Interesting to WHOM?

[cporter]

Help me out here guys. I have been a taxi member for a few years and have never argued a return. This one I got last week just didn't sit right with me and I need a little help. Here's the listing:Y090722RKCLASSIC ROCK COVER SONGS AND INSTRUMENTALS a la Steppenwolf, KISS, 38 Special, The Who, Supertramp, Thin Lizzy, Three Dog Night, etc., are wanted by the owner of a new masters library to supply compositions for Film and TV placements, Video Games, Toy products, Hallmark music cards, etc. This gentleman was the head of the library division of a major music publisher and is now branching out on his own, so you are in good hands. He is specifically looking for new arrangements and NOT copies or sound-alikes. He suggested picking a particular artist or band and then combining it with other artist/band styles, therefore making it somewhat familiar to the ear while creating a new and unique sound. He also said if the original was sung by a male, try it with a female lead or try something like taking a song with full instrumentation and doing it acoustic. Overall, you have the liberty to make a new arrangement and to make it interesting, just keep the original song recognizable. The one thing he was adamant about is making sure that you DO NOT ALTER THE LYRICS in any way. Some suggested songs to cover are "Born To Be Wild" or "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf, "Rock and Roll All Nite" by KISS, "Caught Up In You" by 38 Special, "I'm Free" by The Who, "Give A Little Bit" by Supertramp "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night and "The Boys Are Back In Town" by Thin Lizzy. They are open to hearing other songs but really want to hear these ones as well. Please don't send in covers of anything too obscure, it should definitely be a "popular" song that was on the charts. Broadcast quality needed (excellent sounding home demos are okay). Please submit one to three songs and/or instrumentals online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS ONLY - NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI - and must be received no later than Wednesday, July 22, 2009. TAXI #Y090722RKI submitted 3 tracks because I was so darned confident they'd fit the brief. GO TOwww.taxi.com/catherineporter and listen to my versions of SUMMER OF 69 (Adams), EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD (Tears for Fears) and SOMEBODY TO LOVE (Queen).They were all returned. Though it was not a "critiqued" listing, the reviewer was kind enough to offer:1) EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD- "The arrangement has a great vocal performance but needs a more original and imaginative approach"2) SUMMER OF 69-"Another fine vocal but this version is a little too 'easy listening' in style and not engaging or interesting enough"3) SOMEBODY TO LOVE- "smooth production and very competent vocal delivery but again, not a version that strikes and grabs a listener's attention."Here's the brag part. All three of these songs appear on my album, GEMS FOR RUBY, released in the UK, distributed by Universal/Nova. All three recordings have had decent play on the radio and continue to do so. I personally received a note from co-writer of Summer of 69, Jim Vallance, saying my version was his fave (other than the Adams version, obviously) and on Somebody to love, one of the original writers/guitarist, Brian May, appears on a solo and was the first single released from the album to critical acclaim. Of course none of this really matters, but hey, I'm proud so I had to mention. MY QUESTION IS: Since these songs, in my mind, FIT THE BRIEF, is it just a question of not appealing in an "interesting" way to the reviewer? Does he/she not like "Easy listening" and where in the brief does it say NO EASY LISTENING? Have I not taken songs and done different arrangements to the original? Did I not do songs that were originally with male vocals and flipped them around to be female? I think these songs deserved to be heard by the music supervisor (who does Hallmark, for goodness sakes, doesn't that scream Easy listening at you?) of that listing and I may have been cheated a listen. If you agree, please let me know. If not, I promise I will lie down with a cold compress, do some yoga, meditate and roll over. Your call.

[daniel481]

Hey there,I went to your page and listened to "Somebody to Love" (I couldn't find the other two for some reason), and I thought it sounded great. Definitely a really strong vocal performance, and the Brian May solo is cool. Now, my guess as to why this didn't get through would be that it is just a little too smooth for the listing. I know they said they wanted to here unique new arrangements, but since there are so many references to classic rock in the listing itself, I think (and again, this is just an educated guess), that they really still wanted the tracks to stay in the rock range. Again, the performance is great, but it isn't an arrangement with a lot of excitement that just grabs you (and it obviously wasn't meant to be), and the vocal almost feels like it's even getting close to country. Again, there's nothing wrong with any of that, but those reasons all probably contributed to it not getting through.Wish I could here the other ones, but that's my take on that!HTH,Dan

[cporter]

Hey Dan, thanks for your comments. I hear what you are saying, but the brief doesn't say anything about "Keeping it in the rock range," in fact, it says, "you have the liberty to make a new arrangement and to make it interesting," (which is why I entitled this "Interesting to WHOM?" because I think my arrangements are interesting and different from their originals (and sorry you weren't able to hear the others, they are there, I swear!)-- in fact, it goes on to say to even try it acoustic. If it said "keep it in the rock range, I would have saved my $15. Look, I get that this may just come down to one man's taste, and maybe it just didn't grab him, but somehow I wish there was a clause where the reviewers could say, "well, it's not my cup of tea, but it's actually right for this listing and the MD of the company may find it right up his alley..... As I said, I don't normally argue my returns, but I found it hard to get my head around this one and needed some perspective.Thanks again, Dan. More please, folks....

[daniel481]

Hey again. Just as one more quick note, I know it doesn't actually say keep them in the rock range, but learning to read between the lines of these listings does end up being one of the most important skills you can learn in the long run (and I know that it's not always easy). The only reason I think that is because everything that they reference in the listing mentions classic rock. I can definitely see this one being frustrating, because it does talk about doing an acoustic version and taking liberties with creative arrangements, but it just sounds to me like they were still hoping to hear tracks that were a bit more rockin, I guess. Either way, the screener would have had a good idea of what the client was looking for (or the client himself could have been screening; that seems to happen fairly often), and for whatever reason just didn't feel like it fit their criteria.So yeah, the wording of listings can definitely be frustrating, but unfortunately that's just how it is in this business, both in and outside of TAXI. And if you really feel like the return was off base or you don't understand it, you can always give the TAXI office a call and explain the situation. I've done that a few times and they've always been more than happy to explain, and even (once or twice) change their decision BTW I did listen to some more of your stuff, and it's very nice. Great vocals indeed.-D

[trispeed]

I only heard Somebody to Love, as well.Fantastic vocals and I like the Norah Jones vibe! However....This song isn't a "classic rock" song in the genre requested, however. If you pay heed to the examples, you will note a distinct stylistic/ genre/ era difference.

[rooftopscreamer]

Hi,I had the privilege of listening to your version of the songs listed and have to say that you're clearly a pro. Great voice, instrumentation, the works. No argument there.The listing did allow for a wide variety of interpretations so I think it must simply be a preference. Nothing more or less. All the original songs mentioned in the listing do have a certain energy. Maybe they're just looking for a similar vibe.Respectfully,RooftopScreamer