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Nolan put Unobtainable Remedy up for further development about a month ago and I thought I might be able to add something. Ed (Ejh) had suggested to me that a colab with Nolan might be a good idea some time ago, so why not?!
This is such a beautiful song, and I enjoyed doing my bits a lot.
Syncopatient played piano, Nolan wrote the song and sang lead and I played bass, drums and sang the harmony vox.
Nolan asked that I upload it, so here goes - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Thanks Nolan!
Lyrics:
Unobtainable Remedy (c) Nolan 2006
Look at the bright side as dim as it is
It's happening but it's not happening to me
Don't disrespect the poet
And be sure to wash your hands
I've been holding out for you
And you've been holding off on me
I feel the chill and I fold up my arms
You are the unobtainable remedy
Why do you have the fans on
When you're so apparently cold
I've been holding out for you
And you've been holding off on me
There's something here, besides me
And there's nowhere else I'd rather be
And I haven't worked out how I'm still here
But I wish you'd let me know
Why will I put myself through this again
This weekly guaranteed let down
And how will I make it up for last time
And how long do I have
I've been holding out for you
And you've been holding off on me
Hardware:
Nolan - voice
Dave Schwartz - midi keys (with EXSP24 piano)
Neil Porter - Fender Precision Bass, EXSP24 drums (using ns_kit7 soundfonts), voice
Software:
Nolan - GB2
Neil - Logic Express
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Some things were just meant to be &mdash 03/24/06 - 09:46:19 AM
As I listen to this song, and amongst the many times that I have, I hear
all of the delicacies within the treasure trove of nuances that makes
this such a special song to begin with, but to be able to compliment
it... You have complimented this song Neil. The vocal performance, is
golden. The piano performance; just very right on the mark. That any
contribution could add to something that to me, is already an
exceptional piece, it would have to be the work of a true artist, and of
higher caliber...- Your backing harmonies, the added bass and
drums... Like it was meant to be... You've done it Neil! Bravo! sir. I
applaud you!!!! - Cheers mate! Dion [ Reply to This ]
Some things were just meant to be &mdash 03/24/06 - 03:33:59 PM
Thanks Dion - pretty difficult to do badly with such brilliant raw material to
work with here. Nolan's original vox was a killer, along with Syncro's piano.
It was great to be able to twaek their performances then add a bit. Also nice
to have a (mainly) Oz colab up.
Cheers, Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/19004"> What If?</a> [ Reply to This ]
tops &mdash 03/24/06 - 11:40:37 AM
very deft, extremely original. just a great job all around. i love these
collab's. this one is tops. Nolan's voice is just so emotional and
powerful. beautiful piano and a great mccartney like rythm section. [ Reply to This ]
tops &mdash 03/24/06 - 11:39:52 PM
Thanks Karma - Nolan has an amazing voice and sure can write an incredible
song - I'd recommend listening to his previous posts on MJ. This was so nice
to play and sing on.
Cheers,
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/19298"> Unreliable Remedy</a> [ Reply to This ]
tops &mdash 03/24/06 - 11:41:07 AM
very deft, extremely original. just a great job all around. i love these
collab's. this one is tops. Nolan's voice is just so emotional and
powerful. beautiful piano and a great mccartney like rythm section. [ Reply to This ]
Very nice &mdash 03/24/06 - 01:06:55 PM
Great mix! Has a helpless feel. Just right. Yeah, the harmonies are
exactly right! [ Reply to This ]
Very nice &mdash 03/24/06 - 11:43:02 PM
Cheers Doug - helpless pretty well sums up the sound (maybe "vulnerable").
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/19298"> Unreliable Remedy</a> [ Reply to This ]
perfect all round &mdash 03/24/06 - 02:59:23 PM
piano!! voices!! accents!!! i loved the accents!!! thank you for sharing this great piece of work x [ Reply to This ]
perfect all round &mdash 03/24/06 - 11:45:56 PM
Cheers Caro - told you you'd like it! As I said, the "Remove Accents" insert in
Logic Express isn't working at the moment, so our accents remain in the final
mix - I promise to do better next time. Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/19298"> Unreliable Remedy</a> [ Reply to This ]
Rawk! &mdash 03/24/06 - 03:10:43 PM
Hey Neil - you just pointed me to this one. Nolan's vocals are great (especially nice in the harmony section late) and Dave's piano playing is very expressive and melodic, but it is your drum (and bass) work that stand out to me. OK, admittedly, I'm biased, but still - you did the drums with a soundfont and the pencil tool. Give the drummer some! Sounds nice (although as I remarked to you in chat, the toms sounded a little thin for my tastes and I would have liked to hear a crash or two to punctuate the transitions). I really dig the part at the end (during the fade) where the kick and bass lock in. Excellent groove! [ Reply to This ]
Rawk! &mdash 03/25/06 - 12:12:42 AM
Thanks for the very kind comments Mike, but the star of this post is
indisputably Nolan, as I've said before above. As far as the drums go, I learnt
a lot from your playing on What If, and realised I couldn't expect you to play
on every song I did, so I'd better take drumming a bit more seriously. The
new soundfonts are brilliant - must thicken the tom sound a bit. Its OK - I've
saved up the crashes for the next song - didn't want to out-do my quota!
Cheers,
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/19298"> Unreliable Remedy</a> [ Reply to This ]
Is &mdash 03/24/06 - 06:58:13 PM
this that lost track that was cut from the White Album? I think this is beautifully written and assembled. It's got real mood and color. [ Reply to This ]
Is &mdash 03/25/06 - 12:19:37 AM
Thanks for dropping by Dave. Nolan's lyric is so full of emotion, and he sings
it beautifully - an MJ classic composition.
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/19298"> Unreliable Remedy</a> [ Reply to This ]
Is &mdash 03/30/06 - 03:36:19 PM
My thoughts exactly...
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My last fortune cookie said: "You will be rewarded for being a good listener". Wife is ROTFLHAO. [ Reply to This ]
Nice nice nice &mdash 03/25/06 - 03:47:53 AM
Nice nice nice &mdash 03/25/06 - 02:39:07 PM
Pop, but not pop? Thanks for the visit and comment.
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/19298"> Unreliable Remedy</a> [ Reply to This ]
Oh man, this is fun! &mdash 03/25/06 - 08:00:33 AM
perceptualvortex has it right--this has a lot of White Album feel to it...
there are moments when the bass and drums are VERY Paul-and-
Ringo...
Neil, you have the good sense to not just program an all-through-the-
song beat, but to put it in and take it out, or take it down to cymbals...
it ends up sounding like a human drummer finding his way with a
piano-pop song... Bass playing very compressed McCartneyish...
Lennonish background vocals...
And Nolan's song is still brilliant...
Brightens my day....
Ed [ Reply to This ]
Oh man, this is fun! &mdash 03/25/06 - 02:48:31 PM
Ed, I'm really glad you liked this - you were, in a way, the reason I decided to
have a shot at Nolan's beautiful song. You may not remember, but a few
months ago you mentioned in a comment to one of my songs that I should
try doing a colab with Nolan. At the time, I hadn't even heard any of Nolan's
music, but when I did, agreed that it was special. So I thank you for that.
The McCartney/bass comments on this and some other songs of mine are
interesting to me - while I loved the Beatles' music, I have never consciously
concentrated on McCartney as a bass player, or on his bass parts in the
Beatles' songs. Hence it is amusing to have people note that there may be
elements of his style in my playing - I take this as an enormous compliment
of course.
Now to get back to posting some songs of my own - new one up soon.
Thanks for dropping by!
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/19298"> Unreliable Remedy</a> [ Reply to This ]
I wondered... &mdash 03/25/06 - 03:21:21 PM
...before I listened if this track really needed readdressing. Nolan's
original is a starkly beautiful tune. The voice and piano just float on by.
It was only a few seconds after the bass, drums, backing vocals and all
came in that I realized this was more than just simple augmentation of
the song, but a re-envisioning. It keeps all the wonderful stuff from te
original and expands it into a new dimension. The mix is great. I love
the rich thick bass. The touches of backing vocals really compliment
Nolan's lead. Very nice guys. A supurb re-imagining!
And now, I have two awesome versions to listen to. Who could ask for
more. [ Reply to This ]
I wondered... &mdash 03/25/06 - 03:41:15 PM
Thanks Joseph - you are of course correct in saying that Nolan's original was
going to be difficult to improve on. My initial thoughts were "strings", and
indeed there was a version with strings for a short time, but that didn't really
add anything new. Then it struck me that one of the great things about
Nolan's original was it's simplicity, so a simple drum/bass (in the old sense of
these words!) approach with a touch of harmony (those harmonies were just
leaping out at me) seemed the way to go.
Glad you liked it,
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/19298"> Unreliable Remedy</a> [ Reply to This ]
Right Back &mdash 03/25/06 - 04:09:20 PM
Right Back &mdash 03/25/06 - 07:53:30 PM
Hey Coop, good to hear from you :)
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
Right Back &mdash 03/26/06 - 07:26:36 PM
Initmate Exposure. Precise, and Warmly so.
Close to where the Fire meets the Ice, and who knows how it will end.
Production Values are, simply, Astounding.
Compliments and Best Regards to All,
Cooper [ Reply to This ]
Right Back &mdash 03/26/06 - 11:43:08 PM
Especially glad you like this Coop - thanks for leaving such a positive
comment - I think it's safe to say that Nolan and I are pretty pleased with the
result.
Peace,
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
Really nice &mdash 03/25/06 - 06:13:43 PM
Are the lyrics posted somewhere?
Nolan's voice is really special - fragile yet determined. Everything else
provided a really great support for the voice. I ended up just listening and
enjoying rather than analysing on this. [ Reply to This ]
Really nice &mdash 03/25/06 - 07:41:52 PM
Kristyjo - I've added the lyrics and a link to Nolan's original for you on this
page. Glad you liked it.Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/19298"> Unreliable Remedy</a> [ Reply to This ]
One of my... &mdash 03/25/06 - 07:51:06 PM
One of my... &mdash 03/25/06 - 07:55:06 PM
Thanks for dropping by and having a listen Tom.
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
One of my... &mdash 03/25/06 - 07:51:08 PM
Brilliant guys! &mdash 03/25/06 - 07:54:02 PM
I love it! particularly the harmonies and Nolan sounds great too.
Great, great work! Sounds very professional. [ Reply to This ]
Brilliant guys! &mdash 03/25/06 - 08:02:46 PM
Cheers Heidi! And we're both from Down Under - not sure where Dave's from
though. Glad you liked Nolan's great song,
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
Excellent &mdash 03/25/06 - 08:27:12 PM
I love intimate sound of your vocals and the piano. Everything else justs melts together really nice. Great Work!
SM [ Reply to This ]
Excellent &mdash 03/25/06 - 10:26:03 PM
Thanks for dropping by to listen and comment Beverly - much appreciated.
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
Whoops! &mdash 03/25/06 - 10:30:27 PM
Nolan, I just noticed "Unreliable Remedy" in my sgnature which I have
now changed. "Unreliable Memory" is probably closer to the mark!!!
Sorry about that!
Neil :) [ Reply to This ]
How good is this!? &mdash 03/25/06 - 11:05:32 PM
I've been off-line for a couple of days, and I've just found this. And I've
got a big smile on my face, for two reasons:
First, who would not be grinning like a crazy thing after reading those
comments? Thank you all very much for your extremely kind words - I,
like I'm sure Neil is, am truly stoked.
Second, I love this version! It gives me a thrill every time I listen to it.
Neil you've done a fantastic job. You know I'm a sucker for harmonies,
so it's so cool to hear backing vocals that aren't mine. It's got that
great raw Jiguma sound that I was so excited about you unleashing on
this song. It's that real bass - love it! Thanks so much, mate. You
killed it! [ Reply to This ]
How good is this!? &mdash 03/25/06 - 11:30:47 PM
Happy to have been of service Nolan - the pleasure was all mine I can assure
you! Glad you liked the final mix - was that a new vox track?
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
Keeping it real &mdash 03/26/06 - 07:45:40 PM
Wow. You have done a remarkable job keeping the beautiful simplicity of
Nolan and Dave's original recording while making it larger than life.
Really, really wonderful job. While the harmonies are terrific and add so
much, it's that bass that really grabs my attention. Gives so much
additional depth. Wonderful and amazing! [ Reply to This ]
Keeping it real &mdash 03/26/06 - 08:29:06 PM
Thanks Adam - this really was an opportunity too good to pass up. All the parts were there, they just needed someone to play them! Really glad you liked this, and really appreciate your kind comment regarding the bass.
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
Keeping it real &mdash 03/26/06 - 11:40:06 PM
I would have been happy with wonderful OR amazing - thanks Adam :)
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
Wonderful collab! &mdash 03/26/06 - 11:45:49 PM
Love the vocal harmonies. Beautiful piano work. And Neil, I still say your
the best bassist on MacJams. I get my bass in April and hope I can
eventually match your precision, style and feel. This is an instant fave!
Be well! [ Reply to This ]
Wonderful collab! &mdash 03/27/06 - 01:33:43 AM
Thanks Mike, but I suspect that's stretching things a bit far - I'm quite happy
to be just known as "a bass player from MJ" (there's not that many of us after
all). I'm really glad you liked this - I think Nolan really excelled himself in
writing such a beautiful song. All the best with the bass purchase - main
advice is get something that is comfortable to play - the "fun factor" in
playing bass is greatly underrated!
Peace!
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
Thank you,two people. &mdash 03/27/06 - 05:59:53 AM
Thank you,two people. &mdash 03/27/06 - 03:06:52 PM
Cheers Tadashi-san - thank you for listening and leaving a comment.
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
Had to come back for another listen &mdash 03/27/06 - 05:19:50 PM
Can't find my d/l for some odd reason, but also, I wanted to just
reiterate my initial thoughts on this - I think that you did a masterful
job, Neil - - A fantastic job on this! -- Gonna d/l again - If I could fav
it again, I would - Cheers! my friend - Dion
Okay, now back to the regularly scheduled program... : ) [ Reply to This ]
Awesome Aussies! &mdash 03/27/06 - 09:02:52 PM
Think I gotta move to Australia! (Do I hear a good-riddance American
celebration on that decision? :-)
You guys are some of the best musicians in this site. Nolan, of course,
has been an early favorite from day #1 that I was here, and Jiguma has
been a source of thoughtful lessons about music-making.
This is so poignant. Nolan, your voice is so distinctly soothing, clear
and sad that I should coin the word nolanesque to mean exactly what
you sound like. Jiguma, your added background vocals and
instrumentals are the spice and make this song complete.
Instant fave, guys. [ Reply to This ]
Awesome Aussies! &mdash 03/27/06 - 09:54:40 PM
Nice to see you around and about again Leon. Thanks for the comment -
glad you liked it - "poignant" just about sums it up. Nolan has one of those
special voices, and the song's a killer!
Cheers,
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
can't &mdash 03/28/06 - 01:13:44 PM
can't &mdash 03/30/06 - 03:32:43 PM
Thanks for dropping by Mcboy.
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
Really good song writing &mdash 03/29/06 - 11:21:44 AM
If we have a good song, production is so much easier.... everything
sounds good, vox, production ect... Nice when we don't have to polish
turds ehhh...
thanx; good job [ Reply to This ]
Really good song writing &mdash 03/30/06 - 04:24:32 PM
Especially if you keep it simple. Nolan's song probably deserves better
than languishing in the MJ vault once the "week of fame" is over. I hope
I can get near this standard with my next post!
Cheer, Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
Nice &mdash 03/29/06 - 12:30:36 PM
All in all you've got a nice groove going. The balance of the vocals, bass
and keys were right on. The drums felt lethargic, but that's a taste thing.
Thanks [ Reply to This ]
Nice &mdash 03/30/06 - 04:32:27 PM
Thanks for the listen Roy. Your comment about the "lethargic" drums hit
a chord (so to speak) with me. I've been noticing that sometimes in my
songs the drums seem to be holding things back rather than driving
them along. Since reading your comment I have done some
experimenting and found that by moving the drums a few midi clicks (so
they start a little sooner), there is an improvement in the feel. I read
about this recently, and didn't really take much notice, but it seems you
may be correct. UR with the drums nudged a little sounds even better.
Maybe it's a signal lag from my USR802 which is plugged into the "line
in" phone jack rather than USB. Thanks for bringing this to my attention
- I appreciate it.
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
Nice &mdash 03/29/06 - 12:36:55 PM
All in all you've got a nice groove going. The balance of the vocals, bass
and keys were right on. The drums felt lethargic, but that's a taste thing.
Thanks [ Reply to This ]
Chills &mdash 03/30/06 - 03:34:19 PM
This gives me chills down my spine. Your right on this as it is a beautiful peace. Your voice compliments well with the piano. Great voice as usual and the piano is Fantastic! Great collab and thanks for sharing.
John
[ Reply to This ]
Chills &mdash 03/30/06 - 04:34:44 PM
"Chills down my spine" was certainly the feeling I got when I started
working with Nolan's song. Thanks for dropping in for a listenn and a
comment John.
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
now we know &mdash 03/31/06 - 05:48:02 PM
Many years ago, when i was a lad, and the Beatles were in their death throes, the world was rife with rumors of their reincarnation. I believe there was even some Canadian band called klatuu, or something like that, that late night fm djs whispered were really the lads from liverpool masquerading as bar scene locals in the icy north.
This was also the time of "Paul is dead", walruses, 3 beatles, the undertaker, doctor, gravedigger and corpse on the cover of abby road, "28 if" license plates.
Now the truth can be told. The Fab Four were transported down under and have been secretly producing albums under the acronym JIGUMA or John Is George Under McCartney A..... well I havnt quite figured that out yet.
But really guys... just add georges lyrical guitar to this track and... wow, wont a lot of people be happy. [ Reply to This ]
now we know &mdash 03/31/06 - 06:35:33 PM
What a clasic comment for our final "day in the sun" with Nolan's song guys : )
Shows what happens when you listen to too much Beatles (long ago) and Finn
Brothers I suspect. If you want George's guitar soloing style, try <a
href="http://www.macjams.com/song/16923">Up To You</a>
Thanks a lot for the listen and comment - appreciate it.
Neil
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<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/9855"> Avec Vous </a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/18184"> Make Me Smile</a> [ Reply to This ]
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all of the delicacies within the treasure trove of nuances that makes
this such a special song to begin with, but to be able to compliment
it... You have complimented this song Neil. The vocal performance, is
golden. The piano performance; just very right on the mark. That any
contribution could add to something that to me, is already an
exceptional piece, it would have to be the work of a true artist, and of
higher caliber...- Your backing harmonies, the added bass and
drums... Like it was meant to be... You've done it Neil! Bravo! sir. I
applaud you!!!! - Cheers mate! Dion
[ Reply to This ]