The Company You Keep
May 22, 2009 4:31 PM
A mellow acoustic oldie - worth re-recording? Comments/advice welcome
This is from a set of mostly acoustic tracks I recorded a few years back. There's something about it, to me at least..... Here's the lyric:
(Ohh bad company)
Henry's got a habit
He borrows money from his friends
He says "I'll pay you at the weekend"
And never shows up again.
And Sally takes you shopping
It makes her feel alive
It makes the time go quicker
Down the slow slide.
Ohh the company you keep
(bad company)
Paulie says "I love you"
And then he calls you Sue
He's got a rocket in his pocket
And he don't care about the socket.
And Cinnamon says "yes, I mean no, I mean yes, I mean no, I mean yes, I dunno"
She don't know whether she wants a kiss or a pair of shoes
Ohh the company you keep
(bad company)
And what about you?
You're part of this crew
How long will you drift
With this ship of fools?
Ohh the company you keep
(bad company)
This is from a set of mostly acoustic tracks I recorded a few years back. There's something about it, to me at least..... Here's the lyric:
(Ohh bad company)
Henry's got a habit
He borrows money from his friends
He says "I'll pay you at the weekend"
And never shows up again.
And Sally takes you shopping
It makes her feel alive
It makes the time go quicker
Down the slow slide.
Ohh the company you keep
(bad company)
Paulie says "I love you"
And then he calls you Sue
He's got a rocket in his pocket
And he don't care about the socket.
And Cinnamon says "yes, I mean no, I mean yes, I mean no, I mean yes, I dunno"
She don't know whether she wants a kiss or a pair of shoes
Ohh the company you keep
(bad company)
And what about you?
You're part of this crew
How long will you drift
With this ship of fools?
Ohh the company you keep
(bad company)
posted by MajorDundee (8 comments total)
Nice production and vocals, even if it's not completely my cup of tea. Great acoustic solo. Maybe this is a weird comment, but I could see this redone in a Dire Straits style. Especially in the verses I see the potential for that.
posted by edlundart at 9:17 PM on May 22, 2009
posted by edlundart at 9:17 PM on May 22, 2009
I think I agree with edlundart. Everything is really smooth and tight, but I think your voice might be in a rock n roll environment.
Please take this with a grain of salt, but this totally reminds me of being in some place like Malta, Sardinia or Corsica where you might be a fellow ex-pat rocking it in a great local bar for the locals in a who can't get enough of you!
posted by snsranch at 8:35 PM on May 24, 2009
Please take this with a grain of salt, but this totally reminds me of being in some place like Malta, Sardinia or Corsica where you might be a fellow ex-pat rocking it in a great local bar for the locals in a who can't get enough of you!
posted by snsranch at 8:35 PM on May 24, 2009
Thanks for the comments guys - I've moved on from this kind of stuff now (it's a bit Easy Listening/bland) but I was just curious as to what people might have thought about it. Not sure I get the Malta/Sardinia thing snsranch - but I wish I was there! Listening to this one again it sounds to me like the bastard son of Joni Mitchell and Gerry Rafferty... Anyway - thanks again.
posted by MajorDundee at 2:26 PM on May 25, 2009
posted by MajorDundee at 2:26 PM on May 25, 2009
Hi major, I dig it but I think that there is a lack of variation after your (stunning) guitar solo. The first two minutes got me completely flying on the wings of your arrangement. I can see what the others are saying (btw... I almost get what snsranch is saying). I think this track would nicely fit among some rawer-sounding ones and provide some contrast.
posted by nicolin at 9:04 AM on May 26, 2009
posted by nicolin at 9:04 AM on May 26, 2009
It's probably most due to the production of the track, but there were about 6 genres that kept popping up and trying to take over throughout the song. Of all of these, I was the biggest fan of the synth-choir combined with Wayne Coyne-esque falsetto and lounge-style classic-rawk that appeared towards the beginning.
I'm jealous of the combination. I'm not saying you have to run with it, but you at least gave me a few ideas for some new production experiments. So, thanks!
posted by self at 11:27 PM on May 26, 2009
I'm jealous of the combination. I'm not saying you have to run with it, but you at least gave me a few ideas for some new production experiments. So, thanks!
posted by self at 11:27 PM on May 26, 2009
self - I don't really geddit re the different genres thing....but it's always fascinating how people take different things from a track. I just thought this was a fairly pleasant sub-Fleetwood Mac ramble and the main thing of musical interest to me as the writer was (a) the bit you refer to as Wayne Coyne-esque (I don't know who he is, I'm afraid) because it sits sort of weirdly "sideways" in the song (can't explain that) and (b) the chord change at "Sally takes you shopping". I'm musically illiterate so I can't say what these chords are. The rest of it isn't bad, but isn't knockout. The guitar solo isn't that great either in my book - it's a bit rushed at the end and doesn't quite make it. For those who like the acoustic solo I'm putting another one up from this batch - a little latin thang called Suenos - which pisses all over this one.
posted by MajorDundee at 12:00 PM on May 27, 2009
posted by MajorDundee at 12:00 PM on May 27, 2009
Correction - I've just listened again to "Suenos" - it doesn't make the grade: guitar playing is ok, song is not, recording is dull, tempo too slow, vocals flat. Yuck.
posted by MajorDundee at 2:25 PM on May 27, 2009
posted by MajorDundee at 2:25 PM on May 27, 2009
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posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 6:13 PM on May 22, 2009