I had declared the NaSoAlMo project complete after starting the eighth song. Then I had some free time and started this cheese ball. Later I added a 10th song too. What a nitwit.
This marks the end of both of my mini-goals for November…
It wasn't until I was sitting in front of my computer trying to write lyrics to this one that I realized it is very, very similar to a song from last year's NaSoAlMo. Sorry about that.
If I told you that the lyrics to this were based on…
Song three of (probably) 10 for NaSoAlMo. I'm still going with the plan of longer(ish) songs that feature at least a little bit of 12-string guitar. So far so good.
I sort of like the chorus on this one, but the verses aren't all that hot…
FAWM's 50/90 starts on July 4th, Independence Day in the USA, and wouldn't you know it New England got hit by the remnants of a hurricane that night. Hurricane Arthur was pretty much just a rain storm by the time it hit us, but it was still song…
Less than an hour after declaring my bluesy October project at an end I came up with this. It's almost like I don't even listen to myself.
The guitars are all Stratocaster and the lyrics are about raking leaves. No, seriously.
October Music Continues with a second song with a bit of a swing to it. The guitars are all Stratocaster and the lyrics were written off the top of my head in about 3 minutes. I think this one is a tad too long, but otherwise I don't loathe it.
50/90 is over. What do I do now? The plan was to do the same thing I did after RPM and FAWM ended... just start another album in a month project.
Well I started it, but it's going really slow. There are only five songs in the works, and…
Groovy, really! Very impressed with your sax work -- the first rift reminds me of the sax player in the break on Floyd's "Money," and the 2nd sax rift reminded me of Quarterflash. Choice guitar rifts!
Unless my math skills have failed me, this is song #50 and 50/90 is complete! WOOHOO!
This song broke my one 50/90 rule... sort of. The rule was that all ideas get used immediately. Nothing gets dropped and everything I try stays. The idea…
Unless my math skills have failed me, this is song #50 and 50/90 is complete! WOOHOO!
This song broke my one 50/90 rule... sort of. The rule was that all ideas get used immediately. Nothing gets dropped and everything I try stays. The idea…
Unless my math skills have failed me, this is song #50 and 50/90 is complete! WOOHOO!
This song broke my one 50/90 rule... sort of. The rule was that all ideas get used immediately. Nothing gets dropped and everything I try stays. The idea…
Unless my math skills have failed me, this is song #50 and 50/90 is complete! WOOHOO!
This song broke my one 50/90 rule... sort of. The rule was that all ideas get used immediately. Nothing gets dropped and everything I try stays. The idea…
Unless my math skills have failed me, this is song #50 and 50/90 is complete! WOOHOO!
This song broke my one 50/90 rule... sort of. The rule was that all ideas get used immediately. Nothing gets dropped and everything I try stays. The idea…
This one is pretty sad. Sad as in, it's not very good, not sad as in it's a sad song.
I spent one afternoon working exclusively in 7/8. This was the third thing I came up with. It's the worst of the three. I still sort of like the groove…
Wow. This 7/8 stuff really works! I like the groove too. Nice one.
I've got this gut feeling it could be really good with very little change - no idea what needs doing though, I think it's arrangement, varying the instrumentation involved mebbe so the choruses stick out... but I don't really know - the 7/8 keeps distracting me! (I might have to see if my drum machine can count to 7...)
Another song that is entirely in 7/8. I like this one a little bit even though the riff seems a bit forced. The guitars are all Les Paul.
I won’t try to hold you back
I won’t try to keep you down
I just want to build you up
I just want…
Like it. I've never been able to write/play anything in an odd time signature. I'm always in awe of folks that can stick a decent melody and lyrics over one.
Another song that is entirely in 7/8. I like this one a little bit even though the riff seems a bit forced. The guitars are all Les Paul.
I won’t try to hold you back
I won’t try to keep you down
I just want to build you up
I just want…
Good rocker ...finesound on the drums especially with this odd timing.
There's nothing like a Les Paul for this style of tune. Excellent guitar work .... thick crunchy rhythm and killer wah! That cymbal crash at the end sounds great.
This is the 47th 50/90 song posted, but it was the 49th idea. I figured one last head banger before I was done. The lyrics are supposed to be political without really trying to pick a side. Eh.
The guitars are all ES-335
how do we handle…
This is the 45th song posted for 50/90, but it is really the 50th song to be worked on. Somehow it seems fitting to close off the festivities with a sappy love song that swings a bit.
Of all the crap I've written this summer, this is the…
Not quite sure what I was going for musically with this one. It was just a couple of off the top of the head ideas. Not a lot of thought or planning. The lyrics are an Florida Man story about a guy who called 9-1-1 to ask for a ride to the…
This is the 47th 50/90 song posted, but it was the 49th idea. I figured one last head banger before I was done. The lyrics are supposed to be political without really trying to pick a side. Eh.
The guitars are all ES-335
how do we handle…
Not quite sure what I was going for musically with this one. It was just a couple of off the top of the head ideas. Not a lot of thought or planning. The lyrics are an Florida Man story about a guy who called 9-1-1 to ask for a ride to the…
So, what do you think... could it use more wah-wah?
This was written for the 2014 RPM Challenge. The chromatic thing at the beginning had been rattling around in my head for years and years but had never found a home.
The lyrics here…
That plinky little sound in the verses is an organ with some distortion on it. I wanted Jon Lord to play the part but he wasn't available. It's playing eighth notes in the verses and a sustained pad in the chorus. If I remix this I might bring it up. I haven't decided yet.
The sound at the end is actually a grunt of frustration. This is the easiest song every written in all of the history of music and it took me 700 takes to get the rhythm guitars right. I was going to cut it out but when the time came I thought it was funny so I left it there.
The first song completed for the second round of re-recorded Quarantine Tunes. This one was written on the last day of the 2016 RPM Challenge. I had written a bunch of songs saying that people who think the Earth is flat are somehow defective…
It's not a cocked wah, all of those mids are coming from the Klon pedal. I was a scooped mids guy for 30 years before I finally figured out that if I just boost the mids a little the rest of the band can hear me without me cranking my amp until it hurts. Now I overdo it in the other direction. heh
(Remastered 22/10/2021)
And here we go - Edith FINALLY gets it...
Actually, she's been getting it ever since I wrote it on the 29th May. I thought it would take a week or so, but it proved to be more of a fight than I was expecting.
On…
RPM 2k15
vocal by Gregg Todt
is it the medication
that makes her stare off into space?
those little pills in the bottle
grab your collar
smack you in the face
i want to make an appointment to see
that drug, so he will give her back to…
I thought going into 50/90 that I would need to do some quick recordings of really simple arrangements. Maybe just acoustic guitar and voice. Nope, not really.
This isn't meant as filler. This idea is something I noodle on almost every…
So 50/90 is an unnatural forcing of a crap ton of songs in a relatively short period of time. We're half way though and I've learned one thing. I've learned how easy it is to repeat something you've already done. This one sounds a LOT like…
I appreciate wanting to bring the vocals out in the mix more but that would mean someone might hear my awful voice and nonono we can't have that. Not to mention the terrible lyrics. Urgh. Bury those vocals!
I also like having the excuse that as I am a guitar player first and foremost, I naturally want the guitars to overpower everything else.
In all seriousness, I agree the vocals need to come up... I just can't bring myself to do it.
Opening song by Kent Good. We played pretty good in Feb. We are not "chops" players, but i think we rocked this one pretty good.This song will evolve a bit as we break it in live.
Apologies to Peter and the rest of Genesis - from back when they were good - 1974
And the lamb lies down on Broadway.
Early morning Manhattan,
Ocean winds blow on the land.
The Movie-Palace is now undone,
The all-night watchmen have had their…
"Stupid Punk Song" is... well... stupid. I woke up one morning and the entire song, lyrics and all, was stuck in my head. I let it rattle around for a few days before putting it down on my new 8-track. I played it for Break Even once but they…
This is a pre-release of a song from my new album. The song still needs some polish and rubbing. I will change it out once i get done with the final version. The lyric was written a long time ago, of what could or couldn't have been:) Thats the…
Comments on Robert James's stuff
Killer riffs, really love the searing tone...
Like it
Nice one great guitar
Brilliant!
Nice one great sound.
Damn, you're good!
Groovy, really! Very impressed with your sax work -- the first rift reminds me of the sax player in the break on Floyd's "Money," and the 2nd sax rift reminded me of Quarterflash. Choice guitar rifts!
pretty cool. IAA
Nice rift. Trolls -- what a great idea to sing about. Choice lead guitar chops. Rock on!
pretty cool! IAA
Nice one. Like the riffing. Fine ending to this 50/90 thing.
Man I love the vocal intervals, strong riff holds it all together, Keeper
Wow. This 7/8 stuff really works! I like the groove too. Nice one. I've got this gut feeling it could be really good with very little change - no idea what needs doing though, I think it's arrangement, varying the instrumentation involved mebbe so the choruses stick out... but I don't really know - the 7/8 keeps distracting me! (I might have to see if my drum machine can count to 7...)
Like it. I've never been able to write/play anything in an odd time signature. I'm always in awe of folks that can stick a decent melody and lyrics over one.
Good rocker ...finesound on the drums especially with this odd timing. There's nothing like a Les Paul for this style of tune. Excellent guitar work .... thick crunchy rhythm and killer wah! That cymbal crash at the end sounds great.
Dig the lyrics and chord progression and wah-wah -- Rock on!
Those eight bars are pretty damn good! And I'm loving the 335.
Fine guitaring. Do you reckon they'll deliver take-away as well?!
Rocking :)
Great guitar work.
Comments made by Robert James
That plinky little sound in the verses is an organ with some distortion on it. I wanted Jon Lord to play the part but he wasn't available. It's playing eighth notes in the verses and a sustained pad in the chorus. If I remix this I might bring it up. I haven't decided yet. The sound at the end is actually a grunt of frustration. This is the easiest song every written in all of the history of music and it took me 700 takes to get the rhythm guitars right. I was going to cut it out but when the time came I thought it was funny so I left it there.
It's not a cocked wah, all of those mids are coming from the Klon pedal. I was a scooped mids guy for 30 years before I finally figured out that if I just boost the mids a little the rest of the band can hear me without me cranking my amp until it hurts. Now I overdo it in the other direction. heh
Love the slide! What a great song. No one warns us that vowel sounds matter when writing lyrics, but you nailed it.
Damn it man, each song is better than the one that came before. Nice work. Really loving it.
The acoustic bass sound comes from GarageBand. I haven't been using it much lately, but every once in a while I feel the need.
I appreciate wanting to bring the vocals out in the mix more but that would mean someone might hear my awful voice and nonono we can't have that. Not to mention the terrible lyrics. Urgh. Bury those vocals! I also like having the excuse that as I am a guitar player first and foremost, I naturally want the guitars to overpower everything else. In all seriousness, I agree the vocals need to come up... I just can't bring myself to do it.
I love everything about this song.
Live music! Sounds great.
Have I mentioned that this is the BEST! SONG! EVER!!!!? Because it clearly is the BEST SONG EVER!!!
BEST! SONG! EVER!!!!!
Syd would be proud. Thanks!
Put on a fox head mask and channel Peter Gabriel. Nice!
Hey Steve, I don't think you were there that night. I know i played it for at least Jeff and Dave and they both sort of looked at me funny.
I like both of these songs a lot. Thanks!
Great song! Here's to hoping you add some more.
Some excellent guitar playing! Thanks
I'm so impressed that I can't think of anything complementary to say. Thanks!
Wow!