On a dark stormy night the Ghost Train thunders by

[folderol]

This is a tune I started work on in 1993! I don't say it's finished. It may never be, but I think it is worth asking you to listen to.

In some parts the backing seems to disappear. Because I was concerned about losing this, I tried muting that track while it was playing and you can distinctly tell when it is missing. There are other quite subtle instruments towards the end. One makes the sound of the main theme seem to sweep and another adds a bit more 'brightness'.

The first sound you hear, as well as the main theme, comes from a Yamaha SY35. The organ chords that start at the same time as the main theme, come from a Roland Sound Canvas. Everything else comes from ZynAddSubFX. Rosegarden controls everything and all the audio is sent to Audacity. No extra effects are used. The track is simply exported to wav, mp3 & ogg.

[elwoodblues1969]

Hey Folderol,

Interesting composition you have there.My mind was envisioning a bossanova beat to it,as it seems to me that a drum track such as that would make an interesting bed fellow,so to speak.
I don't know,maybe that might take the mood of the song in a different direction other than you are aiming for,but that's just what leaped to mind for me.

I love lounge music,so that's were my mind took me.

Elwood

[Oren]

I like your software! Linux operating system?

The sounds remind me of an old Korg Poly800 I had - very retro. Brings back great memories.

Thanks for the trip!

Oren.

[kara]

Great idea, good sounds 
The song has a majestic feeling.
Sounds like a modern reincarnation of Franky Laine (http://www.frankielaine.com/)

k

[Wyatt]

Thats cool..dark but definitely not evil..

(Like the new name BTW!)

Evocative..puts me somewhere interesting.

It has staying power..holds my attention.

Songs like this inspire me to take a dive into
this end of the pool!

Thanks for the cool song.

Wyatt

[folderol]

I'm afraid I'm a bit slow responding lately. I've been snowed under with all sorts of domestic stuff, as well as trying to listen to other people's work (wanting to do them justice by taking my time). Finally after months of rain we've had two glorious days of sunshine, so no way was I going to be stuck indoors!

-> elwood blues
Well I guess you could put a bossanova beat to it, and all my stuff is licensed creative commons, so anyone could do that if they wanted to. However, I think it would completely destroy the nature of the tune!

Still, if it gives you ideas that'd all to the good. Thanks for listening.

->Oren
Originally I started this tune using an Acorn A310 computer and a Yamaha SY22 synth! Now it is all controlled by Linux and most of the instruments are created in software.

Glad you like it.

->Kara
Well I never thought of a Frankie Laine connection, but yes I can see there is a parallel. I was trying to capture the idea of a timeless, unstoppable force sweeping all before it. Hopefully I suceeded.

->Wyatt

Ah. It seems the tune is doing exactly what I want it to then. I'm very pleased about that.

This tune wasn't composed. It evolved, and in a way I can still remember very clearly, and like anything living shows the marks of its creation. Up to 0:13 it is *exactly* as it was at it's birth, even to the way it starts with the rocking rhythm. The whole chord pattern developed very quickly, but it was quite a long time before the main theme suggested itself. Once that was in place everything grew arond it very rapidly, and there it stayed. I've only recently added the counter melody near the end, and smartened things up a bit.

[offthewall]

 
We must be from the same era.........this makes me think......the Tornadoes!!
 
James

[folderol]

We must be from the same era.........this makes me think......the Tornadoes!!
 
James

Ah yes! Telstar was one of the first records I bought