On A Cold Chicago Day (jazz/swing version)

Hi everybody,
a few months ago I collaborated with a few people here and we jointly created a beautiful country-pop song called „On A Cold Chicago Day (feat. C. Wilson & D. Plant)“. That song was posted here earlier this year. Some of the people here at SW101 that gave us feedback said that country music and Chicago didn’t fit too well. They expected something more jazzy or swing-like.

I take feedback like that serious so I re-recorded the music and used the exact vocal tracks as on the country version. I never thought it would work, but it does…well kind of. Maybe this is not perfect but I fell in love with both versions of this song. I would love to get some feedback on this new version.

I would like to thank my very talented friends Cathy Wilson, Ray Bertram and Donovan Plant for helping me create this song. You guys are awesome.

”On A Cold Chicago Day (jazz/swing version)”.

All the best
Robert

http://www.robertbaitinger.de

Robert I didn’t know you did jass/swing I like it. I think most of your writings are great. Also I liked the country style to.
God Bless,
Elaine

The general idea of this version is good but to be honest, I prefer the country version.

The intro of your song is good. But I can hear that the vocals were not recorded for this track

I listened to both versions… and they are both very good. A good song with good lyrics and a good structure can be arranged in multiple genres. You might try a solid rock or a heavy metal version. I am sure it will work.

I took a look at your soundclick page and noticed that you have worked with many writers and artists. Your are a very versatile and a very talented musician. I wish you the best you can get.

Question: Do you have a genre that your prefer? Do you have a niche?

The melody is very country, very predictable. The notes go up; the notes come down. I suggest you experiment with other melodic treatments. Rap it. Rock it. Croon it. Waltz it. Scat sing it. Break it loose and put it back together. Find a more interesting melody to sing.

Hi Elaine,
thanks for giving this demo a listen and for your comments. I do a lot of different genres. I’m not sure that’s good or not. The problem is that my music doesn’t have a typical Robert Baitinger sound/style. Some critiques tore my released album apart because it contained too many different styles. I guess as a producer it’s good to feel comfortable in different genres but it’s not too good if you’re a singer/songwriter. I really don’t know.

I like both versions of this song too.

Take care
Robert

Hey Martin,
which version a person prefers is a question of taste. I know that the people I collaborated with on this track prefer the country version just like you do. The whole thing was an experiment. And it goes to show that the same lyrics can be successfully used in totally different genres. Many lyricists post their lines here at SW101 and say “this is a country song” or rock or pop. All they have is lines with no melody. These people don’t know that they are limiting their chances of getting their song produced. The producer should be able to select the proper genre. In this experiment I not only used the same lyrics but also the exact same vocal recordings.

I agree with you that this demo is not perfect. It was done in 30 minutes.

Take care
Robert

Hey Guy,
thanks for taking the time to listen to both versions of this song as well as some of my other songs. This song actually originated out of a little demo that Cathy Wilson sent me last year. Everybody involved contributed bits and pieces and in the end the song came out a lot differently than she originally had it laid out. I agree with you that one could easily make a rock or a punk song out of this. But that can be done with basically every song.

Thanks for your comments about my versatility. You asked if I have genre I prefer. As a songwriter/producer the answer is no. I do all kinds of music rock, pop, country, techno, ballads, swing, all types of crossovers, lounge, soul and R&B. I’m currently teaming up with Martin Gotz and we’re jointly writing and producing our first German schlager. As a listener I love the 70s songwriter music style that originated in California (Eagles, America, Andrew Gold): American pop with some rock elements and a dab of country. More or less what you can hear in this video of me and Andrew Gold together in the studio:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=101981725

I enjoyed listening to a couple of your songs. You’ve got talent. I wish you all the best too.

Robert

Hey Gary,
thanks for sharing your music expertise with me. These days a lot of songs have predictable melodies with notes going up and down. The creation of this jazz/swing demo was an experiment. I love experimenting because you learn so much in the process.

I’m currently working on new songs now in which the notes go up and down as well, lol. There are still genres out there I haven’t touched yet. To me, every new song is a challenge.

All the best
Robert

Hmm…I totally love the melody, it´s very catchy. The country version sounds like a song, that was written and recorded in early 70th, sounds like a classic to me :).

I don´t know why Gary is always picking on the Song-Melodies. Everytime I just read: “Give the song a more interessting melody”... I´d love to see an example of an “interessting melody”. Gershwin-Songs go up and down as well…

Martin,
thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I fell in love with the melody too. That’s why I wanted to participate in this collab in the first place.

So you think it sounds like a 70s song. The country version or this jazz/swing version? A lot of people say songs that I’m involved in sound 70s-like. I guess that’s the music I love the most and it kind of shows when I produce/co-produce.

Gary is right that the melody of this song is relatively simple and predictable. To me his remarks were actually encouraging, not negative. Almost all catchy songs are simple and have a predictable melody. You hear them once and they stick in your head. Gary suggested to play it in different genres and break it up and put it back together again. By doing that you often find variations of your melody. More variations can make the song more interesting but might have a negaitve impact on the commercial value if you overdo it.

All the best
Robert

“Almost all catchy songs are simple and have a predictable melody.
You hear them once and they stick in your head.” (R Baitinger)

I totally agree with this.

I am sure that each songwriter on the planet and in the galaxy
wants to write ONE song that is easy to sing along and remember.
Is other words, we all dream of writing a #1 hit $ong…

Robert,

I think the Jazz version is better, but I agree with Martin, that one can hear that the melody wasn’t recorded for that version.
As Gary said you should write a new melody which works with in the Jazz context.

Cheers,
Bernd

Hi Guy,
I totally agree with you.

All the best
Robert

Hey Bernd,
thanks for your comments. I’m glad you enjoyed the jazz version. I fully agree with you, Martin and Gary that the melody of the vocals isn’t a perfect fit for this style of music. For me the whole thing was one big experiment. First, to play the song on a piano and make it swing and secondly, to hear what it sounds like to embed country vocals in this kind of arrangement. I used not only the same lyrics but also the exact same vocal tracks on the country and jazz version of this song. It came out far better than I thought it would.

Currently I’m not thinking of investing more time in this jazz/swing version. The song was produced as a country song and everybody envolved is satisfied with the country version. I also think that these days a country song has more commercial value potential than a jazz song.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

Take care
Robert

P.S. I really like Guy’s “K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple and Singable” signature.

I believe that the melody is simple because it’s a reflection of the lyrics; simple, not too complicated, enough to catch the listener and just enjoy the song.  The [original lyrics = of which most are in the Chicago song) and the melody were created at the same time.  No frills.  I know at times, I should expand my horizons, but when something hits me, then there’s no turning back, I’m on a forward roll.  I prefer the country version as that is how I wrote it.  I commend Robert for all of his hard work on the country version as well as the jazz/swing version.  It really shows how versatile he is and he has great production strengths and I really admire that about him.  I wished I could do what he does, but it will take me a lifetime to achieve what he had done in a few short years.  :)