The Wagtunes Corner (Featuring My Best Yet)

[wagtunes]

From my CD "No Signal"

Caught In The Crossfire

Shots over here, shots over there
Shots everywhere
Flying all around, listen for the sound
If you dare

Soon will be too late, to escape your fate
Death all around
Take it by the hand, then you'll understand
Answers abound

Caught in the crossfire
No place to hide
Caught in the crossfire
Care for a ride

Caught in the crossfire
Guns blazing free
Caught in the crossfire
You and me

Games that we play, play everyday
Deadly they are
Life in our hands, we don't understand
Just how far

If we don't change, our life to rearrange
We're sure to die
It will come real soon, if we don't change our tune
No need to ask why

Repeat Chorus

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... /no-signal

[wagtunes]

Another one from my CD "Bananas Crackers And Nuts"

Empty Promises

Where'd I hear those words before
Don't intend to hear no more
You've been filling me with lies
Lies and empty promises

Seems that I can't trust a word
Of the many that I've heard
You've been filling me with lies
Lies and empty promises

I don't know why I hung on so long
Even though everything was so wrong
I guess I hoped for the best
From the rest

Days and nights it would go on
Knowing that the love was gone
You'd been filling me with lies
Lies and empty promises

But today I've seen the light
Learned to tell the wrong from right
No more filling me with lies
Lies and empty promises

Repeat Bridge

No more empty promises
No more empty promises

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... s-and-nuts

[wagtunes]

Another track from my WIP CD "Raising Kane". This one a little Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods sound from the late 70s.

Cut Me To The Quick

Why you take the knife and twist it in
Why you want to hurt me so much
What you do to me a living sin
You lean on it like a big crutch
You're not a friend
When will it end

Cut me to the quick
And watch me bleed out
Cut me to the quick
And die with a shout
Cut me to the quick
Until it all ends
You weren't much of a friend

Things they used to be so good for us
Then it all just seemed to go wrong
Guess it all just got to be too much
Day to day to sing the same song
I lost a friend
It had to end

Repeat Chorus

Instrumental Break

Repeat Chorus

Fade Out

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... -on-vocals

[FlyingNoodle]

Hey Wags;
Arrangement and theme: spot on, I like the opening and intro to the theme you got going here, ending in a nice fanfare of colourful sounds. It's a lively song and you know I see potential here - lol you know where I'm coming from.
Pointers if I had the stems:
1. bring out the snare, hi-hats and cymbals - to brighten the mix and provide a reference for your groove foundation
2. the synths and vocal - there's common frequency issues, ie they're occupying the same tonal space. You could use EQ and/or parallel compression to help with that - let me know if you want me to go into more detail, or you got this already.

[wagtunes]

Hey Wags;
Arrangement and theme: spot on, I like the opening and intro to the theme you got going here, ending in a nice fanfare of colourful sounds. It's a lively song and you know I see potential here - lol you know where I'm coming from.
Pointers if I had the stems:
1. bring out the snare, hi-hats and cymbals - to brighten the mix and provide a reference for your groove foundation
2. the synths and vocal - there's common frequency issues, ie they're occupying the same tonal space. You could use EQ and/or parallel compression to help with that - let me know if you want me to go into more detail, or you got this already.

The cymbals I EQ'd down because they were REALLY harsh. Even I heard it with my bad ears. Maybe I did a little too much. Possible.

Okay, synths and vocal. There are no synths. Here are the instruments and all were notched out between the 300 and 500 range.

Rhodes Mark I
Rhythm Strat (panned hard right)
Lead Strat (panned hard left on chorus end)
EWQL Violins (panned hard right)
EWQL Strings (centered but EQ'd out)
NI Session Horns Pro Track 1 (panned hard right)
NI Session Horns Pro Track 2 (panned hard left)

Now, having said all that, I brought the vocals down a bit during the final chorus because I wanted the focus to be on the orchestration. If you listen to a lot of stuff from the era, this was pretty common. The A&R guys used to say to me specifically, mix the vocals down a bit so it makes the listener struggle just a bit to get the words. That makes them listen harder.

So, in short, what you're hearing here was done intentionally.

But thank you for all the suggestions and most of all for the time to listen.

Maybe someday I'll do a "cleaner" "not so 70s" mix. But for now, I'm going to leave it like it is.

[wagtunes]

Another one from my double CD "80s Squared"

Silicon Teen

Wind me up and watch me go
I'm a silicon teen
Plastic wrap and painted on smile
I can be your dream

High heel shoes and super short skirt
I can turn a man's head
Wind me up and watch me flirt
I can kill a man dead

Silicon Teen (Do be do be bop bop)
Silicon Teen (Do be do be bop bop)
Silicon Teen (Do be do be bop bop)
Silicon Teen (Do be do be bop bop)

Mirror Mirror on the wall
Tell me who is the best
I'm a beauty above all
You'll forget all the rest

It's so great to be so cool
Watch me as I walk out
Finding guys to make them drool
That's what I'm about

Repeat Chorus 2x

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... 0s-squared

[wagtunes]

From my current WIP CD "Raising Kane"

This one a bit of a goof complete with comedic sour notes and all.

Dare To Be Square

You can be hip if you want
You can be real cool
But I know just what I want
Cause I ain't no fool

Dare to be square
Dare to be yourself all of the time
Dare to be square
And I don't even have to rhyme
You just meet me where
I dare to be square

Al my life I played the game
And I did my part
But the cool wasn't in me
Wasn't in my heart

Repeat Chorus

So I'm gonna go and open the fridge
While you listen to this uncool bridge

Instrumental Break

Repeat Chorus

Fade Out

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... ising-kane

[wagtunes]

Another track from my CD "Gates Of The Lord"

Bless Us All Everyone

Christmas time every year
Do the same old thing
Open gifts trim the tree
Listen to the choir sing
But we fail to do
What now must be done
On this Christmas day and ever more
Bless us all everyone

Children play with their toys
Older folks tell tales
Eggnog flows like the rain
Stories that we all regale
But we fail to do
What now must be done
On this Christmas day and ever more
Bless us all everyone

For this day that comes
Is to celebrate his son
And remember that we all should live in peace as one

So as we journey on
With our busy lives
Don't forget why we're here
So that Christmas will survive
And don't fail to do
What now must be done
On this Christmas day and ever more
Bless us all everyone

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... f-the-lord

[Allomerus]

I listened to Silicon teen and enjoyed it. It has a nice wacky shiny plastic vibe which suits the subject matter.
Well done.

[wagtunes]

I listened to Silicon teen and enjoyed it. It has a nice wacky shiny plastic vibe which suits the subject matter.
Well done.

Thanks for listening and the kind words.

[wagtunes]

From my CD "Divas"

The Box

What do you get when you open the box
And you look deep inside for your prize
Is it the thrill you expected to find
When you gaze on that stone with your eyes
You can find your pot of gold
But you're still alone and old
What do you get when you open the box
Do you fill up the hole deep inside

What do you get when you open your heart
Do you find all you get there is hurt
Trusting your love to an unworthy host
Who in turn treats your love just like dirt
You can give it all away
But the hurt is there to stay
What do you get when you open your heart
Does it fill you with doubt of self worth

Life is so unpredictable
You never know what's to come
But somehow you still go on
Waiting and hoping for just the right one

What do you get when you open the box
And you find all your dreams can come true
Do you appreciate all that you have
Or just take it for granted and due
We can let the time go by
Without ever knowing why
But if we smile when we open the box
We can fill up the hole deep inside

Repeat Bridge

Repeat Last Verse

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... sets/divas

[wagtunes]

Another one from my CD "Resisting The Temptation"

Assimilation

Hold on
Don't ever let go
No no no no no

Be gone
It's all just a show
No no no no no

Assimilation
Across the nation
Station to station

Assimilation
The new elation
Our last damnation

Don't ask
It's not theirs to show
No no no no no

Your task
The hardship it grows
No no no no no

Repeat Chorus 2x

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... temptation

[wagtunes]

Another one from my current WIP CD "Raising Kane"

Dirty Streets

Around every corner
There's another deal
Among the rats and vermin
And the pigs who squeal

Young men will die soon
In a pool of blood
Swept up with the garbage
Rotting in the mud

Dirty Streets
Damn dirty streets
Dirty Streets
Dead on your feet
Dirty Streets
Your end to meet
Straight down to hell

The signs there to warn us
If we stray too far
There is a price we pay lord
Matter who we are

There must be justice
For the ones who died
Swept up with the garbage
All because they lied

Repeat Chorus

Instrumental Break

Repeat Chorus

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... ising-kane

[layzer]

Assimilation

dig the retro sound here especially the drums!
reminds me of my old Casio RZ-1
from the 80's especially that cheesy crash..hah

but some people still love that thing, like this homie! :
listen for the crash like in your song!


btw, i know the lyrics say no no no no no

but it kind of sounds like meow meow meow meow meow.. haha

[wagtunes]

Assimilation

dig the retro sound here especially the drums!
reminds me of my old Casio RZ-1
from the 80's especially that cheesy crash..hah

but some people still love that thing, like this homie! :
listen for the crash like in your song!


btw, i know the lyrics say no no no no no

but it kind of sounds like meow meow meow meow meow.. haha

LMAO