"Butcher's Tale"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

I figured out a bit more of "Butcher's Tale."  I can't figure out how to play the whole thing at once, so I just overdubbed the three-note bass part.  It feels like the whole legitimacy of the song is ruined when it comes to a part without that three-note figure though.  Because I don't know the parts that go there instead.

Musically, the song is made by the staccato chords' and the bass part's complementing each other.

"Care of Cell 44"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

Since I figured out (at least something close to) the mellotron part for the middle of "Care of Cell 44," I'm trying to learn the piano part underneath it.

I have something that sounds close to being right:  G Adom7 Cm G / G Adom7 Cm Dsus4 D.  Playing around with this, I've noticed that these chords (except for the final D) all contain G, which is the note that the bass plays during this whole part.  And because this same sort of thing is done in "This Will Be Out Year," it provides further credence for what I've come up with.  (Except for how they were written by two different people.)

"Hung up on a Dream"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

I figured out some of the opening piano part for "Hung up on a Dream."  I'm still missing about half of the notes, but even playing this much was difficult.

I'll probably end up having to record parts of piano tracks and then combine them to get the full part because I'm just a mediocre keyboard player and Rod Argent is prodigious.

"Care of Cell 44"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

I think I've figured out at least part of the mellotron part for the middle of "Care of Cell 44."

"I Don't Want to Know"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

I tried doing some of the vocals for "I Don't Want to Know," and they actually turned out pretty good.  (Not as good as the original though, obviously.)

I had a lot of fun overdubbing my voice multiple times.  I double-tracked the lead vocals and triple-tracked the backing vocals.  The guitar is also double-tracked - I re-recorded it just on six-string, but it didn't sound too good, so I imported the twelve-string version I recorded on the 18th.  Since I record most of the VCP demos while listening to the original backing tracks, the tempi match.

"Remember You" [single version]

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

I finally got around to doing a better version of "Remember You."

Although it's still a bit rough in some places, it's a lot better than the version I did in March.

"I Don't Want to Know"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

Recently, I've been playing twelve-string guitar more, and since the only twelve-string guitar songs I know are songs by the Zombies, I've been playing those a lot more.

This morning, I figured out the solo for "I Don't Want to Know."

I still think the chords are broken up into arpeggios, but I'm not sure what those are yet, so I just played them straight.

Also, I've figured out how to play the main riff in a way that doesn't leave the A string vibrating for too long, which I discovered was an issue last time I posted a version.

And there's quite a bit of fret buzz at the very end because I'm still not very good at twelve-string guitar.

"She Loves the Way They Love Her"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

After "I Want Her She Wants Me," I thought I would be done with this for a while, but I was practising some of the other songs I know in a playlist with the shuffle feature on, and "She Loves The Way They Love Her" came on.

Way back in summer 2011, I learned most of this, but then I found two different spots where I wasn't exactly accurate (I should note that the version on Into the Afterlife has a slightly different bass part.)  Figuring it out has sort of been on hiatus for the past year or so.  But I knew so much of it that I had to figure out the rest.  So I did.

I'm posting this under "miscellaneous" in the catalogue because - while it was released on Colin Blunstone's One Year album (which is the version I used for this) - there are also versions from the nebulous post-Zombies phase.

"I Want Her She Wants Me"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

Some parts of this may need more work, but this song has been so elusive that it's good to finally know some of it.

"Remember You" [single version]

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

I think I learned the piano part for the introduction and first verse of "Remember You."  I'm not sure if it's just the way I play it or if I figured it out wrong, it sounds a bit weird during the "and if I should change my mind" part.  I think the bass moves to F#, so maybe that B chord is inverted.

Also, I've figured out the opening guitar part.

(Possibly) fun fact:  this is one of only two songs released during the Zombies' time at Decca where Rod Argent uses piano (the other is "She's Coming Home").  All of the other songs were either not released until later ("If It Don't Work Out," "Don't Cry for Me," "I'll Call You Mine"), feature electric piano or organ, or had piano playing by Ken Jones ("Work 'N' Play").

"Care of Cell 44"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

Along with learning some of the piano part for "Care of Cell 44" came learning some of the guitar chords.  This is just the first minute or so.

I'm pretty sure that the part after this (the "feels so good you're coming home soon" part) uses the same chords, but I'm not sure enough to actually do it.

And past the "we'll walk in the way we used to walk" part, the only thing I know is still just the bass.

"Friends of Mine"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

I learned a bit of the piano part from "Friends of Mine."  After recording this though, the piano chords sound wrong.  I just played the same chords that are in the guitar part.

I was mainly focusing on the descending part anyway.

"I Want Her She Wants Me"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

Despite what I said earlier about this blog's being dormant for a few months, I think I've actually been putting more work into this.

Just to-night, I learned the bass part for "I Want Her She Wants Me," which means I know at least one (rough [sometimes very rough]) instrument part for every song on Odessey and Oracle.

I would post that to-morrow, but I've been learning other stuff too, and I feel I should post them in the order I learned them.  So it'll be a few days before I get to "I Want Her She Wants Me."

"Butcher's Tale"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

I figured out about half of this on Saturday (the verses), and I kept playing it, and, by Sunday, I was determined to just learn the rest of it.  So I did.

Mostly, this is just the chords.  There's a fair bit of other stuff going on in the original that I haven't figured out yet - some of which is in addition to the chords and some of which I've temporarily disregarded in favor of the (much simpler) chords.

Also, this makes "I Want Her She Wants Me" the only song from Odessey and Oracle that I don't know at least a part of.

"A Rose for Emily"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

I guess I'm learning piano parts now?

This is just the bass part of the piano (along with the final Asus4 to A major ending) and the 'cello part.  I don't have a 'cello and would have no idea how to even play one, so I used the fake 'cello setting on my keyboard.  I would not be averse to learning the actual instrument though (I'd actually prefer that to using the fake one).

I feel I should also mention that this is one of the songs in the book I have that contains sheet music to some of the Zombies' songs.  They have the chords listed, and three or four years ago, I learned it on guitar, but I'd like to learn it on the appropriate instrument this time.  So I may just use those instead of figuring it out for myself.  I did this much on my own though.

"Care of Cell 44"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

In order to drown out the noise of trick or treaters last night, I started playing piano with my headphones plugged in.  (I need all the practise I can get as far as piano goes.)

In any case, I learned (albeit roughly) the first part of "Care of Cell 44."  The longer it goes on, the less confident I am in its accuracy.  I'm pretty sure the opening figure is correct, and I'm fairly certain that the chords are right for the antecedent, but I don't have much confidence at all in the consequent, particularly the part during "hoping you're OK," which is somehow fitting.

I had no way to do this on tack piano (or even a fake tack piano), so regular fake piano was the best I could do.

"Sanctuary"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

I listened to Colin Blunstone & Rod Argent's Out of the Shadows on Monday, and since then I've been trying to figure out the bass part for "Sanctuary."

I think I have the part during the verses, but the chorus - while only slightly different - is still elusive.