bjornpdx

Grandparents My maternal grandparents lived and worked on a farm in Sweden. This is a song/slide show dedicated to them. I wrote this song and made the slide show a couple of years ago. I've never been happy with how it turned out so I'm doing it over. This is the original soundtrack which needs some help and the images are more like placeholders until I figure out what I'm doing. https://zenfolio.page.link/HC7W Thanks for any comments or suggestions.

Wookie Pretty good orchestration in there with the different strings playing off each other. Sounds like the beginning of a masterpiece..

Zargg I really liked the guitar accom in the quieter parts and the solo was outstanding tho I thought it came in a bit late. Vocal seemed too much in front and as with all metal songs, I can never make out the lyrics. Great collaboration!

Douglas Reminds me of something that Nirvana might have done (if they had used synths) Sort of out of tune in places but intentional and with unconventional chords. I liked this one a lot.

Pleasant song and nice to relax to. Wondering if you're using synths or using loops? There's too much sameness with the drums though. They need to be more engaged with the song.

Lynn, Really good lyrics on this and well performed as usual. I particularly liked the chorus "when the ground you stand on.." melody and the lead-in to that. Great job!

Bob, Always hard for me to comment on songs in a genre I don't much listen to, but saying that I always like your stuff. You have the production down very well, the mix sounds really good and you're blessed with a great rock n' roll voice.

Steve, this is one of those songs where you listen carefully to each word. I've never been to London but the mood you set brings back melancholic feelings for places where I've lived in the past.

Thanks everyone for listening and commenting. As Lynn mentioned, I was in Uganda taking pictures of wildlife so he graciously stepped in to field comments on the song. So I'm back and totally jet-lagged but thinking now of making a video with an African themed soundtrack. I heard a few local performance groups there which gave me an idea of how to do the soundtrack so I'll give it a shot.

I really liked the credits too. You forgot Ben Dover and Charles U. Farley!

Thanks everyone. I appreciate you listening and commenting.

Old Man Arvin in collaboration with Lynn Wilson https://soundcloud.com/orygun/old-man-arvin Many thanks to Lynn for his suggestions, modifications and additions and especially for his outstanding singing. And for just being a great guy to work with.

Bill, I'm checking out Amberlight and will probably buy it. Could be really useful for a music video. Thanks for the tip.

Kloon This sounds to me like a 60s song, esp the synths. I thought everything sounded very good, the vocals and instruments and the mix but there was something about the structure that didn't work for me. Like at 2:18 and 4:04 "I find it hard" seemed like a chorus starting up with a nice melodic element but then it didn't go there. A more distinctive chorus would give the song a better structure, but as always this is just one man's opinion.

Very soothing and nicely orchestrated though I thought the harp could have been brought out just a tad more.

Epic production Tom and you did that with Premiere Elements? I'm guessing you got some footage from the Getty archive? I'm asking because I'm thinking of doing that. Having done some video myself I can understand the time it took to make this. Anyway, the video adds on to the already excellent song, now a soundtrack.

Steve, I heard the first version of this and I really liked it. This one too is excellent. You have a distinctive voice which fits a sad song like this very well. There's a little glitch at 0:58.

And here's a short scene from the movie (except the movie doesn't have the narration) in which Keith Moon blows up his drums https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swKU_ZHWOoE

Don't know what that thing is but kind of looks like you used Topaz filters?

The Who The Kids are Alright A "rockumentary" movie. I have the DVD which I watch pretty often because their live performances are so good and also to watch Keith Moon do all his crazy stuff.

Wonderful melody and performance. I really like the country flavor of the song such that I was expecting a fiddle in a couple of spots there.

Wookie As always, thank you for taking the time to comment. Harry Yeah, I agree that cymbal needs toning down. I'll take a listen to that and the guitar. Thanks Lynn I have occasional trouble with phrasing (and enunciation) in my regular speech too probably because I only spoke Swedish until we immigrated to the US when I was six. English is sometimes tricky even after all these years. ? Tom Thank you. Well, hope to see you in retirement world sooner than later!

I'm a big Gillian Welch fan, but somehow I'm not familiar with this song. And yes, David Rawlings is an amazing guitarist. Your voice fits this song so well. Really enjoyed the listen.

I have no sound engineering or mastering credentials to my name so I'm just going by my own personal experience here. I listened to the song without reading the comments first and I too thought the drums were holding things back. I know my hearing ain't what it used to be but maybe all the beats aren't prominent enough? So maybe replace the hi-hat and stick or add in some toms for a fuller drum sound.

Sean Thanks for the comments and suggestions. Kind of funny that you cited that one phrase since I did it that way deliberately because it just seemed to fit the beat better. Another one of those things that you do over and over until that's the way you think it should be, but then it doesn't sound right to another listener. I never really noticed that example from Fleetwood Mac but I see what you're saying. One of the local radio stations keeps playing Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. "A singer in a smokaaaaay room" drives me crazy. Kloon Thanks for listening and commenting.