Barry Seymour

1 hour ago, jack c. said:

man i didn't know  ya do such beautiful chords.nice guitar.jack c.

Thanks. The chords are kind of a Steely Dan rip off, in some ways. I had to do some serious research on those - Steely Dan songs are so often a mystery to me!

1 hour ago, mark skinner said:

 That was one Killer well written song Barry. I enjoyed Every second of it. That was the 2nd best kazoo solo I've Ever heard.     Fantastic job  !   Hope you're doing well and glad you're back ..                mark

SECOND BEST!??!?!??

😅

I'm keen to hear the first.

Thanks for the kind words, Mark.

Jam night in an Italian bistro, a jazz cat known for his vamp
He took one look at my Stratocaster, made me plug into his amp
He throttled my volume like a strangler, he put the shade on my light
I was dyin’ to be a rock and roll star, but he wouldn’t let me that night.

Finally out of f-birds to give, I played some rubbishy junk
Schizoid solos, bumbling chords, metaphysical bunk
But Mr. Magictone thought it was genius, he said my playing was hot
“Where did you learn that amazing technique?” He hired me right on the spot

Way cool, old school, midnite cruisers, sneaky and sly is the plan
Kirschwasser, Columbian, zombies and losers, hide in the back of the van
Drive west on Sunset, turn down the music, no one can see it’s a scam
With a cough, I pull it off, I am Aluminum Stan

So I gave up my previous gig, a Seventies soft rock band
The new group’s starting to make a big noise, playing across the land
Eminent hipsters all over the country are analyzing my songs
On Instagram I’m an influencer, something about that’s just wrong

Zoom calls, big balls, concert promotions, playing a gig on the Strand
A two month residency in Lost Wages, six nights at Hakkasan
I’m singing and playing presumptuous nonsense, still I accumulate fans
Soon I’ll be the king of the world, I am Aluminum Stan

I learned to work the guitar, I couldn’t quite play what I feel
(Then) I got a bad case of tour disorder, it got even more unreal
I finally broke down playing at Red Rocks, I floundered and lost my hat
I sang an old song about sailing, I blacked out after that

I came to on the sofa, a jackhammer in my head
Libby came out, she said I’d been tripping, it’s time that I went to bed
Rick Beato had finished on YouTube, I turned off my LEDs

That was a nasty handful of mushrooms, I ain’t takin’ no more of these 
Way cool, old school, too far from Broadway, more than a little bizarre
I threw out my gold teeth, I smell like an ashtray, is there gas in the car?
Gauchos and strangers gone back to Hollywood, I’m stranded in Spokane
My little wild time is over and done, I was Aluminum Stan

Hey guys!  I'm sorry I've been gone for a bit. I had some mid-size health issues take me off the table for a bit. Then, when I came back, I decided to do THIS.

When you spoof Steely Dan, you really have to bring your A-game, in writing, playing, recording, etc., so this took me longer than originally anticipated.

So here's "Aluminum Stan," rife with more in-jokes than you can shake a guitar at.  (I'm actually thinking of having a contest to see who can find the most! :-D)

Let me know what you think regarding mixing, playing, etc.

Thanks!

https://soundcloud.com/barry-seymour/aluminum-stan

4 hours ago, KurtS said:

Sounds good Barry, nice guitar sound. Was the volume pot a different Ohm value?

The last mod I had him make (not shown above) was to put Fender Vintage pups at neck and middle, and a Seymour Duncan 'Shawbucker' at the bridge. The third knob had a push-pull button to switch the Shawbucker from single to double coil. He changed the master volume pot from 250k to 500k, whatever that means. He said it was a 'compromise' that wouldn't help the Fenders but would help the Shawbucker. But the whole thing came to life! I finally got that STRAT sound I had been longing for.

New mix: I redid the bass and worked to make the sound richer.

On 12/6/2021 at 8:21 AM, DeeringAmps said:

Eric Clapton, I think "woman" is a reference to his tone on Outside Woman Blues; but that's not the only or first instance (think Sunshine of Your Love).

IIRC, its the middle setting (we are talking dual Humbuckers now) with one? tone control rolled off.
He gets similar tone with the Strats (think it might be something in his hands? or preferences eq-ing his amps?)
I'm sure its debated/discussed ad nauseam all over the net.
With the vast majority of opinions being total bollocks!
Much like the "real" story of the drums on Levee by Zep...

t

Note:
Personally I prefer his solo on I Feel Free where you hear him switch from the Neck (or both maybe?) to the bridge pickup on the last phrase of the solo.
Whether that was played on the 'Burst or the Red 335 (does it matter) I've never seen discussion; but I avoid those kinds of threads so....

but I digress

I wrestled with a lackluster tone on my Frankencaster for years; even went through three sets of pickups. It wasn't until my tech replaced the volume control pot that the thing finally came to life and gave me that Strat sound I've been longing for. The soloing here is just the neck pickup and TH3 effects. I'm lovin' my Strat now!

On 12/4/2021 at 11:38 AM, DeeringAmps said:

Yep, he's got a bit of the "Woman" tone going on in this one.

👍's, I'm a fan; what more can I say?

t

not really "jumping" out at me.

I might high pass the guitar, start at say 100 Hz and play with it; especially on the outro; just me...

"Woman" tone? Not the John Lennon song. ????

7 hours ago, Eric Parsons said:

Barry - this is a cool song.  I particularly like what's going on in the chorus sections.

Interesting lyrics and guitar parts too.

My only comments are with the interaction between the bass guitar and the kick drum.  

You might consider a little complimentary EQ , to give them both their own space.

Also, and this is more picky,  the bass and kick seem a little out of sync on some of the unison parts.  If no one else mentions this, it's probably just me. 😏

 

-Eric

Thanks for the feedback - I'll look for it.

1 hour ago, Douglas Kirby said:

I think it's a cool song - and the mix sounded quite good to me - I had a Tascam 4 track back in the 90s - brings back memories.  As always, an excellent vocal by you - nicely done. Also, that drum track sounds solid - was that a drum machine you used on this back in the 80s?

No, this was my usual - MT Power Drum Kit 2. However back in the 80s it was a TR-505 drum machine I'd program by hand.

Two in one day!

I  recorded this on a Tascam PortaStudio way back in 1987, but it REALLY needed updating. It came together fast - I slapped this one together in two days! - since I already had it arranged. Lyrics by my good friend Ed Kazala.

I plug the cable into the amplifier, I plug the cable into my guitar
But if I say that’s all, I am a liar, I conjure sounds both subtle and bizarre
I tell a lie with every note I’m playing, it sounds like something came from outer space
All the crazy sounds my guitar’s making are coming from my user interface

You hear me here, you hear me there, you hear me all around
You see me high up in the air, you feel me in the ground
Spinning, swirling ‘round your head, you think that it’s superb
I turn it on with my right foot, it’s only my reverb

(Like) echoes traveling through the air you’re hearing, ripples travel forward through your life
When your ancient schema’s interfering, your past dysfunction cuts you like a knife
And everyone around you is a target, everyone around you is a mark
Every day your history incarnate returns to sabotage you in the dark

You see it here, you see it there, it undermines your life
It alienates your family, it irritates your wife
Often it can manifest in ways subtle and absurd
Ripples spread with every change, it’s only your reverb

You may never recognize the patterns
You may not see how it all adds up
The prehistoric you within the caverns
Is orchestrating every new screw up

You stand here near the ending of your journey, the road behind you long and winding past
You start to think you might need an attorney, your ancient crimes will do you in at last
There aren’t any major laws you’ve broken, just a lot of simple, dumb mistakes
But every now and then some word you’ve spoken reverberates through time until it breaks

You hear it here, you hear it there, you hear it all around
You see it high up in the air, you feel it in the ground
Spinning, swirling ‘round your head, destruction undisturbed
Old  mistakes you can’t undo, it’s only your reverb

Bloody beautiful. Great singing, love the chord progression. The string pad is like a warm comforter.  Lyrics are deep poetry.

Well done, I love this! ( I need me a cabin like that one!)

Echo the above, a real Jagger feel... and a real Richards feel in the guitar. Not my favorite style, but you do nail it.

Great mix and playing. Nice how you spread the BG vocals out from left to right.

No, not a technical discussion.  At least, the SONG isn't.

Comments welcome.
 

Edit: New mix!

Okay, here's a new mix. I re-sang the vocals as I did not like the timbre I was putting out. Also backed off the snare as recommended.
 

2 hours ago, DeeringAmps said:

Thinking the drum buss could pull back just a bit. That snare is dominating the mix to my ears. 
Little different side of Barry...

I’ll hold back the like, but only because you said “first mix”.

t

Good catch. Will adjust. Anything else? 😉

24 minutes ago, jack c. said:

some nice tones but song needs to be at least 15 minutes,plus ya need more time changes.kiddin jack c.what guitar vst plugin amp sims are ya using?

Ha.

I'm just using the stock TH3 amp sim. I've always found it adequate to my limited needs as an aging 70s rocker. LOL 

What was coolest was discovering a free Mellotron VST, the RedTron from Artifake Labs. It's great fun!

Here's another departure for me, an attempt at progressive rock. Had a lot of fun adding a synthesizer and even a MELLOTRON in there.

First mix, open to suggestions.

It's out!

5 hours ago, KurtS said:

If it were me I would back off slightly on the kick. But it may be were you like it so it doesn't matter. The guitars sound really nice, great arrangement.

Ha. I boosted the kick because someone said the drums sound 'thin.' I'll revisit, thanks.

Okay, I think this is the last one. I added a bit more variety to the drums, deepened the tone on the kit, I hope it blends in better now. (Plus this one is in "HD.")

Speak now, or forever hold your pieces!

2 hours ago, KurtS said:

Listened on my studio monitors and headphones and didn't hear it at all, strange.  It sounds really good. I think this my favorite of you songs.

I have some ideas on what that sound might be, gonna look into it.

I often find this, that something sounds good on my headphones but not on a set of speakers. Crafting a mix that sounds good everywhere is like the Holy Grail.

Thanks for the kind words.

Damn, that's a seamless mix! Great tune, great sound.

Sorry everyone, I was waiting on a drummer who didn't materialize.

I dove in a bit and learned more about drum programming using the step sequencer. (Thanks, Creative Sauce!)  I redid the drums, also did some more mixing, panning some tracks, adding compression and effects, tweaking the EQ.

What do you think?