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Mutlu
by Gary E. Andrews - 04/15/24 07:08 PM
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My lastest song - all crits, nits, and comments welcome. I'm Coming Home Flames of battle are never far away Like some savage bird of prey Thoughts about my folks Vanish in the smoke The sound of taps echos in my brain I'll keep on fighting anyway
The never ending war may rage I don't really have a say Don't want two coins to grace my eyes I'll stand my ground, push back the tide
I'm coming home
Silent memories fill the void In the endless noise of war I try to see your face But the picture fades to grey Hang on tight, ignore the pain I have to make it one more day
Blood-stained hands fan the flames While my feet turn to clay Can't spare the time to find the line It's time to leave this all behind
I'm coming home I'm coming home
The never ending war may rage I don't really have a say Don't want two coins to grace my eyes I'll stand my ground, push back the tide
Blood-stained hands fan the flames While my feet turn to clay Can't spare the time to find the line It's time to leave this all behind
I'm coming home
Last edited by TC Perkins; 02/08/18 10:50 PM.
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Hi TC:
Enjoyed the sentiment of the song... "I don't really have a say" is pretty darn accurate for those of us who have served... but, Thank God We did! So many descriptive lines in this lyric help to tell the sad story of war. Thanks for sharing. Best of luck with it. ----Dave
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I really like the guitar work on this one, particularly in the verse (and also the lead guitar break).
The chorus is catchy, too.
Might be worth shortening the intro as it's almost 1 minute long ( although I do like it).
Overall, very well put together, nice job.
Kevin
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TC,
You are a Jangle Rock hero. The guitar stylings and vocals remind me so much of Mitch Easter. Don't know if you have ever heard of him (don't punch me if you have) but he recorded R.E.M.'s first album in his basement in Winston-Salem and had his own band called Let's Active. "Big Plans for Everybody" is one of my favorite albums of all times. This sounds like a lot of the mixes and guitar sounds from that album, and your voice even sounds kinda like Mitch. I love this sound. If you ever have the time to describe your process for this "brew"--the guitars you are using--the effects, processing, method,how you did the drums, everything from head to toe, I would love to hear it for study purposes. You have this sound nailed and I would like to pick up some tips.
Great job.
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Awesome Song man. BUT we do have a choice. Maybe when the next bogus war is called nobody will show up....The soldiers need to go on strike. Great Stuff.
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What a cool intro. Yeah I was just about to say I would love to hear some vocal harmony and there you go.
Love the over all sentiment. Way to put it in words and song... TC
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A good lyric drew me initially to this TC. Great theme and and all round A1 song Cheers Travis
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Oscar Wilde
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Very catchy - like all your stuff.
Musically, I really love the dynamics of this and the change-ups between acoustic and rock sections.
I haven't been in the situation of the person in the song - but it felt real to me. And there are several different ways to interpret I'm leaving all this behind, I'm coming home.
Nice.
Scott
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Hi TC:
Enjoyed the sentiment of the song... "I don't really have a say" is pretty darn accurate for those of us who have served... but, Thank God We did! So many descriptive lines in this lyric help to tell the sad story of war. Thanks for sharing. Best of luck with it. ----Dave Thanks, Dave. I'm glad you liked it. I really like the guitar work on this one, particularly in the verse (and also the lead guitar break).
The chorus is catchy, too.
Might be worth shortening the intro as it's almost 1 minute long ( although I do like it).
Overall, very well put together, nice job.
Kevin
Thanks, Kevin. The guitars were fairly simple but tricky. They were challenging but fun to do. I knew the intro was long when I put this together. For a shorter version, one could cut the first half of the intro off and start 0:35 in. If no one had not heard the previous version, they wouldn't even know it was missing anything. Some would argue that means it is not necessary which I suppose would be a reasonable opinion. With that same logic, you could chop off the outro, which would cut another 0:40 or so off the tune. This would make the song nice and short. My philosophy is that the instrumentals are every bit as important as the singing/lyrics, and my chances to get this on radio are slim to none, so I recorded the full composition. I could post a 'short' version of this on my soundcloud page pretty easily; it's certainly something to consider. TC,
You are a Jangle Rock hero. The guitar stylings and vocals remind me so much of Mitch Easter. Don't know if you have ever heard of him (don't punch me if you have) but he recorded R.E.M.'s first album in his basement in Winston-Salem and had his own band called Let's Active. "Big Plans for Everybody" is one of my favorite albums of all times. This sounds like a lot of the mixes and guitar sounds from that album, and your voice even sounds kinda like Mitch. I love this sound. If you ever have the time to describe your process for this "brew"--the guitars you are using--the effects, processing, method,how you did the drums, everything from head to toe, I would love to hear it for study purposes. You have this sound nailed and I would like to pick up some tips.
Great job. Jangle rock hero....lol. I don't know about hero but I certainly had fun recording this one, and I learned a few things. I do know who Mitch Easter is, btw, and, no, I am not going to punch you. I always liked REM, and I will have to find some cuts off of the Let's Active album you mentioned and listen to them. Sure, we can talk about what I did on this song. I live and breathe this stuff, and my family gets the glazed look when I talk about it, lol. Peace, TC
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Beautiful intro, maybe a touch long? You might consider panning the guitars to provide a little separation. The dynamic build as you get into the song was great. I think you've nailed the soldier's main goal - coming home. Wasn't sure about this line: Don't want two coins to grace my eyes - felt a little callous(?) Very solid overall!
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Really well structured TC. I like the two coins line and all the other lines. Yes, maybe a few too many gaps and the intro could be cut but that's no big thing.
Vic
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Hey, TC,
Ok, so I’m in the camp of a shorter intro, but beyond that this sounds great. Shades of R.E.M., shades of Blink 182 . . . and then that shift from acoustic to a deeper rock. Musically, your guitar work is killer, as always. Cool song!
Regards,
Deej
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TC,
Super write/production. I wouldn't mind hearing the vocals especially in the chorus/harmony areas sitting out front a little more. Just really love the music arrangement--stellar! I got a little "Graham Nash" vibe with this song! Nice work indeed!
steady-eddie
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Thanks, Calvin. I'm glad you liked it. Awesome Song man. BUT we do have a choice. Maybe when the next bogus war is called nobody will show up....The soldiers need to go on strike. Great Stuff. Thanks, Barry. I hear that! Or maybe we can hold our 'elected' representatives accountable and start ousting the warmongers. What a cool intro. Yeah I was just about to say I would love to hear some vocal harmony and there you go.
Love the over all sentiment. Way to put it in words and song... TC
Thanks, Nelson. I think I might actually go back and try to make the harmonies even bigger (stack more tracks). ------- I appreciate the listens and comments, as always. Peace, TC
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A good lyric drew me initially to this TC. Great theme and and all round A1 song Cheers Travis Thanks, Travis. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Very catchy - like all your stuff.
Musically, I really love the dynamics of this and the change-ups between acoustic and rock sections.
I haven't been in the situation of the person in the song - but it felt real to me. And there are several different ways to interpret I'm leaving all this behind, I'm coming home.
Nice.
Scott Thanks, Scott. I really tried to get a solid dynamic shift in the song at the chorus on this one. I try to leave room in my lyrics for intrepretation although this song is pretty straightforward compared to some of my others. ---------- Thanks, folks! I am trying to catch up on comments so bear with me (and trying to multi-quote so this post doesn't become a novel, lol). Peace, TC
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Beautiful intro, maybe a touch long? You might consider panning the guitars to provide a little separation. The dynamic build as you get into the song was great. I think you've nailed the soldier's main goal - coming home. Wasn't sure about this line: Don't want two coins to grace my eyes - felt a little callous(?) Very solid overall!
Thanks. Yeah the intro is a bit long but I wanted to include the entire composition. IF I was going to pitch it, I would cut 0:35 off the intro and cut the outro. I do have the guitars panned very wide combining stereo pairs with double-tracked large diaphram tracks. I am not sure what you are hearing or where you mean in the song exactly. If you could elaborate, I would appreciate it (either here or PM). I am always very interested in how other people hear the songs mixwise because I become ear-blind to the tune after a bit. Really well structured TC. I like the two coins line and all the other lines. Yes, maybe a few too many gaps and the intro could be cut but that's no big thing.
Vic
Thanks, Vic. I suppose I could post a shorter version but I saw no reason to not include the full composition as I have no intention of pitching it. I'm glad you liked it. -------------- I appreciate the listens and comments, as always. Peace, TC
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TC,
A good "soldier story" write. Don't hear a lot of those. This one is well done.
I liked the intro. Nice acoustic work. The harmonics were nicely done - well placed. The length is fine, I think. It might seem long on a first listen, but a second time through, it "works" - good musical piece - interesting all the way. Gets better with each listen.
I thought the guitars in the first verse were fighting the vocal some. Your acoustic sound is "deeper and darker, bigger" than typical acoustics, so they seem to share a similar sonic space as the vocal. Once the chorus starts, the vocal (with the help of the harmonies) raises to a perfect level - a really great sound - rich and full. Really nice energy to the choruses. Nice harmonies, btw.
Nice solo guitar work, too. Nice drums, too (at times, I thought they could be just a hair louder - a dB maybe or even less). Super harmonics in the outro, too.
Enjoyed the listen.
fj
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TC,
Super write/production. I wouldn't mind hearing the vocals especially in the chorus/harmony areas sitting out front a little more. Just really love the music arrangement--stellar! I got a little "Graham Nash" vibe with this song! Nice work indeed!
steady-eddie Thanks, Eddie. I think you might be right about the chorus especially the harmonies. People are always comparing my voice to Graham Nash but I just don't hear it. I appreciate the listen and comments. TC,
A good "soldier story" write. Don't hear a lot of those. This one is well done.
I liked the intro. Nice acoustic work. The harmonics were nicely done - well placed. The length is fine, I think. It might seem long on a first listen, but a second time through, it "works" - good musical piece - interesting all the way. Gets better with each listen.
I thought the guitars in the first verse were fighting the vocal some. Your acoustic sound is "deeper and darker, bigger" than typical acoustics, so they seem to share a similar sonic space as the vocal. Once the chorus starts, the vocal (with the help of the harmonies) raises to a perfect level - a really great sound - rich and full. Really nice energy to the choruses. Nice harmonies, btw.
Nice solo guitar work, too. Nice drums, too (at times, I thought they could be just a hair louder - a dB maybe or even less). Super harmonics in the outro, too.
Enjoyed the listen.
fj Thanks, Floyd. I thought the harmonics were kinda cool, too. I could always cut the song shorter if I actually ever pitched it by cutting 0:35 off the intro and cutting the outro. For soundcloud, I wanted the whole composition on there. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to get to the vocals these days but I love instrumentals as much as the singing. I'm glad it worked for you. I'll have to go back after I don't listen to it for a bit, and see if I can really focus on the guitars vs. vocals. My acoustic is rather dark sounding. I wish I had a nice Taylor but we work with what we have (it would be nice to have a bunch of acoustics!). One of the issues I run into a lot is my vocal range sits right in the meat of the guitar range when open chords are played, and it's always a struggle to find space for them when acoustic guitar predominates. The guitar solo was the easy part, lol. I wasn't sure about the drum levels, I will have to go back and give that a closer listen after I 'boycott' the song for a week or so. Many thanks for the detailed critique! ---------------- I hope I haven't missed anyone so far. Thanks, folks. Peace, TC
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Hi TC
Enjoyed the powerful lyrics and sparkling guitar. All very well done in my opinion.
Cheers.
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I know nothing about production but it sounds great to me, TC. You could write a whole other song based on the line "I don't really have a say". Well done! Ricki
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A great tribute song and the chorus is very catchy sing along, great hook. The lyrics are great. I like the guitar work too. Stan
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What a sonic treat! Lots of dynamics and builds.
The mix sounds really good in our monitors.
Your vocals nicely support the solid write. Really nice guitar work also.
Janice pointed out how much she liked the melody and Bud dittos that.
Kudos
J&B
Check out our new album Janice Merritt "Am I Blue Enough?" on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon and others.
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Hey, TC,
Ok, so I’m in the camp of a shorter intro, but beyond that this sounds great. Shades of R.E.M., shades of Blink 182 . . . and then that shift from acoustic to a deeper rock. Musically, your guitar work is killer, as always. Cool song!
Regards,
Deej Sorry I missed you in the earlier group. It saves space multiquoting but makes it harder to keep track, lol. Someone else mentioned REM (I think David) which I didn't hear until he pointed it out but I am hearing the influence now. I love mixing acoustic or classical guitars with electric guitar. Now that I think of it, I just love guitars I'm glad you liked the tune, and I appreciate the listen and reply. Peace, TC
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Hi TC
Enjoyed the powerful lyrics and sparkling guitar. All very well done in my opinion.
Cheers. Thanks, Rich. I'm glad you liked it I know nothing about production but it sounds great to me, TC. You could write a whole other song based on the line "I don't really have a say". Well done! Ricki Thanks, Ricki. I thought it came out pretty good but I won't be happy until my stuff sounds pro! Hmmm, not a bad idea. It's certainly a sentiment that everyone can relate to (unless you are a billionaire in the 'club') ------ Many thanks for the listens and kind words. Peace, TC
Last edited by TC Perkins; 02/24/18 03:26 PM.
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Sorry it took me a while to get back to you guys. My daughter was home for a week, and I was doing some guitar licks for Owen's recent song. A great tribute song and the chorus is very catchy sing along, great hook. The lyrics are great. I like the guitar work too. Stan Thanks, Stan. I appreciate the listen and comments. What a sonic treat! Lots of dynamics and builds.
The mix sounds really good in our monitors.
Your vocals nicely support the solid write. Really nice guitar work also.
Janice pointed out how much she liked the melody and Bud dittos that.
Kudos
J&B Thanks Janice and Bud. I worked hard to have it reasonably loud and full and still have some dynamics. I find this to be one of the biggest challenges in mixing, and I am still working on it. I am glad it sounds good in someone else's monitors! I do have my room treated yadda yadda but my environment is not going to guarantee that my mixes translate. Honestly, I am still not happy with the vocals but I can live with the guitars. Thanks for the detailed comments. -------- Many thanks for the listens, critiques, and comments on this song, folks. Peace, TC
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Gorgeous and the message is great. All that needs to be said.
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