Songs that don't quite make the grade

Hello one and all and a very good new year to each and every one of you

I was having a dig back through some old hard drives and found a load of old songs that didnt quite make the grade.... maybe its the recording (some are pretty old and resources were limited) or maybe i just didn't think they were as good as other songs

Anyway i decided to stick them on soundcloud

If you get chance (and there are quite a few so wouldn't expect anyone to get through them all) but could you see if you think any are worth revisiting... i have kind of put them to bed now so im not sure which ones to wake up

Maybe i was right in the past and they should all just be filed away and forgotten

http://soundcloud.com/stickboy/sets/lost-songs-1/

Many thanks

x

I didn't even listen to them and I can already tell you

that if you write them: they are music gold. You need to

gather some coin, go to hollywood and show them what you show all of us!!!

These songs sound like they could easily be featured in full length cinemas.

Sure they might need subtle tweaks here and there but the core structure of songs

that connect with people is embedded in each one, no joke.

Ha - was all that positivity "without" even listening!?

I'm not sure i agree they are all gold.... there may be some rocks in there that can be turned to gold but right now i just dont know.... surely they cant ALL be good?

If anyone has one or two they think may stand out and be worth pursuing then do please tell

x

Stick's good -- infuriatingly good -- but I'm not sure anyone is that good!

UPDATE: However, having listened to the first three, I'm going to say it again: Stick, I hate you!

These are throwaways?!?! [sigh]

So, far, I'm liking "Turned to Smoke" and "That's Okay" best. (I'm in the middle of "Forget Yourself," which is endearing, but not as immediately ingratiating as the the others mentioned. However, the glossolalic chorus is fairly catchy.)

UPDATE 2:

"The Sound of the City" makes me think, somehow, of the Bee Gee's "Stayin' Alive." Or, perhaps, more of what I liked about that song. I'm not sure it's as there yet as some of your other songs, but I like it, and it's an interesting change, for sure.

For a guy with such a distinctive sound -- you really cover a lot of stylistic ground, Stick.

I think I'm going to have to spend more time with "The Riots" -- it seems like it's got a lot on its mind from my very casual listen as I was doing other stuff. But I like songs with a lot on their mind.

UPDATE 3: Ohmygosh, there's 25 of these... Stick's set aside for more work more songs than I've written in years...

Hi Johnny, you

I have a hard time being nice to stickboy, because he doesn't deserve it, having won more than his share in the talent sweepstakes. I'm not in a position to listen to the tracks right now, but in your position, it seems like a good idea to have as much material ready to go as possible. You're still doing movies, I imagine, and you've got such a great, cool vibe, it's only a matter of time before people in the industry start looking for "the stickboy sound". At least that's how I picture things in the UK movie business. You might well have a former client come back to you looking for "something like that last one, but in 3/4 and with a recorder", and you'd have it ready to go.

IIRC, you've even licensed instrumental versions of your songs for trailers and such, right? Seems like, even if a song has a good 30 second stretch, that'd be enough to score you a few bucks/whatever coloquialism there is for UK money.

Whew. I'm a couple of of tracks in, once I get through them I'll post what my favorites are.

SB, you've got silly good talent combined with the ability to actually produce something from it. It's great. Your style has this "rapscallion-esque bounce" to it, and somehow combines a mix of instrumentation with interesting lyrics.

Somehow I think, "That's OK (walk away)" I'll be humming tomorrow.

Untitled number 2 grabs me. Alot of the stuff is pretty rad man. A cool style for sure. You cover your ground well too. Keep it up man! It's sellable

Sticky, I vaguely remember (maybe) talking briefly about your songs in movies before...way back over a year ago...HOW did you get your stuff into movies??? How did you get noticed by the right people?

oh....well thank you for all the kind comments, it doesnt increase my ego, im really not like that.....in fact for some reason it leaves me feeling a little sad... who knows

Anyway...grace...i guess a lot of it was luck... i just keep writing and writing , self released a few eps, and then an album, the album got heard by a small indie publisher who signed me up, now its their job to match my songs with requests from film/tv people.

At the moment its allowing me to do music full time and i tell you what , its not easy....sure i dont have to sit in a room full of over confident people listening to their bull.... but its a lonely game.... i spend a lot of time, far too much in fact,on my own.... good for the creative muse... bad for other things.

I can't really complain though, its a dream for most people to be doing this so i have to make the most of it and work a few things out

ahhhh internet therapy

x

I've listened to the first 6 tracks (through "Cold") and the only one that I thought was a little weak was "That's OK".

Go figure.....

They are all good - keep writing new ones but if you hit a dry spell you can trot any of these out with no worries.

Thanks for the info, Sticky. I really, really admire you.

How come you're left feeling a bit sad by all our glowing reviews? Is it cause you feel we put you on a pedestal you yourself feel you don't deserve? (you do though, deserve it I mean. We all long to write like you) Or does it come from a loneliness related to what you mentioned about spending a lot of time by yourself so you can write? Maybe you feel more alone or apart from others when we say you're so good and when you get such excellent feedback...*silly over-analysis by Grace coming out again* Darn my unused Psychology degree!!! lol

Anyway, I'm now gonna listen to the songs...I'll pick some random ones...

1. Turned to Smoke - LOVE THIS! It reminds me of...Lindsey Buckingham in some way, the vocal style...and the backwards tracked horn or whatever it is...love that. Reminds me of The Beatles. AND I F**KING LOVE THE DRUMS THAT COME IN! OH MY GOD, I LOVE IT! Sorry to yell and use a rude word, but man...you really ARE good. Just...WOW.

2. United #2 - this is just gorgeous...so delicate...the melody vocals make my heart break somehow...it's so beautiful...so simple and beautiful...and wow, the banjo (I think?) that comes in, this is I think what my partner would LOVE to do for her own songs. I'm gonna save your Soundcloud page and play her some of your songs. I just know she'll be so inspired by them, and that she'll find them better than 99% of the music that's out there these days.

3. That's Ok (Walk Away) - love the vocal stylings...love the sort of ominous type chords and beat...for SOME reason I can see why you might view this one as being a bit of a throw away song...though I'd keep it...it just needs something to lift it to the rest of your songs...but what, I don't know.

5. I Remember - love the mandolin...again, my partner would love this. She wants banjos, mandolins, etc. This one makes me feel sad...the drum seems to drag a bit...maybe it's meant to.

8. Outta Time - yipes, this sounds like While My Guitar Gently Weeps!! The chord progession. It's probably different and my ear's playing tricks on me, but I really like it. I hear a flute in this...like a very delicate, soft almost echo-y flute in the background...(ya like the backwards tracks, don't you? lol. So do I) I really like the bass line that comes in later on.

Some of your songs remind me of this local Australian girl, Lisa Mitchell, her style. Have you heard of her?

11. The Sound of the City - love this one. The beginning guitar bit sounds like Summertime...when the living is easy...is it meant to? Love the beat of this song. The very beginning beat before that guitar bit came in reminded me of The Fleet Foxes.

Goodness me...these are your lost songs...again, I can only say wow.

Oh, and I never comment on your lyrics. It's cause they're untouchable to me. Perfection for these amazing songs.

awww grace you are a treasure to behold.

Hmmm without digging too deep i guess it leaves me a little sad as i cant do anything with it.

Sure, i can sit in and churn these things out, play them to a few lovely people on the internet, and at least get my stuff out there.

But im a pretty broken person, cripplingly shy, panicky, the idea of an interview or tv appearance just leaves me feeling a little sick

But hey ho ive been fighting this a long time and maybe one day it will all become a little better

But thank you as your words of encouragement do help

Wow...you're shy and panicky? You know what? So am I. Well, not panicky, but I am shy. Except I am strange cause I'm also a total exhibitionist...but only in certain situations. Online I am the TRUE me. Blabbermouthy, nice but sometimes prickly, creative, free, etc. In person, 80% of the time I'm aloof, shy, fidgety, WEIRD. Painfully self conscious. Vain but only cause I can't stand to not look good...if I feel I look bad, I then have even less confidence. And in person, I sometimes get very...defiant almost at the automatic shyness that I have...I can be quite recklessly rude at times, which I'm not proud of, but meh. Sometimes I get sick of being "the quiet one", you know?

And I often think...well, 2 things. One, how the HELL am I gonna ever BE anything if I can't do proper interviews? I intend to put on my persona...but what if I can't? Cause if it were that easy, surely I'd do it every day in person, right? Then I think, well, I've heard of SO many famous and creative people who are also really shy, and they still did it...did something with their creativity. So why can't I? But then I think (which is the second thing)...I've done certain things that I NEVER want people to know about...and sooo...if by some crazy miracle, I became something...what would I do then? People would find out...and then I'd be ruined.

Anyway...basically, in my more positive moments, I think WHO GIVES A F**K! You just keep creating your music cause it's YOU and you express yourself and channel yourself into it...you're free when you do it...which is the best way to be. And if something comes of it, more than what already has for you, well...just take it as it comes. Look at Enya. She doesn't tour, she barely gives interviews. She's the most successful selling artist in England or something (I may be wrong there, but I'm sure I've heard that a few times). Look at Kate Bush. Also a so-called "recluse" (which she totally is NOT), a "difficult" interviewee because she's quiet, polite, shy, JUST wants to do the MUSIC. That's why she's there and known to people, not cause of her personality (which is lovely by the way)...so I say, do your music and then if people want a piece of ya, so be it. Good for them. You just concentrate on the MUSIC. That's why you're here.

Stick's good -- infuriatingly good -- but I'm not sure anyone is that good!

Stick is so good he is the reason why I gave up music production/singing!

He's really good and it just pissed me off so much that he pumps out tunes

like he's pumping gas:deadhorse:

Ha - was all that positivity "without" even listening!?

Dude, you just don't know your potential, and I shouldn't have more faith

in your work than you! -Seriously, move to Hollywood or meet the right people who

are in charge of picking jingles/tunes, and movie scape based songs...

Hi Johnny, you

Sticky's songs should INSPIRE you, Johnny, not make you want to give up your own music!! lol

And yeah, my Christmas and holidays were nice. Feel like I was never away now though, back at work and into the mundane routines of life. Meh.

My PC's hard drive was corrupted and infected with viruses earlier this week. Got it back yesterday after 1.5 days of no computer. NO MUUUUUSIC!!!! *wail* lol

Listening to this stuff now but, from what I've heard now nothing much I can tell you that these people didn't say... it's freaking brilliant. I'd be glad if my best song was half as good as your worst, seriously man. You do NOT appreciate your talent enough.

But isn

Well, if you want concrit, I will give it a shot...

Turned to smoke: Kind of like Okkerville River and Beatles (the drums particularly remind me of this). The only problem I really have is that I don't understand how someone could be in a cotton field AND be listening to the wind through the forest.

Untitled Number 2: This sounds very storybook-like, where everything is anthropomorphic and you're trapped and you have to rely on your own resources to figure out how the hell to get back to where it is you want to be. Really like the melody and the soft vocals. Kind of repetitive like Spoon's song "Japanese Cigarette Case," and that's repetitive in a good way.

That's ok (walk away): I don't really care for this song musically, but I like the lyrics a lot, and the lyrics fit the music well, so...I don't know... Kind of feels...I don't know... Vaudeville-ish? Probably would work well with the right application. I like the hand-claps.

Forget yourself: "You could remember was he said, 'Never forget.'" That's awesome! Using stoned/stone twice in the first verse is kind of...meh. Chain around your neck? The "Never forget yourself when..." part doesn't seem as good as the first half of the song. I think the imagery isn't quite as gorgeous, and in another context it would be fine, but comparing it to the first half, it sounds lacking.

I remember: I like the chords, but not so much the lyrics...and if this is your reject pile, I know you can write lyrics. I don't like the repeating the last line so much because none of the last lines sound that profound and worthy of repeating, you know? But that might be because of the lyrics. If they were reworked, it would be awesome.

Cold (Next to the Fire): The only thing that I could possibly criticize about this is that I don't like the chord that the chorus ends on (when you say "had"). Maybe end on it with that chord. It kind of took the air out of it for me, kind of a sudden stop. There seem to be some ideas that are similar between I Remember and this song, with the bird and the broken wings...but that might just be a coincidence.

Where lonely blackbirds sing: I like the lyrics here, but I don't really care for the melody or the chords. No reason, just not my bag. Honestly, listened to 2/3 of it and then went to the next one.

Outta Time: The intro sounds cliched and plain chord-wise, especially when you get into the delayed chunk that plays next, which sound pretty cool. Again, your lyrics are solid.

Useless Coincidence: Love the intro. I don't like "it's over SOMEHOW." That sounds awkward, especially since you just spent a verse describing what you know this person did to you AND you start the chorus with the word "HOW." Maybe just repeat "it's over NOW?" I dunno. The song sounds great to me otherwise.

TwoMinusOne: I don't like the lyrics on this one, but it's hard for anyone to rhyme "friend" and "end" and sound profound. I dig the out-tro, though.

The sound of the city: I like this song, but it's not really...remarkable. Solid. Very good, but compared to the other stuff I've heard, it sounds more like a filler song.

Of course, it's easy to pick apart each song. Overall, these show that you have amazing talent. I understand being shy and not knowing what to do with songs. I have like 30 (which isn't a TON, but it's a lot to just be sitting on) and I finally decided that it was pointless to waste them. I had to start a band and get out there and playing them because even if they're not the best and even if I won't become famous playing them, at least I'm doing SOMETHING with them, you know? Honestly, though, some bad run-ins with lousy band members made me stay away from music for half a decade. I kept writing songs, but I couldn't go out by myself and play them because I'm too shy to do that, and I didn't have the stomach to try to find good, normal people to play with. But I finally sucked it up and now my band is awesome, and it was well worth putting myself out there!

That's all I have time for right now!

Sarah

Jealous Creatures

Thank you Sarah! Of course any song will most likely have parts that people could pull apart, even the biggest songs, so i appreciate your comments.... like i said at the start of the post , these are all songs that im not fully happy with and date back over the last 5 years, they just never made it onto ep's or albums.

Some of the lyrical questions you have asked, i could answer but i dont want to get into that , i guess i just wanted ot put these out there, see if any of them caught any ones attention and if so, maybe revisit them (if/when i run im having a dry spell).

I will certainly bare in mind the comments you have made should i revisit them, a lot of the things you say are things i was also thinking

Thanks again for taking the time

x

No problem! I'll give the rest a listen later. Honestly, I would love to have a reject pile of this caliber, because I can tell that if you took the time, you could really make all these songs shine.

Sarah

Jealous Creatures

Okay, I'm back. (Sorry for the double-post.)

I listened to all of them. Most of these songs are nice to listen to, I found myself drifting off during it, like zoning out in a good way. Standouts: The riot and Untitled number 7, very good tunes. I listened to each of these twice.

Everything else kind of just flows together. It's definitely not bad, but it's hard to notice the change from one to another.

I would say you potentially have a whole cd's worth of really good songs in this lot, and that's freaking awesome! If you're too busy writing new songs, that's cool, but this is a large amount of work that is pretty awesome, so I don't think you should just forget about them. Do you play any gigs? Have a band? It might be fun to play them live for people, and then you wouldn't feel sad about just having a bunch of songs you're never going to do anything with but are pretty decent. I mean, I'm relistening to some of these songs, they're so catchy.

Sarah

Jealous Creatures

Right!

That'll be the day......

Man, those are damn fine songs, I found an old tape at Christmas with 6 "lost" originals on it, and refurbished one of them, which thrilled me as it was like writing a new song with no effort.

It is nothing compared to these though, (though I think my song is decent!).

*impressed whistle* that was incredible. If those are songs that didn't make the grade, I can't imagine what your make-the-grade songs sound like. I'm jealous. uber jealous. you are incredibly talented

you remind me of the weakerthans.... who i love