Here's what I'm giving Neil Diamond for his birthday

Craig
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Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:52 pm

Dennis,
That was very cool. Great job on the intro. I don't think it's that difficult, but for some reason mine doesn't sound near as good as yours. With the distortion and your collar turned up, it looked and sounded like pure rock-n-roll to me! :laugh: Thanks for sharing.
Craig


BobR
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Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:41 pm

Dennis,

A fine performance for sure :woohoo: . I think your playing and singing is always good, although for me the distortion was a little too much :unsure: .

Thanks for sharing

Bob


cosmicmechanic
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Mon Jan 31, 2011 9:01 pm

Dennis, it was on the third listen that I understood that since this wave of sound comes straight out of the Land of Grunge, it HAS to have a gutsy snarl it.
And this video is real fun to watch repeatedly.

I actually think it may be a lucky accident ... it's a giddy pop song riding on a rumble that is open to interpretation ... a hint of menace? (Dennis the Menace? :S )
... unbridled hope ? ... acid indigestion ?

I heard the touch of brass playing pa pa pa papaa at just the right time, but because of the distortion, not a hint of sha la la la's (too sweet).

Oh yes, wonderful tone in your vocals, especially the chorus. Nice and spare embellishment guitar notes there.

Please continue to make good on your threats, you are a wildcard.

Pierre


AcousticAl
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Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:28 pm

Great gift to Neil, Dennis.

Lots of feeling in your vocals as well.

I think you sounded a bit like Elvis Costello through the distortion. Ever had that comparison before?


dennisg
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Tue Feb 01, 2011 7:47 am

Let me just say that I almost never watch my own videos once they're posted on TG, but I made an exception when I read the comments about the distortion. I was shocked by what I heard on the recording. Yeah, I knew there was a little bit of it when I watched the vid on my computer, but it seems to have gotten much worse once the recording got YouTubed. So, I'm very sorry to have inflicted that on you, and I'll take extra precautions to make sure that doesn't happen again.

Michele: I'm having fun learning to use a flat pick -- and for my next video I plan to learn how to use a recording device properly. By the way, I like to think of Elvis Presley as the gentile Neil Diamond.

thereshopeyet: Yeah, those were some pretty wild outfits he used to wear. He looked like the love child of Elton John and Liberace.

willem: It's easy to find any celebrity's birthday -- just go to Wikipedia.com.

MarkM: As always, thanks. As Neil (Hogan, that is) discovered in his lesson of this song, it's not easy to sing. The song is so high for me that I was right at that place where a major artery was swelling on my forehead.

Suzi: Don't think I wasn't tempted to wear something outrageous for this performance. Problem is, I'd have to buy something outrageous, since my work-at-home wardrobe doesn't include many sequins. Thanks for your support, here and elsewhere.

Tony: Thanks, mate. I'm pretty sure my voice was never spectacular -- or even good enough to prevent me from cringing when I'd hear it on a recording. There was just a lot more of it, on both ends of the spectrum. Every year it feels like a little more gets shaved off. Hey, maybe this distortion thing isn't such a bad idea after all.

Chris: If you saw ND in Zürich in the 70's, you've really been away from the mother ship for a long time. I'm surprised you still sound British when you talk, but I suppose all those Amy Walker videos you've been watching bring it right back. Just to reveal how anal I am about things, I've got my entire year of birthday videos already mapped out. I'm really pathetic.

Marc: Thanks. The opening riff is really the only remotely challenging thing in the song -- otherwise, it's just a campfire tune.

schm040: Singing is really the reason I play the guitar, and they're almost inseparable to me. Who knows what'll happen when I can't sing anymore? That's rhetorical, by the way.

Craig: I'll tell you a little secret about the intro. After watching Neil's (Hogan again) lesson, I spent about 15 minutes just on the intro, but I couldn't seem to get it. I decided to forgo, for the most part, hitting individual strings, and just concentrate on strumming pairs of strings. Once I tried that, the intro seemed much easier.

Bob: Thanks, and I completely agree about the distortion. Personally, I find it unbearable. But then I feel that way about my videos even when the audio is good.

Pierre: If you could sit through that video three times, you're made of stronger stuff than I am. Did I really have a gutsy snarl? I had just had a tamale for lunch, which may account for it. I always love your thoughtful comments, Pierre, and especially enjoy the esoteric references. Thanks for your continued support.

Al: Thanks. No, up till now, no one's ever compared me to Elvis Costello. Lou Costello, maybe. Never Elvis. Is anyone googling Lou Costello now?


AcousticAl
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Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:53 am

Meant as a compliment, of course.

For your perusal...



I think you'd do a great job with 'Alison', Dennis. When's Elvis' b-day??


reiver
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Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:00 pm

If I was a betting man I'd have lost some money on this - Solitary Man was WAY down the list of songs I was predicting here.

Another predictably good performance from you, Dennis. I don't think the song stretched you at all from either a playing or a singing perspective - and I hope you take that as the compliment that it's intended to be. Whenever I start watching one of your videos I know I'm going to be in safe hands for the next 5 minutes or so.

I salute your determination to post in one take - if I ever manage that I'll be sure to let everyone know. Oh - and I just checked - Lady Gaga's birthday isn't 'til March so it can't be her next month. I think I'm both relieved and a little disappointed!

Stuart


dennisg
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Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:58 pm

Al: I took it as a compliment. No need to explain. I'm only vaguely familiar with the song, but I watched Neil's lesson and it looks very doable. Thanks for the recommendation.

Stuart: Never bet money on me; I'll only break your heart. You can't assume from my choice of songs that I was ever actually a fan of the person who made the song famous. At the time he was doing his thing, Neil Diamond was way too schmaltzy for me. But looking backwards, I realize I do like a couple of his songs. By the way, that's just between you and me -- don't spread that around. And you're way off base with Lady Gaga. A hint: she had several massive hits in the '90s.


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neverfoundthetime
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Wed Feb 02, 2011 5:20 am

Chris: If you saw ND in Zürich in the 70's, you've really been away from the mother ship for a long time. I'm surprised you still sound British when you talk, but I suppose all those Amy Walker videos you've been watching bring it right back. Just to reveal how anal I am about things, I've got my entire year of birthday videos already mapped out. I'm really pathetic.
Been in Switzerland since 1984, Den. Saw ND in the 90's here.... have to admit, I did get annoyed when he played Wish You A Merry Christmas on 30th October!! And newspaper music critic slammed him for being too cheesy and then admitted that the 12'000 other folks in the hall thought differently to him.


willem
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Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:36 am

Not that i'm a solitary man but i watched it again and the lesson too,i was'nt aware that there was a lesson,great,, loved it double..


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