• From: The Land Of Song
  • Registered: 2007-12-10
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Topic: IS IT LIFE?

the first line of this one has been sat on my pad for a couple of weeks as i couldn't think what to do with it. a ballad? rock? then i got the chord sequence and the first 2 verses were born. a chorus eluded me till yesterday then the whole thing came together.
i have never been a big pink floyd fan till recently when i've watched several live shows on TV so i think this might show some influence, i hope it's not a copy. i may not put the recording up on line as it's over 7 minutes long and i'm still recording it. it wont get any longer and i didn't realise it was that long till after i'd done the first track. anyway here it is, i'm not sure what it's about so your thoughts might help?

Is It Life? Undefined


(INTRO; C-Am-Cmaj7- Fmaj7- Em7-A- Fmaj7-Em7 || )




[C] I can see you so very [Am] clearly.


[Cmaj7] Count the stars on a moonless [Fmaj7] night.


[Em7] I can ride amongst the [A] rising starlings.


[Fmaj7] Picture birds in an endless [Em7] flight.




[C] Try to tell the way you [Am] make me.


[Cmaj7] Feel so good, feel so [Fmaj7] high.


[Em7] Feel the love evolve [A] inside me.


[Fmaj7] Smiles and tears, brash and [D] shy.


[soc]


(CHORUS)




[Am] Day after day, fight after [C] fight.


[Am] Losing all hope, losing all [C] sight.


[Fmaj7] Wish I could remember what I'm [Em7] fighting for.


Is it [Am] you? Is it [G] me? Is it [Fmaj7] life?


[eoc]



(INTRO; C-Am-Cmaj7- Fmaj7- Em7-A- Fmaj7-D || REP CHORUS > INTRO)




[C] Time is fleeting, life is [Am] short.


[Cmaj7] Time is up but time goes [Fmaj7] on.


[Em7] Little birds are flying, [A] come what may.


[Fmaj7] If you're not here, does the sun shine [D] anyway?




(REP CHORUS.)




> SOLO; C-Am-Cmaj7- Fmaj7- Em7- A- Fmaj7-Em7| C-Am- Cmaj7-Fmaj7-Em7-A-Fmaj7-D|| )




(REP CHORUS)




||: Is it [Am] you? Is it [G] me? Is it [Fmaj7] life? neutral| 4 x




Words & Music by Phill Williams.





Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

Phill Williams's Website

2 Reply by dino48 (edited by dino48 2016-07-12 21:11:24)

  • dino48
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

Phill I like the song a lot,but it has Pink Floyd all over it. Floyd songs are long.

my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that   Hot  Rod  Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman
  • beamer
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

Phil, dont worry about it, unless you are punk or pop the 3 to 4 min rule is gone thanks to CD's  heck Iron Maiden's not written a 4 min song since CD's came out! LOLOL (sometimes I wish people would not over indulge though)  Pink Floyd is Awesome, and it never hurts to Emulate.  Its how I get inspired.

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  • Jandle
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

Phill ...... I like it, looking forward to hearing it smile

Laugh Lots ... Forgive Much ...  Love one another     smile
Covers and some Originals found over there    ------- >    https://soundcloud.com/ukulelejan
  • Tyson7
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

Phil, without hearing it the lyrics have a Floydish feel. I wouldn't worry about that. I like it a lot and would like to hear an audio of it. I think it will be amazingly Cool. I have a few 6+ minute songs they just work themselves out that way. Please share an audio with us.

   Joe

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  • From: The Land Of Song
  • Registered: 2007-12-10
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

hi folks, thanks for the positive responses. i am at present attempting to record the vocal but i don't have gilmore's voice and certainly not his guitar talent. as you say tyson the length of a song "just works out like that" i didn't set out to make a long song or even a floyd looky-likey it just came out that way.
hey beamer, i wouldn't categorize it as punk or pop though to my ears it's fairly easy listening-ish in as much as i don't think frank sinatra would have covered it...lol
hi dino and jandle, as i said i am in the process of recording it, but the vocal i'm putting on so far doesn't work for me, i unfortunately sound like a pub singer and that wont do.

Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

Phill Williams's Website

  • dino48
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

gg

Phill Williams wrote:

hi folks, thanks for the positive responses. i am at present attempting to record the vocal but i don't have gilmore's voice and certainly not his guitar talent. as you say tyson the length of a song "just works out like that" i didn't set out to make a long song or even a floyd looky-likey it just came out that way.
hey beamer, i wouldn't categorize it as punk or pop though to my ears it's fairly easy listening-ish in as much as i don't think frank sinatra would have covered it...lol
hi dino and jandle, as i said i am in the process of recording it, but the vocal i'm putting on so far doesn't work for me, i unfortunately sound like a pub singer and that wont do.

Phill a lot are really not sung most of them are like telling a story.

my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that   Hot  Rod  Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman
  • From: West Georgia
  • Registered: 2006-10-14
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

"It's life, Jim, but not as we know it", is what popped into my head when I saw your song title, Phill.  It's from an episode of one of the old Star Trek series and the quote is attributed to Spock.  Here is the quote used in a song by The Firm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCARADb9asE....... You probably didn't listen to it all the way through, did you my friend? smile

I too am looking forward to hearing it and agree it sounds "Floyd-ish" - very "deep" - especially the part where you sing "If you're not here, does the sun shine anyway?".

May I suggest a collaboration between you and Arkady.

Thanks for sharing  this and when you get it all produced and engineered,  I'm going to feel about this one as I have all the others.

Bill

PS: "There's Klingons off the starboard bow, starboard bow,  starboard bow."

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  • Registered: 2015-07-31
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

I dig the lyrics and can relate how you got that Floyd vibe. Maybe to get the vocals working double tracking your voice might give it a lift.

  • From: The Land Of Song
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

Bill, I am a trekkie and I know the song or I've heard the song all the way through, beam my phaser on stun spotty.
Arkady an I did a couple of collaboration's  a few years back, I'd be happy to do some more.

Hi Peatle out man, cool. I was there in the60s but not a big fan then. It's only been lately I've got into the Floyd.

The recording was finished a while ago, just haven't posted it yet. Let you know when I've done it.

Phill

Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

Phill Williams's Website

11 Reply by Tenement Funster (edited by Tenement Funster 2016-09-02 19:14:01)

  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

That's great writing, Phill, and the fact that it has a PF feel to it is just fine by me. With humans and music having been on this ol' rock for several millennia, being "100% original" isn't really available any more. We're all begging / borrowing / stealing something most of the time. I think I hear some thing like "Learning to Fly" in these lyrics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tresPsC7WCA

And by PF standards, 7:00 minutes isn't really that long. They have a number which are 10:00, 15:00, and even over 20:00 long. Not party crowd stuff for sure, but excellent listening.

Nice work, Phill ... inspired and inspiring!

  • From: The Land Of Song
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

thanks TF. 20 minutes and that's just the solo lol

Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

Phill Williams's Website

  • From: The Land Of Song
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

Right, so this is the link, please have a listen, it's not perfect by any means....

https://soundcloud.com/iphillfine/is-it-life

Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

Phill Williams's Website

  • Registered: 2015-07-31
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

Phill that is a  nice production.

  • arkady
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

I must say Phill that was like being transported  back to the 70's musically and I mean in a good way.
Excellent stuff. 
In my Prog Rock days if the title track didn't cover the first side of the LP it wasn't worth listening to smile

  • From: West Georgia
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

Phill Williams wrote:

Right, so this is the link, please have a listen, it's not perfect by any means....

https://soundcloud.com/iphillfine/is-it-life

Comments left on SoundCloud, my friend. Excellent!

Bill

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  • dino48
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

Phill nice work!

my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that   Hot  Rod  Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman
  • Jandle
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

You have captured the ~heart and soul~ of this song Phill smile

Laugh Lots ... Forgive Much ...  Love one another     smile
Covers and some Originals found over there    ------- >    https://soundcloud.com/ukulelejan
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

Marvelous !!  BRAVO , BRAVO, BRAVO  !!!

Phill   That is an  awesome production !

Musical excellence - right there !!!

Jim

Your vision is not limited by what your eye can see, but what your mind can imagine.
Make your life count, and the world will be a better place because you tried.

"Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except only the the best." - Henry Van Dyke
  • From: The Land Of Song
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Re: IS IT LIFE?

thanks to you all for the great comments. i hope i captured the essence of prog rock it's a musical form where every instrument and voice counts and (hopefully) adds to the experience....i'm not talking about my work. real music needs at least 4 people; live drums, true guitarist, a bassist who knows when to be complicated or simple, a good vocalist and if the gods are smiling a keyboard genius.

Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

Phill Williams's Website