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Topic: A Town Without Pity |
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 3 Apr 2024 7:40 pm |
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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 |
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Mike Harris
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 4 Apr 2024 5:27 am Town Without Pity
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| Nice choice and great work, Mike. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Chuck S. Lettes
From:
Denver, Colorado
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Posted 4 Apr 2024 6:30 am
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Nice recording, Mike. I always liked that tune, and your arrangement brings out the noir atmosphere.
Chuck |
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Joel Monson
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 4 Apr 2024 6:55 am
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| Great job, Mike. Love your just right vibrato and in your face tone, just right also !! |
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Rick Bernauer
From:
Kansas, USA
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Posted 4 Apr 2024 7:14 am
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| Nice tone and played well, Mike. Always liked this song since I heard Ronnie Montrose play it back in the late '70s. |
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Madeline Dietrich
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 4 Apr 2024 7:22 am
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| I love this, Mike! Really gorgeous playing. I like where you cut loose a little bit, around 2/3 way through the track. |
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Jim Mckay
From:
New Zealand
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Posted 4 Apr 2024 11:56 am
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Fantastic to say the least. Top shelf 
_________________
Canopus d-8
Excel Jerry Byrd frypan
T-8 Stringmaster |
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Jerry Gleason
From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
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Posted 4 Apr 2024 12:58 pm
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| 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. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 4 Apr 2024 7:14 pm
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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.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Tony Oresteen
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 5 Apr 2024 5:23 pm
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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.
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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 |
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Nelson Checkoway
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2024 8:16 pm
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| 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!! |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 9 Apr 2024 2:58 am
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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!
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 9 Apr 2024 11:24 am
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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 |
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Chris Templeton
From:
The Green Mountain State
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Craig Stock
From:
Westfield, NJ USA
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Posted 10 Apr 2024 7:47 am
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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!
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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 |
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Steve Cunningham
From:
Atlanta, GA
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Larry Dering
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2024 8:37 am
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| Mike,very cool stuff. I've always like this from Pitney. Brings back memories of my youth. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 17 Apr 2024 5:04 am
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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.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Miles Lang
From:
Venturaloha
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Posted 22 Apr 2024 2:41 pm
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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 |
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Bob Delle Cava
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 30 Apr 2024 11:06 am
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| Great work Mike! Great song! |
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