I remember Da Vinci once saying "Well, I'm not really a painter, but I'll have a go at this Mona Lisa thing".

Gorgeous build-up Macca and Marka... signature "Mr. D." rhythms kick in and really propel this. And Alannah's lugubrious voice just drips and drapes itself so nicely over this bed. My only minor nit is that it does sound like Alannah's voice is in a slightly different tuning than the instruments though. Sooooo nice to see something new from you again Macca! Hope all is well with you lately, and "they" are not overworking you. :-)
ttfn,
Drakonis

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Thank you for your kind words, sir. I'd be willing to bet that no one is ever going to use my name and Da Vinci in the same statement ever again. Your imagination is waaaaaay bigger than mine. LOL.. Thanks for mentioning the build-up; it took an awful lot of time. And the "ryhthym boy" thing, I really wanted to avoid, but what can I do. - The different pitch thing... I'm not smart enough to know what I'm doing so, I'm gonna have to count on others to 'plain what's actually going on this. The only thing that I can say is that, everything that I did on this piece was for the purpose of expressing Alannah words in a way that reflected how I felt about them. And..., well..., it may seem strange but, I kinda like it. (smirkn') Certainly, I do appreciate that this place is about sharing our thoughts and feelings about the music cause ya know why..., that's what it's all about. So, a HUGE thanks to you for doing so. I always like seeing what you have to say. You have my deepest respect, but you prolly know this by now. Much appreciated, Drak! Dion


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This is AWESOME! I'm completely blown away. What an amazing collab - one of the best I've heard on MJ. You're a wizard McCaudion - thanks to all for this!

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Those are huge statements! it'll prolly wear off, though... Thank you for expressing such kindness about this little peice of tunage. Like hot potatoes, I'm tossing them to the direction of Alannah and Mark. Those guys!... There's an awful lot of impressive collaborations here so I'm just thinking that you're getting around to hearing some of them. Can you believe the talent at this place. Karen, you are definitely one of those that I think of as having talent beyond what I can know so, it does make your words mean something to me. Thanks for stopping in for a listen. Macca

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deep and jazzy....nice stylyn!

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I likey your comment! Made laugh. Thank you! Dion

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and the drums were crisp. The voice has a nice ambient sound. My only musical critique is that there is no harmony;or true melody, the bass comes in and out and there is no harmonic movement. Really nice overall sound and a really nice percussion track. If you are no musician then certainly you are the right track to becoming one. Nice job by everyone!

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You're far too kind to me

And thanks for your vote of confidence in my potential, too

Dion

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Must be the right word - it was my first thought and then saw that Drakonis had used it too - so... Gorgeous.
Love the grooves that meander in and out - if you are not a musician then I'm not typing this.
Mark is, of course, a master guitarist and Alannah has a beautiful silky voice - they are the ingredients for your gourmet sounds.
Downloaded. Thanks.
Cheers
Len



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hooked from the 1st note a song well done by all, loved Alannah's vocal I will tell her in person next time we meet...

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Allanah has a great voice I love to hear her singing.
I love the music too. Well done guys. It sounds awsome to my two ears
Thanks for sharing.
Peace Dee.

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It's a sonic buffet! Lots of very cool sounds along the way.

Further to drakonis' comment, I don't think that Alannah's voice is in a different tuning than the instruments; what I think is going on is that the voice sounds like it's in a different harmonic world than the instruments... It's kind of unsettling when the voice comes in, but I just figured that was the feeling (unsettling) that you were going for, so I don't think you should change anything. Dion, you are a huge talent! Sorry, but it's true. ;>)

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In fact, Mark's playing is perfectly displayed in that same, "other" harmonic world. There should be nothing settling about these kinds of thoughts, at least, this is what I believe. It might take a few listens to have it feel right, but then, it still may not vibe w/ someone. But this is the beauty of the freedom to express and, the freedom to not resonate w/ what and how something is being shared. One day, I might be smart enough to say in more technical terms what I'm up to, or not.

Thanks for your help on this, Clark! It's always a pleasure hear from you. Dion

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Dion, you are a master in putting cool drum grooves togeher to a delicious sassy mix. Just the right touch for Alannah's delicate vocal track. And the guitar playing the melody line is a very nice touch.

Beautiful mood in here:)

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Who can believe this was a capella work ? .. this is
perfect in all what the word mean .Alannah's voice
just gorgeous ..but the backin sound bed you made just
so Unique .absolutly impressed ..Marks strat so cool
here that realy puzzled me if this was electric
classical on some parts ..a true master piece frieds
Deepest bow !!

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.. at long last I can let out that "bated breath" (don't worry I threw in a quick squirt of listerine first) ... waiting in anticipation for this finished product .... I know how hard you worked and sweated over this one .... and I am very pleased with the end result - lots of very interesting tones here ... keeps the listener on their toes not wanting to miss anything ... Mark's contribution to the project, of course, adds a whole dynamic dimension to it. Nicely done !!!

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I wish I could have watched you put this together.The more I listen to it the more I like it.I don't know how many hours this took to do but it was worth it.Who cares if you know how to technically describe what you are doing? The only thing that matters is the feeling in the music.I'm glad that I could add something to it.Thanks for asking me to do it!Now if I could just get some better recording equipment..

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Each of the participants' contributions falls into one of these three descriptiive categories.

NO! Dion, the last one is NOT for you. lol

This production may be beyond merely cool. I wouldn't worry too much about Drak's minor nit. He's right, but I believe it helps give this tune a rather *other-worldly* touch.

Drak's Da Vinci reference is amusing, but it is more interesting to note how many YEARS he fooled around with that little drawing of his. Sometimes time spent is, well... time well-spent... as it was here. ;)


--- Joe

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Does this mean that Mark and I are gonna be fighting over whose gonna be "smokey", and who's gonna be, "Slinky"... You're making this hard, Joe. lol.

Thanks for dropping in for a listen! And a huge thanks for sharing your thoughts! I ALWAYS get entertained by your words! Dion

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Great job on this Macca and Mark!! I have to admit to playing around with this lovely a cappella track of Alannah's much more than I had any right to do (with another MJer who may or may not want to remain anonymous - he can decide). What I'm saying is that because of my quite close relationship with the song over a few months, I have a fair idea of the difficulties you may have encountered - like the timing for example (how did you get around that?).

I hear what Eduard is saying about the "tuning", but I tend to agree with Clark that the result was more "unsettling" than slightly wrong. Maybe slightly wrong IS a little unsettling :?

This is definitely a case where I really do understand the mammoth amount of work you've done with this - BIG congratulations to you both for taking Alannah's beautiful original and stretching it out of it's comfort zone.

REALLY GOOD JOB!

Neil

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Hi Neil! Thanks for your words, here. Umm I never really had any issues w/ timing. It may be because I ended up splicing the original vocal track into about fourteen or so pieces to have them be arranged in a way that I could work with. I even dropped a couple of words to have it say what I was trying to reflect. So from the start, I was aligning the vocal track to timing. The real challenge was that I had originally placed most of the vocals at the beginning of the track, where you're hearing Mark's solo. I arranged the music around that then, I asked Mark if he would play Alannah's a capello, word for word. Bad move! He did exactly that and, he did it, perfectly. My way bad because now, nothing of his solo track would fit where I had the vocals. So I THEN, I ended splicing his solo into eighteen pieces (I counted) to have it play what you're hearing. About 70% of his phrasings remained in tact w/ the exception of three or four phrases. But, I had to place each one of the separate pieces into "time". Most of the difference is where each piece was placed in time. I guess that this is where my habit of mindlessly splicing and dicing loops has come in handy. I'd be happy to splice and dice for you, Neil. Just say the word!

Worry about the Drak?... I think that he's comfortable being him and, I'm prolly wayyy too comfortable being me. Ya gotta appreciate that he takes the time and, in a respectable way, I might add. I only get a little inflamed when comments suggest that I might be able to be a, "musician" when my subjective reasoning has found a way to be like theirs... However, In responding to the Drak's very valid comment, I think that I would consider somehow making Alannahs first few word/notes sound to be a little softer of an initial hit, in some way. But it'll be more than a notion for me to open this file again.

Hope that this helps, Neil! Thanks again, for hanging out on this page! Cheers Dion

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THAT's what I meant about timing - all the splicing and such - we were trying to use the total track.

:)
Neil

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alannah has always left me breathless and this tune just soars to a wonderful new place. absolutely brilliant all the way around

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That's the sizzle of the vocals on my ears. Sexy, sexy! What a fantastic mix.

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I really like that you have made here, certainly a lot of time for this result... Talented collab, nice vocals of Alannah, great instrumentation, nicely done, bravo Macca !
Marc

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You don't post often but when you do post it is so pro done you can really hear hove much work you've done with this one my dear friend.
I'm very impress sir..... The best with home studio is that you can have lots of fun make a little change here and there to you're satisfied and that you should be with this one... WOW guys.

Take care
--
Kenta

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...to the rise and setting of the sun. It is what it is, day in and day out. So it is with this piece. Perfection lies in the flow of nature and the beating of the heart.

AKA: great piece, Dion, Mark, and Allanah...verrrrrry fine, indeed...

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... and a very human feel & flair. pretty remarkable how you have assembled this all together Dion. Smooth, yet in places complicated and a good tension builder. I like tension, that's where the human feel and flair come into play.

spicey as salsa

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...I do think Mark was the man for the job. Just hearing the intro section here confirms that. Great tone and great phrasing...

But heck, beyond that, this is a MacJams supergroup effort... Wonderful, thoughtful, tasteful backing track from Dion...and all serving to provide a new and illuminating setting for Alannah's melody and lyrics...

It ends up sounding like the kind of boutique jazz that you'd hear recorded perfectly on an indie label CD...

Ed

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this tune got me also. I have been messing with it on and off with several people for a long time.
I love what you did. You guys have created a hugely successful cut.
Awesome.
Nice work. Great job!
very cool arrangement.

I have a cover of this on my page if you get a chance check it out. it is more traditional in its approach. I fully intend to do it again, with some folks.
tim

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...just beautiful...

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Seamless welding of two separate recordings - and your treatments were so very tasteful!

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The beginning had me feeling a little somber. Once the music picked up it seemed to blend in with my surroundings. Im sitting here at a hotel early in the evening listening to people near me talking about their lives as if no one else is around. Its interesting to hear a song (soundtrack for that matter) that happens to correspond with what's happening to you at that moment.

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Collabs keeping proving it simply works... Musical minds working together to make great stuff.

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But, if this is what you're going to show up with after falling off the face of the Earth, then it's well worth it. This just all flows together so seamlessly. I can just see Alannah standing there on stage in a nice, long glittery dress in front of a nice, old fashioned microphone. The only light on the stage is the blue and white spotlights shining down on her, but, in the the shadows, you see the silhouettes of the band behind her. The lights slowly change from blue to red as the song builds and there's just a hint of smoke swirling around in the beams. And, as the sound of Alannah's voice fades, the lights slowly dim and the audience, so captivated by the song, sits there, not wanting to break the mood with mere applause.

This is an amazing tune. Every thing about it is "just right." The three of you have really produced something special. Thanks for your hard work in getting this together and for sharing it with all of us.

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All of that cutting apart and pasting back together again is hard to fathom when you listen to the seamless flow of the composition. Yet your explanation makes sense as a way to approach the a capella recording. That you were able to weave a soundtrack in, around and through those vocal and guitar elements I find pretty amazing. I'm sure there were lots of frustrations experienced during the process, but to have emerged with this unification is incredible.

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Wonderful as always. Great to hear a new song from you. Mr. Mark's guitar really great i the intro and Alannah vocal sound is deeeep... Great work my friends!

Take Care
- Yeman A. Al-Rawi

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This is quite mind-blowing. The vocal is terrific, and the guitar is wonderful, both to be expected from such talented artists. But the real joy here is the way those musical elements are wrapped up in this fantastic, multi-textured arrangement. I love the use of percussion, and the dynamic way you build up and then raise and lower the rhythm and along with it the mood and tension in the piece. Truly remarkable. Congrats to Alannah for producing such a haunting vocal, and to Mark for his magnificent playing, and Kudos, Dion for creating this tapestry. Sweet. Nicely done. Peace.

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