Love in Vain Blues

[Strummer07]

Another offering from "The Collaboration" of MojoJim (Texas) Golfxzq (Tennessee) and Strummer07 (UK)
This song has been some while in its gestation period, for all sorts of reasons ... but I think "Life" was the main culprit!!
We took a new approach and started this song literally from scratch, so its all "Us" is some way shape or form .. This has been good learning in itself as , in the past we've relied on backing tracks .. Not so this time. Even to the extent of making a drum track in the Alesis SR-18 ..phew!!

Both MojoJim and Glofxzq have used this song to feature and break in their new GAS acquisitions ... and I will leave them to introduce their new ladies in due course.
I stuck with an Acoustic for all my 'bits'

The song is loosely (very loosely ) based on Peter Greens version as featured on "The Robert Johnson Songbook" and "Anthology"

More info on "who did what" a bit later .......without further ado, we'd like to offer up this interpretation for your consideration and enjoyment .

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=11112105

Mojo, Golf & Strummer

[12bar]

That's sounds like right out of the Delta! And again it fits well together...
How did you get that excellent down-home National guitar sound?

[VikingBlues]

I've been hoping this would appear since it was mentioned to me some months ago as a possible work in progress.

I know (to my own stress ) what a complex beast this style of cover is for this song in the 'Greeny' version, having wrestled with limited success with it myself. The extra work involved with having no backing track is huge!

You've done a great job the three of you, and you've all managed very successfully to put your own stamp on it - an 'inspired by' and not a copy. It does sound nicely Delta. The mix of guitars works real nice - acoustic and electric sounds twine and join forces very organically. Good emotive lead lines with good references to the vocal melody and there should always be room for a resonator in a song like this - oooh nice'n'slidey too. Every time you do a vocal it gets better Strummer - and harmonies too!

Managing to get something to work from a drum machine on a piece like this - wow - you must have the patience of a saint.

I'll be very interested to hear more of the story behind this. Great work - all of you.

[Golfxzq]

Thanks 12Bar and VB... this collab was quite the learning experience for each of us. We are all relatively new to playing music (if I can call two years new). It certainly seems that way to me. MoJo and Strummer have a bit more past experience on guitar than I do, but I have several years of music behind me so we each bring something different to the table. At the same time we are all learning a new skill. Being more technically minded than artistically minded it takes us a little longer than most groups to put something together. We tend to over analyze everything and go off on learning tangents when something new crops up. And, as Strummer mentioned, life always goes on so that takes precedence over our music.

Between the time that we conceived of this project and brought it to fruition I have purchased two additional guitars. The Lindert that some of you may recall seeing a post on not long ago and also an American Deluxe Strat. However, I used my beloved Co-Co, a hollow body Ibanez, for my solo work on this piece just because it seemed to have the tone to suit the mood of the music. I did use the new Strat for the fills in a couple of the verses because I was off on vacation when we were wrapping this project up and I didn't bring Co-Co along. I'll have to use the Lindert on our next project to demonstrate it's wonderful sound. She is just as easy to play as the Strat so I sometimes have trouble deciding which one to pick up.

This collab was great fun to do, we all learned a lot in doing it. Now that we have it done we're already discussing what out next "project" will be.

[MojoJim]

Well, we kind of put everything into this project. We used a few different electric guitars, a couple of different acoustics, a resonator, a drum machine - everything but a washboard.

Strummer was our Project Manager. He conceived the structure of the song, pulled it all together and did a great job of mixing many, many tracks.

The resonator showed up about half way through the project when I bought a low cost Rogue brass-body resonator. This device is very different from the electric and acoustic guitars I'm familiar with. Most of the effort so far has gone into learning to mute in every way possible. I got a few sliding chords out of it in open D but I clearly can't play it yet. I was just happy that I could surpress the clanking, rattling, jangling and other random metallic sounds.

We are still developing our skills but this was a great, fun project with lots of learning involved.

Resonator #5.JPG (119.75 KiB) Viewed 10594 times

[12bar]

GAS attack! The resonator sounds soooo bluesy....

[HalfBlindLefty]

A song with a big amount of Mojo.
Sounds like it from the Delta for real.
Well done guys, you have every reason to be proud of yourself !!

[Blindboy]

Very Cool!
Great job, guys... excellent in all respects. Strummer, your singing is coming right along (something I struggle with ). All the guitar work sounds great, very appropriate to the song. The resophonic sounds killer, and was well played (don't sell yourself short, Mojojim )
I liked this very much.

[VikingBlues]

I've just listened again to your recording immediately after listening to the Peter green version. A hell of a difficult act to follow but you've all done a really good job of getting the same sort of mood. All with your ownstamp on the interpretation too, which is very cool. BTW - great credit for getting those 'railroad' style sounds from your guitars.

I used my beloved Co-Co, a hollow body Ibanez, for my solo work on this piece just because it seemed to have the tone to suit the mood of the music.

A piece like this needs that approach - get the tone right and the mood often comes trotting along.

Well, we kind of put everything into this project. We used a few different electric guitars, a couple of different acoustics, a resonator, a drum machine - everything but a washboard.

The multi-layering works well when done with taste like this - not cluttered but gives a nice wash of tones and resonances. The multi-layering was a trick PG himself used on a lot of his old Fleetwood Mac tracks of course - so as well as it being a good sound it also seems appropriate to use this approach. Strummer obviously has his DAW and computer well tamed to manage this without technical problems.

The resonator showed up about half way through the project when I bought a low cost Rogue brass-body resonator. This device is very different from the electric and acoustic guitars I'm familiar with. Most of the effort so far has gone into learning to mute in every way possible. I got a few sliding chords out of it in open D but I clearly can't play it yet. I was just happy that I could surpress the clanking, rattling, jangling and other random metallic sounds.

You battled well - 'cos it doesn't sound like you were struggling and as has been said .......

GAS attack! The resonator sounds soooo bluesy....

Same here. Eeeeek.

Now that we have it done we're already discussing what out next "project" will be.

It leaves a gap doesn't it, when a project like this comes to an end and it's taken a lot of work and thought. I suspect bits of it will still be rattling around in your heads too.

I look forward to hearing what you guys come up with next.

[Strummer07]

Many thanks for listening and for your feedback & comments guys ......its much appreciated !

To have the Word "Delta" even mentioned in the same thread as our song is more than a bit encouraging, if a little humbling !!

Makes it all worthwhile ............

That guitar picture from MojoJim's Music Room ... Does it not just warm the cockles of your heart !!

I am feling GAS percolating

Thanks again !

[Blindboy]

:HoF:
(Hope this is public domain...)

[tytlblues]

WOW fellas!!!!! superb........that does sound like something straight out of the delta... Not sure what I can say that has not been said above, great collab, and I thought really well done. The mix sounded really good to me also, and all the guitar work is first rate! Hey, that singing is not bad either......we are always our own worst critics....


Job well done

[12bar]

(Hope this is public domain...)

In Europe, yes, but in the USA:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_ ... ension_Act

(Thanks to Disney & Co.)