Dark Days take 2

ideascapes · Post by **ideascapes** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:27 pm

Bill,I'm not gonna add much, cuz I'm hearing the same thing others have mentioned--need for more dynamics/fills in drums, keys, heck, probably bass too (heard a few cool slides, tho). Chorus could be hookier too. Loved the bridge.During the breakdown after the guitar solo, I thought the drums were a little heavy...maybe you could go more cymbal touches and less kick?The song does have a great feel and I think that's why you're getting so many comments--we all wish we were playing along live and helping you raise it up!Vince

jonathanm · Post by **jonathanm** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:04 pm

Jan 21, 2009, 12:34pm, heinsite wrote:i immediately thought of Mayer--then i read it by jonathan--then i thought, "ok, where's the chorus" after that prechorus...then read that by jonathan--Jan 21, 2009, 12:49pm, wta wrote:You hit Mayer in my head as well...Well, that's just dangerous, the three of us lining up like that. Some natural disaster is about occur or something! The Mayer comments should encourage you. I think it's a great tune; love the sound, the feel.I hear what you're saying, Bill, about the direction you'd like to take the 3rd verse. You'll wake up some morning soon with it completely finished in your head.

davekershaw · Post by **davekershaw** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 12:43 am

Quote:...and i hope Don Henley sings it, NOT stewart, though i don't mind him, but that would be my preference--..and there's elvis AGAIN davie--geeze--no comment...just don't thinkIt was a jooooooooooooke Warren!But I guess you really knew that.It wouldn't suit Rod at all!

mcanty · Post by **mcanty** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 4:36 am

Nice sound here. The guitar tone is great, the production is great, the vocal sound is solid......the only thing it needs (in my opinion) is some filler between vocals. It drags just a touch and I think you could add some fills to keep the listeners interest.I wouldn't classify this as blues.........It's a very good pop / americana ballad. Lots of potential here in my opinion.

partyofone · Post by **partyofone** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:11 am

Hey Bill,Ha ha man you crack me up... deep album cuts... and your next album title! On a side note, isn't it funny how just a little twist or tiny something can make something either dated or revivalist? Cool tune.. I hear the Mayer feel and bit o Dylan in the delivery which I like. I like your hook/chorus line bit and IMHO I think it have more impact (that is, if you want it

) if the melody before it could be changed up a bit.. maybe either go higher or changed rhythmically just for contrast sake. Heck maybe even some chord changes. But seems like you could get some easy placements on this being that this song does speak to the times.Oh and btw, it doesn't sound dated to me.

zoom · Post by **zoom** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:55 am

Bill!I'll chime in with the others and say it has Mayer all over it, with a hint of 60s soul sensibility a la Van Morrison, Otis Redding, etc.... I wanna hear more! More of that bluesy guitar tone, even just as a a light rhythm part as an accent with the snare. More organ, more dynamics, more of a live feel. For the organ, try mimicking the lead guitar phrasing just before it heads back into a verse (one of the shorter phrases) -- I think that would be a great musical payoff, and not too much of a pain to learn.I tell ya... this is no deep album cut... it's a juicy track! Definitely one worth spending more time on IMO.Cheers!

Mark Kaufman · Post by **Mark Kaufman** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 6:00 am

Bill, we're riding the same wavelength...spooky if you ask me... I just posted a similar title and theme ("Better Days") and it's freakin' me out. LOVE the guitar and vocal work on this. How did you get Steve Cropper to play for you anyway...isn't he kind of expensive?

billg · Post by **billg** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 12:36 pm

Wade (Windowman) Mosher was kind enough to add some KILLER slide guitar & a new solo & I did a much better mix I think. Now it's more bluesy like it should be!Thanks Wade!http://www.billgaunce.com/song/107

deantaylor · Post by **deantaylor** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:18 pm

Bill,I am very, very jealous. This is just a FANTASTIC lyric! I love it. I wish I had written it. There are just some fantastic lines in this. And it all works perfectly (well on first read it does .. lol). I'd have to list the whole lyric to get all the lines I love, but here are a few:Landscape's dottedWith the signs of the timesFortunes shift On the cold winds that blowImages Of lines that seem endlessGive us our daily bread(don't know if you meant it, but TV (analog-crt) is just lines .. so double meaning here!)(you lose the second meaning soon with digital-led-plasma .. I think .. lol)Oh yeah, slide guit is cool. Tune is good. Maybe the only weakness? is that the chorus sounds pretty similar to the verse, not lifted, but ... I don't really mind that.Great work. Great message. Love it.Dean

billg · Post by **billg** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:01 pm

Thanks Dean! In going for a blues thing I was thinking the chorus/hook wouldn't be so important since many blues songs don't even have a chorus. I think my problem is that it just isn't quite close enough to a traditional blues song & so the listener keeps waiting for a chorus that never arrives. Oh well, maybe it will at least get people to listen through to the end (where's that confounded chorus?!)

Dark Days take 2

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