Here Comes Summer

Skully · June 22nd, 2008, 04:57 AM

"Here Comes Summer" is my tribute to the season. The chorus is a bit goofy. I tried changing it, but I eventually I just decided it is what it is. Hopefully, it captures that summer feeling.

Originally, beat on the chorus was more Go's-Go's/"We Got the Beat," but I changed it to something with a Billy Idol/"Mony Mony" vibe.

It's all me, all the time; no one else to blame. The rhythm guitar, bass and vocals (save for two notes) were all recorded last year or the year before. I was working on new stuff for a new MySpace band/brand, but I figured I better finish it up now, while it's seasonal, or it would never be completed.

The rhythm guitar -- everything but the solo -- is my sunburst 1984 Telecaster. It's not much for twanging, but it's good for crunchy rock. The solo is a Variax. The second half of it is a bit screechy. I tried to EQ it out. I'm not sure it worked.

All the percussion is acoustic. The drums are a Gretsch birch set, augmented by a trio of Pulse roto toms. The song also features congas, djembe, cajon, tambourine, maracas and egg shakers, mostly on the outro -- which features my first fade-out!

StuH · June 26th, 2008, 05:31 AM

I love the chorus Skully, the song sounds great. Vocal chain is nice, and warm.
Nice job.

trag-o-caster · June 26th, 2008, 01:48 PM

I dug it Skully! I listened to the whole thing, and I thought it was a great tribute to this time of year! I can imagine hearing this in the car with the windows down, 90 degree heat, and seeing all the babes walkin' down the sidewalk with skimpy clothes on..... Yeah, your song conjures all that up nicely!

The guitar tones were cool - a bit fizzy for my tastes, but worked great for this tune just the same. I enjoyed the short solo in there as well. Extra bonus points to you for not using the solo space to show off and blaze, and also for keeping the solo space short. The song doesn't call for any more than what you did. Perfecto! Also, the solo itself was nice and melodic. It was like it was part of the song. Excellent!

The only criticism that I have would be that your vocals sound a bit smooth, where the song could use a little roughness and grit in the vocal. That's a very tiny criticism though. Overall, the whole thing sounds great!

Thanks for sharing that with us!

Skully · June 26th, 2008, 05:15 PM

Thanks for taking the time to listen and make comments.

Quote:

The guitar tones were cool - a bit fizzy for my tastes, but worked great for this tune just the same.

Yeah. Some of the crunch degrades into fizziness through mixdown and conversion, but the tone definitely starts in the fizzy neighborhood.

Quote:

Extra bonus points to you for not using the solo space to show off and blaze, and also for keeping the solo space short.

Limitation is the mother of taste.

The tone of the solo was bugging me, so I did a little remixing today. The latter part still grates on my ears, but I think my earlier eq fix just caused more damage. Of course, I could just re-record the damn thing...

Quote:

The only criticism that I have would be that your vocals sound a bit smooth, where the song could use a little roughness and grit in the vocal. That's a very tiny criticism though.

Criticism welcome. I agree about the vocal. I recorded it two years ago, IIRC, and I had planned to redo it. My voice is in better shape now and I think I could do it better. But I wanted to get the song done before another summer passed, so I left it alone and proceeded to waste time on other piddly parts of the song.

FirstBassman · June 26th, 2008, 07:25 PM

I liked it!

If you haven't already, ya gotta hear the "beach ball party" song Roger McGuinn wrote while he was working at the Brill Building.

You'd get a kick out of it.

June 22nd, 2008, 04:57 AM	#1 (permalink)
Skully Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Glamorous NoHo Posts: 3,805	Here Comes Summer "Here Comes Summer" is my tribute to the season. The chorus is a bit goofy. I tried changing it, but I eventually I just decided it is what it is. Hopefully, it captures that summer feeling. Originally, beat on the chorus was more Go's-Go's/"We Got the Beat," but I changed it to something with a Billy Idol/"Mony Mony" vibe. It's all me, all the time; no one else to blame. The rhythm guitar, bass and vocals (save for two notes) were all recorded last year or the year before. I was working on new stuff for a new MySpace band/brand, but I figured I better finish it up now, while it's seasonal, or it would never be completed. The rhythm guitar -- everything but the solo -- is my sunburst 1984 Telecaster. It's not much for twanging, but it's good for crunchy rock. The solo is a Variax. The second half of it is a bit screechy. I tried to EQ it out. I'm not sure it worked. All the percussion is acoustic. The drums are a Gretsch birch set, augmented by a trio of Pulse roto toms. The song also features congas, djembe, cajon, tambourine, maracas and egg shakers, mostly on the outro -- which features my first fade-out! __________________ Myspace.com/skullysounds

June 26th, 2008, 05:31 AM	#2 (permalink)
StuH Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2006 Location: Yukon, Canada Age: 38 Posts: 1,445 12 Photos	I love the chorus Skully, the song sounds great. Vocal chain is nice, and warm. Nice job. __________________ My music page http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...?bandID=561926

June 26th, 2008, 01:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
trag-o-caster Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Flushing, Michigan Posts: 4,439	I dug it Skully! I listened to the whole thing, and I thought it was a great tribute to this time of year! I can imagine hearing this in the car with the windows down, 90 degree heat, and seeing all the babes walkin' down the sidewalk with skimpy clothes on..... Yeah, your song conjures all that up nicely! The guitar tones were cool - a bit fizzy for my tastes, but worked great for this tune just the same. I enjoyed the short solo in there as well. Extra bonus points to you for not using the solo space to show off and blaze, and also for keeping the solo space short. The song doesn't call for any more than what you did. Perfecto! Also, the solo itself was nice and melodic. It was like it was part of the song. Excellent! The only criticism that I have would be that your vocals sound a bit smooth, where the song could use a little roughness and grit in the vocal. That's a very tiny criticism though. Overall, the whole thing sounds great! Thanks for sharing that with us! __________________ Timothy Jon Lamb

June 26th, 2008, 07:25 PM	#5 (permalink)
FirstBassman Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,024	I liked it! If you haven't already, ya gotta hear the "beach ball party" song Roger McGuinn wrote while he was working at the Brill Building. You'd get a kick out of it.