Kevin's Watch

Guys,

It was suggested to me by ________ that I should get the opinion of the Watch regarding two versions of one of my songs.
The first version was recorded in 1983 by me and my band "Multiple Choice". We hadn't been playing long however we got a chance at some cheap studio time and we recorded 4 songs "The One" was the first.

Here we are in 2011 and after all of these years I thought it would be fun to re record the song and see what the differences would be.

______was curious to see which version of the song the Watch as a whole would prefer and so I'm providing a link below for you to judge for yourself.

The older version is labelled "The One (Studio)" and the newer is simply labelled "The One".

Have a listen and give us your feedback.

Thanks,

aTOMiC

www.mediafire.com/?rb7o3h3mcv3ff

I like the new one so much that it's going into my iPod. That means that it's better than the national anthem, since that doesn't even grace my playlist.

(But it also means you're amongst the likes of Lady Gaga and Ke$ha, so take that how you will.)

Interesting. I would never have thought to compare it to the National Anthem.

Yeah, I don't really know where that came from.

At least you didn't compare it to The Final Countdown.

Waddley Gaga wrote:I like the new one so much that it's going into my iPod. That means that it's better than the national anthem, since that doesn't even grace my playlist.

(But it also means you're amongst the likes of Lady Gaga and Ke$ha, so take that how you will.)

Thanks very much. It is a high compliment to me that you enjoyed the song enough to add to your ipod. I know for most people that is coveted space (especially if you only have an 8gig like I do).

I like the 1983 version better. Of course, I'm slightly biased (I didn't play bass on either recording, so I'm not majorly biased ). Mainly, I prefer the input Carol (bassist) and Aaron (drummer) put into the song. Tom's a fine musician, but I think his stuff can become sort of, I don't know, processed or predictable or something (like a McRib). I have listened to something like 70 of his self-produced recordings over the last 15 or so years, and while they're technically fine, I find them less interesting than when the band plays them. Maybe it's because I've been a sideman for so long, but I really like the interaction of musicians on a track. Again, Tom's a fine musician, but sometimes I want to hear something in the track that he didn't think of. And by sometimes, I mean every song . Also, an 90 second lead on a pop tune? For realz playa?

___ wrote:I like the 1983 version better. Of course, I'm slightly biased (I didn't play bass on either recording, so I'm not majorly biased ). Mainly, I prefer the input Carol (bassist) and Aaron (drummer) put into the song. Tom's a fine musician, but I think his stuff can become sort of, I don't know, processed or predictable or something (like a McRib). I have listened to something like 70 of his self-produced recordings over the last 15 or so years, and while they're technically fine, I find them less interesting than when the band plays them. Maybe it's because I've been a sideman for so long, but I really like the interaction of musicians on a track. Again, Tom's a fine musician, but sometimes I want to hear something in the track that he didn't think of. And by sometimes, I mean every song . Also, an 90 second lead on a pop tune? For realz playa?

I agree with all of the points ___ mentioned.
The songs I have written over the years have indeed had a more natural and organic feel when I've been able to collaborate with my band mates.
The 70 or so songs he mentioned pretty much fall into 2 categories. Either I produced a multitrack demo to give the band a better idea of what I had come up with or it was a sincere attempt at recording a song but there was no one else available to help me or to add any input so what you get is all Tom, not necessarily by choice but more due to circumstances.
I think my music is at it's best when crafted and performed by a group.
I'm betting many songwriters probably feel the same way but I'm sure there are those that do not.

As to the 90 second solo...well...there was no one around to stop me so I just kept playing on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on...

BTW I played both versions for Prorider514. She has never heard either version before.
She had some unusual observations. She didn't like Carol's bassline in the first version. She loved Aaron's drumming. It was noticable that the second version was drum programming but she didn't mind too much. She liked my bassline (at least more than what she had heard before) she commented that she agreed that songs produced by me can be predictable but she also shared that she didn't mind. And lastly she liked the second version best because it was better performed and more fully realized. Is she biased? Definitely so take all of that with a grain of salt.