Kel

Lisa, Thanks for looking after me, but the lyric used in Paradise... is "'Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you" Close, but not exact, and that's all we need to be. Kel

Thanks for the tip... only using royalty free pics

Okay, done one, but in my noobishness all I downloaded were the thumbprints... lol so all the pics are blurred. Still it was an interesting exersize.

Hello all, I'd like us all to step into Mr Peabody's Wayback Machine for just a little while... What do you mean you don't know who Mr Peabody is? He is the man... dog who inspired the historian in me. Google it! As HoboSage would say. Turn the dial back to 1977. Sydney Australia. Summer time. I was driving down the Great Western Highway toward Paramatta (Where the eels lay) and it's around 11am on a Sunday. (I hope you're getting all this detail! D-E-TAIL!) Three power chords just about burst my car radio speakers into shreds... I, I-V-IV I forget the key... I think it was A, A E D and then "It was a hot summer night and the..." I won't go into it. Meatloaf burst onto Australian Radio with the first of what would be four singles from the magnificent Bat Out Of Hell album. Steinman's reign on the world of rock had just been unleashed. I believe Meat gives credit for the initial success of this album to Australia, and as a tribute in his first tour played Heaven Can Wait live for the first time. Fast forward 5 years, through Meat's dark days, Steinman recording Bad For Good because Meatloaf couldn't and into the light before Cher discovered Auto Tune and teamed up with the big man on Dead Ringer For Love. Kel was sitting in his little cubicle of a workstation wating for the telephone to ring when he started writing down... "Don't let me go, don't let me leave, do you wanna see me down on my knees, I'll do it if you say it'll work!" To say I was inspired by Jim Steinman would be an understatement. I was in AWE of Jim Steinman! Those who care to listen to the song I'll post at the end of the story will hear the musical similarities to Paradise By The Dashboard Light and Hot Summer Night, and the total catastrophe of the situation as described in lyrics inspired by Bat Out Of Hell, and Hurricane Katrina. Quite a combination. Might I add, Steinman would have gone further with it! Okay, step out of the Wayback Machine and into present times. My original lyrics have been long lost, and much like with Your Anything Is Everything, all I had was a snippet of the chorus, and no verses whatsoever. In fact the only thing that is true to the original song I started playing on my piano back in 1982 is the chorus melody and subsequent chord progression. The rest is all contemporary. I came up with the verse melody and all the lyrics bar a couple of lines just last year, 2012. I sat at my computer (manuscript paper is long gone...) and stared at the blank screen of Microsoft Notepad and thought, what would Steinman do? I thought back to a television special I saw that was celebrating 25 years after the release of Bat Out Of Hell and he was describing how he took the story from Leader Of the Pack and upscaled it into Bat Out Of Hell. A light bulb went off in my head! I can't answer what Steinman would do, but what I thought he would do is take an ordinary everyday situation, in this case a break up, and turn it into a four act musical production going way over the top in his imagery and metaphor. Hence, the catastrophic break up akin to love being torn apart by a cyclone, or as in North Atlantic terminology, a hurricane. So without any further ado... http://soundcloud.com/kelabbmusic/love-dont-live-here-no-more-2 Love Don't Live Here (No More) Copyright 2012 Kel Abbott There’s a cold wind blowin’ through our house tonight And storm clouds close about the halls Hailstones tearing all the curtains down Love don’t live here no more Just let me go, Just turn me loose. If I got a live a-noth-er min-ute with you I cant think what it will do to my mind Just let me go What could be worse That we stay here mak-in each oth-er hurt 'Cos love dont live here no more. No, love don't live here no more. There’s flood waters risin’ in the kitchen tonight Ain’t no bridges to be found Mud is clingin’ to the hallway floor Love don’t live here no more Just let me go, Just turn me loose. If I got a live a-noth-er min-ute with you I cant think what it will do to my mind Just let me go What could be worse That we stay here mak-in each oth-er hurt 'Cos love dont live here no more. No, love don't live here no more. [Lead] Light-nin's strik-in in our room to-night [Response] [Love dont live here no more] [Lead] Fire balls climb-in' up the burn-in' walls [Reponse] [Love don't live here no more...] [Lead] Dark smoke risin' from the ash of the bed [Reponse] [Love don't live here no...] [Lead] Love don't live here... [Reponse] Love don't live here [Lead] Love don't live here... [Reponse] Love don't live here no... [Lead] Love don't live here... [Reponse] Love don't live here no [Lead only] Love don't live here... Credits: Production and performance by Nigel Cuff Music http://www.nigelcuffmusic.com/demopage.htm (not associated, just a client!) Notes, as this demo was produced for an amazing 50 Euros (AUD$78) the call and repsonse section is all done by Nigel, and it doesn't come off as I would have liked. Still, once doesn't complain about a $78 demo! Till next time, Kel

Hey Randy, cool entry. I loved how you spent all your money in the one game and came away with your first albums! That ABBA record is still a classic! Never heard of Bootsy, but I remember Tenille! Don't remember the Captain though, lol! The personal touches (like how Just1L came about) are great, and I'm looking forward to more. Kel

I thought I'd talk about song ideas, where they come from for me, and how you might generate your own. Let me start by saying I don't get writer's block. I don't allow myself that sense of pity. I have times of reduced creativity, and I subsequently have times of heightened creativity... I'm in one of those at the moment. In the past week I've written lyrics for around six or seven songs, recorded sketches for around four of them, had a session with lyrics I'm collaborating on, recorded a rough demo (4 times!)(and I only record rough or very rough!) and went to work every day I should have. I probably could have got some more sleep... that comes on the other side of the creativity curve. And you know, the busier I am, the more creative I remain. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all these songs are worthy of paying for the production of a demo, let alone marketing for a radio hit! No, but every one is a step along the way towards the elusive hit we are all looking for. So ideas? Where do they come from? - Everywhere! Here is a short list of where some ideas for my songs (not just this week!) have come from: Meeting somebody new re-aquainting with an old friend hanging out the washing (laundry) in the shower - no naughty thoughts... getting dumped dumping someone hearing the "as friends" line something somebody said a challenge something I saw signs watching people listening to other people talking - okay, eavesdropping! getting a phone call from somebody while I was thinking about them reading jamming What I hope you'll glean from this list, is that it just happens. We just need to recognise it, and write it down or record it somehow. I'll elaborate on a couple: I was talking to a lady I'd never met before one day, and we were swapping "ourselves" stories. She said she'd always been the good girl, didn't run with a bad crowd, looked after the house, the man in her life, kept a stable job etc, but that she was continually being let down by her man - unstable, drinking, cheating different things for different men. She felt like it was her turn to do the wrong thing. KAPOW! That one throw-away line hit my brain like a spark to tinder... I don't think I've presented it to Songstuff, but that resulted in "The Wrong Thing" a project I've been working on... One fine sunny day I was doing my laundry. As it was fine and sunny, I was hanging it out on the line to dry. I noticed over in the corner all the dog poop. My mate was by my side as usual, and I looked down at him and said, "I'm sure glad you're such a creature of habit and I don't need to watch every step I take..." KAPOW! "Creature of Habit" was born. (not on Songstuff) I met a lady I'd been talking to on-line for a while last weekend. She may have been "the one" but it wasn't to be. "Two Way Street" was the result of both of us agreeing to remain in the friend zone. (Don't take the song too literally!) - In the song evaluation forum. My other blog on Songstuff, will be the stories behind the songs, so maybe as I explore each song a little further there may be more elaboration... don't know... lets find out together? http://forums.songstuff.com/blog/183-the-song-the-story/ Don't forget to vote in the poll, it lets you drive what I talk about! Cheers, Kel

You have waves crashing in Florida? I didn't know Florida had surf... Live and learn, live an learn! K

Hi all, Not the blog subject I would have chosen, but this topic received 100% of the votes in the last poll. So it's your fault! Why do you think I even included this subject in a blog poll about music? I'm glad you asked that. You see, I'm currently between significant others, and while there are aspects to singularity I enjoy, there are definitely aspects to being partnered up I miss, and it's not all about the bedroom! I miss... well, no need to go into all the things I miss. What I find interesting though, is what seems to be considered "romantic" by if not the majority of available women I bump into, but the majority at any rate, and that is a walk on the beach! Apparently there is something about having sand blown in your eyes, your hair, between your the outer layer of clothing and your bare skin that women find romantic. I don't see it. It seems the thought of strolling hand in hand along the water's edge in the moonlight and stepping on a washed up jellyfish, or blue bottle (Portugese man o' war) or tripping over because you stumbled into seaweed you didn't see that women find romantic. I don't see it. Maybe it's the idea of a long walk away from your car, and then the longer walk back in the rain that women find romantic. I don't see it. Perhaps it's the thought of squishing along in wet sneakers, the distinctive aroma of salt and sweat wafting up from their socks that women view as romantic. I don't see it. It could be that walking along the might of the ocean, home to myriad unseen creatures that humbles man to the core that women see as romantic. I don't. I know. It's that incredible seen in From Here to Eternity isn't it? That would be fun, I accept. Unless it turned out as it did in Flying High (Airplane). Fun, but not romantic. And it isn't that they could sit and have a candle lit picnic on the beach. No candle would stay alight, and everything tastes salty. Nup, not romantic in my eyes. So what is it about beaches and women? I for sure don't know! Kel

Nice start Layne. I for one will be interested to hear how John's and other's experience stacks up against the theory of a business management. Cheers, Kel

It's funny you should say that... I can't say why, but Australian group The Little River Band seems to have lived on in the US long after they disappeared into the ether down here. I remember listening to an interview with Tim McGraw around 1996, around the time he and Faith Hill did their duet, (I never liked it, so can't remember it's name) but I remember the question was asked by the interviewer what was played on the tour bus, and without any hesitation, McGraw answered, "Little River Band." The Voice 2 is currently running in Australia. Former LRB front man at the time of McGraw's interview, Steve Wade competed, and didn't make it through to the teams! I'd never watched the first season of The Voice so I watched this season, until they started choosing the person who they thought might have a better future rather than who performed better on the night. Haven't watched it since. So yes, your statement about Dylan, Cher, or even Kristofferson, Springsteen,and might I also include Jagger, wouldn't make the grade in today's pop enthused, over produced crap that is mainstream pop music these days. But that's my opinion, and one of the reasons I prefer Soundcloud to radio. Ever since I bought Deep Purple's "Made In Japan" album back in 1974 I've always preferred live albums to studio albums. Even though I know "Live" albums are given production treatment, and only the best performances of any song make the final cut, give it to me real, any day. I urge you all to hear "Slade Alive" The burp alone is worth the price of the album! Rant over, Kel

Hi everyone. This blog is in answer to a challenge issued by our gracious most eminent Songstuffer, John Moxey. You see, I've joined a member group http://forums.songstuff.com/groups/1-songstuff-music-promo-workgroup/ all about promoting our music. And John's first challenge? Start a blog. Well, I already have a blog, http://forums.songstuff.com/blog/181-kelisms/. Kelisms is a bit of fun. A light hearted look at how I see the makings of a song. It is full of convoluted ramblings, irreverent examples and, well, Kelisms... (that term is fully explained in the first entry. But where Kelisms is fun about the work, this blog, I hope, shall be about the work involved in the fun. Totally different, right? I have posted a fair number of my lyrics in the Lyric critique section, and so far, only one song into the Song critique section, and yet another into the May Song Contest. I guess that makes two songs in all, and maybe a half dozen lyrics. As this blog is to be part of my education into self promotion, I'm going to use it to enthrall you, educate you, and encourage you to spend whatever hard earned dollars you have to make sure I get as many 9 1/2 cents as possible. (None of my songs are for sale at the moment... see why I need help with marketing!) In order to enthrall, educate and encourage you to spend your money on my songs I plan on telling the story behind the song. I am not a cathartic writer. I don't write to get something off my chest. I'm a story teller. (If I say it enough, you'll believe me, you just watch!) And as I'm a story teller (that's twice, now!) my ideas come from somewhere. However they may not all come from the same place. They can come from anywhere. As you will see... Your Anything is Everything has just been named the winning entry in the May Song Contest here on Songstuff. Why not start there? Way back in the distant past, the internet was new and cool, hip and happening. Not much different from today I guess. I was surfing one day and somehow, I found this product called Noteworthy Composer. I think it was shareware... back in the day the "contribution was around $5 for basic programs to maybe $20 for something really elaborate. I think NC was in the $5 category. I set it to download... by dial up... we'll come back when it's finished... In 1999 I moved from Sydney to Brisbane (around 600 miles) and took only what I could fit into my Mitsubishi Colt. (Small hatchback...) I arrived in Brisbane with no musical instruments to my name. I had recently sold my piano, my ex-wife had "accidentally" broken my guitar... I was without music! Can you imagine the potential fun I saw in Noteworthy Composer? Download finished? Yep, okay... install.... Woohoo there it is! In all it's glory, Noteworthy Composer. For those who have never marvelled at NC, it had a sky blue screen with a keyboard down the bottom of the screen. I would click on a key, select a time value and whalah! Music! Sort of... it produced a MIDI sound. Like a parrot being strangled by fencing wire... One day I was tinkering around and I played a real simple melody, (Nothing new there, most of my melodies are simple!) It simply started at F and played every white key down to middle C 3 times. When I figured out how to produce a fuller sound by playing a chord triad in the bass section, I was making melody, with accompaniment. How grand! Anyway, I played around with different chords until I found a sequence that sorta sounded okay. As time went by I added further to this simple motif, and eventually I had a verse, and this motif would finish it... Somewhere along the track some lyrics came to me... Maybe it's not everything Like how it's meant to be But you should know that Anything means Everything to me. Okay a little whiney, maybe a little romantic... but definitely inappropriate. You see, at that time I had just begun a relationship with the woman who I would marry and share the next 14 years. Not a good song to be singing in a new relationship. I shelved it. For guess how long? Yep, 14 years! When we separated I dug this gem out and went to town... the original first verse went: Baby, it's not knowing, That's close to killing me. You don't seem to realise, What you mean to me. Maybe it's not everything Like how it's meant to be But you should know that Anything means Everything to me. I won't bore your with the second and third verses. But I was wrapped. I sent my finished masterpiece off to Jason Blume for a critique. What I received back was a wonderful critique, full of detail, suggestion and specific areas in which it sucked. The main thing that came of it, was that instead of being 3 verses of the above structure with a bridge between the second and third (AABA) it developed into a ABABCB pouring out of the heart about how this girl was so not seeing how much I loved her. Is she blind? No, she was seeing somebody else! My lyrics weren't focused, they hovered around issues without touching them, asked questions that never got answered and generally, well, sucked. In a moment of brilliance I completely changed the tone of the song, from whining about this girl being blind to my love to me whining that I couldn't get any reassurance from this girl that she was into me. Yes, I know, more whining! Then I found Songstuff. When I thought I was ready to record a demo I posted to the Lyric Critique forum, and rewrote it I think 4 times to get it where it is now. If I ever make any money from this song (yeah, right!) I'll owe a lot of it to Songstuffers who helped me along the path of lyrical enlightenment. I still walk this path by the way, I am under no allusions my lyrics are gold. Just better than they were. And that brings us full circle. In the true spirit of marketing, any of you who supply me your email address (by PM) I'll send an MP3 file of this song free, and you can get the latest news and information about all things Kel, and you'll have sneak previews of songs in progress, and your opportunity to comment on them, and perhaps make them even betterer! (Remember, PM me unless your email is in your signature block, and then make sure to offer to join my Inner Circle. I don't want to pester anyone by sending unsolicited email... I hate Spam too!) Here for your listening and reading pleasure is the song you helped me create, Songstuff. http://soundcloud.com/kelabbmusic/your-anything-is-everything Your Anything Is Everything Written by Kel Abbott (APRA) [VERSE] I've never said I love you Simply haven't had the nerve If that has caused uncertainty That's not what you deserve I see now you're unsure You're giving me, all I need [CHORUS] It could be the dress you wear The way you fix your pretty hair It might your gentle sighs Or watching the sun rise Don't you know your anything is ev'erything to me. [VERSE] I really should have told you What I nev-er meant to hide How you make me tremble How you shake me up, inside. You could lead me anywhere I'll be right by your side... [CHORUS] It could be the dress you wear The way you fix your pretty hair It might your gentle sighs Or watching the sun rise Don't you know your anything is ev'erything to me. [bRIDGE] You been burned and you've been hurt be-fore, And I know you know what heart-break is. I will be here when the morn-ing comes And together we will hold back all your fears, and [CHORUS] It could be the dress you wear The way you fix your pretty hair It might your gentle sighs Or watching the sun rise Don't you know your anything is ev'e-ry-thing to me. [OUTRO] Let me say your anything, is Ev'rything, to me. Till next time, signing off, Kel

Thanks for chiming in Just & Tom. Kris Kristofferson is my singing hero... ever heard one of his songs go outside his very limited range? Nope! K

I love your impression of yourself as a good singer Hobo. That is a classic. Thanks everyone. I'll soldier on, but I think I've got it sussed not to sound too horrible, just bad, and that's a good enough place to start, I reckon. Merrily we roll along... K

Thanks for your considered response Hobo. I wasn't so much as wanting to find an excuse to sing badly, as garner some hints as to singing better, and your hinting at manipulation is the sort of thing I was thinking. I hate trial and error. I am a firm believer in learning from other peoples mistakes LOL. When it comes to trial and error I have a very limited imagination. I have tried singing through my nose... while awkward, I dreas what will happen when I have a cold... I have tried turning my voice into something like Duke Ellington but I can only last a line, if that... it hurts, and I've read hurt is bad so I stop! And that's about the limit of my trial and error imagination. What other "manipulations" can you offer? Kel Happy to sound bad, but where is the control gonna come from?

Hey there, I need help: https://soundcloud.com/kelabbmusic/do-some-crazy https://soundcloud.com/kelabbmusic/over-my-head-v2 (yes they are different versions of the same song!) (I don't know why the links say the songs are unavailable [if they do?] the links don't go right to the tracks for some reason, but you can see on the page...) I know the first thing that comes to mind is "STOP! Don't do it anymore!" but don't worry too much, I don't aspire to being a performer. However if the planets aligned and the earth shook enough and I stopped sounding like a tom cat with his tail in a pot of boiling water I'd give it a go... Second thing most people offer is to get plenty of practice. Okay, doing that... Third most common thing I hear and read regards developing a "style" hence this thread. There are several artists I look to when I think about my singing, but not because I think I sound anything like them. I don't (at least I don't think so). I have never thought either Bob Dylan nor Bruce Springsteen to have "good voices" but they both deliver their songs well and have a unique "style". As do other artists like Tom Petty, Steve Earle, Willie Nelson and a myriad other artists not blessed with good voices, but sing and sell records not withstanding. So how does one go about developing a style of their own? I know the first thing I have to combat is my inability to sing on pitch. I have Aaron Anastasi's 60 day program to go through, so I guess that can't hurt! (Anything will be an improvement!) But back to the question of style... any suggestions? For the record, I'd be ecstatic to have a similar ability/sound to Kris Kristofferson... accepted that as a singer he makes a good songwriter (and that is my focus), but my speaking voice isn't as deep as his so I'm guessing my singing voice will at best be closer to Tom Petty's sound. (I wouldn't be upset with that comparison either, for the record...) Thanks in advance, Kel

I don't only forget the lyrics... I forget how to play the whole damn song! Probably because I haven't been recording them. I've recorded the last song I wrote (sorry!) and other than changing the chord progressions three times and having 4 lyric rewrites in a week, I'm playing it lots (lots and lots of takes lol) Kel

I'd be stoked to have a rough and gravelly sound like Kris Krisofferson. I know he has limited range, and limited singing ability, but I have to aspire to something, right? Maybe I should start smoking cigars and drinking cheap bourbon.... hey, I'm halfway there! Kel

I want a banjo thread, and while where at it, sub threads for 4, 5 & 6 stringers. Oh and a harmonica thread. And a tambourine thread! Tambouine rocks. It's probably my best instrument! And don't anyone think about a thread for kazoos. That would just be silly! Kel

G'day, Two great choices for musical inspiration (at the very least) there. I'll be looking forward to hearing more... A little about you is fine. The music isn't there for it's own sake, it's there for yours, for mine, for the girl on the bus and the old lady in the shop down the road. These guys wouldn't have wanted it any other way, I'm sure. How the music moves YOU.... yeah tell me more! Cheers, Kel

No, I considered all the "I wouldn't even call it AB, since the B is really just an altered A, which I would call A2, making it: Intro A A2 A A2 A A2 A2instru A A2 repeat last A2..." making it wacko. When you need to go into details about it, it is not "usual". Perhaps "wacko" was a little strong, but lets agree it's a cool song and rock on. Peace in spades! And I was a fan when those songs were Top 40!

The form is simply Intro ABABABBsABB End. (I wouldn't even call it AB, since the B is really just an altered A, which I would call A2, making it: Intro A A2 A A2 A A2 A2instru A A2 repeat last A2 .) As I said, wacko! Not Avant Garde, wacko! Funnily enough, in 1994 (from memory) it won a 2DAY FM (Sydney radio) radio poll for the best song of the 80's! And it was released in 78! Go figure. Cheers, Kel

Hi Tom, just chiming in because Stephen's inquiry is on my agenda too. Love the song! Gotta unpack Movie Maker... geesh I hate learning new software! Cheers, Kel

Hi John, I never lacked an appreciation of what you do. My domain is www.kelabbmusic.com hosted by Network Solutions. https://www.networksolutions.com/purchase-it/order-receipt.jsp?oid=493118285&SiteId=46067236 I have started using their onsite web builder, but it doesn't seem to have what I want available,it might, I don't know. I have also tried other host sites such as wix (I like their web builder better, but not their hosting plan). There are a couple of others I've tried using their online web builing tool too. This week I have downloaded kompozer, nvu, bluevoda, coffee cup html builder, xara web b puvlisher, WYSIWYG Web builder 8, Net Fusion Objects Essentials, Dynamic HTML Editor, Lauyan TOWeb V4 and probably others I can't remember. Admitedly, any of these may be able to help me if I devote a month to figuring it out (I used coffee cup in my past, but then in association with a WYSIWYG editor as well that I can't remember the name of it was great. You could see how your pages linked on one screen. I used to run an internet football league so I had pages cascading from some but not others etc as the information flow dictated. Can't for the life of my remember what it was called. Anyway, I haven't gone to wordpress because I already have the domain, and I know I can get wordpress onto my site, and that is how I wanted to do it. I just don't know how. My needs are few at this stage: A little about me, my sparky little catchphrase, an invitation to join a mailing list (and said list management, once again, down the track...), a blog, a newsletter a sample of my song, and a giveaway backing track inviting people to make their own recording (just another way to get email address for a mailing list), links to Songstuff, my SonicBids,, Reverbnation,Twitter and maybe others one day (CD Baby or iTunes if I arrange a commercial release, but that is future) I haven't written out my detailed plan yet, but it includes establishing my name through fans of music like I write, and as fans link me, who have also linked other artists, etc, my name will be seen. Here and there there may be a link to a song or two that an artist somewhere may listen to and think, hey that's alright. I wonder what else he has? I'm not counting on this happening, but it won't if I don't create the possibility. As I said, probably one or two pages is all I need. I might like a 3rd where I can put video links to local acts with youtube vids, so I am seen to be participating and not just sucking from the local scene as well. I would want it easy to change the videos weekly. I envisage one large and two small screens on this page, and the viewing takes place on my page, the viewer doesn't get sent away to another site. So, a site with links to my other pages (at this stage, Songstuff, SonicBids and Reverbnation), a link to a track from my soundcloud account, a blog, a newsletter, a call to action for subscription with a promise of something for nothing (like an mp3 backing track or even a song demo deemed not worth pitching agressively), twitter feed, facebook. I've gone round in circles again, haven't I?. Cheers, Kel

I've done it again! Sorry! Latest (#3) installment out now! What to say, and how not to say it! Enjoy, Kel