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Keywords:
what a depressing time this must have beem (1), slo-core (9), space (125), sad (128), leave the poor witches alone (1), I miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer (especially Willow) (1)
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Description:
I found an old 4 track of me singing and playing piano in my living room, and liked the song so I added some "stuff" and backup vocals to it. I remember recording this about a year ago, and I was reading a book of letters from local officials in the time of the Salem Witch Hunts (thus the title and subject matter).
this is another lonesome, space song. Think the Flaming Lips when they're being quiet.
Lyrics:
captains, men of might, lent their robes
tear their hair, who can spare a pound of flesh for this despair
kindreds wail, hearts will fail
with weeping eyes
and cries, we know not how to kill
some will hide themselves in caves underground
leap in the deep end
escape by being drowned
and the judge draws nigh, exalted high
upon a lofty throne
amidst the angels strong
(chorus)
all the smoke
the hills they shook
the earth is rent and torn
as if she should be clear
and then dissolved from the center
then the sea will roar
whose glory bright, wondrous might, powers right
will far surpass whatever was and what will be
the tongues of men nor angels pen
cannot the same express
and i must pass it by
sleep a little less
(chorus)
all the smoke
the hills they shook
the earth is rent and torn
as if she should be clear
and then dissolved from the center
then the sea will roar
dissolved from the center
then the sea will roar
and the good and bad
both quick and dead
and to all judgement bring
that they themselves will fear
and that they may abide
and made to die no more
and made to die no more
and made to die no more
Hardware:
tascam 4 track, shure SM58 mic, Roland SH-101 synth, m-audio 49e MIDI keyboard, intel mini mac
Software:
GB3, world music jampack, default organ and synth sounds
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Salem Witch Hunt &mdash 09/27/07 - 06:26:00 PM
Incredible ..the song of keyboards and spirits
your singin just right fit this spheric song !!
I was thinkin if a bass and a drum and a strummin
guitar added to the refrains ..this will turn to
sound like the floyds in 1968 ! ..KUDOS !! [ Reply to This ]
pray to die no more &mdash 09/27/07 - 08:02:35 PM
such a mellow piece that sends the mind drifting to a smokey haze. The additions added reinforcement and yet stayed subtle. dyno-mite chorus.
You must have a treasure trove of goodies stashed away. I'm pretty sure you do. [ Reply to This ]
SWeet &mdash 09/27/07 - 08:17:38 PM
Love it...as is and would also like to hear it with Feter's suggestions...the synth coming is is awesome. The intsrument levels are right on for me
Mike [ Reply to This ]
Great things... &mdash 09/27/07 - 11:54:35 PM
tucked away in your musical closet.Just a wonderful tune,wonderful.
Blessings, [ Reply to This ]
We love the lips &mdash 09/28/07 - 12:19:13 AM
Brilliant....... &mdash 09/28/07 - 12:46:53 AM
This is wonderful Michael. There is a completeness to this piece and everything seems to fit together very well.
There's even a hint of 'Magical Mystery Tour'.
There is also speculation with respect to the ladies of the Salem Witch Trials having been induced into the 'delusions and visions' through naturally occurring LSD or some derivative (ergot-based) that was naturally on the cereal crops they ingested (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot in the 'speculation' section).
Speculation aside, I enjoyed this song.
Take care.
Paul. [ Reply to This ]
thanks &mdash 09/28/07 - 12:55:57 AM
another theory is that the church exploited this ergot poisoning to it's own end. attendance had been dropping and they basically scared people into coming back to the fold with these "witches." times haven't changed much since then, although we now have different things to scare the populace with :) [ Reply to This ]
On the production side..... &mdash 09/29/07 - 02:37:41 AM
The piano was very appropriate for the type of song, the lucked strings (in the way they were used) fitted the moment and the pdr (for me) was the lone synth laid across the song. It reminded me of ELP in some of their songs, where a lone synth/voice would eccentuate the song/ballad.
The song has drive but it is in keeping with the song and subject, so is gentle.
This is one of my favourites on MJ's.
Paul. [ Reply to This ]
Very &mdash 09/28/07 - 01:48:29 AM
powerful song - love the instrumentation and harmonising vocals.
Cheers
Len
[ Reply to This ]
There's so much expressive longing &mdash 09/28/07 - 07:52:11 AM
in your voice - it really makes this song special. Besides the Lips - I hear what Kurt C. might have sounded like if he were still here. Beautiful tune - I'm a sucker for minimal acoustic piano backing. [ Reply to This ]
ahhhhhh....haunting..... &mdash 09/28/07 - 09:53:35 AM
Enjoyed this one! Bewitching, sad and dramatic. Your singing was great and I liked your nice harmonies. Perfect time of year for this one. Great job throughout Michael! [ Reply to This ]
haunting &mdash 09/28/07 - 02:00:35 PM
i'm very impressed by this. all the parts go together so well, i would not change anything about it. to me, this song has a feeling similar to "somthing in the way" by nirvana--of all things. excellent.
cheerz,
-=ez [ Reply to This ]
this is &mdash 09/28/07 - 10:18:02 PM
amazing, Michael!
Congratulations, man.
This one is the best of your "piano and voice" songs.Hell, it even beats "outside", which I love!
So hauting and beautiful, this one reminds me of Radioheads "How I made my millions"...another chilling and sad masterpiece, just like yours!
[ Reply to This ]
Beautiful... &mdash 09/28/07 - 10:46:23 PM
a lonely place &mdash 09/29/07 - 02:24:38 AM
Hints of Thom Yorke, but really his is all you. Lovely broken vocals, funereal pace , the mood of this falls on you like a curtain.
Beautiful and tragic .... man, you really have talent to peel off gems like this.
steve [ Reply to This ]
you know whats missing? &mdash 09/29/07 - 10:55:40 AM
I think some guitar would set this off. A nice slow drum too. This track has a lot of potential. [ Reply to This ]
Those harmonies &mdash 09/29/07 - 08:38:38 PM
Yeah, you have a great voice, and you have put together some sweet harmonies. The easy flow of the piano/keys suits the phase of his tune very well.
Such a great production.
You have a new fan:)
[ Reply to This ]
Sorry I'm late bro! &mdash 09/30/07 - 11:36:59 AM
Man...this is heart-rending stuff! Your vocals and vocal harmonies are simply stellar. Beautiful keys throughout as well...B R A V O !
Do you think you could post the lyrics?
Be well! [ Reply to This ]
Illustrious. &mdash 09/30/07 - 03:48:20 PM
Mikey this tune is fab. So ethereal on the voice and sweet harmonies I'm hearing the Floyd but it's essentially you - primo. Fuck all that 'stop with giving tens' in the Forum... this gets Bonnie Prince Johnny's Royal Seal Of Approval - I kid you not. I like the chick in the artwork but personally I prefer blondes. I Be calm and kind. [ Reply to This ]
Excellent &mdash 10/01/07 - 04:21:37 AM
Beautiful and heart-wrenching, as others have said. You have a very nice expressive voice. And a nice airy arrangement with plenty of space for the notes to ring out. Very fine stuff! [ Reply to This ]
I'm off to bed now &mdash 10/01/07 - 05:14:16 PM
Told you already what I thought. But I need to make it official. It is beautiful. the chordprogression, your voice (and I think voice doublings here and there) are soo well received. Your melancholic way of expressing the story makes me choke (or was the Dutch liquorish). When you go into the higher regions of your voice, I bet you think to yourself, hmmmm can I still reach em like I used too. Perhaps not, but I think it gives your current music journey an authentic and above all deeply enjoyed feel. Damn, you are up there, please keep on doing this to us.
love,
Jb [ Reply to This ]
this is it &mdash 10/01/07 - 05:55:09 PM
if I voted it would be 11... loved it perfect !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [ Reply to This ]
You... &mdash 10/02/07 - 10:16:40 PM
Nice!
You're such a complete, artist!
I love your work!
Thanks for sharing it!
Dion [ Reply to This ]
10-ed, fav'd and dl'd &mdash 10/03/07 - 02:34:06 AM
one of my favorite of yours. Besides the voice, I especially like the organ coming in, the string arrangement and the drone at the end. [ Reply to This ]
Hey &mdash 10/03/07 - 10:15:17 AM
You guys may be intersted on the collaboration me and Michael 2 did.
Give a listen and leave some feedback.Thats my first upload.
Thanks !
http://www.macjams.com/song/35723 [ Reply to This ]
KUDOS ! &mdash 10/03/07 - 01:54:42 PM
%u064BMikey, This is a very heartfelt piece, your singing is very soft, clean and on the tune. The music composition is a very very fine, the instruments with the piano melted very well. The lyrics here completed the piece to look like one of Mikey's Masters ! thanks for sharing bro.
Take Care
==============
Yeman Auf Al-Rawi [ Reply to This ]
Universal melancholy &mdash 10/03/07 - 02:10:07 PM
Nicely played and touchingly sung. Excellent work.
The lyrics have a universal quality to them. They transcend the specific storyline. In fact, if you hadn't informed that this referred to the Salem Witch Trials - I would've never guessed that. My immediate thoughts turn to the current war in Iraq when comprehending the lyrics.
A palpable sense of melancholy hangs over this song. It's a real mood piece - evoking a sense of profound loss. [ Reply to This ]
Haunting deja vu &mdash 10/04/07 - 06:54:05 AM
Very cool song. (Haunting!) I hear a lyrical acoustic guitar solo over the final coda, fading, like the single voice of a woman slowly being drowned, but heard one last plaintive time... [ Reply to This ]
Sometimes... &mdash 10/04/07 - 10:10:42 AM
... a single person can stop an army in its tracks. Sometimes... a single tear can cry for a generation. And sometimes... the spare sound of a single voice can carry us to where a shouting crowd cannot.
Deeply haunting and moving. [ Reply to This ]
See &mdash 10/05/07 - 08:15:39 PM
I new you could write lyrics. Awesome writing too.This one is certainly fully wrote. Great singing as usual. Regards p.s. for some reason when you sing "all the smoke" I'm hearing "holy smoke" but Im always hearing stuff wrong. [ Reply to This ]
Total amazement! &mdash 10/06/07 - 10:08:11 AM
i'd be lying if I didn't say this was a mighty fine song here. I have always liked your voice and this is certainly no exception. Great vocals. Songwriting is incredible as well. I don't know the original but I am sure you have managed to boost its splender quite a bit. Very peaceful. Great great great work here my friend. To the ipod this goes. [ Reply to This ]
What a hip sound &mdash 10/06/07 - 10:25:03 PM
Great songwriting and wonderful performance.
Perfect production and mixing. Outrageous lyric!
It all works so well.
Nice!
The Harmonies are so mysterious.
The piano is so hauntingly upright. It puts the song in another world.
Kind of like an an empty house with a mad man playing at the end of a long dark hallway, where the light dies out and the player is dressed in a cape with only a candle lighting the piano keys.The candle light flickers and dances to the melody like a ghost, across the moonless sky...
(as you can tell the tune put me right in the mood...)
I live in Mass not far from Salem and I've been catching lots of info about Salem lately, maybe cause its near Halloween, but in previous years I didn't pick up on all the commotion. I want to go for a visit.
This has taken me on a journey to its own place and I have faved and downed it, Thanx.
I'm a new fan and will check out some more of your music asap
peace
tim
[ Reply to This ]
wonderful land &mdash 10/06/07 - 11:47:57 PM
You music is really really spectacular! As if you have the muse of John Lennon in you. This just blows me away... [ Reply to This ]
Salem Witch Hunt &mdash 11/24/07 - 01:27:44 AM
Man..... &mdash 01/07/08 - 05:28:21 PM
I don't know how to express it. With my eyes closed I let this one take me wherever it saw fit. This is above and beyond, even for you.
Chilling and haunting and all that stuff I like, but also very touching. Not in a cheesy, sentimental Hallmark way though. From top to bottom this song reaches out and grasps firmly everything within me.
It's a pleasure to be in your company sir.
-EM [ Reply to This ]
thanks &mdash 01/22/08 - 05:15:45 PM
for checking out the back catalog. really glad you liked this one, it's one of my favorites that i've posted here. [ Reply to This ]
Your voice . . . &mdash 03/15/08 - 06:29:09 PM
[insert a parrot repeating previous posts here].
Really nice work.
-g [ Reply to This ]
Fantastic! &mdash 03/26/08 - 10:19:10 PM
Not only is the song perfect, but the subject matter is so good. Now that I'm happily married and a proud father, songs of unrequainted love just don't work and I'm moving more toward historical pieces. This is a huge inspiration because it is so well executed. It does more than just tell the story, it offers painful insight. [ Reply to This ]
thanks man &mdash 03/27/08 - 05:25:45 PM
really cool of you to listen to some of the old stuff. yeah i'm married too and the unrequited love is just not there. i'll write about anything at this point: history, my history, stupid things i see people doing, situations my friends are in. instead of being totally self involved, i need to have a sense of empathy in order to have material to draw on. thanks so much for the kind words. [ Reply to This ]
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your singin just right fit this spheric song !!
I was thinkin if a bass and a drum and a strummin
guitar added to the refrains ..this will turn to
sound like the floyds in 1968 ! ..KUDOS !!
[ Reply to This ]