Hello forum friends. Have been tied up lately with kids graduations, swim meets, parties, and a bunch of stuff.......I though retirement would mean nothing but time. Oh well, it's still good stuff! This is a song that was inspired when my wife and I spent a night in Sausalito on the SF bay for our 35th anniversary. The SF bay and Sausalito are quite magical to me. My dad had 3 boats thorough my young life and the times spent there are among my fondest memories. My dad's ashes were dispersed there about a mile from the harbor where we had our anniversary dinner. The weather was perfect and the scene of the beautiful water with boats sailing by is something I wish I could relive on demand. The next morning, before we went to breakfast, a melody popped into my head. It is not terribly complex or beautiful but I found it meditative, and the lyric that came to me was "by the bay". Years pass, things evolve (or devolve, depending on your perspective), prices rise, restaurants change names, properties change title holders, but sometimes there's a place where your spirit lives, and nothing can change that. Sausalito is that place for me. Did not use a lot of BIAB tracks on this, only Brent's beautiful guitar (If I ever make any money on music, I will owe him a royalty check), and the Vancouver piano RT, one of my faves, played through a Komplete piano plugin. After that long-winded intro, I hope you enjoy. Take care all and be well! Greg
Song - nice chords and good swirly feel at the start with synths, tinkly piano and spartan drums.
Mix - excellent.
I think this song could be taken to another level by dropping the synths and piano after the first verses and chorus and inserting a stronger beat & rhythm section in the middle. Drop it all out after the short lead break, highlight the vocals and maybe just drums and then bring the swirly synths and piano back at the end. Please don't take this as criticism - the song is fine as it stands. But I can see even more potential here.
look forward to hearing more of your songs.
Best Regards Nigel
Nigel Spiers Christchurch, New Zealand info@nzacoustics.com
Good to have you back, Greg. Simple melodies with complex memories make for a great song, and you made another great one here. Memories dance by in slow motion. It's one of those songs where everyone is invited to get lost in their own reverie. That's powerful, man.
Lovely ballad. Great vocals. The recording is so clear. Great lyrics. I lived in the Bay area for a few years in the early eighties and my heart is still captivated by the place. I'll get back there one day.
Greg, another brilliant composition, so absolutely enjoyable, and your vocal delivery is always outstanding. The production instrumentation is simple but absolutely nothing is left wanting.
Additionally, anything related to Sausalito has a special place for me too. It is one of the most memorable locations I have ever visited in the States. I don't really know why, but it was just, well, memorable.
I recall you've written about it previously. Yes, it must be special.
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Years pass, things evolve (or devolve, depending on your perspective), prices rise, restaurants change names, properties change title holders, but sometimes there's a place where your spirit lives, and nothing can change that.
I know that feeling only too well, for better or worse. By a fountain, somewhere in Europe, being mine.
Beautiful, relaxing song which made me feel as if I was travelling in spirit to special, bygone days. Thank you so much for sharing it with us ... it's one of those that I want to listen to, again and again. The guitar is inspired - and your voice is that classic voice we've gotten accustomed to, time and time again from you. It's somehow even clearer here in the mix, to my ears at least.
All being said: congratulations. You are a master of the song genre. Bravo.
Greg, a nice melody and appropriate lyric. The arrangement does no damage but it doesn't do much else either. It's a bit too "filmic" for the song the vocal melody & narrative insist is there. The guitar solo adds some earth but there's a need for more gravity.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Song - nice chords and good swirly feel at the start with synths, tinkly piano and spartan drums.
Mix - excellent.
I think this song could be taken to another level by dropping the synths and piano after the first verses and chorus and inserting a stronger beat & rhythm section in the middle. Drop it all out after the short lead break, highlight the vocals and maybe just drums and then bring the swirly synths and piano back at the end. Please don't take this as criticism - the song is fine as it stands. But I can see even more potential here.
Thanks Nigel!! look forward to hearing more of your songs.
Best Regards Nigel
Thanks Nigel!! You know, I think you're right. If I were going to redo the arrangement, I would go heavier and more conventional in the middle and then draw it back to the sparse synth at the end. Really good suggestion! Appreciated!! Take care. Greg
Lovely work! The vocal is the star for me . . . sits really nicely in the mix, just the right touch of reverb and delay. The synth gives this nice body. Pretty song to listen to. Well done!
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