Hi Dave!

Welcome to JPF! Yeah there may be a few around here that can be brutally honest, a few that counter their colleagues assertions, and a few that will blow a little smoke, and a few that will just pat you on the back no matter what, and a whole lot that just stay quiet! Isn't that cool and doesn't it make life interesting? Bottom line is you IMO have a great song in melody/performance. Production-wise it's fine but I would also agree that the song would be stronger and better if it were shorter given it's movement and structure. Hey, there are many great long songs and I've written a couple of long songs myself as well--not as good as Stairway to Heaven, but I did try and create dramatic music & composition movement. I do profess however that when you do have a song over 4:15 that it should have dramatic movement with bridges or key or tempo changes, and maybe even rhapsodies--these important structural changes allow the listener to accept a song of this length much better.

Now you mentioned in an early response that you were not going to change anything, so that's fine and certainly your preogative..........there is nothing wrong in writing to please one's self. But when you post a song in the MP3 forum, you will receive opinions/crits--not that they are always better mind you, but this is a group of songwriters who have strong opinions at times--so it's up to you to determine merit or hogwash. I know I've received crits that I both agree and disagree with, but I give all my attention, and sometimes the one's I don't like at first begin to sink in.

IMO, to make this "very, very, good song you've written even better--I would recommend changing the solo area to build more to a crescendo with a fuller digressing sound than the lead guitar you are using--do not resolve so much after that solo, but rather, launch into the last verse. This is not the time to bring the mood down again...........let the last vs do that. Either do not repeat the 1st verse or use that repeat vs after the solo if you feel a need to go 360 with the lyrics. In this manner, you will still have a long song, yet more climactic "pre-ending" and able to hold your listener better and empower your resolve.

JMO--use or lose.........Great work here with real potential--you have some real talent!

steady-eddie