Songcrafters.org

I struggled to get this thing completed. I've been sat on it for weeks, finished, debating whether I was really prepared to let it go.

I loved the song when I wrote it, inspired by a wonderful week at the end of September. But the recording hasn't come out quite like I planned... I dunno, I wanted more joyous, or something.

It's about... well... it's about what ever you want it to be about... But I'm singing to someone called Florence :)

Immaculate production as always Andy, this track has the touch of Bowie about it. Like it lots.
B.

Very different Andy, in a good way. I wish I could write songs like this but it's not in my make up I guess. I think Bruno's "Bowie like" comment is close.... I can hear that but there's something that keeps it from falling square in the Bowie camp. Maybe it's your production style but whatever it is, I like it a lot!

Farrell

Brilliant Production Andy, Pure Magic....
Love it....


Alex

bloody magic, i assume the lyric was inspired by a certain lady and her machines, i recall somewhere you mentioning going to see her.

Quote from: Oldrottenhead on November 29, 2015, 03:24:07 AMbloody magic, i assume the lyric was inspired by a certain lady and her machines, i recall somewhere you mentioning going to see her.

Yep, Ms Welch, and her audience, almost the audience more... but she makes the audience like they are. I wasn't expecting to feel it myself, I just thought it would be a good gig... but it was such an experience, I had to go back for the 3rd and 4th nights. I was worried it "wouldn't be the same", but it was. If anything, even more.

This French dude's clips on twitter from the 4th night kinda sum up much of what I'm singing about https://twitter.com/frenchamerican9/status/647690950983221248

I was in roughly the same position as him/her that night, but on the other side of the stage.

"Boho" and "Blazey" are based on people I met over the three nights I was there.

The people who supplied the "Between a Crucifix and the London Eye" placard and the bags of glitter in those clips were beside me in the queue earlier in the evening. It was a bunch of girls and one VERY gay guy (the placard and the glitter were his) "in charge" of them all - they were in their early 20s. He was great, absolutely hilarious. He was telling them all how they were going to get to the front. He showed us the back of the placard which was made out like a huge postcard... It had this MASSIVE message to Flo on the back, how much she meant to him, how to contact him if she wanted to, and reminding her of how they'd met a couple years ago.

And the previous night, while waiting for my ticket collection, I'd ended up chatting to this 18 year old french girl who was skiving off her first week at uni to be there. The others in the ticket collection queue were saying how pretty this girl's garland was. I said "if you get to the front..." and she nodded to say "I KNOW!!! :)..." - but she didn't make it :(

- I've seen a picture somewhere showing her about 6ft too far to the right, Flo picked another girl (to be honest, the French girl's garland was a little too small and dainty!!). I'll see if I can find it.

=============

Musically, this one was a nightmare to get finished, because it didn't seem to contain the utter joy we were getting off that stage. Eventually I realised something else had crept in, equally important - on the last night I felt SO sad as well as the happy and crazy... it's very likely Florence and the Machine will NEVER be this good again, and she knows it too. So although the moment we were all in was like WOW... it was tinged with sadness too.

The other night I realised that this song with it's "TONIGHT, we are all happy and crazy" implies that tomorrow night we might not be... when I figured that out, and understood that it was a valid way of looking at it, I decided it was OK and I would post it after all (I was very close to never releasing this one).

And what do we think of the EBow? That was a one-taker, no redoing, no overdubs... like, apparently, the EBow part in, er... Heroes(!)

I often get compared to Mr Bowie - I've given up wondering why :D

Always love your posts. There is always a treat after the play button is pressed. Great production (although the kick seems a bit distracting to me), great song, great singing...everything. Perhaps not your intention as you said, but I'm loving the mood you've created with this tune and its lyrics.

Wow.

Blooby

A marvelous song and fine production.

Really enjoyable listen.

Paul

Always a treat.  Great song.  Dig your style and delivery.

kb

To me that was something like a cool mixture of Bowie and mid- to late 60's McCartney, blending together in an original way. Nice to read about the origins of the song too.

The bass drum was really aggressive on my studio monitors so had to switch to headset and then it was fine. Loud still was fine. :)

The vocal on this is the stand-out feature for me.

A great and unusual track, I get early Bowie too, but there's some Beefheart and a bit of early Genesis I think in the story telling style.

Nice one Andy.

 I love it Andy, such good production but the kick drum might be a bit loud. Really dig the ebow, I forgot you got one and was trying to figure out what that was. Very cool.
Rock on!

Haha! I knew you'd love the sounds an EBow makes, Hook.

I can't make my mind up about the kick drum - I've had the comment from several places, and I was struggling to hear what other folks heard... until artokh74's comment, and I remembered my monitors were chucking it out quite aggressively - I was LOVING it :D

There's actually a bunch of rhythm stuff going on - a lot more than is usual for me - there's the basic drum program (BR1600 drums). But in various other places this is augmented by:
- Another drum program with Toms (2nd chorus I think)
- Various percussion tracks (tambourines and shakers - can't remember which ones I ended up using in the mix)
- Another drum track played on one of they Cajone drum boxes

I decided to go wandering off down the "rhythm" route because of Florence + The Machine. She explained somewhere that she couldn't/can't play anything, so it was all about "hitting stuff and shouting a lot until the music was done" ... I like the results of what she gets with that, so I thought maybe I'd give it a go, and not allow myself to play any of my usual guitar stuff.

It was working really well, except... When it came to mixing, I had a complete 'mare :D

I have some earlier mixes that sound really "down" - no bounce or joy at all. I'd decided to ditch the song altogether I felt so down about it... That was a couple of weeks or so. Then I tried remixing, taking the rhythm stuff ever quieter - and it just got worse and even flatter sounding.

Then I suddenly remembered why I'd been recording it like this - it's about the vocal and hitting stuff, the rest is just textures and pretty blue and gold colours...

So I took ALL the bass off the bass and turned it up. Loaded some onto the sub-mix of the other instruments to get some warmth, but turned them down. And... whacked the drums right up front... Mrs R started grooving, and we agreed that yeah, that's what the gigs felt like... so that's what we've ended up with.

So, in a way, it's kind of what I was aiming at. I've just been listening on my studio phones - the kick drum is carrying a lot of the "body" of the whole band, that was definitely deliberate, take it out and the thing sounds very weedy.

I suspect that's what we're getting - I've aimed for something kinda alien for me, got into the right ball-park, but overcooked it a bit and I'm not used to this sound enough to be able to tell yet!!

I am kinda planning on exploring more of this "hitting stuff and shouting" way of doing things - "hitting stuff" has never really formed any part of my concept of making music, and I kinda reckon that after 40 years, maybe I ought to give it a go!

Stunningly good! Your songwriting & production skills are outstanding. I agree with the Bowie comparison, but I also hear shades of Peter Gabriel in there too. You have a singing voice that I'd kill for. Loved it!

Great vocal. Well written song. I agree with Peter Gabriel and Genesis comparison, that was my thoughts at the beginning of the song - but it soon became something else, AndyR maybe?

I think it's all been said but I loved it. Your production is faultless to my ears and the vox is to die for.   Willie

I like the 'Hitting stuff' approach.

Back for another listen... Heck, this is good!