| Visit Our Catalog at SteelGuitarShopper.com |

Post new topic A Town Without Pity
Reply to topic
Author Topic:  A Town Without Pity
Mike Neer


From:
NJ
Post  Posted 3 Apr 2024 7:40 pm    
Reply with quote

No, I'm not talking about New York. But I could be.

I hadn't thought of this tune in decades and yesterday it popped in my head and I sat down and made an arrangement of it today.
Gene Pitney recorded a great version of this tune with lyrics by Ned Washington and music by Dimitri Tiomkin for the movie of the same title.

I went for a more distressed kind of tone with the Sol Rickenbacher, using a little grit/saturation in hopes of portraying despair.

I always have a blast putting these tracks together. I used some loops from Johnny Vidacovich, the great New Orleans drummer, and the piano part I created in Real Tracks. The rest is me.

You don't have to purchase to listen, it's absolutely free.
https://mikeneer.bandcamp.com/track/a-town-without-pity
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links


Last edited by Mike Neer on 8 Apr 2024 5:05 am; edited 1 time in total
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Mike Harris

 

From:
Texas, USA
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2024 5:27 am     Town Without Pity
Reply with quote

Nice choice and great work, Mike.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2024 5:56 am    
Reply with quote

Cool, Mike. I really like the overdriven sound. Your phrasing and tone here remind me of Jeff Beck.
_________________
My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Chuck S. Lettes


From:
Denver, Colorado
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2024 6:30 am    
Reply with quote

Nice recording, Mike. I always liked that tune, and your arrangement brings out the noir atmosphere.
Chuck
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Joel Monson

 

From:
Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2024 6:55 am    
Reply with quote

Great job, Mike. Love your just right vibrato and in your face tone, just right also !!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Rick Bernauer

 

From:
Kansas, USA
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2024 7:14 am    
Reply with quote

Nice tone and played well, Mike. Always liked this song since I heard Ronnie Montrose play it back in the late '70s.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Madeline Dietrich


From:
Virginia, USA
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2024 7:22 am    
Reply with quote

I love this, Mike! Really gorgeous playing. I like where you cut loose a little bit, around 2/3 way through the track.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Jim Mckay

 

From:
New Zealand
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2024 11:56 am    
Reply with quote

Fantastic to say the least. Top shelf Smile
_________________
Canopus d-8
Excel Jerry Byrd frypan
T-8 Stringmaster
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Jerry Gleason


From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2024 12:58 pm    
Reply with quote

Nice, Mike. That's a song that really lends itself to steel guitar. I recorded a similar arrangement about a dozen years ago, based on the Gene Pitney recording. It's probably still up on Soundcloud. Your version has a little more grit, I think, which I like.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Mike Neer


From:
NJ
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2024 7:14 pm    
Reply with quote

Thanks for listening and thanks for your comments everyone.
I work really fast and intensely when I am learning a tune with the goal of arranging and recording.
I probably spend a day or two thinking about the tune and how I might approach it. I always feel like I can go many different directions with an arrangement, but ultimately I have to make a choice. In this case I had another idea that I liked more, but it would have been more difficult to make that happen quickly. This would be what I consider a demo.

The melody is the most important thing to think about, and the approach to playing the melody is something I really enjoy contemplating. The most simple little phrases and the way they are played makes all the difference in the world. Of course, using the right tone is another personal choice. Some people don’t care for any kind of overdrive and others can’t do without it. Believe it or not, there is very little gain on this track. It is my Roland JC amp mic’d and then run through a compressor and amp plugin that adds a little bit of edge. But this guitar sings no matter what I use.

I can remember the Ronnie Montrose version! When I was in my late teens, one of our local department stores with a killer record dept. was going out of business and they were selling 8-track tapes for like $.50. Every day I would come home with another 20 or so—some of my most influential music was purchased that week. The Montrose tape was one of them, among other all the Wes Montgomery, Dixie Dregs, UK, etc.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Tony Oresteen


From:
Georgia, USA
Post  Posted 5 Apr 2024 5:23 pm    
Reply with quote

Nice job Mike! It's a great song. Lilli Passero did a great version on The Voice a few years back. And I like Brian Setzer's version as well.

A classic for sure.
_________________
Tony
Newnan, GA

Too many guitars, not enough time to play
'72 Sho-Bud 6139, '71 Marlen 210
'78 Fender Stringmaster Quad black
PedalMaster D8
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Nelson Checkoway

 

From:
Massachusetts, USA
Post  Posted 8 Apr 2024 8:16 pm    
Reply with quote

Beautiful job! I love the song and the sound and feel you bring to it. I’d love to hear you do a medley of this with the Perry Mason Theme sandwiched in the middle—both cut from the same orchestral cloth. Thanks Mike!!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Andy Volk


From:
Boston, MA
Post  Posted 9 Apr 2024 2:58 am    
Reply with quote

I didn’t know this song but wow, great playing and film noir vibes. I can hear some influence from your recent Hindustani guitar studies. Cool track, Mike!
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Mike Neer


From:
NJ
Post  Posted 9 Apr 2024 11:24 am    
Reply with quote

Appreciate it gents.

Andy, I think it’s important to recognize how beneficial the lessons were for me in helping to get closer to the expression I have been looking for.

I’ve decided to release this one as a single on all streaming platforms because I like the way it turned out. The steel performance was one take and is pretty raw. It all came together in a matter of hours and believe it or not, most of that time was spent putting the drum track together from loops of Johnny Vidacovich, one of my favorite drummers.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Chris Templeton


From:
The Green Mountain State
Post  Posted 9 Apr 2024 11:59 am    
Reply with quote

Mike, your sliding is superb. Long and totally accurate. In tune slides that bring out the BEST of the steel.
_________________
Excel 3/4 Pedal With An 8 String Hawaiian Neck, Sierra Tapper (10 string with a raised fretboard to fret with fingers), Single neck Fessenden 3/5
"The Tapper" : https://christophertempleton.bandcamp.com/album/the-tapper
Soundcloud Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/bluespruce8:
View user's profile Send private message
Craig Stock


From:
Westfield, NJ USA
Post  Posted 10 Apr 2024 7:47 am    
Reply with quote

Really nice Mike!

I agree with Doug that it's reminds me of Jeff Beck too, and they there's that Hawaiian twist in there.

Keep up the great work and interesting material!
_________________
Regards, Craig

I cried because I had no shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.

Today is tomorrow's Good ol' days
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Steve Cunningham


From:
Atlanta, GA
Post  Posted 12 Apr 2024 8:30 am    
Reply with quote

Very cool Mike, you definitely captured the vibe. I love the Yngwie lick at 1:51, and the sacred steel lick at 1:58…you’re speaking my language man!
_________________
Zoom/Skype/Facetime lessons available http://www.atlanta-guitar-lessons.com

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/user/SingingStringsMusic?feature=mhee
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Larry Dering


From:
Missouri, USA
Post  Posted 16 Apr 2024 8:37 am    
Reply with quote

Mike,very cool stuff. I've always like this from Pitney. Brings back memories of my youth.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Mike Neer


From:
NJ
Post  Posted 17 Apr 2024 5:04 am    
Reply with quote

I do appreciate all the nice comments. This is a great way for me to blow off steam in between other studies and projects, and like Larry said, the nostalgia factor is high. I’ve been doing that a lot lately.

Still, I trudge on with some other projects that are fairly ambitious and maybe just a labor of love. Time will tell.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Miles Lang


From:
Venturaloha
Post  Posted 22 Apr 2024 2:41 pm    
Reply with quote

That sounds really great, Mike. I’ve been moving in that direction on our new project, savage steel noir!
_________________
Santo Fan Club - from the island of Coney to the sands of Rockaway

Jill Martini & The Shrunken Heads

All aloha, all the time
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Bob Delle Cava

 

From:
New Jersey, USA
Post  Posted 30 Apr 2024 11:06 am    
Reply with quote

Great work Mike! Great song!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Jump to:  
Please review our Forum Rules and Policies
Our Online Catalog
Strings, CDs, instruction, and steel guitar accessories
www.SteelGuitarShopper.com

The Steel Guitar Forum
148 S. Cloverdale Blvd.
Cloverdale, CA 95425 USA

Click Here to Send a Donation

Email SteelGuitarForum@gmail.com for technical support.


BIAB Styles
Ray Price Shuffles for Band-in-a-Box
by Jim Baron