Hi,
Hope this finds you in the mood for some high flying fun. I have been working on this one the past few weeks and am to the point of twisting knobs one way or the other. So it must be time to post and throw it out there.
This song is about a jet fighter pilot, (Ace) and his F-22 plane. A disclaimer is in order here. While this jet has been a hot 5th generation number for some time, it is simply an Air Force plane. It will never land on an aircraft carrier as it was not designed to do that. But I thought I would give the song that backdrop. Maybe I have watched too much Top Gun of late. Who knowsā¦
An interesting point here is that when I worked at GE back in the late 80ās and early 90ās when this plane was under development. I worked on the prototype jet engines for this plane. Sadly, the Air Force went with Pratt Whitney and those are what power the plane today. Those engines produced more thrust at that time than on any other fighter jet.
I hope you enjoy this original and let me know what you think!
Great stuff LB! My 8 year old is currently going through a top gun phase so I am going to play your song a video for him also. Very enjoyable and Thanks for sharing!
OK, Little Brother, strap in tight, ācause we might be in for a bit of turbulenceā¦
What I liked:
You have the production side of things nailed down much tighter than I am ever likely to achieve, with a nice balance of percussion, bass, guitar and vox. I especially enjoyed the lead guitar, which sat nicely in that pocket. Your voice keeps in pitch nicely throughout. You married the visuals well with the lyrics
The ābumpy bitā (feel free to skip)
As a hard-core-pacifist, I find it hard to find enjoyment in watching war machines launching missiles (even though I definitely did when I was younger).
It might be interesting to try some alternative phrasing with the vocals. There are times when it feels as if each word is sung at the beginning of each bar, giving it a strange, forced quality. I found it helpful when Richard pointed this out to me in one of my songs a good while ago.
Back into the clear blue skies again-
I do admire your willingness and ability to write your own material, produce it to such high standards and share it with us.
Keep on rocking and thank you for your service!
The backstory was the short version. On the long end there was a quarterly contest and the GE employee of the quarter got hosted at the AF Base in CA I think it was. The prize was you got a ride in the F-22 fighter jet. Where by the pilots took it upon themselves to hand you a puke bag. As you started to wonder why they handed you that, they would say. āDonāt worry, I will tell you about that laterā. No sooner had you got airborne, than, the pilot would do everything possible to make you lose your cookies and use the bag. Of course they would laugh and smile at you. I can guarantee you looked mighty weak at the end of the ride and walking was a tough challenge.
Immediately recognizable as a WCM project and production. High level production and mix as always. My Soto Zen side tends to agree with Brian but what I hear is pride in a project you worked on in the past. In that respect what is not to celebrate. In respect of Top Gun, who cares where they land as long as they all come down safely.
Great song and loved the background. I used to be in the Air Force and have seen many of those and similar fighter jets flying over the years. One of the planes I worked on was the F-16, which is really similar. I love how you made this like a real music video that belongs on MTVā¦back when MTV used to have videos and not sitcom drama. Thanks for sharing
Hi Byron,
I have to tell you that you have the tough parts done on your end. All you have to do is invest time into your DAW and learning it. If you go here: Reaper Videos
A the above link, almost every aspect of DAW operation and recording are covered.
Iām full of admiration for the clever way you create and mix your multi-instrumental pieces LB. I know they take many hours of tedious work. It shows in the polish of your finished production. Special praise for your guitar work, I know it took a lot especially with a hand thatās not 100% functional. I also respect you for writing your own material.
Another fine production from WCM, LBro. Whether solo or with partners the quality is always present.
I think the standout for me on this one is the lead guitar work, both the fills and the solo. The tones were fabulous and the different lines all sounded good to me, blending well with the rhythm instruments.
Also especially liked the bass on this one.
The vocal highlight for me was the double-tracking in the chorus. I think you nailed the performance and it added something extra to chorus.
Thereās been some comment on the phrasing of the vocal already. I am hearing it to be quite similar to the song about the train. What I think could be something to work on would be a little more variation in the cadence of the delivery. It feels at times like the lines are delivered word by word rather than as a single fluent line. Hope that makes some sense, finding it tricky to explain how I am hearing it.
Great job on producing the video that was well aligned with the song. I know how much work goes into sourcing and compiling such a video to get suitable images and clips to flow.
Congrats on another original song for your discography.
Great job, LB!
The original song is always very cool in your performance, and this time, too.
An interesting beautiful melody.
And the whole mix is done competently and exemplary.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to enjoy it!
Leo
