The Quiet One

crawdad

crawdad

Dammit, Jim, Shut Up!
This is a demo of a song I've been working on. First, a disclaimer. This will be recut. I recorded ten songs as voice/guitar demos last weekend. This is one. Tried adding stuff to it--no click or timing reference so it was pretty hard to get perfection. Long story short--I am more interested in song comments than recording comments. :D

The Quiet One

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1522&alid=-1

There are a couple others posted too, but this is the one I am most interested in. Thanks!
 
Damn Al, I'm impressed. Profound lyrics, very clever chord changes and a good hook. No gush, just calling it like i see it.
 
Yeah... very impresive, Al. Cool song, and the lyrics... thumbs up.
My fast comment (I'm writing while listening it over and over...)

1. Very good song. Great vocals & acoustic guitar. :)

2. It would be good to add vocals harmony on the reffrain ( 1.05 ~ 1.27 and 1.53 ~ 2.14).

3. Fiddle (or whistling flute) will be good here and there for the "wisdom touch":D

4. Do a little tweak on the Drums track. It's kinda "too shy" back there.

Overall this is simply great !!! Like it alot...
 
A great demo. I great job anyway, but I know your final will be excellent.

I like the arrangement as it is, but I would also like to hear version with more dynamic buildup with other instrumentation.

Except that it would completely contradict the lyrics.

So I like it as it is.

I won't comment on the other stuff until I hear the full production. Personally, I like hearing demos. Thanks for letting us in on it.
 
How in the hell has the Record Industry failed to find you?You're the kind of country music that I used to listen to and I know a lot of people who turned country radio off when the "new" shit started coming in about 12 years ago.There is a giant COMMERCIAL void for this type of country.

How the dumbasses in the industry fail to see this, is beyond me.Im hoping to see the country music scene bust wide open much like the indie rock thing has done for the last 12 years with acts bucking the current system and making their own rules.....hell the indie rockers have been catipulted to the top of the charts and are now considered mainstream.

Hopefully indie country labels will start making some waves much like that indie rock movement has since the early 90's.

I know you always say you're getting too old and all that stuff,but the fact is you are nowhere near being too old to make it as a major recording artist.I've been waiting on someone just like yourself to come back on the country scene to give me something worth listening to.


p.s. I enjoyed the tune.Im gonna PM you about getting a CD(s) of your tunes.
 
Man Al, that's a buncha' words in 2:56. There are a ton of things I like about it. I like the fact that it doesn't follow "the formula." That's not to say that it's unstructured, because it's not...hell, you know what I'm talking about, lol.

I've got some ideas, and I've also got a couple of gigs this weekend, so I'm gonna' listen in the car and PM you with the full frontal attack of my amateur opinion when I get back.

I REALLY liked "You've Got A Home," and I know you weren't asking about it, but I think that tune has some serious potential. Sounds like it could have been dedicated to either your son or your daughter, but it could be even broader with just a little bit of tweaking....(and I know I'm nobody and our songs ARE like our children, so I'll shut up now until Sunday)
 
man that mix post that basically scolded everyone for gushing all the time is holding me back but...
i have no specifics, the time is a little shaky between the guitar and the shaker. that's it. i envy your ability to get a whole idea down so neat and tidy like this. you, my dear friend are a true songwriter. it's like everything you post is so well organized and structured. like each new post is another lesson in songwriting. thanks for that.

i don't mind the drums back like that. sounded just right to me actually.
 
This tune is a hit. This would fit right in with modern country. I really like the line about salvation! I love the fact that you bring a bit of God into it. Great tune.
 
As always, nice guitar work. The chord progressions are outstanding. The lyrics caught my ear more on this one though...


"...I've met the devil face to face but he couldn't lay my soul to waste..."


Very nice work...Can't wait to hear the finished project.
 
very very nice song. man you realy should be getting paid for your god given gift of writing music and performing. al you are truly gifted. this song sounds better than 90 percent of the stuff they play on the radio, and im not talking about the mix i mean the structure and the performance. your truly awesome crawdad and i realy enjoy your music and i thank you for sharing it with us here. looking forward to hearing this in the final mix. god bless all tim pate
 
Oh boy, a sigh of relief. I really liked the song, but I didn't know if it would fly with other listeners. You all inspire me more than anything. I just got home from a gig to all these posts, and I want to respond.

Track Rat--Thanks! Yeah, this one pretty much hinges on the lyrics. I'm glad you heard 'em!

James Argo--pretty much everything you said I agree with. Those are pretty much the same production values I want to go for in the final version.

SluiCe--I think there are a couple of sports where more dynamics could actually enhance the lyrics. There's some underlying anger in some of the lyrics that could be brought out with a little rise here and there. I hope you like the finished version!I have been working on computer so long putting things together, I made a conscious decision to get complete songs that worked with vocal/guitar first. So I did that and added stuff just to get an IDEA of what the final thing might sound like. So from here, I'll build a solid drum track and add to that.

Kramer--You're just too kind! Listen, I'm gonna PM you about your message, OK?

JR#97--Its not anything for sale yet! The strings were the Yamaha Motif. Just got it and was kind of learning the board. Anyway, I'm hoping to make a record with this included--new final version-- if all goes well.

ChrisHarris--OK. I'll wait for the PM. Yes, the other song "You've Got A Home" was for my son, who left for school last fall. I've also got one for the wife--so, one for each of my family members. Damn, I'm all warm and fuzzy now!

erichenryus--The songs are what matters first to me, so I deeply appreciate what you said. Yes, the timings are not real tight, but I didn't know that until I started adding things! I was hoping I might get lucky, but this served the purpose of being able to step back and hear the song. Now, I have to get a click and and do a tight version, trying to improve on all aspects.

Sydfan--I thought you might like that line! I actually thought about it.

Smokepole--Thank you! Your listen is much appreciated.

darwinsdoggy--I agree--its the lyrics that carry this one. Part of my next task is to make the music stand up as strong as the lyrics. Thank you, my friend!

michael.butler--thanks!

flash2ace--Once upon a time, I di get paid for writing, but there is a trap in that for me. What happens is you get pressured into writing a "hit" (like anybody knows what that really means until it happens). In the process, you can tend to drift away from writing about what really means something to you in favor of what you think the public wants to hear. I guess its all good, but I have been drawn into writing more from personal feelings lately and maybe thats what I should have done all along! It seems like the songs are working better for me that way. By the way, I love sharing the music. I live for it and appreciate all the feedback very much.
 
im very touched by your answer to the playing for money thing i said. wow youve inspired me by what you said about writing about the things that matter most in life.by the way al i listened to the song you wrote for your daughter and it is the beutiful song i have ever heard. i to have a daughter and shes 8 now and i can just picture all the things your lyrics say. i realy love that song and cant stop listening to it. im glad you like to share and i realy appreciate all the times you have shared your great knowledge of mixes on my music. thanks crawdad. god bless you and your family tim pate
 
Crawdad,
I've gotta say that after all the threads and posts lately regarding "gushing", well they can all take a flying leap. I just can't get over the talent you display in everything post. Gifted man you are Al, can't wait to hear the final mix.


bd
 
flash2ace--Thanks for that! You know, a ton of great writers have said that you find the best stuff by digging deep and writing for yourself. Glenn Frey once said something on the Bob Costas Show in an interview. Costas asked him how to write a universal song. Frey's answer was to write the most personal song you could.

I guess the thinking is that if you really feel something, there are a lot of other human beings who will feel it too. I think the trick is to be detailed enough about the feelings but vague about personal details. That way, other people can relate in their own way.

In the case of Too Beautiful (Jessie's Song) I intentionally left out a lot of details and tried to concentrate on my admiration for her. I'm sure anybody who has a daughter would feel similar to the way I do. Had I gone in to detail about her eye or hair color, her guitar playing or singing, or her incessant use of Instant messenger:D, I might have left more people "out" of the emotion, maybe. Of course, this is easy to say after the fact. Its the same thing with this new song. I'm painting with a broad brush. Everybody's gonna read/hear the lyrics a different way and relate to them in their own personal way. Everybody's faced adversity of some kind and found a way to overcome it. I made it a point of not saying exactly what MY adversity was or what my personal tests were. I hopefully left room for the listener to fill in those blanks in a way that pertains to their own experiences. For me, thats what songwriting is all about--striking an emotional cord in others without telling them how to feel. Its not always an easy trick to pull off.
 
Hi Crawdad, very beautiful song. Haven't been here in awhile, and I saw the title, it immediately caught my eye, cuz I wrote a song called The Quiet One! Mine is a little tribute to George Harrison. Anyway, yours is really nice. You are such a pro country writer.

Macle
 
Damn...how'd I miss you guys?

bdbdbuck--Thanks...hey, an ol' dude like me thrives on a little gushing now and then! I hope the final mix/recording is a good one.

M.Brane--yeah...I was pretty gabby on this one!:D

macle--Its good to see you! How is your musical quest going? I still think you are the savior of pop music! Good to see you here again. Would love to hear some new music sometime. Thanks for listening!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top