I haven't uploaded a song in a looooong while.  Hope you enjoy my version of this Dylan song.

You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere - Bob Dylan

[INTRO]

Clouds so swift, rain won’t lift
Gate won't close, railing’s froze
Get your mind off-a winter time
You ain't goin nowhere.

   Whoo-ee, ride me high
   Tomorrow's the day my bride’s gonna come
   Oh, no are we gonna fly, down in the easy chair.

I don't care how many letters they send
Morning came and morning went.
Pick up your money and pack up your tent
You ain't goin' nowhere.
 
   Whoo-ee, ride me high
   Tomorrow's the day my bride’s gonna come
   Oh, no are we gonna fly, down in the easy chair.
 
Buy me a flute and a gun that shoots
Tailgates and substitutes
Strap yourself to a tree with roots
You ain't goin' nowhere.
 
   Whoo-ee, ride me high
   Tomorrow's the day my bride’s gonna come
   Oh, no are we gonna fly, down in the easy chair.

Now Genghis Kahn, he could not keep
All his kings supplied with sleep
We'll climb that hill no matter how steep
When we get up to it.
 
   Whoo-ee, ride me high
   Tomorrow's the day my bride’s gonna come
   Oh, no are we gonna fly, down in the easy chair.

   Whoo-ee, ride me high
   Tomorrow's the day my bride’s gonna come
   Oh, no are we gonna fly, down in the easy chair.
   Down in the easy chair.

Recorded using Cuckos Reaper and Komplete Audio 6
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Bob Dylan Cover)

A basic 3 chord, 1-4-5 progression, song which I play in the Key of E.  Yes, but many shades of the E, A and B chords.  There are some, Sus4's, 7th's plus some 1st and 6th string open E notes of the A and B chords.  Some add to the melody lines and some are just for musical colour. 

I threw in a slide guitar (a first).  It was in an open G tuning.  The rest is pretty straight forward.

I wrote this song for my wife, a few years ago but forgot how to play it since I never recorded it at the time of writing.  I had the basic chords, along with the words so I filled in the rest as I started the recording process.  Fun times.  Hope you enjoy!


That’s What I Remember
===================

[INTRO]

Blue eyes   .  .  .   and long   dark hair
That’s what I remember
When you and I were there.
Walking  .  .  .  and talking
And the times that we would share.

Laughter  .  .  .  in a warm   summer breeze
That’s what I remember
We’d just do  .  .  .  what we please
Drinking .  .  . ya, we did some drinking
Keeping each other company.

[SOLO]

Long winters  .  .  .  sitting by the fire
That’s what I remember
And the heat of our desire.
Holding  .  .  .  holding each other close
Until the moonlight would expire.

So darlin’  .  .  .   it wasn’t always  such a thrill
But .  .  .   I remember
And I always will.
The heart never lies  .   .  .  my love will never die
Until my body is forever still.
Until my body is forever still.

Words and Music copyright Rick Engler
Photo courtesy of hazza312.artstation.com
Mixed in Cuckos Reaper on a PC
Audio Input using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen)
Voice, Slide Guitar, Harmonica and Percussion: Shure SM58
Acoustic Guitar: direct input

April 8, 2023

That's What I Remember (Original)

Just a little dime store philosopher song.  I was playing around in Drop D and came up with the melody.  I was in a mood to describe my thoughts on life, at the moment, in very simple terms.  Exactly one year ago, my broken left femur was repaired. That journey took about 7 months from repair to throwing my cane away ... going from wheelchair to walker to cane and finally back to normality. I still have to sit on the stairs to put my left sock on but considering the way I was 12 months ago, this is a minor inconvenience. I've learned to spend more time stopping and smelling flowers rather than just run by in an attempt to meet some deadline.  Thus the song.  Enjoy.

The Journey
==========

[Intro]

The roads we travel are always changin’
And directions chosen begin to blend.
We don't really know where life will take us
But it will always lead us to the end.

And following a road sounds so easy
But winds of change can make us stray
It's not the end that is remembered
Rather it’s the journey we replay.

It’s not about these possible tomorrows.
It’s not about those forgotten yesterdays.
Each step, each breath must give child-like joy
It’s about the journey we are on today . . .
Don’t forget to smell the flowers along the way.

[SOLO]

The roads we travel are always changin’
And directions chosen begin to blend.
We don't really know where life will take us
But it will always lead us to the end.

It’s all about the journey we are on today.
Don’t forget to smell the flowers along the way.

Words and Music copyright Rick Engler
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
Mixed in Cuckos Reaper on a PC
Audio Input using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen)
Vocals, Slide Guitar, Harmonica and Percussion: Shure SM58
Acoustic Guitar: direct input

The Journey

The Journey (Original)

This is a song which sort of wrote itself ... it came to me in my sleep. First a melody then words. I  got stuck on the last two lines and it woke me up. That prompted me to write down the words then see how well it matched up to the chords that were playing in my mind. At first, I was thought this might be a bad omen.  I wasn't planning on crossing the River Styx, or any other metaphorical river. Ok.  Just a song.  In my mind, there was a choir singing in the background so I spent a long time working on how to accomplish that background (without the help of George Martin, for instance).  Eventually, I came across Choir by Spitfire Audio. It didn't give me exactly what I wanted but I think it helped me get a close as one can expect from a free VST.  Enjoy.


Take Me Down That River – Rick Engler

[INTRO]

Please take me cross that river
At least take me down to the shore
Take me down to that river
Cause, I ain’t comin’ back this way no more.
 
Call me foolish for not hedging my bets
You can call me crazy for thinking
This is as good as it gets.

Please take me cross that river
At least take me down to the shore
Take me down to that river
Cause, I ain’t comin’ back this way no more.

[SOLO]

Call all my friends, maybe even call Saul
But as far as them taxmen go, well
Don’t call them at all.

Please take me cross that river
At least take me down to the shore
Take me down that river
Cause, I ain’t comin’ back this way no more.

They say you can’t take it with you
Just a silver dollar for the ferry run
But I’ll still have all my memories
To take me past the setting of the sun.

Please take me cross that river
At least take me down to the shore
Take me down that river
Cause, I ain’t comin’ back this way no more.

[OUTRO]

Words and Music copyright Rick Engler
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
Chorus VST: Chorus by Spitfire Audio
Mixed in Cuckos Reaper on a PC
Audio Input using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen)
Vocals, Slide Guitar, Harmonica and Percussion: Shure SM58
Acoustic Guitar: direct input

Take Me Down That River

Take Me Down That River (Original)

Another reflective song. I can look back at myself as a younger man and then realized how much I've changed, hopefully for the better. Reflection is really only for those of us who were lucky enough to make it this far in life. For instance, I can look back what I thought love was in my 20's and what I believe love is, now that I am in my 70's. This song is really about letting go of old ideas which did not pass the test of maturity.

The music should definitely reflect maturity at the production/mixing level. I tried to improve the overall sound by creating unique guitar voicings then panning them for separation.


Sometimes
=========

[INTRO]

There are times in your life that are hard to forget
Other times seem to fade away and hard to recollect
No going back fixing holes my son in the roof of wrongs you’ve done
Just admire all the puddles, they are part of the retrospect.

Well, sometimes, it makes me sad
And sometimes,   I sure am glad
Sometimes, the man that you all know
Is better for having let go.

Well, when I was a young man, I wanted all of life in one taste
I was in such a hurry, there was no time to waste
You reap what you sow and in the wind it did blow
The immortality slipped through my fingers in my haste.

Well, sometimes, it makes me sad
And sometimes, I sure am glad
Sometimes, the man that you all know
Is better for having let go.

[SOLO]

But now I am an old man, much wiser than my years
The sound of laughing children is music to my ears
I’ve long forgotten lost loves because true love I have found
The path less used was longer, but left my conscience clear.
 
Well, sometimes, it makes me sad
And sometimes,  I sure am glad
Sometimes, the man that you all know
Is better for having  let go.  Let go.

Words and Music copyright Rick Engler
Photo courtesy of PNGtree (with minor alterations)
Mixed in Cuckos Reaper on a PC
Audio Input using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen)
Vocals, Harmonica and Percussion: Shure SM58
Acoustic Guitars: direct input using separate amp modelling VSTs

Sometimes

Sometimes (Original)

I broke a leg bone (femur) in May of 2022. I wrote the song as I lay in a hospital bed and sedated with a mild dose of morphine. About a week after the operation, a physio nurse had come into my room to go over some exercises. To be honest, she was quite pretty and she seemed a bit suggestive with respect to "if I would be up for some exercise".  Probably just the morphine but it got the lyrical part of my brain turning and from that came most of the verses.  I managed to type them into an email on my phone and send it to myself. I had to make some alterations but this is gave me a solid start.  The music came later, as did the final changes to the verses. The outro just came as an inspiration during the recording.  It might have sounded better if I had done the 3 parts about a dozen times but I left it the way it was on the first takes. 

There were a lot of small events which gave the final direction to this song, including an interesting road sign just south of High River, AB.

Rough Road  (a.k.a. The Broken Femur Blues)
==========

[INTRO]

Ya  it's a shame, too late in the game
To find any thunder in this lightning bolt.
It'd be a nice surprise, but by the look in your eyes
That’d be all she wrote.  Ya, it’s a long, rough road.

Still I remember . . . lying there in pain,
Unable to stand, my face in the dirt.
I just couldn't decide , was it really my pride
Or my hip that was hurt.   Ya, it’s a long, rough road.

[SOLO]

[BRIDGE]
They say there's no gain
Without a little pain
The plan was never to gain a lot.
Just sing me a song and then move on and be happy with what I got.

So I ended up . . . in an ambulance ride
And a surgeon ready to cut in.
Some x-rays pics and sister morphine doing her tricks
A lag bolt and steel pin . . . Ya, it’s a long, rough road.

I walked with 4 wheels then I walked with a cane (asking myself)
Will I ever be the same again?
Well it took me seven months to stand on my own.
If life was easy, it wouldn’t be such a long, rough road.

[OUTRO]
Without the pain . . . without the pain
Without the pain, it wouldn’t be such a long, rough road.

Words and Music copyright Rick Engler
Photo and Reproduction copyright Rick Engler
Mixed in Cuckos Reaper on a PC
Audio Input using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen)
Vocals and Harmonica: Shure SM58
Acoustic Guitar: direct input using amp modelling VST
Keyboards: Casio with Addictive Keys VST

Rough Road

Rough Road (Original)

This is a song off my first album, Bridge Over Blue Water. I've updated the vocals and remixed the backing tracks.

I originally recorded this with the microphone from a Microsoft camera attached to the computer back in 2013. I laid down a rhythm track then a second track which was a bit of a lead. I used "Audacity" which fused the two tracks as a single stereo recording. It was strictly an instrumental. I then rerecorded it and added lyrics after trying several brands of mixing software.  It should be noted that the drum tracks were created using drum beat sounds which I pieced together.

Hiding Inside Myself [Again]
--------------------------------------
[INTRO]
I know this woman (That's right, we've all been there).
She was such a good friend of mine
That is until ... until I caught her lying.
A cheating heart is such a sin.
Back to the whiskey and gin.
Oh Lord! I'm hiding inside myself again.

[SOLO]

It starts with a little white lie
Then the thrill becomes the game.
In the end, your heart is ... is just not the same.
Don't want to start over again.
Back to the whiskey and gin.
Oh Lord! I'm hiding inside myself again.

[SOLO]

You know I know this woman.
In my mind she's long gone.
But in my heart ... hmm, she's still the one.
A cheating heart is such a sin.
Back to the whiskey and gin.
Oh Lord! I'm hiding inside myself again.

[OUTRO]

:: Words, music and art work copyright Rick Engler

Mixed in Cuckos Reaper on a PC
Audio Input using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen)
Vocals: Shure SM58

Hiding Inside Myself (Again)

Hiding Inside Myself [Again] - Remix (Original)

This is a remix of my first vocal offering which I originally released over 10 years ago. Some of the original (free) VST's have faded from existence so I worked with a few of my current favourites and one new one. By now I had switched to a Strat guitar and this is undoubtedly one of my better, more fluid leads. At the time, I was also experimenting with keyboards and was really just getting comfortable using two hands (rather than 2 fingers). Also at this time, I was getting comfortable using Cuckos Reaper. As for lyrics, they just came from the mood of the tune. Everything is drawn from life experiences, so a "cut and paste" of some old, but not forgotten, memories.

Broken Dreams
---------------------

[INTRO/SOLO]

You wake up from a nightmare ...
Or was that real?
Somehow you can't get out of bed
Fingers too numb to feel.

Sun coming through the window
But there's no heat.
Now, the silence is deafening
Not a sound from the street.

[SOLO]

Sweet smells from the pillow
As you turn in bed.
Memories of warm embraces
Filter through your head.

No matter now, the bed is cold.
The covers are all grey.
The memories still linger
Of a love that did not stay.

[OUTRO/SOLO]

:: Words and music copyright Rick Engler

Image courtesy of MS Word Clipart
Drum sounds courtesy of Free Studio Drum Sounds and 9th Wonder Kit
Microphones: Apex 185
Keyboards: Casio WK-110 with built-in voicings
Fender Princeton Chorus Amp
Fender Stratocaster Blacktop Guitar
Boss ME-70 Multi-effects pedal
Analog to Digital: Steinberg CI 1 USB MIDI Interface
Mixed in Cuckos Reaper on a PC
Remixed using Reaper with a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and a Shure SM58.

Broken Dreams

Broken Dreams (Original)

It's all about constant change, both in life and in music. As for the music, the original goal was to make use of panning to illustrate the "walking on by" at the beginning and end of the song. The second phase was creating a fuller sound without having various parts drowned out, or in some way, channel my inner Phil Spector.

The finale is the sound of footsteps walking by and then the shutting of the door as the song ends. End of a relationship. End of the song.

Maybe the best relationship advise I can give is: if you love someone, set them free ... don't quote me, quote Sting. :-) This is sort of my "resigned to my fate" version. I've been on both sides of that fence. I've walked away knowing it wasn't going to work out (long term). Sadly, I've been on the other side knowing the pain of love lost. But in the end, I didn't really lose anything that was mine to lose. I could go on and talk about how a true love is neither possessive nor jealous but hopefully, the song makes that point clear.

Original Mix using Reaper v4.x
Remix using Reaper v7.x
VSTs:
- Voxengo OldSchoolReverb
- Blue Cat Chorus
- FocusRite Red 3 Compressor
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Footstep Sound FX courtesy of freesfx.co.uk
Drum sound bytes courtesy of Free Studio Drum Sounds and 9th Wonder Kit

Just Walk On By
----------------------
Just walk -- walk on by
No need to tell me another lie
Keep it to yourself (I tell you)
Just walk on by ...

That's what I said -- keep on walking
You don't need to do any more talking
What you say just don't matter
Just walk on by ...

[Solo]

You say that you love me, ain't that right?
So where were you all last night?
He he! That really don't matter
Just walk on by ...

So many years, I've been holding on
Now you don't want to say: "So long."
Well, you know I hate long good byes, so
Just walk on by ...

[final solo]

[footsteps as she leaves and shuts the door
thus closure to the song and the relationship]

... you know I hate long good byes.

:: Words and music copyright Rick Engler

Reflections

Just Walk On By

Just Walk On By (Original)

100 bpm: A welding song ... dedicated to one of my sons who is a welder.  The company which he works for makes giant hay presses which are packed into containers (sea cans) and shipped to buyers around the world.  He's going through some changes in his life so he's been on my mind.  I told my granddaughter (his daughter) that I would write a song about him.  This is the result.

As an aside, I've played this live with just an acoustic guitar and made a few major changes.  I've re-posted the updated version of this song as "Welder's Blues:
https://soundcloud.com/rick-engler/welders-blues-1


Full Penetration Blues
------------------------------
Summer's coming
And I've been on the road
I got hot sparks coming
Off my electrodes
I lay a seam right down the line
Boss man says to keep to the time.

Chorus:
I got the full penetration blues.

Making those hay balers
Outta 20 tons of steel
Gotta 100 hours of grinding
Gonna give it a nice smooth feel
Put on my leather welding coat
Sweat like a dog on a Mississippi boat.

Chorus:

Someone came and told me
Son, sometimes it's hard to be a man
Ya gotta take what life gives you
Do the best that you can
I just keep welding that old black steel
Grinding down the high spots I feel.

Chorus:

:: Words, music copyright by Rick Engler

Blue Prints From My Soul

Full Penetration Blues (Original)

About a couple of weeks before recording this, I heard Jack Semple play it live at a place called "Carlson's On McLeod" ... right here in High River ... and he did it so well.  Not long after that event, I heard Leonard Cohen had passed away.  I became deeply moved and started playing it for myself then decided I would try recording it.  I do hope that it is a worthy cover.

R.I.P. Leonard Cohen

VST's: Kerovee by g200kg and Choirz by DSK 

------------------------------------------------
Hallelujah
Leonard Cohen

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do ya?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to ya?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool ya
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Hallelujah - For Leonard (Cover)

Did some research on mixing/mastering and hopefully the sound is fuller.  Same old DAW.  Just some new (free) tools and a little knowledge.  I also did a little experimenting with MIDI (turning my Casio keyboard into a Steinway Grand, using a demo of Addictive Keys).

As for the song, it is about breakups.  Breakups seem all too common but in some cases are a healthy end to an ailing relationship. We hear about the ones gone horribly bad but most are just the result of the end of infatuation and the realization that there was nothing more than that.  Lost time, lost hope and the loss of a good friend.  It does not mean the end of the world even if it feels that way at that moment in time.

Ain’t No One To Blame
------------------------------- 
Baby it’s cold 
Cold inside 
Need to do more talkin’ 
Before we decide 
It ain’t so clear 
What’s happening here 

Chorus: 
It’s a shame 
Ain’t no one to blame. 

[Instrumental Solo]

We just don’t talk 
We never do 
Just need the truth 
What do I mean to you 
Can’t seem to hide 
The hurt we have inside 

Chorus: 

[Instrumental Solo]

What’s done is done 
But without the romance 
We need to look ahead 
Is there still a chance 
Just not worth the fight 
Let’s end it tonight 

Chorus:

[Outro]

:: Lyrics and music copyright Rick Engler

Blame It On The Blues

Ain't No One To Blame

Aint No One To Blame (Original)

This was an open collab posted by Andreas Rogall on his page and I've added some lead guitar to this great jam track.

To see the original go to @andreas-rogall

Dice Clipart: www.clipartpanda.com
Font: Bleeding Cowboys - www.1001freefonts.com

JAM Session with Backing-Track

Grifters Game - Roll the Dice featuring Andreas Rogall

Track #2
Recorded using Kristal running on a PC
Rain/thunder sounds property of Rick Engler.  All rights reserved.
Photo courtesy of Wallpapersdl.net

I had just purchased a couple of Apex 185 microphones and a Steinberg Cl1 analog to digital box which I attached to my laptop.  A thunderstorm started so I went upstairs and put the mics up by an open bathroom window and recorded the sound of that storm for a few minutes.  This particular piece of music just kinda popped out of my head a few days later so I put it all together and titled it "Three Days of Rain".  This was my third attempt at working with the sound effects.  Unfortunately, I did not back up the original so the raw thunderstorm sounds are gone.

It is what it is and overall, I'm happy with the result.

- Rick

Three Days of Rain Remix 3

Artwork courtesy of Cheryl Gould. All rights reserved.
Drum sounds courtesy of Free Studio Drum Sounds
Analog to Digital: Steinberg CI 1 USB MIDI Interface
Microphones: Apex 185
Fender Princeton Chorus Amp
Fender Stratocaster Blacktop Guitar
Mixed using Reaper v6.x

I was so deeply saddened by the events at the Sandy Hook school in Newton, Connecticut that musically I just had to channel my energy into a song.  The drums are somewhat offset to make it sound like gunfire.  I tried not to stray off the beat but there are odd beats added here and there, some echoing on certain beats as well as panning effects. The intent is to leave with you with an uneasy feeling.  The guitar lead was meant to imitate church bells.  For the most part, I think I succeeded in creating the effects that I wanted.

The lead needs to be redone in order to fix some fairly obvious mistakes (bad notes and timing).

Consider this a work in progress.

The Bells Toll (for every lost soul)

This is an updated version of "Full Penetration Blues". This is very close to the live version that I play in coffee shops and pubs.  It's faster and now includes a bridge ... a first for me.  The song is very loosely based on one of my sons, who was having a relationship issue at the time of writing the original.  About the only truth in the lyrics is that he does work for a company which manufactures gigantic steel hay presses.  These are sub-assembled into sea cans and shipped around the world.  The rest is pretty much artistic license. 

The song skips between a chord then a 7th chord which seems to give it a more complex feel even though the basic song is just 3 chords (excluding the bridge).

Welder’s Blues  by Rick Engler in A Minor

[INTRO]

Got a generator failin’
Straining under the load
I got hot sparks coming
Off my electrode
I lay a seam right down the line     
Boss man says: Hey! Keep to the time!
I got . . . I got the wel--der’s blues . . .

Making those hay balers
Outta 20 tons of steel
I gotta 100 hours of grinding
Gonna give it a smooth feel.
Put on my leather welding coat  
Sweat like a dog on a Mississippi boat.
I got . . . I got the wel--der’s blues . . .

[BRIDGE]
Mortgage payment overdue . . . I got a wife and kids to feed
Credit cards are maxed right out  . . .  Got a gut that's startin’ to bleed.

[SOLO]

Someone came and told me, son
Sometimes it's hard to be a man
Ya gotta take what life gives ya, you gotta
Do the best that you can
I just keep welding that old black steel
Grinding down them high spots I feel.
I got . . . I got the wel--der’s blues . . .

[Repeat first verse]

[OUTRO]
I got . . . I got the wel--der’s blues . . .

Artwork: Original Image by Benfe from Pixabay
:: Lyrics and music copyright Rick Engler

Road Apples in the Foothills

Welder's Blues

Welder's Blues (Original)

I've played this song in various keys.  Although I prefer the key of E, I've had problems with capos on my 12 string and find it difficult to play this song with the capo on the second fret and then leaving the 6th string open.  I have a short set of "Drop D" songs so it is much easier just to play this in Drop D and just include it with a few others.   Maybe one day, I'll buy a real good capo.

Sometimes I add some harp solos when playing live  but since I'm in the recording studio, I can just add the harp as an extra track.  I don't have a sitar but I did add some extra chords using a "Spinner" or Leslie speaker effect.  It really isn't much more than a vibrato and the effect isn't exactly what i want but it will do.

As the story goes, John Lennon wrote this song about an affair he had during his marriage to Cynthia. The girl's flat was finished in what was considered cheap pine panelling ... in other words, it was a parody on those kind of girls who's places had walls done up in Norwegian wood.  According to Paul McCartney, it was his idea to "burn the house down" at the end of the song.

Norwegian Wood
-------------------------
I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me
She showed me her room, isn't it good, Norwegian wood.

She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair.

I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
We talked until two, and then she said, it's time for bed.
[SOLO]
She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh
I told her I didn't and crawled off to sleep in the bath.

And when I awoke, I was alone, this bird had flown
So, I lit a fire, isn't it good, Norwegian wood.

December 1965

Norwegian Wood (Beatles cover)

This song was introduced to me by a good friend and I spent some time with it.  I had heard the original and it was  ... a truck driving song.  I heard a lot more in the tune (my friend Joe must have thought so too) which inspired me to play it and give it more soul.   I sensed that this song had a  more melodic undertone which needed uncovering.  Certainly, for me to want to play this song, I needed to do something slightly different than Lowell's version  ... no offence to Little Feat's initial version. The band later did a much more heartfelt version while still holding onto a mild country flavour. It is easy to find on YouTube for comparisons.

When I play live, naturally, I cannot play the lead part if I'm playing the rhythm  ... and this lead track caused me a lot of grief in the studio.  I found it difficult picking away on a 12 string so there is a bit of background noise (what George Harrison might call "wilburys").  As well, the percussion seemed to fade into oblivion.  Even so, I thought it was worth it to include the lead track and let the percussion die.  As such, it is far from a perfect recording but reasonable enough.  I do hope that you get some appreciation of Lowell George and the Little Feat band.  Comments always appreciated.

Willin'

[INTRO]
I been warped by the rain, driven by the snow
I'm drunk and dirty now don't ya know, but I'm still, willin'
And I was out on the road late at night
I'd seen my pretty Alice in every head light
Alice, Dallas Alice

I've been from Tucson to Tucumcari
Tehachapi to Tonapah
Driven every kind of rig that's ever been made
Driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed
And if you give me weed, whites and wine
And you show me a sign
I'll be willin', to be movin'

[SOLO]

Well I've been kicked by the wind, robbed by the sleet
Had my head stoved in, but I'm still on my feet and I'm still (in a whole lot of trouble)
Now I smuggled some smokes and folks from Mexico
Baked by the sun, every time I go to Mexico, and I'm still ...

And I been from Tucson to Tucumcari
Tehachapi to Tonapah
Driven every kind of rig that's ever been made
Driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed
And if you give me weed, whites and wine
And you show me a sign
I'll be willin', to be movin'

[OUTRO] To be movin'

1971

Willin (Little Feat cover)

"As Tears Go By" was one of the first original compositions by Jagger and Richards, writing credits also include Andrew Loog Oldham, their manager/producer.  The Rolling Stones had chiefly been performing American blues and R&B tunes, so this song was a little out of character for them. Although this song was written in 1964, it was released in late 1965 on the "December's Children" album which is when I first heard it. The Rolling Stones never actually performed this song live until November 2005 on their A Bigger Bang Tour. Mick said that they were "slightly embarrassed" by the song they had written and they gave it to Marianne Faithful who was the first person to record it.

I have listened to a few versions of this song and I honestly have never heard a version which nails it (other than the original mono version). I found something beautiful in this song which I hoped I could release ... in my mind, it is still rather a diamond in the rough. I'm still not absolutely happy with my version either. I still enjoy playing it live and it seems to go over well so I'll pass it along, as is.

As Tears Go By

It is the evening of the day
I sit and watch the children play
Smiling faces I can see
But not for me
I sit and watch
As tears go by.

My riches can't buy everything
I want to hear the children sing
All I hear is the sound
Of rain falling on the ground
I sit and watch
As tears go by.

[SOLO]

It is the evening of the day
I sit and watch the children play
Doing things I used to do
Thinking of you
I sit and watch
As tears go by.

[OUTRO]  Hmmm ... hmmm ... hmmm

1965

As Tears Go By (Rolling Stones cover)

Much of this research of the song "Wagon Wheel" comes from an article in Rolling Stone Magazine.

In Sam Peckinpah’s 1973 film "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid", Bob Dylan had an acting role and was asked to do the sound track as well or maybe the acting role was the carrot. He started work on this in late January, 1973 in Mexico City. The next month he moved over to Burbank, California and brought in Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn, drummer Jim Keltner and bassist Terry Paul. The sessions yielded Dylan’s comeback hit “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” and just a few takes after finishing that classic they did two versions of “Rock Me, Mama.” It was far from finished, and they soon moved onto the main title track for the movie and probably forgot all about the sketch of a song. Somehow or another, the session tapes got in the hands of bootleggers and “Rock Me, Mama” began its slow, unlikely journey to the top of the charts as “Wagon Wheel.” 

Old Crow Medicine Show’s Critter Fuqua picked up a bootleg of the Pat Garrett sessions when he visited London. “I let [bandmate] Ketch [Secor] listen to it, and he wrote the verses." Old Crow Medicine Show released the song as "Wagon Wheel" in 2004, splitting the royalties evenly with Dylan.

This is just one of those songs which audiences seem to enjoy listening to as well as join in, especially the chorus. It fits into so many genres but its roots are folk roots but easily slides into country and or bluegrass. I know a few musicians who have grown tired of playing it. I'm not one of them.  This is just another Dylan classic but he did have help on this one.

Since most of the people who come to listen to me are local to southern Alberta, I decided to "Albertify" this song to gather more interest by changing a few words in order to be more identifiable with the listeners in my neck of the woods.  My apologies to Ketch ... in case you come by for a listen.

I really wanted to add a banjo and possibly a mandolin but I own neither at the moment. The more varied the instruments and the variety of bandmates, the better this song gets.  In the end, it is just I, me and myself and my very eclectic set of percussion instruments and harmonicas.  This is the last of a planned 12 song set.  I do hope you enjoy it!!  I play this one in the key of G using a Seagull 12 string and a C harp.

Wagon Wheel by Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor - Alberta Version
----------------------------------------

Heading down south to the land of the pines
I'm thumbing my way into Caroline
Staring up the road and pray to God I see headlights
I made it down the Rockies in seventeen hours
Picking me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I'm a-hopin' for High River, so I can see my baby tonight.

So rock me momma like a wagon wheel
Rock me momma any way you feel
Hey, hey, momma rock me
Rock me momma like the wind and the rain
Rock me momma like a south bound train
Hey, hey, momma rock me

Running from the cold up in Lac Ste. Anne
I was born to be a fiddler in an old time band
My baby plays a guitar, I pick a banjo now
Oh, north country winters keep a-getting me down
I lost my money playing poker so I had to leave town 
But I ain't turning back to living that old life no more.

So rock me momma like a wagon wheel
Rock me momma any way you feel
Hey, hey, momma rock me
Rock me momma like the wind and the rain
Rock me momma like a south bound train
Hey, hey, momma rock me

[instrumental]

Walkin' to the south out of old Panok[a]
Caught a trucker out of Lacombe had a nice long toke
But he's making for the Yellowhead and north to Grand Prairie
And I gotta get a move on before the sun
I hear my baby calling me -- I know she's the only one
And if I die in High River at least I will die hap-py.

So rock me momma like a wagon wheel
Rock me momma any way you feel
Hey, hey,  momma rock me
Rock me momma like the wind and the rain
Rock me momma like a south bound train
Hey, hey, momma rock me    (one more time)

(Repeat chorus & fade)

Road  Apples in the Foothills

Wagon Wheel - Alberta Version (Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor cover)

I moved the capo up a couple of semi-tones, changed the tempo slightly and hopefully made it a little more upbeat. It's a great song and one that I enjoy playing. I love the downward movement between the E7th to the F. There is a subtle shift on the 2nd string which makes the E7 into an E flat 6th, on its way to the F chord.

Elizabeth "LIbba" Cotten was a self-taught, left handed guitar player who learned using a right handed guitar thus she played it, strung as standard right handed guitar, upside down. She wrote this when she was 11 years old but was only given credit for writing this tune decades later. According to records, "Freight Train" first made its way to England by way of Peggy Seeger (half sister of Pete Seeger), who had heard it from her onetime nanny, Libba, when she was young. “Freight Train” was then picked up by several singers and groups, including The Quarrymen: a skiffle band which would later become the Beatles.

BTW: I released this song about 3 months ago and realized how terrible the drum sample was so I switched to manual percussion.  It's really a plastic baby rattle but it seems to sound fine.

Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotten
---------------------------------------------
[INTRO]
Freight train, freight train, goin' so fast
Freight train, freight train, goin' so fast
Please don't tell what train I'm on
So they won’t know where I’ve gone.

Freight train, freight train, goin’ round the bend
Freight train, freight train, comin’ back again
One of these days turn that train around
And go back to my home town.

One more place I’d like to be
One more place I’d like to see
To watch them old Blue Ridge Mountains climb
When I ride old Number Nine.

[SOLO]

When I die, Lord, bury me deep
Down at the end of Chestnut Street
Where I can hear old Number Nine
As she comes [on] down the line.

Freight train, freight train, goin' so fast
Freight train, freight train, goin' so fast
Please don't tell what train I'm on
So they won’t know where I’ve gone.

[OUTRO]
So they won't know where I've go-one.

Freight Train (Elizabeth Cotten cover)

Image courtesy of MS Word Clipart
Drum sounds courtesy of Free Studio Drum Sounds and 9th Wonder Kit

There's always a first time for something.  For me, it was singing.  I attempted to keep it a bit gritty sounding.  My son collaborated with me with this mix and he constantly reminded me to bring out the lead guitar and/or the vocals.  Obviously, I didn't listen.  Still too timid.  A little reverb here and a chorus VST there ... and I was OK with releasing this.

As for lyrics, they just came from the mood of the tune.  Everything is drawn from life's experiences but in this case it is really a "cut and paste" of many pieces of my past.

Broken Dreams
----------------------

You wake up from a nightmare ...
Or was that real?
Somehow you can't get out of bed
Fingers too numb to feel.

Sun coming through the window
But there's no heat.
Now, the silence is deafening
Not a sound from the street.

Sweet smells from the pillow
As you turn in bed.
Memories of warm embraces
Filter through your head.

No matter now, the bed is cold.
The covers are all grey.
The memories still linger
Of a love that did not stay.

:: Words and music copyright Rick Engler


Somewhere I read that SoundCloud is the DIY of the music world.  Very true for most of us wannabe (famous) musicians.  For those who were lucky enough to spend years in an actual sound studio, maybe this is a slam dunk. For the rest of us, it's like being the Wright brothers before they fully understood science behind aerodynamics much less get a machine to fly.

I have learned a lot in 2018 thru 2019 while playing at small, local venues.  It's a lot easier to sit back in a "recording studio".  I do put that in quotes since, for me, this is just a couple of microphones connected to a DAW which is connected to a computer with some multi-track software and some free plugins to enhance the finished product.  I believe there are about 5 unique disciplines to learn which include: playing an instrument, singing, doing both together, using a microphone, connecting with the audience.  I have much more respect for stage performers now, especially solo artists. Now, if one adds the discipline of recording engineer, well then, you have a well rounded musical background. 

I do hope that you enjoy some of my tunes.  I'm always happy to hear from listeners who have something meaningful to share, even when it is not particularly flattering or in someway odd.  I'll even try to answer any questions you may have.  Remember that you are never too old nor too young to create and share your music and/or share your knowledge.

BluesmanRick

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