Tales of Yore | Indie Folk Rock Pop Something-or-other

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A "nearly finished" track - it probably needs a little polishing to be considered complete. The vocals in the bridge might need re-doing too, but I 've been sick and they're fine for now.

https://soundcloud.com/steevm/tales-of-yore


The subject matter was inspired by a bunch of lectures on YT about the end of the Bronze Age and the fall of Troy. Part of the subject of the lectures was the question as to how much artistic liberty Homer had taken. In other words, how much was fact, and what was added to make the story engaging. I distilled the basic ingredients of a good story - a love rivalry, epic struggles glorious ideals, kings, queens etc., so pretty generic stuff really - and made the storyteller the subject, not the story.

Much of early archeology was driven by Homer's epics (written several hundred years after the fact), which of course includes the story of Helen of Troy amongst others. It's a story that has been told and retold in many incarnations, with many twists, and where the basic themes are common to many stories, old and new. Without Homer, we would not have much history from this time. The bard remains the oft unsung hero, without whom history is forgotten.

Cover art by my wonderful wife.
Come gather round and hear my tale
Sit on down let me regale
All of you with tales of yore
The likes you've never heard before

There was a king!
There was a queen!
There was a lover!
Stuck in between!
And then one night
on the plateau
There was a fight!
A fatal blow!

Come gather round and hear my tale
Sit on down let me regale
All of you with tales of yore
The likes you've never heard before

They fought for truth!
They fought for lies!
They fought for hope
that never dies!
They stood for all
of those who give
their lives for those
who are yet to live

And as they ride out in the sunset
The righteous triumph in the end
The curtain falls, and we all can take our bow
We’re just here to spread the word
So their story can be heard

So ends this tale of love and fate
and that is all, the hour is late
For every tale that I have has spun
There is one more not yet begun

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this takes me back to my old D&D days
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Nice one. The mix of the medieval and modern ambiance. Sounds good

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I liked this! I like ancient history.

The music and words work well together.

I would suggest specifically mentioning you subject matter towards the beginning. Troy, Homer for better imagery.

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i liked it ...
simple , and open ...
Image

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sjm really amazing song. I absolutely love the vocals, I assume that is you? Mix is great as well. The vocals got a tad buried at the end, I would turn them up a touch.
my music: http://www.alexcooperusa.com
"It's hard to be humble, when you're as great as I am." Muhammad Ali

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Cool track. I like the openness of it, this suits folk.
Then the bridge is full and nourishing.
Interesting lyrics and nice vocals.
Well done!
:)
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You knows I like this one. Any chance you could post a version not on Soundcloud (google drive or summat?) One would like to hear the acoustic geetars in their full glory and not the horrible Soundcloud mp3 encoding warble.. :x

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Very enjoyable! The flute-like instrument is a nice touch.

The bridge vocals are buried towards the end.

To nitpick a bit, the lyrics are a little disappointing. You promise an amazing tale but only give the vaguest outline of a story.

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Been sick and on holiday and busy catching up with work, so I haven't had time to reply until now. I'm hoping you'll forgive me.
layzer wrote: Mon Oct 15, 2018 1:09 am this takes me back to my old D&D days
Fun fact: I actually watched a "how to roleplay a bard" in my research for this tune.
markkuja wrote: Mon Oct 15, 2018 8:17 pm Nice one. The mix of the medieval and modern ambiance. Sounds good
Thanks. That blend wasn't originally planned, but somehow it just happened. I liked the way it tied everything together as being in a sense a timeless concept. We've been sharing stories with our fellow humans for a very, very long time now.
fastlanephil wrote: Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:20 pm I would suggest specifically mentioning you subject matter towards the beginning. Troy, Homer for better imagery.
Well it's not really specifically about Troy. That was the inspiration, and the scene could well fit that tale, but it could just as well fit many others. It's essentially about the bard, rather than Homer specifically.

So yeah, this is a song about you (and all fellow forum members)!
experimental.crow wrote: Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:49 pm i liked it ...
simple , and open ...
Thanks for the feedback, sounds like it worked as intended...
ATS wrote: Tue Oct 16, 2018 1:49 am sjm really amazing song. I absolutely love the vocals, I assume that is you? Mix is great as well. The vocals got a tad buried at the end, I would turn them up a touch.
Yeah that's me, but singing really isn't my strong point. You're right about the vocals getting just a tiny bit lost in parts, I'll revisit that at some point and do some fine tuning. Good call; it's hard for me to judge these things as well, because I already know the lyrics, so I'm second guessing the recording.
Allomerus wrote: Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:03 am Cool track. I like the openness of it, this suits folk.
Then the bridge is full and nourishing.
Interesting lyrics and nice vocals.
Well done!
:)
That's a very nice comment to read! Thanks a lot!
donkey tugger wrote: Tue Oct 16, 2018 7:34 pm You knows I like this one. Any chance you could post a version not on Soundcloud (google drive or summat?) One would like to hear the acoustic geetars in their full glory and not the horrible Soundcloud mp3 encoding warble.. :x
I take it you got the PM that I sent before going away? Let me know if there was an issue with the download.
Frantz wrote: Sun Oct 21, 2018 3:52 pm To nitpick a bit, the lyrics are a little disappointing. You promise an amazing tale but only give the vaguest outline of a story.
True, but that's sort of the point. Show a little imagination! ;)

But really, it's not about the story, it's about the storyteller (at least that was my intention).
Frantz wrote: Sun Oct 21, 2018 3:52 pm The bridge vocals are buried towards the end.
Yeah, I noticed this after reading the comment by ATS and not having listened to the song for a while. It'll be fixed in the mix at some point. Not sure if the vocals need turning up, or if it's the takes themselves that could do with a bit of different treatment. They have a different tonal quality, having recorded them on a different day etc. Part of me is still toying with re-recording all of the bridge, because those are actually remnants of the first takes I did. My voice was pretty shot (still isn't perfect), and I thought I might just be able to get away with those takes.

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