Songcrafters Rock Opera?

[FuzzFace]

There are enough ideas here to make a few projects.

Hint hint... perhaps an administrator could create a list and the folks on the site could vote...

Who was it that said democracy works?  Some crazy philospher?


* * *

Here is a list of items I have mined from all the previous posts:

Hodgepodge of genres (i.e. country followed by rap following a common outline) allowing others to add parts to the outline
Loose collection of songs connected by a theme
Concept album (not so much plot- or dialogue-driven, but held together thematically)
Compilation of independently produced songs
Compile existing songs strung together to make a story.
Multiple characters each performed by a designated singer
One singer throughout
Each song performed by different people.
Each song written by a different writer following an outline.
Have a composer write a musical "theme" to bind it together
Include a narrator
Daisy-chain:  one person starts, and each participant waits their turn and writes a song picking up where the previous song left-off
Jemima's Kite The Opera
Opera about brilliant guy who unknowingly gets micro-chipped by the gov't, invents a time machine; gets into big trouble due to government involvement & control, and then slowly looses his mind
Story of how a dyslexic typist falls fowl of a mad cornish taxi driver, who locks her in his taxi playing songs on his 8 track whilst trying on her knickers
Opera reflecting life on Songcrafters.org
Lobster-man:  The Myth, The Legend
Opera about pitfalls of sex, drugs, rock'n roll... and rediscovering the meaning of music.
Opera glorifying sex, drugs and rock'n roll

[FuzzFace]

I wrote these lyrics inspired by this discussion (some of the ideas are shamelessly stolen), expanding on the proposed outline I posted earlier in this thread:
(https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=8335.msg111485#msg111485)

If someone else wants to propose some re-writes, build on these, or write a completely different song for any given node in the outline... bring it on.  I'm not trying to dominate, I'm just letting it flow.

I know this is (a) not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and (b) potentially lame.  I always revise my lyrics at least 12 times, sometimes to the point that they are no longer recognizable.

I also realize this is all first-person, and possibly monotonous as a result.  I'm listening to Pink Floyd "The Final Cut" and Simon/Garfunkel to gain ideas on how to balance this out.  I want to take out the word "I" as much as possible and use less head-on, more colourful ways of expressing the ideas.

Ok, here is the first pass of a work in progress:


Barcelona Beach

Far away
from my home so grey
is a land of sand and sun and play
and when I'm there I have no name
I'm a man with a heart
There's no rules / there's no game

 Gurus would call it "zen" / I just call it "sane"
  Would you call it "zen"? / I would call it "sane"
  To have live a blissful day free of trouble and pain
  I ask myself what which is the better way
  to live the life I inherited or start fresh today?

Blue sky above and white sand below
under my feet and between my toes
waves they crash
the tide comes and goes
even busy bees stop
to smell a rose

  Nature deals the cards Nature or nuture? / Even plants have instinct
  Yet I choose my path / I am 'cause I think
  But when I open my eyes / and see the natural world
    I see who I am / I know what I'm for
  I know who I am / the knots come unfurled

[tempo change - slower]

 There's a place inside hiding in your core
  it was there long ago before there was ever a war
  it's protected well, safely locked down
  away from all thought / doesn't make any sound

  I'm hiding here and no one can tell
  I've been hiding from me / I've been hiding from hell
  Cloudless Sky, Starless Night
  I call out to you with all my might.



Boy Leading A Horse

The sky is infinite, the world is round
though all that I need is here on the ground

I tackle the mountains, I swing from the trees
I sail tall ships, making discoveries

I ride camels and horses / I bring countries to me
Every day is a trip / Life, a journey

My arms and my legs are servants to me
every machine and invention is empowering to empowers me

I don't ever see my very own face
though I see the wall in China / from up in outer space.



Guernica

My faceless nameless state of mind
sitting between fastforward and rewind
from across the table glares at me
and mockingly
he stares at me
revels in my agony
questions, what do
I purport to be?
What is even important to me?
When did I learn to tolerate
the very evil that I hate?
the world war became a cold war
made mankind a desparate whore
with a mathematical thirst for more
distance from all absolutes
To justify necessity
collectively
we mobbed and lynced simplicity
we happily stabbed honest life
with our newly sharpened cynical knife

I say "we"
but could it be
I set out to change the world
but the world changed me?

[Bluesberry]

Thats bloody good lyrics Fuzz, I am impressed by these three songs of yours, to have pulled these out of the air like that.  You are a true poet man.

[Oldrottenhead]

geurnica inspired me to go with a war theme here it is here https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=8421.0;msg=112359

[Ferryman]

There's been a lot of relatively random ideas posted here and it's hard to see how they will come together. But FuzzFace is actually driving stuff forward and I'd be happy to take that and run with it. My personal choices would be either:

a) A songcrafters rock opera with people taking different characters, or
b) a songcrafters concept album with a consistent theme and different collab groups doing different songs

Option a) would be cool but as FuzzFace points out in an earlier post, hard to organize and coordinate. Option b) would be easier and I am going to propose that we go with option b and use FuzzFace's Picasso concept. Why don't we get FuzzFace to write 11 sets of lyrics (if that is physically possible) and then get different collab teams/solo artists signed up to produce tracks as a concept album? We already have three fantastic sets of lyrics and those are already inspiring me.

I suspect if we try to agree on anything else, this thread will just continue and nothing else will happen. FuzzFace is leading the way for the Picasso concept album, I would be happy to follow.

What does everyone else think? Lobster Man - The Musical can always be a future project.....

Cheers,

Nigel

[Bluesberry]

I agree with Nigel here, Lobster-man the musical can wait for another day, it is not yet time for Lobster-man, his time is the future, we wouldn't want to unveil his message to the masses too soon, it would spark global panic and possible usher in a new world-wide depression if not handled properly I fear.  As for the Picasso idea, and the three songs that Fuzz has put up, I think they are excellent lyrically and I am onboard with the idea.  Fuzz is on a roll lyrically and I would gladly take lyrics of this caliber and produce a song for the opera in solo mode or colaboration mode.  If you have any more lyrics in you Fuzz put them up.

[Ferryman]

I was worried about the impact of  Lobster Man if the concept gets out too early....... But probably not that worried! Now I am scared....

[FuzzFace]

Thanks for the vote of confidence folks.  I'll try my best but others are welcome to try their hand at it too.  I know some folks expressed an interest in developing some of these ideas as well.  I have never co-wrote but I am up for the challenge.

Anyway, here is another work in progress...


Cup of Coffee
(This is the opener... I'm picturing distorted vocals)

You bridge the gap
between my young and my old soul
You've travelled the world
I've come in from the cold

You awaken, you tap
into the dream
you shatter the glass
of my sad role

You're story's been told
but I don't want to know
how it is that you came
to be so bold

Confined in this room
all I do is consume
a cog in the wheel
I perpetuate gloom

You're my only solace
while running an endless race
but with only one little taste
I can go and not leave a trace

Black gold that fuels the fire
as I push and I burn and I tire
for giants who wallow in mire
my feelings make me a liar

because poor people slave
to give me what I crave.

[FuzzFace]

The Lovers

You're a good woman, my dear
But we've reached an impasse, I fear
We have too many colours inside
which I never wanted to hide

I would put it all out on the table
If only, my love, I was able
I hate that my love is not stable
Now I'm coming to tell you goodbye

One time we were on the same page
now it's dog-eared and torn and I misplaced the book
I have searched for myself but
I don't even know where to look

I'm not who I was nor am I the man I wanted to be
when I look in the mirror I can't say what I see
and the more I think of your love that I took
the more I feel like a crook

My dear you have so many dreams
and you'd willingly drop them for me
but if we live our lives independently
we'll both be all that we can be.



http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/timage_f?object=46667&image=10521&c=

[FuzzFace]

How about this?

11 songs
1 lyricist
2 singers (à la Pink Floyd)
1 consistent rhythm section for the whole project (i.e. 1 bassist, 1 drummer)
11 different guitarists (one for each song)

Ferryman produces (since he volunteered)

We record one song at a time to promote some kind of musical continuity.

Would this work?
Can we get some volunteers/nominations?