Working in Whimsy-Land. All the recents.

Ethereal Songs to be Given Freedom from Seemingly Nowhere.
Photograph from the WP Free library .

I grabbed this from Draft and rewrote it. I do have the Raw Warts and All songs, that this blog originally had, on another published blog. But I wanted these words, albeit refashioned, to apply to this YouTube video theme.

So apologies for recycling. Mind, I am an eco friendly type of guy. 🍁🍂

Over a few months now I’ve been picking up the guitars and deciding on which to use. Two of the Eko dreadnoughts (my very first decent acoustic guitar bought back in the very early 1970s), its charity shop Eko sister, the Hohner Les Paul electric and my ever so wonderful Fender Jazz bass guitar. It seems they all can actually start new songs to be realised. Every day recently it is a case of playing a game of strum, riff and a hope to capture something real.

The Den. Guitars currently at hand. When done? They go into a less conspicuous place.

I found this lovely piece of art above in the free photograph library that WordPress kindly offers us. I thought of that little phrase ‘Ethereal Songs to be Given Freedom from Seemingly Nowhere’ when looking at the imagery.

Included here in this blog are recent ideas for songs, which are now put onto YouTube. So, they are hopefully kind of finished. All my writing of songs begin with stuttering vocals, a basic strum on guitar and realising sleepy tunes at times trying to find their way out of my deep neural synapses. Then began to mix together and make sense. These below have hopefully now made sense.

Angel. Sitting on my shoulder.

Sleepy tunes? They are all pretty much low volume and have a peculiar raw and fuzzy feel about them. As if they are awaiting to be awakened.

Where in the World.

When I write songs, they just appear and say ‘Hello’. Where they come from? I don’t really know. But after there confusion in infancy they do develop. A bit like the imagery above. They know a little festive party is coming along, in a place called ‘The Den’. And so they dress themselves up. Far more tidier from the rags and ruins of stuttered beginnings, and feeling quite dapper, they arrive in ‘The Den’ ready to party down. Their little acoustic guitar presentations go on with far more confidence than previously, strut into the party room and joyfully join a much brighter space when other instruments begin joining the fray.

Stars above the Dunes

I tend to just play little single keyboard melodies and add overlay guitar. But, as I am no 6 string guitarist, electric or acoustic, I tend to know what sounds should be on the songs, but have no skills to achieve them. No idea on sound production either. 70 year old ears have been battered and bruised and frequency loss is a pain. But hey ho! It’s still fun to try.

There She Goes.

So when the ones in the videos here have arrived at the party, all sparkly smart and having sprayed a bit of faerie dust eau de cologne over themselves, they now get to gently sway dance with the rest of the crew.

Ultimately One by One.

So, here I am, showing you all once again, now as a collective, some of the recent songs developed from ‘The Warts and All’ of recent ideas for some new songs. I always wonder if some of you, on listening, add your own strange and wonderful additions of your own ‘mind melodies’ to some of the whimsy I am warbling. So please feel free to Hum a little harmony to bring synergy to a tune or two. It will hopefully arrive from seemingly nowhere.

And So the Story Goes.

And as my WordPress Mantra says.

‘And so the story goes. To where? No one knows. Borne out of self promises. Not worn out wishes’.

Give me something real. An example of a warts and all recording.

Hopefully you are all liking this song journey.

‘Groovin’ with Mr. Summers on Cloud 9’.

Groovin’ with mr. summers On Cloud NiNe {9}

The last blog of a long trial song was removed. The lyrics weren’t right. If you did listen to it, that’s why it isn’t there now. I’m working on these below for it. Also trying to get an appropriate vibe for the song too.

Verse 1:

You know how it feels

When a dark night sighs

While a billion stars still watch

Over you.

And you know how it is

When the moon’s full shine

Beams into each corner

Of your mind.

[Chasing out the blues].

Witness the truth in every one

Absorb their light and your life is won

In each and every way.

Chorus:

Coz today, could be the end of all today’s

But then again today

Could last for a hundred years or more

And I know

That times can change

Life in so many ways

And strangely rearrange

All those hazy, crazy ways.

Verse 2:

When you can’t really tell

What’s right from wrong

Confusion deep-seeps

But your soul remains.

It feels that you’ve lost

Your inner song

To chase those shadows out and

Become whole again.

Pick up a candle

Light the spark

Focus on truth

Not the dark

Don’t play its silly games

Of in between’s.

Middle 8: a little melody change detour.

So when the days are long

And life feels wrong

You’re angered by the hurtful kind

When your Dark is King

Let your inner light sing

Chase the shadows from your mind

When your mind’s a mess

Just confess

It’s all getting out of hand

It’s a mystery to me

It’s everything I don’t wanna be.

Chorus Repeated:

… and then to outro of possibly Middle 8 repeated but with instrumental tune instead of vocals. Or an E and A chords repetition as instrumental. Whatever works best …….

Cheers…….and all the best. Xx

7 thoughts on “Working in Whimsy-Land. All the recents.”

  1. Gollygeewowee Gray. Could be a triple LP in the making. I’ll be honest and tell you I haven’t listened to them all the way through. I have scanned them though. Gotta say I love the bass at the start of your first track (wonder if you can go somewhere with that) and I can hear Paul McCartney with the track fifth from the end – that one I listened all the way through. Cheers and Beers (Bourbons) Shep

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Cheers Shep. The songs are ‘all kinds of different’ in my plans. I know they will turn a corner and gather a bit of a more robust nature. What’s happening in this bunch of try out la la la tunes is an air of nothing to really hit home with dynamic singing variation due to no lyrics. Also, there’s an air of uncertainty about them. Once they get stronger and words arrive I will feel more confident. I know some of these can go on to be actual full songs now. Some, not so much.

      I would still love some musicians around me playing and singing with skills. Can but dream. 😊 Cheers too Shep.

      Oh! It’s our wedding anniversary today. 43 years married. 51 years together. And yes…..Angie is at work and, as usual, it’s all getting Christmas busy there. Long day ahead. So no going out for a meal as usual. I’ll cook something nice. Beans on toast maybe. Talking of Christmas, for the first time ever we have booked a week away this year and will spend Christmas day away from home. An old converted 15th century ancient place with wooden beams everywhere. So maybe a few ghosts of past, present and future will be around. 👻 😳

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Congrats to you both. Enjoy your Christmas holiday – might be some inspiration for a ghost song. “Well now I’ve been diagnosed. I’m not crazy my friends are ghosts” – line from Charlie Musselwhite’s Ghosts In Memphis. 🤪🏰👻

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Cheers Shep. I’ve listened to Charlie Musselwhite when you pointed us all out to his music on one of your blogs. He reminds me of an early Fleetwood Mac album I got and listened to when I was 17. There was no easy way of listening to music back then at the level you can now. No chasing other artists that were similar. So we relied on very early Status Quo albums. Then they went into Paper Plane land. The Ma Kelly’s Greasy Spoon classic all time fave was a much played album on my Dansette.

        Steve, my brother, was especially good at playing this type of music. He’s just bought himself a Gibson Les Paul. It is a special edition built on the past sounds of early ones. Retirement present to himself. The way he speaks of the sound of it, it has blown his mind. I told him that after all the years of wanting one and going to other makes of guitars, this is now ‘his forever’ guitar. His soulmate really. I was lucky in picking up a Fender Jazz bass back then. That was my soulmate. I was such an idiot selling it. But have one back in my life now. I love the early Marc Bolan Les Paul sound, that special electric groove he got, and that’s what you get with Steve’s guitar he says. A Fender, Gibson synergy coming up on a few new songs I hope. Now I’m getting that feeling that a rock and roll/blues songwriting vibe may well be arriving for 2026. And…..I’m going to find more listening inspiration in these modern times of YouTube aren’t I. Cool.

        All the best Shep.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. the lyrics are…wonderful, Gray…lol, i read it more than once and each time it sunk/g (🤭) a little deeper…

    “… Far more tidier from the rags and ruins of stuttered beginnings…” nicely said …

    🤍🍂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Destiny. The latest songs all have a similar feel of laid back sound. Fuzzy and warm. Also, not so driving as older ones. The lyrics at the end of the blog don’t read like poetry really. Their nuance is based within the songs rhythmic vibe. Some of the lines are little additional ‘answering or affirmation’ side steps. Sung outside the main verse melody.

      So, really well done Destiny to reread it all and have it sink in. Your amazing ‘rhyming …..or sometimes not’ poet rhythmic ways are so different to song lyrics. I could never write poetry. I haven’t the soul to delve deep into the needs required to do it justice as you do.

      I like the word ‘rags’. One of my all time favourite songs is Sunken Rags by T.Rex. So do like to give that word homage.

      Cheers Destiny. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

      Liked by 1 person

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