'Without Wings'

[wingsdad]

I’d started teaching my son, Jim, how to play guitar when he finally expressed a real interest in it at the age of 12 or 13. But he didn’t really get serious with it until around 16 or 17. From that point, he worked at it all the time and was after me daily to stay with him. He wanted to learn how to write songs as much as he wanted to play guitar, so I taught him what I knew about both.

Here, then is one of the first songs Jim wrote, at the age of 19.

We originally recorded it in the summer of ‘95, on a Yamaha MT120 4-Track cassette machine using a Sony stereo cassette deck for mixdowns & submixes. I took what amounted to 8 final tracks and digitally remastered and remixed them on a Yamaha AW16G DAW in 2004.

I’ve still got all of the gear used to make this recording, especially the guitars, which I’ve posted about often around here, but never posted clips of these particular guitars, or of my playing, other than one track with another guitar. Until now.

Jim does the vocal (Shure SM-58) and rhythm guitar (’71 Guild D-40 with a Seymour Duncan SD-1 magnetic soundhole pickup, thru MXR 10-Band EQ and Yamaha EMP100 adding chorus & reverb to simulate an electric 12-string. I handle the ‘drums’ (Yamaha RY-10 rhythm machine, programmed w/ accents & fills on the fly), Bass with ’78 Fender Musicmaster (short scale) thru the MXR EQ, ’82 Rickenbacker 360-12BWB electric 12-string and ’81 Fender THE STRAT electric lead guitar (both thru ’82 Scholz R&D Rockman).

I'd like to thank strummy and cb for encouraging me to put this out here. It took them a long time to convince me.

Today is my son Jim’s 33rd birthday. If you’re interested, click the link to box.net, download &/or play it. It’s a 128kbs mp3 file, so the quality is pretty decent, IMHO. Loud is good.

Without Wings – © wingsdad music 1996

Thanks for listening.

[Childbride]

simply awesome. Happy Birthday, Jim...

[Steve206]

Good for you Wingsdad,,,

Thanks for the trust you have given, these last couple of years.

Some of us have tried, to get our kids into playing more than the radio buttons in a car and it makes me feel glad, to know that one Dad has managed to pull it off. Must have felt pretty damn fine to have him asking the questions and sitting next to you, listening to the answers.

Hermanos,,,

Steve

[luvmyshiner]

It's nice to see you share this WD. I guess it's probably been close to a year now when you first sent a copy for the Shiner family to listen to, along with a few of your other recordings? We've just about worn that CD out my friend.

[just strum]

Ditto Shiner on the CD play.

I don't have to tell you anymore, because I know you can read my mind.:

[oldguy]

First, Happy (albeit belated) Birthday to Jim!
And second, thanks for letting us hear that, Wingsdad, a very special treat it is to hear you and your son making music together. Very good music I might add. After 3 listens I was still evisioning George Harrison playing and singing. I would say you taught Jim well, and he and you are both very talented. I loved it!

(My son took piano lessons as a young boy, then learned guitar and bass. He would bring his guitar to the house and I'd show him a few things, and it seemed like no time until he was playing . He's also a drummer, played in high school marching band, I bought him a small drum set as a teenager, he immediately learned "Wipeout".
I just wish we could still hook up and jam......he's in California now, married, with two babies and very happy, so I'm very happy for him, but still miss him.)

[wingsdad]

simply awesome. Happy Birthday, Jim...

It's nice to see you share this WD. I guess it's probably been close to a year now when you first sent a copy for the Shiner family to listen to, along with a few of your other recordings? We've just about worn that CD out my friend.

Ditto Shiner on the CD play.
I don't have to tell you anymore, because I know you can read my mind.

I sincerely and deeply thank you guys for all of your friendship, a huge part of which being your gentle and understanding, patient encouragement to share Jim's music and his work with me.

As the 3 of you know from our offline conversations, I'm legally hog-tied from publicly sharing those 'old horses' that comprised the rest of the cd. You also know that I've been trying to finally get down to work on something new that extends where I'd left off with Jim. You guys will be the first to get it, and at that, you'd be getting it ahead of completion as I'd trust and turn to you for feedback. cb (and probably shiner) knows I just got a : kick in the butt from my daughter on Thursday that should jump-start my frozen engine. All I need is some peace & quiet.

.....it makes me feel glad, to know that one Dad has managed to pull it off. ...

: I'm not that 'special', steve. Far, far from it. Besides the multitude of famous (or not....define: fame) children of musicians who followed in their parents' footsteps, we've read often, right here, of many, many of us blessed with parenthood who've 'pulled it off' and taught our children.

...Must have felt pretty damn fine to have him asking the questions and sitting next to you, listening to the answers.

That feeling was nothing compared to what I learned from Jim. Ultimately, I had become his apprentice.

......After 3 listens I was still evisioning George Harrison playing and singing. I would say you taught Jim well, and he and you are both very talented. I loved it!

Thank you, Glenn. And congrats to you for what you taught your son. (Seems obvious, a lot more than music, too )Even if he's miles away from jamming with you now, I'd bet he longs for the chance.

Glad you enjoyed this. Good ears I bombarded Jim (and his little sister) with an eclectic range of music when they were little, but the Beatles always were their standard to judge anything new by. In particular, Jim's admiration for John Lennon's songwriting was foremost as he developed his skills. Throw in influences by Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Matchbox 20, and (gulp) Skynyrd (Ronnie Van Zandt's writing), among many others. An open mind searching for answers.

[just strum]

you got mail.

[wingsdad]

you got mail.

ditto.

[street music]

Wingsdad, Man I really appreciate you sharing that with us. Jim and I share a great appreciation for John Lennon and the Beatles. I could hear a similar sound to the Beatles just as soon as the recording started. I'm looking forward to hearing some new stuff from you soon.

[wingsdad]

Glad you appreciated this, Street
As for new material, I hope I can finally cut through the ice & fog and produce the project I alluded to above in my response to cb, shiner & strum. It's fairly ambitious journey, and I need to focus on breaking it down into its smaller steps, going where each one takes me, one at a time, rather than befuddle myself looking too far ahead. With Jim's little sister finally pushing me harder to fulfill the promise, it's only a matter of time.

[tjcurtin1]

Thanks for sharing your familial collaboration - there was a real warmth in that track that shines through. Good luck on your (somewhat mysterious sounding) project... I wish you success and look forward to hearing what comes of it.

[wingsdad]

Thanks for the positive feedback...and for the good wishes on the project, tj

I'll take some of the mystery out of it: it's a 'life opus'.

Ideally, I'm mapping out a suite (or compilation) of connected and/or related songs that will include 'Without Wings' and 2 more of Jim's, as well as some of my own and others co-written with my daughter as well as Jim's best friend, her husband. There'll be some thematic instrumental interludes and bridges, some recurring. Some of the material is basically finishing stuff I started over the past 12 years but stepped back from, aborted or let lie fallow. I'm pretty sure I'll include my takes on a couple of OP's, as well, if only because of a particular personal connection; but that's gonna depend on how the rest of it shapes up.

[60's guy]

wingsdad,

I'm thrilled that you have finally posted your collaboration with your son, Jim.

[Robert****]

That sounded very honest and special. Thanks for sharing with us.

I hope I am lucky enough get my kids to record with me one day.

[bigG]

VERY GOOD! It struck me immediately that if Lennon and Harrison had written a song together, this could very well be that song!

Great stuff, wingsdad! to you and your son!

[wingsdad]

wingsdad,

I'm thrilled that you have finally posted your collaboration with your son, Jim.

Thanks, my friend You were the first one to get me to do so...long ago and far away.

Thanks, Robert and 'G', for those kind words. I've started to work with Jim's little sister lately...finally...it's taken her a while to get loose.