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Songwriter Forum => Feedback on Finished songs => Topic started by: Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra on December 31, 2020, 08:17:14 PM

Title: Precious Time
Post by: Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra on December 31, 2020, 08:17:14 PM

Sneaking in my year's song just before the bell(s)

Sorry I've not been contributing here much lately folks. I'm finding it difficult to get back into it and I'm not doing much music anyway....well not finishing much. I've lost the impetus to get stuff done although I enjoy the tinkering. I've tinkered with this for months.
I had the chorus progression for this a year ago but couldn't get any lyric ideas until that first hard lockdown in March when I didn't leave the property (sounds grand, doesn't it?) for 6 weeks. I spent a lot of time bringing back our old vegetable garden which we'd allowed to get overgrown with brambles. The weather was good and despite some mental turmoil about the crazy pandemic situation it was a good productive time and we ended up with a good year's crop of veg.
And for a lot of people it was a whole lot worse!

So there I was toiling away pondering the fact that in a few years time my wife and I will both be drawing our state pension and I will no longer be out working so be at home most of the time. How this time will need to be used to the utmost and enjoyed....while it lasts. And how precious it is too.
Not to mention that it will become more difficult to do stuff and there are bound to be problems with health etc until the eventual inevitable demise! And how much more we will depend on each other. How in fact to best run the last lap!
So i wrote a lyric of optimism because I'm an optimist.
It also struck me that it could apply more widely so this is a message of global hope. On that score I am less optimistic though.
So I set down a lyric then couldn't be bothered to refine it so it's a poor lyric but will have to do.

I won't bore you too much with how I worked up the song musically. It just goes like this. I did the intro last which is quite common for me.
I won't go into the detail of my mixing process either...it would only show that when it comes to vst plugins I am the preset king. So really I did very little....it was somebody else!
At one stage along the way the song minded me of some coked-out West Coast thing like Andrew Gold or something but has ended up like this whatever it is.
My goal if there was one at all was to go as far as I could manage to get something that didn't sound like some bloke knocked it up on his computer in his living room.
I was going to go into more detail as per the discussion thread some time ago but I've gone on too long already so I'll shut up.
Anyone got any questions just ask.

Thanks for listening and a happy new year to all.

Precious Time There's no going back Nothing's like it was before. That doesn't mean that it's all gone bad You can keep your hazy memories Hold on to the good things There's yet to come Oh this time we're gonne make it better Yeah everything's gonna be all right Oooh this time's gonna last forever This time's gonna be a precious time This ever-changing life It picks you up and it puts you down Never seems to fit quite right We need each other now It's up to us to let it in, take it out or grow into it CHORUS repeat

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: PaulAds on December 31, 2020, 08:40:13 PM

Aw man...this is brilliant, VC!

Great to read about how it came about too...I love your optimism...I'd like to echo what you said...we all need each other more now than ever...the fact that the powers that be seem to be determined to drive us apart and highlight the divisions between us is one of the more obviously sinister things they're up to.

Lyrics are great...they say what they need to say and get over the meaning of the song perfectly. I wouldn't advise anyone to tie themselves up in knots over lyrics the way I do.

Anyway...you've got a proper groove going on here...and the brass/woodwind/strings and keys are put together masterfully...I think your laid-back vocals work brilliantly in this kind of song.

All the very best to you for the future...I always jump straight in when I see you've posted something. Great music and bags of personality too. You were one of the first ones to really make me feel at home on the forum...and help point me in the right direction. I'll always be grateful to you for that too :)

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: CaliaMoko on January 01, 2021, 03:54:30 AM

I love it! I much prefer optimism to always expecting the worst, like some people I know (not on the forum--in my real life).

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: moraamarolaloba on January 01, 2021, 08:00:30 PM

Yes you are right, it's a precious time, I love the title and the song as well as the arrangement sound and style that took me to other times...
I enjoyed listening!!!

Stay safe and happy New Year

Mora

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: pompeyjazz on January 01, 2021, 08:33:37 PM

This is fabulous Ian. It popped up on my Soundcloud feed a few days and I've listened a fair few times. I love your grooves, I love the vocals on this one as well, its totally infectious. Those 70s funky strings are the icing on top of a very groovy cake. Happy New year to you and yours Ian  :)

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: montydog on January 02, 2021, 03:56:38 PM

@Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra
The intro is a masterpiece of orchestration - you are so good at arranging strings and horns. After that great start, the song does sag a little although it's still enjoyable. It has a nice laid back and happy vibe which suits the lyrics. It's a fabulously arranged and produced piece of work.
M

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: Wicked Deeds on January 03, 2021, 01:40:37 PM

@Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra,

"There's no going back" unless we take a trip in the Viscount Kramer Orchestra Time Machine on a musical trip to a  bygone age of disco beats and riffs. Fine production that embraces an irresistible musical palette.  Slick funky dance music.  judos to you!

Paul

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: man made material on January 06, 2021, 06:52:16 PM

Awesome sound! What a groove, Philly Soul? My mind boggles at the amount of instruments in this arrangement but is just flows over you... super impressive, I can almost feel the sun on my face😎... lovely job!

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: sarahlawrence17 on January 08, 2021, 07:10:55 AM

i love the horns! this song is so much fun, i really enjoyed :)

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: Jamie on January 10, 2021, 02:12:35 PM

@Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra

Well Ian, I wasn't expecting that! Were you wearing your culturally appropriated Afro wig and dancing in time with your backing singers when doing this 8)? Where did Isaac Hayes and Marvin Gaye come from in your repertoire? Loved it, great intro and the singing was perfect.

Brilliant

Jamie

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: adamfarr on January 11, 2021, 01:35:12 PM

Great to hear another one from you VC! Fabulous atmosphere and plenty of surprises and details to discover. Bass! Hats! Crooning! A little lady intervening from time to time!

Great optimism as well - very authentic and a great thing to share (I am mostly optimistic except when I am not...)

Super cool - I'm sure it's a labour of love to put these together but I hope you don't give it up any time soon.

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: PeteS on January 11, 2021, 02:02:57 PM

Great fun song VC!  I'm sure if you has a deep soul singer like Barry White singing it, it would be a hit!

Pete

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra on January 15, 2021, 06:28:17 AM

Thank you all for taking the time to listen and comment.

I'm glad you enjoyed it if you did.....yeah a decent soul singer would have helped. Don't know about Philly Soul...but definitely trying to get some kind of 70s Soul....not quite got the melody or feel for that but....which went a bit disco with those strings and sax in the break so I went with that.
Thanks again for the kind comments.

Title: Re: Precious Time
Post by: MichaelA on January 15, 2021, 10:15:56 AM

Hi VC, I wish I had got round to playing this on Jan 1st, such an optimistic way of bringing in a potentially scary new year, and all credit to you for putting your darker thoughts aside and deciding that this would be your message. Made me think of smooth disco c1976, and the layered arrangement is technically super and catchy too.

I was interested to read about you losing impetus in these strange times. I seem to have a few days every few weeks when I manage to be productive, then I just lose my mojo for a while and wander along aimlessly. So I’m going to remember your message about ‘precious time’ , let’s mKe the most of it, yep, I couldn’t agree more.

Great listen and all very thought provoking too  ;)