YrLic - Yonge & Bloorish

YrLic

Yonge and Bloorish

When I moved to Toronto, I had a couple of songs bouncing around upstairs.
Larry Baziw’s family put me up and put up with me. I returned on a couple of occasions, so this CD is really in several parts.

Tracks 1 thru 3 are the initial visit, me all hyped up raring to go.
Tracks 4 thru 6 are a more sober approach a year later.
Tracks 7 thru 9 are another year later, and we’re starting to see results.

I eventually went to college in Kingston, got my first IT job in Ottawa. There, I bought Martin’s 4-track reel-to-reel and started working on songs in my apartment. A couple were pretty good and I recorded them out at better studios (see “Ready…Fire”). But many were forever stuck as demos and wound up on the “Walkley Road Sessions” album).

After I got married, I returned to record ‘the Survivor’ with Larry Baziw along with Sam and Aldo Vaccaro at their new studio. These guys were instrumental (no pun intended) in the success of the recordings.

A year or so later, I returned and the Vaccaros had reworked their studio in the family basement and we tested it out with ‘Out of Sight’ and three others that were initially demoed on WRS.

First Attempt (young and foolish)

01	True Love	Not a bad start to a non-career. This was right in my vocal range and we did a good job on the recording at Round Sound. Larry on guitar, and a couple of other friends doing bass and drums.
02	Partners in Crime	Susan Harris on vocal. "Each one a heroine in her own time."
03	I Need Anita	I had such high hopes and my vocal just destroyed them. I played guitar as well, cuz I wanted to be cool, but the playing was less than stellar. Larry on solo though - I couldn't handle those at all and he was great.

Second Attempt (after saving a bit of money, young and boorish)

04	True Love	We returned to Round Sound studio the following year and asked Jamie Sutherland to sing. On this track, I really don’t think it was as successful as the original (above). Larry still on guitar - Sam on drums,.
05	I Need Anita	On this track though, Jamie's vocal is stunning. I had the most excellent idea of leaving the guitar work to the experts this time (Larry).
06	You’re the One	Enjoyable, but it feels stiff. I made up the middle part too quickly and it feels weak. Larry and Sam wanted to try it out in a more reggae style, which sounded like a good idea. I love Larry Baziw's guitar solo.

Third Attempt (after saving more, try out new songs)

07	Airport	This track nearly hit the spot; great middle eight, but the chorus is weak. Jamie's voice is fantastic. The drummer and bass player (Mitch) are really fired up. Could nearly be a Toto tune; Larry's guitar work is tasteful and his solo is inspired. I've since rearranged the song and created a solid chorus (No Reason).
08	Trust Me	This was nearly perfect, especially given the pop charts at the time, but, yet again, the chorus was weak. Good story though (sez me). Again, Larry's guitar work is spot on.
09	OWattaTime	Another one that was pretty good, but Jamie’s voice doesn’t seem to match. Mitch was emulating the bass style of the day.

Fourth Visit (after returning to College and getting married)

The Survivor

A decent pop song arranged well and recorded well.
Larry asked me how I wrote the song, especially the chorus. I told him about Beethoven’s variations.

Don’t Stop

What a mess. The lead vocal, double tracked, is awful.
I’ve since rearranged this with a super chorus.

We invited a girl to the session to do the backing vocals, but I’ve forgotten her name. Aldo V. originally hadstandard guitar work on it, but I insisted on something more punctuated – and boy did he deliver.

Fifth Visit (serious now)

12	Out of Sight	A bit complex, but very satisfying. I had the guitars and backing vocals finished and they thought it was finished. It’s a bit too fast. The vocals could be better, but they’re not bad. I later added a vocal part (Omaha) in the middle, just before the guitar solo. That version is on the 4x4 compilation.
13	Crazy Like a Fox	Probably the best song so far. 'Leaving your old worries behind'.
14	All or Nothing	I had such high hopes for this song, and it seems to match what was in my head, but it somehow didn’t translate to a final recording as well. Maybe it’s the vocals ? The ending fell apart, lyrically.
15	Alternate Path	Another dud. Oh well. My voice was wrecked after doing the other three (good excuse huh?).

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Yrlic ® is a register trademark of Yrlic Music LLC
All material on this website is published 2010 by Yrlic Music LLC
All music copyright 2010 © Donald Berry (YrLic Music)
except
PARTNERS IN CRIME - © 2010 Susan Harris and Larry Baziw
I NEED ANITA - © 2010 Larry Wrght and Donald Berry

Thanks to Sam and Aldo Vaccaro for their studio time and talents.
Thanks to Larry Baziw for guitar work and total support all around.