nice rhythm and singin &mdash 01/18/06 - 10:15:17 AM
Nice style jig
cool picture, you have a very easy to listen to style.
Cool tune! [ Reply to This ]
nice rhythm and singin &mdash 01/18/06 - 12:40:10 PM
Thanks Bill - glad you dropped by for a listen.
Neil
---
My latest song is: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Careful of the Undertow - Remix </a> [ Reply to This ]
Ambassador Jiguma &mdash 01/18/06 - 11:12:00 AM
I don't normally pay much attention to remixes, because it's normally
more work than I care to put forth to differentiate between the original
and the remix, but you have created an entirely new groove Mr. J.
And how could I not be moved by this tasty ear treat... I'm really diggn'
your recent solos on your pieces, and especially this one.
You make a good Ambassador to a nation, Neil. As I am sure that there
are other MJRS' from Australia, I just don't know of them so this is not
meant to rob anyone of a title. But for now, when Australia comes to
mind, I hear Jiguma soundtracks playing in the background. And
although all nations have a great deal of 'funkedupness' going on, your
grooves, they make it all good... I should think that your country owes
you, and they owe you BIG! - DION [ Reply to This ]
Ambassador Jiguma &mdash 01/18/06 - 12:49:12 PM
Well hi Dion - thanks for doing a quick comparison listen. Very nice words
(as usual) - I can think of at least two other Aussies who are doing very nice
work: Nolan and Bryan ("The Composer") - there are more, but names escape
me . I enjoyed re-doing this track, mainly because I really like the summery
feel to it. It's a little sad for me too, as my mum missed out on a lot of the
things which are so beautiful about where we live.
Created a monster in deciding to remix - as I did each new track, something
else reared its head as needing to be redone - bass track is the only in-tact
remnant of the original.
Looking forward to hearing something new from you soon.
Take care,
Neil
---
My latest song is: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Careful of the Undertow - Remix </a> [ Reply to This ]
wow &mdash 01/18/06 - 03:38:41 PM
I just reviewed the original version, which I love. This is nearly a different
animal! But equally as good. Nice nice nice. [ Reply to This ]
wow &mdash 01/18/06 - 03:38:44 PM
I just reviewed the original version, which I love. This is nearly a different
animal! But equally as good. Nice nice nice. [ Reply to This ]
wow &mdash 01/18/06 - 07:25:00 PM
Thanks for looking at both Mike - the first one was primitive (production-
wise) but had the original enthusiasm and looseness which I like, whereas the
latest one is probably better technically, but not as loose. Whatever, they are,
as you say, virtually "different animals". The reggae feel to this is something I
have little experience with, but enjoyed doing it.
Cheers,
Neil
---
My latest song is: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Careful of the Undertow - New Version </a> [ Reply to This ]
Great tune &mdash 01/18/06 - 03:55:10 PM
Hey, this is a nice song - I love your voice and harmonies, your take on modern life. It always makes for a pleasant experience, no matter what the subject matter. the textures you're getting with the guitars is very hypnotic, enjoyed it a lot! [ Reply to This ]
Great tune &mdash 01/18/06 - 07:28:49 PM
Thanks for taking the time to listen and write a comment Bing, I appreciate it.
The harmony thing seems to be getting easier, and I also seem to be getting
more accurate vocally with the new mic. What I'd really like to develop
though is a stronger voice as well as the soft style I have now - I guess I'll just
keep trying!
Cheers,
Neil
---
My latest song is: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Careful of the Undertow - New Version </a> [ Reply to This ]
More &mdash 01/18/06 - 06:16:41 PM
smooth grooves. I really enjoyed listening to this Neil. Besides the usual good songwriting and performances, there seems to be extra ear candy, with the phased lines and such. Very nice. [ Reply to This ]
More &mdash 01/18/06 - 07:40:30 PM
Thanks David, always enjoy a positive comment :) The solo from the
previous version didn't translate from GB very well, so I re-did it o find I
couldn't emulate the sound in the first version (a guitar sound I really liked).
After much fiddling with keyboard and guitar solos, the phased guitar one is
what happened. I'm not much of a lead guitarist, but have found that if you
repeat the solo often enough it eventually comes out OK.
Cheers,
Neil
---
My latest song is: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Careful of the Undertow - New Version </a> [ Reply to This ]
Oh heck. I like 'em both. For different reasons. &mdash 01/18/06 - 08:07:21 PM
There seems to my ears to be more "air" and space in this mix...Which I
think is mostly a good thing. The only spot where I think the extra air
works against you is the multi-vocals... I think they would benefit from
sounding a little closer together... The space in the guitars is pretty
neat...
Plus there's a more distinct accent to that lead vocalist...
And I remember the other version as having more drive in the groove...
This one bops along with more bounce...
I like the way the bass player plays...
Heck. Can't choose. Like 'em both... One for release, one for the
'rarities' box set...
Ed [ Reply to This ]
Oh heck. I like 'em both. For different reasons. &mdash 01/18/06 - 09:48:31 PM
Cheers Ed - when you talk about the vocals being "closer together", do you
mean harmony-wise or pan-wise? Pan-wise, the harmony tracks are closer to
centre than in the original version (they are also much closer to being in
tune!), although there is still a fair spread (from +25 to -25 I think). Once
again, I have left all effects off the vox tracks. If you mean harmony-wise,
then we're kind of stuck with what's there :)
The earlier version was a much
lower bpm rate than this, and the drumming was loops while this is done with
a basic looped midi track and the wonderful LE pencil tool. This one is
certainly more dynamic as a result.
Thanks for having a listen - always appreciate your considered comments.
Neil
---
My latest songs are: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Undertow </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923"> Up To You </a> [ Reply to This ]
The southeast and the northwest of the southern hemisphere &mdash 01/18/06 - 08:42:11 PM
The wind of the Sydney bay changed.
The wind of Caribbean blew to the sea in Australia today.
Work wonderful as well as the former work.
Good arrangement.
[ Reply to This ]
The southeast and the northwest of the southern hemisphere &mdash 01/21/06 - 01:03:09 PM
Thanks for dropping by Tadashi, and for leaving another of your treasured
comments.
Neil
---
My latest songs are: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Undertow </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923"> Up To You </a> [ Reply to This ]
Haha &mdash 01/19/06 - 08:04:54 AM
Haha! you crazy :) That was fun!
Well it was listenable this way too ... I'm noticing though that I've kind
of grown somewhat conservative concerning this tune (which has been
among my absoulte top rank favoruties since it came out). I have
listened to the original a lot! ... will see if I can get used to this.
The old version I have associated to water, water, water ... Like
fearlessly flowing along with the undertows ... having bubbles and
fishes and bright colours swirling all around, like being high on
Champagne and the Ocean at the same time ...
This one is with head up in the air ... like sitting on the beach, letting
the wind and sun dry the hair, slowly growing sober ...
[ Reply to This ]
Haha &mdash 01/21/06 - 01:09:30 PM
Cheers Curry. The original was certainly a loose, ocean sound, and I really
liked it - except for the vocals, which I felt were fairly weak. The plan to re-
do it came about as a result of wanting to do better vocals on it, but when I
started, I realised that it seemed very slow, so I lifted the bpm. Then the
guitar tracks went out of synch and sounded awful, so i did new versions of
those. Finally the drums sounded "wrong", and so they were also replaced.
The
final change was to parts of the organ track, which gave this version the
reggae feel. I guess it's really a different song with the same lyrics, melody
and chords now. Appreciate your comment as usual.
Neil
---
My latest songs are: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Undertow </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923"> Up To You </a> [ Reply to This ]
Very nicely done &mdash 01/19/06 - 04:07:29 PM
I hadn't actually listened to the origonal until after I laid my ears on this one (for the compare and contrast.) No matter which version you listen to, it's an awesome song. This one does have a completely different feel. It has a more airy feel, brighter and a little more free flowing. Nice one to just kick back and listen to on a carefree afternoon (as are many of your tunes.)
And Dion's right, you do make a great ambassador. Now, when I think of Australia, I hear your guitar flowing through my hear. You've nicely replaced Men at Work in my brain. :D [ Reply to This ]
Very nicely done &mdash 01/21/06 - 02:07:44 PM
Thanks for taking time to listen to both versions Joseph. I kind of like both
versions too, but the song has become a bit chameleon-like really. Thought I
might do a big band version next (lol).
Cheers,
Neil
---
My latest songs are: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Undertow </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923"> Up To You </a> [ Reply to This ]
Very cool &mdash 01/20/06 - 02:47:04 PM
I don't think I had heard the original but I find this to be a really nice tune. I too plan to remix some of my older GB songs into Logic Express. Thanks for sharing. Really cool mix.
John [ Reply to This ]
Very cool &mdash 01/21/06 - 02:11:23 PM
Cheers John - the change to LE7 really lifts the older stuff. You have so much
more control, and I found that I had some clipping which I didn't catch in GB,
but which is really easy to see in LE7. Hence, cleaner production. My new
mic helps a lot also.
Neil
---
My latest songs are: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Undertow </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923"> Up To You </a> [ Reply to This ]
Very nice indeed &mdash 01/20/06 - 04:42:04 PM
This rolls along really nicely...great full sound. It makes me feel like
summer is here now in grey old London. Well we have a whale in the
Thames...so something funny is up. Cool track Neil!
Steve [ Reply to This ]
Very nice indeed &mdash 01/21/06 - 02:54:07 PM
Thanks Steve, saw the "whale" (more like a large sardine from what I saw) on
TV last night. Next thing you'll see in the Thames is a Japanese whaling
vessel (for scientific purposes only - or maybe that's "porpoises"?). Glad the
song brought some summer sun into your otherwise dreary weather - over
40 degrees coming up today, and we're off to the beach. See you in
Cheltenham 2007 :)
Cheers,
Neil
---
My latest songs are: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Undertow </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923"> Up To You </a> [ Reply to This ]
I've always loved... &mdash 01/21/06 - 05:00:23 AM
...the original - I think I'm even safe to say it's one of my favorites on MJ.
This version is great, as well - but in a quite different way. I got a little
reggae vibe at the beginning, rather than the oceanic, acoustic rock feel in
the previous version. I think it was the organ jumps...
Anyway - this really is great.
A definate download and a fav!
Thanks for sharing!
[ Reply to This ]
I've always loved... &mdash 01/21/06 - 02:57:17 PM
Thanks for listening Einar. Have always loved Hammond sounds, and the
reggae thing seemed natural on this. Glad you liked the new one, but
specially happy about your enthusiasm for the original.
Cheers, Neil
---
My latest songs are: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Undertow </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923"> Up To You </a> [ Reply to This ]
I live in the land down under... &mdash 01/22/06 - 06:14:06 AM
No real critical comments here... just a bit of an ego rub... I quite liked
this piece... It has that slightly relentless feeling that I enjoyed in "Up to
you" and this has a couple of moments of dark and shade which is nice
too. The chord progression here are quite nice too... and I'm really
growing to your vocal timbre... nice and husky... but also pretty decent
musically. The production is pretty good, the levels are pretty good
(the soloing guitar could be futher up in the mix... its being hidden a
little beind the other guitars)... and overal its nice and wide and
interesting. I'm going to have to listen to the original now I think. [ Reply to This ]
I live in the land down under... &mdash 01/22/06 - 06:21:11 AM
Sorry one more thing... get rid of the Garageband snare!
---
The Composer, previously known as The Pianist who hasn't played the piano in a while...
<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17268">Sampled Sister</a> [ Reply to This ]
I live in the land down under... &mdash 01/22/06 - 12:51:21 PM
Thanks for the comment Bryan - ego rubs always welcome! Drumming is an
area I'm looking at developing, and I appreciate your comment about the GB
snare - I've only just started to use midi based drums and percussion, and am
really keen to get better at it. I'll see what Logic Express has to offer in the
drum department.
Cheers,
Neil
---
My latest songs are: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Undertow </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923"> Up To You </a> [ Reply to This ]
Excellent &mdash 01/23/06 - 04:01:12 AM
Love it Neil.
Loving each day
Living the coastal life
Heavy weather in the air last night
Lightning sheeting %u2018cross the bay
I love these lyrics. The imagery is so familiar. In fact, I spend a lot of
time here missing 'the coastal life', and this makes me look forward to
getting back there even more. The music is great - it's got a fantastic
feel. Well done.
[ Reply to This ]
Excellent &mdash 01/23/06 - 04:12:35 AM
Thanks Nolan. The coastal life is really all I know - apart from a year in the
UK and some time in Munich, I've never lived more than about 10 km from
the beach since I was 6 or so.
Make sure you send me an email if ever you're coming this way!
Cheers,
Neil
---
My latest songs are: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Undertow </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923"> Up To You </a> [ Reply to This ]
Very 70's &mdash 01/28/06 - 07:35:29 PM
Kind of like a cross between The Eagles, Chris De Burgh and something else familiar that I just can't put my finger on. Oh yeah, Al Stewart. I haven't heard this style in quite a while. Reminds me of my years in Montral. [ Reply to This ]
Very 70's &mdash 02/04/06 - 02:11:55 AM
That's me, very 70s - if you like the style, check my back catalogue - there's
plenty more.
Cheers,
Neil
---
My latest songs are: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Undertow </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923"> Up To You </a> [ Reply to This ]
thoughts from the bull... &mdash 01/29/06 - 04:41:56 PM
initially, the title of the song reminded me of the scene in "The World
According to Garp," where Garp shouts to warn his children of the
undertow. they, of course, ask "What's the under toad?"
this piece has such a wonderful, positive upbeat to it. very infectious.
instrumentally, it's fantastic. lots and lots of great tidbits of sound
going on. your voice/voices move very well through them, never
compromising and never leading one to be stronger or weaker. that, to
me, is the sign of good mixing.
a terrific production! thank you! [ Reply to This ]
thoughts from the bull... &mdash 02/04/06 - 02:14:54 AM
Thanks Boris - Myshkin made a similar observation (about Garp) on the
original of this. My mum really used a simiilar expression - "watch out for
the rips" - in warning me about stuff, but what rhymes with rips? :)
Really glad the song appeals to you.
Neil
---
My latest songs are: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Undertow </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923"> Up To You </a> [ Reply to This ]
This is good &mdash 01/30/06 - 12:25:56 PM
I like this. Nice and light and friendly. Not mad on the vocal effect -a
bit too 'airy' for my liking but thats just a preference thing! I gave this
an overall 8! Well done! [ Reply to This ]
This is good &mdash 02/04/06 - 02:16:29 AM
Cheers Gav,
Thanks for listening, your comment and vote.
Neil
---
My latest songs are: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/17192"> Undertow </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923"> Up To You </a> [ Reply to This ]
This is awesome &mdash 02/10/06 - 07:23:15 AM
Absolutely loved the groove to this. Infectious. Danceable. I dig it!!
Thanks for sharing...kelli [ Reply to This ]
Such a cheerful sound... &mdash 06/10/07 - 08:06:34 PM
...to go with such an ominous (and apt!) message. I like the sunny ska-like bounce, and the unexpected harmonies expressed by the guitar. A sweet mix and the vocals blend just perfectly. [ Reply to This ]
|
cool picture, you have a very easy to listen to style.
Cool tune!
[ Reply to This ]