hi bill, i have now listened to the new version...hmmmm imho i think it is not an improvement..there is some "whacky" thing going on in the background, sorta like a washboard thing??? very annoying...the bass is way too "boomy".. in my view only of course the vocal, as was the case in the other version, is fine..on the other instruments, the highs are too bright (still a bit "twangy")and there are virtually no mids, so most of the instrumentation is quite thin, and the bottom end is boomy.. did you mix this using headphones or monitors? also if i may ask, what mic are you using? (not for any reason other than curiosity )
cheers
dennis
PS the original version, which i just re-listened to is more interesting to listen to, and prob just needed a bit of "tweaking" rather than a style re-write, although to you it seemed good coz you've prob listened to the earlier one a 1000 times, and to you its now a bit boring??
i have to say that the new version is just a bit too "cheesy" for my taste...just a suggestion, but have you tried, using the original, removing some instruments and backing sounds, as this song is imo led by the story in the vocal, and the vocal itself which "fits" this song beautifully..
just a thought...
dennis
PPS...meant to say this before but it's great to see a songwriter tell their story without necessarily having to rhyme..good job on the lyrics..soz..meant to say that a lot earlier but go sidetracked ..dennis
[This message has been edited by manic2257 (edited 08-10-2005).]

[This message has been edited by manic2257 (edited 08-10-2005).]