Just Had To Let You Know
Song tentatively called "Bluesy Twosy"
090408 Practice Notes
Footage of mark and Tom working on the idea for this song in studio A at DNA Studios.
Followed with footage from a week later, working on the song with Tom, Mark, Cliff, Bryan and Eric.
Video
The footage from this session was made into a Lorenzo's Music Netcast
100501 Practice Notes
Recording guitar and vocals
*note missing an entire session of notes for stuff that was already done as far as strucure and vocals on the protools file was recorded earlier. Need to look and see if it was logged somewhere else on the wiki and move it here if possible*
involved
Tom Ray
Mark Whitcomb
We Had to watch the video to remember Mark's guitar part for the chorus since he couldn't remember it. Couldn't see his fingerings on the video but from hand placement on the neck of his guitar we were able to figure it out. Wrote down the chords and took a pic for future reference. (see below)
Set up in the studio to re-record Mark's guitar with his new set up.
Tom smoked. --Mark added this note. :P
Since Mark had just re-learned the part it wasn't feeling solid, so we decided to concentrate on writing the lyrics for the song.
While trying to think of the line for the bridge after the second verse that was to be the antithisis of the whole concept of the song we got stuck trying to think what it should be. So we took a break and went outside. I recorded our conversation so we wouldnt forget anything. While we were discussing it this guy walked by across the street of the studio hooting and hollering about a woman. It seemed he had just left her place and was really happy. Then called her on the phone and said "Just had to let you know, I had a great time tonight". We thought that was the perfect ending line for this verse.
Listen to the whole thing on the audio post titled: [2] Just Had To Let You Know Guy.
Guitar tabs
Lyrics
don't say you got everything
gonna be everyone
gotta be everyone
don't say you got anything
gotta be everything
gonna be everything---(do word as 3 sylables)
Chorus
but i dont know what I need
but I dont know what I want
but all I do know is I want me some
2x
Dont say I got everything
got everyone
gonna be just say so
gonna say I got everything
got everyone
I gotta just say no go
and it's here right here
here it is and I hear it is
neither here nor there
it always is
just had to let you know (* line referenced buy the guy on street recorded in the audio below 100501 Practice [2] Just Had To Let You Know Guy*)
Chorus 2x
bridge
chorus 4x
Audio
Original audio: 100501 Practice
100505 Practice Notes
Going over the song live as a group in DNA Studios.
Involved
Tom Ray
Mark Whitcomb
Cliff hammer
Eric Brusewitz
Tom remembered that the breakdown part after the second chorus from the video we recorded actually had a teaser and end riff that the bass and horn did. We refered to the netcast video and figured out how it went.
On the studio version we will do the breakdown 8x
Video
We thought live we could drag out the bridge and even alternate who plays the teaser part.
Mark would like us to have more of a line that lets us know when we do the end part of the bridge that would que us rather than calling it out.
100512 Practice notes
going over the song live in studio
involved
Mark Whitcomb
Tom Ray
Scott Beardsley
Eric Brusewitz
Cliff Hamer
make sure it goes from E to F sharp on the breakdown
Video
100526 Recording notes
Involved
Tom Ray
Mark Whitcomb
Tom suggested after listening to the tracks that Bryan and Scott get in the same room and only hear the click track and create a random rythmn off of each other from that and not hear the music and see what we come up with.
100621 Recording Notes
Involved
Tom Ray
Mark Whitcomb
Cliff Hammer
Scott Beardsley
Recorded live. Scott wore a head lamp while recording in the dark. Not sure why.
Video
Take 1
100621-studio-justhadtoletyouknow-take1
After a few takes we thought it sounded to dragging so Tom had Scott just play a straight 1-2 with just high hat and bass drum and had mark play along to get the original feel.
This worked. So then we did a live take with all of us and it was back on track.
End Take
100622-justhadtoletyouknow-endtake
100630 Recording Notes
Involved
Tom Ray
Mark Whitcomb
Eric Brusewitz
Cliff Hammer
Scott Beardsley
Going over the Keyboard tracks with Eric using the Wurlitzer.
Mark directed him a bit on how they could work with the guitar chords and concentrated on the rhythm and notes that he should use.
Tom said on the last chorus Eric should spike his hits on the last line with the band to go out strong.
Mark Suggested on the second part of the last chorus the keys- instead of playing his normal rhythm, since the band is ramping up, plays a blended on the beat type straight rhythm.
Started recording the keys for the verse and when the second verse started Mark posed the question should the keys do something different there or when we record the horn track should we have him mix it up a bit. Tom said the horn mixing it up would be better.
Scott asked Eric to do a low hold on the ones with the guitar on the very beginning line of the song. During the second take Eric forgot to o the beginning hits and Mark said he liked it better without.
Made a note on the last chorus when Scott hits a triplet that we will have the sax hit them with him.
Tom had Eric just add a high E note on the chorus with the vocals on the end of the first 2 lines of it.
Example "I don't know what I need [E]".
Had Eric move to the upright piano to play the breakdown thunderish part. it was too out of tune. didn't use it.
Tom made note that we need to add the 2nd drum line idea he had for the song that was more of a broken rhythm. we would cover that next time.
100805 Recording Notes
Involved
Tom Ray
Mark Whitcomb
Deciding on whether to go with the demo version or the re-recorded version.
Went with the studio version but decided to cut in tracks from the demo that we liked better.
Bass line that Mark laid for the verse on the demo version sounded better than Cliffs version we recorded on the studio version So we swapped them out.
Realized there was an entire break/bridge part between the first and second verses on the demo version that we missed on the studio recording and added that in.
Added the tamborine line from the demo version to tighten the whole thing up. In doing so found that the original guitar was recorded in the same room with it and bled through which was a happy accident in 2 ways.
One: it added the extra twang that was missing on the studio version to the guitar.
Two: On the breakdown part towards the end it still played the line in the background which gave it an eerie diminished chord quality elevating that part to a different level. Happy accidents all around.
we chopped up a lot of Scott's studio drums that had a more live dynamic and opted for a tighter feel so it seemed less "jammy".
After the breakdown have the sax play a part that would be the final climax with the end of the song. He would only play there in the song.
Recorded vocal "ooohs" live room for the break down at the end.
thought the bridge breakdown needed vocals so we came up with a rythmic vocal idea.
used the frame "Is this what you want" again going back to the deer hunter theme (during the roulette scene.
thought we would just randomized the words to come up with a unique part.
Mark laid a scratch idea based on the back and forth of the idea we were trying out while we thought of how it should go.
Bridge Lyrics
--Broke it down in to a guy 1, guy 2 lay out.--
1 is this, what you want
2 what you want
1 is it what
2 what you want
1 is this,
what you want
2 is this
1 what you need 2nd x twice
2 what you want
1 is this
2 what you need
1 what you want
Audio
Original audio: 100805 Lorenzo Recording
100818 Recording Notes
Involved
Tom Ray
Mark Whitcomb
Scott VB
Re-recorded vocals in place of the scratch bridge vocals we wrote last session using a couple of vintage RCA ribbon mics the studio had on loan from a session earlier that day.
Tom did a normal version and then underlined it with a low whisper doubled vocal line.
Mark doubled the Oohs for the chorus.
Both Tom and Mark decided something needed to be done to improve the accent hits that come after the bridge. Thinking that the part itself needs a connector because of the 1 beat rest between the two parts. And we need to add a heavier guitar line to give it a kick.
Pulled up the original guitar line in the overall mix which seemed to round out the sound more from the studio recorded version.
doubled Toms vocals using the ribbon mic for the whole song.
100825 Recording Notes
involved
Tom Ray
Mark Whitcomb
Bryan Elliott
Scott Beardsley (later)
Cliff Hammer (later)
Added horn lines to the song
Bryan played on the chorus mimicking the oohs in the background
Tried to double it in a lower octave but didn't like the way it sounded.
Mark and Bryan suggested doing the drum parts we wanted to record similar to Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode with an accent on the 4
Scott and Cliff showed up and we set Scott up in the main room with a raised bass drum and had him play a One, One-Two beat.
Then we redid the drum line hits at the end of the bridge part.
On the chorus we used two cymbals laid on top of eachother that Tom held up and muted after each hit with his chest on the 2 and 4 beats.
Tuned a floor tom to have a ring and had Scott double his bass drum so give it a added sound
It was still not matching and Tom tried a run at it bending the drum head with the stick,
Scott tried this method and this time we had cliff go out and hold the bottom of the bottom drum head to stop the extra rumble. We could have taped it down but Cliff wasn't doing anything :)
After listening we decided to have mark add a guitar build to the end hits after the bridge part.
Mark was doing it right but still said he wasn't getting it so we left the track for reference for him to listen to.
Cliff said Mark should play an extension more loose as a solo after the next part comes in after this part to the end.
Tom said it made it seem too sonic overload at the end and didn't fit the song so we cut the idea.
Audio
Original audio: 100825-Just had to let you know (rough mix)