Feedback would be greatly appreciated

[bluesgirl]

Hi,I have been lurking around here for a while, joined Taxi at the end of April 08, but just decided to "bite the bullet" and post to get some feedback. I am a guitar player mostly but I play other instruments as needed. Not that I am any good on any of them but I guess I make them work to some degree. I'm sure I am not alone on that one! I have been mostly working on blues instrumentals but have come to the conclusion I am going to have to broaden my horizons if I want to get anything out of Taxi as far as Film, TV, etc. I have been listening to other people's stuff and I have to say that I am quite impressed with a lot of stuff I hear. There are some very talented people hanging around here.I would like to get some feedback on these two songs that I submitted just recently to a couple of the Rock category listings. I know the songs are definitely "dated" but I felt the listings were asking for that type of sound so I went ahead and submitted. I mean $5 won't break the bank for a possible opportunity or at least some feedback.Please don't hold anything back on your feedback (don't be nice if there are issues) since I need to really know what someone thinks of it. Be brutal if you need to!!Obviously I am not the singer on these. These are the listings I submitted to:ANTHEMIC ROCK SONGS a la Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, etc. are needed by an Independent Music Publisher who has tons of Film/TV placements and has signed dozens of TAXI artists/writers. These songs should have huge choruses with lyric content that's rousing and exciting -- strong statements, clear points and messages -- all laced with tons of energy & attitude. The President of this company will be screening these submissions himself. He's also open to Alternative Rock (a la Red Hot Chili Peppers), Modern Rock (a la The Killers) or Emo (a la Jimmy Eat World) -- if you fit more into one of these categories, send it through! He'll be looking for the smash choruses and the energy level, along with cutting edge lyrics. This company splits the license fee with you 40/60 [that 60% is for you] and doesn't take any publishing. Broadcast quality needed [excellent home recordings are OK]. Please submit one to three songs online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS -- NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI "BIG" ROCK SONGS in the expansive range of The Who, Muse, Pearl Jam, Audioslave, The Killers, etc. are needed by an Independent Music Publisher who has tons of Film/TV placements and has signed dozens of TAXI writers. He's looking for songs that have huge choruses and defined riffs -- radio-friendly rock. As you can tell from the referenced artists, the scope of what will be considered is fairly wide but these songs MUST be accessible for today's music. The strength of the choruses will be evaluated for the catch of the hooks, the build in the dynamic energy and the overall delivery. An excellent performance is a necessity.Be In Love Againhttp://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_id=131418&stream=1All Over Townhttp://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_id=1425 ... am=1Thanks for listening!!bluesgirl

[dgolding]

Hi bluesgirl, and welcome to the jungle I liked both of the songs, especially the second one, so I'll concentrate on that.The start reminds me of another song, but It's on the tip of my tongue. Mix seems good to me, and the hook is memorable. I like 'understated' feel of it. Its not cluttered up with un-necessary sounds. The singer's voice has plenty of expression, but the backing vocals are a bit pitchy in places, especially the 'all over town' bits.You say the songs are dated, but so am I, and I would have liked more of a guitar solo around 2:10 followed by a keychange just to rev it all up a gear.I'm not sure if the songs are on target for these particular listings, but I could certainly imagine 'All over town' as a backdrop to a movie scene.Ahh! I think I have remembered what the start reminds me of, Purple Rain

[avillaronga]

Hi bluesgirl,I like the vibe of both songs though it's true that they sound a bit dated. In this type of listing you have to walk a fine line between staying true to the genre and the sound of the artists mentioned without sounding too dated, unless the listing specifically asks for it to "sound like it was recorded in XXX" (as some listings have said lately). Perhaps my biggest concern is the guitar sound: it sounds a bit thin to me. Both of the listings asks for "big" sound, I'm not sure either song will be considered to have a big sound. I would experiment a bit more with the mix of the guitar. Also, on the first song the higher guitar seems to be fighting a bit with the vocals on the mix. Maybe try to mix the bass with a bit more low end to give it a fuller sound. All of this of course is one person's subjective opinion. And, yes, the harmonies on the second song sound a bit off tune.You do have a couple of really nice songs here and with very minor tweaks on the mix they could sound better and more appropriate for a variety of listings. I enjoyed listening to both songs.HTHAntonio

[bluesgirl]

Thanks for listening and giving some feedback. Well to be honest the songs are really dated. The vocals are the only thing from the original recordings on All Over Town and Be In Love Again the vocals and the lead guitar (the guitar Antonio said was a little too loud) are from the original recordings and I transferred them to Cubase. I re-recoreded all the other tracks on Cubase. The vocals and that guitar I mentioned were actually recorded on a 4 track cassette deck. These songs were orginally done in 1992. I just thought they may be usable somewhere. I appreciate the feedback and as far as re-mixing them I'll have to do that if I ever submit them again since they have already been submitted but the listings are only Yes/No so I won't get any Taxi feedback that I know of.Antonio, I always have an issue when mixing of feeling I am getting things too cluttered and hence the thinner guitars or not enough bass guitar. As far as the backing vocal being off I didn't notice it but my ears probably are numb to it. I think the back vocal is maybe a little too loud in that mix too, which now I notice.Thanksbluesgirl

[Casey H]

Hi BluesgirlFirst, I have to say I am not responding here because you were nice enough to check out the last song I posted, though I really appreciate it! I saw this earlier today and intended to come back and listen.Listened to Be In Love Again... Good song! Yes, a bit dated on the production side. Vary catchy. This may not fit these listings because the it does not have the rousing, smashing chorus needed. (I'd love to be wrong!) I do hear a bit of Jimmy Eat World in there as well as older The Who... However, it may very well fit other film/TV listings. It is VERY good. One thing I mention a lot of these boards is that "dated" is not the bad word it used to be. BUT the trick is to be recognizable as from a particular era. If your song sounds like it's right out of 1968 or 1983, for example, there will be an opportunity for it. Who is performing here? Is that your band? A song like this could probably produced with a more modern style. The SONG is definitely there, all the way! Some of my songs were written in a 60's Beatles style but produced with some modernization. This could be a good one to get a critique on, whether custom or from a listing. It would be good to get some opinions on it's film/TV marketability.Nice to meet you (if I haven't before), Casey

[bluesgirl]

Thanks Casey. It is me playing everything but the vocal is someone who I played with a long time ago. Like I said in my response to Antonio I redid these songs on a whim that they were usable for something. The vocals on both songs and one guitar part on Be In Love Again were transferred from a Yamaha 4 trk cassette the rest done on Cubase. I have more of these songs too but don't know if I will try to do anything with them. I'm not sure I would know what to do to modernize them and I would have to get someone to sing cause I don't. I wrote them though but it was some years ago.

[Casey H]

Jul 3, 2008, 4:13pm, bluesgirl wrote:Thanks Casey. It is me playing everything but the vocal is someone who I played with a long time ago. Like I said in my response to Antonio I redid these songs on a whim that they were usable for something. The vocals on both songs and one guitar part on Be In Love Again were transferred from a Yamaha 4 trk cassette the rest done on Cubase. I have more of these songs too but don't know if I will try to do anything with them. I'm not sure I would know what to do to modernize them and I would have to get someone to sing cause I don't. I wrote them though but it was some years ago. Well, before you rush to do anything, get more feedback, both here and with pro-critiques as to the marketability of these songs. Film/TV opens a lot of doors and you may not be as far off as you think...PS Do you have anything that sounds pure 60's? I've seen a lot of opps for that lately. Casey

[bluesgirl]

Casey, No I can't say I have anything that is 60's that I can think of. Oh I will wait to see what happens from Taxi with these songs and decide at that point whether to do anything more with them. I don't want to "beat a dead horse" cause "time isn't on my side" if u know what I mean!Thanks again.bluesgirl

[heinsite]

blues goil--ok, i'm real old too, but FOR GOD'S SAKE, there is absolutely zero, zilch wrong with the first tune, will listen to the second, well--second. very good vibe. ONLY PROBLEM I HEAR IS THE MIX. a little too loud in places, have it remixed and you're set in my opinion. there are MANY tunes i'm hearing on "progressive raydeeoh" and elsewhere that this tune would do VERY well, the trick is to get taxi to forward it. which I WOULD...ok, now for the second one, listening in a minute. nice guitar by the way, but again, remix this puppy!!the best,warren

[heinsite]

ok blues girl--david is right, does remind me of prince, but hell, nobody will notice--ha! ok, all over town:good structure, held my interest, but again, get it mixed again, the guitars are muddy, which i want to badly hear!! the vox is a guy as i take it that is not around anymore--for what it's worth on this one, have it resung by somebody else, with more style, pump up the "attitude." A SPRINGSTEEN STYLE vox in my opinion would be just right. and on the chorus, pump it up with either harmony or more dynamic/higher notes to make it soar more (trust me, that's becoming tatooed on my...well everything... by the taxidermists.now, for what it's worth, WHY THE HELL ARE NOT POSTING TUNES LIKE THESE? looking forward to hearing more from you bluesgirl. great jobs on both the tunes.the best, REMIX!warren