Two keyboards, two styles, same song

This is one more thing that makes using arrangers fascinating to me.
Here are two examples of my doing the same song, some time apart.
Both recorded live on the job as always.
https://app.box.com/s/ev6n10uqn96hno9u0namf8zdhksg68kf
https://app.box.com/s/u7o15j1qg1vztuqlzdl3t5j3nzmga42r

I definitely like the second one best.

Gary

The point is that arrangers allow for an infinite variety of treatments to the same song. This is why I may have the same core group of say 150 songs all sounding the same, but different depending on what keyboard I take.

I liked both versions. I guess I’m partial to the Bolero version, since latin styles are some of my favorites. On my playlists, I’ve got many of my swing tunes ready to go as latin, as well. Just decide at that moment which style to use. Again, the great ability of arrangers to provide such options.

Dom I remember taking the same song through many different styles and tempos; the results were surprising. It was like thinking out of the box. The song Green Eyes comes to mind, they started with Latin beat and ended in a swing tempo.

Your recordings are all the same, GOOD. How does it feel the get all those hurrahs? (smile)

JOHN C.

Hey, as long as nobody BOOs and I get paid, I'm happy!
By the way, the instrumental was on Ketron SD7 and the other on PA4X.

Liked em both

Hi Don:

Thanks for taking the time to share these with us. Most listeners (IMHO) tend to like a song or melody in the same general style as they first heard it. But it is so true that many, many songs can be played in different styles or genres and still be very effective. It always helps to have someone with immense talent "behind the curtain" pushing all the buttons and pulling all the switches at just the right time... not to mention possessing a fantastic vocal ability... like you!

You will never know what an inspiration you have been in my efforts as a songwriter and I appreciate all the encouragement and patience you provided back in the day. Salud, Amigo.

----Dave Rice

Funny story ...
Years ago, a local radio station was trying to save some money by using a custom recording of a famous song as the lead-in to their show. Trying to save the royalties of the original performance, I suppose. Anyway - they had a contest for listeners to submit their own version of the song "It's Us Again" ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3ViaRUNUoc
They were playing the entries as they came in, on the air, and so many were such crap, that I just had to throw my hat into the ring. Using my arranger, I submitted 5 different versions of the song ... Rock, Swing, Reggae, Country, and Ballad - it was hysterical how much fun they had, while playing my many versions on air - "OH, and here's ANOTHER version by this Dave Boyd fella ... THIS time, it's RAGGAE! LOL" (they didn't use LOL back then)
Long story short - I won the contest, and shortly after, the station went out of business. Guess they didn't save quite enough to keeps the lights on. It was a lot of fun, and I won a $1000 shopping spree to a local jewelry store - my kids all got a small treasure ... and I got cuff links. CUFF LINKS! What was I thinking????

Both sound real nice. I too like to mess around playing the same song with different styles and keyboards. It's fun to change things up!

Don ... both well done ... 2nd had a Mexican/Mariachi feel to it ... If one didn't know the song I am sure they would think it was a Latin tune ...