"What a View" - Ted and Oldrottenhead

[Ferryman_1957]

What a combo! I too got a big slug of Graceland when this started but then it definitely becomes its own thing. And a very cool thing it is too.

Really uplifting and a lovely vibe and sound about it. Glad you two hooked up after all these years.

And that strumming pattern, no way. I was trying to do it in time with the music, it just ain't happening in these old hands......

[Ray Brookes]

Oh yeah, what a cool song! Love that rhythmic guitar pattern and nice clear mix. Great collab, fellers.

[Johnbee]

That 6/8 meter in the guitar is infectious. And yes, it has that classic ORH touch in the lyrics and vocals. You work well together. Your styles complement each other.
  John B

[Ted]

Alright. So one of my favorite moments of ORH's vocal performance was how he navigated the diminished-seventh chord when he sings:

And the sun is shining down
Burning my head <-- this part

I almost put a harmony vocal on that, but then I realized he didn't repeat the melodic line when that chord comes around again.

And the water is so coo...
...ool <-- holds the note

So I thought, maybe I could copy/paste that section. But that would (a) cut off that note he holds to good effect, and (b) it would make this nonsensical phrase: And the water is so cool, burning my head.

Fuck it. I did it anyway. If Stephen Foster can get away with, The sun so hot I froze to death...


I copied and pasted, "burning my head," but also preserved the long note he holds on the word "cool." And I added a harmony, but it's just ORH again pitch shifted in Audacity. (I did an extra pitch shift on the word "head" so that the harmony would resolve to the next chord.)

Otherwise, the mixes are identical.

[hardlock]

Oh yeah! Was going to rave about the original but this takes it to a whole new level. What an outstanding collab! Ted, unique finely mixed music vibe! Having messed around with "making" harmonies from one's original vocal track via pitch shifting in Audacity, I bow to your creativity in the fine art of hacking!

ORH - love all your material but this combo really sets a new mood for you it seems. The contrast blends the music and vocals together into a new vibe all it's own. Love it! True synergy!

[Greeny]

This is gorgeous. Like a Paul Simon Graceland exercise in African rhythms and that same rubbery (and excellent) bass sound. It's a very joyous sound but with a couple of lovely melancholic chord changes. And James climbs right up it to metaphorically enjoy that view with a fantastic vocal - like Peter Gabriel going up Solsbury Hill. What a collaboration! Should have been a contender for SummerFest :-)

[Oldrottenhead]

is that Cher on backing vocals on the remix?

[Ferryman_1957]

Very clever Ted, just an extra bit of icing on that lovely cake.

[Geir]

WOW ... I can't believe you guys haven't done anything together until now either ....

This is truly marvelous ! I get the Simon comparison, but this is something else ... more raw .... more  ..... honest ?


I really love it ... and yes Ted .. let's bring back "straight to piPod" ... this is absolutely worthy of that.

I also know the feeling of sending something to ORH and then getting your mind blown shortly after ...
I think the first time for me was back in 2009 : https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=2609.0

This will be on repeat this summer !!!

[Mike_S]

Lads what a collab. Beautiful I am on my second listen here. I also love the story and photos behind the lyrics. Most refreshing... beautiful listen.

Mike