battle..

Goodbye Mr. Pills

I really used to love you. I would have lied, cheated or stole for you. We used to have so much fun together. I don't think there was anything else I wanted to do than be with you.
It started out great, and then slowly over time you seemed to turn me into someone I didn't want to be. I became dependent on you and only you. I severed relationships with people I loved to be with you.
You are a poison I could not get enough of. I made you the number one priority in my life. But I thank God I finally realized how I was being used. I was your slave and that's just not me. I made a decision to say goodbye. I F'n hate you and hope you die. Have fun in hell cause that's where you belong. Bitch. It's over.

And here is a letter he wrote that was in his drafts of his e-mail account..


I am weak and have got to pull out of this mess I have made of my life. I am so worried that I can't think straight. My son is turning into me and I am to blame. I failed as a father because I wanted to be his friend instead of his parent.

Standing here watching him not care about me, my Mom or any of the family. I can't explain why, I just know it's killing me inside. I am numb. I just want to cry but I don't or can't because I am so disconnected from my emotions and have been for so long.

This person I am is not me. I don't know how to fix all of this. I really don't know if I can do this without professional help.

All I want is for us to be happy. I love my Mom so much and just want for her to be happy with the way I turned out , be proud that I did the right thing for once. For my son to love and respect me as his father.

I have turned into someone I hate, I can't even look in the mirror at myself. I have no will, it seems like anymore I have already lost. I don't want to keep going in this direction. I can't or I will lose everything. GOD IS THE ANSWER... I am going to get on my hands and knees and pray for my life back.
 
Hi TAE!

Good to see you.:)

Yes, everyone - for those who weren't playing the first time, it was indeed TAE's sad "Goodbye Mr Pills" post in the now deceased Cave (I think) about his brother-in-law that gave me the inspiration for the song - although obviously I hadn't met the guy - I thought it would make a great song title and I know one or two people on the same path, so a song was born.

Very sad news about the youngster. Heroin is indeed a scourge - I have a friend who was an addict and he's been clean for probably 20 years, but he's fucked - when he badly injured his ankle in a motorbike accident more than a decade ago he (no surprise) became addicted to prescription opiates, and after 10 years of that - because the injury and consequent surgery leaves him still hobbling around and in pain, apparently, he's pretty much just a shell. But you can't tell him...

From memory, mjbphotos had the same idea and did a tune as well.
 
andrushkiwt said:
I think I would like to hear a touch more gain on the hard panned leads, something to make it shimmer a bit more between the strokes (sounds like your finger picking that blues riff though). Vocals sound damn good. Drums and bass too. Really balanced well and very full sounding. Perhaps a bit more verb on the vocals, especially the verse. I like the "hey's" toward the end. Good touch and they blend nicely.

Sorry, not a whole lot to add. This is very good.
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Thanks andrush - yeah in hindsight I'd add more gain when tracking - I've tried to add more afterwards but with poorish results, but I'll continue to tinker. Cheers - and it's actually 3 separate lines - all played with a pick, from memory - it was a few years back.
 
I really liked the sound of the vocal. I really liked the backing vocal sound too. They're noticeably wetter than the lead. I thought that worked.

I thought the guitars were a little too loud. I thought the snare was a little too soft. The OH's too. I think a dryer snare sound would be better. Kick sounds great to me. Nice tight sound.

Bass sounds great. Neat part too.

Just bring the guitars down and the snare up.
 
TripleM said:
I really liked the sound of the vocal. I really liked the backing vocal sound too. They're noticeably wetter than the lead. I thought that worked.

I thought the guitars were a little too loud. I thought the snare was a little too soft. The OH's too. I think a dryer snare sound would be better. Kick sounds great to me. Nice tight sound.

Bass sounds great. Neat part too.

Just bring the guitars down and the snare up.
Click to expand...

Thanks Trip - have done just that, but haven't updated the mix as yet. Cheers for the ears.
 
Great tune! How many times did you have to track those clean parts to get it "just right"? Sounds perfectly in sync.

I agree with TM as the guitars do sound a little loud. And there is also a buildup/wall of sound right when the chorus and the "oooos" kick in.

Other than that it sounds pretty good. Great job
 
Bruthish said:
Great tune! How many times did you have to track those clean parts to get it "just right"? Sounds perfectly in sync.

I agree with TM as the guitars do sound a little loud. And there is also a buildup/wall of sound right when the chorus and the "oooos" kick in.

Other than that it sounds pretty good. Great job
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Thanks Bruthish - it took a bit of work I can tell you - having played mainly acoustic guitar for a very long time before doing this song, I found I was "going early" a bit, I presume because the strings weren't as hard to pick - and then I'd adjust by the next note or the one after and be fine - so it took a few takes to get "good enough" and then I nudged a note here and there into position to really lock it in.

Aware of the wall of sound bit - been nibbling away at it and have moved it further along but it's still there a bit. I'll keep at it. Thanks for the listen.
 
well it's got me rocking my head and tapping my foot to a good tune. bring up the music to match the vocs and a little more bottom would really make me tap my foot. good song!
 
Cool song Armistice!
Almost a JethroTull feel on the timing. Super tight all the way around. I like it as is. I'm hearing nothing I would change.
Fantastic work!
 
sparky123 said:
well it's got me rocking my head and tapping my foot to a good tune. bring up the music to match the vocs and a little more bottom would really make me tap my foot. good song!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the listen sparky - I'll leave any further mixing until I do proper mastering of a bunch of tracks and try to get EQ / vocal levels etc. all matching.

jimistone said:
Cool song Armistice!
Almost a JethroTull feel on the timing. Super tight all the way around. I like it as is. I'm hearing nothing I would change.
Fantastic work!
Click to expand...

Thanks jimi!

Are you still in contact with Rami? If so, say hi from me. Cheers.;)
 
jimmys69 said:
Cool fucking tune Armi!

Is it my office PC freaking out or is the mix extremely hot on the right side?
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Thanks Jimmy - I hope not as no-one else has mentioned it, but I trust your ears so I shall have a listen specifically and see what I can hear. :confused:;)
 
jimmys69 said:
Cool fucking tune Armi!

Is it my office PC freaking out or is the mix extremely hot on the right side?
Click to expand...

Oh....cool tune man. I love it. Not just a Tull feel with the vocal timing......but the vocal tone as well. It is possible that something is a bit too hot on the right side. I tried reversing the sides and you can tell something is just sticking out a bit. Listening on cans right now and have no real way to measure......so don't take my word for it. Thanks for the listen!!! Nice work!!
 
Nope, I have some weirdness going on here on my office PC...

What the fuck? Right side is way higher level than the left. It must be a Windows setting or shit cable. Recording PC fine...
 
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jimmys69 said:
Nope, I have some weirdness going on here on my office PC...

What the fuck? Right side is way higher level than the left. It must be a Windows setting or shit cable. Recording PC fine...
Click to expand...

Ha ha.... interestingly I got all forensic with it and there was a slight right side emphasis on a few things, so I dove in and did a bit of rebalancing, then checked the individual guitar tracks in particular and there is one on the right which maybe has a clip or two - somehow - I did the actual tracking ages ago and it seems unlikely so perhaps it's in the compressor VST or something, didn't have time to check this morning - anyway it's a dirty guitar so I'd be surprised that anyone would pick it up in a mix... and I was thinking "Man, Jimmy has ears of gold to hear that..." and now it's your PC! :laughings:

Still it's more balanced now anyway! ;)
 
Mickster said:
Oh....cool tune man. I love it. Not just a Tull feel with the vocal timing......but the vocal tone as well. It is possible that something is a bit too hot on the right side. I tried reversing the sides and you can tell something is just sticking out a bit. Listening on cans right now and have no real way to measure......so don't take my word for it. Thanks for the listen!!! Nice work!!
Click to expand...

Thanks Mick - Jimmy reckons it's his PC, but you're right, there was a right side emphasis, which I did a bit of nudging on this morning - never thought of swapping ears on the cans!:)
 
Hi Armistice, I remember this song. Nice clean guitar riffs and tone. Reminds me of Television. For me the guitars are loud relative to the vocals and drums. The only other thing I notice is that the drums are not driving the rhythm during the chorus as strongly as they might. Partly they are too low in volume, partly they are playing a fiddly syncopated thing (kick and snare) where they need to be laying down the beat.
 
Armistice said:
Ha ha.... interestingly I got all forensic with it and there was a slight right side emphasis on a few things, so I dove in and did a bit of rebalancing, then checked the individual guitar tracks in particular and there is one on the right which maybe has a clip or two - somehow - I did the actual tracking ages ago and it seems unlikely so perhaps it's in the compressor VST or something, didn't have time to check this morning - anyway it's a dirty guitar so I'd be surprised that anyone would pick it up in a mix... and I was thinking "Man, Jimmy has ears of gold to hear that..." and now it's your PC! :laughings:

Still it's more balanced now anyway! ;)
Click to expand...

Ha! I think my issue was more prominent when I heard your tune. Glad you got it sorted better. :)

I had a cable from office pc go bad.

Did you update the mix?
 
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