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Slightly different, although possibly even more dreary than usual. A bit pretentiously long too, so apologies for that.

Mood music. I was trying to get a jazz-esque sound. Tried to capture London anno 1972. I arrived there on my own in January, two months short of my 16th birthday. I left several months later. Just realized it’s 40 years ago this year. But songs and lyrics can be like time machines.

I Once Was

I used a small miced amp for the electric. The Spanish acoustic is line in, as you will no doubt hear. The bass was meant to sound like an upright acoustic. Mixed on the AW1600 and (of necessity) an old version of Cubase SL. No samples or the like, so if the percussion sounds like me plonking, that’s because it is, just like everything else.

Pete le Plonker

Wow, beautiful. Nice mix and nice sounds. Just out of a relationship with an English woman and had the opportunity to go to England and see her a couple times.

This is very hypnotic. Love the electric, and when you double up the vocals in parts.

Wow, second listen through, love the way you pan the electric back and forth.

I'll be 50 years old this November, the years fly by, this song is simply haunting Pete. I'll need to listen to this a few times.

Thanks for posting this great art.

Wooooooooooooooow, this is an absolute gem.
Your best vocal performance to date, i really love the little lennon vibe.
It's one of my very favorites of all your songs and you know i like them all.
Thanks again for posting and creating this.

Very nice, great tones, perfect vocal. I guess the typical thing would have been to have drums come in big at some point, I guess I would have done it, but I commend you on your restraint. Not dreary at all, but atmospheric as all heck. A rousing success, sir.

I like it. Good mix of instruments and a nice progression. Cool organ tone.Try a YRG triggering a vsti, amazingly perfect and authentic sound.Sounds excellentNice plunking! I enjoy doing that...seems like recently I've steered away from it though.

Hello Pete
Jazzy. for sure.
Actually at the pool (florida) and it is very
pleasant to listen to your beautiful song.
Thank you !

Excellent Pete. Moving, melancholic and beautifully done.

I loved the sparse instrumentation. It takes real skill to do that as the timing has to be spot on.

Not quite my old stamping ground but I used to go up to London a lot around that time and Tottenham Court Road I knew well.

I liked how you referenced other songs and bands.

I was never a great Donovan fan anyway but Sunny Goodge Street used to make me quite depressed. Lots of memories for me, not all happy.

Cheers

Dick

Awesome Pete, simply awesome......I kept waiting for the drums to kick in (like Gwood), but restraint is a beautiful thing, especially with this song, "big" drums would have taken away from this (although I personally would have put 'em in there... I have a really hard time with restraint myself... )....Love the semi-dirty guitar tone too, & the note selection/restrain just puts this miles ahead of anything I could ever do.......

Vocals are top notch, maybe even the best I've heard you do......Not sure how to get the acoustic bass sound you're looking for, other than borrow/buy an upright & record it. A vsti would work, but I know how you try not to use samples & the like......

Great job Pete, this one will be downloaded & burned to a cd for listening while I'm out.......Everytime you post a new song, I ask myself "Can he top the last one?", & it seems you always do....That's really rare IMHO, you need to be doing this for a living......

5 out of 5 stars for this one!!!

Not much to say on this tune, Pete... except AWESOME.

I really, really enjoyed this one. Good feel. I listened to it like a 'regular listener', I just liked it. You did a great job all around. Songwriting is primo.

Beautiful, emotional vox. I really got the vibe from them.

Niiice!
Thanks!
Matty

good one. really nice mood.

gitjeff
Thanks Jeff. You’re too kind. The hypnotic thing is a great reference to that time. Yes, isn’t life just going too fast. I’m trying to find a slower train

Henky
Why thanks Henky, I’m genuinely amazed at the positive comments on such an ostensibly dreary song. Really glad it hit a nerve.

gwood
Thanks so much for the atmospheric compliment. I was trying to create that time in a sound. The drums that were, were used as a click track, then moved. I did the light percussion later, but big drums don’t work on this, at least not in my world.

surfercook
Marc, are you on a commission from the YRG company? You’re almost convincing me it will also solve my poor second serve Thanks so much for listening and for the positive feedback.

guitar fan
Congratulations on being on holiday, I am completely envious. Glad you liked this and thanks for taking the time out to listen, by the pool!

Dick
Sparse is easier when you’re not that good I got out a Goodge Street for a time when I had a kind of job near there. Came in from Tooting or something. Very near the PO Tower. Not good memories for me either. I was lost when I arrived and even more so when I left. I quite like Sunny Goodge Street, it was partly the inspiration for this even though they are chalk and cheese. Ha, yes, I got quite a few song and band references in there, but it all worked in some bizarre kind of way. Cheers.

minerman
You’re far too generous in your praise. But I’m glad it worked for you, even without more percussion. I used drums as a click track but they didn’t work in the final thing, they were too heavy for the atmosphere. Ah, an acoustic bass, yes. I was wondering whether to buy an acoustic bass guitar. I have enough VSTs to last a lifetime but they're not really me any more. Perhaps find someone with an upright bass? As I said to Dick, it’s easy to show restraint when you’re not a very accomplished guitarist, that’s not false modesty but fact

msb3671
Thanks kindly for your thoughts Matty. I must say I’m kind overwhelmed that folks are taking to this, even after I factor in the politeness aspect of this forum. I did dampen the mix down to escape some high-end distortion on the vocals, especially on the ’s’s.

manz
Hey Manz, thanks for taking the time to listen and comment. Not guitar playing of your standard though!

Listening............your voice has never sounded better......I like the overdriven electric ............man, this is well put together.....this has your signature melancholy yet softly upbeat mood...........wow, that electric in the Right channel at 3:22 was nice!..........I'm thinking that you might have one too many instruments in this one. The piano seems unnecessary because the guitars are doing pretty much the same thing.

This is a gorgeous melody. Wow. Beautiful song, Pete. This is in a class all by itself.

Lovely work. As I've said before, you are the Bruce Springsteen of Europe. Like many others you've produced, this one makes me home sick for a place I've never been to.

I love the lyrics but it is the vocals and the instrumentation that blows me away on this one. Great piano and great electric guitars.

I also dig the references to the Stones.

I will see London before I die. That is a promise. It is my Mecca.

Pete, I just keep listening to this song, had to tell you once again how it just has a wonderful feeling of memories to it, and it makes me very reflective of life. I listened to it a half dozen times already, going on my Mp3 player as well.

Lovely!
I think you've captured the mood here of many of us who were alive in that period of time, not just Londoners. I found myself in a "retro" mood when I listened to this almost as if I was back in my late teens again. Also, the instrumentation is perfect in helping to capture the mix of contemplative and melancholy. Your voice is also exceptionally pleasing here.

Saved the best to last (imo) and glad I did...I had high hopes and I wasn't left disappointed!

My only nit is there's no squeeks on the guitars .....just kidding!

Great stuff Pete...the only thing that bugged me was the cymbal hits at the start (dunno why ha ha)

Hi Pete...I enjoyed that tremendously! Your upper register is quite remarkable! I don't think I've ever heard you sing 'that' high before....very good!

quote" I arrived there on my own in January, two months short of my 16th birthday. I left several months later. Just realized it’s 40 years ago this year. But songs and lyrics can be like time machines."end quote..

Wow! That blew me away reading that....how musical! Could have easily become a line in the lyric.

In general, a great effort, very original....very entertaining!.......have a nice day!......sideshow bob