BluesKing777 Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 I just recorded my nothing at all like the original version acoustic guitar/vocal of "Khe Sanh" by Cold Chisel/Don Walker. The original is a screamer rock band song, but I like the lyrics/song by Don walker, so I 'folks'd' it. Played on my 2005 Gibson Dove. BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 Sounds almost Dylan-ish. That said -- and I mean this constructively -- it is a wordy song to begin with and your delivery scrunches many of the words together. It can be difficult to understand them. (The situation is compounded by the song's Australian vernacular, which means not all the words are easy for most Americans like me to understand immediately anyway.) But it is a heartfelt performance of a powerful song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 5, 2020 Author Share Posted February 5, 2020 Thanks for listening and commenting. I did notice something like you mention when I listened to the playback, but liked it enough to post it anyway. It is a matter of getting the idea down. I know a tradesman shouldn’t blame his tools and all that, but I think I am still getting use to singing with the Dove and using my normal settings the Dove has taken up my vocal’s EQ a bit. BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratherbwalkn Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 excelente! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 6, 2020 Author Share Posted February 6, 2020 Thanks much, RatherBW! BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 Thanks for posting BK, as always I enjoyed it..Good Job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 6, 2020 Author Share Posted February 6, 2020 Thanks much, Kelly! I should point out that I am not a war vet of any kind, just a singer of songs and player of guitar. (the song above is about returning home to Australia after the Viet War and I was a little bit young for it in 1973 as mentioned in the song.) BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 Foreign Languages always confuse me - but I believe it is spelled "Khe Sanh". (And Spell Check is an impediment!) Great performance, of course. Thank you very much. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 Beautiful song and arrangement! Like David above, I agree with the words being hard to pick out, especially for me as a non-native English speaker. Maybe just give the vocals a little high end treble push in the mix? Either way, super performance. Lars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 6, 2020 Author Share Posted February 6, 2020 Thanks 40YP and Lars! I have been experimenting with the Neumann KM184 mic - I only ever use one mic with all EQ flat, no compression to get a natural sound - with the boom arm of the mic stand straight up in the air like a crane. The very sensitive mic will search and find any clothing or breathing noises and turn them into explosions if I have the mic in a more usual mic position. Just trying to make it easier to do a song, but I have to 'hold my breath'. I think the vocals are loud enough but to get it over the edge of the guitar level, I just need to sing upwards a little bit more. I did this just before and it works! BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 BK, That's a tough song to sing, and you've done a great job. I had to listen with the lyrics up to understand it all. It's pretty much another generation's take on Eric Bogle's "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda." I'm headed back to Oz for a week or so of work in two weeks. Songs like both of these remind me of the price Anzacs have paid for the follies of their American and British cousins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share Posted February 7, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, j45nick said: BK, That's a tough song to sing, and you've done a great job. I had to listen with the lyrics up to understand it all. It's pretty much another generation's take on Eric Bogle's "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda." I'm headed back to Oz for a week or so of work in two weeks. Songs like both of these remind me of the price Anzacs have paid for the follies of their American and British cousins. Thanks Nick! You could sit at the airport when you leave and sing........well the last train, plane or on the awful Friday night traffic to the airport...last lane out of...😷 Yes, 1977 the tune came out as Vietnam was fading and everyone was angry...and it is probably a cross between Bob Dylan (songwriter Don Walker's fave!) and The Band Played....I have a version of that too! All in my "Grate Orstra-yin Songbook", which the first song is the saddest song possible known to man - "The Pub With No Beer"...and then "I Love To Have A Beer With Duncan". Then "Up There Cazaly". And worse: Seekers "Carnival Is Over" or such...... I don't drink beer at all but it handy to have these tunes in your pocket when you get a Australian version of the Blues Brothers "Rawhide" moment - car broken down in Nowheresville, NSW and guitar has to be played on the corner. Wear the blue singlet I keep in the guitar case! Welcome to stage! "Save-A-Door Harley", (Salvador Dali) .etc! BluesKing777. Edited February 7, 2020 by BluesKing777 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 6 minutes ago, BluesKing777 said: Thanks Nick! You could sit at the airport when you leave and sing........well the last train, plane or on the awful Friday night traffic to the airport...last lane out of...😷 Yes, 1977 the tune came out as Vietnam was fading and everyone was angry...and it is probably a cross between Bob Dylan (songwriter Don Walker's fave!) and The Band Played....I have a version of that too! All in my great orstra-yin songbook, which the first song is the saddest song possible known to man - "The Pub With No Beer"...and then "I Love To Have A Beer With Duncan". I don't drink beer at all but it handy to have these tunes in your pocket when you get a Blues Brothers "Rawhide" moment. BluesKing777 Hah! for those who missed the cultural reference, here it is. The equivalent of the drunken masses yelling "Freebird". At least the BB's had chicken wire between them and the ravening crowds: Rawhide 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoSoxBiker Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 BK, you done pretty good to fit that song into your style and made it your own. Always admirable. The question of lyrics and hearing the words clearly seemed to me to be only a question of speed and fitment. I'd never heard it before, but I found the version by Cold Chisel. Their first verse alone was 22 seconds long, and yours was 15 seconds. Someone put speed in your beer? 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share Posted February 7, 2020 45 minutes ago, j45nick said: Hah! for those who missed the cultural reference, here it is. The equivalent of the drunken masses yelling "Freebird". At least the BB's had chicken wire between them and the ravening crowds: Rawhide At the biker festivals it was usually: "Know any Canned Heat? Barnsey?" (leather throat singer of Cold Chisel). "Well, yes, but you won't probably like my version, SIR!" "Play it anyway, Hurry up! The strippers are on next." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share Posted February 7, 2020 (edited) 45 minutes ago, PatriotsBiker said: BK, you done pretty good to fit that song into your style and made it your own. Always admirable. The question of lyrics and hearing the words clearly seemed to me to be only a question of speed and fitment. I'd never heard it before, but I found the version by Cold Chisel. Their first verse alone was 22 seconds long, and yours was 15 seconds. Someone put speed in your beer? 😁 Thanks PB! I was playing their...(Snare hit/rim shot - da dah)...live version!🍻🍻 BluesKing777. Edited February 7, 2020 by BluesKing777 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoSoxBiker Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 It's BK Ramone! 🙂 Sadly enough, I did that to one of my own songs this week and my wife picked up on it. Good times. 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share Posted February 7, 2020 1 hour ago, PatriotsBiker said: It's BK Ramone! 🙂 Sadly enough, I did that to one of my own songs this week and my wife picked up on it. Good times. 😀 I like it, BK Ramone! Don't laugh anyone. I was talking to a friend during the break before out last set in a band one night and I went to find the other 6 or 7 of the band and it appeared they were broker than I thought - they were all sharing a cigarette. Times must have been real tough... But then the first song started, supposed to be the gentle slow blues 12/8 time to ease in to the set. Bang! Drummer starts at Ramones speed.......pfffft. And I thought to play alone from that night on..solo..me and guitar....😎 But you know, hate to admit it but Mr Perfect can speed up too. I went through some tunes a time or 2, worked on some arrangements of others, came back to this one, played a lovely spacey version with possibly all the wrong lyrics, tightened it up and played it again and thought: "I like it - I will record this sucker!" Plugged everything in, oh no..pressed that evil Record button, hit the first chord wrong and ...sorry, sped up. Got the words correct, if wobbly, a major achievement remembering all those.... Next up - my acoustic only version of "Hey Ho, Lets Go!" Lyrics are easy! BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoSoxBiker Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 I can dig it! I have an evil record button, too. I also have a someone hears you singing filter. The Ramone reference was from a world class rant following an Eagles song I bashed out in record time. Something about the last living Ramone calling and asking me to slow down so that the rest of the band can rest in peace. I'm paraphrasing, and I did mean no disrespect to the Ramones. and don't even know if where is one left. I covered that up at the end of the rant by suggesting that in all fairness that I might have been mistaken that that perhaps it was Howard Stern. But then again, I added, why would he be worried about the Ramones? I do tend to get over myself in quick fashion with a good rant. Wish I could have had one last night. I'm looking forward to hearing your cover, btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 9, 2020 Author Share Posted February 9, 2020 1 hour ago, PatriotsBiker said: I can dig it! I have an evil record button, too. I also have a someone hears you singing filter. The Ramone reference was from a world class rant following an Eagles song I bashed out in record time. Something about the last living Ramone calling and asking me to slow down so that the rest of the band can rest in peace. I'm paraphrasing, and I did mean no disrespect to the Ramones. and don't even know if where is one left. I covered that up at the end of the rant by suggesting that in all fairness that I might have been mistaken that that perhaps it was Howard Stern. But then again, I added, why would he be worried about the Ramones? I do tend to get over myself in quick fashion with a good rant. Wish I could have had one last night. I'm looking forward to hearing your cover, btw. I don’t think I can do the promised acoustic version as I haven’t been able to locate the published sheet music.... Though I could come up with a DADGAD version maybe played on my Lowden O22, probably a beautiful guitar I have no right to play....especially if I play Ramones tunes on it. First I would need to find out how to squeeze their famous E chord into D. BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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