"Moon Over Bourbon Street" (Sting cover)

  • Thread starter Thread starter mark skinner
  • Start date Start date
mark skinner

mark skinner

Well-known member
Hello , here's a minimal acoustic version of Sting's pop/jazz ballad. I kept it pretty simple with only L/R nylon guitars , upright bass . mixed back kick and cello. Any all comments and suggestions welcomed. Thanks for the listen .. mark

AI Overview


"Moon Over Bourbon Street" by Sting is a moody jazz-pop ballad that tells the dark, remorseful story of a vampire prowling the historic French Quarter of New Orleans at night.
 
I;ve listened to the track a number of time - but I think the bass and guitar and overlapping each other - the vocals are different this time - kind a slurring sort of way , the cello is incredible.
 
Papanate said:
I think the bass and guitar and overlapping each other
Click to expand...
?? I don't understand what you are saying about the bass/guitars.
The vox has a "full octave down" track under it. (melodyne). I'm Trying to get a more ominous feel in certain phrases. It's full of weird eq and artifacts from the drastic pitch changing. I'm sure that's adding to my natural slur. I'll look at it closer. Thanks for the comment .. ms
 
@Papanate , I'll repair the vox track in the morning. I'll probably drop most of the low vox. There's a few spots I'll just have to re-track.
As far as the bass .. I think you are referring to the lack of bass/kick on the downbeat and I Totally agree. Good Call ! Some sections I'll leave on the 1 beat but others will be changed. That may take a little longer to fix but I'll replace the file in the link "first" after working on the vox.
Thanks .. mark
 
I am rarely mega pleased with anything I record, and usually the best response to other people stuff is it’s OK, but I have to say I thought this excellent! In fact I had to listen twice because the first time ever, I was listening to the words (something I never do) and the music. I forgot to listen for quality, or playing or arrangement or the mix. I genuinely thought it stunning. So I went back and listened again for the technical stuff, and again, I heard such good stuff. For me personally, I would not change anything at all. The mix for me was really ‘right’. I loved the cello. It sounded like a cello. The second guitar came and went first time without me noticing. I thought your voice was perfect. This for me is a very rare thing.

Ps he’s a werewolf by the way!
 
@rob aylestone
Thanks rob for the Very generous comments . I'm glad you picked up on what I was going for. I too rarely pay a lot of attention to the lyrics of a song. I always appreciate it when someone includes the lyrics in a post. I'm normally trying to pick up on the emotion of a track before any critical listening.
I'll do my best to not to alter that while editing.
I Love playing cello , and the only time I pick mine up is when I'm recording . It's Very satisfting to me to finally get it sounding right as I'm not much of a player. You would probably laugh watching me play a section comping one note at a time. Thanks for the listens and the comment.
@Eric V , I Really appreciate that. I think nylon guitar and cello are Always a good match. Thanks for the listen and comment on this one and on songs in the past .. 😁 mark
 
I've never heard the Sting version so I can't compare, but this is really good! I also pickup he is a werewolf, however, I thought those were mostly in London? Excellent work!
 
Totally serious here - did you know you have a really good musical theatre voice - the way the tone changes on the held notes. That's something the theatre schools try to teach but rarely sounds natural. Probably a stupid question, but can you sing AND play the cello at the same time - it strikes me people would pay decent money to see and hear this, and it's unusual enough to be a puller? Live with a nice simple track for support it would be great.
 
@R D Smith , Thanks .. This is quite a ways away from the original version. The original leaned heavily a New Orleans jazz style. I'm still going to learn it just for the cool jazz guitar chords that will come in handy at some point.
R D Smith said:
I also pickup he is a werewolf, however, I thought those were mostly in London? Excellent work!
Click to expand...
Yes , a full moon usually referrs to a werewolf . In this case though .. Sting said he wrote it after reading the book "Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice while walking the streets of New Orleans at night. All the searches reffered to him as a struggling Vampire..
The link now reflects vocal editing. I had to re sing a few lines and I kept the octave down track after EQ changes .
 
rob aylestone said:
can you sing AND play the cello at the same time - it strikes me people would pay decent money to see and hear this, and it's unusual enough to be a puller? Live with a nice simple track for support it would be great.
Click to expand...
Rob , I Absolutley could Not play cello and sing at the same time. I'm still at the point where I'm still looking at the markers on the side of the cello neck that I painted on. I think that would be a Very good way to practice it though. It would force me to hold the instrument correctly and build up some muscle memory for freeting the notes and keep my bow in position. I'm going to try and make some time for the cello and actually learn it.
I Really appreciate your further comments. mark
 
Don't know the original, but the arrangement is suitably Sting-like and spot on. Love the cello
 
I finally had a chance to listen to this on the good speakers. This is outstanding. What an incredible vocal performance! 👏👏 The cello is a perfect touch. Love everything about this - great performances and as usual the recording sounds excellent. The only thing I might say after listening critically to the recording - the low mids on the lead vocal might could be tamed just a hair. *maybe*

Please keep 'em coming Mark. Your stuff is just exceptional. You should be proud of your efforts - top notch, sir.:thumbs up:
 
It seems sting confirmed he is indeed a vampire, not a werewolf, because vampires cannot do sunlight, and moonlight is reflected sunlight - so a vampire being out in moonlight is not good, but is good for a werewolf. I suspect I am over thinking this?
 
I have a nit - I don't think that atmospheric photo you have on your Sounclick page is actually Bourbon St - I've been there, and it didn't look like that.

Next - it's one of your best. Not so much because of the production values, which are characteristically high, but because you opened up when you sang this one, and it really worked well. If you were trying to sound a bit British or something, it changed the way you usually deliver vocals in a way that's engaging. Really enjoyed it.
 
Bulls Hit said:
Don't know the original, but the arrangement is suitably Sting-like and spot on. Love the cello
Click to expand...
I think I've only gotten one responce where someone actually remembered the original version. Don't think it got much public airplay. I Really enjoyed doing the cello on this one. Anyone needing a cello track , hit me up and I'll attempt it.
@PorterhouseMusic , Thanks for the listen and comment/suggestion. Yes .. good speakers help. I actually prefer headphones lately . I've gotten used to using them more during mixing.
rob aylestone said:
Funny what one good songs does - I've spent hours now with that song on the piano. It's such a simple but great song.
Click to expand...
I'll bet you were playing with a cool jazz version. There are a lot of nice guitar chord variations in the jazz versions as well. I'm slowly working on them for future songs.
dobro said:
I have a nit - I don't think that atmospheric photo you have on your Sounclick page is actually Bourbon St - I've been there, and it didn't look like that.

Next - it's one of your best. Not so much because of the production values, which are characteristically high, but because you opened up when you sang this one, and it really worked well. If you were trying to sound a bit British or something, it changed the way you usually deliver vocals in a way that's engaging. Really enjoyed it.
Click to expand...
Dobro , I couldn't find a decent song art pic and just did a search for a pic describing the scene I wanted. Thanks for the comment about the vox. This one was in a good key for me to open up a little and hold the notes a little better than I normally do. 😁
I'm calling this one "done" and moving on. Thanks for all the listens , comments and mixing advice.. mark
 
A great choice of song to cover masterfully executed. The mix is excellent as ever although there are occaisional pops and clicks that could be dealt with.

A truly lovely performance, fantastic playing and a wonderful, believable vocal.

Bravo maestro!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top