EDIT - Sat 5th April - managed to get a rough first demo done - I'm quite pleased with the guitar on this . I did say, further down, I was thinking of a Stones-type riff for this - I think, for once, I've pulled it off! MP3's in the usual place....
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=225059
Devil In The Boy
He's got a penchant for mischief,
A talent for raising hell,
There's an imp on his shoulder,
Got him under a spell,
He got fire in his fingers,
And the music way down in his soul,
Say what you like about the boy,
He can play that rock'n'roll,
They say he went to the crossroads,
Signed a deal in blood,
Maybe that'd explain,
Why the boy's just so damn good.
Ooh ooh, there's a devil in the boy,
Sitting on his shoulder, driving him on,
Pushing him harder all the time,
To live fast, play hard, and die young....
He's got a taste for excess,
And the trappings of rock'n'roll fame,
Doesn't know when to stop,
He can't see it's all a game,
He plays the blues like his soul,
Was forged in the fires of hell,
It's like he's someone else,
Posessed by a demonic spell,
They say he went to the crossroads,
Signed a deal in blood,
Maybe that'd explain,
Why the boy's just so damn good.
Ooh ooh, there's a devil in the boy,
Sitting on his shoulder, driving him on,
Pushing him harder all the time,
To live fast, play hard, and die young....
___________________________________________________
Phew, back on familiar territory this week......
Got the first two lines late Sunday (well actually, about 4AM Monday!) night - much too late to do anything with them, as I was getting into bed at the time. Anyway, I wrote them down - I am NOT going to lose songs that way again! - and "finished" it this morning. I'm not 100% happy with it, but at least the basic skeleton's down and I can work on it.
I'm thinking kind of Stones/Ry Cooder 12 bar blues, maybe with a riff in open G and some slide......
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
i'm at work right now and the only thing in the way of criticism that i can think to offer is in regard the first line. To me, "he's got a penchant for mischief" describes a different sort of person than the one you go on to describe. It's just not bad enough!
Vic,
Yes I can see this done in the style you're talking about.
I know this depends on exactly the musical setting but in a couple places it seems like the meter
seems a little off.
Say what you like about the boy,
He can play that rock'n'roll,
Might work better something like:
Say what you like about him
The boy can play that rock'n'roll,
And
Maybe that'd explain,
Why the boy's just so darn good.
Maybe something like this with a break after why
Maybe that could explain,
Why... the boy's just so darn good.
Oh and if "he went to the crossroads" He might as well "went down to the crossroads"
That's not plagiarism. That's Homage !
John
Devil In The Boy
He's got a penchant for mischief,
A talent for raising hell,
There's an imp on his shoulder,
Got him under a spell,
He got fire in his fingers,
And the music way down in his soul,
Say what you like about the boy,
He can play that rock'n'roll,
I'm thinking kind of Stones/Ry Cooder 12 bar blues, maybe with a riff in open G and some slide......
Hey....
I was listening to Tom Petty's 'Shadow of a Doubt' when I read this....
I thought [at least] the first verse fit nice with that kinda format....?
Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Ken
"The man who has begun to live more seriously within
begins to live more simply without"
-Ernest Hemingway
"A genuine individual is an outright nuisance in a factory"
-Orson Welles
Along with the other suggestions, here's my stab at it:
He's got a penchant for mischief,
A talent for raising hell,
There's an imp on his shoulder,
Got him under a spell
He got fire in his fingers,
Fire burns the music from his soul,
Say what you like about the boy,
He can play that rock' n roll,
They say that he called Satan,
And signed a deal in blood,
Maybe that'd explain,
Why the boy's just so darn good.
Ooh ooh, there's a devil in the boy,
Relentlessly pushing him on,
To live fast, play hard, die young
For merely the price of his soul
He's got a taste for excess,
And the trappings of rock 'n roll fame,
Doesn't know when to stop,
And treats life as a damned game <--- Now it's PG rated (And of course his life is damned)
He plays the blues from his soul,
(A soul) bound to the fires of hell, (Bound as in binded (in blood) and hell bound)
It's like he's someone else,
Possessed by a demonic spell,
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
Phew, back on familiar territory this week......
familiar for you, yes, but surprising take on the assignment for me :wink: makes me think of my dear kurt and all the other "it's better to burn out than to fade away" people... i like the crossroads. along with "plays the blues like his soul" it's nicely balancing out all the fire with a bit of melancholy :D
in fact, i agree, the blues really would fit this well. my my hey hey........ :D
cheers,
straycat.
"oh, eventually it will break your heart" - anders wendin
I really like the imagery and flow of this one. My only suggestion/question is on the phrasing of the opening lines - some of those syllables look tough to phrase out and sing without sounding too punchy (not to mention pops on the PA/recording...unless its arranged with a sort of a talky into.
"Boy can play that rock and roll" just begs for a solo or nice long riff to follow it. Or, since everyone expects just that, do a change up and follow it with a drum fill then solo/riff.
I can sense that a song like this may beg for some kind of resolution in both melody and lyrics but you may want to try leaving it unresolved and let it linger on in our minds...those are the kinds of songs I tend to remember (but seldom write).
You definitely have oodles of potential in this one and look forward to seeing/hearing how you develop it.
Having a bit of trouble with this one - I've tried some music, worked the whole song out, but somehow it just doesn't sound right. It's working out pretty much as I wanted in that the music's very Stones-influenced - so I'm going to do what Keef'd probably do and try it in open G. I'll try and record it later, if I get a chance.
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Well I did get a quite couple of hours.....and I was right, this song NEEDED open G tuning. For once, I've managed to achieve what I set out to do - I did say, this has got to be a Stones-type riff. It's only a first rough demo, but I will finish this one off eventually....I actually enjoyed listening to this! Now if I can just get hold of a bass - I knew I shouldn't have sold mine! - and some drums, we're laughing.....
Anyway here's the link......
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=225059
Just click on "Devil In The Boy".........
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Yeah man, I thought of Exile' about 3 notes into it. I dig the keef like riff-rock. Like a cross between All Down The Line and Happy with some of the riffs. I enjoyed it. You did a good job of getting the keef flavor you wanted.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
hey mate. nice riff. open G sounds good.
in deed, captures that Stones feel. it has some Malcolm too.
I've no problem with the lyrics and phrasing.
now I need to hear it in a different context.
ie, drums, bass and a chorus.
8) stuff Vic.
yeah Vik. that's very Stones! It sounds great. I'm glad you were able to do what you wanted in this song.
Oh, and just a little additional info for those who care about these things....it's the first time I've tuned the Telecaster to open G. I was going to use the Squier Tele - already in open G - but when I picked it up, the strings were black and lifeless - it's been sadly neglected since I bought the Fender! I'll have to change those strings ASAP!
I also think it's the first time I've ever recorded anything electric using anything other than just the bridge p/u - I went with the middle position.
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
