The Linear Canvas
This journal is about the wrongs and rights of the world, as I see them.

The Linear Canvas

My Recorded Cover Songs – 867-5309 (Jenny Jenny)

April 26th, 2012 . by Alexander Fisher

867-5309I got to thinking about the band Tommy Tutone the other day. I recorded their song 867-5309/Jenny back in the 1990’s. I had acquired their LP from a used record store in Lima, Ohio. Sometime after that I recorded this song. I had a mix of it that I had made back then. I think I reprocessed this song once before, but I couldn’t find my converted files. I transferred the tapes to digital again and did my magic on the unsynchronized tracks spread over two different sessions. The tracks actually were very easy to sync. I added some bass drum in the fills, the main weakness of my analog recording days. I did a little work editing the vocals, but everything is as it was back then mostly. I think it came out better this time, than last.

867-5309 (Jenny Jenny)

[audio:http://www.linearcanvas.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Jenny Jenny 20120427_1708mcd.mp3]

I sang, and played all of the instruments. The guitars are an Ibanez Les Paul and a Fender Stratocaster electric. The bass was a Rickenbacker 4001. The drums sounds are from a Boss Dr. Rhythm drum machine and were played on Yamaha MIDI drum pads. I originally recorded the song on my analog Yamaha MT-1000 4 track recorder. I processed it with Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 Producer and Sony Sound Forge 9.

My Recorded Cover Songs – My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)

April 22nd, 2012 . by Alexander Fisher

640_Elise_Testone_0030.rcI was watching American Idol last Wednesday and was watching the contestant Elise Testone. She has been my favorite contestant all along. They had her sing two songs and the second was supposed to be a soul song from the 60’s or 70’s. Elise picked Let’s Get It On originally by Marvin Gaye. I think she did OK, but I don’t think it was a good fit for her voice. My first thought was she’s too young to have a broad knowledge of the best music from that era. Then I thought she should have sang My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)  by former Temptations singer David Ruffin. My next thought was I don’t know her telephone number, so I should record it.

My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) is my number one favorite song of all time, bar none. I bought the 45 RPM record in 1969 and just have always thought it was the my favorite song. Even after all these years. I have never recorded a Motown song before. I think the arrangement only hints at the Detroit sound. It’s more 1970’s folkie meets Auto-Tune.

I have never used Auto-Tune as a hard effect before. I have used it for pitch correction here and there. The common name for the settings are the “T-Pain Effect”. I used the “Drake” setting and then went a little past that in smoothness. I just thought the juxtaposition of a 60’s soul song, ‘70’s folk style and and Auto-Tune was too extreme to pass up.

My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) was originally recorded by David Ruffin. It was written by Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol, Pam Sawyer, and James Roach. I played acoustic guitar and piano on this track. I sang all the vocals.

My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)

 

My Newest Recording – She Knows All The Colors

April 11th, 2012 . by Alexander Fisher

jill19Last year at this time I wrote a song for my wife Jill’s birthday. This year quite by accident I wrote a song inspired by Jill called She Knows All The Colors, just about a week after her birthday and a few days after our anniversary. I had the concept and Jill fit right in.

Anyone that knows Jill, also knows that color has been important in her life since she was young. She was always the pretty girl who knew how to apply makeup, but it helps when you have eyelashes that long. She’s always been that pretty girl. It’s also about the other kinds of color Jill radiates and receives.

I wrote the song in a third person. I guess I am telling myself what a lucky guy I am. I got her and you didn’t. She whispers to me.

She Knows All The Colors

This is the first recording I have done on my Tascam interface. It worked fine. I still like my PreSonus, but it’s dead. I played electric guitar, bass guitar, tambourine, and organ on this track. I also programmed the drum software.

I sang all the vocals, but I got Jill to add a word near the end. It is Jill’s first recorded vocal performance. In case you are wondering, I say the word color or colors seventeen times in the song.