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Nothing More Can Be by stooey [Email]

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SONG STATS:
Hits: 1145
Comments: 39
Votes: 6
Plays: 110
Last Played: Jun 07, 2008 - 08:21:49 AM
Downloads: 42
Fans: 6
Uploaded: Apr 24, 2005 - 05:03:01 PM
Last Updated: Apr 24, 2005 - 02:40:17 PM
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Description:
This is a song I wrote years ago in collaboration with a friend while I was in University. He had music but no lyrics, and I had lyrics in need of music. They almost fit first take. I may add tracks in garageband, but I have always liked the acoustic sound of it. If anyone has ideas for improvement, I'd love to hear them

Lyrics:
You started as a stranger and became my best friend.
But now you are here with me
And Nothing More Can Be

You're always on my mind
and always in my dreams
And where you are, I am there.
And nothing more can be

So come and spend your life with me
If you want to leave, well you're free
I know you don't want to be hurt
But that's a chance we'll have to take

You know that I'll be true
Cause I'm scared of losing you
But there's risk in every move we make,
but love is ours to take.

And from the first time that we met
I hoped that things would be like this
I love you more than you will know
So give love a chance to grow

Cause you're always on my mind
and always in my dreams
And where you are, I am there.
And nothing more can be

So come and spend your life with me
If you want to leave, well you're free
I know you don't want to be hurt
But that's a chance we'll have to take

And nothing more can be
And nothing more can be


Hardware:
Originally recorded on a 2 track Akai tape deck with a pair of Mono RCA mikes. I may try to add to it using garageband.

Software:
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Deep. &mdash 05/06/05 - 03:56:38 PM
Possibly the saddest sounding "happy about love" love song I've ever heard. Vocals are strong, guitar playing is solid, and the sound is actually not too bad (yeah, pretty old skool, but diggin it). Pretty ditty. Seriously though, thanks for bearing your soul.

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Thanks for the comment &mdash 12/08/06 - 11:33:12 AM
I hope that more people discover this song now that I've been more active here. I'd like to hear more comments.

Also I'd like to try to add drum and base tracks to it. (Perhaps some strings and piano, too.)

---
That's not my real hair....and the guitar is a fake too!

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great playing &mdash 01/04/07 - 07:10:28 PM
i like that it was recorded on a tape deck first. theres just some kind of wamth that you don't get from digital.

its a very pleasently dark song...

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Thanks &mdash 01/05/07 - 01:22:58 AM
Thanks for cheking it out. When I wrote the lyrics it wasn't supposed to be dark, but now you mentioned it, I can see what you mean.

The recording was made more than 20 years ago before I put it into a GB track. I am glad I alsways believed in using high quality cassettes.

---
That's not my real hair....and the guitar is a fake too!

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I forgot to add &mdash 01/05/07 - 01:28:31 AM
that the playing is done by my co-writer. He was an excellent player at least on an acoustic. I never heard him play electric. As I said in the description, he played the tune for me, I started singing the lyrics and they fit closely first take. We did a few tweeks here and there, then sang in unison. He was a much better singer than me as well, but since they were my lyrics, I wanted to be on the vocals as well.

---
That's not my real hair....and the guitar is a fake too!

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clarifying &mdash 01/05/07 - 07:22:44 PM
i didnt find the lyrics dark. more the mood set by the guitar. it didnt bother me. it worked in an ironic morrissey kinda way. not sure that makes any sense.

good tape is nice, but i heard some great four track stuff too. its just a pleasent change from the compression of digital.

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Dust in the wind &mdash 03/10/07 - 02:02:24 PM
Has that Dust in the wind feel to it. Sad lyrics to accompany and fine bed of music.

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Thanks for listening &mdash 03/16/07 - 12:02:21 AM
When my friend played the music, I thought the same thing. "Dust in the Wind Like"

Sorry I took so long to reply, I have been so absorbed in the whol podcast thing, I forgot to check dates on other comments.

---
That's not my real hair....and the guitar is a fake too!

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Dust in the wind..... &mdash 03/28/07 - 07:02:37 PM
indeed I had that feeling too...
Nevertheless I think this song is almost perfect..
almost....the production....that is where I am hearing issues. I would have changed the voices here and there in volume. for I think at parts the background singing is a bit to loud or not equal over the whole song. But that is realy it....I so agree on the accoustic part with you..it is beautiful this way....very genuine.

super How songs can evolve...I like that story. The lyrics are topnotch...

o0o

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Thanks for listening &mdash 03/28/07 - 11:43:45 PM
Production wise, there wasn't much. We were in my dorm room and I had two really crappy mono mics, one in each channel of my tape deck.

As for the vocals, it's not meant to be backing vocals, it just the two of us singing. My buddy is a much better singer, but I was too emotionally attached to the song to allow him to sing on his own.

As for the "subject" of the song...when she heard it she said "Nice song, who did you write if for?"

I moved on, but I still have a soft spot for the song.

---
That's not my real hair....and the guitar is a fake too!

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But I like the pink hair... &mdash 04/03/08 - 11:37:02 PM
I love that this is 20 years old, if I read it right!? Wow. Is there any way for you to re-record the whole thing? Not to bag on the original, but all this love of old-skool, etc, I don't know. I like a clean track, and I think this song deserves some extra love.

HAVING SAID THAT... I love this song. It's such a pretty melody with great lyrics. I would love to hear some harmonies (I'm a sucker for harmonies). Actually, I'd love to add some, if you're interested.

Very gorgeous song. I really love it.

Stacey

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Thanks for the kind words. &mdash 04/04/08 - 11:15:59 PM
As for a new recording, it wouldn't be by me. My buddy was the musician, I only provided the lyrics, (and the out of tune 2nd vocal).

In fact, I haven't been in touch with him for more than 20 years, and don't really know where he is.

Perhaps, a group of Macjammers could add tracks to it, like a supercollaboration.

Also, for the record, I wrote it in Feb or March of '84.

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Raw it up! &mdash 04/04/08 - 12:16:15 AM
I always liked the barebones approach to recording.Simple and straight ahead production.A few voices and as few musical instruments as possible.I think your idea posted in the forums about resurrecting old tunes that saw little life in the past is a good one.Certainly are a lot more posts these days so space and time are becomming more and more valuable.Here's at least one respondent to your idea.Nice tune!

Daniel

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Thanks for the kind words. &mdash 04/04/08 - 11:20:12 PM
And for listening.

As for the barebones approach, it wasn't a planned thing. At the time, my buddy had the music, and I daid I had lyrics and the two matched well, so we recorded it.

Thanks again.

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Well done &mdash 04/04/08 - 12:46:57 AM
Great melody and good lyrics. I love a barebones approach to recording, but I would also like to see you revist this one. Not that it has to be a wall of sound... but maybe some strings or a clean electric guitar. Thanks for the post and great idea!

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I've always thought strings &mdash 04/04/08 - 11:24:34 PM
would be a good idea too. About a year after we made this recording, a guy that played keyboards moved into res, and the two of them performed the song at a coffee house. No one thought to record it. (I think he had a programmed strings part added in.

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Nicely done &mdash 04/04/08 - 05:56:46 AM
It's a cool song... I would love to see this re-recorded without the tape hiss (although it's not bad as far as tape recordings go). Some bg vocals in addition to the harmonies would be very nice.

Great thought you shared in the forums Stooey. Like it a lot!
Adam

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Thanks for listening. &mdash 04/04/08 - 11:28:10 PM
I would love to get a new recording. As I said to Stacey, perhaps a group of MacJammers can lay down some tracks!

In the last few years, everyone records Unplugged or acoustic versions of their hits, I recorded that first. I guess I'm just ahead of the times.

I used to have a philosophy that said, I don't follow fashion trends, I set them!

Thanks again.

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Very nice &mdash 04/04/08 - 06:56:53 AM
A genuine song that the listener can tell was written by someone with a passion for the subject. Sorry to hear that didn't work out by the way, but you got a great song out of it!

The tape hiss could probably get cleaned up a bit but it almost adds it's own element of nostalgia so I wouldn't nuke it entirely.

Great stuff!

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Back when I was young and .... &mdash 04/04/08 - 11:37:06 PM
The song meant more to me because of the who. Now I like it for the song. (Mainly because, sometimes I am still amazed that I wrote lyrics like that.)

Don't be sad that it didn't work out. If it was meant to, it would have...but it wasn't. Years later, I met "the one" and it did work out. (And she is an amazing piano player.) With us both working I haven't had a chanced to get her recording in GB, but her forte is performance not composition. Someday....

I'm glad you liked the song. It means a lot to me to hear people say that.

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Nice harmonies! &mdash 04/04/08 - 09:26:22 AM
I like the phrasing. The lyrics are close to how my relationship with my wife started! We're still going strong!

Delicate. Warm. Nice presentation.

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Nice Harmonies! &mdash 04/04/08 - 11:39:58 PM
Really? Thanks.

When I wrote it, I knew nothing about phrasing. (Still probably don't know that much.) Someone once said, songs are just poems to music. It's an oversimplification, but, it's sort of worked for me.

Glad you liked it.



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Nice stuff &mdash 04/05/08 - 05:12:40 AM
Guitars and singing are very nice here. Job well done.

LL

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Thanks for listening. &mdash 04/06/08 - 02:56:24 PM
It's always nice to hear someone tell you they like your stuff.

I appreciate it.



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More Or Less? &mdash 04/06/08 - 05:41:52 PM
It's always a good question when it comes to arranging music.

The dichotomy between the music and the lyric in this song yields a somewhat reserved and somber love song. Pleasant, but somehow dark.

Sure, there's much could be added to this arrangement, making it even MORE suggestive of *Dust In the Wind.*

But is that what you really want? The song has its own unique feel and sound as it stands. Unless you plan to put it out there as a commercial release, there's really not much reason to do so.

But if you did choose to work on it, you should probably start from scratch and do it right... and as close to perfect as possible... click track, proper EQ, levels, etc.


--- Joe

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Thanks for listening. &mdash 04/08/08 - 06:12:23 PM
You've definitely given me something to think about....

Interesting you thought of Dust in the Wind. (I have noticed the Kansas influence as well.

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Nothing More Can Be &mdash 06/02/08 - 12:49:43 AM
Hmmm this is souldful indeed ..I loved the simplicity
and the powerful lyircs ..great aong thnx alot for
sharin this here ...!!!

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Thanks for listening. &mdash 06/03/08 - 12:05:56 AM
and thanks for the kind words.

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Glad I followed &mdash 06/03/08 - 04:14:34 AM
your note on the forum - this is really nice song. Sounds good as is but some strings could work well perhaps. I rather like the analogue sound...

Peter

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Thanks for the kind words &mdash 06/03/08 - 10:19:56 PM
and thanks for listening.

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Woooh! &mdash 06/03/08 - 10:35:22 PM
1000 Hits! You rule, stooey!

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Absolutely lovely... &mdash 06/03/08 - 10:38:23 PM
I think we've all been in that "nothing more can be" place and this is a lovely, beautifully-performed and written song about it. I agree with Joe that the material is truly worthy of doing again from the ground up, but this version is charming and very listenable, too.

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Congratulations on being listener 1000! &mdash 06/05/08 - 12:15:56 AM
And thanx for listening and commenting.

It means a lot to me to hear all the nice comments from the Macjammers who are miles ahead of me musically!

If I ever have this redone, I think I may let the Macjammers do it.


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Hey nice fingerpicking &mdash 06/05/08 - 12:42:02 AM
Cool lyric

The fingrpicking goes right in nice with the singing!

Thanks for sharing and congradulations on getting over 1000 hits!!!!???

Nice modulation

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Thanks! &mdash 06/05/08 - 10:22:44 PM
My friend would be honoured to know YOU approve of his guitar playing.

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Happy 1017 and counting! &mdash 06/05/08 - 07:42:50 AM
Definitely a Kansas sweep here, something delicate and epic hinting through the simplicity of the guitar and voices. Don't beat yourself up over the production or the singing; your voice is better than many of the music friends I've known in the past.

Very strong piece of music, Stooey. If it ever gets remade I'd love to hear it.

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Thanks Rik &mdash 06/05/08 - 10:25:06 PM
I know my friend was the better of the two voices, but my best singing is when I have a voice to match.

If I sing on my own, it's a much different story. Check out my MacJams days of Christmas if you don't believe me.

Truly, I think my strength is lyrics.

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