Woh, great...a great song, a sensational way of singing!

Cover of "The Passenger" by Iggy Pop
Performed by Jan Schonander

The Passenger was one of the 1st songs I recorded and published on Soundcloud. It was interesting for me to see what it would sound like 3 years later with different equipment and some better understanding of audio engineering. Below a link to my original upload (I will take this down eventually). 
https://soundcloud.com/thegats/the-passenger?in=thegats/sets/the-passenger/

Here are the main differences:

1. Replayed the piano on my Korg SV-1 instead of my 30 year old Roland Digital piano. Most importantly, in the 1st recording the only way I could record was running my piano through a guitar amplifier and from there a USB link into my computer. Today I connect my Korg into a Scarlet 2i4 and from there to my computer.

2. Resang using a AKG Condenser Mic through the Scarlett instead of through a nondescript USB Mic with an integrated amplifier. Little detail: the input volume at which I recorded was at most half the the input volume vs the 1st recording.

3. In the 1st recording I used a heavy dose of modulation delay whereas nowadays I use none of that and aim for a much more natural sound with some reverb and a little echo. I have also stopped the fairly massive equalization of my voice that I used to apply.

3. Post-reprocessed the organ (and a few extra bars) to get a much wider and swirly sound using a Logic Pro X effect called Ringshift.

4. Applied some reverb to the drums to get a fuller sound

5. In the original recording (GarageBand) I bounced the track with massive output volume with a lot of clipping and then uploaded to SC - basically I had no idea what I was doing. For this newer recording (Logic Pro X) I made sure the output  was around -8dB before applying some compression at a ratio of 2.5:1 and adjusting the release and attack to taste before bouncing and importing into Izotope OZONE for mastering. OZONE is a whole world itself and I am still learning to control all the variables. For this track I used a preset called "Adaptive Dynamics" and the main manual change I made was to allow the output volume to peak at -0.1dB.

I remember Justin (of GrevusAnjl) writing that in the beginning we all suck, and 3 years later I can only agree. The good part is that we can all learn and I hope this recording demonstrates this point. 

If you made it this far, thanks very much for listening and reading, and if you've never really payed any attention to the lyrics to this song, they're pretty good and pretty serious.

The Passenger

Martin (@martin-hirsch-656665916) provided this original, inspirational, classic rock ballad instrumental track along with a song title and invited me to craft lyrics, melody and vocals to create a team effort. I was thrilled to do so and, with much appreciated production help from my eternal musical partner Nat Daniels (@natdaniels) this track was the happy outcome. Thanks to Martin and Nat for making this a very fulfilling project! May we all be dreamers....

Dreamer

Dreamer (collaboration w/Martin Hirsch)

To my dear friends in Ukraine!

Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
 
Where have all the young girls gone, long time passing?
Where have all the young girls gone, long time ago?
Where have all the young girls gone?
Gone for husbands everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
 
Where have all the husbands gone, long time passing?
Where have all the husbands gone, long time ago?
Where have all the husbands gone?
Gone for soldiers everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
 
Where have all the soldiers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the soldiers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
 
Where have all the graveyards gone, long time passing?
Where have all the graveyards gone, long time ago?
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Gone to flowers, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
 
Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

Pete Seeger wrote the song in October 1955, claiming to have borrowed the basic idea from the Don Cossack song Koloda Duda, three verses of which he had discovered as a quotation in the novel "The Quiet Don" by Mikhail Sholokhov. Marlene Dietrich made the German version of "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" famous in 1962. It is hardly known that the song goes back to Ukrainian music, but also to Russian. Ultimately, the song does not fit into national pigeonholes. Marlene Dietrich helped this song to its eventual popularity in 1962, although this must also be seen with critical eyes! Another German artist took up the song: Juliane Werding. Unsurpassed, however, is the version by Joan Baez. The bottom line is that it ultimately doesn't matter how the song came about, who wrote it, etc. 

Here I use an instrumental version to draw attention once again to the folly of the war in Ukraine!

Infinite Couplings: Mary Travers of "Peter, Paul and Mary" grew up near Seeger....unbelievable!

...

Sag mir wo die Blumen sind,
Wo sind sie geblieben
Sag mir wo die Blumen sind,
Was ist geschehen?
Sag mir wo die Blumen sind,
Mädchen pflückten sie geschwind
Wann wird man je verstehen,
Wann wird man je verstehen?

Sag mir wo die Mädchen sind,
Wo sind sie geblieben?
Sag mir wo die Mädchen sind,
Was ist geschehen?
Sag mir wo die Mädchen sind,
Männer nahmen sie geschwind
Wann wird man je verstehen?
Wann wird man je verstehen?


Sag mir wo die Männer sind
Wo sind sie geblieben?
Sag mir wo die Männer sind,
Was ist geschehen?
Sag mir wo die Männer sind,
Zogen fort, der Krieg beginnt,
Wann wird man je verstehen?
Wann wird man je verstehen?

Sag wo die Soldaten sind,
Wo sind sie geblieben?
Sag wo die Soldaten sind,
Was ist geschehen?
Sag wo die Soldaten sind,
Über Gräben weht der Wind
Wann wird man je verstehen?
Wann wird man je verstehen?

Sag mir wo die Gräber sind,
Wo sind sie geblieben?
Sag mir wo die Gräber sind,
Was ist geschehen?
Sag mir wo die Gräber sind,
Blumen wehen im Sommerwind
Wann wird man je verstehen?
Wann wird man je verstehen?

WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE (Wo sind all die Blumen hin)

Why?

Because Poly-Bipolar

Written, arranged and performed by Mahan Mahan for Mahan Mahan’s own amusement. 05/10/2022

Because Poly-Bipolar (instrumental version of ...And I Am He)

Absolutely thrilled to be working once again with my good friend, the awesome Audiobake (https://soundcloud.com/audiobake) on our second collab - Crows.
My original idea of crows & Japanese taiko drums has been transformed, thanks to the master of percussion & sfx. 
This guy is just amazing to work with ♥

Thank you for listening ♥

Crows

Crows - Audiobake Collab

Aolian

This song is about the difficulty of finding inner peace. Rarely we will experience inner peace, usually as just a fleeting glimpse, such as when we are little and gaze up at the stars on a warm summer night. Inner peace can be achieved by focusing more on the gratitudes of the present rather than dwelling on the illusions of the past and future. After all, dwelling on the past is depression and overcomplicating the future is anxiety. The last 10 seconds of the song illustrates a child trying to catch a butterfly. Can you see it too?
Thank you for listening!!

J.J.Terrell

Elusive

Method: Guitar, pedals, microsoft Hedda voice, effects, zoom r20, samplitude. 
Narration: I've always been wondering why there are so very few lullabys for the not so very young. This is an attempt at creating one. There is an interlinear translation below the German lyrics.

Lyrics/ copyright jo richter:

einschlaf, zweischlaf, dreischlaf
ein nebelwald aus schweigen
wen das halbe licht traf
dreht mit in morpheas reigen

einträum, zweiträum, dreiträum
so hoch das rispengras
im hasensassenheim
beim großen weiß-nicht-was

ein wohl, zwei wohl, drei wohl
allen, die tief schlummern
tagab ist erde hohl
wo tieftriebwerke wummern

interlinear translation: go to sleep, double sleep, triple sleep / a hazy forest growing silence / those met by half light / join Morphea's ringdance // go to dream, double dream, triple dream / into the high gras / around the hare's hollowed home /   near the huge do-not-know- what // go to comfort, double comfort, triple comfort /  everyone in deep slumber / down the day, the earth is hollow / with drive systems humming deeply, rhythmically

dreischlaf

This is a track Mouse and I did a while back and kinda shelved.   I had asked STONERJAZZ to see if he could do anything with it and he totally surprised and delighted me with what he came up with.  

Here's a link to the original track Mouse and I did
https://soundcloud.com/texmex-shaman/shrooms

Shrooms - with STONERJAZZ & One Blind Mouse

work in progress

no fucking Ai were used in this track.

Investigazioni #1

source: https://soundcloud.com/gaspardcanine/sugar-bear-slices

Relish

Thanks for visiting. This is a retro eclectic music mix with a strong keyboard base.  Looming influences from among others Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Lou Reed & Jon Lord. The songs are mostly about the human condition.

I am always looking for a guitar player that wants to collaborate. Would be fun to find a real drummer also.

A Gat is a cat in Catalan - it all makes sense if you’re me.

To all of you likers and reposters that don't listen - what's the point?

The Passenger

TheGat(s)

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