[Neil C]

Dear all,

Please to humbly submit my little entry. It came from an idea Georgina had and I just ran with with.
So its about a digger ( not that Digger ) who spends all his time on excavations and starts to contemplate his life.

All done in a bit of old school rootsy style.

https://soundcloud.com/neilconnor-2

I'm thinking Time Team here..
Anyway thanks for taking your time and all comments gratefully received.
 
Neil

Been standing in the earth
Assessing what I’ve found
Stones and bones and artefacts
Taken from the ground

Excavate the past
Sand inside my shoes
Looking for the answers
Searching for the truth

With spade and shovel, my trowel and brush
I’ve been sifting through the spill, cleaning off the dust

And I’m digging in the dirt
Looking for some clues
But all I seem to find - the archaeology blues

Looking through the layers
And all that surrounds
What’s beyond the shallow grave
Deep within the ground

Excavate my past
Lets see what I’ve found
The evidence wont fit together
The logic is unsound

Soil and flint, the chalk and clay
Cleaning up remains, washing time away

And I’m digging in the dirt
Looking for some clues
But all I seem to find - the archaeology blues

Catalogue my history and all the riches of antiquity
No emotional recovery, there’s no historic breakthrough or discovery

Tree ring data and DNA
The dating game, the modern way
A game I found too hard to play
A vessel emptied and in decay

With spade and shovel, my trowel and brush
I’ve been sifting through the spill, cleaning off the dust

And I’m digging in the dirt
Looking for some clues
But all I seem to find the archaeology blues
Digging in the dirt
Looking for some clues
But all I seem to find - the archaeology blues

C N Connor 2016

[Day2Take1]

Clever song.  I love songs that aren't about love and or sorrow.  This had such a lovely lilt to it.  made me wanna bounce along.  Don't take this the wrong way, but it reminded me of some of the childhood records I'd listen to.  Like it could be on sesame street or blues clues segment.  Regardless it made me smile.

[pompeyjazz]

Good stuff Neil. Your distinctive style to this and great lyrics. I particularly lik ethe guitar work on this as well. Top marks from me.

John

[digger72]

Hi Neil

Funnily enough, I did my degree in history and archaeology, so did spend time on some excavations in the lovely Hampshire countryside - so maybe it is a song about me! In fact, I'm claiming it!! Call it Archaeology Blues (The Ballad of Digger) and you have my vote.

It is great how you've got such lyrical content into the song. It flows well. Must be the first song to mention Tree ring data. Nice how it weaves between archaeology and self reflection.
The music is brill.
I like the extra coarseness in the vocal as well.

Great stuff.

Digger

[refusedrevival]

Hi,

Good song, cool feeling. Nice guitar work and good solo. The end part is great!

Production: I think the hihat is too much on top on some parts of the song.


Good stuff!

refusedrevival

[Skub]

David Gilmour sings more and more like you every day Neil. 

Cool guitar tones and a well constructed song. From my small time here you have grown massively in stature,Neil. Very professionally presented.

[PaulAds]

The backings you create are fantastic, Neil...second to none.

Great wry and witty lyrics in your own inimitable style.

An excellent contender.

[tina m]

this is  sort of Rolling Stones... tho I cant imagine them singing about honky tonk archeologists!
it has a great melody & I loved the lyrics ...i loved watching time team or any progs like that ...its so exciting digging for treasure.. or bones
its very sing alongable & very bare bones of course
your guitar playing is so solid & never flash neil but its always immaculate & smashing to listen to

when my youngest was younger he was obsessed with buried treasure & was always digging holes in the garden so we bought him a metal detector thinking it would mean less holes if he could pinpoint things...
I came home one day to find hed dug up most of the lawn...evidently the house builders had buried a ton of old metal pipes under our lawn! anyway we told him they were viking pipes

[Neil C]

Day1Take2,
Hi and thanks for listening and comments. Thanks I glad you liked it and it clearly wasn't banal. And if it made you bounce and smile then what more could I ask for.

PompeyJazz, great feedback pleased you liked the lyrics and guitars

Digger,' The ballad of Digger' loving it. And I'll take your vote! Anyway where about's were you doggiing in the county? Pleased you liked the whole concept as well as the music.

Refusal, thanks for the feedbac, glad you like the guitar and ending, i'll need to listen to the Hi-Hats again.

Skub, the Gilmore thing has been said before not that i have ever really listened to them, a tad young perhaps And thanks for your positive comments about developing, really nice to read.
 
PaulAds, chuffed you enjoyed the tune, thanks

Tina, great feedback and loved the fact you and yours watched TT too. Sounds a bit like Porridge when he told his wife that he'd hidden his loot in the back lawn and the coppers dug the veg plot  Hope you're remembering that programme....

[Paulski]

Hi Neil

Well, I didn't think anyone could sing the word Archaeology and make it flow - but you did it remarkably! I enjoyed this - nice melody line, progressions and bridge and the chorus is catchy and singable
Guitars are stellar as usual!

Nice work - good luck in the race!
Paul

[IronKnee]

Hi Neil......Love the harmony vocal that pretty-much runs throughout the song....an outstanding sound!
I love the music.....kinda reminds me of the Moody Blues and their arrangements.....solid 
Good stuff, man.....and good luck!

                                                 -Tom

[Movin Flavour]

Hi Neil,


Great blues intro.
Cool lyrics ....hints of Beatiful South and Squeeze

Excellent interpretation of the competition.

Never felt sorry for an Archeologist before!

Sandeep

[digger72]

Hi Neil,

We're going back 25 years. I was at Winchester Uni, or King Alfred's as it was known back then. Our excavation was somewhere between Winchester and Eastleigh I think - it was the site of a Roman Villa. A few years later they started digging at an old leper colony/hospital I think - I missed that one.


Digger

[Oldbutyet]

This is really great Neil, but on first and second listening i was surprise you didn't come in with that kind of archaeology lead guitar in your own style blues sound after this verse.

And I’m digging in the dirt
Looking for some clues
But all I seem to find - the archaeology blues

To me it just felt right to let your guitar stills take over and then flow into maybe this verse.

Excavate my past
Lets see what I’ve found
The evidence wont fit together
The logic is unsound

You got something here that has a move and a flow to it that even the floorboards with dance to.

[nooms]

love the slide intro top marks
trade mark ‘titanloose’ neil groove
like a wilburys track maybe with that lovely goodtime upbeat swagger
vocals on the nail mate with excellent lyric
‘washing time away..’
great song neil