MacJams.com - Song: If I Could Live Long Enough - by Tobin Mueller MJCC by sloparts

If I Could Live Long Enough - by Tobin Mueller MJCC
by sloparts

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Guest views: 631
Member views: 1
Song comments: 19
Tokens: 0
Plays: 46
Last Played:
Downloads: 22
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Submitted on: Sep 01, 2008 - 12:57:41 AM
Last Updated: Sep 04 2008 - 09:24:01 AM

Keywords Live (96), long (27), enough (4), ()

Description This is my entry into the Mac Jams Cover Challenge.

It's a song originally written and recorded by Tobin Mueller as a Contemporary Folk song. I decided to have some fun with it and kick it up a notch or two. I'm not sure about it being better than Tobin's version, but it is different. I want to thank Tobin for letting me play in his sand box and try making this version of his song.

Here's where to find Tobin's original. I suggest listening to it before you listen to this one.

http://www.macjams.com/song/2991

I hope for only two things. One is that you enjoy the song, and the other is that Tobin doesn't come looking for me for murdering his wonderful song.

Enjoy, and thanks for listening.

Ed

Lyrics If I Could Live Long Enough
By: Tobin Mueller
Copyright (c) 2004 Tobin Mueller
All Rights Reserved

Arranged and performed By: Ed Wemmerus (sloparts)
with permission

Want to be an astronaut... play golf on the moon.
Want to invent something sleek and cool that will change the world.
Want to step on a stage and accept some big, tall, golden award,
so I can thank all the people that came before.

If I could live enough.
If I could just live long enough to be all I want to be.

Be a deep sea diver.
Be a rich man’s lawyer.
Be a toy designer.
Be a fair employer.
Be an honest lover.
Be a gracious friend.
Be the one to discover how this story ends.
How this story ends.

I’ve been the scourge of the world to my first wife;
salvation to my second.
I’ve been a hero of sorts in the coffee shop with everyone saying, “Hey,” as they beckon.
Now I’m anonymous and free, with a lot less to say
and a lot more to reckon...
if I could live enough.
If I could just live long enough to be all I want to be.

Let me be what I am.
Every day a new man.
I want too many thrills for one lifetime to fill.
Can’t see where I’m moving.
Can’t teach what I feel.
These days there’s no proving that anything’s real,
and so got to be myself and so
got to be myself,
if I live long enough.
If I live long enough.

You say you want to know me.
I can’t stop my life.
You say you got to find me.
It’s me, here, by your side.

Let me be what I am.
Every day a new man.
I want too many thrills for one lifetime to fill.
Can’t see where I’m moving.
Can’t teach what I feel.
These days there’s no proving that anything’s real, and so
got to be myself and so
got to be myself.

If I live long enough I could be everything to me,
I could be everything to you.

You say you want to know me.
I can’t stop my life.
You say you got to find me.
It’s me, here, by your side.

Want to see what they’re saying in tomorrow’s news.
Want to see grandkids dancing around the way kids do.
I want to thank all the people, especially you.

If I could live enough.
If I could just live long enough to be all I want to be.

Hardware iMac 2.0g , Tascam FW1804, Electro-Voice ND257b and Tascam PE-125 mics,Ibanez RX40 electric, Fender F35 acoustic

Software: Logic Express 8, Audacity 2.5

Fan List

DWL

yrp

HenriROGERsoloandbands

SJB

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	DWL said 129 days ago
	Amen Ed A very nice take on Tobin's song. A great range of textures and sounds. The guitars are sounding good and some clever picking. I can see Tobin coming after you but only to shake your hand :-) Cheers Dick

sloparts said 129 days ago

Thanks Dick,
I was a little concerned that I might have taken it over the top too much, but I wanted to put some energy into it and make it my take on the song. I did have some trouble with a few places in the vocal because the key wasn't quite right for me. But we do what we can, and I finally ran out of time to work on it anymore.

Thanks again for the listen and the kind words Dick, they really are appreciated my friend.

Be well and be cool,

Ed

	yrp said 129 days ago
	Killer guitar work all around. I wish I could stop hiding myself behind noise and use the guitar cleanly and elegantly like you did here... :-)

	Feter said 129 days ago
	If I Could Live Long Enough wow now this is clever ...your turn it into further dimension ...a new taste ..as always great guitar and keys work for this style ...this is a true gem ..... thnx alot for sharin !!!!

	dajama said 129 days ago
	Very nice I like this a lot. The guitar sounds lovely, bubbling along and pushing the whole song forward. Nice singing - do you have an effect on your voice? I like the funky drum sound, and the use of keys is very effective. Upbeat, soulful and groovy. This is excellent. I'm sure Tobin will love this. Very cool. Nicely done. Peace.

sloparts said 129 days ago

Thanks Dave
Glad you check it out and liked what I did to Tobin's song.

What I did on the vocal is I actually did two separate vocals and when I played them back the timing on them was right on the money. So I laid some effects on one vocal and just a touch of reverb on the other to help them blend together. Then mixed it to get an almost chorus effect on the main vocal tracks. The harmony tracks are three part with just some compression and a little reverb on them.

I really liked what Tobin did with the song on the acoustic side, so I tried to duplicate his instrumentation there. Then I went a little nuts on taking the song where I felt it wanted to go. I wanted it to have a funkier feel mixed with some southern rock and blues combined. Hence the blues/rock guitar parts and the southern fried organ. I threw the synths in just to keep it from getting to quiet during the pulled back parts of the song.

So thanks again for listening Dave and for the kind words, they and you are appreciated very much.

Be well and be cool,

Ed

	guitapick said 129 days ago
	Hey man... ...this is great. I love it. Love the tune and you've given it a wonderful slant. Love the guits and synth parts. Tasty as fine, Swiss chocolate...

	guygrooves said 129 days ago
	Ed this is great!! I love this it truly is a musical journey. So many nuances and little diversions to hold your attention. I don't think Tobin will be looking for you, for anything else but to thank you. Great job Ed, totally worth the listen.

	davisamerica said 128 days ago
	man ed .... what a great song to chose .. and you have made it so yours. i really enjoyed this .... from a basic loop track .. into tobin's hands .. and then to come to here with your very original take! WOW

sloparts said 128 days ago

Thanks Jack
This is a really special song. I don't mean my take, I mean the song's lyrics and mood. I wanted to try to capture Tobin's original mood, and yet make it my song. I think I did a fair job on that.

But there are probably as many different way to tell this story as there are musicians to do it. This is just one place to go with this very soecial song.

Thanks for listening Jack, I'm very please that you enjoyed the song and sent along some kind words on it.

Take care, be well and be cool my friend. I'm not sure whether you live in OK or TX, but neither one is that far from where I am. In the future sometime we ought to try and get together and pop a few tops, maybe play a little music.

See ya

Ed

	peacepiano said 128 days ago
	Cool What made you think of using those synths? Creates a unique atmosphere that works very well with the vocals. I'm going to have to listen to the original, but I'm sure this is very different. Nice job. Thanks Bill

	Vic Holman said 128 days ago
	i dig it very nicely done! i really like how so many elements come in and out and yet stays cohesive throughout the song. Plus, some impressive and wicked guitar playing! very cool entry Ed.

	Rebsie said 128 days ago
	Go Ed! Funnily enough the original of this was one of the first things I fanned when I first joined this site. We had four-digit song numbers back in them days! Something about this reminds me of early Jethro Tull (and that is meant to be a compliment). I like the effect on the vocal.

sloparts said 128 days ago

Thanks Rebsie
When I put the link for the original into the intro was when I realized this one had been here for a long time, almost the beginning. Right away I noticed the 4 digit number on the song.

Jethro Tull is good, I like that reference. Tobin did a wonderful job on the original which I used as the pattern for my version. Once I had his tracks down as close as I could get them, I started changing it to give it more drive and energy. I like the way it turned out, and I'm glad you did too.

Thanks again for the kind words my friend, it means a lot to me.

Be well and be cool,

Ed

	HenriROGERsoloandbands said 128 days ago
	Arrangement Very nice ideas with the sounds and the song building . I find the voice a lil too loud in the mix . Love the energy .

	The Infinites said 128 days ago
	Solid take on the original, Ed I'm sure Tobin will be delighted that you chose this to cover - not miles away from the original, but great hearing your mellow tones on it and those added geetars are just tempting the ear to a rockier place than the 2004 version. Clever & subtle - well done! Jim

sloparts said 128 days ago

Thanks Jim
It was such a great song to begin with I wasn't sure what to do with it when I started on it. I figured it out as I went, and basically just built more drive and energy into it. Like you, I stayed true to Tobin's original song layout and mostly did a remix with the additions, and of course my own vocals.

Thanks for taking time to listen and for the kind words my friend. And might I add it's nice to meet you.

Be well and be cool,

Ed

I'm sure Tobin will be delighted that you chose this to cover - not miles away from the original, but great hearing your mellow tones on it and those added geetars are just tempting the ear to a rockier place than the 2004 version.

Clever & subtle - well done!

Jim

	sonnyjim said 127 days ago
	You're pickin' and I'm grinnin'. Sounds sweet, Ed. That 80's synth sounds like five_extra_arms donated it to your song, and it's all good! Good vox, great solo unfolding here after the 4 minute mark, followed by Keith Emerson (??!). Quite a ride! Thanks for this. One observation: some of those fades on the guitar are a little quick, I think. Small criticism, though.

sloparts said 127 days ago

Hey there Jim
Thanks for listening my friend, I'm glad you liked the song. It was a great song before I got it and I tried not to mess up Tobin's fine work too much.

I know what you mean about the guit fades. I should have just cut the part after the section I used and let it go away, but the saying, coulda, shoulda, woulda is soo true.

If that's all I did wrong on this one I'll live with it for now. Maybe go back and do a remix after I've had a chance to rest my ears from it. Then I can fix the guit fade problem and anything else I discover over time listening to it.

Thanks again for the kind words Jim, and for the spot on comment about the guitars.

Be well and be cool,

Ed

TobinMueller said 127 days ago

Variety
What fun to hear such a lively take on the song. The different textures, styles and placement of instruments and lines are almost like floating metaphors, examples of bits of lives lived and wished for, facets of a multi-person. The guitar solo moments are my favorite. Thanks for doing this. I am very glad you appreciated the song and spent so much loving time on it. Kudos to this festival, to the grassroots spirit of MJ, and to you.

sloparts said 127 days ago

After I got into working on the song,
and really looked at the depth of the lyrics, I was in awe of it. I tried my best to do it justice in my own way. I'm very happy that what I did pleased you my friend, that was my intent. This really is a wonderful affirmation of life and living it to it's fullest.

Be well and be cool Tobin and thanks for encouraging me to not only do the song, but the whole song, including the vocals. That was the one part that intimidated me the most. Thanks too, for allowing me the chance to grow and learn from you in this effort by doing your song.

Ed

	Ibstrat said 126 days ago
	It's really amazing how you mixed these sounds together.Incredible singing.Very nice cover of a great song!

	egobandit said 126 days ago
	different I never heard Tobins version but I think this is movin right along. Love the placement and composition. All the extras you add make it enjoyable. Like the break and into the synth. Enjoyed!

	SJB said 125 days ago
	Superb I don't think Tobin will have any problems with this. It's great. The variety of sounds on this is amazing. The wah wah sort of electric guitar is top notch as is the distorted rock lead. I also like how acoustic comes and goes and provides a folky background against which the electrics can do their stuff. Very nice job indeed! best wishes Steve

Parichayaka said 106 days ago

Fun!
Too many good things to comment on - guitars, drums, lyrics - great song! The first synth lead you introduce is a fun surprise along with all the other little effects and details in the mix. I could imagine the voice sounding a bit more natural throughout (is there a chorus on it?). How about a bit of talking in the mix, it is kind of a story you're telling and a deep voice with the guitar solo - might be a fun contrast.

Sounds like another great, fun collaboration with Tobin, the king of collabs.

CaptSloParts said 106 days ago

Thanks
I was really sweating it on this one because I had to first figure out what Tobin had done, then try to duplicate it the best I could. Once I was satisfied with that, it was just a matter of making it my own, while trying to stay true to the intent and original feel of the song.

There were a lot of ways I could have done things differently, some better and some not so good. I hadn't thought of the talking part, but it could work on this song. Nice idea.

Thanks again for the kind words my friend, it's really nice to make your acquaintance.

Take care Pari

Ed

	VicDiesel said 105 days ago
	Groove! A very smooth groove. Great guitar work.

	sloparts said 129 days ago
	Thanks yrp Glad you liked the song. Tobin really put together a hell of a song when he wrote this one. I just trashed it up with some guitars and other stuff to build more energy into it. Thanks for listening my friend. Be well and be cool, Ed

	sloparts said 128 days ago
	You are too kind Guy But I thank you for that. I'm honored that Tobin would allow me to even attempt it on this song. But he did and I tried to do the song justice but in my own way. I'm really glad you enjoyed my take on it my friend. Thanks again for listening and for your very kind words. Be well and be cool Guy, Ed

	sloparts said 128 days ago
	Thanks Vic Yeah, I sometimes don't when to quit when it comes to mixing it up with the instrument voices. But I'm glad you liked the way it turned out my friend. Thanks again for the kind words, and for listening Vic. Be well and be cool, Ed

	sloparts said 128 days ago
	Thanks Henri Glad you liked my take on tobin's song. It really is a great song and covering it was an honor. I'm just glad I didn't butcher it up in doing so. Thanks for listening and the kind words Henri, it is appreciated. Be well and be cool my friend. Ed Very nice ideas with the sounds and the song building . I find the voice a lil too loud in the mix . Love the energy .

	sloparts said 126 days ago
	Thanks bandit If you get a chance, go listen to Tobin's original, you'll like it, a lot. Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed this version my friend. I wanted to change it without destroying the meaning of the original song. Be well and be cool, Ed

	sloparts said 105 days ago
	Thanks Vic It was a great song when Tobin did it, I just tried to change the feel of it and build more energy into it. Glad you enjoyed the song my friend. Thanks again for the listen and the comment Vic. Be well and be cool, Ed

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