Baby Do You Feel Me/ Laid Back Blues Groove

It took a while to get this one going, but thanks to Andrew for making it sound big, and to Aaron for getting what I consider to be a very good drum sound.
Any feedback would be great, I hate to say I’m happy with it when I put it in the Bash category, but it was a fun tune to record once we got the ball rolling.
Thanks for your comments.

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Love it Bob - One listener described it as “Frampton doing ‘Born Under a Bad Sign’ and then some”… I thought that was a pretty good description! Nice work, my man!

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Loved that intro. wowser. Big sound. Vocal is there man. A little wa wa…ahhhh. Those fills give chills. BGV’s baby yes I feel it. What a tone on that fill guitar. holy crap
Ok, so right away I was hurt because i wasn’t on the colab call list, but this is so much out of MY league.
Huge congrats

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I’ve listened to this on my iPad a few times and I find it sounds very good.

The first thing that I thought upon hearing the intro was, “Frampton’s, Do You Feel Like I Do & Show Me The Way”. For a moment I thought that guitar was a vocal but then quickly realized it was a talk box effect. Are you using an actual talk box or is this an emulation? It sounds really good. Not often that we hear that sound now days. Come to think of it, it wasn’t all that common back in the 70’s and 80’s either. I think Joe Perry from Aerosmith used it a little bit but I can’t think of any other guitarist that implemented it.

Everything sounds quite good through these little iPad speakers. You exhibit a knack for creating a retro bluesy song that sounds genuine. It feels real, like the 70’s blues based music. I know it’s just a little thing but I like those quiet background vocals near the end of the song. It just adds something more to the piece and gives the listener a bit of extra candy to chew on before the song ends.

The drums do sound quite good, also. If they sound this big through these iPad speakers I’m betting that they’ll sound great through my headphones. I’m looking forward to giving this a good listen through my headphones (probably tomorrow). I’ll let you know if I hear anything that strikes me as “out of place”. What I’m hearing right now is really solid. Good stuff ! :+1::+1:

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Excellent stuff! The talk box is indeed a rarely heard effect. I liked it greatly everywhere but the intro. The first instance was a little too staccato for me. After that they were much more legato. I don’t know if you could have spread the notes out in the first instance, but it just felt awkward, and the last note at 0:10 sounded ‘out’ or strange to me. Every thing else was great, the ambience and BGV throughout have a great vibe. I got Frampton + Robin Trower influences.

I don’t know if this is what you were talking about, but the lead solo at the end starting at 3:25 was quite a highlight. Very Strat sounding and quite reminiscent of SRV.

Joe used it mostly on “Sweet Emotion”, but other places I’m sure. I’m pretty sure Robin Trower used it in several songs, and Joe Walsh on “Rocky Mountain Way”. And of course Frampton.

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Thank you both for the comments. It is a real talkbox made by MXR. The first one I ever owned was made by Heil, and it actually routed the signal from your guitar amp into the driver, then up the tube. That thing would rattle your teeth loose. This one has a small built in amp that is easier on the choppers.
The first little phrase is jarring by design, Stan. Hopefully it will grow on you a little, but I wanted it to stand out so the more melodic phrases wouldn’t sound repetitive.
Aaron and Andrew made the drums sound great; they were very well recorded. Andrew would have to enlighten you as to how he treated them, but they pop really well without ringing, a lot of which is Aaron having good hands.
Again, thank you both for your comments.

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This is really cool, good work man !

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Thanks, Sven. Sometimes concentrating on the groove and leaving space is the best approach.

Exactly - and the trick of leaving space is hard-to-come-by wisdom - especially since we have so many guitar, basses and VSTs that yell out to be heard…

Really cool track. Tasty guitar playing with great tone… and the talk box was very cool. The only section that seemed a little odd to me was the background vocals during the outro starting at 3:19… for some reason the vox struck me as weird for some reason and I can’t quite put my finger on why! :slight_smile: They will probably grow on me after a few more listens. This was really good.

Thanks very much! The end part actually has 3 talkbox tracks doing background voices, that may be what you are hearing that’s a bit weird.

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Nice vibe and execution. Sounds very full. I agree with Stan about the talk box at the beginning, but it works well everywhere else.

Thanks, it was a fun song to record. If I ever get to play it at The Royal Albert Hall and you and Stan come (tickets will be provided) I’ll change the first phrase for you. I don’t know why, but I like that lick. At least I know it stands out.
Thanks very much for listening, good to hear from you.

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Maybe I’m just programmed to expect a talk box effect later in a song, sort of a icing on the cake deal.

I’m looking forward to watching you perform at The Royal Albert Hall.
If tickets are provided, I can probably tolerate the opening lick. :smiley:

Richie Sambora used it in a few Bon Jovi songs to good effect.

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I was wondering! Not really, I liked the ending as is, Bob. After one listen I must admit I have about as much memory of the lyrics as the talkbox tracks. Song takes me back to the day, you crooner you! I’d add Steely Dan to the list of bands I’m reminded of.

I think the first time I heard it it wasn’t even registering it wasn’t a voice, but the second time it was in my face, and it sounded much cooler and well-phrased, a little bit sassy, too. I was always intrigued by the device, but it was a glorious time with wahwah pedals and reverbs and echoes and distortions all challenging the clean guitar sound. But those effects dominated the songs when done well. I’d say that applies here for sure!

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Thanks very much.
A talkbox is a fun device, but, like bagpipes, it is a sign of politeness if you don’t play it too often.
There’s a lot of influences in there, mostly because I’ve been around long enough to absorb them through osmosis.
I wish I had a small percentage of the harmonic sophistication that Steely Dan has but for me it is mostly moving away from straight dominant chords by moving my fingers until I find something that sounds right. It’s a lot easier in a 3 piece setting as opposed to writing for a full band, since guitar inversions sometime take 3 hands to play on a piano.

Hey, listening in my HD600s. This is nice. Very cool song. Great mix. Clean and interesting. Only suggestions I’d have is fix some minor sibilance issues and to my taste the side stick (or whatever that is) is a bit loud and competing with the vocals.

Nice talk box. I really like this. Nicely done!

Now that you mention it, I immediately thought of “Livin’ On A Prayer”, which was (IIRC) their first big radio/MTV hit, and the first time I believe I had heard of them. After that, of course, they became huge. I can’t think of any other of their songs with talk box, but it’s been quite a few years now.

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Thanks very much for your comments.