Whatever You Take Away

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groucho

groucho

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And another 180 degree shift from my last submission...

This is just a simple piano/voice tune. And the first done with my new preamp. The main issue in this one was getting the vocal sound right, since the piano is very spare. Whaddya think?



or, the crappy 128 version:



thanks,
Chris
 
First off lets me say I went for the 128 version, because the other one??? 10Mb??? and I have a CABLE modem!!!! That'll have em running for the hills!!!
NOW, on the the song...
What can I say...I am kinda speechless. I love simple arrangements like this and this one doesnt dissappoint AT ALL. I cant find anything wrong with this, I think it is beautifully recorded and written. You have a unique voice.
FANTASTIC, I shoulda gone for the 10Mb version because this song is well worth the wait my friend.

Blessings
Mike
 
Thanks K. Elvis for the kind words. I appreciate it much.

Also, just wanted to add - in case people are intimidated by the higher quality mp3's size - if you have a high-speed connection it should stream with no problem (easier than actually downloading it). I have DSL and it works fine for me.

dial-up folks would probably be advised to go for the smaller one I suppose though.

thanks,
Chris
 
TOM WAITS IS ON THIS BBS, and his nickname is "groucho."

Really nice, my friend. I'll probably come back to this thread; songs like this are almost cheapened by "mix advice," or at least, by mix comments from me.

This has all of the sadness, and none of the rage, and I really hope you didn't have to live it in order to write it.
































does anybody else know who Tom Waits is???? B/c the similarity is un-freakin'-canny!!
 
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wow, that vocal sounds great.....:eek:

if the main issue is getting the vocal sound right, consider it done....great job.....


i said it before and ill say it again...the real talent today isnt on the major labels.....its here in the Clinic.....
 
I must say... I didn't like your voice at first... (I guess I was expecting something "softer") but after a while, it definitely grows on you... it has that kind of pained, wounded quality to it... I think the voice makes the song even sadder...

as for the song itself... very good... simple... beautiful... I agree with chris... I hope you didn't have to live it to write it... (but I'm gonna guess that you did... all my sad songs are from my own experience)

I would also agree with mix that "mix" advice on this would be pointless since it's so simple (as it should be). This recording stands alone... The only thing I can think to suggest (for the future) would be to play it on a baby grand or something (with a nice room sound) That would make it all the more sweet.

WATYF
 
"Great voice" "Great song" "Great recording" "Great googly woogly":D Good stuff man, damn well worth the D/L...thanks
 
Well geez, thanks guys. I appreciate it. Historically, I've often had a harder time mixing really simple songs like this one - it can be maddeningly difficult when all you have to do is get the damn voice sounding right with the piano & you can't seem to do it! But this one just came out on the first take & was mixed in under an hour. Sometimes it flows nice & sometimes you spend a week at the computer tearing your hair out...

And yeah, I'd agree with the "grand piano" comment. But I may have to wait on that until *after* I win the lottery (any day now).:)

Thanks all,
Chris
 
Chris:

Yeah, I've gotten that Waits comment before. The bastard just has the market cornered for guys with thrashed voices. I should probably keep away from piano tunes since it seems to encourage the comparison, but hell...

Thanks for the comments (& the big letters:))

The Other Chris
 
groucho said:
Chris:Yeah, I've gotten that Waits comment before. The bastard just has the market cornered for guys with thrashed voices.

The Other Chris
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Sorry man. I see that the comparison is not one you relish. I truly meant it as a compliment, as it has as much to do with the quality of the song as it does your voice. I saw Waits in New York about 3 years ago, and I'll say this...that guy has totally lost the ability to sing at all. It was almost painful to watch, b/c the quality of his tunes deserved better...He was barely audible most of the time. You, on the other hand, are singing. It's just a timbre similarity.

[edit] Man, I tried to edit my earlier post to make the Tom Waits comment a little less HUGE AND GLARING...but it wouldn't let me. Again,...consider the HUGENESS of it a complement :D
 
hey dude.... that was really cool. That piano is superb, and I like your voice with it, signature. I could almost hear the Royal Philharmonic rising softly like the tide in the background....

Nice...

:)
 
Nah Chris, I'm just being cheeky cause I get that Waits thing so much:). I appreciate the compliment. I actually see Waits now and then at the store and such (we live in the same county). The damn guy won't leave me alone!

And thanks for the comments Toki. Now if I could just incorporate the previous "grand piano" comment with your "philharmonic" thought, I could really whip this tune into shape!:)

Chris
 
I don't mean to dwell on the Tom Waits comparison, but I think you go Tom Waits one better. This song was perfect.
 
I'm waiting for the big version to download. But if the Tom Waits comparison is accurate, I am a very psyched dude. Waits is one of my biggest influences! (I hide him well ;) ) I have almost every studio album spanning some 28 years! Got started with The Black Rider....changed my life, and I never saw it coming...

Chris, I saw him the week after you did up in Boston...sounded great...but he's got that kinda voice. I would have felt bad for anyone who didn't know the songs already, because they'd be missing out.

OK Download complete...

For some reason it wouldn't open until I renamed it ".MP3"...

Ya man, the resemblance is undeniable, and I am a huge Waits fan....did I mention that?
I don't really care if you "get the Waits thing a lot" or not, this could very well be a Waits demo circa 1974.
But this is a compliment, because you've written a beautiful song, recorded and produced it wonderfully, and it's YOUR story, not Tom's.

Mix is good, probably due largely to how well it was recorded. Nice job, and make no mistake, I'm more than delighted to hear you doing this stuff...I was thinking of doing an acoustic guitar rendition of "Invitation to the Blues", but I haven't got around to it.


Are you at all surprised to find Tom Waits fans here?
 
I won't mention that other dude (Jesus Christ you sound just like...oops, never mind.).

This tune deserves some attention.
 
Nice job capturing your vocals. I didn't like the piano sound. Honky-tonk kind of sound is one thing but this just sounds washed out. Out of deference to you already provided explanations I won't use the "T" word. But it's not just the gravel in your voice that elicits the comparison. The tune itself and the delivery compare well to Mr. "W". :)
 
drstawl said:
But it's not just the gravel in your voice that elicits the comparison. The tune itself and the delivery compare well to Mr. "W". :)
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aye.
 
IS THIS THE TOM WAITS THREAD???

SLuiCe said:
Chris, I saw him the week after you did up in Boston...sounded great...but he's got that kinda voice. I would have felt bad for anyone who didn't know the songs already, because they'd be missing out
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Ya' know, Tom, I don't think I would have put you at the top of the TW fan list if you hadn't said something, but it makes sense. Anyway, when I saw him, he had to be ill, b/c I've heard him do much better at other (earlier) times...glad to hear he was breathing in Boston.

HEY GROUCHO!! MY WIFE LISTENED, AND SHE LOVED IT, AND SHE DIDN'T MENTION TOM WAITS AT ALL.

































of course, she wouldn't know Tom Waits if he walked up to her with driver's license in hand and asked if he could play a little piano for her...but STILL
 
Thanks for the further comments guys. Since we seem to be discussing the old geezer, I'll add that I saw Mr. Waits on the opening night of his last tour, in Oakland (where I lived at the time) and his voice was pretty weak *then* - can only imagine what it must have been like later in the tour after he'd been abusing it nightly for awhile.:)

I actually got turned on to Waits years ago by people continually telling me I sounded like him. He's a great singer/writer, but I think the time to see him live has passed. You just can't sing like that for 30 years and expect the old vocal chords to remain as sturdy as when you were 24 and imitating your chain-smoking grandfather...

Chris
 
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