Upstairs At Gary's!

This weekend I have been working on a Yazoo cover. I have recorded "Too Pieces" which is my favourite track off their album "Upstairs At Erics". Yesterday I learnt and recorded the drum patterns and the string synth sections and did what was intended as a rough guide vocal, however, it was a really good first take vocal which I have kept. Today I have done the sequencer parts and odd synth bits and done some mixing and this could well turn out to be one of my strongest ever cover versions. The vocal really compliments the music so well.

I tend to send work in progress to a good friend of mine on the Myspace scene, Ian Price and he came back with a fantastic overview of the music and thought the vocal was really excellent, so that will do for me!

I will probably mix down the track over the next few days and then it will be complete.

Gary

New Track "Smoke Screen"

I have finished the lyrics for the new song "Smoke Screen". Not started any music at all for the track but I thought I would share the lyrics I have written with you. Here they are:

Whilst you were sleeping
I stepped in to your dream
No thoughts worth keeping
Is this a smoke screen?
I think you know me
The air it seems so clean
Reflections, Maybe?
This Is a smoke screen

Inside The City
Is like a fog drenched scene
Please drift through with me
Is this a smoke screen?
We change direction
Are things the way they seem?
The wrong connection
This is a smoke screen

I know it's been a while
You took my breath away
I focus on your smile
Then watch you fade away

Lyrics By Gary Hunter

John Foxx Cover

Decided to have a quite week on the music front, in theory any way!

I fully intended to get back to my own album this week, however, another cover version has surfaced, well two actually! Firstly I have recorded a track called "He's A Lquid" which is a cover version of a track recorded by John Foxx on his album "Metamatic". It has come out very well and is very similar in sound to John's original version. I have sent an e-mail to the guy that looks after John's website to try and get permission to upload the cover on to my web pages.

I have used the following instruments on "He's A Liquid"

Roland CR78 Drum Machine
NI Pro53 Synth
Superwave Pro Synth
Novation Bass Station
Vanguard Synth

I have also recorded a fair chunk of an OMD track "Almost". This is one of my all time favourite tracks of OMD's and is a track that appeared on their debut album in 1980. Not done any mixing or vocals and I'm at the stage of messing about with the arrangement. Hopefully this can develop in to a really good cover version.

My New Order cover versions have gone down a treat it would seem with excellent feedback being received.

Some work has been done on my new album with a new vocal recorded for the track "The Glimmer Man" as I was n't too happy with the original vocal on it. So today I am recording the final version of that track and also doing the extended version to.

I am tidying up the loose ends on the 5 tracks recorded so far then it is on with a couple of new tracks. The title "Smoke Screen" mentioned in one of my previous blogs has developed in to a song, well lyrics written any way, just have to come up with one more verse then it is then a case of starting to come up with ideas on the music front for that one.

Gary Hunter Official Myspace Page

Gary Hunter iCompositions Page

Gary

New Order Cover Versions On My iCompositions Page

I have now uploaded the special radio mix of "Blue Monday" and the track "The Beach" which are New Order cover versions on to my icompositions page. Below are the direct links to the tracks.

Gary Hunter - Blue Monday (Special Radio Mix)

Gary Hunter - The Beach

Gary

Some Lyrics - Maybe A New Song

I use to try and write lyrics in the style of a number of 80's electronic artists in the early 80's and a verse has always remained stuck in my head and strangely enough it popped up in my head again this week. The simple lyric was this:

I'm looking back
and it was .....
years ago
years ago
years ago
years ago

It was a John Foxx type song it was tailored for. I never developed the song but as I am recording John Foxx type material at present it is something that might fit in with some new lyrics I have been working on in the last couple of days, and may well work as a chorus to the new lyrics. There is a tune mulling around in my head at the moment to these new lyrics. Here they are:

We look through photographs
From so long ago
An empty room
A cinema
And places I don't know

She turned and looked at me
With a distant smile
A vacant look
So far away
Like it had been a while

A room without a view
I was lost in time
In the stairway
A reflection
But it could have been mine

Then a flickering light
Seemed to catch my eye
No one was there
I looked again
Dissolved, I don't know why

Lyrics By Gary Hunter

Another title I quite like is "Smoke Screen" which i think is a very John Foxx like title. That may even turn out to be the title of song with the lyrics above. I certainly want to use it even if it is for another song.

The New Order covers of "Blue Monday" & "The Beach" are finished and I am delighted I have done a decent job of these tracks. Two versions of "Blue Monday" recorded, a special Radio mix and of course a long version. I will probably post a couple of the recordings on iCompositions over the weekend.

Gary Hunter Official Myspace Page

Gary Hunter iCompositions Page

The Beach

I have decided to do the B-Side of "Blue Monday" which is called "The Beach" which is infact a re-worked dub version of "Blue Monday". I have been listening to the original and done a similar arrangement to it. Some drum effects have been added and some special effect sounds which has given the track a bit of life as the original of "The Beach" is pretty much a drums and bass with a hint of sequencer in it. I'm very pleased with it I have to say.

Gary

Blue Monday Finished

I have completed my version of the New Order classic "Blue Monday" after making a few changes to the mix. Once again I am delighted how this has come out with the vocals probably being the best I have ever done, which is an achievement in itself as I certainly cannot label myself as a singer - not by a long way!

In addition to a long version of the track I have also done an edited "Radio Mix" which again has come out fantastic. I think the arrangement for the "Single" version works superbly.

I will post at least one of the versions on my iCompositions page so people can have a listen, probably next weekend.

Gary Hunter Official MySpace Page

Gary Hunter iCompositions Page

Gary

Blue Monday, Thursday Changes!

I have today made quite a few changes in my cover version of "Blue Monday". First off I ditched the bass line and recorded a new one. Also I was n't happy with one of the sequencer tracks so that was changed and a fair few changes in the mix of the drums have been made. The rhythm section sounds very powerful now and the changes I have made blend the sound much better. I re-recorded some of my vocals which I think are pretty good, much better than I thought. The vocals have been double tracked to beef them up and to smooth them out and some delay and stereo phase effects have been added to the vocal mix.

I will have a good listen to it again this evening and then tweak it a bit more if needed.

The track "A Million Stars" needs the slightest of changes on the middle 8 strings then that and the extended version of the song are complete. I am hoping to record the chorus vocal on "Car Crash Flashback" tomorrow to finish that one off.

I have today been learning the main hook of "Underpass" by John Foxx so that might be another potential cover version in the future.

Gary

Wednesday's New Order Day!

Carrying on with my conveyor belt of cover versions I have recorded New Order's twelve inch classic "Blue Monday". I decided to do this track after watching their brand new live DVD "Live In Glasgow" which is a stunning concert - well worth buying!

It has taken 3 days to do and a vocal has been recorded tonight which is pretty good for a first take. My version is once again completely electronic with not a guitar in sight!

When I am happy with the mix I will probably post it on my iCompositions page maybe this weekend.

For those interested in the technical stuff this is a list of the instruments used in this recording:

Boss DR550 Drum Machine
Vanguard Synth
SW Performer Synth
Magnus Choir Synth (First time I have used this synth and it is top notch for choir sounds)
Rob Papen Predator Synth
Trance Grooves Drum Machine

Gary

Longer Stars!

I have now done the extended version of "A Million Stars". I Did alter the arrangement a few times before settling on the completed version which is 5 mins 20 secs long so it is almost twice as long as the album version.

I badly need to finish the vocal on "Car Crash Flashback" but am struggling with a chest infection at the moment so I may start the new version of "I Once Was A Machine" over the next day or so.

Other news now. I got in touch with one of the most recognized New Order/Joy Division web pages worldinmotion.net about my Joy Division cover versions and the guy who runs the site has posted a message on their forum so hopefully a few more people will get to hear them. The site is superb and is packed with information all about New Order & Joy Division and side projects and I highly recommend you take a peak.

Gary Hunter Official Myspace Page

Gary Hunter iCompositions Page

Gary

Human League Cover & A Million Stars

I have now completed my cover of The Human League's "Gordon's Gin" which I have sent to the semi official Human League site Electronically Yours. Whether I hear anything from the guy that looks after the site I don't know as in the past I have been in touch I have n't even had the courtesy of a response but I do believe in the saying "If at first you don't succeed try and try again" - I'm not holding my breath on that one.

"A Million Stars" is now finished to and is a track I really do love. I have managed to get that "John Foxx" sound again on this one and have done a good dead pan vocal that suits the track incredibly well. I will probably do an extended mix of this song as I have with "A Face I Knew" and "The Glimmer Man". More on that once I work out an arrangement!

I am feeling fairly confident that the great man Peter Hook from New Order/Joy Division will listen to my two Joy Division covers as he sent me a message from Spain where he is currently holidaying or maybe working or a bit of both and he said he will be listening to them when he gets back, which I genuinely hope he does as I think both covers are good. Let's put it this way people who have listened to them think so! Hopefully Peter will send me some feedback - fingers crossed.

Next I am going to record a brand new version of the track "I Once Was A Machine" - that is the plan any way.

Gary Hunter Official Myspace Page

Gary Hunter iCompositions Page

Gary

A Million Stars Progress Update

Managed to get all the instrumentation recorded for "A Million Stars", I have just a couple of synth bits to add. Done a good vocal today so this track apart from mixing down is almost done. I am going to get that finished off then record the vocal chorus for "Car Crash Flashback" which will then see that track completed.

My cover of Human League's "Gordon's Gin" has been made a little longer and I have just one synth to change on a part of that which will tidy up the song.

Have a couple of other ideas as well this week for new songs, just some melody bits I have come up with so I will see in the next few weeks where those ideas take me.

I am going to do a new recording of "I Once Was A Machine" for the album to as I think it is a song that fits in well with the structure and direction the album is heading. So an up to date list of where I am up to song wise with the album:

A Face I Knew (Completed)
Stranger In The Room (Completed)
The Glimmer Man (Completed)
A Million Stars (Almost Complete)
Car Crash Flashback (Almost Complete)
I Once Was A Machine (Next Track To record)

www.myspace.com/garyhuntermusic

Gary Hunter iCompositions Page

Gary

A Bigger Drop Of Gin!

My original recording of The Human League's "Gordon's Gin" has been replaced with a new extended arrangement as the original version is a little on the short side and the track really does lend it self to an extended version.

Not to sure what I will do with this track at the moment.

Gary