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Alone Again (Naturally) - COVER [updated version]


AndyB01

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Hi folks - hope you're all keeping well.

Here's my take on Gilbert O'Sullivan's timeless (if somewhat depressing) classic ballad from way back in 1971. I've always wanted to have a go at this song - mainly because of the guitar solo. I had to drop the key to handle my rather limited baritone range and it's also a couple of clicks slower than the original. I probably could have coped with a higher key, but I really couldn't face re-recording it all (I know the vocal timing is a little off in the bridge section - I will get around to fixing that).

The piano track is well beyond my rather rudimentary chops, so I had to get creative with Scaler and EzKeys to produce this - seems to have come out not too badly but judge for yourselves.

Anyway - I hope you like it - nits and crits welcome as always.

Alone Again (Naturally)

Andy

p.s see later post for updated version 

Edited by AndyB01
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Great job Andy ! I remember this song, you've done a grand version of it . . . just bring those shy vocals up a tad ? Guitar solo is excellent, such fun was had ? This was a classic song back in the day, you've really captured it well ! Thanks for posting it here.

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@noynekker Cheers for the listen, I dropped the vocals as they sounded a bit too loud in the mix to me, but I probably have song fatigue after working on this for hours. I'll have a fresh listen.

My Dad never liked this song or Gilbert O'Sullivan - used to he say that he just 'bashed out chords on a piano'.

What great chords they were though eh, my Dad should have had a closer listen. ?

The other intriguing aspect of this song is the rather sing-a-long, upbeat melody - set against those lyrics - which tell such a tragic story of loneliness, abandonment and loss.

Andy

P.s. listened again and I agree - I have lifted the vox a few notches (probably overcooked it) ?

Edited by AndyB01
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52 minutes ago, Bajan Blue said:

Hi Andy

i tried to listen, but the link kept saying "This site can’t be reached - Check if there is a typo in https."

now this might very well be where I am at the moment , but I thought I should let you know

Cheers

Nigel

 

It was a dud link briefly Nigel - after I uploaded a new version - but I think it's fixed now; try again when you get chance.

Andy

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 Great job Andy !  This song has always been a favorite of mine . I always thought it had a very nice and easy to listen to melody line and you covered it Well.  The piano and the guitar break were Very Nice. My only crit is the lowered key , and the high pitched vocals was kind of the signature sound of this song.  Lowering the key is something I have to do Quite frequently  so ,  For Sure I understand.  At some point in the future I'd try doing it higher at least to the point of you having to dig in a little for the higher notes.  Only takes a second to raise the key on a midi piano.  As it is I enjoyed it Very much.     mark

Edited by mark skinner
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Cheers Mark, appreciate the listen, you make a good point about the key - for what it's worth - I agree 100%.

It actually came out quite a bit lower than I expected - I definitely have a bit more headroom in my vocal range than this, so I will have a bash at re-cutting it at some point.

Easy to lift the MIDI tracks as you say, I'd re-record the guitar though because transposing it using something like Melodyne will destroy the tone I think.

I look forward to re-comping the twin-tracked vocal tracks. ?

Andy

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Well I thought it was great and a real treat to rehear this song. Great chords. Ideas? The nifty guitar solo is at times in front of the beat, which is certainly ok, but as the solo is note-perfect with the sung melody, I found it a bit rushed. You could get away with more rubato in a guitar solo if it weren't mirroring the vocal line. Perhaps. IDK.

I liked your vocal, certainly a lower register than the original, but the original as I recall was gratuitously doubletracked, or maybe even triple tracked. super smooth up there he was.

What a great project, it's come out very well. Your taste in covers is excellent.

cheers,

-Tom

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Thanks Tom - I actually programmed the piano chords into Scaler (so I could play them using key switches to lay down a really simple chord track) and then I used a couple of EzKeys MIDI packs to add some character and embellishments - worked out better than I expected. 

I tried to keep the guitar solo as close to the original as I remembered it - which pretty much follows the vocal melody. It is fairly busy - it's not particularly difficult to play - you just need to select the best neck position to get the most impact for the glissando transitions (of which there are many).

Appreciate all the feedback and cheers for the listen @MichaelJohn, the guitar tone is just my Yamaha SLG200N (yep that's the so-called silent one), DI'd in with a bit of added reverb. I find it to be a great guitar for recording with nylon strings.

Andy

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2 hours ago, Jesse Screed said:

excellent work with scaler and ez keys combo.  I would have liked to see that workflow.  Did it take you long?

A few hours. At first I had to get the chords (fortunately some guy on YouTube had done a bar by bar breakdown) and then transpose to the key I wanted. Programming chords into Scaler is OK, you just have to make sure every chord you need is there once, and then do a mapping to the song structure using key switches to change pattern - I wrote a little guide to help. I just routed and recorded this out from Scaler to another VST (Pianoteq), as the Scaler instruments are a bit lame.

A quick quantize then import (and humanize) the chord track over to a couple of EzKeys tracks. The noodling piano is one of the jazz ballad packs and the accompaniment is a simple basic arpeggio pattern. Both use pianos in EzKeys (the upright). I had to edit a few inversions where EzKeys goes out of whack but it did pretty well.

It took a few hours one evening to get it right. 

2 hours ago, Jesse Screed said:

Is that a nylon guitar

Sure is - a Yamaha Silent Guitar - SLG200-N

My wife's favourite guitar - because it makes very little noise. ??

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21 hours ago, AndyB01 said:

A few hours. At first I had to get the chords (fortunately some guy on YouTube had done a bar by bar breakdown) and then transpose to the key I wanted. Programming chords into Scaler is OK, you just have to make sure every chord you need is there once, and then do a mapping to the song structure using key switches to change pattern - I wrote a little guide to help. I just routed and recorded this out from Scaler to another VST (Pianoteq), as the Scaler instruments are a bit lame.

A quick quantize then import (and humanize) the chord track over to a couple of EzKeys tracks. The noodling piano is one of the jazz ballad packs and the accompaniment is a simple basic arpeggio pattern. Both use pianos in EzKeys (the upright). I had to edit a few inversions where EzKeys goes out of whack but it did pretty well.

It took a few hours one evening to get it right. 

Sure is - a Yamaha Silent Guitar - SLG200-N

My wife's favourite guitar - because it makes very little noise. ??

Excellent, I admire your effort.  I think you did a great job!

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