Wednesday 31 December 2014

THE SPECIAL IAIN ANDERSON

On receiving the mastered track of FIRST TIME EVER from Cava and before heading out West in August 2014 I decided to send it in to IAIN ANDERSON of RADIO SCOTLAND. The link to his site is http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074hkv

The photograph below is of Iain Anderson at work



In my letter to him, along with the comments from Bandcamp quoted elsewhere, I also said

'To have recorded this beautiful song might be considered by some an audacious act. But it did not happen like that'.

Iain played the track on his program on two occasions and I continue to be delighted that he did.

Apart from the track having been considered good enough to be used this was the first time for a long time that I had played guitar, recorded a song and used Audacity. It was also a simple acoustic recording which encouraged the notion that I might make more of a similar kind.

Iain Anderson has used some of my material on his program over a period of five years and there is no doubt he has had a major and very positive influence on my work.

A list of the songs he has played can be found on a page of my web site at http://sheilakcameron.com/id152.html

Tuesday 30 December 2014

LOOKED ALRIGHT DOING ALRIGHT

The same title (but with more information) is being used on the blog at http://sapscraps.blogspot.co.uk 
The post here and there was prompted by the news that WOS Radio at www.wosradio.com will soon be playing the song I LOOKED ALRIGHT THIS MORNING on their station. 

Monday 22 December 2014

SAP SCRAPS

A place to put small bits of information was required and I now have it.  
My brain had been reluctant to provide me with a suitable title - until this morning. So I guess it must have been trying hard to find one without letting me know. The title could be better I suppose but, reminding me of a story a friend told me, I am declaring it 'adequate'. 

The link is below. It will take you to some Sap scraps and a repeat of the above comments

http://sapscraps.blogspot.co.uk/

Friday 19 December 2014

SONG WITH A MENTION OF CHRISTMAS

The song I wanted to have out there this Christmas did not work out as hoped for. Nothing unusual about that. But I do have another that mentions Christmas and it has been on Bandcamp - but along with a different image.

I also have some interesting comments to offer on this track. Well I find them interesting others may not. Nothing unusual about that!

But first the image: it is a drawing of the Lizzie mentioned in the song in the company of the splendid Mr Toast of Glasgow and Tlell 



And before I get to the comments here is the link to the song
https://sheilakcameron.bandcamp.com/track/no-i-dont-see-lizzie-anymore

Now the comments
There is a site called Reverbnation which offers all sorts of services for song writers and musicians. And although I do not like the fact that they encourage/entice one into making use of their various facilities without putting the costs up front I do use it occasionally. And it has been of benefit to me. 

I have no recollection of having submitted Two Inches Tall to the IAMA awards through their site but the track did exceedingly well. None of my other occasional submissions have been accepted.

The other enjoyable activity on their site is to pay ten bucks for a Crowd Review. And I have tried this with several songs. The only one to do really well i.e. achieve a score which indicates it might be good enough to be played on the radio has been WHERE THE LAST TIDE RUNS. The score was 8.4.

That is the lead in to making it known that the track NO I DON'T SEE LIZZIE ANYMORE scored an unimpressive 5.8. So the score was disappointing but some of the comments from those who reviewed the track were a delight. And if you read them you may doubt the sincerity of that remark. I can't explain exactly why - and my position is not a defensive one - but I found even the most derogatory remarks either amusing or interesting.

They can be read on the next post entitled NO FUTURE POTENTIAL

Thursday 18 December 2014

NO FUTURE POTENTIAL

I am not expecting the following review to be read by many but I do know a few people who will be interested. As said previously I am not sure why but I laughed a lot when reading over the more negative comments. And they are some of the worst I have received.
To provide a balance I will try to locate a more positive Review for use in a future post.

CROWD REVIEW FOR - No􀀂 I Don't See􀀋 Lizzie Anymore

“I do not see any future potential in this song, it sounds underground and it just does not have what it takes the elements are just not there. I think it lacks a lot of complexity and elements to it. So much more can be done I feel like, I think you need to have some kind of build up and drop at some point and that is to just start to fix a song like this.”

“This song introduces itself with a woman half-singing, half-speaking her lovely lyrics. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this song- the tambourine in the background, the escalating piano, the soft guitar strumming- this song has it all. The suspense leading up to the chorus almost killed me- it was done so well, so hauntingly. This is a truly talented artist, who writes truly melodic lyrics, that stay with you even after you've only heard the song once. Instrumentals were backwoods, in a good way, and the singing was raw, with emotion and talent. A”

“The first part is cool. The artist has a voice that is not appealing. The artist vocals are weak and inconsistent. The lyrics are uninspiring and boring. The beat is lacking contrast. The melody is shapeless.”

“This has a subtle sound. It has a sound like the Carpenters. The music is majestic. It is peaceful and calm. This type of music puts me in a trance. It isn't for the club. It doesn't seem to have a presence for the radio either. It is a just a nice song for a CD.”

“This track has a smooth sound. Something like a lounge song. The slinger's voice isn't great but it works. It has a melancholy undertone but it works with the uptempo of the beat. The steady drum beat gives it a hypnotic/trance sound that have you bopping your head.”

“Sullen and darkened tempo and digital effects surround the music. Haunting and lethargic, with an intense and eerie sound but in a non-frightening way. More cliched then anything. There is no intro as the song quickly begins, with the off-beat and silly vocals from a mature woman vocalist. Deep and dull with little imagination she has a monotone sound to her vocals. The lyrics drag and lack creativity that this type of song needs. With a country western type of musical arrangement. This song becomes repetitive after awhile. The howling of the guitar chords and the wistful drum's. Brings up the tempo slightly, with
sprawling. And airy digital effects, surrounded by moody and tinkles of subtle instruments. This song is outdated, dull and lifeless, the only bright side is the slow and dragging tempo.”

“Great lyrics. I was entertained. The words perfectly paints the image to the story. The instrumental was great. That slow tempo to the beat give the words so much power. This song have great commercial potential.”

“I like this already. tune sounds like a door song. female vocalist is extremely nice with wonderful tone. I love the lyrics. sound is very polished and professional. I can see this artist moving up and becoming popular. nice change I give the song a 10.”

“This sounds almost like someone reading a book more than an actual song. The vocalist is kind of just talking in a sing-songy voice. There's not any vocal range that I can tell. The production is kind of eerie and dramatic and suspenseful, but the lyrics don't really tell us why there's suspense. It sounds like the production was done completely with settings on a keyboard. I can't follow the message that 's being conveyed here. The track ended sort of suddenly, and I wasn't sure whether it was over or not.”

“The vocals are really creepy. I do not see any radio potential for this at all. This is some new wave creepy 80's stuff. This is not in any way a song that would be successful modern radio. The instrumentals are really odd. It all sounds kinda
overproduced. The lyrics are also very confusing. What 's a boogy train? the arrangment is ok. I mean it makes sense. The harmony is as creepy as the rest of the song. I would not recommend the singer of this song to keep pursuing a career in making music for wide-spread consumption. this song is not good in any way. it was a nice try and i'm glad for anyone trying to fulfill their dream at a late point in life but that was hard to listen to.”

“The intro is a bit short. I am not sure if I like the sound of the vocals. This song does not sound modern, it sounds like it 's from the 60's with the way the vocals are and the way the instrumentals are. I just hear the beat and vocals being monotone throughout, not enough variation in beat and tempo or octaves, It does have a groovy feel to it though, Also, the lyrics are kind of confusing, who is lizzy? I just don't see this song being a hit without improvements and I am not sure how many people would be able to relate to it.”

“The vocalist doesn't have a terrible voice, but they dont have the best one either. After listening to it for a while, it kind of starts to sound worse. The music is ok. With a different vocalist I think the song could be a lot better. Not bad though.”

“The sort of rough lyrics and accent of the vocalist reminds me faintly of early beatles and other such bands in the 60's. Thelyrics are sad, but they tell a story in a very easy and matter of fact way. The easy beats have classic retro elements thatwould make this track popular in indie and such circles. This is a track that I like, because it 's just so unique.”

“A very blurry, bland and controlled sounding start with the instruments and the vocals, and there was a sad sound to the singing. I thought the sounds didn't really make enough impression for me personally, and i hoped you would be more expressive with the words you were singing. Make sure there is more texture and tempo which is faster now and again,else itall sounds very dull and depressing.The sounds need to be standing and jumping out to people in the audience, which i didn't think was here at the moment. Thank you for not overprowering the vocals to the audience of listeners, and for being in control, but i think you need to make sure there is more heartfelt and warming ness with the actual words being sung.What was the whole point to the song? The risk is that the sounds are repetitive and didn't really tell me as the listener much in terms of meaning.”

“The beginning of this song was really quite slow and monotone. The vocalist had an unusual tone and style and there was no flow to the performance. The instrumental accompaniments were quiet in comparison and I think there is a lot of improvement needed for this to be commercially popular. There are elements of the song which remind me of a Freddie Mercury ballad. The lyrics are very obscure and difficult to connect to. A strange vibe from the song and it sounded really bizarre."

"This is an interesting song with a flair of creativity. The female vocals are very cool and have a mystique about them. She sounds kind of androgenous, if I'm right it 's a female. I like the uniqueness of it and the funky lyrics if I understand right, "Get on that bogie pane (whatever that is), I'm going to push you right out of here. I don't see Lizzie anymore" The
instrumentation makes a great backdrop for her unique style. Big, big points for the unique lyrics!”

“A mellow laid back type of track: I tried to get her on the phone once. I do see the moon in the same old sky. Get on that bogie pain. Im gonna push you on out of here. I don see lizzie anymore. The vocals have a nice tone and are accompanied by a pleasing keyboard score. Altogether an OK track that could benefit from being a little livelier and more engaging perhaps a richer instrumentation and arrangement or production would help.”

“This track sounds a little like a mediocre Annie Lennox track. The tone of the vocal especially. The track lacks any distinctive qualities that would appeal to my 'I want to listen to that again' nature. I'm not fond of the line about taking off with a dummy which she got from her mummy; for me this is not a lyric that would sit all that well with the mass market. The vocal is somewhat monotone; which may be deliberate as the track does use the word 'monotone' at one point. I'm sorry to say that I didn't really enjoy it. If I had to point out a good point it would be the lyrics notwithstanding my previous comment.”

“The tune of the song was very gentle and quiet. The song seemed very weird. The voice of the singer was deep. There was something about her voice that I couldn't quite grasp. The tune of the song stayed gentle all throughout. It faded for a bit but then it went back to the normal rhythm. It sounded like she was saying bowbe pain or something like that. She needed to work on her diction because I just couldn't understand much of what she was saying. Although she was not monotone, I didn't sense any energy in her.”

“Oh, I liked this sound. I instantly thought of Dionne Warwick, once the lyrics came on. The beat and tempo reminded me ofsome 70's music. The singer's voice was smooth and blended well with the background music and the tempo used in this song, had me swaying in my seat. This song is a great candidate for an easy listening station, for sure.”

“This was a very sad sounding song. It sounded negative to me. I couldn't get into it. But as for sound quality, the mix was good. The vocals were clear. The beat was good. Rhythm was simple but memorable. Though the content wasn't something I was into, a music industry fan I can separate my feelings of content and keep it separate in order to give a good review on skill. This has a good quality recording, and some people may connect with the lyrics. Overall this was okay.”

“This instantly reminds of Lou Reed/ Velvet Underground. It 's pretty cool, laid back and relaxing. Catching phrasing in the
lyrics and vocal delivery. It 's too bad you don't see Lizzie anymore. Maybe she will here this song one day!”


WISDOM OF CROWDS IS A PROVEN METHODOLOGY THAT LARGE GROUPS OF ORDINARY PEOPLE ORGANIZED UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS (A "SMART
CROWD"), OUTPERFORM SMALL GROUPS OF EXPERTS IN MAKING DECISIONS AND PREDICTIONS. IT IS NOT NEW. IT IS THE SCIENCE BEHIND GOOGLE
AND DECISION-MAKING IN SOME OF THE LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE WORLD. IT HAS BEEN PROVEN TIME AND AGAIN THAT COLLECTIVE WISDOM
SURPASSES THE EXPERTS. IT ALSO MEANS THAT WE CAN GUARANTEE 95% ACCURACY IN TRACK RATINGS.

Tuesday 16 December 2014

SHINE FOR ME


I have been using two titles for this song and in doing so I am becoming seriously confused as to which one it should be. 
So for now I am staying with the title of this post along with an a.k.a I'M FEELING LOST BRING ME HOME

The confusion will be more evident if one should access the post entitled LOST DUCK

Let me explain: an acoustic version of this song was followed by a version with a piano backing. And this was followed by a version with a sort of gospel sounding backing. That latest and probably last version can now be heard on Bandcamp at https://sheilakcameron.bandcamp.com/track/shine-for-me

The lost duck image from the post of the same name has been used on Bandcamp and here (below) It has been inverted and cropped. 


Friday 12 December 2014

WHEN THE SUN ROSE THIS MORNING

Fraser Spiers is playing blues harp on this version of the song When the Sun Rose this Morning a.k.a. Evil Hearted Me.

It can be heard on Bandcamp using the link below the image - which is of the sun rising along Argyll Street Glasgow, Scotland

The acoustic version of the song which was used for this recording can also be heard on Bandcamp. It is one of the tracks on the CD PAST LOVES



Sun along Argyll Street Glasgow: from a photograph by S Duncan

https://sheilakcameron.bandcamp.com/track/when-the-sun-rose-this-morning-2

Wednesday 3 December 2014

I'M SANTA CLAUS I AM YOURS

Alas, the take I did of this song did not work out in the way I would have liked. 
I was disappointed but then decided to try it as a mainly spoken word track.

And I did that today. After recording a spoken word version I did a repeat with a light scratchy guitar backing. 

It is now on Bandcamp - with mistakes - rough and ready. But I have put it there knowing I can take it back down - and that is what I what I might do - anytime now! The link is below

https://sheilakcameron.bandcamp.com/track/im-santa-claus-i-am-yours

The image I have put alongside the song on Bandcamp, and repeated below, could be described as cobbled together but I enjoyed finding it and putting
the text along the bottom.




PS. The scratchy version has gone into the studio today December 15th to get tidied up - I think