Who's Online
Invisible Members: 7 Visitors: 49
Past 7 Days
Song Uploads: 161
Song Votes: 317
Song Comments: 3463
Forum Posts: 849
New Members: 91
Participation Points: 12473.00
|
Get Flash to see this player.
Having playback trouble, try the Quicktime player:
  
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial
|
|
|
|
|
Keywords:
sail away (2), Racer X (1), ledebutant (45), 50's (1), beach (15), summer (62), doo-wop (4), love (945), one day together (1), dreamy (30), sunset (14), anti-war (14)
|
|
Description:
From Racer X:
I wanted a sound like you might hear at a 50s high school prom, a slow dance- glitter ball song. I was additionally influenced by the Stray Cats Brian Setzer sound.
I recorded the acoustic guitar part twice, panned one left and one right. I did the same with the electric guitar. The acoustic guitar, Taylor 214, is recorded with a MAudio Nova condenser mic. I added the GB Live Performance vocal setting which I think is just reverb.
The electric guitar, PRS CE-22, is recorded through a Behringer pre-amp into GB without any effects. I then added Amplitube amp simulator plugin. The setting was Smokey Jazz, I added slap-back delay on one of the electric tracks.
I recorded with a Fender precision bass, no effects. I played midi keys, MAudio 49, for some strings and added DOD drums.
From Lisa:
Mr.X and I were trying to put together a collaboration and he had sent me a rough version of this music, which I thought was just dreamy. The next day was the summer solstice and I went to a heron sanctuary near my house, on Dumas Bay. I wrote Mr. X a pretty enthusiastic email about my wonderful time on the beach and, the next day he came up with the concept for this song and sent me the lyrics for the verses and chorus, which I thought fit the vibe of the song perfectly.
Once I started singing, I tweaked some of the lyrics, slightly. I imagined that the couple were together on the beach during a war, for just one day, while the guy was on leave from his unit before shipping out far away from the girl, maybe never to return. I wrote the lyrics to the bridge to try to reflect that, especially.
I thought about all the people, crazy in love with each other, but temporarily kept apart, or worse, by our current war.
This was a joy to do and I want to thank Racer X for the music and his beautiful words.
This was also a lot of fun for me, because I'm a closet mixing geek (as echoroom recently told me) and I don't get to mix or master very often, since I seem to always work with people who are better at it than me. Mr. X graciously let me have a shot at it and I had lots of fun. I never want to mix this type of backing vocals ever again, though. If I try, someone beat me, please.
Artwork by RacerX
Lyrics:
Here we sit
by the bay
you and me
together
Maybe this summer day
could last us
forever
Blue skies
your brown eyes
could make me sigh
all summer.
No end in sight,
the tide is right
to sail away.
No end in sight,
the tide is right,
to sail
away
together
forever.
Here we dance
by the shore.
Our toes
kiss the water.
You sing a soft melody
it sounds so familiar.
Sweeter, sweeter,
than I remember.
Maybe this summer day
could last us forever.
Please let this summer day
last us forever.
No end in sight,
the tide is right
to sail away.
No end in sight,
and we just might
sail
away
together
forever.
Under this sky
everything's right,
but the sun
dips to the sea.
Nightfall will come,
you will be gone.
You belong to more
than me.
No end in sight,
the tide is right
to sail away.
No end in sight,
and we just might
sail
away
together.
Hardware:
G5 20" iMac (how I love those words), Rode Nt-1a, MAudio Nova Condenser, Behringer Eurorack UB802 (both of us), Taylor 214, PRS CE-22, Fender Precision Bass, MAudio Keystation-49
Software:
GarageBand, Logic Express, Amplitube, Drums on Demand, AVOX Duo demo, TrackPlug 4
|
so far so good &mdash 07/26/07 - 06:39:45 PM
First 30 seconds &mdash 07/26/07 - 07:24:16 PM
That's where we put all the subliminal messages, so GREAT! They're working. [ Reply to This ]
The rest ... &mdash 07/26/07 - 06:46:08 PM
The rest is great too. One of the things that impresses me is that I'm hearing a new quality in your singing, and I like it! I liked the old quality too, don't get me wrong... but it's just neat that you can change your sound if you want to. Neat. That's what I said.
You've definitely succeeded in getting that '50s ballad sound. I'm really impressed with the work by RacerX; great job all around! [ Reply to This ]
You said NEAT! &mdash 07/26/07 - 07:28:10 PM
Thanks, Clark. One thing I love about collaborating is that I'm forced to try new things. I had my doubts about whether this was a style that would suit me, but once I started singing it, I really enjoyed myself. I was surprised to get a different sound that I usually do, so that was cool.
I'm really impressed with RacerX, too. [ Reply to This ]
thanks &mdash 07/27/07 - 08:49:04 AM
omg &mdash 07/26/07 - 06:47:05 PM
What an sonic time machine. Simply a match made in heaven. Lisa you sing swell. You sing swell with yourself. The vocals are certainly a focal point for me on this. Yet the music is incredible. It captures an era's elegance and simplicity with just the right verve. Spendild. I seem prone to adjectives with 's' in them tonight. sorry...doh [ Reply to This ]
Swell &mdash 07/26/07 - 08:02:52 PM
John, I think your comment is swell, too. :-) I'm so happy you liked the song, although, I mis-read what you wrote at first and thought you'd said 'sonic washing machine'. I think it might be time for me to have a lie down.
[ Reply to This ]
thanks mr. KTBurn &mdash 07/27/07 - 12:11:10 PM
Ledeb did a great job mixing. The music is really very simple and should take a back seat to the vocals. Thanks for your commments [ Reply to This ]
simple music &mdash 07/27/07 - 03:17:06 PM
Back To The Future! &mdash 07/26/07 - 07:03:55 PM
This immediately put me at the "Enchantment Under The Sea" dance from "Back To The Future" - how classic! Great sound, great singing - great tune! [ Reply to This ]
Me Too! &mdash 07/26/07 - 08:04:14 PM
How funny! I've been thinking of that movie since I first starting rehearsing this! [ Reply to This ]
influenced &mdash 07/28/07 - 04:39:04 AM
for sure that movie was on my mind when I started on the music!
thanks for your comment! [ Reply to This ]
Just got back from Taos and a new Ledeb song pops up! &mdash 07/26/07 - 07:25:51 PM
Doh! Someone beat me to the Back to the Future reference, that's what I get for unpacking in between listening and commenting.
I know that the grounding point for this is the past, the 50s specifically, but I think the vocals and the vocal treatment zoom this into the 00s. It's one of those mixtures of time that I think are so cool.
So who is this RacerX guy? He is a remarkable player and obviously has nice toys in tow. [ Reply to This ]
Mixtures of Time &mdash 07/26/07 - 08:57:52 PM
Thanks Matt. I thought a lot about the treatment of the vocals. At one point, I was trying to go more under-produced to kind of match the natural setting of the song, but then I decided to go more the Enchantment Under the Sea route and thought of the singer with a microphone on a stage with back-up singers and I liked that sound better.
Who is Racer X? According to wikipedia, Racer X is "a flamboyant, mysterious and often brooding soldier of fortune whose secret identity is that of Rex Racer (Ken'ichi Mifune) Speed Racer's older brother, who years earlier had a falling out with the family and exiled himself. Rex left home estranged from his family and assumed the Racer X identity to pursue his racing career after arguing with Pops about it."
So, your standard race-car driver with a mean hand on the guitar. I expect a ride in his race car!! [ Reply to This ]
retro &mdash 07/28/07 - 04:44:12 AM
thanks for the nice music comments, I appreciate it. both those guitars and bass have vey nice tone. I like the sound I was getting. It's a simple progression, easy and relaxed. [ Reply to This ]
Bing nailed the reference &mdash 07/26/07 - 07:31:17 PM
Great singing, Lisa; it seems to me that this slower tempo would be more of a vocal challenge than usual (what would I know about that tho). But your voice sounds great and swings perfectly with the music. And RacerX, yow that's excellent music. Very much the 50's slow dance vibe. Great work, guys! [ Reply to This ]
Bing.. &mdash 07/26/07 - 09:11:38 PM
For a minute I was thinking Bing....Crosby?...but then I realized that you meant OUR Bing. HAH!
I find slower stuff easier to sing, actually and the bass and drum part on this really helped me find the swing. Thanks PV! [ Reply to This ]
thanks &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:00:02 AM
Excellent collab! &mdash 07/26/07 - 07:35:20 PM
For starters, I love the bass sound you've got here - it is just about perfect for this little song. Wonderful singing Lisa - very Liz Phair sound and phrasing. Mr X - really nice arrangement and playing, topped off by a really classy production.
Oh ... btw .... I liked it ;)
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Yay! &mdash 07/26/07 - 09:19:27 PM
I'm so glad that you like the bass. I really loved RX's bassline and took great pains with the final mix to make sure it was very present. He did a nice job with it, for sure, and made my job really easy by giving me an already nicely mixed GB file to work with.
I'm very chuffed that you liked the production. Coming from you that means a lot. [ Reply to This ]
thanks &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:03:20 AM
for the nice words!
and kudos to ledebutant for the mix. she got the levels perfect! [ Reply to This ]
nice tune &mdash 07/26/07 - 08:33:25 PM
Ta &mdash 07/26/07 - 08:42:34 PM
Thanks, Bryn. The new iMac made a big difference in the sound of the vocals, so I thank you heartily for your buying advice. It was a DREAM to do this song on such a great machine. [ Reply to This ]
thanks &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:09:54 AM
ahh, the high school prom... &mdash 07/26/07 - 08:46:57 PM
I love anything which smacks of some kind of 'retro' elements & this is certainly no exception!
Lyrics are terrific, the production is 'spot-on'
A great collab guys!
Many Thanks!
Alf [ Reply to This ]
Have you heard The Leonids by any chance? &mdash 07/26/07 - 09:00:01 PM
Yeah, Alf &mdash 07/26/07 - 09:03:51 PM
Alf &mdash 07/26/07 - 09:21:32 PM
I think I was commenting on your retro song at the same time as you were commenting on this, so we time-traveled together. Thanks so much for listening and saying you like this. [ Reply to This ]
retro &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:18:32 AM
retro &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:21:49 AM
thanks &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:24:51 AM
I am at work &mdash 07/26/07 - 08:49:13 PM
hey! &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:23:30 AM
He he.... Nice thinking &mdash 07/28/07 - 07:38:39 AM
But now it's weekend so I stay home and be cool :)
---
For better or for worse, in prosperity and adversity...I try always to be positive. [ Reply to This ]
I love this... &mdash 07/26/07 - 09:42:08 PM
being a former sailor, I had to listen to this...
... not what I expected, pleasantly so. The fifties sound (classic chord progression here, A-F#m-D-E?) is so faithfully produced in this song. I am a sucker for this kind of music. American Graffiti... junior high and high school all over again for me.
Racer... top marks for this... Leb, you were born a generation too early!
cheers.......... [ Reply to This ]
Hooray &mdash 07/26/07 - 09:56:00 PM
I had hoped you'd have a listen to this one, being the fan of sailing you are. I'm really very glad you liked it!
[ Reply to This ]
verse chords &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:29:06 AM
yea, those verse chords are pretty familair changes. the chorus is different, from a different tune all together, that I recorded a long time ago, and they seemed to fit this real well [ Reply to This ]
hey Lisa & RX &mdash 07/26/07 - 09:52:12 PM
something about your voice... you don't push hard.. you are more relaxed than Perry Como... yet somehow you have this subdued passion.. there is an undercurrent that is almost more intense because of the reatraint... the emotion still comes through... and the production allows us to float away... hhhmmmm... it reminds me of night on the water... that is the time that my wife and I love to cruise... It has that 50's orchestra vibe... [ Reply to This ]
And... I second &mdash 07/26/07 - 10:02:21 PM
... everything Scott just wrote!
---
Take a listen:) <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/32568">Just Go</a>...
It's just music... Dadai [ Reply to This ]
Jack &mdash 07/26/07 - 10:04:43 PM
Sometimes I think life would be a lot easier if I just seconded everything Scott says and does, so I hear you. :-p [ Reply to This ]
heheh... &mdash 07/26/07 - 10:20:55 PM
:)
... I think you are on to something.
By the way, Perry Como sang at my mom's high school prom. I kid you not... it's in her yearbook.
---
Take a listen:) <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/32568">Just Go</a>...
It's just music... Dadai [ Reply to This ]
Emotion &mdash 07/26/07 - 10:02:31 PM
Is it possible to be more relaxed than Perry Como without the aid of drugs? ;-)
I'm really glad you said that, Scott, because I was worried that I sounded too laid back. I really felt a TON of emotion singing this song and hoped it had come through, so I'm glad to hear that you felt it was there.
I agree with you about the orchestra vibe. I was saying to RX that what he'd done reminded me of some of the songs from Buddy Holly's String Sessions, Raining in My Heart, in particular. [ Reply to This ]
orchestra vibe &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:32:16 AM
yea, that's it. I wanted a full sound or the illusion of a big sound. it would have been cool to havefull orchestration as accents here and there.thanks for your comments! [ Reply to This ]
Ahhhh.... &mdash 07/26/07 - 11:24:28 PM
Under this sky
everything's right,
but the sun
dips to the sea.
That's just so right.
racerx: the 50s hs prom was a brilliant concept. Really pulled that through beautifully, but without hammering it in. I like the choice of acoustic guitar. Sweet artwork, too.
Lisa: love the lyrics and your voice. You write so well. Wonderful tune. [ Reply to This ]
That Taylor &mdash 07/27/07 - 01:34:58 AM
I aqree with you, Bob. I looooooove the sound of that Taylor, just heavenly. Thanks for the props on the lyrics. Mr. X wrote the song, minus the bridge (the bit you quoted) and minus a few changes I made in the verses, but it's as much his work as mine, more so, really, so I'll hand over most of those props to him. I think this is the first time I've not written the lyrics on a song of mine, barring the cover of alley-oop's 'bleed' I did a while back. It was fun to co-write. Easier than I had imagined (probably because most of the work was done already!) [ Reply to This ]
choice of guitar &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:35:36 AM
new guitar strings made that tone real nice. thanks for stopping by! [ Reply to This ]
Very Nice &mdash 07/27/07 - 12:41:09 AM
Lisa, I've been listening to a lot of your stuff recently and playing a bit of catch-up (your Orbiting songs as well), and have been meaning to leave some comments for a while. In short, you have one of the most unique voices on MJ's. Easy references are Suzanne Vega and Laura Veirs (maybe the Washington thing?) - but like I say, they are easy comparisons - you have a voice which is totally your own, and as this track shows you are able to switch styles, whilst still remaining true to yourself. You are also maturing as a lyricist I think, and you have the ability to phrase your words with delicacy and subtley, and to really bring out the melody. I love the way your voice sometimes 'wobbles' slightly out ot tune - but this is a good thing which I hope you never lose. Hope you don't mind these general comments, just wanted you to know how impressed I've been with much of your material on the site.
RacerX: congratulations on a great production job. I'm not really a 50's music fan - and that chord progression is a well worn path - but you bring something new to this, which works very well. How you got the space/dynamics in this track is beyond me. Good stuff! [ Reply to This ]
Suzanne Vega &mdash 07/27/07 - 03:25:02 PM
Wow, thanks for the great comment, Phil. I hadn't noticed your Orbiting comments, but saw them last night and I'm really grateful that you went and listened to multiple songs. That's always such a great feeling, to hear that someone wanted to hear more of what I'm doing. Thanks so much!
I think that Suzanne Vega thing is probably fair. I hear that comparison often and her first album is one of my all-time most played, for sure. I think she's pretty amazing. I wore that album out in high school (and beyond). As far as wobbly goes, pitch and I are in relationship counseling to try and get better cooperation between us, for sure! As long as my clunkers don't bother you too much, I'm happy.
As far as maturing as a lyricist, Mr. X wrote most of these lyrics...he is a bit older than me, though, so that might account for it. :-p
Thanks again, for such a generous comment, Phil.
[ Reply to This ]
spacey dynamics &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:41:29 AM
I think it's because I recorded both guitar parts twice and panned them. so the guitar parts float around. It wasn't my intention at first, I nornmally record the guitar parts three times and pick the one I like the most. this time I left two of each guitar which lends itself to a open feel. [ Reply to This ]
Over the last &mdash 07/27/07 - 01:30:37 AM
few days I have heard so much wonderful music on here that it's frightening. And then this tops the lot. This is just sheer quality, musically and vocally it is sublime. Well done to you both.
Cheers
Len
[ Reply to This ]
sub lemon-lime &mdash 07/27/07 - 03:26:45 PM
Thanks, len! I know what you mean. I've been listening to a lot of stuff with an open mouth the last week or so. I love this place. [ Reply to This ]
thanks &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:49:27 AM
for expressiing your thoughts about this track in reference to 'wonderful music' that's very kind, thanks [ Reply to This ]
Very unexpected &mdash 07/27/07 - 01:37:15 AM
to my ears... probably just the RacerX reference of the masterful musician who created this bed,,,, it may not be Paul Gilbert and Racer X as i know them but what the two of you have created here is truly superb. I thought it was great!!!! Gorgeous vocal and top notch instrumentation, [ Reply to This ]
RacerX &mdash 07/27/07 - 03:29:55 PM
Thanks, Norman. I agree that RacerX is a masterful musician. So glad to hear you enjoyed the song. [ Reply to This ]
shred virtuoso... &mdash 07/28/07 - 05:53:30 AM
...I'm not ;-),
I dig Paul Gilbert's music, I liked the name RacerX from the old Speed Racer cartoons. I do practice that shred stuff but until I could pull it off, I wouldn't record anything like that, someday maybe. thanks for stopping by! [ Reply to This ]
| |
[ Reply to This ]