ABeautifulVirus


nice job on this track. calls to mind a bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bob Seger, which is always a great thing :) 
guitar solo is tasty and reminds me of classic arena rock done the way it should be.  i think the slide guitar in the beginning can come up a db or two so we can enjoy it all the more.

good stuff. 


-Daren 

Viral, Skynyrd :-) I'll take that! I give props to my partner Mark, he is the man in the booth and an excellent guitarist and drummer. Thanks so much for your compliments!

Hey Robby & Mark,
You guys make a GREAT collab combo. Love the structure of this piece.  I'm diggin the way it starts out mellow and ends up being full and thick.  Mix sounds good on my end. If I must nit the cymbal hits need to back off a bit. A very well written/played piece from you both.  KUDOS GENTS!

Kev

Well fortunately for my listeners? I have the privilege of collaborating with people who know what the .... they are doing? Because, "trust me." I do not? 

Mark has remixed this puppy, and I think it is much better. He did lots to it? Based off of the feedback here? You people? (stops for a moment, chokes back tears...) You people? You are the Kate Beckinsale to my fantasies...  Mmmmm Kate Beckinsale... That's what you people are to me? I wish I could enjoy you all the way I want to enjoy her...


I'm sorry for that right there Lord, and please be with the Pygmies in New Guinea...

Guitarhacker


Cool song. I like it. It has a nice country rock feel to it. 

Nice bass. The acoustic and dobro are nice too. 

To my ears.... the vocals are a bit muffled which seems to be your default EQ setting on vox.  I'd personally like to hear a bit more crispness to the vox. Just a touch to add sparkle and air. 


Other than that... man.... good job and a nice collab.

Love Bug (Herbie?) You speak the truth, I like that about you? :-)

I do love that fretless bass. As much as a man can love his instrument...

I took a similar, but different route. I've always been intrigued by people playing a fretless? I've seen friends "try" and fail miserably... The fretless is a fickle and demanding mistress. The first thing you realize is? THERE ARE NO DAMN FRETS! And wherever you put your finger? Well, that's the note. And it doesn't always end well... The fact about it is, playing the bass is all about "the feel for the song?" And "holding down the bottom..." (my thoughts)

So you can do that for years on a freted instrument and be happy! (I was) But then I was drawn to the dark side... That fuzzy fretless sound, the ability to slide between notes, do vibrato, do quarter notes and half notes? I'm just facinated by the fretless.

But I sucked ASCII at it when I started? And for a long time thereafter... However, and unfortunately for things that I choose to defeat? "I am exactly like a pit bull..." I will grab on to your neck, and I will not let go? I simply will not let go. You can punch, stab, gouge? It doesn't matter, I will not let go. So I got a fretless, a really nice one! That Warwick is like a hot date with Pam Anderson before the Hep C? Back in the slow mo beach watch intros? I know "for a fact" that every man reading this knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Well? That's what this bass is like. It wasn't cheap. But I sucked at the whole "playing a fretless instrument." It is it's own thing... It's completely different than playing a fretted bass, and it is challanging if you've never tried it?

And when you do try it initially? It will be difficult, and you may suck at it? And you may be discouraged? "Do not give up..." I have a freted Alembic that I really do not play? Because I so enjoy the fretless. Again, it is it's own thing? It's a bass? But it's like a different instrument... And it is VERY satisfying as a bass player to lay down a track with that beast! LOL! I LOVE IT! "Pam Anderson in early Bay Watch intros..."

So the opposite path I took was to get a killer fretless (which I could not play) and have IT modified! Instead of doing the same to a nice fretted instrument.

I took my fretless to a Luthier, and said, I want lines? Where the frets are supposed to be? I know you can use tape. I know there are dots on the side... "I wanted lines where the frets are supposed to be?" So the guy I took it to, he's really "really" good? He actually runs a school teaching people to be Luthiers? :-) And he cut the neck... "ouchie?" And he did inlays? I requested Mother Of Pearl, but he advised against it, and said a hard plastic resin would be better? So I opted for that.

So my fretless? Unless you look very closely? It looks like a freted bass; Here's a shot from the front;

So I encourage my bass playing brethren? If you do not own a fretless? Buy one... If you suck at playing it? Do not despair, practice, and understand that it's all about the patterns, the geometry (you have to be precise…), the subtleties?

It's all about the sliding? And quarter and 1/2 notes. In the end, it may take a few years? But the fretless bass, well...  It's just really cool the way that you can play it like a normal bass when you want? But you can get "slinky" and slide around between notes, and wiggle them with an exaggerated up and down vibrato? If you are a bass player, this is a natural evolution. And if you're not? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? LOL!

I'm still not that good at it? But I'm not bad ;-) And I work at it :-) (I'll be better next year God willing...) Frank, you made my summer (you know I have much respect for you as a bass player) Thanks!
 
=================
 
And finally, this is a salute to Scotty... Because, if you're are a bass player like me? And like many of us? And you've tried to play the fretless? Well, "it's challenging..." We have no idea, or perspective of just how challenging it really is? Because we play bass? And the bass "is a long scale instrument..." What that means is, it's fer piece to get from here to there? From where your finger lands to the friggen bridge "is a mile!" It is a long scale instrument. And it is STILL incredibly difficult/challanging, and we're playing "with toys..."
 
Scotty does the same thing on a short scale instrument? That violin, the neck is only this long... (you know how long it is) So you take the clumsy mistakes we make? On that long scale instrument? And you multiply them, by a factor of "X" with X being the difference between the long scale instrument and the short scale instrument?
 
What you get in the end, if you understand this? Is that playing the bass is easy. Playing the fretless bass is harder, and some may say hard? Playing the violin, and doing so at the level that he does it? "Is impossible." Until you've tried to play a fretless instrument? You really cannot understand or appreciate the genius that goes in to doing what Mr. Campbell does. So while this is my song? And my thread? this comment is about the fretless bass (which is cool, don't get me wrong?) But that damn violin? It's a fretless instrument "in miniture" compared to a fretless bass. You should all really respect what Scotty does, it is amazing... Playing a fretless bass by comparison is like? Well, let me think... It's like roller skating on monster truck tires? You can't fall over, and you can crush cars? It's a big difference. Big difference... Think about it?

Loving the lead vocal - I will come back for the 3rd remix

And unlike some who've commented on the latest "getting a good bass sound" thread on the techniques forum? I did NOT Melodyne my bass! I played it! :-)
 
I don't think I did anyway? I can't say I never have... But I try to comp it and get it in, w'out editing it, to give it more of a natural feel. Working on one now that will feature that beautiful beast :-) A "classic" cover...
Although Mark mixed it? So actually he could have touched me up, I didn't ask :-( Sorry, nothing to see here, as you were.

" Whatever you did on this vocal remember it."

LMAO! Here's my secret... Shhh, this is just between us girls? markno999.vst, apply liberally to your whole mix! hahahahah

You sprinkle his Sizzy all over mine? And you can come up with something memorable... The trick is being able to put up with my insanity? And I know it's there, and it is a trick... 

James and Larry make a good team, James and Wack? Hell, pretty much anybody you want to throw at a James comes up pretty good? So I'm hoping we can try this Mark and Robby thing...

I think we all know I'm pretty good at some things? And not very good at others... Or as Clint Eastwood said? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG2cux_6Rcw

Frank gets me, it's hard to like me? But he gets me.

Eric (and everyone) thanks! I've sent Mr. Markno some more dobro which he requested, but he may be tied up. I actually had to work today (Saturday) which is not usual, but we are all doing what we can these days I guess. I'm working on a new classic cover. The time floats on the cover, so it's a really PITA because I like to do tribute versions of the music I love. It's probably a good month out.

Im really liking the song

Nice Job Guys!!!

Hey, Robby and Mark,
 
Absolutely dynamite song!  Well written, excellent instrumental and vocal performances, and to my ears, the mix is totally pro sounding.
 
Great collab, boys, you guys make one helluva production team!
Bob

gary: " the 1st chorus doesn't quite pay off - a little anti-climactic" But I love the climax, it's my favorite part! Being goal oriented and whatnot (I'm talking about the peak of the song people)

Bob, thanks very much, it turned out better than I thought it would, and my hopes are always high!

Mike; Thank you very much for your feedback :-)


Eric- Thank you sir, perfection is our goal, excellence will be tolerated!  



Daryl ~ 68 was a very good year! Thanks very much.

Much is owed to markno999 for the success of this project.

Nice tune! I'd prefer the drums "up" a bit more and a tad more low end.

Regards,
Dan