Should I rearrange/rerecord this?

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Llarion

Llarion

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This is a piece I wrote in 1984, and the band playing it is the band I was in at the time, called Sgt. Friday (I was a 19 year old wee-beastie!). I grew up on jazz and funk and fusion in the late 70s and early 80s, and one of the watermark songwriting and playing influences for me was The Jeff Lorber Fusion (the band featured a then-unknown MONSTER sax player named Kenny Gorelick, who went on to write some abysmally boring smooth jazz of his own and gain a reputation as a sell-out). Anyway, I was so into the Lorber thing that I decided to write an exercise piece as a tribute, and to see if I could understand some of Lorber's songwriting devices; and as an aside, I got to really piss off my sax player, because the chart is KILLER hard.

Anyway, I've been trolling the archives in between a LONG songwriting drought, looking for more stuff worth redoing with a modern flair and a more experienced hand. Do you think this one bears a rework? The recording is remarkably good, considering the date and technology (Fostex 4-track cassette!)...

Thoroughly Lorber
 
This sounds really good for 1984. Technology from 21 years ago wasn't that bad. Of course the chops are so good this would sound excellent even on Behringer equipment (lol) ;) .
I don't think a remix is really needed....IMHO.

Quick burn this to CD ROM before the tape starts to shed.....
 
ido1957 said:
This sounds really good for 1984. Technology from 21 years ago wasn't that bad. Of course the chops are so good this would sound excellent even on Behringer equipment (lol) ;) .
I don't think a remix is really needed....IMHO.

Quick burn this to CD ROM before the tape starts to shed.....
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Way ahead of you there; I remastered it to CD in 1999; but I do have the original 4-track masters.

I was thinking a little slower and a lot funkier... Maybe even a little of a shuffly groove..
 
A redo would be interesting considering today's technology.....do you still know any of the players and do you still have the charts? Of course a good player could chart this out I suppose.....
 
Pretty cool. I really do like this kind of music. In terms of recording, I'd say this is pretty good as is.

If'n you want a redo, do a rock version of this. In other words, keep the jazz feel but use rock drums and find someone who can solo like that on the guitar. Keep the Jazz guitar that comes on halfway thru. :)

Man I like this piece a lot. :)

So did you play all these instruments? If not, what did you play and stuff? Pretty cool. :)
 
ido1957 said:
A redo would be interesting considering today's technology.....do you still know any of the players and do you still have the charts? Of course a good player could chart this out I suppose.....
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Oh, I have the charts; and I have a brilliant sax player. I'd do the rhythm section myself...
 
Dude, even on a laptop, that sounds cool. Very funky, and very upbeat. I hear nothing wrong with it, but would love to hear it redone, just to see what you might do different after all these years. Could be a fun project.
Nice tune though. Really enjoyed it.
 
Very nice sax and guitar lines in this. Definitely worth a re-record to get higher resolution.

Tim
 
Good sounds master Llarion. It does have an older recording sound, but there's nothing wrong with that. There's a ton of good stuff with an older recording sound, as long as the playing and song is good. So I guess I'm saying it doesn't NEED a rerecord, but a rerecord would be cool to hear. Maybe since you already have this saxed out mix groovin' you could mix up the new mix some more.... (here comes my predictable suggestion in any Llarion thread) and add some trumpet. I could see some powerful trumpet hits adding to the song, plus maybe some builds and a solo here and there. Anyway, enjoyed the track ;) :cool:

To the dude with the sax, awesome sax playin by the way!
 
Christ man. You did this when on what? I mean, I can tell where the medium of cassette tape is showing through, but it sounds better than 80-90% of the stuff released on this board. You deserve some serious props for this. And any knowledge on how you did this, let me know...my mind is open to any techniques you have to lay on me.

Considering I was in diapers just learning to walk when you recorded this, I don't know...to think that here I am 21 years later wishing I could get the sounds you are now. It's special man, don't ever lose it.

I would love to hear it redone as well. Some sick playing and work on the recording end. Congrats man.
 
TravisK said:
Christ man. You did this when on what? I mean, I can tell where the medium of cassette tape is showing through, but it sounds better than 80-90% of the stuff released on this board. You deserve some serious props for this. And any knowledge on how you did this, let me know...my mind is open to any techniques you have to lay on me.

Considering I was in diapers just learning to walk when you recorded this, I don't know...to think that here I am 21 years later wishing I could get the sounds you are now. It's special man, don't ever lose it.

I would love to hear it redone as well. Some sick playing and work on the recording end. Congrats man.
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Wow, geez, guys, thanks, all of you!!! The band was called Sgt. Friday. I was the bass player in the band, and there was a drummer (Scott Ercoliani, lives in Washington state now, I think), a guitarist (Bill Galanin, who can give Metheny a serious run for his money, lives in Weschester county in NY and does solo gigs), and the sax player who doubled on keys (Brian Dyre, I think he's a professor at University of Illinois, Champiagn these days...).

On this recording, a friend of ours (Gregg Hodge, good drummer, great engineer) had his 4-track setup in the studio, sort of a primordeal home studio compared to what most of us have today. But, he put 11 mics on the drums (and the kit as eminently mikable, as ALL the toms were Rotos, down the the 18" floor!). The EP was recorded Jan 9-11, 1984. We cut the guitar, bass and drums in one pass, I overdubbed the piano part, and then the leads and solos came last. It's surprising how little generational loss there was, and how high the fidelity was. I did remaster it a few years ago, but it really didn't change a lot. Man, I miss that band, we were really about to be something. I had to up and move to Florida..

I have access to a fantastic sax player and a fantastic trumpet player now, and I'm capable of cutting the whole rhythm section part myself.. I think it might be fun. A little slower, allow the groove to settle in, rather than push itself along..

I have three others form this recording that I'd also like to redo, I'll post em if you like... There's 3 other songs that I don't own the rights to; the other band members wrote them but they are AWESOME...
 
Phil, that's shit hot mate!

I had the displeasure of hearing one of my first band's demos from 1987 recently and we sucked so hard! I remember at the time thinking we were the shits....how things change :)

Can't believe that's from 4 track :eek:
 
Hey cool stuff!! I think I know which tune you used to write this one from JLF. I used to dig his older stuff too, some of new stuff is OK. Kenny G was good back then, now I dispise the dude.
Anyway, this tune kinda reminds of Cliff Sarde actually. It has that round funk style, and the gtr and sax gives that Cliff Sarde tone.
I say try another run to see what happens.

do post it if you do, thanks for sharing.
T
 
Tonio said:
Hey cool stuff!! I think I know which tune you used to write this one from JLF. I used to dig his older stuff too, some of new stuff is OK. Kenny G was good back then, now I dispise the dude.
Anyway, this tune kinda reminds of Cliff Sarde actually. It has that round funk style, and the gtr and sax gives that Cliff Sarde tone.
I say try another run to see what happens.

do post it if you do, thanks for sharing.
T
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It's actually an amalgam of ideas and flavors from what I consider the seminal funk/fusion album; Wizard Island... with a little dash of Tune 88 from Water Sign thrown in for good measure, and a nod tot he Galaxian album too. Tune 88 is the best 12-bar I ever heard. I'll have to check out Cliff Sarde... Thanks for the tip!! :)

Alec,
Thanks man! I had no idea at the time that it was as good as it is looknig back on it...
 
I have three others form this recording that I'd also like to redo, I'll post em if you like...
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Please, I let my band hear it and we were all wanting more. Very good stuff.
 
TravisK said:
Please, I let my band hear it and we were all wanting more. Very good stuff.
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OK... Enjoy!!!

Lazy - A slow shuffle, the title is the feel.
Down-n-Out sorta funky... sorta pop... commerical-sounding at the time...
Thoughts To Myself - A gentle, sweet, delicate ballad; several meter changes, can you spot them all?

Here is one other tune from this band, the sax player wrote it for the guitarist; I'd kill to be able to redo this, but I don't have the rights. This song was the personality of the band. It goes from bossa to funk to hard bop.

Easy Goin'
 
I've just listened to that first track and it's brilliant mate, I don't see the point in rerecording it, I couldn't tell it had been done on a four track at all.. If you're going to redo it, why don't you cut it up and turn it into some nujazz breaks for the dancefloor so it can find the right audience? Great stuff..
 
ahhhhh music.

I personally hate the thought of redoing older stuff, but thats only because I'm seldom able to leave something where it's "finished" in my eyes! You have yet another cracking piece there and of course it would benefit from a makeover. If you're fancying a "new" project I would go for it and you HAVE to post the two side by side when its done!! :D


Llarion said:
It's actually an amalgam of ideas and flavors from what I consider the seminal funk/fusion album; Wizard Island
Click to expand...

DID SOME ONE SAY "WIZARD"!!!! oooh noooo back to listening to Trans Sirberian Orchestra another 162 times! ;) :D

Cheers
Dee
 
I'd love to hear it slightly downtempo and with hand percussion. Maybe Rhodes or Wurlitzer as well.

Very nice work.
 
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