Animals "it's My Life"

Les · Post by **Les** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:38 am

I'm wanting to do an accurate cover of "It's my Life " and the other Brill building /Rick 12 animals hits.
Mostly for fun, but also to test a new mic preamp design I did.

Kind of like we did with the stuff on the beatles forum a while back, with several forum members supplying tracks.

So...anyone have an Epiphone Rivoli Bass? I have a '65 gibson EB-0 with similar tronics, but the sound is not quite the same.

Simple song, easy to play. Need an Eric Burden type vocal though.

iamthebassman · Post by **iamthebassman** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:50 am

We do this one, and a couple other Animals tunes, fun bass parts. Yes to owning a Rivoli, and a Gibson EB-2.

Les · Post by **Les** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:27 am

We do this one

Cool, Ronn.

Although Chandler's bass lines were never technically difficult...it's still hard to get that exact punchy pick sound. Some I think have double tracked bass. Not sure on this one though...think not.

Although I design gear, I have a pretty good studio set up. For preamp tests I'll be using an 8 mic drum kit. The probably used one mic, heh.

I can do the Rick12, drums, and pehaps muddle through the simple piano.

But I want to nail that kick/chandler attack perfectly. Or have someone else. That's what makes this tune.
That raspy attack/deep thud sound. I come closest to it with a thick pick kinda scraping fingernail as well. I do have the old EB-0 sounding great, but it's not a Rivoli.

Last time with the beatles stuff we started with scratch tracks, then emailed out stems so people could do their own parts.
Ended up with 30+ tracks with alternate takes from anyone who wanted to give it a shot. It's great fun. Had a blast.
We get a little perfectionist about having an exact rendition and argue about it. That's fun too.

Wanna?

Les
L M Watts Technology

doctorwho · Post by **doctorwho** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 2:55 pm

I always have loved that great bass sound.

Gee, Eric messed up the timing of the 'second part' of the first verse in that clip, and almost did it in the second verse, but managed to get back on beat ...

longhouse · Post by **longhouse** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 3:15 pm

My favorite Animals cut! Need more Hilton Valentine in the clip though. Sort of a mod Crispin Glover playing some great lines on his Ric.

I teased the audience with the IML intro when I pulled the 12-string out for a song at our last show. One guy seemed genuinely disappointed that we didn't play it.

loves4003 · Post by **loves4003** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 5:30 pm

Les wrote:Simple song, easy to play.

Simple song indeed. And easy to play too. But it's very difficult to play it right, just like most of the simple songs. I played this song with my first band. At the time I used my Fenix P copy, the only bass I had, and later on I used my 4003. Nowadays I do have a Rivoli and it nails the sound heard on the recording, especially with a tube amp and old strings. The band is gone though...

Les · Post by **Les** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 5:59 pm

Yeah, eggman kinda lost it there for a bit. That crazy Hullabaloo thing with the girl trophies was live vocal, taped instruments. So It's no help to watch the playing. They were just thrashing about for the camera. But again the singing was live.

I expect no problems with the 12 string part. A little less bright than Harrison stuff. Much less compression than Byrds.
Who knows what amp. (I understand this was recorded in the US)

The bass is everything...well, bass and drums. Since this is "work" for my preamp product evaluation, I did a little setup for a session. I'll do a '60s ping pong stereo mix, even though the original is mono.

First thing...the song was cut 60 cents high. Sped up. After fixing that, it sounds better.

Then, the Chandler bass sound. First that attack...I didn't hear it with my stuff or even others I have heard playing a Rivoli.
But....I think I found part of it. Compression with about a 60 millisecond attack but a short decay. That gives that PTOK sound.
Pick sound doesn't normally come through much on the mudbuckers.

Retuned the snare to sound like the original too. Very light snare tension. No Ringo tea towel damping either.

Really hard to hear the piano parts.

This should be fun. Unlike the beatles stuff I think very little is known about how they played or recorded things. I can't find anything anyway.

Simple song indeed. And easy to play too. But it's very difficult to play it right, just like most of the simple songs.

Exactly!!

Les
L M Watts Technology

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:59 pm

That, and, "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place": two all-time favorites, followed closely by "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". All three in constant rotation on my Pandora set list. I'm also looking at that wunnerful VOX Continental sound--very nice and obvious on "Understood"...

Les · Post by **Les** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:01 pm

That, and, "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place": two all-time favorites, followed closely by "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". All three in constant rotation on my Pandora set list. I'm also looking at that wunnerful VOX Continental sound--very nice and obvious on "Understood"...

Hi Paul!

I didn't know that...thought it was the Vox teardrop 12 or 9 string....

Hilton is quoted as using 360-12 /ac30 on IML. I don't really hear top boost though. Might be the recording.
Not the highest fidelity, Kinda like the Yardbirds stuff. Mixed for pocket transistor radio?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 12:22 am

Les wrote:
That, and, "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place": two all-time favorites, followed closely by "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". All three in constant rotation on my Pandora set list. I'm also looking at that wunnerful VOX Continental sound--very nice and obvious on "Understood"...
Hi Paul!

I didn't know that...thought it was the Vox teardrop 12 or 9 string....

Hilton is quoted as using 360-12 /ac30 on IML. I don't really hear top boost though. Might be the recording.
Not the highest fidelity, Kinda like the Yardbirds stuff. Mixed for pocket transistor radio?

Certainly EQd on a 3" speaker...

jps · Post by **jps** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:07 pm

Speaking of.....

Les · Post by **Les** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 5:23 pm

Speaking of.....

Thanks for that...another of the Brill building songs. I want to do all of them.

I'd have in my life done by now except I'm in a race to finish tiling a kitchen before it gets too cold...almost done!

Like the beatles stuff, I hope folks here will help out with some good vocals...I'm no Eric Burdon singing.
As always, I'll offer up renders with each instrument missing, so others can play guitar, bass, drums, piano, and vocals
of their own.

Les

Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Animals "it's My Life"

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