For a Friend by Joe Brady
Genre: Folk (contemporary)
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Description:
New Microphones for Christmas prompted this impromptu, and probably ill-advised session, but I've been away long enough. I put this together kind of quickly and tried some things with these microphones just to see what would happen. All acoustic with the microphones. A song about falling short in a tough situation.
Lyrics:
I guess you just can’t seem to catch a breakYeah, that’s what you’d say
Maybe you just ain’t the right person to say
I see you’ve got the goods
But you fade when October comes
Your eyes closed tight
You’re swinging for the fence
There was a time when I
Just couldn’t get close
You were shining then
A diamond in the rough
You made us so proud
You played it just for us
Or for me
In the Kitchen then
Your voice so full of soul
Your blood so full of beer
You couldn’t tell
You were ashamed to say
That what was wrong
Was that you didn’t have the faith
If you had fallen then
You’d see by now
That it was me that desperately
Needed a friend
Agree to disagree
I can’t say what’s best
For another man
Still for you this just don’t seem to work
When I fail I hesitate to say
That I tried my best
Back then with you, well,
I just tried
How come being with you ‘
Always seems to mean
Losing something very near and dear to me
You always seem to think
That you have no choice
Maybe that’s true
I just don’t know
What it is you see
I couldn’t tell I was ashamed to say
That what was wrong
Was that I didn’t have the faith
If you had fallen then
Well, you’d have seen by now
That it was me
That couldn’t bear
To be your friend
Hardware:
A pair of MXL 603s'sAlvarez Yairri
Mandolin
Hohner Harmonica
Software:
GarageBandYou must be registered and logged-in to comment.
Feter
Ahhh man ..this is just cosy and deep ...it would fit so good with
some espresso ...loved your vocal so here with the harmonies ...
the harp feel so good with the mando ..very nice setting ...thnx alot
for sharin such gem !!!!
Joe Brady
The expresso sounds great, Love to have some with you someday. Peace, Bro.
Joe
aclarke
I really like the lyrical content and you've done a nice job separating the instruments... very well sung- nice harmonies! I do think the main vocal is a little loud and sits right on top of the mix- not so much when the harmony kicks in... maybe because of the additional effects on the backing vox? This could be my headphones, however... I'll listen again later with the good ones.
Bottom line- it's a really nice song, perfectly delivered and much enjoyed!!
Joe Brady
You are right about the lead vocal; I haven't done this for a while and didn't notice the peaks in that track till way into the night. I was having fun, so I just kept going. I did some reading about Low Pass and High Pass filters, and you know, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Thanks for the nice comments.
blaky smith
Glad to hear you. I love this one, it's a very nice song.
Just a little work to translate some words of this beautiful message, but it's really worth...
Thanks
Joe Brady
I appreciate your efforts to understand this; sometimes, pour moi, c'est tres difficile ;-). Thank you for the nice comment.
Joe
bud
whether it's the new mics or not - hard to tell - but this is one fine tune that would sound good recorded to a phone machine. That's how strong your lyrics are. As it is - everything sounds great. My only crit is that your voice is a little more muffled than the guitars and I could imagine hearing it with a clean edge.
Joe Brady
Yeah, I kind of ran through the tracks on this one; probably tried one too many tricks with the two mics. Should've stuck with one for the lead vocal, or maybe even the beta dynamic mic instead. Thanks for the generous words, I'm glad you liked the song. Good to be doing this again; a little reunion warm up.
Joe
guitapick
...nice guitar...sweet mandolin and harmonica...I really like this, Joe...wonderful lyrics and delivery
Joe Brady
I feel good just to have another one out; I know I made some production mistakes, but that just makes me want to try again, use my new tools the right way ;-)
ted23
Oooh
Got me immediately with your beautiful guitar tone...
Nicely played. The pace of the song is dreamily perfect. The lead guitar is lovely. All instruments coming together so well along with your voice.
This is very nice.
Joe Brady
Appreciate the kind words. Great to have you here and great to be a new fan of yours; you write some very cool tunes. Hope to have some more for you to listen to soon.
racerat
Nothing like a new mic to get the experimental juices flowing! Nice track Joe. The guitars are very tasty and clear. the main vocal seem a little muffled and cotton-balled lacking the crispness and high-end EQ of the guitars. But hey, that's what experimenting is about right. The song itself is very cool, direct, heartfelt and honest. Nice job.
Joe Brady
New Toys! I played with some filters too, so that may have affected it negatively, though I think the major culprit was too high a level(while recording) on the vocal. Thanks for the visit, I love the sound you achieve with all your recordings and your ear is a welcome assist here. The vocal shouldn't be too hard to try again. Thanks.
Joe
Bob Rodgers
beautiful song Joe, so well played with a great vocal and harmonies.
Lovely guitar tone and sounds great with the harp.
Very much enjoyed, thanks!
Bob
Joe Brady
Really glad you liked it. The mics worked best with the instruments; I'll work on the vocal recording thing. Thanks very much.
Joe
Dj French Toast
hey man I dont think Ive listened to too much of your music . This is a really cool song man . I love your poem and soul that you express in the lyrics and the mics sound great dnt ya think . Love the harp ;)
Joe Brady
from a wordsmith such as yourself; Thank you Toast-man.
jiguma
Nice pressies!
What a cool tune - I think you've done really well on the writing, playing and mix. The instruments are particularly clean sounding - especially the guitar and mando.
I suspect you're going to take a great step forward in the very near future - nothing like new gear to inspire!
Cheers,
Neil
Joe Brady
Great to hear from you. Just getting warmed up for the Reunion. Hope to keep making progress on my sound; the learning curve is steeper than I had imagined. Thanks for the kind words my friend.
Cheers,
Joe
buckhorn
well played , well written, well performed, vocals could be mixed a little different, or perhaps different mic tecnique? , but this one does shine. good stuff.
Joe Brady
Appreciate the kind words; yeah I need to play with the mics a little more (and watch the input levels). Thanks for the visit.
LunaTrick
Nice acoustic arrangement... is that a Mandolin in the left channel. Nice harp blowing too!
Joe Brady
Nice of you to drop by, and thanks.
edpdx
nice playing and clean vocals that gives this song a perfect feel.
edpdx
Joe Brady
Kind of you to visit; that's a great photo.
kristyjo
and perfectly framed with that sweet guitar and lonely harmonica. I hope you get to work more with the mics, and write some new songs for us to listen to soon. The mando was really well done, too. You have real skills in all of these areas.
Joe Brady
You made my day with that mando comment; first time I've played it on a recording. I was looking for a rhythm section, and everything I was tapping on was too harsh for this song. Then I thought of the mandolin gathering dust in the closet. Thank you for the visit.
Joe
SISTERS
lovely gentle guitar and mandolin. this whole piece is full of feeling, joe.
good sense of space in the arrangement and you are singing like the lyrics are REAL.
enjoyed your efforts!
anne
Joe Brady
Glad you enjoyed; had fun putting it together (albeit a little rushed). Still learning about recording and hope to improve the recording process as well as the mixing, but thanks for the comments on the song, it means the most.
Joe
Moviz
and unaffected performance, the way you sing and play. Nice harmonies and instrumental backing with great lyrics. Much enjoyed, regards M
Joe Brady
Natural on this one, not even a click track; just didn't seem to be that kind of song. I am glad it worked out and that my rhythm didn't throw you.
Joe
SJB
I've only just discovered your songs. This is another fantastic piece of acoustic magic. The harmonica is great and I really like your Lightfoot style guitar mixes. Singing is great and the lyrics are genuine.
Great job!
Steve
Joe Brady
Appreciate the "Lightfoot style" comment since he is extremely well respected here:-). Thank you listening; you are also well respected.
Joe
Willywagga
Great little touch of Harmonica, excellent guitar playing. The pauses work well.
Again I hear strong echoes of Mr Croce.
Love it.
Joe Brady
You're the first to mention the pauses; I was unsure the effect but while playing, the pauses seemed a natural way to tie the chords together. Very kind words you bring, much appreciated. Croce, well I must admit, I had all his vinyl at one time and I never get tired of his tunes. Thanks for the listen.
Cheers,
Joe
davisamerica
just trolling thru some things missed and found this. First .. your voice is great ... real character. Lyrics are really crafted nicely and of course the music is well done ... appears this is pretty standard with you ... so all things considered ... it is good to go exploring ... found this!