It's always interesting when you meet old friends

[CrealCritter]

So a old friend looked me up and called me today. We played in several bands together in the late 70's and early 80's. He asked me if i still played bass. I said no got one of the Ritis brothers in my fingers named Arthur. I asked him if he is still playing drums? He said yes I never will quit.

Then he said you remember all those recordings we played around with when we were kids? I said yeah, those were the days hu? He said yep and i still have all those 8 tracks that we recorded on. I said really, I said no way? He said yep and I have ripped them all to mp3 files. No way your kidding me? Then he said do you remember the first song you ever wrote? I said yes I do. What did I call it one hot chick without a smile or something like that. He said you got a good memory.

Anyways... here's the very first song I ever wrote. I'm gonna warn you before you listen though, it's rough, rude and crude. There is no overdubs or mixing, it's 100% live recording. It was recorded when I was 13 years old. On a 8 track recorder (remember those?) In a basement with a total of 4 microphones.

My old friends:
Jim sings 16 years old at the time, also plays the steel guitar at the end (unknown if he still alive).
Tom 15 years old, plays the drums (still alive).
Dave 15 years old, six string electric guitar with a Crate amp. I hated the sound of that amplifier! (Dave died last year).
Me, on my beloved 4 string fender bass guitar & Marshall 1/2 stack amplifier.

Man does this song bring back some memories of a crazy hormone enraged kid in the late 70's. And of some hot woman dressed in leather who used to ride her Harley around the town we all lived in.

https://sites.google.com/site/millscustomsawing/one hot chick without a smile.mp3

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Wow - better than I thought it would be! It caused my DH to ask what I was listening to. I explained it and told him the ages of those involved and he was pretty darn impressed!

 

[Beekissed]

CC, y'all weren't bad at all for a group of little boys!!! The lyrics were pretty bad but the music was pretty much in the 70s style of rock. Not bad at all for the age and your age. Of course, that wasn't MY taste in music, but for what it was, not bad at all.

Really added the 70s vibe to play it on Window's media with one of those funky psychodelic skins grooving to the beat.

 

[CrealCritter]

Pretty funny you all kind of liked that really. We we're just kids. Although at the time Jim's was a lot more mature than the rest of us, but not by choice.

When Jim's mother passed away from cancer the previous fall, it was just him and his dad. Without his mom, his dad kind of gave up on him for a while and wanted to move him to the city. We we're all friends and we didn't want to see Jim get mixed up in drugs or God only knows what else... it seemed to me he grew up like almost overnight. Jim loved his mom dearly and when she died all he wanted to do is sing. Jim loved fast hard beats, so we played hard and fast and he sung, it's what made him feel good and helped him escape from the greif he felt, for a little while. Plus it was just fun playing.

Believe it or not we all went to church together. My other friend Jeff Smith (who i also mentined here) dad was a southern Baptist hellfire and brimstone preacher. If you know what I mean. So there was no turning you back on your brother when he was in need. The preacher made sure we boys and the church took care of and watched over Jim.

You gotta remember this was in the late 70's things we're way different back then. No PC or worrying about offending someone. If you got out of line you were knocked back in line.

I'll post the song that Jim wrote about his dad's crazy girl friend that moved in shortly after his mom passed.

 

[Hinotori]

That's very good. Has more of an early 70s feel for most of the song, but the end sounds closer to the 80s.

I'm kind of impressed with the actual recording. Balance isn't too bad at all. I've heard much worse from more modern bands playing small concerts and selling their CDs.

That is my type of music. I was always only so-so playing base. I only really learned it though because my tiny school lost too many people and we needed a loud base instrument for pep band.

 

[CrealCritter]

Ok here is the song Jim wrote about his dad's crazy girlfriend after his mom passed. I would say he produced also. The tempo is super fast, if you can here the tempo on the high hat. Yes you have to count all those

Jim wrote all the parts musically, all the words both sung and spoken. I never liked playing this song. Because the guys used to tease me because my voice hadn't fully changed yet so I got to say the crazy lady parts, in the best screechy female voice - I could muster up. Dave said the man parts. During parts of the song, Dave (man) and I (crazy lady) are arguing while Tom sang over top of us.

It's an absolute beast to play your instrument and argue at the same time into a microphone. There is just to much going on! Let alone the tempo is so fast, it's physically challenging also - atleast for me it was. I can still hear Jim saying SNAPPY! I WANT THIS PART SNAPPY. What he meant was on beat. Anyways, this recording is what it became when we we're done with it and numerous rehearsals because I kept messing it up.

https://sites.google.com/site/millscustomsawing/Crazy Lady.mp3

 

[CrealCritter]

That's very good. Has more of an early 70s feel for most of the song, but the end sounds closer to the 80s.

I'm kind of impressed with the actual recording. Balance isn't too bad at all. I've heard much worse from more modern bands playing small concerts and selling their CDs.

That is my type of music. I was always only so-so playing base. I only really learned it though because my tiny school lost too many people and we needed a loud base instrument for pep band.

Thats awesome you also play bass.

Bass players were in demand, seemed no body wanted to play the bass for some reason or another... I was like the only bass player all through middle and high school in the medium sized town where I grew up. So i.played in a lot of different band back then. I think bass is an awesome instrument to play. Not only do you have to play with the drummer and stay in time but you also have to play in rhythm and in key with guitar. It's fun but a lot of on the fly math in your head counting beats to stay in time.

 

[Hinotori]

This song is more of party background music to me. I like the first one more, but that's just me. Still isn't bad.

I was a clarinet player from age 10. Small school. About 200 students 9-12. We had about 20 students in band my freshman year. 9 my senior year. Junior year was bad enough that we had the best middle school drummer as our only drummer. They just shifted his classes around as the two schools used some of the same buildings. He got an extra high school credit out of it as an 8th grader. He was very good. I hope he went on to do something with his talent.

 

[CrealCritter]

This song is more of party background music to me. I like the first one more, but that's just me. Still isn't bad.

I was a clarinet player from age 10. Small school. About 200 students 9-12. We had about 20 students in band my freshman year. 9 my senior year. Junior year was bad enough that we had the best middle school drummer as our only drummer. They just shifted his classes around as the two schools used some of the same buildings. He got an extra high school credit out of it as an 8th grader. He was very good. I hope he went on to do something with his talent.

If you were in band in high school then you must have played my absolute all time favorite song to play on the bass. Little sun flower by Freddie Hubbard.

This is the very last bass recording I done. It in a studio with modern recording equipment. Me testing out a fretless 4 string electric bass I built in March 2012. It's just me and a local jazz drummer playing around and getting into little tension battles throughout little sunflower. We also had a piano player sit in also but i didn't bring his track home from the session. I've played little sun flower thousdands of times. Every time I play it a little different. It's only 2 chords throughout the who song. Totally modal, there is almost endless freedom of notes to play and still sound like little sun flower. Jazz music is just too cool.

I'm quite proud of this recording, the bass I built sounds and played almost flawless. Even the harmonics are spot on.

https://sites.google.com/site/millscustomsawing/3.mp3

Here's the orginal little sun flower recording by Freddie hubbard - it's a musical master piece.

I used to go "clubbing" in Chicago in the 80's. My best friend and I stepped in to this club down town Chicago and there is Freddie hubbard and the hubtones. It was an amazing experience, I swear I grew a full ghoatee in just a few short hours watching them play.

 

[Hinotori]

We didn't play much jazz. Mostly country area so lighter rock was about it for pep band. A large portion of the adults were still only country music listeners.

If you were in band you were pep band. Games were treated like concerts. Only football or basketball players were exempt. I think the hardest song for me was the "Peter Gunn Theme". My fingers are really too short to do it easily. Teacher had me practice on the double bass until I could pull off the contortions that required of me at speed. Made the electric bass easy in comparison.

I liked "25 or 6 to 4". Felt it was fun, though easy. Very recognizable bass line though. I loved that the first year I played. It starts with the bass. At basketball games we'd start playing it when the guys teams came out and players on the other team would miss their warm up shots sometimes when they realized it was a girl playing it. Something unheard of in that area.