The second song that we have started recording in the multi-track studio is a song called ‘Baby’. This is quite an old song of mine and I have recorded many different versions of it over the years with not much success as to a definitive version. Each recording had a different style or altered lyrics and you can see the progress of the song below. I want to record a definitive version of this song for this project as I believe it’s a strong contender for the EP and should be included. The version that was recorded in the first year of university was more for a studio practise session so it wasn’t produced as well as it could’ve been. We were still honing our skills and were a bit inexperienced which resulted in a product that I wasn’t entirely satisfied with. I believe our skills are up to the task now of recording it and I think we’ll do the song justice (L01).
It’s taken a few attempts in the studio to get the song due to varying factors. The first session was scrapped as we’d misjudged the BPM of the song and subsequently set a click-track that was too slow. This resulted in the song being a bit ‘dirge-like’ and not the product I wanted it to be. I also recorded the rhythm guitar part on my ‘Epiphone Dot’ with added distortion from the studio’s amplifier which we thought sounded good at first but upon reflection sounded ‘trashy’ and didn’t suit the song well.
The second session for the song also wasn’t all that successful as the inputs on the multi-track desk weren’t correctly set so only the live room worked properly. This meant we couldn’t record a drum track for the song which resulted in just the guitar tracks being laid down as well as a guide vocal (also in the live room). I recorded the guitar tracks with my ‘Fender Squier Telecaster’ this time around which resulted in a much fuller sound overall. I also didn’t use the amplifiers distortion which meant that the rhythm guitar was a lot brighter than the previous weeks attempt. I also recorded a second guitar part that comes in at the chorus which consists of a arpeggio played with a tremolo effect to make it discernible from the main guitar. It gives the guitar a ‘classic’ 1960s/1970s feel in which I cite songs such as ‘Gimme Shelter‘ by ‘The Rolling Stones’ http://www.onstagemagazine.com/gimme-shelter-song-analysis/ and ‘How Soon is Now?‘ by ‘The Smiths’ although the latter has a much more prominent tremolo-laden guitar part than my song (LO3). That shimmery sound is also prevalent in modern rock music with ‘Suck it and See’ by ‘Arctic Monkeys featuring bright, guitar parts that are treble-based (LO3).
Several things throughout the development of the song have been added or taken away to create a finalised version of the song. One addition that came later throughout the process was the inclusion of the chorus’ backing vocals (LO2) They had been wordless in earlier versions but I changed them to be the words of the final chorus which worked well as an inter-play with the lead vocals. This is a favourite feature of mine in songs where the backing vocals intertwine with the lead to create the lyrics and melody of the song. ‘Help’ by ‘The Beatles’ is a good example of this as Lennon’s lead vocal is preceded by the lyrics partially sung by the backing vocalists consisting of Harrison & McCartney (LO3). Another few parts have come at the hand of Pat, a recent addition to the band. He and I performed some more backing vocals that appear halfway through the verse. Once again there is a ‘Beatles’ and this time it is the falsetto ‘ooh la la’ vocals that appear on songs such as ‘You Won’t See Me’ and ‘Nowhere Man’, both from ‘Rubber Soul’ (LO3). He also recorded a tambourine part that appears at the end of the last verse and added a new rhythmic feel, not heard on the previously recorded versions of the song (LO2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb52aHbVqQQ
Lyrics & Chords:
E F# F E
Baby’s thrown a tantrum, baby’s had enough
Baby says to get out cuz baby’s sick of us
And Baby has the freedom to do what she wants
She has the key to the kingdom, but she hasn’t got rights from wrongs
A C
(Yeah) One of Daddy’s Girls (Yeah) Don’t be fooled by the Curls
A
(Yeah) They were Mother’s pearls
C C/B Am
But she couldn’t care less if she tried
E F# F E
Baby sips her mother’s milk, her daddy’s whiskey too
Baby’s always draped in silk, she’s polished up and new
And baby tries on perfume; she likes to gild the flower
She plays the pretty princess up in her ivory tower
A C
(Yeah) One of Daddy’s Girls (Yeah) Don’t be fooled by the Curls
A
(Yeah) They were Mother’s pearls
C C/B Am
But she couldn’t care less if she died
E F# F E
The silver spoon has rusted; the hand that feeds is thin
The drip supply is wasted, and to waste is but a sin
And now she’s old and feeble, but still baby nonetheless
She isn’t really able, I guess it’s sad I must confess
A C
(Where) Did they go those curls? (No) Longer one of the girls
A
(She) Sold all of her pearls
C C/B Am
And threw in her soul for free
C C/B Am
Now Baby’s gone
Personnel:
Oliver Cobbin – Rhythm & Lead Guitar, Bass, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Production, Mixing
Adam Thraves – Drums, Production, Mixing
Patrick Delamere – Tambourine, Backing Vocals