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Keywords:
Iraq (37), Leaving School (1), fear (38), Irak (1), ()
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Description:
There were two inspirations for this – firstly, a TV show looking at four 18 year old Iraqi school students trying to pass their final exams in the middle of an ongoing nightmare made me think about MacJams’ Yeman (Birdman Wayne) who had to leave school in Baghdad and move to another country as a refugee. That was the lyrical inspiration.
The musical inspiration came from my new-found very best friends – Logic Studio and my new 24” G5 iMac. So much to play with and so little time!
I play one track each of Seagull S6 acoustic, Telecaster and bass. Drums and percussion are midi, strings are EXS24 synth based midi. There are 8 vocal tracks in the aaaaaaaah sections.
Thanks to Anne Cozean for her guidance on the vocals.
Hope you enjoy it,
Neil
Lyrics:
MAkes You Wonder
© 2008 Neil Porter
You lock the door and dim the light
You won’t be going out tonight
You wonder what it’s coming to
It seems the world’s forgotten you
All the time you’re waiting
Past anticipating
Another day
All the time you’re praying
All the time you’re hoping
To get away
You walk the street, you go with care
There’s danger hiding everywhere
You wonder why this came to you
You wonder what you’re going to do
All the time you’re waiting
Past anticipating
Another day
All the time you’re praying
All the time you’re hoping
To get away
Day and night in a danger zone
You’re not safe out there
You’re not safe at home
Wasted coins in a wishing well
You’ve got so much to learn
You’ve got so much to tell
You’re out of mind you’re out of sight
It’s hard to tell who’s wrong who’s right
You try to live a normal life
You’re lucky just to stay alive
All the time you’re waiting
Past anticipating
Another day
All the time you’re praying
All the time you’re hoping
To get away
Day and night in a danger zone
You’re not safe out there
You’re not safe at home
Wasted coins in a wishing well
You’ve got so much to learn
You’ve got so much to tell
You lock the door and dim the light
You won’t be going out tonight
You wonder what you’re going to do
It seems the world’s forgotten you
All the time you’re waiting
Past anticipating
Another day
All the time you’re praying
All the time you’re hoping
To get away
Hardware:
Rode NT3 mic
Fender Telecaster
Fender Precision Bass
Seagull S6 acoustic
Yamaha PSR300 midi keyboard
Behringer UB802 mixer/preamp
iMac G5
Software:
Logic Studio
Ozone 3
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alright &mdash 08/04/08 - 01:49:57 AM
I'm firsty's I think
Neil, I am totally stunned. This is beyond blowing sunshine outrageous.
I really like this and the mix and production is fantastic. the ooohs are to cool. [ Reply to This ]
2nd listen &mdash 08/04/08 - 01:58:01 AM
Thanks for the listen Vic &mdash 08/04/08 - 02:04:47 AM
I've been sitting on this for a month or two while the GOOC and EKNM festivals were on, and while I tried some more synthy stuff with Retro Plien ;)
I finally got Ozone across to the new iMac last night, and liked the sound it gave this so much I thought I'd post.
The "aaaah"s and/or "ooooh"s are my fav bits.
Cheers,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Makes You Wonder &mdash 08/04/08 - 02:18:32 AM
Neil, this is incredible. I will feel eternally guilty for blowing sunshine, and yet, I MUST! What an accomplishment this is - makes me wistful for SISTERS too, so glad to know Anne was a little part of this. Can't believe you've been SITTING on this, holding out on us. Great work, congratulations (from Ms. Sunshine) [ Reply to This ]
Hi Karen &mdash 08/04/08 - 02:38:35 AM
Thanks for the positive response, I'm glad you liked it. This was kind of like the child I didn't want to leave home at the moment, but I took a deep breath and shoved it out the door. I think Anne's advice on the original vocals I did made a real improvement to the song - next best thing to having her sing on it I suppose.
Although I've been sitting on it, I've also been tweaking it - a bit of a lab experiment to see what I could do with Logic Pro.
Thanks again for the kind comment Karen, always appreciated.
Cheers,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Makes You Wonder &mdash 08/04/08 - 02:31:09 AM
Wow this brandnew song is excellently written and most expertly performed. Fantastic playing, great and intense vox. A superb work!! bravo!!! [ Reply to This ]
Danke Andreas &mdash 08/04/08 - 02:48:06 AM
Hmmmmm &mdash 08/04/08 - 02:59:13 AM
New best friend &mdash 08/04/08 - 04:04:42 AM
Glad you could get to know your new best friend a bit. What I like about this are the production, lyrics and vocals. Very heartfelt. Any criticism might be that it's not extremely catchy.........you see?, now I feel bad. But, I think this song is a good accomplishment.
We all miss Yeman here.
Dave [ Reply to This ]
Cheers Dave &mdash 08/04/08 - 04:58:35 AM
Don't feel bad - honesty is the best policy :)
I guess "catchy" wasn't one of the things I was trying for, so I succeeded (lol), although I've found that this one "sticks" in my head more than most of the songs I've done.
Thanks for stopping by for a listen and for taking the time to comment - always appreciated.
Cheers,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Yeah &mdash 08/04/08 - 06:12:21 AM
I sort of figured you weren't going for catchy or poppy. Just wanted to keep down on earth. HA HA
Brilliant song, mate.
Dave [ Reply to This ]
Your best ever man &mdash 08/04/08 - 05:00:52 AM
You always impress on me with the quality of you songs.. WOW what a lyrics and the music is fantastic you can say what you want this should only have 10's from every one who vote... oooh's yes SIr.
Take care
---
Kenta [ Reply to This ]
Thanks Kenta &mdash 08/04/08 - 06:43:18 AM
Linda says Hi back &mdash 08/07/08 - 09:15:35 AM
And we both love what you've done here my friend.
I say it again the best song you done with out offending you.
I hope you are working on a new CD with this and many more candy's like this... Cheers :D) From two LOVE Bird's [ Reply to This ]
Well put togehter &mdash 08/04/08 - 07:03:23 AM
tune with a great arrangement. i like the sound of the guitars on this. I like where the inspiration comes from and the subject matter. [ Reply to This ]
THanks Steve &mdash 08/05/08 - 02:39:54 AM
Glad you enjoyed it - the TV program I saw made me reflect on how hard it normally is for 18 year olds to graduate from high school and how much harder it must be for kids in a war torn city like Baghdad.
Peace,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Just A &mdash 08/04/08 - 07:26:42 AM
fantastic tune in every fashon. Your vocals with the hush kind of delivery is right on. Just awsome.
Thanks, Russ [ Reply to This ]
Russ &mdash 08/05/08 - 01:36:15 AM
Thanks for having a listen. The "hush" vocals are what I do - I have no other options ;) Glad you enjoyed the tune, and thanks for commenting.
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Stunning... &mdash 08/04/08 - 07:49:03 AM
So clean, so perfectly mixed. Great sounds and more important a great message. 8 tracks of ahs... They sound like one! One very tight amazing track.
Thoroughly enjoyed this to the dual core! :)
I just got the logic studio upgrade installed and wow... ya too much to play with too little time.
M [ Reply to This ]
Mark &mdash 08/05/08 - 02:42:17 AM
You're going to just love Studio! It's like being let loose in a lolly shop.
Thanks for the listen and comment. the aaahs were such a lot of fun to do.
Cheers,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Subject bullseye &mdash 08/04/08 - 08:48:42 AM
Another fab song. All around great writing. Two critiques: I don't mind you imprecise vocal pitch except on a few first words of stanzas. I really want to hear you start on the right pitch on chord changes in the chorus, for example. Also, there are a few times you use the exact same finger-picking that you've used on many other songs (all the time you're waiting, for example), and if this song is in a collection of others, you might want to figure out an alternative voicing.
Great song. Great subject choice, again. [ Reply to This ]
Tobin &mdash 08/04/08 - 05:57:48 PM
Thanks for listening and commenting - I'm especially pleased when I see you've left a comment on one of my songs.
You've picked two nits that were also in my mind. The imprecise vocals were something that made me doubtful about posting this, but I've tried a lot of re-takes, and, as usual, they never sound quite as good as the first one or two. I'll definitely re-record the lead vocal if this ever makes it to a CD.
I agree about my picking style too - I'm aware that on "jiguma dreaming" there was a sameness about some songs, due mainly to my picking style, and I don't want that to happen again. That's one of the reasons I've started messing about on synths (see MJer "Retro Plien"). The picking is a pattern I've always used, and it's probably time I tried to develop some alternatives.
I really appreciate you taking the time to leave constructive suggestions Tobin.
Cheers from Oz,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Stunner... &mdash 08/04/08 - 11:05:32 AM
Neil, this is gorgeous. I've taken a DL, thanks. Terrific song, terrific mix. Kudos. [ Reply to This ]
Thanks Dave &mdash 08/05/08 - 02:45:57 AM
cool lead guitar &mdash 08/04/08 - 12:19:17 PM
You have made some nice textures with your telecaster in here. I dig it when you rip up an otherwise pretty smooth groove with some distorted guitar notes. Very tasty:)
And the groove is smooth and flows with good help from your finger picking on that seagull. I read Tobins comment about the guitar picking, and I think he has a point worth looking into especially if you have an album in mind, where such patterns could be recognizable from song to song... But looking at any song isolated, it works very well:)
Your production skills have become very good. You've made a perfect mix to my ears.
Thanks for your comment on my latest... I chose to pull it down, 'cause I noticed that the kick drum was way too loud and started to annoy me:) [ Reply to This ]
Thor &mdash 08/05/08 - 02:50:01 AM
Thanks for the kind comments about the Tele part - I'm fine as long as I don't have to reproduce it ;)
The picking style thing is definitely something I'll start working on - I'm playing a fair bit of electric rhythm guitar with some local guys, so hopefully something might come of that.
Hope you get that song up again with a tamed kick.
Cheers,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Song &mdash 08/04/08 - 12:27:16 PM
Well sung song about a grim reality for too many young people in the world today. Sounds great.
Thanks
Bill [ Reply to This ]
Cheers Bill &mdash 08/05/08 - 02:53:24 AM
It sometimes seems we've forgotten a lot about what a mess that part of the world has become.
I must admit that I don't get how situations like this are allowed to happen. Very sad!
Peace,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
I love &mdash 08/04/08 - 01:07:17 PM
the way the bass line locks in with the drums.That bass line sounds like something Chris Squire of Yes would have done.Some of the vocals are maybe slightly not on pitch- doesn't bother me much being a fan of Dylan,Mark Knopler and the Dead.It's the feel that matters to me.I'm going to have to listen to this a bunch of times. [ Reply to This ]
Chris Squire &mdash 08/05/08 - 03:00:42 AM
One of my fav bassists Mark - very chuffed you mention him in this way. I usually tie the bass and kick as much as I can - it was always how I tried to play live.
I'm never going to have perfect vocals, in fact if it wasn't for MJ, I'd never have had vocals at all. Best discovery I made here was that you can still sing without a perfect voice.
Thanks for dropping by for a listen Mark - it's really appreciated.
Neil [ Reply to This ]
I really &mdash 08/04/08 - 01:34:14 PM
wish I could find something to criticise. But this just sounds perfect to me. Great song, playing, singing and fantastic production.
Cheers
Len
[ Reply to This ]
Len &mdash 08/05/08 - 03:03:12 AM
Not finding anything to criticise is a good thing from my point of view ;)
I'm pleased that you listened and left a note.
Cheers from Oz,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
neil &mdash 08/04/08 - 02:13:26 PM
this is cool, almost reminds me of later era Floyd. You say it's not catchy, but i find it's definitely engaging and holds your interest. wish there was a little more bass (if I am to find something constructive to say), but man the stereo imaging is great, and so are those guitar sounds. what do you use to create your drum tracks? i'm always looking for new ideas. thanks for posting. [ Reply to This ]
Michael &mdash 08/04/08 - 07:21:34 PM
Thanks for dropping by for a listen. In retrospect, maybe the bass could have been up a bit - in the aif it was almost too loud, so something seems to have happened in the transition to mp3.
The secret of drum tracks ....... it's pretty simple really. I usually start with a set of midi drum loops (there are heaps in Logic Studio and elsewhere). Then I set out the loops in a vague sort of way so they fit the changes (verse/chorus, soft/loud etc) in the tune. Then I start working on modifying the midi by adding emphasis where needed and tailoring the kick to my bass. This involves removing midi "events" as much as adding them. I usually then split it into 5 sub-tracks with each one having one instrument (eg kick, snare, hihat etc) so I can get the sound just right for each of them.
There's usually very little similarities between the loops I start with and what ends up on a track. Playing bass for years with some very good drummers helps a lot, and I've always played "air drums" since I was a kid. Put me in front of a real kit though and I'm completely useless.
Cheers,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Very cool &mdash 08/04/08 - 04:25:54 PM
A haunting track, with lovely performances, both instrumentally and vocally. The story behind the song is powerful, and you express the tragedy of that life so well. Excellent lyrics. The singing is superb (lead as well as backing) and I too love the oohs and aahs. The guitar sounds lovely, and the drums are perfect for the song; love that snare sound. A couple of minor nits spring to mind: At the end, I felt the fadeout didn't feel right ("I felt it didn't feel right"? What?) and I think it would have been better to end on that keyboard sound from the beginning in isolation, or accompanied by your backing vocal (the oohs and aahs). The other minor thing is the instrumental section, which I felt was a tad too long. But these are nits. A magnificent song, brilliantly played. You've got the touch, brother. Nicely done. Peace. [ Reply to This ]
Thanks for dropping in, &mdash 08/05/08 - 03:10:02 AM
and apologies for being late to your song - I'll get there soon.
First, thanks for the very positive comments about the tune - I think it's probably my best for a while. Re the nits, I mostly agree about the ending - maybe it was a little slack of me not to go the whole hog and tidy the end up - I can hear the beginning oooohs and the rain tree ending it really nicely. I'll look at that for the inevitable re-record if I do another CD. I know what you mean about the "instrumental", although I was thinking of it as a sort of "interlude" - had to make room for another few sets of ooohs!
Always appreciate your viits to my songs Dave.
Peace,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Great sounds &mdash 08/04/08 - 05:03:32 PM
and production Neil. Love all the instruments; the drums and slightly menacing sounding string synths especially, but the vocals are really tops. As always these are great lyrics with a lot of thought going into them. Just a great sound and song, cheers M [ Reply to This ]
Cheers Maurice &mdash 08/05/08 - 03:16:22 AM
Thanks for listening - I had this "finished" in Logic Pro, but it just didn't have the sparkle of what I like to produce, so I reverted to Ozone 3 as a final plugin for the final master. Ozone is just such a gem of a plugin to play with for getting that "gloss".
Neil [ Reply to This ]
AND.... &mdash 08/05/08 - 05:36:29 PM
Fine Mix &mdash 08/04/08 - 06:06:08 PM
Solid song with a lot of meaning... I hope Yeman is doing ok. Sounds like you got that Ozone down, the mix sounds nice. Thanks for sharing. [ Reply to This ]
John &mdash 08/05/08 - 02:07:36 AM
Thanks for the listen. I sent the link to Yeman yesterday, and he's been back to me this morning after having a listen. He sounds well, although how that translates into our understanding of wellness and safety I'm not sure.
Glad you enjoyed the tune John,
Cheers,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
This is moving.. &mdash 08/04/08 - 06:16:17 PM
Thank you for the post, download, and the reminder to keep Yeman, as well as all others who live with this daily, in mind.
This is one of the few that is actually worthy of the sunshine blown in it's direction. Outside of what has already been mentioned, I have only one thing that I don't like about this piece. That little crash cymbal that stands out like a sore thumb ha ha. It might be because of a drummer I once played with, who wouldn't spend a dime on improving his kit and he had these awful cymbals, and it reminded me of it.... so it's probably just me lol. Outstanding Neil [ Reply to This ]
Guy .. &mdash 08/05/08 - 03:27:25 AM
.. that cymbal is my favourite part ......... ;) Just joking. Maybe it could have been a little softer, although I don't find it distracting. Like all of us, I'm very happy to have sunshine blown in my general direction - thanks very much.
Glad you enjoyed it Guy,
Cheers from Oz,
Neil
[ Reply to This ]
Oh man, this is great Neil &mdash 08/04/08 - 06:29:13 PM
The concept, the execution, the playing, the mixing, the production, are all wonderful. An outstanding piece in all respect my friend, you should be very proud of this one.
Thanks you for sharing this Neil, it's to good for words to express.
Ed [ Reply to This ]
What can I say Ed! &mdash 08/05/08 - 03:46:21 AM
Thank you for the lovely comment. Yes I'm pretty happy with this.
Cheers,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
multiwow &mdash 08/04/08 - 07:55:02 PM
There's so many great features to this tune! Great song. It all meshes together very very well.
-- around 4:09 there's some dissonance between the vocals and strings, perhaps on purpose, but it caught my ear.
thanks
[ Reply to This ]
Multiwow ;) &mdash 08/05/08 - 03:51:18 AM
I appreciate your comment Bill.
That dissonance is all a part of having so much going on. I hadn't really noticed it until you mentioned it, and even then I had trouble hearing it when I listened. I'll keep my ears open for it. Needless to say it wasn't intentional, just a result of letting an amateur loose on some inspiring software.
Cheeras from Oz,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
very well mixed &mdash 08/04/08 - 07:57:40 PM
really good composition, the voice reminds me of roger waters -this IS A GREAT TUNE! on headphones its a pleasure [ Reply to This ]
Mixed on phones &mdash 08/05/08 - 03:55:52 AM
I used phones to do most of the mixing on this, and it probably does sound better on phones than speakers. Vielen Dank für Ihre positive Worte.
Neil [ Reply to This ]
~ &mdash 08/04/08 - 08:51:52 PM
Bob &mdash 08/05/08 - 03:58:01 AM
First time hearing your stuff &mdash 08/04/08 - 09:25:07 PM
Interesting progression in the bridge/chorus. I enjoyed the song. Nice job on the drums, nice blend of the acoustic with the rest of the music. Overall a well produced song that has relevance at this moment. Going with that Robbie Robertson whisper - fits the song and the subject matter. [ Reply to This ]
Robbie Robertson &mdash 08/05/08 - 04:01:14 AM
The Band are an all-time fav of mine, and RR a guitar hero, so thanks for mentioning him. My voice is what I'm stuck with - it's not really how I'd like to sing (I'd like more a Sting, Rick Danko, Jack Bruce kind of voice), but whispery it is.
Thanks for the positive words John.
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Makes you wonder. &mdash 08/04/08 - 10:37:56 PM
Neil it sounds gorgous as usual. You sure know your music.
Thanks for sharing.
My only qualm is it sqeaks a bit if you know what I mean. more than a few times. spoils it a bit for me.
Peace Dee.
[ Reply to This ]
Added info &mdash 08/04/08 - 10:49:21 PM
The only way to describe it is that it sounds like to my ears like chalk screetching on a blackboard the guitar.
That is my honest opinion for what its worth.
I am happy that you are open and honest with myself on my work. And no offence meant.
And I have decided to be honest with other artist also from now on. this is actually the very first one I have heard from you that sounds like a chalk scratching across a backboard in some of your wonderful song. I hope you are not offended, [ Reply to This ]
Dee &mdash 08/05/08 - 04:08:53 AM
Thanks for dropping in and having a listen Dee - it's pretty difficult to offend me, so no probs in that direction. As you know I'm all for being honest and supportive as much as I can.
The sound you mentioned is something that used to really bug me too - it's caused by my fingers sliding on the lower, wound strings on my acoustic guitar, and once I realised that there wasn't much I could do about it (and someone told me it was OK and some people used it as a part of their playing) I decided to just let it happen. It's really hard to stop it happening when you play the way I do.
I think it's great that you're going to start being up front about music - listening hard to try to hear the details of a song (both the ones you like and don't like) is a really good way of learning more about how people write, play and record.
Thanks Dee for the visit and the comment - I'll take another look on my next tune at that string "squeak".
Cheers from Oz,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
Neil! &mdash 08/04/08 - 10:39:56 PM
Wow!
Where to start?
(I'll try to limit my sunshine, even though I know you secretly love it. ;-))
The drums sound so real to me. Very big and full sounding drums.
You vocals are very Pink Floyd-ish to me, kinda haunting and thought provoking, yet melodic and pleasing to the ear at the same time.
Great bass work. (I'm a fellow bassist.)
The Tele seems to wonder melodically a bit, but I assume you are using it for ambience.
I know you could rerecord a better guitar solo, if you wanted to.
But that's my biggest nits.
I really like the mix. (I might make the jump up to Logic Pro just for the sound quality.)
Great song!
Cheers,
John [ Reply to This ]
John &mdash 08/05/08 - 04:16:38 AM
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Neil, I am totally stunned. This is beyond blowing sunshine outrageous.
I really like this and the mix and production is fantastic. the ooohs are to cool.
[ Reply to This ]