The C-Bomb [but suitable for children!!]

[GregB]

Following @Peggy's advice to place things here for consideration, I'd like to 'showcase' this track/video above all my others.

 

Ukraine and COVID have now pushed climate change off the front pages.  The C-Bomb remains (from a personal perspective) my best environmental statement and therefore the track was placed in pole position on "The Flat White Album" ... if you didn't like this track I've saved you time as you wouldn't like the rest of the album!

 

There are song elements which broke new ground for me including an intro constructed from soundbites, and a coda which summed up my many feelings in a rare nutshell of 16 words.  A free songsheet is attached below if interested (I'm tuned down 2 semitones ... my C sounds like a standard Bb).  

 

The music video (6:39) emphasises the message via the use of simple statements in absolute silence placed at the front and back of the album track (which is 5:49).  The music video had to wait for several months after the album release until I had amassed a sufficiently high number of quality and relevant clips (with permissions to use, and all credited at the end) from which I could construct a reasonable narrative: 

 

 

Cheers,

Greg

01-the-c-bomb.pdf 01-the-c-bomb - Chord Shapes.pdf

Edited March 7, 2022 by GregB
Typo

[Clay Anderson Johnson]

I really liked the video and music.  It was very well done.  The following does not concern music but is very much on topic with the subject matter of the video.

 

I have always felt the three biggest evils in the world are Religion, Nationalism, and Greed.  Climate change denial combines all three.  

 

Overpopulation is one of these biggest drivers of climate change but many espouse the fallacious theory of sanctity of life in opposition to slowing population growth.  If people truly believed in sanctity of life there would not be capital punishment or war.

 

The population of the world at the height of the Roman Empire is estimated to have been approximately the same as the current United States census.  More people is the number one biggest threat to sustaining the planet.

 

Climate changing will exacerbate food and water shortages as well as energy shortages if we do not quickly transition off fossil fuels.  This will lead to increased warfare over resources which makes arguments  of not slowing population growth and continuing aversion to alternate fuel sources seem ridiculous and self defeating.

 

The brighter side is an unexpectedly odd one.  Many economists now believe the theory of unlimited growth being unsustainable which has been scoffed at since the 1980s when it originated.  It originally projected growth to begin stopping around 2030.  

 

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic it may have arrived sooner than projected and we may now be witnessing the beginning of the end of the insane rush for growth and expansion which has dominated the world since the Industrial Revolution.

 

In summary, our own incompetence and beliefs proving to be false may aid in sustaining the planet if we are lucky.  Although the darker side is it will be through war decimating populations and collapsing national and global economies.

Edited March 7, 2022 by Clay Anderson Johnson

[GregB]

34 minutes ago, Clay Anderson Johnson said:

Overpopulation is one of the biggest drivers of climate change

 

Yes. Couldn't agree more.

[Mora Amaro La Loba]

Hola @GregB

I can only tell you that you are a great artist, I really like your thinking and musicality. precious work!!

 

Stay well

 

Mora

[TheGarageJump]

Angry song, understated vocal - like the combination. Production very good - has a Pink Floyd feel to it. Guitar solo at the 5:16 mark worked well and didn't overstay it's welcome. 

[GregB]

19 hours ago, TheGarageJump said:

 

>> Angry song, understated vocal. 

Alas, I've always been an unemotional singer.  Much of it is due to the sheer concentration of trying to sing clearly, in time and in tune.  There is also the terror ... it's bad enough when I have the house to myself, but even worse when my wife is in the next room!  

 

>> Production very good - has a Pink Floyd feel to it.
While a great compliment, I don't agree with THAT particular comparison. My aspirations are more of a 10cc/ELO vibe.  Either way, I certainly work towards the best production I can manage that suits each song, and I often have to start stripping back when things have become over-complicated.

 

>> Guitar solo at the 5:16 mark worked well.

This was a keyboard-entered MIDI instrument. (In retrospect, I could/should have employed a few bends.)  The sound is one of about 30 'guitars' in XPAND2!, the free sample library that is bundled with ProTools.  While in general  I don't have many 'guitar' breaks, on these occasions I've used the same overdriven patch because it nicely cuts through the various likey mix of drums, 12-string acoustic, string/brass/choral sections without much additional tweaking, and also has a strong sustain element.  When I started home production in 2015 I lost hours searching/trying different sounds ... I soon learned to stick with what I know worked and this particular guitar sound became my quick-and-dependable 'go to'.

 

Greg

[john]

9 hours ago, GregB said:

There is also the terror ... it's bad enough when I have the house to myself, but even worse when my wife is in the next room!

When I was growing we had no choice, we had to perform. The way I dealt with it was to push myself by singing whenever I thought about it. Going around shops, at work, whatever I was doing. I made myself not shy away from singing out. Make any mistakes loud and noticeable… to encourage me not to do that again! Lol the mistake, not singing. At first people can be taken aback but it often makes people smile . Most I would not see again anyway, so it doesn’t matter. Those who do know you pretty soon think “ That’s John/ that guy singing again” they shrug or enjoy it either way. I got loads of practice and nerves largely subsided in formal performances. Plus it was fun, made the day more interesting.

[TheGarageJump]

Thanks for this analysis Greg, brilliant. My view is that understated vocals can add more emotion to a song, which is evident here. Comparisons - I get it, cheers...and I am reluctant to make them in normal circumstances.....the good thing is that the end product is 'You'.