"rock like heaven" - eighties revisted!

dear cakewalk-enthusiasts,
 
please listen to a new tune "rock like heaven"
 
http://www.reverbnation.com/speedcake
 
- well acutally, it is a remix of a older tune called "rock like hell". this remix happened due to two reasons:
 
1. I was quite unhappy with the original drum track - it was too static and the sound was too compressed. I have heard from Jamstix in this forum and tried it out. Great tool! What a fun it is to play around with Jamstix and fine-tune the fills and everything! Highly recommended.
 
2. My band is totally into Eighties again. We always have been big fans of the Police, the Jam etc, but they insisted to get more clean, chorus guitars. And I delivered! This actually changed the whole character of the track. Therefore I thought I would share it with you!
 
If you would like to compare to the older version, please kindly check here:
 
https://soundcloud.com/speedcake/rock-like-hell
 
Any comment is as always highly appreciated - thanks!

You guys have the 80's vibe down great! It reminds me of "the Fixx" or "the cure"....Great stuff!

Both versions are good, nice trip back to the 80's.  I actually may like the older version a little more.   Then it could be the difference in quality between Reverbnation and Soundcloud but the older version sounds a lot clearer....
 
Regards

first off, sorry for the late reply, I am now a proud owner of x3 studio, and had to play a little with my new toy in my tight spare time guess you guys know what I talking about...
 
dear Walt,
 
thanks for listening. You are right, this definately changed the whole character of the song. Even my band has decided to play this tune with the new version, for their got tired with the old version and we dumped it for the last few shows. I am excited to play the new and improved style at our next show! Because just like you, we love the eighties! How could anyone not? Hey Walt, have I told you that I look at you differently now that I know that you were running for your life at 9/11 but still holding on to a bass guitar? That's dedication!
 
Dear Clint,
 
thank you, I am flattered - the Fixx! Saw them live back in 83 and 84 - and then again last year. Did you know that they are still around? And they are still recording new stuff. If you have a chance, ckeck out their lastest album "beautiful friction". It's full of great new songs - the Fixx are no nostalgia act, these gentlemen are the real deal!
 
 
Dear Bob,
 
it's cool that the hardest working music man of PA still finds the time to listen to my stuff! Thanks man. Joe Jackson was one of my biggest influences - the early records like "Look sharp" or "I'm the man" set the tone of what I still, after so many years, love in music. Cool, fast energetic songs, full of harmonies. I am pleasantly surprised that you have been to hear that - I must admit, even I can't hardly detect any Joe Jacksonisms in my vocals! You the ear and the wide musical range of a true musician!
 
Dear Mark,
 
thanks for listening! Maybe the quality of Soundcloud is better, but I have to admit, the new song on Reverbnation is a mp3, while on Soundcloud, it is a wave file. Maybe that's why you may feel the the "old" version is clearer.
 
Dear Dan,
 
thank you for taking your time to listen! Definately the Police, I can't deny! I even used a drummer model called "Stewart" for the song...wonder of which drummer he was modelled after
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Veeeerrry Nice!  You certainly did capture the sounds of the '80's.  I agree with some of the comments above that it does sound like the Police   ----  but   ----- the vocals are much better than Sting's.  They are not all squeaky like his.  In fact they remind me a bit of Ric Ocasek from the Cars. 
Terrific job on performance and production.

 If 80's you were shooting for 80's you got. Great mix. I was especially impressed with the bass. It comes out well in the higher ranges and the bass runs are excellent.Not to diminish the rest of the mix which was good as well.

Rock Like Heaven definitely reminds me of 80's which - nowadays again - is a good thing. I wouldn't have courage to use that kind of clean guitars but you did it well and vocals fit perfectly in the style. One thing I don't understand is how you can tell a story in a minute when it takes 10 minutes and parts from a to z to do the same. :D
 
Great energy and fun to listen!

 
Tom,
You absolutely created that 80's atmosphere here! Yeah, all those bands like Killing Joke, New Model Army, The Mission, The Alarm, Souxsie and Banshees...too many to name... what a time! I can actually smell the hair gel and the smokey new wave/punk clubs. Yes, it was still allowed to smoke cigarettes inside bars and clubs then. ...Bizarre Festival 1987 Loreley, Germany, I was there ...sorry, I'm drifting away here.. 
Your chorused guitar sounds great in this version. It actually makes all the difference. Fantastic! 
 
Keep on rockin' !

Interesting walk into the past.  Big Cars and Police fan here...  good stuff.

> why play for ten minutes, when you can dial up the speed and tell the story in a minute
 
Ha! Easier to say than do it... You're just like my good friend who makes tight 2-3 min classic rock tunes. In my song intro ain't over while he's already done.
Good thing in long tunes: you have to rehearse less songs for the gig.
And bad thing: you can split 45 minutes of your music to 15 individual songs for iTunes. I'd have barely four songs. You'll earn much more when people buy our singles...:D

Dear Panup,
 
you pretty much summed it up pretty well. There are definately pros and cons to short or long songs! But...even though I like some songs with long songs, such as Amplifier, I just cannot write them. Maybe I should challenge myself to write ten-minute-rock-opera!
 
Dear James,
 
thanks for listening! I guess I overdid the low end too much...as I wrote before I guess I wanted to disguise the fact that the bass is really played by a guitar. The stops (I think you mean the bass tops in the bridge) are really inspired by Sting's bass playing at the Police. I personally love these stops!
 
 
 

Dear FR,
 
thanks a lot for your comments and your time you took to listen! Man, where did you dig out that old thread? looks like I am overdue to deliver new songs. But don't worry - I will soon!
 
Thanks for your advice, I will take this into consideration. Mastering is a tricky part of the recording process, it is easy to overdo things and smash the limiter too hard. But that said, I normally take care not to go too crazy with the loudness, but of course it is not easy to reists the dark side of the power...  

Where did this come from..? Very cool... sounds great to me...

Nice tune. I think I agree with 'Flagrant Regard', the bass treads on the other instrument's toes a little.

Reminded me of the Talking Heads right off the bat, vocals I think. Enjoyed the listen. Thought it needed some highs and the bass could have been cut back a little.