Catch Me If You Can

[Mr Clean]

I knocked this up in a couple of hours this morning. I've had this song hanging around for a couple of years and tried to record it before but could never quite get the sound I was after. I'm a lot closer this time with my new envisioning of it. It's been heavied up a lot since I wrote it.

This still has the guide vocals on it and they're a bit rough but give the idea. This is very much a faders up mix with a smidgen of tweaking. Trying to get all the instruments into their own space. I'm still trying to get used to this new room I'm in.

Opinions, thoughts, ideas, ridicule.....throw your shoes at me if you like.



LYRICS

The sweetest girl in all the world, that I did ever see
Gave me an ocean filled with emotion and greed
She’s the one in every song, a painted symphony
Rolls like the tide to unite and divide peoples dreams

I’m the King of everything, disputed royalty
I’ve got it made in the shade all I need is my Queen
When I’m gone let everyone be known to all I’ve been
Bury me down in the ground so’s my spirit runs free

Well you’ll never catch me now I’m running out
I’m on the lam, I’m going up, you’re going down
It’s funny, all ways out of reach
Catch me if you can, I’m running out
I’m on the lam, I’m going up, you’re going down
It’s funny, I can’t get no peace

In the end well you my friend will never conquer me
I move too fast, I never come last or retreat
I’m the one that everyone would truly love to be
Unless I’m mistaken this throne has been taken by me

Well you’ll never catch me now I’m running out
I’m on the lam, I’m going up, you’re going down
It’s funny, all ways out of reach
Catch me if you can
Catch me if you can
Catch me if you can
Catch me if you can

 

[Greg_L]

I like it. I'd like more of the left guitar though. And the drums are bleh. That's like stock standard drum loop sounds and the pattern is a little messy. Too busy. It's cool during the verses when it goes to the toms, but I'd like the rest of the drum pattern a little simpler. Pretty clean mix though. Bass sounds cool.

 

[fritsthegirl]

I knocked this up in a couple of hours this morning.

LYRICS

You did this in a morning...Christ. That's just inconceivable to me, it's so good. Definitely a flavour of BJM, you said you liked them, I do too. I love this, a whole lot. Hey cool lyrics, excellent vocals, and really cool tune. Sounds perfect to me. You should change your name to Mr Cool. Just one little thing I'm not feeling, is the last few hits of those brassy plate things at the end of the song. I don't even know what they're called. Cymbals?

 

[Mr Clean]

I like it. I'd like more of the left guitar though. And the drums are bleh. That's like stock standard drum loop sounds and the pattern is a little messy. Too busy. It's cool during the verses when it goes to the toms, but I'd like the rest of the drum pattern a little simpler. Pretty clean mix though. Bass sounds cool.

Thanks Greg. I was struggling balancing the guitars in this new room with my one ear. It's not easy lol. The drums are not stock loops though, although they are loops but I created them myself in midi, which is probably why they sound messy/busy. I'm no drummer sadly. I don't use the 'grooves' that EZDrummer supplies. I'll look into a simpler/straighter beat for the main parts. Glad you liked it.

You did this in a morning...Christ. That's just inconceivable to me, it's so good. Definitely a flavour of BJM, you said you liked them, I do too. I love this, a whole lot. Hey cool lyrics, excellent vocals, and really cool tune. Sounds perfect to me. You should change your name to Mr Cool. Just one little thing I'm not feeling, is the last few hits of those brassy plate things at the end of the song. I don't even know what they're called. Cymbals?

Thanks Frits. Glad you like it You'll be surprised what you can achieve when you put your mind to it. This came together really easy. I've had the song for a long time too so the guitar parts and bass we're very easy, one take, done. I know them so well. Fannying about with the midi drums took the longest time but I'm not finished with them yet.

Yeah the cymbals at the end were me just messing around. After I do my drum beat, get it all laid out I play the cymbals on my keyboard to try and give them a more human feel. The end was more of a frustrated hit on a few keys. It sounded good at the time but probably wont remain.

Thanks for listening folks!

 

[DM60]

Clean, I think everything sounds really great, but... When you are slowing your lyrics down: "The sweetest girl in all the world, that I did ever see" and "I’m the King of everything, disputed royalty" for example, I like what you are doing there, but you may want to revisit that and see if you can get it in there a little more snug. Maybe start the line on the kick and then draw it out like you have it and set up for the next line.

Like, Kick Start the line, "The Sweetest" (hold like you are doing) kick "girl ..." Just a thought, I might be full of it. Good tune and I like the direction. Great mix. No issues there that I could hear.

 

[TripleM]

The vocal sounds great. I like the bass too. Good part and good tone.

Guitars sounded OK. Personal taste thing, or maybe the mood I'm in at the moment, but I'd like a little more distortion in them. They're a bit too clean for me.

A couple of bobbled notes on the vocal between 2:05 and 2:10? Sounded like it. Maybe a couple of other spots too.

 

[killthepixelnow]

Hey, it sounds great to me. However, is there any foundation to hard pan the snare to the left? I find that decisions rather odd.

 

[Mr Clean]

Clean, I think everything sounds really great, but... When you are slowing your lyrics down: "The sweetest girl in all the world, that I did ever see" and "I’m the King of everything, disputed royalty" for example, I like what you are doing there, but you may want to revisit that and see if you can get it in there a little more snug. Maybe start the line on the kick and then draw it out like you have it and set up for the next line.

Like, Kick Start the line, "The Sweetest" (hold like you are doing) kick "girl ..." Just a thought, I might be full of it. Good tune and I like the direction. Great mix. No issues there that I could hear.

Thanks for the input DM, noted

This really is only a guide vocal though and I just shouted it at the mic with no effort at all. I will address this in my PROPER vocals.

The vocal sounds great. I like the bass too. Good part and good tone.

Guitars sounded OK. Personal taste thing, or maybe the mood I'm in at the moment, but I'd like a little more distortion in them. They're a bit too clean for me.

Cheers Trip. I'm with you on the guitars. I was trying to find a balance between too much and too little. I've not dabbled with or recorded much electric guitar in my recording history so it's still really new ground for me. I think I'll definitely beef them up a touch.

Hey, it sounds great to me. However, is there any foundation to hard pan the snare to the left? I find that decisions rather odd.

Thanks kill. No foundation, just error. I had the top of the snare mic to the left and bottom mic to the right but somehow the right got muted before I exported. This will be resolved. Only having a left ear myself, this escaped me when I exported, tested and uploaded.

 

[DM60]

Thanks for the input DM, noted

This really is only a guide vocal though and I just shouted it at the mic with no effort at all. I will address this in my PROPER vocals.

I thought this as well, but liked the approach and thought it worth keeping close to how you have it now. Sounds nice a different.

 

[K-dub]

I hate to call me staid in my habits, but the minute I hear the snare panned far to the side, I think ... "That just sounds wrong". All in all, well crafted material ... and I enjoyed the song and performances.

"Always out of reach" ... and the line just before it have notable pitch issues. I'd also like to hear more beater/snap on the kick.

 

[Armistice]

Hey, I like this... bit more of the keyboard sound coming out in certain spots would be nice... the noisy bits, not the quiet bits. And I really like the guitar sound, personally I wouldn't change it. Nice bass as well... And I don't mind the drums at all... sound itself could use a bit of work, but I'm generally OK with them, maybe a bit more variety.. I think they fit the song nicely. And I like the little squeaky guitar bit right at the end...

I think it will sound teh awesome when you get the real vocals on it. Nice

 

[StudioHermit]

Nice work, listening on ear buds, but sounded good to me. I agree with Greg on the drums. Thats all I've got though.

 

[PDP]

Sounds great, Nice vocal, Lennonesq. (I'd layer them some more since they are so good) I think you could get more power from the drums using some compression. Try running a separate buss with heavy compression through a tube compressor. (I'd put a short reverb on that snare too)

Great work, sounds a bit like the Smithereens.

Enjoyed the listen!

 

[rayc]

Sounds quite a bit like an ace Aussie band The Stems.
Their particular take on Monkeys + groove and a bit of psych is where this track is placed.
Plus a little of The Las.
Apart from the busy drums and guide vocal I think this is very cool.
Lyrics are good.
Not too sure about the "catch me if you can" bit though. You had phrases within that'd run batter on repeat.

 

[JimmyS1969]

I'm liking the song as well. Looking forward to hearing updates.

 

[Mr Clean]

Hey, I like this... bit more of the keyboard sound coming out in certain spots would be nice... the noisy bits, not the quiet bits. And I really like the guitar sound, personally I wouldn't change it. Nice bass as well... And I don't mind the drums at all... sound itself could use a bit of work, but I'm generally OK with them, maybe a bit more variety.. I think they fit the song nicely. And I like the little squeaky guitar bit right at the end...

I think it will sound teh awesome when you get the real vocals on it. Nice

Nice work, listening on ear buds, but sounded good to me. I agree with Greg on the drums. Thats all I've got though.

Sounds great, Nice vocal, Lennonesq. (I'd layer them some more since they are so good) I think you could get more power from the drums using some compression. Try running a separate buss with heavy compression through a tube compressor. (I'd put a short reverb on that snare too)

Great work, sounds a bit like the Smithereens.

Enjoyed the listen!

Sounds quite a bit like an ace Aussie band The Stems.
Their particular take on Monkeys + groove and a bit of psych is where this track is placed.
Plus a little of The Las.
Apart from the busy drums and guide vocal I think this is very cool.
Lyrics are good.
Not too sure about the "catch me if you can" bit though. You had phrases within that'd run batter on repeat.

I'm liking the song as well. Looking forward to hearing updates.

Thanks folks. All advice noted and taken in. I haven't had time to do anything with this or my other project (my Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone Cover) as my wife very kindly brought home a sickness bug from school (work) and we both got a bad dose of it. Been out of action for days now but I'm looking forward to tinkering with this one.

Thank you's