No How
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Only A Smile w/Gary..nixed piano solo
Hello y'all, I've had this song for eons and finally the itch has got the best of me. It's a collection of real life vignettes in a day in the life of a young new husband/father trying to find meaning in the never ending rounds of life. It is kind of a hidden square dance built into the harmonic structure. As the melody ascends the bass descends and as the bass ascends the melody descends all over the same 3 circling chords. I knew it would never fly without some authentic playing so Gary Reynolds (geeare1)brought out his shining dobro and threw copious splashes of warm color all over the place. I appreciate any comments on mix or anything you like, Only A Smile http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=826274&songID=9418082 Thank you for the listen! Gary Reynolds~ dobro Creighton Hack~ stand up bass Jaspar Katinki~ old upright piano Bert Swerl~ acoustic guitars Tony Chauvenist~ Vocals
post edited by No How - 2010/07/26 10:20:34
s o n g s – Beauty lodged in a bad hotel has no value. Raymond Lull
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Philip
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/19 13:04:21
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1st listen:
Intro (8 measures) might need 5-10 dcbs louder (the vox).
Acoustic performances are excellent, IMHO.
This is the 1st 'non-haunting' mix I've heard from you ... OTOH, your eccentric blue grass grooves twist my brain too.
TBH: Blue grass genre has only worked for me in gospel songs/hymns ... where 'young and old can sing and clap'. (Mountain songs are simple ... for simple folk ... not complex losers like me)
(A 2nd listen, another day, may prove quite the opposite.)
... lyrics, are a bit complex, run-on, and/or 'narrative' (as are everyone's these days) and I couldn't catch a lyric hook (at all).
Guitars and vox and master seem slightly warm. A bit of 'edge' (5kHz+) ... perhaps in the chorus ... might be indicated? But I'd probably leave the warm mids (1kHz-5kHz) alone.
Because this does not hook on 1st listen (which is OK for top-hits) ... my crit does this no justice.
2nd listen (today):
I still can't get around this. My crits seem invalid.
Sorry to listen to this song in its raw sketch. I'll try to listen again after serious country artists give their opinions and/or you a day or 2, if that's OK. I'm hoping GuitarHacker will chime in as I'd bet he could suggest things better than anyone.
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Legion
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/19 13:17:22
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Ha ha, humming reminded me of the jingle from an old childrens show here in Sweden. Gave me some warm feelings.
Really cool song. I gotta admit that this is not at all my normal listen but it was very nicely performed with a lot of feeling and I liked what I heard. Really cool solo as well.
Sadly very reduced studio equipment as it is... ASUS G750J, 8 gb RAM, Win8, Roland Quad Capture.
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notnat
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/19 13:52:09
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I really like the lyrics... Not sure about the piano solo...
Gary sounds great as always...
Very cool tune gents...
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No How
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/19 14:01:48
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Ahhhh, Philip...."complex losers" are just simple folk with too much freedom.  As always your notes are worth the forum account. Love em'. funny you couldn't find a hook when 3/4 of the song is repeating it ("naw-naw- naw....naw-naw-naw- naw-naw....")..i should have done it once more. yes, bluegrass is a presumptuous leap for me and i do say i've always loved it...just haven't played much of it. Your crits are always valid. thank you! Legion, Glad you liked!!!.........i used a LA2A copy comp on the vocals because of your mentioning it on your thread. It's not the real thing but it did have some oomph. Thank you for the listen and comments. Frank, You aren't alone...wife doesn't like piano solo either, that's why i left it in...(i hate it when she's right) Now i may have to reconsider. Gary did a smash up job indeed! Thank you for the honest ears and notes.
s o n g s – Beauty lodged in a bad hotel has no value. Raymond Lull
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Legion
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/19 14:25:30
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Keep the solo, I loved it! It was just so far out there and unexpected totally grabbing the attention if anyone were about to loose it. Yeah LA2A style compression can really work some magic at times and at times it just don't work at all. Glad my using it could work as an idea for this song. I use the Liquid Mix often wich has the right coloration but not entirely the right responce but T-Racks Opto is great as well. Actually, even Antress new version can work pretyy good.
post edited by Legion - 2010/07/19 14:27:46
Sadly very reduced studio equipment as it is... ASUS G750J, 8 gb RAM, Win8, Roland Quad Capture.
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No How
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/19 14:37:01
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Legion
Keep the solo, I loved it! It was just so far out there and unexpected totally grabbing the attention if anyone were about to loose it.
Yeah LA2A style compression can really work some magic at times and at times it just don't work at all. Glad my using it could work as an idea for this song. I use the Liquid Mix often wich has the right coloration but not entirely the right responce but T-Racks Opto is great as well. Actually, even Antress new version can work pretyy good.
I have the T racks and the antress and for this i went with the antress. I've read pros and cons about the antress but 80% of them are amazing considering they're free! I use their 'dragon' and 'deep purple' on most everything. Thanks for the input on the piano solo....i'm always trying to put something unexpected in a song.
s o n g s – Beauty lodged in a bad hotel has no value. Raymond Lull
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Legion
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/19 14:40:51
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Sadly very reduced studio equipment as it is... ASUS G750J, 8 gb RAM, Win8, Roland Quad Capture.
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Janet
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/19 17:22:06
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Cool song once again Rick! Gary's contribution is great! Piano solo IS a little out there, but I've come to expect that of you anyway. :-)
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notnat
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/20 09:47:02
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Legion
Keep the solo, I loved it! It was just so far out there and unexpected totally grabbing the attention if anyone were about to loose it.
Listen to your wife Rick... ...
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mgh
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/20 11:21:11
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what everyone else says. your music is like one of those games where you have to put more and more things on a tower until it falls over...it doesn't quite, but man we're teetering on the edge. always gfreat to hear people with the balls to do something different within a genre, i love it.
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BIABDude
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/20 11:27:42
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that was smashing! + + + + 1
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evadianepug
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/20 13:05:23
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Nice job guys. As always, a unique sound and wonderful, fun music. Having Gary makes it fun. He's a great player. I loved the lyrics.
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rolifer@verizon.net
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/20 19:26:40
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Rick
The opening (da now now now part) of this reminds me of a song done by Aerosmith. I can't remember the name of the song but it was on their 2nd album, Get Your Wings.
Great job by all and a fantastic mix as we all expect.
Well done
Ron
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Freddy J
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/20 19:41:33
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Consistency seems to be the norm with you Rick ---- consistently good. This number is another unique, creative, and fun number that is a pleasure to listen to. You always seem to be exploring which makes each song inventive and new. Greg's playing is excellent and certainly adds to this number.
Freddy J
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No How
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/21 08:49:41
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Hello Janet...........Yeah, piano is out there only because i'm not a real piano jammer so i lean more towards harmonic/melodic 'stuff' to fill in. It looks like it's not the ticket here but that's how ya (me) learn i guess. thank you for listen. Frank..................I may have to get the loppers out for that solo...still not sure........... thanks for the input. Hi Mark.............."teetering on the edge", is there anywhere else TO be? seeing as that's where the view is biggest Thanks for the listen and comments! BIAB.................Good to hear! Thank you very much. Hello Warren..........yes, having Gary on board was a real boon for me. He's stellar. Big thanks for the listen and comments! Ron................I'm not familiar with the aerosmith tune but i hope it's not TOO similar. I shouldn't be surprised it sounds like something else as it's just a 3 note ascending melody, probably in hundreds of tunes. Thank you for the listen! Hi Freddy...........i'm glad you got to listen. It's not a genre i have much experience in and if it wasn't for Gary i'd not even try it. Thank you for the ears and comments.
s o n g s – Beauty lodged in a bad hotel has no value. Raymond Lull
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Janet
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/21 09:39:13
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Rick, don't you EVER let me hear you say you're not a real piano jammer again!!! Your creativity and talent put me to shame. (supposed to be a wink here, but the smilies won't come up.) :-)
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No How
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/21 09:54:14
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Janet...that's quite a compliment coming from your neck-of-the-woods! Very sweet of you.
s o n g s – Beauty lodged in a bad hotel has no value. Raymond Lull
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Janet
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/21 10:33:03
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dlogan
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/21 10:47:38
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Love the loose, organic feel to this. As usual for you, very creative! The dobro does add a lot to this. Great job!!
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Scottytunes
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/22 06:20:35
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Rick,
This one is real different sounding for sure. The piano part caught me off guard. Very freaky-cool sounding. Based upon the lyrics, I can picture this sung as a country song by a country artist.
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Song Writer
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/22 18:52:36
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This sounds really good!
Whoever it is that is doing the vocals has a great voice in my opinion.
I was kept interested to the very end of the song and that is a hard thing to accomplish in these times with such a wide variety of music available for everyone to listen to, start and stop at will or exit so to speak.
Cool song!
Songwriter
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No How
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/23 09:03:27
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Dave.................Thank you for the listen and appreciations! Scotty.................I would love to have it land in the hands of a star-studded country singer. I can dream. Thanks for the listen! Songwriter..........You made my day/week. So happy you made it to end. Endings are my specialty ...I appreciate the compliment very much and will continue on with another that i was having doubts about. Thank you!
s o n g s – Beauty lodged in a bad hotel has no value. Raymond Lull
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Tap
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/23 09:35:49
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This is really upbeat for you, Rick.... Very Cool. Nice Playing ya all. Not Crazy about the piano solo in this tune, but it is really unique and different. Vocals and Lyrics are Great!
MC4 - M-Audio FW410 / Behringer UCA202 - Fender Strat / Jazzmaster / DuoSonic / Washburn / Peavy Foundation M-Audio Radium 49 Roland Juno 106 / JazzChorus / Seymore Duncan Convertible - HP A1230N ( AMD Athalon 3800+ 2G Ram + 200G HD ) http://soundclick.com/cut2thechaise
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No How
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/23 10:41:14
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Hi Tap, I really appreciate the listen and comments about the piano solo not working. i'll try cutting it out and posting without it. Thank you.
post edited by No How - 2010/07/23 10:47:57
s o n g s – Beauty lodged in a bad hotel has no value. Raymond Lull
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drumstixkev
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/23 11:20:41
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Two of my favorite forum artist rolled into one. From the very start I was diggin the acoustic guitar along with the folky scatting. The mix really has a great feel of space and instrument placement. Love the acoustic tones and recording. Rick, once again great vox/harmonies and lyrics. Gary, everything he plays is just ear candy. Loved it gents! Kev
post edited by drumstixkev - 2010/07/24 11:26:45
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geeare1
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/24 19:41:50
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Hi Rick,
Great job on the mix...
I've been a Reckless Gents fan for as long as
I've been a forum member so it was a blast
to be able to contribute to one of your great tunes!
Thanks!
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No How
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/26 10:19:48
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Thanks Gary..........you gave it a whole new dimension.
I've nixed the piano solo and now have the abridged version.....just a FYI.
s o n g s – Beauty lodged in a bad hotel has no value. Raymond Lull
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Slow Marching Band
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Re:Only A Smile w/Gary Reynolds
2010/07/27 13:17:25
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Love the 'backwoods-tribal' vibe goin' on here!! The bass and dobro are outstanding IMO! I've really developed an appreciation for bluegrass/folk music over the years, so hearing this made me want to dance!! You gotta do more of this style Rick!! Liked the opening 'scat' line too. The 'twists' you always put on yer music always make me smile man! Kudos to Gary!
Larry
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