On The Road Again (Blues)

[pdechery]

Hi there,

Just released a new track, it's a version of an old blues song. Hope you like it.

https://soundcloud.com/pierre-dechery/on-the-road-again

This time it was a very simple production, minimalistic percussion and clean guitars amplified with guitarix. I guess if you listen you'll get the idea

[GMaq]

Hi!

Great version! Interesting way to arrange it and make it your own too! The Canned Heat version is so haunting with Al Wilson's peculiar voice and droning background and you were very wise to take it somewhere else entirely!

Nicely done!

[pdechery]

Thank you GMaq,

Indeed Canned Heat's version is very original, a sort of new way of making blues - true to its essence but somewhat free in the form. That was exactly what I was after here.

As for covering a song I always liked the idea of changing everything but keeping the most significant part - so it's still recognizable but at the same time something new.

[Gps]

I am seriously impressed, but at first was a bit confused until the lyrics kicked in.

Lost count on how many times I have heard the canned heat version and did not know the original was a blues song,

Although, those lyrics were a hint its blues.

Great job.

[pdechery]

Thanks Gps, Glad you liked it

I never heard the original, although I love country blues. But I guess the guys in Canned Head were like blues' scholars and specialists in digging rarities.

Anyway, those lyrics are amazing and timeless, almost like a biography. To me they fit perfectly the melody, and came naturally to me as I was making this chord progression.

[sunrat]

I like it. Great feel!

[milo]

This song was new to me, so I didn't come to the listening experience with any expectations. It reminds me of the early British rock adaptations of blue songs - not quite the gritty American originals but something new and quite different, and good in their own way.

My only critique is that it seems a bit on the low end of your vocal range. You might have gotten a better performance a few half steps up. You also sound just a bit restrained in your voice, and would do well to loosen it up a few notches. This is blues, after all.

I really like your guitar tones and layering.

[pdechery]

Hi guys, thanks for listening.

Milo, I agree the vocals could be better. I actually tried different keys to find the one where I could reach those low notes. But it's worth to try new takes. Vocals sometimes are the hardest part.

[spamatica]

Very nice take on this song and great mixing.

Regarding the vocals, very natural sounding recording and sits perfectly in the mix.
I do concede though there are some notes detuning a bit, we can call it a homage to Canned Heat

[turbidh20]

Good stuff I love blues. I thought the guitar work and the vocal were great. For some reason I didn't like that kick in there though. Encore!

[milo]

Vocals sometimes are the hardest part.

Agreed! The human voice is a deceptively difficult instrument to learn.

[caprenter]

I really like what you've done with this. I'm not a big fan of the Canned Heat version - I prefer yours!

I like the tempo, and the use of the delay. I also like the vocal, it suits the song really well.

The whole track is nicely hypnotic. Good job all round.

[folderol]

For some reason I've never heard any version of this before
I like what you have here, and I hope you realise that from now on I'll always think of this as the 'correct' one

[lilith]

That's a great vocal performance! I commented on your soundcloud.

[pdechery]

For some reason I didn't like that kick in there though. Encore!

Hi @turbidh20 ,

This a valuable feedback. Hearing the song again I came to realize I could spend more time choosing the right sound for the kick. And I guess Soundcloud kind of make its own processing as the tracks end up sounding different from what we hear in the DAW.

Hi @folderol ,

This is pretty much an obscure blues tune as far as I'm concerned. The band that got me into this song (Canned Heat) is also somewhat obscure. And musically what I did hasn't much to do with either

Hi @caprenter , thank you!

Hi @lilith , I saw your comment there. Awesome! I've tried several takes and end up using the first. It's not perfect but it was the closest to what I had in mind.