JLSC INTRA-FORUM CONTEST #6

CRITIQUES OF HOABY'S PERFORMANCE OF

JUST A LITTLE by THE BEAU BRUMMELS

 

JUDGE

COMMENTS

Tim W Hoaby
OK, OK, OK. I know I said one of the songs above was the best in show, but I lied. Actually, when I wrote that, I hadn't heard yours yet. Now understand, I'm biased by your subject matter (we played this little ditty in our rock band, back in the 1960s). And your production, while superior, is not as clear and lacks the "punch" of Kris' "Wonderwall" performance. But I loved your rhythm, vocals, guitar, the overall balance of the instruments and voices, and the faithful reproduction as compared to the Beau Brummels version. Great Job!
Christina Well, Hoaby, I've had to go back and forth between your version and the original. I (as usual, sad to say for myself) wasn't familiar with either The Beau Brummels or the song, but I have a hard time finding any differences past the intro. Are you sure you're not The Beau Brummels themselves?:-) Top-notch rendition!
Kneena I listened to you first then I heard the original and I couldn't believe how well you performed this song! Your harmonies and music were outstanding! Excellent choice for you! Surpassing the original verison as far as I'm concerned! Great job Hoaby!
David T MOST excellent! Six thumbs up! If I heard this on the radio I wouldn't know it from the other Brit Invasion gems I love. Fantastic job! Great guitar, great bass, drums, and backgrounds. Production was first rate too, keeping the feel of the engineering of the time. My only negative comment would be the bass drum was too heavy, but that just may be my sound system.
Iggy Hoaby: I keep hearing all these fantastic covers and I feel I'm cheating on my review when I say I can't make any constructive comments. So here I go again.

First, I love this song, maybe showing my age but I really enjoyed it. Reminded me of my first band. (Our bass player quit and took his amp with him. The only problem was he didn't have a car. I still remember him walking down the street trying to carry/push a Fender Bassman Amp, we just pointed and laughed)

Anyway, as expected, great rendition and great musicianship. Thanks for the memories.

Judy B Hey, I like this! I'm even very impressed! :-)

Nancy G Hoaby how did you know I love the Beau Brummels? This song is great. It brings back so many endearing moments of my life from about 1968. I think that is when the song was popular.
You have a great beat going in this song. Your voice is perfect for this song as well. You make me want to listen to
other great old bands like the Animals, Kinks and the Zombies. You did a wonderful job on this song. Thanks for making me smile today.
"Retroflective am I. Into my memories I do fly...come fly with me". "firefly"

"Everyone is saying that music is love"
David Crosby

Blessings to you

Nigel First of all, thanks for going all out. It's cool to hear the complete arrangement - I went the lazy (I mean simple) route. Kudos. I especially liked the fact that you chose to keep the tempo constant instead of speeding up for the choruses like the original does. That has always bothered me about older recordings. Can you say C-L-I-C-K-T-R-A-C-K?? Since Christina has added the option of listening to the originals it has definitely changed the review game. I can't help but refer to the original in my review, and you definitely hit the mark as far as reproducing the feel of the original. Good work.

Kris S When I heard this song I too had a hard time telling it from the real thing. It also took me back to a time in my life when you could still hear a local radio station back in my hometown of Milwaukee, playing "Court of the Crimson King".....ah, those were the days. At least as I remember them being in the early teens. Great cover, filled with all, and I mean all, the sounds of the early British invasion.
Todd Awesome. I think this might be my favorite I've heard so far. I love the voice... it's perfect for this song! The production and instruments are smooooth and solid. This one got da lo-fi blues, though... the bass kills the mix a little in the middle. I betcha the master kicks some okole!
James one of few songs I've heard I'm not familiar with...In the tradition of Bandstand I'd have to say it has a great beat and it's easy to dance to! I'd give it a solid 8.5 Dick...
Meikow Nive cover, would like to see a little variation from the original, but you did an outstanding job on this song.
Emily (EED) It is amazing how you copied the production of the original. Wow. I was not familliar with this but it is a catchy little sixties britpop tune. All the instruments sound great--so like the original. I like the throaty vocals--gives it a more mature and contemporary sound and I also liked your backing vocals better--maybe they are quieter? Good job.
Solpig Correct me if I'm wrong,but this sounds like a live track.If this is so , than this is a strong case for you stealing the show.Tim W.'s "nowhere man" and this track have been my favorites so far(although your song is streaming a little muddier)Even if this isn't live it's great!I have always been of the mind that if you can't do it live,than you can't do it.
Good fluid soulful vox,disregarding the exactitude of lyric sheets(another virtue).Great balance on sound.I noticed that some other people commented on a bass wash....maybe we're using different players,cuz there is no such wash on my playback.
so close to the original,I suspect you of being the original artist slumming around our forum to feel good about yourself.All A's!!!
piggy
Hoaby Ok, so I enter a review of my own tune. I have always loved the Beau Brummels, and was torn between doing "Laugh Laugh", and this one. I threw some friends together, and we did this one. It was recorded live onto a standard Sony cassette deck with the mix coming off the board. My only other comment....I wanted to change it only in the respect of...a more powerful recording. I thought the original lacked the edge....it deserved a "slam bang" so I did my best to give it that. Thanks for all the great comments!
Dave C It was nice to hear the bass drum / ride cymbal bell prominent at the beginning of the song and the punchy bass drum (up in the mix where it should be) definitely gave the tune more drive than the original.

Hazelglow This rocks! Lead singer has a good kind of voice for this style of song, although volume-wise it was a bit lost in the mix (particularly in the verses). Could just be a lo-fi abberation, I dunno. I liked the building vocal harmonies a lot. Was kinda itching for a solo guitar break or somethin' to kick in though. Drums lack the realism/energy that would really help this song along (I always have the same problem with my recordings
Markus Hey, great song to do for you. Reminded me to some 60's stuff. I liked the drums.
They sounded like really beeing played (not like loops or a drum machine). And this goes for the whole
recordig. Did you do this live with a band? Well I liked the song very much and your performance,too!
Thanks for introducing a fine song to me, which I've heard never before!