[alternative] Slam the Door (mp3)

[uncloned]

http://clones.soonlabel.com/mp3/slam-the-door.mp3



Year: 1996

Album:
Singles

Artist's description:
This is a hybrid/overdub performance piece and one of the few I play drums on. Each track was performed live into a PortaStudio 1 (Vocal / bass / guitar / lead guitar) and bounced with stereo image mix down to digitial cassette (almost no noise gain) and then back to two tracks on the portastudio 1. Then the drums were added in one take on the two freed up tracks as stereo with two mics.

Contributors:
Radio Shack for the digitial cassette - Tascam for the Portastudio One and Modern Music  for letting me buy the used drum set on time.

Inspiration:
The tune is about the regret one has for the dreams of the past and about not having the band any more. The music has a bit of an eastern flavor since it plays around with a minor second.


Slam the Door

Once it's gone
you can't get it back

No matter who says what or
who does that

It's a memory
of a dream that
can not be relived
or regained

All has vanished
lost in the distance
obscured by the life
we are all guilty
of living

SLAM THE DOOR!
SLAM THE DOOR!
SLAM THE DOOR!
SLAM THE DOOR ON TIME!

It's a memory
of a dream that
can not be relived

It's a memory
of a dream that
can not be regained

Slam the door
Slam the door on time

[uncloned]

this is probably one of my better times playing drums.

[Sam_Zen]

I praise your positive view, Clones, but the timing..  

So you also have digital cassette. Is this the VHS system, or the normal cassette size ?

[uncloned]

roughly cassette sized - special tapes only available from radio shack.

this got destroyed during the divorce - but now I have no need since everything is done on computer. Shame it died though - it was a very good tool.

Sam, I'm surprized you are bothered by the timing here - I've posted improvisations with worse timing.

There are 3 songs where I think I do passable drums

Stay Awake

http://forum.openmpt.org/index.php?topic=3081.0

This one (slam the door)

and another I haven't posted called Residue

I played drums on... 3 or 4 other ones.

My main problem is I write music like this on a guitar with vocals and since I'm flexible with my timing for expression writing computer drums afterward is a nightmare. And when I write/play music against a drum line I become very influenced by the drums and usually ruin the original feel of the song.

Tempo consistency, while a bit sacrificed for expression, is an area where I don't have as much ability as others, just like singing.

[Sam_Zen]

Ok. Take this song at 1:36. Compare the strikes on the guitar at the R with the drums.
Drums quite too late, and the delay is not consistent either.

[uncloned]

Honestly it doesn't sound that bad to me. But then I'm not a drummer or have a great sense of timing. With the drumming for this song I do a bit more than just keep a beat and honestly I'm a bit proud I pulled it off. On the other hand - this was after many takes and practicing time and again because I couldn't play drums well. So.... I'm very sure it never got better than this.

However, my drum set was given away and unless I were to buy an electronic set - I'll never be playing drums again in the future.