Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Feedback Requested

[thethoughts]

Hi folks,

Our little band is new to TAXI and was hoping to get some feedback from members with more experience. While we joined primarily to help songs from our current and future LP's get some traction in new markets, we decided to make a go of the request for Rainbow covers posted last week. Due to the short turn around time, we recorded the song ourselves rather than visiting our favorite local studio.

Here's what we'd like to hear from you--how'd we do on production quality? What did we do well? What do we need to fix for future submissions we record? Anything y'all can offer to help us get better would be much appreciated.

You can hear our version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow here:

http://www.taxi.com/thethoughts

Thanks!

Katie
The Thoughts Music

[nick.moxsom]

Hi, Katie, and welcome

I've been haunting this forum since last autumn, and joined Taxi two days ago to submit for this listing. If you look down the list you'll see it's been a popular one, with many damned fine versions, including yours, on offer.

I'm not hot on production (hopefully others who are will pitch in here), but it sounded pretty okay to me. One thing people are likely to say is the bar is high enough that pitchy vocals may stand less chance of getting through. It's a difficult concept in that, as in your case, the pitchy vocal is part of the character of the performance, and your sound. That word 'compromise' rears its ugly head here, I guess.

Anyway, pitch in and make comments on other people's stuff and you'll find everyone more than happy to help. And good luck with this one.

Nick

[pauleddymusic]

I dig it. I dig the chord substitutions; they seem appropriate for the arrangement, and I like what the violins play - cool parts. But this recording is really all about that vocal, which I love! Having said that, I'll agree with Nick that there may be a few places where it gets perhaps a bit too "free." And I say this only because it could end up on TV with all of TV land listening, which is a wide audience to say the least. But overall, I think you guys really did capture a hip indie sort of take on this. Very cool. Good luck.

[joecox]

I like your version a lot. Great q.
The violins got a little hot and competed with the vocal half way through the track.
Personally I think the acoustic guitar could be more prominent and gutsy. It sounds shallow and doesn't provide enough rhythmic energy. The performance is good, but the recording lacks.
Finally, the ending is weak. I struggled with this, too. But I played my first version for my wife (which extended the ending and riffed on the melody). She said that listeners KNOW that original, iconic ending and it's probably better to go on up to the tonic at the end. My wife thought that anything else would not be as strong. I agreed and changed it.
You ended as I recall on the 5th? Either resolve that cadence up or down.
It's been surprising to me how many Taxi members made submissions on this posting. What could we POSSIBLY do with this song that hasn't already been done a hundred times?
Compared to most versions, mine seems a little vanilla. I stuck to the original melody and harmony. Not terribly daring.
I commend you and the other musicians for daring to be different.

www.taxi.com/joecox

[sedge]

This was a top version and thanks for the download, I enjoyed the guitar vocal balance

I hope we all get to find out who got forwarded as there were so many, proper good fun!

The listing asks for ""similar emotional effect and spirit-giving listeners a warm, moving, uplifting...""

I wonder at this one - the song is actually a very sad song - isn't it!, hopeful, but sad - happiness is over there, somewhere...

... perhaps Judy's version grows in orchestration to a peak, perhaps it's the chirpy uke of IZ's version that ticks us
along to "warm, moving, uplifting" - or maybe its just the childhood memory of the film for us ( some of us )

Great listing from Taxi

[thethoughts]

I'm so impressed with the breadth of compositions I've heard for this listing, it's been very cool to see how different artists develop the same theme. I hope the folks who are forwarded post a notice in one of the forums, I will be interested to see which versions resonate with the screeners and the ad agency.

And thanks so much for your feedback! We made some gambles with our version (the rougher vocal, the sadder timbre of the song) and it's good to know how those came across and what areas need improvement for next time.

Best,

Katie
http://www.taxi.com/thethoughts

[pauleddymusic]

Right, Sedge! I even called to ask if I could slightly alter the lyrics, and the advice was "probably better not." I wanted to change the outlook to a more hopeful one instead of "It's so great over the rainbow, but I don't get to go there - bummer!" Oh well. Like you said, the overall feeling is still warm when we hear it, for whatever reason. There's an instrumental version of "When You Wish Upon A Star" by Jim Campilongo that sounds very slow and full of sadness - he said he was trying to play it as if the person didn't get their wish. Whatever works, right?

[sedge]

aye paul, have to be a brave Ad company to change the words to this well known classic hey.

Katie, no way was my thoughts to say your version aired on the sadder side, I liked it allot, was more of general ponder of the song itself.