Tag: classic rock inspiration

  • Joe Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good” Meets Modern Music Tech

    Joe Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good” Meets Modern Music Tech

    lifes-been-good

    Last night I pulled up a copy of Life’s Been Good by Joe Walsh to test out a copy of an app called CAPO. The idea behind the app is that it can “listen” to a song and transcribe it for you. Showing you the chords, and give the ability to tab it out for guitar players. My initial reaction is – hey that would be really cool to learn songs faster. That’s how they approach selling it and it’s ability. I downloaded it, installed it and fired it up. Then I started traipsing through my iTunes library to find a song that I’ve never learned and wanted to know. That’s where I picked Life’s Been Good by Joe Walsh. I had CAPO “listen” to the song and up popped it’s interpretation of the song. To put it mildly, I wasn’t impressed with it’s chordal rendition of the song. While it was in the right key, however it didn’t get things accurate by any stretch. After which I tried another method in the app to see how good it was for dealing with the tab. Unfortunately even at version 3 with this software it’s not great for something like a Joe Walsh song. I’ll try it out on a more modern song in another day or two, but so far, my ear is 1000x faster and more accurate than the software was on Life’s Been Good.

    As for Joe and this song, it’s got such a cool vibe that I when I hear it, I wish I was born in the era when what is no called Classic Rock, was king. I think I would have had a completely different life being a writer and guitar player back then.

    Life’s Been Good

    YouTube player

    I have a mansion forget the price
    Ain’t never been there they tell me it’s nice
    I live in hotels tear out the walls
    I have accountants pay for it all

    They say I’m crazy but I have a good time
    I’m just looking for clues at the scene of the crime
    Life’s been good to me so far

    My Maserati does 185
    I lost my license now I don’t drive
    I have a limo ride in the back
    I lock the doors in case I’m attacked

    I’m making records my fans they can’t wait
    They write me letters tell me I’m great
    So I got me an office gold records on the wall
    Just leave a message maybe I’ll call

    Lucky I’m sane after all I’ve been through
    Everybody says I’m cool (He’s cool)
    I can’t complain but sometimes I still do
    Life’s been good to me so far

    I go to parties sometimes until four
    It’s hard to leave when you can’t find the door
    It’s tough to handle this fortune and fame
    Everybody’s so different I haven’t changed

    They say I’m lazy but it takes all my time
    Everybody says Oh yeah (Oh yeah)
    I keep on going guess I’ll never know why
    Life’s been good to me so far

    Enjoy your day! I know I am – I’m out skiing for a few hours before I have to hunker down and work on the mix for my next single.

  • Learning Maybe I’m Amazed – One of My Favorite Love Songs to Perform

    Learning Maybe I’m Amazed – One of My Favorite Love Songs to Perform

    wings-paul-mccartney

    My parents were big time fans of classic rock. What that means is that while I was wee little lad running around the house, really cool melodic oriented rock music was the sound du jour. One of the bands that got a lot of rotation was Wings. Sometimes known as Paul McCartney and Wings. One of my favorite songs he’s written is his ode to Linda his wife, Maybe I’m Amazed. I really love the music, the melody and the flow. It’s one of the most perfect love songs of all time. Period.

    One time I decided to learn the song and translate it to acoustic guitar and vocal for a live show in Hollywood, CA. It went over extremely well. In fact, thinking about it now, I need to dig that song back out and put it back under my fingers and stuff the words into my mouth. I really don’t play enough cover tunes. Mmmm. Mmmm. Good, that’s the feeling I get when it comes to this song and now I want you to feel that same feeling. Especially if you’ve never really taken the time to enjoy the song. Enjoy it now!

    Maybe I’m Amazed

    http://youtu.be/cm2YyVZBL8U

    YouTube player

    Maybe I’m amazed at the way you love me all the time,
    And maybe I’m afraid of the way I love you.

    Maybe I’m amazed at the way you pulled me out of time,
    You hung me on the line.
    Maybe I’m amazed at the way I really need you.

    Baby, I’m a man, maybe I’m a lonely man
    Who’s in the middle of something
    That he doesn’t really understand.

    Baby, I’m a man,
    And maybe you’re the only woman who could ever help me.
    Baby, won’t you help me to understand?
    Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh.

    Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
    Oh, oh, oh,
    Oh, oh, oh, oh,
    Oh.

    Baby, I’m a man, maybe I’m a lonely man
    Who’s in the middle of something
    That he doesn’t really understand.

    Baby, I’m a man,
    And maybe you’re the only woman who could ever help me.
    Baby, won’t you help me to understand?
    Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh.

    Maybe I’m amazed at the way you’re with me all the time,
    Maybe I’m afraid of the way I leave you.

    Maybe I’m amazed at the way you help me sing my song,
    Right me when I’m wrong-
    Maybe I’m amazed at the way I really need you.