Joe, I think joe was inspired when he heard your original
tune. Love that choir ohs and ha's. Lot of nice added stuff
indeed.

This is the type of tune you can really sink your teeth into
because it is like you have John Denver lookin over your
shoulders. But this added a little flair to the John Denver
style and was pleasant to listen to.

Thanks for sharing you guys

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Thanks, Tiler.

You're right, I was struck by the genuine nature of Ed's tune.

I just responded to its friendly invitation to "Come on in..." and brought a few
extra instruments and voices along with me to help out.

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Not enough time to comment fully (will later). this is so
great. Good job Hollywood with your additions. Ed... it
has grown and blossomed with this version. Excellent... I
too want to sing!

Jack

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I am glad you bring this up since I thoght the original post
got some judgements which I could not understand. It was
something about it sounding like a campfire song, and
things about simplicity too. Maybe for cultural reasons I
could not see (hear) anything bad about that at all. A
beautiful song is a beautiful song to me independent of
such things.

I admire and respect a lot your good heart for taking the
job to improve upon the song. And I think your versions
has its good points. The added guitar solo is great for
example! And the choirs!

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Like you, Cori, I am often puzzled by some of the remarks and some of the
ratings. Perhaps some are distracted by all the superficialites that surround us
and don't seem to grasp that profundities are often discovered within the
simplest things.

Thanks for listening. I'm glad you liked it. I tried to maintain as much of the
original's spirit as possible.

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This is very very nice. Ed smiles, I'm sure!

very cool production...it filled the room!

good crickets

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I'm glad you enjoyed it, ziti... but I'm a little confused... crickets???

What crickets? ;)

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What a great opening with those vocal harmony "ahs!"
It sets up the song beautifully and is sooned echoed
in the chorus vocals. Then adding the harmonies
here and there in the verses. Growing as more
join in to sing. More layering of the "ahs." Just great.
Then that fine electric guitar solo... the whole song
sounds like something out of the sixties generation,
full of idealism and hope and joy. Great job guys.

Jack

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Thanks for noticing so many of the little things in this arrangement, Jack.

Ed wrote a terrific melody that was teeming with harmonic possibilities.
Whereas Ed said he is reluctant to sing harmonies, singing all those
harmonies is like food for my soul. Really.

And the 60s vibe is right on, because when I first heard it, I did --- as thetiler
mentioned --- think of John Denver, but some of the "simplicity' comments
also got me to thinking about George Harrison.

His folkier tunes often had apparently "simple" lyrics (ex. "Here Comes The
Sun"), but the musical production he gave those numbers made them
classics. My guitar solos and the big vocal chorus were styled as a "tip-o'-
the-hat" to our old friend, George.

He would have loved Ed's song. :)

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this music.
No matter how hard I try! :)
Thanks to both of you

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As Ed penned it:
"...You do not have much choice, you might as well sing..." ;)

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Love the intro a lot. tasty, mellow kinda tune.

I.G.M.

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great song.

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...my little tune could get so HUGE?

I don't know what the etiquette is about commenting on
your own (modified) song, but I will say the following...

This is a lot of fun to hear. Joe's production is way bigger
than I ever would have imagined, even after the rough mix
mp3... I wish to heck I COULD give him a multitrack file to
mix from... I think I have shackled him with what I gave
him...

I loved hearing the enormous chorus... that surprised
me...I liked the harmonica stuff, and in a perfect world
with perfect hard drives, I'd probably bring that forward in
the mix at some points just 'cause I think it sounds
good...And I think the electric guitar solo is great...

I've been listening with the "good headphones", trying to
pick out just what else is there in the mix... mandolin?
banjo? more acoustic guitar?

The crickets are off time at several points...

But this has been an awesome experience for me, because
it lets me hear what someone else would do with one of
my songs, an experience I have never had. I find that it
leaves me hungry to hear a "real mix" if the hard drive
ever returns to the land of the living, and I also find that it
leaves me curious as to what other people would do with
this and others among my songs... It really gets me
outside the box of my own head and my own ideas...and
that has been lots of fun...

My thanks to Joe for putting so much time and energy and
just plain WORK into this... It's a great gift, and I love it...

Ed




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Quote Ejh: "I've been listening with the "good headphones", trying to
pick out just what else is there in the mix... mandolin?
banjo? more acoustic guitar?"

--- As you've already mentioned: Harmonica and Mandolin, also Italian
Accordion near the end, as well as trumpets and a small horn section (pretty
well buried in this preliminary mix). Your guitar parts sounded great! There
was no reason to add to them.

Quote Ejh: "The crickets are off time at several points..."

--- Yes, now I know why Buddy Holly dropped them. :D
They kept insisting that I had to maintain a constant 77 degrees in the studio
for them to match the 152 bpm of the song. Their manager claims that's "just
how they operate." I refused to turn off the air conditioning. Sorry... it's been
an unusually hot summer.

Quote Ejh: "I find that it leaves me hungry to hear a "real mix" if the hard
drive ever returns to the land of the living..."

---There's new hope, I've been able to access and retrieve data from the
drive. Hopefully my project file will survive intact. If it does, I'll be certain to
finish the job and post it.

Quote Ejh: "My thanks to Joe for putting so much time and energy and
just plain WORK into this... It's a great gift, and I love it...

Ed "

--- Thanks, Ed. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. It was a fun piece to work with.

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u have there.....the acoutic guitars sound great...well
recorded.....love the george harrison feel to your vocals and
accordion.and, and(list goes on) .........and truly great
songwriting.....enjoyed it much!!!!

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Thanks, Mcboy. I'm glad you enjoyed all those elements. While George was often
overshadowed by his more prolific bandmates, I think he eventually forged a
clean but rich musical style and sound that has become a classic production
model.

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I thoroughly loved your song! One of a select few songs that
I've downloaded recently to my iPod for repeated listening.

Wonderful vocals and harmony and a very uplifting message!
Man I'm an instant fan. Would be awesome to collaborate
with you one time.

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Thanks, Leon.

Credit for the song's content all goes to Ed.

I just placed it in a larger musical context.

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You show obvious talent in your treatment of this sweet
song. You've given it an arrangement that greatly enhances
Ed's work and sacrifices none of the original intent.

What a great thing to do for a fellow composer.

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Thanks for your generous comments, futz...

I did my best not to screw up a good thing. ;)

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I didn't hear this version sooner. WOW! This is such a powerful, sweet
song. Your treatment of it is very respectful and adds new dimension to
an already excellent song.

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I'm glad you managed to find it and grateful for you listening to it.

Thanks for your comments. Much appreciated.

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you were obviously moved by the song ... i love he treatment, what
you've brought to table is perfect... it seems to be the right
environment for the song... this is one of my favorite things to do, I
have a friend who writes great songs... he performs them on guitar for
me in the studio and then lets me develop an arrangment around it...
so I really appreciate what you've done here

thanx; Scott

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you were obviously moved by the song ... i love he treatment, what
you've brought to table is perfect... it seems to be the right
environment for the song... this is one of my favorite things to do, I
have a friend who writes great songs... he performs them on guitar for
me in the studio and then lets me develop an arrangment around it...
so I really appreciate what you've done here

thanx; Scott

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Thanks, Scott...

Ed Hannifin's original version was a small song with a large vision. It was very
personal and intimate, much like you might hear in a coffee house, or as Ed
suggested... around a campfire.

Those of us who were around when folk music was in its heyday remember
how powerful those simple tunes could be. I derived a great deal of pleasure
lending a hand (and a few voices) to Ed's original track.

I'm glad you seem to be having the same experience with your friend's works.
;-) --- Joe




---
'Gone' Hollywood: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/artist/j.a.stewart">J.A. Stewart Music</a>

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Its great to hear a song with such a positive message - the recording is really crisp and clear and would work great in movie too.Your harmonies are spot on without losing the guitar in the big sound.I feel happier about going to work now!

Thanks

Regards - Richard

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Thanks, for listening and commenting, Richard.

I really liked Ed's original version and enjoyed making it somewhat *grander* with additional voices and instruments. It was a real mixing challenge to keep everything where it belonged and still maintain the original charm of Ed's version. I'm glad it left you feeling a bit more positive for the day. ;)

--- Joe

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WOW! This is so great! I love this! I'm off to hear the original now.

You guys rock.

Stacey

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Thanks, Stacey. I'm glad you liked it.

Ed produced a terrific little tune and I just added some details to make it a bit bigger. :)


--- Joe

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I had to listen to the original and then compare. Nice Hollywood remix, lotsa layers. Fun. And it does not ruin the song - it just re-targets it for some other demo (as if we care about demos here!). A beautiful song at the heart can be produced, engineered, stripped down and built up and still keep its heart, as this does.

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Thanks, Bob.

I'm glad you liked the treatment.


--- Joe

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seems to have been around for a while, but excellent tune! Great mix too!

chip

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Thanks, Chip.

Maybe you can get your son to join in and sing along. ;)


--- Joe

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