Songcrafters.org

New one from me. It's ended up as a bit of a "crying into yer beer at Bob's Country Bunker" sort of song... :D

I've been sat on these lyrics in some form or another for absolutely years. I first wrote them one very dark night a few years after my first marriage ended. I've written a song around them two or three times before, but I wrote a new one yesterday.

The recording is a bit of a first for me. I told myself this morning that I was going to record a complete song in one day... and I've managed it. Usually I would have replaced a few of the parts that I don't like, but I'm going to pretend they're not there instead!

not up to your usual high standard i can only hear the faults.

lol only kidding.

that slide is sublime

thos lyrics are deep an wunnerfull

production playing singing top notch as i was expecting.

but a fabulous piece of music nay a fabulous piece of art.

a belter.

Great sound very spiritual feel.  Top class.  Almost a touch of the king about this - I think he might be smiling listening to this

Leigh

Fabulous song writing.....the Songcrafters renaissance continues!

As usual with your work, the quality is out of this world in all respects.

Second listen as I type this, and plenty more to come!

Superb tune with brilliant lyrics, Andy! Strong performing with a lots of feel.

Kari

This is ...... I don't even know where to start ... and in a rush so I'll come back .... but this ... this is .....

....

.

man !!!!

....

I mean .....


MAN !!!!


,,......





.
.





.

Damn good stuff...reminds me of Beggar's Banquet/Let It Bleed era Stones' ballads and that vocal is pure gold.

Oh man... you've really done it with this one. I love everything about it. The touches of delta-blues slide and sweet melancholy of the vocal completely transported me to a wonderful place. It's an immense piece of work, and a real standout listen. There are so many movies where this would fit in as a perfect soundtrack song. Bittersweet perfection!

I could also hear a full gospel choir kicking in on this. man, that would be something else!

Man, this is NICE!  Mellow, laid back acoustic driven tune with heartfelt and thoughtful lyrics.  Love your vocal work too.  Lots of emotion and passion!

 :) John B.

SiMPLY wonderful agree with all comments.
well sung simple but yet very effective best
regrds NEIL  keep on singing and playing !!

Thanks folks...

Kinda showing my roots here - I was brought up on country music. The first gigs I went to were Slim Whitman, George Hamilton IV, Billie Jo Spears...  I was GUTTED that my parents went to see Glen Campbell without me.

I listened to this yesterday (I'd forgotten what it sounded like or how it went - it was written and recorded that fast!)... I wasn't too fond of the bass part, and I know I could do a better vocal...

But listening to it now, I do kinda like it as it is, so I'm not messing.

Greeny, I tried the gospel choir bit. Partly I was too tired, but then I realised that it wouldn't be true to what the song means to me... so it was naked vocal upfront... I'm also fairly sure this could get quite icky with too much "production" going on... but I wasn't brave enough to do it "late Johnny Cash" style (and also I couldn't make my mind up whether to use a standard acoustic or a resonator in G, so I used both, and it was always meant to have the double-bass on it anyway, that's why I started it!)

Hmmm... well... glad you folks like it - I could turn these out til the cows come home without even drawing breath :D. Mebbe not with such good lyrics, this set has been haunting me for ages, I don't usually come up with lyrics that just seem to "work" so well for me.

Interesting, your responses might have steered me in a different direction than I was planning for the next one!

Dear lord Andy....what have you done here....for a song thrown out so easily, so quickly, all in one day as you say, this is one of your strongest songs.....There is a real vibe here.  I think it goes along with the whole Neil Young recording school of thought, get it down fast, don't second guess yourself, the first or 2 or at most 3 takes are always the best, maybe not the most polished, but always the best...thats what NY always says.  Thats why you should leave this one alone, you captured something here that would be lost in re-doing anything.  I really like the bass like that, punchy, moves the song along.  Vocally it is damn good, I couldn't imagine you improving on that performance by any more run-throughs.  If this is your roots, and a quickly recorded effort, then I say do some more in this vein, it really works.

You really are showing your raw talent here Andy. Your work is usually so impressive on so many levels that your basic skills can get overlooked. But here we have fabulous lyrics, a straightforward but incredibly effective song and superb vocals with subtle instrumental backing that complements but never overwhelms. It just works so well together. The bass sounds fantastic and really anchors everything.

I have never been a fan of country music but since I;ve been on this site my eyes (and ears) have been opened. This was a real pleasure to listen to and it also could be a massive hit. The quality is of the performance and recording is so high this is easily ready for commercial airplay.

Great stuff as always!

Cheers,

Nigel   

This is outstanding Andy, so good on all levels...and that is some vocal!
Will be sure to check out your other material based on this

A really heartfelt vocal performance.  I could tell that you had really lived those lyrics.  Great stuff, lovely slide work as well.

Cheers

Simon

WOW!  What a great tune!  The feel and tempo of this song
is excellent and everything about it is just so moving ... damn!

kb

This is so damn good that I don't even know what I think about it!!

It is one of those songs that just take you away on a little daydream when you listen to it!
A completely immersive experience!

There is a great strength which shines through on this song. The "Crying into your beer" vibe certainly becomes masked by the air of hope in this song!

Inspiring and totally outstanding Andy!


Peace


T

P.s..  And Oh Man!!  What a Voice!

did i say this is magic
it bloody is
it's bloody magic
there i said it.
magic

Thanks muchly folks.

T, I have to admit, while I was typing the lyrics out, I was thinking "interesting, this lot approaches what T does - I wonder how he turns it on so consistently?" :D

And I like how you hear the air of hope in it. I wasn't sure it was still there, but when I wrote the lyrics years ago (no music in my head at all), I do remember it was a kind of comforting moment. It was 2 or 3 in the morning and I couldn't sleep. So I turned the bedside light on, rolled a cigarette, reached for the notebook and pen and wrote some lines to myself. After I'd written them, didn't take too long, I was able to sleep.

Hi Andy. This is a masterclass in songwriting. If The Eagles for example had written this it would have been a monster hit. Its got timeless classic written all over it. I'm in awe. Fantastic !!!!!

Very, Very Good song Andy....
I've got it on my mp3 player now, and I can't say enough
about it!!!!

LG

Just caught up with this one and I,m so glad I did, just love this tune that slide guitar sounds so good, but the stand out are your vox. Your tuns are always top quality, but for some reason this one just stands out for me, blown away loved it!!!

The copyright date should by at least 40yrs earlier.
This sound sound like one of those old classics Andrew.
The music is spectacular and the vocals are off the charts.
Confident and strong and full of soul.
The lyrics are really touching and the production is spot on.

Damn great job here.

How did I miss this? It sounds like a long-lost classic - every element is of impeccable quality.

Still waiting for you to post a crap song, so I can feel a little better. :D

Again no luck.

Regards,
  Steffen

Quote from: stoman on March 14, 2011, 11:15:02 AMStill waiting for you to post a crap song, so I can feel a little better. :D

There's time yet, don't fret...

Actually, turns out I lied earlier in the thread - "I can churn these out" ... I've been trying for a week, and I can't! :D

It's been very interesting seeing how well received this one has been. I knew the lyrics had something, for me personally anyway, which was why I kept banging away at them on and off over the years. But when I'd finished it I had no idea how wide an appeal the thing might have.

It's made me re-assess what I'm doing at the moment - and I'm in grave danger of getting hung up on looking for another simple/special one... probably I ought to go back to the ones I was getting ready to record before this!

some advice from captain beefheart tho its not directly for songwriting but from his 10 Commandments of Guitar Playing

QuoteIf your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.

from here http://www.beefheart.com/datharp/10com.htm

How i miss this and glad i saw it...This is just an abomination of talent!! Your voice just makes me go off into the lyrics of the song like i am there.

You rule Andy!! Just an awesome piece of work!!

Oh wow.  This is so good Andy.  I'm way behind in listening to new stuff here.  I remembered seeing a new song from you and made a mental note to go back and listen.  I'm really glad I did.

Great song, beautifully recorded and marvelously played.

Superb.

Paul