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Keywords:
ballad (135), folk (354), aware (2), collab (62), disaster (6), hurricane (5), cancer (8), organ (74), guitar (860), aclarke (9), alannah (11), perceptual vortex (3), stevec (9), pgreenstone (12)
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Description:
Started as a simple guitar track I recorded months ago and forgot about. One day, in MJ chat, Alannah commented on how much she loved to sing... I dusted this off and sent it to her. I was blown away by the power and emotion in the lyrics she wrote and by the way she sang. It was clear to me this song needed more than I could give it. SteveC was recruited for bass, Perceptual Vortex for Drum and Pgreenstone for additional guitar and organ. Peter also did an amazing job producing this. Much thanks to everyone who participated! You brought this song to life in an incredibly short period of time.
Alannah: Vocals
aclarke: Guitar
pgreenstone: guitar and organ/ songart
stevec: bass
Perceptual Vortex: drums
Produced by Peter Greenstone
Music and Lyrics by Adam Clarke and Alannah Richards
Lyrics:
AWARENESS
The hurricane in Louisianna
50,000 fall overseas
the waves that crashed on asia
we think about TVs and DVDs
It’s happening all around us
But we don’t wanna see
Of what’s becoming to our world
It could be coming to you or me
Brothers all around us are crying
Little children have nothing to eat
In the streets battles are waging
In the churches they fall to their knees
Chorus
Oh we could cry or we could pray
Or ask God to set us free
Or we could all join hands together
And take responsibility
Cancer descends upon us
And Aids and other disease
Our world is slowly dying
And we take what we please
But we must be aware
Of other’s plight in this life
We must help a sister
A mother a neighbour or a wife
Somewhere in the world right now
Another life is lost
Its up to us to mourn that life
And recognize the cost
Chorus
Oh we could cry or we could pray
Or ask God to set us free
Or we could all join hands together
And take responsibility
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Fantastic! &mdash 11/01/05 - 07:22:44 AM
This is amazing - you're right, she has got amazing vocals...one fantastic collab! [ Reply to This ]
Fantastic! &mdash 11/01/05 - 03:57:16 PM
Thank you, elfdaughter- I'm glad you liked this. And yes, Alannah does have an
amazing and unique voice and style.
---
"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind" John Mellencamp [ Reply to This ]
Great collab! &mdash 11/01/05 - 07:25:28 AM
Alannah definitely has an earthy lovable voice, and good lyric writing too.
PV drums are perfect, Steve lays down a nice rich bass bed. Adam put
together a nice ballad & played well, Peter did nicely with backing, art and
mixing... this is really nice tightly played and sung, heartfelt. Superb
collaboration to all!
ttfn,
Drakonis [ Reply to This ]
Great collab! &mdash 11/01/05 - 04:01:27 PM
Thanks, drakonis. It was a great experience all the way around. Glad you
enjoyed!
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"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind" John Mellencamp [ Reply to This ]
cool sounds &mdash 11/01/05 - 08:27:39 AM
like the guitar feel, and the almost Roy Orbison soul.
This singing is very striking. Very commendable!
Nice musical backdrop! [ Reply to This ]
cool sounds &mdash 11/03/05 - 07:22:44 PM
Thanks, Bill!
---
"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind" John Mellencamp [ Reply to This ]
Quite A Seed &mdash 11/01/05 - 09:35:49 AM
that you planted here Adam! Grew into a beautiful flower. Nice job by
all involved. Really liked the overall gospel kind of feel with emotional
vocals. First time I have heard Alannah sing and she does a nice job
with it. The other musicians performed admirably and of course Peter
is the king of production! Great stuff you guys! [ Reply to This ]
Quite A Seed &mdash 11/01/05 - 04:10:14 PM
Hey Bronc- I really like the way you described this... as a seed. Very cool. That's
pretty much how it happened, too. Once I had Alannah's track I recruited the
others and gave them the freedom to do whatever they felt. Personally, I was
blown away by how fast it came together. They are pros in my opinion!
---
"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind" John Mellencamp [ Reply to This ]
Wow &mdash 11/01/05 - 10:29:54 AM
Nice song ac and Alannah has a great voice. And on top of that you
have an all star line-up in the band. This piece is outstanding. Good
job.-JAC [ Reply to This ]
Wow &mdash 11/02/05 - 07:13:48 PM
Thanks, Chak! No question it was a great line up... didn't hurt me to be
surrounded by so much talent, that's for sure. One of these days I'm certain to
be begging for your axe skills!
---
"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind" John Mellencamp [ Reply to This ]
dreamy and yet worldly-wise &mdash 11/01/05 - 10:46:38 AM
really great! I like the way the organ comes in, sounds really good. And really great drums and guitars, and well vocals and bass. That pretty much covers it, I guess. Well written, it addresses a lot of important issues fairly directly without fully crossing over into preachiness. I like the encouragement towards taking responsibility and taking action.
A couple eensy-weensy nitpicks on the sound: I would have preferred a less reverbed/delayed/effected vocal and also it seems a hair slow. Would have been nice with some gospel-ish piano. But as it is, it's very good and so much the better for all the hard work all you and all your collaborators put into it. [ Reply to This ]
dreamy and yet worldly-wise &mdash 11/03/05 - 07:30:17 PM
Jim- thanks for your comments and observations. I'm glad you enjoyed the
song- it was unlike any song I've ever been part of it and something we are all
very proud of.
Peter addressed the issues with the reverb in a comment below- we agreed it
was more important to use the tremendous feeling and vibe Alannah captured
on that first track. I believe she sang the vocals several times but nailed it best
the first time... shortly after she had written the words and was still feeling the
emotion of them. As you know, it's near impossible to rehearse that.
---
"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind" John Mellencamp [ Reply to This ]
Right on! &mdash 11/01/05 - 11:25:40 AM
This worked out great. I'm glad I was able to contribute to this! Thanks for asking, Adam. Everyone's pieces fit together perfectly. Nice singing Alannah! [ Reply to This ]
SOUL Prayer &mdash 11/01/05 - 03:12:54 PM
Mindblowing! &mdash 11/01/05 - 06:14:23 PM
Beautiful Song &mdash 11/02/05 - 05:00:08 AM
Alannah does have an excellent voice (and I agree with Jim about the
reverb - maybe down a tad).
I like the feel, it reminds of the Band (expecially once the organ comes in).
Well done, everyone. [ Reply to This ]
Beautiful Song &mdash 11/02/05 - 02:58:48 PM
The reason I used the amount of reverb I used was becaue while Alannah's
singing was great the recording was not. Very thin and roomy. And there was
so much bleed coming from her monitoring headphones that a dryer treatment
sounded really bad and the old version of the song that she was singing to
interfered with the mix.
Her voice really deserves a better mic and some closed studio headphones. [ Reply to This ]
Beautiful Song &mdash 11/02/05 - 07:08:45 PM
I just wanted to thank everyone for their very kind comments about my vox ... and to apologize for the recording equipment I am currently using .... eeeeek ... it is a PC ..... and I am still fighting with some issues regarding the recording software and a DRIVER issue that my Mobile Pre seems to need when running in windows (it is not allowing me to have a MIC input on the WIN Sound Icon) .... long story ... but I DO have a nice condenser mic ... but I DO need headphones ... I know part of the problem is .. I am double recording the MUSIC when I sing it ... because I need to hear it .... heh heh .... (getting a pop screen soon too - the booom problem) ..... I could go on and on here ... but rest assured ..... soon soon these issues shall be resolved and hopefully I can produce a better original WAV file for my MACJAMS friends to generously Mix for me (can't thank them enough for doing this on my behalf) ... they DO a fabulous JOB considering what they have to work with. [ Reply to This ]
wow &mdash 11/02/05 - 08:17:09 PM
A powerful, broadcast-ready production. Fine fine vocals...sensitive,
rough, evocative, embracing. Oh, those lyrics -- capturing a slice of
history and drawing a lesson from the tragedy. Full spectrum of
Southern styled instrumentation. Just the right meter...not too fast, not
too slow. Just right! [ Reply to This ]
Great bassline &mdash 11/02/05 - 09:10:57 PM
And an incredible singer for a great song. Liked the drums and organ
too. The spacey guitars, not so much. [ Reply to This ]
Great song &mdash 11/03/05 - 02:58:15 AM
Nice Track &mdash 11/03/05 - 07:46:04 AM
Nice song, just one nit-pick on my part.
I felt the song had no stucture. As the listener, i kept waiting
for the ' pay-off '. Good track. It certainly has potential.
I feel it would have benefitted from the classic song structure.
verse
chorus
verse
chorus
bridge
chorus
Once again, nice track.
CR
---
Cecil Reynolds [ Reply to This ]
Nice Track &mdash 11/03/05 - 05:53:51 PM
Cecil- thanks for your comments. They're greatly appreciated and you do make
a valid point. I'll be the very first to admit I didn't really think too much structure
when I wrote this music. The basic guitar track was something I had recorded a
while ago, totally impromptu and not thought out at all.
What I thought was most important in this song and how it developed was the
compassion with which Alannah wrote and sang the lyrics. I feel this factor
transcends the need to follow normal form and structure.
---
"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind" John Mellencamp [ Reply to This ]
Good job!!! &mdash 11/03/05 - 08:14:45 AM
Nice colab you guys!
The mix here is fantastic...clean and silky...
great message. [ Reply to This ]
Excited &mdash 11/03/05 - 06:31:59 PM
I love the way this one excited it's way into the process of evolving into
being a solid piece. I'm really llke'n the guitar work on this. But then,
you emoted me to tears with the lyrics... Ah man, I'm typing as I'm
listening... I really like the Orbit'esk sound of the vocals... I like the
organ and the bass on this a lot! Very touching, this tune, the whole of
it...
Thanks for putting this together and then, thanks for sharing it. What
grace all you have displayed on this.
Thanks!
Dion/Cydniko [ Reply to This ]
Excited &mdash 11/04/05 - 06:27:24 PM
Dion- Alannah did an amazing job with this. Not only with the wonderful lyrics
but in singing this with so much honest passion and feeling. She feels these
words and sings what she believes. Truly inspiring. And I while I wrote the
original guitar melody what I did best was recruit some great talent. This was a
true collaborative effort. Thanks for listening and for your comments!
---
"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind" John Mellencamp [ Reply to This ]
if only the rest of the world were like MacJams &mdash 11/03/05 - 09:13:12 PM
A fitting collaboration, well executed. It's amazing how people come
together around here. So much energy and purpose. If only we could
bottle MacJams and unleash it on all the uncaring people of the world.
Congrats all around! [ Reply to This ]
if only the rest of the world were like MacJams &mdash 11/25/05 - 02:25:28 PM
Ain't that the truth! Thanks for the listen, Paul.
---
"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind" John Mellencamp [ Reply to This ]
Holy smokes &mdash 11/04/05 - 08:23:29 PM
impressive collab! An enlightening song with terrific vocals (Alannah).
I can't decide if this reminds me of Cowbie Junkies or something else. Nonetheless..beautiful, soulful music where every element melds together so well. Cool art too, P. You should all be pleased. [ Reply to This ]
Holy smokes &mdash 11/04/05 - 09:22:19 PM
K.I.S. Kismet ... you once said (and I cut and pasted here) .... " I just wanted to add, as I giggle, that everything I do is off the cuff...rarely, if ever, do i sit down with any preconceptions of what i am about to do. the reason, i giggle i guess, is because i thought perhaps i could slip the faults past someone else who hadn't, well, heard as many times " and I thought to myself ... NOW THERES A WOMAN who creates music the way I do ..... I tend to just start singing and adlibbing and hope that what turns out is OK ..... AND .. that being said ... I think your songs turn out JUST FINE ... so theres hope for me ........ it might be fun to do a collab sometime .... I think your light notes might complement my dark notes and come out as a nice harmony ...... Alannah ! [ Reply to This ]
Nice colabo! &mdash 11/04/05 - 10:33:47 PM
I like this guitar sound! Vocal is really gorgeous!
Great job You guys. So sweet song. [ Reply to This ]
who needs borders &mdash 11/05/05 - 07:05:49 PM
Such great collabs that happen here. Intercontinental or just between neighbours, it's the way to go:)
Great vox and arrangements. You all did a super job on this:) [ Reply to This ]
who needs borders &mdash 11/06/05 - 11:38:23 AM
One of the things I enjoy most about MacJams is the ability to collaborate like
this. It's really amazing how easy it has become. This had members from the US
and Canada. Maybe the borders can open up even more on the next one (hint).
Thanks, Thoddi!
---
"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind" John Mellencamp [ Reply to This ]
Love the voice &mdash 11/06/05 - 07:49:55 AM
The Cowboys Junkies reference is probably the closest but with Kim
Carnes guts.
Great job of songwriting and organizing Stumpy. [ Reply to This ]
Colab mania! &mdash 11/06/05 - 09:07:26 AM
It's really nice to hear such a great song with so many contributions. It
would really be cool to be involved in a collaboration with this many
members. Every thing seemed to fit well together. It's top
notch...where do I start? Guitars are great, vocals are awesome, are the
drums real? bass is outstanding, keys are right on...
a friend told me "it's always a good idea to keep those songs your not
sure what to do with, you can always come back to them later". This is
testimony of that. Thanks for sharing.
Regards
John
[ Reply to This ]
Colab mania! &mdash 11/06/05 - 06:42:03 PM
Thank you, John. Sometimes it seems that fate intervenes and results in
something positive and good. When chatting with Alannah I decided to go
looking for something in my GB folder that was more or less complete for her to
sing on. I never thought of this tune as a collab until I heard the lyrics and
decided I was over my head... that's when I called for backup. Beware though-
I'm adding you to that list! Thanks again for the great comments.- Adam
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"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind" John Mellencamp [ Reply to This ]
Colab mania! &mdash 11/07/05 - 05:47:43 AM
Colab mania! &mdash 12/02/05 - 11:11:50 AM
Hi Texasfeel, I'm glad you like this collab! I made the drum track by assembling Drums on Demand loops. So, they're "real", but they were recorded by a studio musician and arranged by me. It's a simple enough drum part to play, but I have no recording gear. Yet. Thanks for listening! [ Reply to This ]
NOT TOO SHABBY &mdash 11/07/05 - 06:24:57 PM
Cats had a coll chill vibe! I fell of the couch and hit my big toe on the plant! Nice one! Or two? [ Reply to This ]
awsom &mdash 11/12/05 - 03:03:28 PM
nice lyrics, im pretty sure that song will touch alot of ppls..
best collaborate, nice tune.......
nice voice too....good luck [ Reply to This ]
awsom &mdash 11/12/05 - 03:04:19 PM
nice lyrics, im pretty sure that song will touch alot of ppls..
best collaborate, nice tune.......
nice voice too....good luck [ Reply to This ]
Fab collab!!! &mdash 11/12/05 - 05:28:20 PM
What a great song you all have pitched together to create here.
Just excellent!
I know some don't like the reverb on the vocals...but...I kind of like them.
They 'reach' out from the words and echo, reverberate...which seems in
keeping with the entire theme of the song. So, works for me!
Again. Wonderful work, everyone! :)
(Yay!, AC!!) [ Reply to This ]
Fab collab!!! &mdash 11/13/05 - 04:52:18 PM
Thanks, Mysti! I'm glad you were able to stop by and give a listen. :o)
---
"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind" John Mellencamp [ Reply to This ]
humbling &mdash 11/16/05 - 08:01:10 PM
This is clearly a cut above in every aspect. I read the lyrics before
listening, and I feared that it would be impossible to render them as
music without the preachiness being the most obvious element of the
song.
I was wrong. It's the last thing. Fucking amazing. [ Reply to This ]
AMAZING! &mdash 02/08/06 - 01:54:28 PM
Wow. This is my first day on macjams. and I can NOT log off, for reasons
such as this song. I had NO IDEA there was this kind of talent out there,
all working together to tell stories through music. I am so impressed, and
really enlightened, dare I say, inspired? Anyone see "Hustle and Flow?"
There's a line in it where a character says "every man (I say everyONE) has
a god given right to contribute a verse." I think this conveys that message
even better than that movie. Granted, he was stoned... but I still liked it!
Great job on this song you guys. If I ever log off, I can't wait to come
back... [ Reply to This ]
Nice work folks &mdash 10/30/07 - 11:57:37 PM
Alannnah at her best.
Cool story about how your guitar chord progression became this profound work.
Great playingand singing.
All!
I love collabs
theres just this thing...
like its own energy that wouldn't have exsisted...
bla bla bla
cool stuff
[ Reply to This ]
What a collab.......W O W .. . , , &mdash 02/14/08 - 01:32:39 PM
This is almost too good I can imagine Alannah & You on a big stage...outdoor..singin this to the World . . if I hear this alot I'll be cryin LOL !!! I'm so amazed by Alannahs voice. . . one that has had the strongest impact on me here...
Bless You All what a GIFT [ Reply to This ]
Great! &mdash 03/06/08 - 10:21:10 AM
This is fantastic collaboration projects Sir. Amazing mixing, great guitar playing and a real master touch with that drums sound! When the vocal starts, it reminds me some of old Scorpions songs!! Deepest BOWS and Respect sir! It's an amazing song. Greatly downloaded!
Take Care
- Yeman A. Al-Rawi [ Reply to This ]
Amazing vocals. &mdash 03/18/08 - 11:45:39 AM
Wow what a great collab the whole thing was mind blowing I absolutely loved every word that was sang
Alannah I salute you. A nightingale could not have sang sweeter. Thanks for sharing a great work of art,
well done to both of you.
Peace Dee, [ Reply to This ]
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