Don't Stop Kazooin'

Journey's Don't Stop Believin' as a kazoo quartet improvisation.

SPOILER ALERT: it's just the same kazoo overdubbed four times.

I cheated on this and banged out a piano track initially and recorded the first three parts against that before recording over it with the fourth track. If you think this is pitchy as is, imagine what it'd have been like without that.

Kazoo is deceptively hard to work with. A lot of the ways I instinctively control my voice when I'm singing seem to sort of go out the window it feels like—the need to keep enough air moving through the thing to rattle the membrane means changing my airflow a lot compared to how I can constrain it while pushing out the higher notes, especially, but just in general it creates this feeling of vocal quicksand.

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posted by cortex (19 comments total)

"Last time I was in a car with mathowie, Don't Stop Believin' came on. I'm not saying anything, here, I'm just sayin'." -- cortex

In my mind, that car ride sounded Just. Like. This.
posted by dblslash at 6:18 PM on April 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

It can't be real. It can't be real. It can't be real. It can't be real. It can't be real.
posted by cgc373 at 6:33 PM on April 29, 2010

I'll reluctantly out myself as a secret Journey fan, but this is a very bad thing you have done here!
posted by Burhanistan at 7:07 PM on April 29, 2010

This is my favorite cover of Journey on a ridiculous instrument since uncleozzy's Faithfully cover.

Someone needs to do "Any Way You Want It" on bagpipes to complete the trifecta.
posted by Caduceus at 8:33 PM on April 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

What, banjo isn't a ridiculous instrument anymore?
posted by cortex at 8:36 PM on April 29, 2010

Though I agree, uncleozzy's polka is fucking dope.
posted by cortex at 8:36 PM on April 29, 2010

Well, your Wheel in the Sky cover is older. And while whether banjo is ridiculous or not is debatable, that particular cover (while pretty damn great) isn't really goofy enough to qualify for the trifecta. In my opinion, anyway. If you did another one that wholeheartedly embraces the goofiest twangy excesses that can be achieved with a banjo, then you'll win the internet.
posted by Caduceus at 9:08 PM on April 29, 2010

Fair point. Though goofier would be an all-jawharp take.
posted by cortex at 9:13 PM on April 29, 2010

YES.
posted by Caduceus at 9:19 PM on April 29, 2010

an all-jawharp take.

Ask flapjax nicely, I'm sure he'll oblige; he's the resident jawharp guru, after all. I might try a quick and dirty version with some other randomly decided instrumentation...maybe an a capella version of...something. I dunno.
posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 10:13 PM on April 29, 2010

This is great.

I really wanted to do an all-kazoo cover for the Leonard Cohen challenge--since that's about all the musical ability I have. I would have called it "Kazoo-lelujah."
posted by sambosambo at 5:20 AM on April 30, 2010

I lost my shit when you went up the octave. Just. So. Silly. I haven't owned a kazoo in years... I might have to pick one up next time I see one.

"Any Way You Want It" on bagpipes

Well, I do have a practice chanter... and it's a bitch and a half to play.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:55 AM on April 30, 2010

Even if your using a super high quality $3 kazoo, as opposed to the 25 for a buck "party favor" variety, this must have taken some great effort.

Much applause to you!
posted by snsranch at 3:40 PM on April 30, 2010

I bet your floor was covered with spit after this. I like the uplifting chord at the end.
For your Adult Contemporary cover songs project:
Do "More Than Words" next.
posted by chococat at 5:37 PM on April 30, 2010

Do "More Than Words" next.

Oh god.
posted by cortex at 5:38 PM on April 30, 2010

i second "more than words"!
posted by nadawi at 6:36 PM on April 30, 2010

You know... there's a certain type of kid... usually somewhere between the ages of three and ten... who just has no fear. No self-consciousness. No hesitation. No socially driven restraint. And that kid, whatever he or she is doing, just fucking goes for it and then puts it out there. That's what this... um. composition makes me think of. That kid.
posted by idest at 11:04 AM on May 1, 2010 [3 favorites]

When this version is played with iTunes playing the original version in the background, the result is pure insanity.
posted by Effigy2000 at 11:30 PM on May 7, 2010 [3 favorites]

MORE. THAN. WORDS.

The next time there's a big meetup, this needs to be done live.
posted by davejay at 12:34 AM on May 25, 2010