Thrown Down: What Makes the Song

[David]

Originally posted by joe
You can hear the low notes as soon as the first verse starts...it's very low but i can hear it. after about :30 with the line "but more important..." it get's a little louder...then, in the chorus after about 1:20 before the line "but they should be together..." it's more evident in volume and also the notes are higher with some vibrato going on...it's not a blaring organ. as a matter of fact, it could be a bit louder but whatever....we don't know if this is even the final mix. hope this helps.

I can't hear the B3, either. But I will go back & listen for it at the 1:20 mark.

Is it possible it's just a synth pad of some sort? To tell you the truth, I can't hear any sort of keyboard on this one. However, my ears are not to be trusted because my hearing is going.

Originally posted by David
I can't hear the B3, either. But I will go back & listen for it at the 1:20 mark.

Is it possible it's just a synth pad of some sort? To tell you the truth, I can't hear any sort of keyboard on this one. However, my ears are not to be trusted because my hearing is going.

well, to be honest, i don't know if it's a synth pad. it could be...you never know these days. and it's so drowned out with everything else going on in there that it's hard to really isolate it. I also have an incredible sinus infection so my ears are very clogged the past few days. It's hard for me right now to really "listen" to the song and pick specific things out.

Those timing marks are to be given or taken one or two seconds but you should hear it. Maybe the beginning keyboard part isn't necessarily a B3...it could be some other organ/synth but there is definately an organ (B3 if you will?) sound during the chorus which i've indicated can be heard around the 1:20 mark. I have an old Hammond M3 with a Leslie 145 speaker. The Hammond M3 is really nothing special but with the type of speaker i have it mimics a B3 which is really cool. I love it. It puts out an incredible amount of sound.

One more thing...when i first heard this song i thought that maybe Stevie's vibrato on certain words such as in the line in the first verse: "day by DAYYYYYYYYY" sounded fake to me almost like it was tweaked in the studio to give it that effect. By no means am i saying that Stevie has no vibrato and can't sing but it just sounded that way to me when i first heard it and i can't ignore something that my ears detected. Maybe it just sounds too perfect or something. I just listened to it now and i guess it sounded normal but i'm not 100% sure of that. I remember noticing this on "POTU" towards the end on the extended mix where she goes: "...go there way...wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" it's right before the fade out...Just sounded like it was "helped" to me. Again, i could be completely wrong but i wouldn't rule out that FM would resort to using special techniques to help them sound near flawless. Anyone else notice this?

[estranged4life]

Originally posted by David---

"I can't hear the B3, either. But I will go back & listen for it at the 1:20 mark.

Is it possible it's just a synth pad of some sort? To tell you the truth, I can't hear any sort of keyboard on this one."

You could probably tell if it is a B3 or a synth pad if you try mixing the song down into 2 separate channels by using a DVD player, I just did that for the "Tusk" album and burnt those discs (2 discs of the separate mono channels mixes...I hear ALOT that I never knew existed on the "Tusk" album. I learned this lil' trick from my "Beatles" trading companions, Who in the past, Mixed the stereo versions into separate mono channels so a person can hear alot more of what is going on musically...) directly into my TDK system. I'm going to try it with "Thrown Down" when I get my copy to just see what lies below the surface, Brian J.

[Sorcerer386]

I do hear the organ right before and during "And they should be together..." It's just playing straight chords, you hear it start off on one chord and then it goes up to the next chord. I can't really catch it anywhere else, but I'd imagine it's in there...I don't think they'd use it for two chords on one line of the chorus. Concerning the vibrato, I think it probably was polished with studio work as anything is, but I don't think it's fabricated. Stevie's always had that ability. I don't know if it's a TRUE vibrato which involves rapidly exchanging slight pitches. But then again, I'm not sure if there's a way to shake your voice without making it a vibrato. Hey music buffs...a little help? Thanks!

[seteca]

Yes, I think I can just about hear it now, although I would never have picked it up if you guys hadn't desribed it/given time locations...no way I can tell if that really is an organ or not...could well be a synth. It's not really a critical instrument to the song is it...!

[greatdarkwing]

CarneVaca brought up a good point, that the guitar work is very 'Out of the Cradle'. I was discussing this with a good friend of mine. From 'Thrown Down', I am getting a feeling that most of Lindsey's songs are going to be very much like 'Out of the Cradle' and most of Stevie's songs very 'Shangri-La'. My only concern is, what happens when 'Out of the Cradle' meets 'Trouble in Shangri-La'!

Lmao!!! Perfect album title: "Trouble in the Cradle!!!"

~Alex

Originally posted by greatdarkwing
Lmao!!! Perfect album title: "Trouble in the Cradle!!!"

~Alex

That's good. really good.

As an alternative, how about "Out of Shangri-La"

Doesn't have the same punch as yours but.....oh well!

[Cristian]

I like the mix of the vocals on this song. I was afraid of hearing a couple of voices that were pretty much out of range at this point of time, but Stevie and Lindsey manage to mantain the harmony that they had even in the first years on their songwriting/performing relationship. Especially notable are their harmonies in the final part. As said, in few Stevie songs Lindsey has been so vocally commited with her.

I like the instrumentation. The background (rhythm) guitar (sorry, I am not a musician therefore I can't be too technical about this) is astonishingly beautiful, reminding us of Lindsey's later works. His lead part is no less notorious, too. The use of the keyboards is also very interesting, and by no means exagerated. I also like the detail of the vocals that sound like sung by Christine but they aren't.

I like the lyrics. I like the third-part songs when Stevie is actually talking about herself. It's a very characteristic system that she has used many times and she has reached many good results with that technique. This time, without being her best lyric at all, it's not embarassing and it serves its purpose.

BUT... I don't see this as a radio hit at all. I don't know, there's something about the structure of it, the sound of it... it's more of a fantastic album track rather than a big radio hit. I hope they choose another of the already finished songs to be promoted. Let's remember that FM has made horrible choices for singles in the past that have not helped the sellings of the albums, instead of lifting them up (remember the "Love In Store" single from Mirage which went nowhere; same for "Fireflies" and "Farmer's Daughter" on the Live album; "Sisters Of The Moon" and "Think About Me" on Tusk and most of all the awful choices of "Save Me", "Skies The Limit" and "Hard Feelings (!!!!) on Behind The Mask)...


Song of the moment - Thrown Down (of course)



P.S. Happy Xmas everybody.

[BombaySapphire3]

I don't think it really matters too much what the first single is as far as chart potential.Correct me if i'm wrong someone,but unless I'm mistaken no "Classic Rock' artist has made the Billboard top 20 pop singles charts since the turn of the millenium with the obvious exception of Santana who noodles along to singing 20 year olds.I think what we have to hope for here is strong album sales.Springsteen just sold big with no major hit single.

[Cristian]

It's a pity that the thing about buying singles is dead. It was something good, you know... "I like that song, I will buy it". Period. If you did not like the whole body of work of the artist, then you would not buy the entire LP.

In this case I was of course refering to radio airplay. I don't see it as a radio "hit" (thinking about "contemporary adult" or even "oldies" stations even)... that was the main point of my original post.


Song of the moment - Thrown Down

[rhianntp]

its seems as though Lindsey is reborn with the playing on this song... its a new twist on his style and he pulls it off very well... I must say that Mick's drumming and especially John's bass work here is so very much full of life..... this song is packed with energy ..... I try to stay away from listening to it too much because I want the final album verson and the liner notes.. hehe
the most disappointing thing about this song is Stevie's voice...dont get me wrong .. I love her... and this vocal is pretty strong... how ever it will always be obvious how she has damaged her voice over the years... which is unfortunate because she had such an angelic unique voice early on.... lindsey sounds as young as ever though vocally here..
I am hoping this album includes some instrumental pieces..... the way Toto always seemed to always include a full instrumental song.. I'd love to see what mick john and lindsey could pull off instrumentally... even like an albatross type thing... would be awesome..

[Johnny Stew]

Originally posted by rhianntp
the most disappointing thing about this song is Stevie's voice...dont get me wrong .. I love her... and this vocal is pretty strong... how ever it will always be obvious how she has damaged her voice over the years... which is unfortunate because she had such an angelic unique voice early on....

As always, it's interesting to hear other people's opinions, and how we react to certain things.

For me, Stevie's voice is one of the best parts of "Thrown Down."
It *can* be a bit jarring to listen to a song such as "Silver Springs," from 1976, and then follow it with something from the last few years, but I find her voice far more fascinating now than ever before (well, expect perhaps the mid-80s, and that seductive rasp on "I Sing For The Things," and "When I See You Again," etc.).

Thru all the grit and texture, there's a prettiness to Stevie's voice, even to this day... at least to my ears. And whatever she's lost in range, she has more than made up for in resonance.
It's truly a unique instrument... perfect within all of its imperfections.



Johnny Stew

[jwd]

Very well said ....AGAIN...Brian.

I felt the same way in comparing Stevie's voice from the early years to present.....what she has lost in range she has more than made up for in the resonance of it. That was one thing I always felt she lacked in her "early" singing voice.

Angelic voice......I would call it that to this day...a voice that still gets me through the dark hours of my life, lifts me up, and touches my soul.....REALLY!


Joe

[Cristian]

Originally posted by thewhitewingedd
...Reminds me of Twisted...

Funny you'd say that. When everyone was talking about the new upcoming album not featuring Christine at all, I immediatly thought about the vocals sounding like "Twisted", with Stevie's vocals being so well mixed with Lindsey's... but in a completely different level that the one used in, say, the Buckingham Nicks album. Their voces now are now in more "maturity" and I love that. Both of the voices: Stevie's hypnotic vocal and Lindsey's solid sounds... more so in the high notes he reaches through the end of the song.


Song of the moment - Paper Doll

[Johnny Stew]

Originally posted by Cristian
Lindsey's solid sounds... more so in the high notes he reaches through the end of the song.

His voice at the end absolutely gives me chills!
Usually they give the "branching off" part to Stevie, so it's really a treat to listen to Lindsey tackling it this time.

Great song.


Johnny Stew