DANCE ON and MOTHERLESS

The link to these two newly arranged tracks is https://sheilakcameron.bandcamp.com/track/motherless

It could be a co-incidence that both are associated with the loss, with the absence of the mother and that they have both been worked on at the same time. 

But Dance On has been waiting around to be given some additional sounds for several years. It was one of the first of my acoustic tracks to be identified as being 'in need of treatment'- although most of them belong in that category.

And the man capable of giving it the treatment it needed just happened to become available at the same time as I began working on Motherless.

Or it could be that Dance On got me going on Motherless - or the other way around. Or there could be other reasons of a less obvious kind but rather than conjecture on these I will conclude by saying only what I know for sure. They are both songs that I used to sing and sing often.

The photograph I intend to use with Motherless has been decided. It is now on Bandcamp and will also probably be used on the CD insert. 

It consists of a section from a picture entitled REHABILITATING HARLOW'S MONKEYS. The full image can be seen on my web site at http://www.sheilakcameron.com/id66.html

THE PREFACE FOR 35 MINUS

This project keeps getting left by the wayside or if not left completely it has certainly been languishing. 

BUT one of these days it will be completed and who knows, after that it may fall by the wayside again. And as I write that the wayside begins to have much appeal. I would probably benefit from some of it myself.

THE PREFACE

During one of many attempts to sort out my song related material I discovered that I had filed most of the written words in a large black folder.

From the folder I selected one hundred and fifty lyrics. I chose only those which, at some stage of their making, had been given a tune and recorded onto cassette, reel to reel or DAT tape.

A previously recorded version of each song was then located. The majority had been saved as MP3 or wav files on my main computer.

After a gap of several weeks I listened again to the one hundred and fifty tracks and selected thirty five. I chose only those which might be capable of having their sound quality professionally improved.

Those tracks have now been professionally mastered. Four songs have been removed for reasons which will not be explained here and the final selection is now on an acoustic only CD.

The words in this small book are meant to correspond with those on the CD.  Sometimes, however, depending mostly on the space available on the page, a repeated verse or a line in the recording has been omitted from the text.   

THE THREE OF US

This photograph is on my web site at www.sheilakcameron.com and I am choosing it for the cover of the small book of lyrics entitled 35 MINUS 4 and for the CD insert on the selection of matching tracks.

As the photograph is rather blurred it has been enlarged to help capture the expression on the faces of those featured

AFTER WOS COMES WOW

Single Song Reviews - from Blues Bunny

Bluesbunny Music Reviews

www.bluesbunny.com/

Bluesbunny is an Independent music reviews website.

How Long Blues by Sheila K Cameron

 Enigma

On the surface of it, “How Long Blues” is a traditional blues song but, guided by the voice of the ever enigmatic Sheila K Cameron, it is freed of the dead weight of conventionality and turned instead into the song of a siren. Class is where it is at. The song is available from Bandcamp.

Review date: February 21 2015 
Website: www.sheilakcameron.com

BAD GIRL BANNER FOR WOS

This morning I tried to make a simple banner for WOS Radio but was unable to pay for it. After three tries I decided to save the money and put it on here instead. And I am about to see if it will fit on the page

Later, in the evening of the same day, I decided to try again and was successful. The banner is now somewhere on their site, but I have not yet located it. This station has played several of my tracks and I love them for it.

WONDERFUL WOS AND HOW LONG BLUES

Women of Substance Radio Show "What's on my iPod" Debuts Your Song This Week Show airs February 23-27, 2015 at 5 PM ET (2 PM PT) Same show airs every weekday this week... This week, your song will debut on the "What's on my iPod" Show, our weekly new music show on WOSRadio. See the playlist HERE. Tell your friends and fans to tune in at 5 PM ET (2 PM PT) to http://rdo.to/WOSRADIO or www.womenofsubstanceradio.com. You can also tune in on Mobile Devices by downloading our FREE Mobile App. Just search for "Women of Substance" in your App Store or use these links to download for FREE: iTunes Store (Apple): Google Play Store (Android): ROTATION After your week on the "What's on my iPod" New Music Show, your song will go into rotation for 2 weeks. If it received votes and requests from fans and listeners to get on our monthly Top 20, it will remain in rotation for as long as it is on the Top 20. GET ON OUR RADIO TOP 20 Your fans can vote "thumbs up" for your song by clicking the "thumbs up" icon while it is playing on our desktop player (and some android devices). Your fans can also request your song right from the desktop player top menu. After this week, your song will enter heavy rotation on WOSRadio for 2 weeks. Songs that receive votes and requests will remain in heavy rotation for an additional two weeks (possibly more depending on voting) and will be considered for the Top 20 which is posted on our website and linked to our player and included in heavy rotation all month. Songs without votes will remain on the station for several more weeks but will be played as often as other Indie songs. If you'd like to place our radio player link on your website the link is: http://www.womenofsubstanceradio.com VIDEO: If you have a video for your song, please email a link to womenofsubstanceradio@gmail.com with the subject line: VIDEO and we will consider it to be featured on our weekday video blog. SOCIAL MEDIA We post a lot of great content on social media and will tag you (if we can find you) when the Podcast is released. So please connect with us so we can find you: WOSRadio & Podcast Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wosradio Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/wosradio Bree Noble Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/breenoblemusic Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/breenoble Advertising on Women of Substance Radio Our radio platform has some amazing opportunities to get the word out about your music or business. Options start as low as $20! Choose from banner ads, audio ads and pre-rolls (served whenever a listener launches the player) including banners, audio AND video. Long banners and audio ads are also served on our Mobile App. View advertising packages and examples HERE. SPONSOR OF THE MONTH (GREAT DEAL!) Sponsor of the Month Package including banners, audio ad preroll & in Podcasts (at least 10 episodes), direct link from radio player Top Menu - $100. Booking for months starting April 2015. Contact us at womenofsubstanceradio@gmail.com with questions.

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NOBODY KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON

The photograph below was being considered for the cover of the small book of lyrics which will match up with 35 minus 4 CD. The expression on one of the faces goes with the title of this post and the title of one of the songs in the selection

Update
The book has now been completed and was printed by LULU but I was unable to negotiate the software to include the photograph on the cover.

HOW LONG BLUES

HOW LONG is another of the songs I used to sing. I probably found it originally in a book called FOLK BLUES by Jerry Silverman. I recently bought a good second hand copy as someone borrowed mine a long time and never gave it back. 

I have been playing around with this song trying to get some sort of sound that could be listened to without having to ask someone else to improve it. But it has now been much improved by Fraser Spiers and with Geoff and Brian from Ca va studios in Glasgow. 

And the song is now on Bandcamp at

https://sheilakcameron.bandcamp.com/track/how-long-blues

NOT MY LOVE - BUT A MAN I LOVED

In the post entitled Somewhere Somehow (see the link below) I refer to a song I had recently come across and recorded. And I was impatiently hoping it might receive some treatment to make it more more suitable for Bandcamp. 

This morning for two reasons, I decided not to wait any longer. My patience had run out and friends, who knew well the man referred to in the title of this post, thought he might have been glad to have his photograph alongside the recording. 

He, and other past loves, were certainly in my mind as I tried to record it. 

The song is LOWLANDS AWAY. Untreated it is now on Bandcamp at https://sheilakcameron.bandcamp.com/track/lowlands-away 
If it does get mastered it will be replaced by the new and improved version.

                      I will also be attempting to produce a better copy of the photograph

http://sosaidthesap.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/somewhere-and-somehow.html

P.S. In the Bandcamp comments about the track I have written 'With regrets but no apologies for the stumbling performance which goes well with how I manage the rest of my life'

35 MINUS 4 - WITH A PROMISE

The selection for the CD is now complete and there will be no more changes to it - or to the title.

I will require an image if I decide to upload the songs to Bandcamp and at present I have no idea what I might use. But having said that I am immediately contemplating using a photograph of me looking into the sun and one in which I look exactly as I did on the day it was taken. And the songs can be heard as they did on the day they were recorded. 

However, the tracks have been mastered - with some necessary de-essing - so I may try to soften up the photograph a bit - although if I am continuing to be under the influence of Neil I should not be hesitating about this. The image would also be in line with a line from one of the songs on the CD 'Taking it down to where I don't count.' 

The photograph below then is of Neil up front and very real. Mine is alongside 
and underneath them both I will put a link to Bandcamp if I decide to upload the songs to that site. 

  

BENEATH THE APPLE TREE

There was a previous post about the apple tree song. This has now been deleted but the comments from it are repeated below.

Some new lyrics have acquired a tune and have become a sort of spoken word and hum along song. It is now in need of some additional sounds. And I am on the hunt for them. Meanwhile, as they may never arrive I am putting the song out there on Bandcamp. I could of course wait but while I am continuing to enjoy the song the option of being patient has no appeal. 

I was not sure until today where the song was heading but I now feel it is at least on its way somewhere. 

And as I do not have an image to go with it I am using a rough version of an old one. Here it is. And I have been told the apple looks more like a deflated balloon. How appropriate is that. 

What follows is an update 

Some additional sounds were added to the song but they did not work out as had been hoped for. For me they interfered with the simplicity of the track. But the song was mastered and this revised version has replaced the old one on Bandcamp. And who knows there may be another mix - and a better one - further down the line

The mastered version of the words can be heard on Bandcamp at https://sheilakcameron.bandcamp.com/track/beneath-the-apple-tree
The lyrics are also there and on the blog at http://lyricsallsorts.blogspot.co.uk/

FOUR SONGS

It was a long time ago that the first of my songs were professionally mastered. There were four of them in the group I sent in to a local studio. Since then other versions of the songs have been included in other selections.

I was reminded of their existence this morning when searching for a song called THIS IS NO WAY TO SPEND AN EVENING. I found a version of it in a small selection which has always been referred to as FOUR SONGS. I decided to put this on Bandcamp with the tracks sounding just as they did when I received them from the Cava Studios in Glasgow. 

The image I am using is from a painting called Empty Chair. It fits with the song No Way to Spend an Evening - but not with the others. The Bandcamp site requires it to be cropped but here I can use full copy of the original. It was also a long time ago that the painting had been photographed. I rescanned it this morning hoping to improve the quality.
  

The four songs are no longer on Bandcamp 

35 - MINUS FIVE - PROBABLY

The selection of tracks referred to previously on this blog as THE 35 has now been mastered and decisions have been made about what should remain on it and what to do with it.

One particularly awful song has been removed as it sounded like an advert for shampoo. One song was deleted early on (as mentioned elsewhere) quite simply because it was a 'doubler'. 

There are others which should probably get the chop but in some ways this would defeat the purpose of letting them be seen for what they are. I think that the selection could be accurately described as a sample of attempts at song writing.

A few of the songs have appeared in other selections but most are not in that category. Several have been considered as candidates for working on as singles but leaving them in THE 35 does not preclude them from this happening in future.

I suppose it could have been made into a more interesting selection had I chosen to reorder the songs but to be honest I couldn't be bothered. There would have been so many possible variations. So, they are in the same haphazard order in which they were submitted to the studio. And it has to be said that the opening track entitled MOVING WITH MY EYES ABOVE (whatever that was supposed to mean at the time of writing it in Alberta long ago) features intrusive foot thumping throughout and is interrupted by the sound of what might be breaking glass. 

As for who might be bothered listening to the entire selection my expectations are low. But as with most of what I do, somewhere along the track I felt I wanted to do this and now its done. And there is some satisfaction in that. 

A copy of the CD (retaining the title of THE 35  - although it will consist of only 33 tracks) will probably appear on Bandcamp sometime soon.  

THE TWINS and the CAMEL

These words could be a lyric or they could be just words in short lines in little groups. I wrote them yesterday and if I do not put them somewhere they are likely to get lost amongst all the other words which have no where particular to go.

I am thinking I should give up on all this writing and working on songs until all that I have made so far have been tended to. They should be put into a book or onto a CD or put into a bin. And then perhaps I could begin again with a cleaner slate. 

Meanwhile the words with the title The Twins and the Camel can be found at http://lyricsallsorts.blogspot.co.uk/

IN THE MEANTIME

I was looking for an old written out lyric of the folk song THE WATER IS DEEP (sometimes called The Water is Wide) when I came upon the SOMEWHERE SOMEHOW song. And I continue to wait impatiently for the backing which might or might not arrive.

In the meantime, as I attempted to deal with the impatience I decided to record THE WATER IS DEEP. Keeping to my approach of taking the rough with the smooth this recording leans heavily towards the rough stuff. 

Also my recently refurbished aspiration is to be alert to inadvertent delights and it would be splendid if this recording provided one for some stranger or someone who likes to sing along to a good tune.

The image I am using here and on Bandcamp is cropped from a photograph taken from the ferry which crosses from Alliford Bay to Skidegate Landing on Haida Gwaii. 

The link to the song on Bandcamp is https://sheilakcameron.bandcamp.com/track/the-water-is-deep

SOMEHOW SOMEWHERE

I recently and unexpectedly came upon another of the songs I used to sing. I was looking for a different 'past love' and there it was.  I had completely forgotten about it. It is a shanty and I think it is lovely. And, as with The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, I have tried to record it. 

I did lots of takes but have now settled on one of them. There are several quakey bits and I could keep trying to get a better version. My guitar playing would certainly benefit - but I have decided to move on -  perhaps to the song I was initially looking for.

As to what will happen next there are, at present, two possibilities. It will receive a backing from a musician I trust or else - if he chooses not to work with it - I will get it mastered as an acoustic only track and put it out there - somehow and somewhere. 

As soon as I know more about its fate I will post it here.

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. 

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/

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

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.

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. 

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

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      

UNDER THE INFLUENCE - OF NEIL

I love Neil Young and some of his songs but after reading his biography entitled Shakey what I love most about him is his willingness to follow up on what he feels is the right thing for him to do and then be brave enough (or perhaps he doesn't even care) to take the consequences.

I was reminded of him earlier today when looking for information on the sounds which can be produced by a blues harp. In particular I wanted to know if they could resemble a trombone. And they can.

The link to Neil Young came from an article about a 'master of the blues harp' called Walter Horton. Walter was also known as Big Walter or Shakey Horton. Two Shakeys - how about that! And in the article about his harmonica playing - and I quote - was the following sentence ' His tone was incredible -he could make the harmonica sound like a trombone at times'. 

The link to the full article http://www.celticguitarmusic.com/harmbw.htm

But back to NY. Below is a link to his 2001 Live at Farm Aid  performance with Crazy Horse of the song When I Hold You in my Arms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNYFoRiRzOQ 

I love both the song and the way it is performed

Of less import - I wrote some words a while ago with the title of this post. An unmastered spoken word version is planned.

THE DRINKERS: an SKC painting of two men under it

For good measure for anyone who likes to sing along to a really good song try the link below to another Neil Young performance (with others) of FOUR STRONG WINDS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3PonfLXKhc

The words for Four Strong Winds - as sung by NY - can be found on the blog at

http://lyricsallsorts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/four-strong-winds.html

Caution for anyone who has not been to Alberta. It might prompt you to travel out there - and perhaps want to stay

UP-DATE ON THE 35

With the words of Geoff Allan from Cava www.cavasound.com still warm in my ears the task of making a sound quality based selection of tracks for a CD has changed.

As many tracks as possible will now be kept. Only those which might be a strain on the listener - well that is how I will describe them - will be removed. And the end result may be more than one CD. 

With this decision some of the better lyrics, which might have got the chop, will now be retained. That some of them were spontaneously liked has also turned this task into a much more interesting and pleasurable experience. Who knows how long that will last.

MAIR DEPTH and NAE FANCY BITS

Sometime soon - and ideally before Christmas- I hope to be able to put another song out there. It is one of the relatively superficial kind and it is entitled I'M SANTA CLAUS I AM YOURS. 

It is another of those which were written a long time ago and each year since then, as Christmas approached, I thought I might do something with it. 

I did a reasonable take of it yesterday and this is also in the studio. If it should get worked on I am hoping for an arrangement in line with the title of this post

More news about it - if there is any - will be posted here

THE 35

Repeating some of the information from a previous post a variation of the following comments accompanied a CD of THE 35 which was delivered to Cava last week. The songs are being worked on as I write this and may already have become the 34. But the original title will remain as it sounds better - to my ears anyway.

During one of many attempts to sort out song related material I discovered that I had filed most of the written words in a large folder.

Recently I selected from it one hundred and fifty lyrics. I chose only those which, at some stage of their making, had been given enough of a tune to be recorded onto cassette, reel to reel or dat tape.

A previously recorded version of each song was then located. The majority were on my main computer.

After a gap of several weeks I listened again to the one hundred and fifty tracks and selected thirty five.

Some of them are songs I like but I have chosen only those recordings that I hoped might be capable of having their sound quality professionally improved.

Several of the recordings are extremely quiet, some have heavy thumps and others will require a bit of de-essing but the temptation for me to increase the volume or mess about with them in any way has been avoided.

The task if you choose to take it on is to listen to the thirty five tracks and identify those which, in relation to their sound quality, you think could be made 'good.'

That would be STAGE ONE. For STAGE TWO a selection of the tracks which survive the first stage would be considered for further work. In STAGE THREE, a final selection might be made and used on an acoustic only CD.  The end.

As for the overall intention in getting this done. Because I spent a lot of time in my grown up life working on Custtad (www.custtad.com) I did not give enough time and attention to song writing. Not enough that is to develop as a song writer and performer and produce a coherent catalogue of songs.

If this CD is made it will not make up for that lack but it may allow me to move on from the older material and discover a different way of recording and working with the new material I have.

A SAP INDEED

The title for this blog came from some words I had written and recorded for a spoken word CD. They can be heard on Bandcamp at https://sheilakcameron.bandcamp.com/album/so-said-the-sap

The image was made by sticking torn bits of paper on a square of cardboard

4 IN 1

Short songs may not be what most people want to hear but over the years I have come to accept that I like to write them. And the question to myself is 'why not?' 
If all one wishes to say can be said with a few words and a tune arrives which suits them why not leave the song alone and not try to turn it into something else. 
But accepting that these four songs might be more likely to get listened to if they were combined they have been. They are You'll Like it at the Waterworks, Loneliness is Like a Space (also called Tell Me that Now), Sail Me Like a Boat and I Can Taste You in the Wood of my Room.

The 4 in 1 track can be heard at https://sheilakcameron.bandcamp.com/track/4-in1

The image being used with this track is taken from a photograph of the Waterworks. Glasgow. Scotland