An attempt at revising talysman's lyrics for Washing Crystal Balls (Bowie style) - just putting it out there...
someone dropped my future in a creamy cheesy sauce
now my fortune's smudged!
(my fortune's smudged)
reply hazy, try again, my plans are at a loss
cause the stain won't budge!
(the stain won't budge)you're a fine girl
you m-m-make my toenails curl,
so don't give up on me!
oh, oh, sweet cherry,
m-m-my life is kind of scary,
please help save my destiny!I could watch illusions of a life that could have been
in my crystal balls!
(my crystal balls)
but now they're sticky and obscene, please, help me get them clean
washing crystal balls!
(my crystal balls)you're a fine girl
you m-m-make my toenails curl,
so don't give up on me!
oh, oh, sweet cherry,
m-m-my life is kind of scary,
please help save my destiny!I think I prefer Talysman's last line:
"but wash the stain from my destiny!"
It seems to relate more to the title theme of washing the crystal balls. Maybe it could be rephrased a bit...
"please wash that stain from my destiny"? I don't see the function of "but" so "please" seems more appropriate.
That came to my mind as well.
So where are the original lyrics again?
Not that I know how this song goes at all, but just throwing out an idea. It just occurred to me reading this that if one dropped their future in a creamy fudge, then you'd A) have alliteration with the word future, B) it rhymes with smudge and budge, and C)it would be more likely to produce a stain that won't budge than creamy cheese sauce. lol
But I don't know the music, so it might not work anyway.
FYI the thread at http://community.livejournal.com/interrocartel/60890.html continues to grow.
We can all write tunes with any of these ideas? I see you already started something with the one that intrigued me "UK Places with Z in the Name," Zed, but the idea is that we can all experiment with any of them, eh??? I'm thinking that is how it works?
I wonder if I am ripping off this tune from somewhere because it seemed to write itself, but that may just be the style of song:
http://free.mailbigfile.com/328a2ec33f8107939f836439d7227f64/download/2193194/uk.mp3
Wow, speaking of the UK locations with Z in the name, I just looked on a UK county map and could only find 17 cities that fit that description. I just found another in an atlas, but there sure don't seem to be a lot of them. Did any of you guys find many?
Oh wait, I guess the songs are already written. Nevermind. lol
>>9 Indeed, alternative versions are welcomed. But at this point, it seems the thrust is to get the album recorded, so effort is more rewarding when aimed at doing parts that haven't been done yet.
>>10 You didn't happen to write them down, did you? Could come in handy....
Hold on...Oh good. I didn't throw it out. :-)
Here are the ones I found: Asby de la Zouch, Bozeat, Cockenzie, Devizes, Edzell, Fazeley, Frizington, Hazel Grove, Hazelmere, Lazonby, Lenzie, Lizard, Lochranza, Marazion, Norton Fitzwarren, Penzance, St. Blazey, and Zennor.
Oh, "Walton on the Naze" is one I missed.
Thanks! Just in time - we're recording the vocals today....
Well, there's where I grew up in Fazeley, Staffordshire. I remember all the run-ins I had with Headmaster Moon at the old Millfield Primary there. Then we moved to Hazel Grove in Manchester. Mr. Zammit taught me a thing or two at the high school, if you know what I mean. After that I worked at one of the two pubs in Lazonby, Cumbria and dated a girl in Frizington, about 80 kilometers away. Too far, really, now that I think back on it. Too much time on the A66. Spent a little time at Woodilee, in Lenzie, Scotland. Can't remember much, except that weekend I found my way over to Lochranza on the Isle of Arran. That was a right cold hour on that ferry crossing, I can tell you. Let's see, what else. Well, every school child knows that Walton has the Naze, and St. Blazey has the Eden Project. And of course, Penzance has those bloody pirates.
You're welcome. Do they call them high schools in the United Kingdom? I just ask because when I was living in New Zealand, they refer to high schools as "colleges." And New Zealand shares a lot of British English.
Hold on, let me look online. This page agrees with me on that:
http://www.bg-map.com/us-uk.html
It says:
"college" (UK) tends to mean "sixth form college" (ie. a school limited to 16-18 year olds, largely preparing people), although at "collegiate" universities, does also mean "university".
Wondered about that myself, but that was the phrasing in Wikipedia. See, this is why I want a real Brit to read it for me.
I know some on OK Cupid. I could ask in my journal.
Got my British read on UK Places - see http://community.livejournal.com/interrocartel/61627.html. Now just need some mixing time. Washing Crystal Balls is deep in the arranging stage, but with the vocals already recorded, it's downhill from here.
UK Places is starting to come together. Here is a taste of what it will sound like: http://boxstr.com/files/3532180_btxqg/UKPlaces_testmix2_sample.mp3
Sounding pretty cool. :-)
Well, UK Places was finally released (announced here: http://community.livejournal.com/interrocartel/62609.html) but we have so many communication channels now it is difficult to know where to post stuff. I just did the artwork for Washing Crystal Balls (http://flickr.com/photos/majorzed/2930882433/) and hope to release the track this weekend.
Thank you, Simon. (Maybe I should have credited him with vocals - sounds British, doesn't it?) And now WCB is available, too. Check the interrocartel LJ.
I've gone back and done some more sketching out of Walking With Woodlice. I'm not certain I'll finish it at all, let alone this year, but I finally got some inspiration for a main tune and decided I had to get it down on... well, not paper; silicon.
I am still struggling a bit with Blue Peter but I did a bit of digging and found http://www.spaceroom.org/music/Interrobang/bluepeter.wav the original theme song. (There is also a Mike Oldfield version that is even better but I have been having trouble getting a downloadable version.)
I am thinking about trying to work the them into the break somehow. Perhaps if I can figure out the root chords I may play with getting some echo of the song in there.
?!C - here's what I got for Monkey Origami.
http://boxstr.com/files/3844842_x4wdc/MonkeyOrigami1b.zip
Just convert the APE files (how appropriate!) back to WAV and put in an \audio folder. Below are the lyrics. I have words for a bridge, but no musical idea. If you look at the staff view you can see how the first stanza works musically.
We need to....
So... any ideas how to go about this...
=== Lyrics ===
<verse 1>
Well, I met a girl
she made my head whirl, so I gave her a twirl
she was just sixteen
but so was I and so I thought it was keen But I didn't know
She was in it for the monkey origami
in it for the monkey origami
And what was hard to see
just what was in it for me<verse 2>
I'm no disposable toy,
a plastic Portnoy she is free to enjoy
I'm not a Lancelot Link,
her personal chimp so she can dress me in pink But I didn't know
She was in it for the monkey origami
in it for the monkey origami
And what I couldn't see
just what was in it for me<bridge>
Us romantic apes
don't want to make paper shapes
so if you want to escape
turn off that videotape<verse 3>
Tried to tell her no
love can't flow in one direction you know
she said it's just a fling
you must kidding, didn't ask for a ringBut she didn't know
I'm not in it for the monkey origami
in it for the monkey origami
it's love that makes me high
don't bother asking me why The basic sound is pretty good. I like the heavy guitar riff sound. With chorusing is sounds intense.
I'll take a look at it. I can sort of hear some ideas in my head.
I am playing with the melody and phrasing. I will send a MIDI file once I get through it all.
A couple of suggested changes.
Drop the first "Well".
Lets find an alternative to "personal". The context is good but it totally screws up the phrasing with an extra syllable (at least based on the previous rhythmic pattern). Maybe "private"?
I don't get the part about videotape. It seems out of context.
How about?
"Inappropriate japes
just make you want to escape." Perhaps an explanation of the issues? I am not really sure what monkey origami is so who knows?
Thanks for that. Here's responses and more.
"Your inappropriate japes
just make me want to escape"
Doesn't have to rhyme with ape. Lifting another portion off talysman's original version, how about
"I'm a serious dude
got to be in the mood"?
Although it would be better to rhyme with ape. Here's what my rhyme dictionary has:
AUDIOTAPE
CAPE
CREPE
DRAPE
ESCAPE
GAPE
GRAPE
LANDSCAPE
NETSCAPE
RAPE
RESHAPE
SCRAPE
SHAPE
SHIPSHAPE
TAPE
VIDEOTAPE
(Tons of words ending in -ate or -ake however.)
(interestingly, "jape not found in database"!)
I have other issues with the lyrics, however, centering on aspects that reveal the song is being created by not-very-hip middle-aged men:
Somehow, I sense these are not words used by contemporary 16-year-olds.
Also, I'm changing "can't flow" to "don't go"
While I'm waiting for ?!Charlie to get back to me with his turn on Monkey Origami, I'm going it alone on Rules of Naked Petanque. First, as Doctroid would expect, I'm modding Taly's lyrics:
There's a greyhaired man in the duplex next door
He likes to play the petanque
He's kind of wild, that man, a rebel to the core
He's a regular bronc
Just wearing gold chains and things,
Blue-haired ladies cackle when he sings
They don't seem to mind the naughty things
He does in naked petanque. He likes to toss his little balls around
when he plays naked petanque
Hits the piglet hard 'cause he likes the sound
It makes a satisfying plonk
He plays the game in the nude
Tells his lady friends it isn't rude
It's only younger folks who come unglued
When he plays naked petanque One day the landlady heard the greyhaired one
talk about naked petanque
And she chastised him for his pervish fun
so he called her a wonk
Experience has sealed his lips
now that the landlady sunk his ships
Eviction notice felt like being whipped
because of naked petanque Now he lives inside a retirement home
but he still plays naked petanque
He sneaks out at night and he's king of the loam
With the meds he's a little zonked
The night staff, they're no fools
They know he's playing but they're still cool
Just as long as he follows the rules,
the rules of naked petanque
The rules of naked petanque I spent some time working on M.O. yesterday, mostly just trying to get some decent guitar chords underneath everything. I think I am making some progress. Perhaps mid week I will have something to show for it.
Cool. My new <a href="http://www.flickr.com/gp/84521625@N00/s6rh64">soundbooth</a> is working well and I'm rarin' to go!
Thought I would share this here:
http://www.spaceroom.org/music/mzed/MO_Simple.mp3
Pared down to basics. Has a nice simple rock feel to it.
404
http://www.spaceroom.org/music/mzed/MO_Verse1.mp3
Perhaps this will work a bit better...
Successfully downloaded. Will get back to you.
Hey, ?!C -
I like the guitar part except a few chords should be changed:
And what was hard to see
from F F
to Eb F just what was in it for me
from F C
to Eb BbPlease send separate guitar WAV files.
As to the vocals, I think all the verses and choruses are OK now (posted below), so if you would like to sing them all and give me WAVs of that, too, please go right ahead. The only problem is the short bridge, and after we find the right words I can take care of that solo.
=========================================
<verse 1>
I met a girl
she made my head whirl, so I gave her a twirl
she was just sixteen
but so was I so I thought it was keen But I didn't know
She was in it for the monkey origami
in it for the monkey origami
And what was hard to see
just what was in it for me<verse 2>
I'm no disposable toy,
a plastic Portnoy she is free to enjoy
I'm not a Lancelot Link,
her private chimp so she can dress me in pink But I didn't know
She was in it for the monkey origami
in it for the monkey origami
And what I couldn't see
just what was in it for me<bridge - still a problem>
Us romantic apes
don't want to make paper shapes
so if you want to escape
turn off that videotape<verse 3>
Tried to tell her no
love don't go in one direction you know
she said it's just a fling
you must kidding, didn't ask for a ringBut she didn't know
I'm not in it for the monkey origami
in it for the monkey origami
it's love that makes me high
don't bother asking me why Queen's Blue Peter Badge is out. See the LJ posting:
http://community.livejournal.com/interrocartel/65917.html