My castle is on the hill - Ian Robertson original

[IanR]

Hi folks,

I have been promising to write a song for my wife Lynne for ages and now I have done it.

The guitars are my Cole Clark "Fat Lady" recorded via Audio Technica AT2020 condenser mic. 
Bass is Cole Clark through the BR800  "Guitar to Bass" effect.
Keyboards (violin, cello, "strings") are my old crappy Casio through the line in.  The violin sounds more like a Stevie Wonder harmonica.
Vocals are all me through the AT2020 into one or the other vocal effect from the BR800.

My castle is on the hill
Words and music Ian Robertson


Verse
Something close but out of reach
Open hands may never hold
A lesson one would never teach
From babies to the old

Chorus
And yet my song finds heart
Within the ancient soul
Given life to start
And a story to unfold

Verse
It has shape I cannot see
It has poise but it isn't still
A character beyond my dreams
A magnet to my will

Chorus
And yet my song finds heart
Within the ancient soul
Given life to start
And a story to unfold


Verse
All my history has been told
Until the ties of my new demand
Applied a loving stranglehold
Too good to withstand

Chorus
And yet my song finds heart
Within the ancient soul
Given life to start
And a story to unfold

Verse
My Castle is on the Hill
I can't hold it any more
Surrender is a too great a thrill
Come to feel and adore

[andy casson]

Nicely done Ian, I only hope your wife appreciates your music more than my wife appreciates mine!

andy

[Hilary]

Oh very lovely Ian, I'm sure Lynne will hold the song close each and every day x

[Jarle]

Nice song. Your voice sounds really good in this.

JOA

[steelguitar]

Very enjoyable listen!!!
Excellent sounds, sounds like a Neil Young classic for me
Jean-Sébastien

[T.C. Elliott]

That violin/harmonica patch sounds like a melodica to me... and is something I thought of grabbing as another tool to use after seeing Dolly Varden last week at Twangfest. (The girl singer plays one sometimes.)

I like your voice and the vox sounds good. I use the at2020 for vox (and other things) quite a bit. I've been debating on saving up for another large diaphragm condenser mic... actually I'd like a matched pair in case I decide to record some live shows or drums or something, but I've been happy enough with the 2020 not to invest in anything yet. I did get a small diaphragm condenser recently and I"ve only used it once... with mixed results. I'll need to play more... at any rate, I think you've got a well recorded and good sounding song here. The guitars might be just a hair too low for my taste, I'd like to hear em better. Other than that, you did a fine job on the recording and the song is a good one to boot.

[64Guitars]

Nice song Ian. The violin patch sounds good in this but you're right that it doesn't sound much like a violin. It doesn't matter though because it suits the song quite well. I like the vocals and guitar. There's a subtle background vocal in the chorus that I thought could have been a bit louder - it sounds good but is very difficult to hear properly.

[Redler]

Beautiful and relaxing music, Ian! Your voice is just great. Fine job all around!

Kari

[The Gobi Desert Canoe Club]

Hi Ian, I'm sure she appreciates this although if your wife is anything like mine she'll say "you should have paid more attention to the mix and changed this or that". I however think it's spot on......Willie

[cuthbert]

Nice, airy mix you got and I like how the mic captured sound of your acoustic guitar. Very nice vocal and sentiment, too..I imagine you wife is gonna be quite happy with it!