The Price (2020 Version)

Robert James

The 10th and final song for the third round or re-recorded Quarantine Tunes is now complete. I wish it closed with a better effort though.

I don’t dislike the way this came out, I just had higher hopes. This song is probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever written, especially the riffs in the chorus. I originally worked it all out on my iPad using the fake guitar sounds in GarageBand and then when I tried to play it for real I couldn’t hack it. The original recording of this song from six years ago had one take for the chorus that was played in one measure at a time and then pasted everywhere it needed to be. This time there was no copy and paste and I did a much better job getting things down, but there were still a lot of punches. I think I only made it through the full eight bar phrase a couple of times.

The rhythm guitar part is easier, but it’s still a little carpal tunnel enducing, and I had a really tough time playing it clean. You can hear me bumping into open strings all over the place. It’s a little embarrassing actually.

All of that is made even more shameful because when I played the lead guitar parts I was really feeling it. They are all first or second takes and they were ridiculously satisfying to me. I wish the full track were worthy of those lead parts.

I have no clue what the lyrics are about. None at all.

The rhythm guitars are my Gibson SG Standard into a Ryra The Klone overdrive pedal and two amps, a Vox AC15 and a Fender Bassbreaker 15. The leads are my Gibson Les Paul Custom into a Klon KTR pedal, and a Malaise Forever Black Lives Matter into the same two amps.

It goes without saying
its all for the best
the price you are paying
is more than you guessed

Now is the time
to clean up the mess
it is a crime
to halt this progress
keep moving on

endlessly stall
keep it at bay
thinking so small
always delay
lets move on

what do you think about it
what do you say
I think we know