Bert Guy

WQW! I rate this a Power Pop Triple Banger: a great lyric married to a great tune married to a great, riffin' arrangement/ performance. that has a cool, driving, & sustained momentum. My only crit would be to boost the drums a bit during the instrumental. A very strong track, in any case. Cheers, Bert

Awesome synth groove on this one. What a cool soundscape! Two thumbs up, Bert

A fun, breezy song with a fun. breezy arrangement. Nice, light touch with the guitars. Two thumbs up. Cheers, Bert

Jesse, I love the lumbering, dissonant groove to this one. The guitar is total dope. The synth is all over the place. Gonzo to the max. Production values are strong, as usual. One of your best, if you ask me. Cheers, Bert

Bjorn, Good observation : many moons ago when recorded I the basic tracks on Sonar7, among my multiple deficiencies as a player was I didn't know how to voice lead, and for that matter, how to play a proper accompaniment in general. When I was doing some mixing recently, I found the piano distracting as well. Unfortunately its embedded in the submix at this point. Thanks for listening, Bert

Hey guys, Your comments about the song itself are very much appreciated. I consider myself more of a writer/composer than a singer/player, such that if I come up with something I think is good, I may have to keep at it a while until I get something near what I heard in my head. Hence I've nursed this one along for almost 20 years, having recorded the basic tracks at my apartment in Baton Rouge on Sonar7, taken the tracks to a studio twice to overdub background vocals & GTR, & bass. and to recently add vocals on my current rig (Sonar X3). And Jesse, I'll take Fleetwood Mac any day of the week; they are about as good as pop gets after the Beatles. Cheers, Bert

Jesse, Very cool instrumental, here. I love the way it dissonantly swings, sways, lurches and stumbles. And , as usual, very well recorded. Cheers, Bert

When I wrote this song, the first thing I got was the chorus and I heard it in my head as upbeat- in D major. In retrospect, I probably was hoping that we could get back together and reestablish the rapport mentioned in the first verse, and, in any event I wasn't going let it get me down. Hence the upbeat feel. This song is based on an actual experience and I was genuinely perplexed at the time that it all seemed to have fallen through. Cheers, Bert BTW, we reunited a few years later and the pic is us returning to New Orleans for some pre-nuptial fun in 2007.

DA, Very interesting observation. I am glad you made it. I took multiple liberties with song form (consciously or otherwise) in this song, all with the idea of advancing the story : beginning the song with the chorus, contemplatively taking down both verses to a slower tune with piano and voice only, changing the lyrics in the final chorus reprise, ,and, especially the point you reference. What I did there was appropriate the music from the second part of the chorus & write lyrics that formed an extension of the first verse (in lieu of going to the chorus at that point). I heard it in my head as an overlapping vocal, probably to emphasize its connection to the first verse. At the end of the (non-extended) second verse, there is a proper pause after "on a sweet spring night in New Orleans" before I pop into the chorus. Thanks for listening, Bert

Lynn, Always good to hear from you. I think your observation is a good one- I did compress the final mix a bit. Easy fix, there- that's what knobs are for. Cheers, Bert

Nigel, Thanks for listening. I was concerned about recording this vocal as the song was pitched in D-major- out of my baritone range. But I was determined to record it in D because that was the way I heard it in my head : an upbeat Neil Sedaka like piano based pop tune with high pitched male vocal. As a result I probably over compensated with the vox processing to fatten up my falsetto. And I think that is what you are hearing. I will tweak the vocal after I get additional input. Bert

Very sweet good-bye lover tune. The guitars shimmer and the vocals are smooth and warm. Lots of beauty, here. Cheers, Bert

Hey all. Every once in a while I get a decent idea for a pop tune. On a sweet spring night in New Orleans... https://www.soundclick.com/music/songInfo.cfm?songID=6495028

Really nice pop tune, here. The vocals stand out -very 60's. I like the open arrangement- it leaves a nice space in the center for the vocals. Thanks for the detailed explanation of your production. I am checking out EzDrums currently. Cheers, Bert

Lynn, Cool project for more than one reason. First off, you have something to say, and, it is said in an interesting/original way, with a melody that takes unexpected twists and turns. Also, the instrumental part is strong with shifting rhythms and textures. Nice guitar lines. Cool stuff all the way around. Cheers, Bert

Cool cover of a great song. The vocals sit better in the mix in the second version to my ears, but that is without the drum part -which is good. Maybe back out of the drums a bit & soften them up. And the oldest trick in the book to fatten up a vocal is to actually double track it. Good stuff, either way. Cheers, Bert

My goodness, it looks like you are having some multi-tasking fun. here. Boys with Toys to the max ! Cool rocking tune by a one man garage band and a fun video. Cheers, Bert

Sprightly pop tune with a sunny vibe. Reminds me a bit of Fountains of Wayne. Thumbs up. Cheers, Bert

Very interesting recording. Lux Aeterna is a sacred text that has been set to music many times: from Gregorian chants to famous modern pieces, as in the present case. This particular version could be based on a ancient chant tune, but I can't confirm that. I really like hearing these ancient tunes played on modern instruments- I've dabbled in that some myself. This arrangement revolves around a strong, warmly distorted electric guitar part. Nice contrast with the synth parts, Very cool stuff. Cheers, Bert

Delightful tune from the FM's. Nice recording, too. I love all the details, especially the jingle bells. Merry Christmas ! Bert

Lynn, Thanks for your comments on the song itself. I worked off and on for six weeks to finish this lyric (and read three books about Las Vegas). And yeah. I am happy with the bridge- its hard to write a good one in my experience. I agree with your comments about the drums- I think it needs a popping snare, especially during the chorus. Unfortunately, the instrumental parts are imbedded in a 16 year old studio mix. I have the raw tracks and I am sure I could fix the drums, but I know I can't edit the guitars as well as the engineer did. Cheers, Bert

Wookie and Bajan, I agree- the drums are a problem with this mix. To my ears, it lacks a popping snare part, especially during the chorus. Unfortunately, this drum part is embedded in a studio mix of GTR/bass/drums that I am working with in CW. I do have the raw tracks, so if I had any sound engineering chops, I could possibly remix the drums separately and sync it with the existing mix. So thanks for listening and offering constructive crits- very helpful. Cheers, Bert

Orygun is a quirky and enjoyable instrumental, with a bouncing rhythm and nice surprises in the lead lines. Laid back to the max. Cheers, Bert

Gorgeous tune. Very well played and sung, Cheers, Bert

A few years ago, I posted an old (2007) mix of this tune on the old CW website. I got some good crits that I employed in this remix/remaster. This tune will be on my upcoming album : The Lost Vegas Sessions/ Songs About Bad Girls and Dead Singers Bert Guy and the Up All Night Band https://www.soundclick.com/music/songInfo.cfm?songID=14488467 Cheers. Bert