Bite - Songs Of Light In A World Of Dark

This is only a bit of light relief (scratching an itch), but I've made a preview of the songs I'm doing.  Here's the YouTube link.  9 of the 12 songs are previewed.  It's been great fun doing the songs, and whilst they'll never become a real album, I've enjoyed every minute!

I checked that out last night on Tooyube while I was outside.  Sounds really good (just missing a few song samples... probably not recorded yet I'm assuming).

Yes, the other 3 will be done later this year. 

So it sounds like several of these songs are recorded by the same Artist.
How many different musicians are represented on this compilation of Fundy hits?

All the same guy.  I've used 3 other artists a number of years ago, but the current one I like a lot, so I'm using him for all the songs on this 'album'.
The 3 final songs will also be done by him, but not until the end of the year. 

Very cool!  You are like the Jim Stienman to his Meatloaf! (sorry that reference might be a little too old for you... doesn't that make you feel young?)

Why would you not release this as an album seeing they are being done by the same guy?  Perhaps you should speak to him and see about doing this as a full release even if you just do digital.  You could easily do that through CD Baby or DistroKid and get this on all the digital platforms.  You could also do a release yourself on BandCamp.  What could it hurt?

The songs aren't really good enough for an official album release.  It's just been an absolute blast doing them, but I couldn't really charge folk for buying an album.

The process went a bit like this (so far, at least).  I write the lyrics, and then keep tweaking them over a period of weeks/months/years.  When I'm really happy with them, I send them off to Tom, and give him some basic musical direction.  So, I tell him I'd like layered vocals on the chorus, I'd like it folk/rock or whatever, and I'd like some different musical element at certain points (on Here Comes Death I asked for a clock ticking at the start).  He then spends up to 2 weeks creating the tune, and then records it for me.  I then listen to it, and if I'm not happy I can ask for one alteration.  (I have only asked him to do that on one song, Spitalfields, where he pronounced Spitalfields wrong, and then missed out half a line).  Everything he's done for me I love, although if we were together in a band I know we'd be tweaking thing alot more, and making the sound bigger (maybe knocking the vocals back in the mix too).

For me, what he does for the cost is incredible, but I could never charge people for it.  I'd happily give the album away for free, but I don't know if you can do that on CD Baby or Distrokid.  Failing that, if there's any tracks that people like, I can send them an email with the tracks attached.

My favourite tracks I've done so far are Come Warm You Heart (which I did a few years ago).  Kind of got a soft spot for that track, although it needs a few tweaks here and there.  And I also love Spitalfields as I thought that came out really well.

Staybrite wrote:

Very cool!  You are like the Jim Stienman to his Meatloaf! (sorry that reference might be a little too old for you... doesn't that make you feel young?)

Love Jim's stuff.  He was soooo good at writing songs.  In fact, oddly enough he was one of the reasons I love rock/metal so much.  I remember hearing Dead Ringer For Love with Meat Loaf and Cher, and being absolutely amazed by the song.  The vocals, song and lyrics really made a competely incredible song.  So I bought the album, then started to buy all the other Meat Loaf's albums.

Fundy wrote:

The songs aren't really good enough for an official album release.  It's just been an absolute blast doing them, but I couldn't really charge folk for buying an album.

The process went a bit like this (so far, at least).  I write the lyrics, and then keep tweaking them over a period of weeks/months/years.  When I'm really happy with them, I send them off to Tom, and give him some basic musical direction.  So, I tell him I'd like layered vocals on the chorus, I'd like it folk/rock or whatever, and I'd like some different musical element at certain points (on Here Comes Death I asked for a clock ticking at the start).  He then spends up to 2 weeks creating the tune, and then records it for me.  I then listen to it, and if I'm not happy I can ask for one alteration.  (I have only asked him to do that on one song, Spitalfields, where he pronounced Spitalfields wrong, and then missed out half a line).  Everything he's done for me I love, although if we were together in a band I know we'd be tweaking thing alot more, and making the sound bigger (maybe knocking the vocals back in the mix too).

For me, what he does for the cost is incredible, but I could never charge people for it.  I'd happily give the album away for free, but I don't know if you can do that on CD Baby or Distrokid.  Failing that, if there's any tracks that people like, I can send them an email with the tracks attached.

My favourite tracks I've done so far are Come Warm You Heart (which I did a few years ago).  Kind of got a soft spot for that track, although it needs a few tweaks here and there.  And I also love Spitalfields as I thought that came out really well.

I would still put it out there even if you do decide to let people take it for free.  Unless you have the ability to tour, that's what us indie artists are doing for the most part, anyway.  By the time we recoup costs of having artwork done, paying for studio time, the time we take to try to promote the album, etc.  we won't earn a lot of that back as people don't buy music anymore.  They stream, but it is incredibly difficult to get an indie release added to playlists of established acts.  So, we are practically giving our art away.

I think it's good enough for an album release. I'd totally buy it

alldatndensum wrote:

Fundy wrote:

The songs aren't really good enough for an official album release.  It's just been an absolute blast doing them, but I couldn't really charge folk for buying an album.

The process went a bit like this (so far, at least).  I write the lyrics, and then keep tweaking them over a period of weeks/months/years.  When I'm really happy with them, I send them off to Tom, and give him some basic musical direction.  So, I tell him I'd like layered vocals on the chorus, I'd like it folk/rock or whatever, and I'd like some different musical element at certain points (on Here Comes Death I asked for a clock ticking at the start).  He then spends up to 2 weeks creating the tune, and then records it for me.  I then listen to it, and if I'm not happy I can ask for one alteration.  (I have only asked him to do that on one song, Spitalfields, where he pronounced Spitalfields wrong, and then missed out half a line).  Everything he's done for me I love, although if we were together in a band I know we'd be tweaking thing alot more, and making the sound bigger (maybe knocking the vocals back in the mix too).

For me, what he does for the cost is incredible, but I could never charge people for it.  I'd happily give the album away for free, but I don't know if you can do that on CD Baby or Distrokid.  Failing that, if there's any tracks that people like, I can send them an email with the tracks attached.

My favourite tracks I've done so far are Come Warm You Heart (which I did a few years ago).  Kind of got a soft spot for that track, although it needs a few tweaks here and there.  And I also love Spitalfields as I thought that came out really well.

I would still put it out there even if you do decide to let people take it for free.  Unless you have the ability to tour, that's what us indie artists are doing for the most part, anyway.  By the time we recoup costs of having artwork done, paying for studio time, the time we take to try to promote the album, etc.  we won't earn a lot of that back as people don't buy music anymore.  They stream, but it is incredibly difficult to get an indie release added to playlists of established acts.  So, we are practically giving our art away.

Are bandcamp, CD Baby or Distrokid free to use, or are there costs involved?  If it's free, I don't mind sticking the songs on there and then letting people download the songs for free.  I've got the CD cover and inlay done (although it's in word or a pdf).  I definitely don't want people to pay for them.

Guilty/Forgiven wrote:

I think it's good enough for an album release. I'd totally buy it

Cheers, Guilty/Forgiven.  Thank you for the nice comment 

Fundy wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

Very cool!  You are like the Jim Stienman to his Meatloaf! (sorry that reference might be a little too old for you... doesn't that make you feel young?)

Love Jim's stuff.  He was soooo good at writing songs.  In fact, oddly enough he was one of the reasons I love rock/metal so much.  I remember hearing Dead Ringer For Love with Meat Loaf and Cher, and being absolutely amazed by the song.  The vocals, song and lyrics really made a competely incredible song.  So I bought the album, then started to buy all the other Meat Loaf's albums.

Cool, I'm glad you were old enough to catch the reference!

Currently creating a bandcamp page, and thinking about putting out a 3 song EP with the first 3 songs I did with Tom, then do the 12 song album at the end of the year.  Just asking Tom if that's okay (as he did most of the work for the songs)

https://bite7777777.bandcamp.com/album/bought-in-to-eternity-ep

Here's the bandcamp link.  Let me know if it works okay or not.

Link worked perfectly, thanks for the great tunes!

Downloading now!

To be honest, with no more copies than I actually sell, I wonder if just recording and giving away my music would be more beneficial to getting the word out.  People don't value music as they once did and expect it for free anyway.

I couldn't sell my stuff as it feels rather disingenuous.  I spend time writing and tweaking the lyrics, but there's not a lot of effort for me, other than that, and paying for Tom to turn it in to a song.  With you, you craft your songs over a longer time, so getting some money back for your endeavour is a good thing.

Maybe you could give the albums away for free, but also suggest a $10 contribution.  That way at least some people will part with their cash, but maybe the songs will spread out more as they're free too.

Alldat, the laborer is worthy of his wages. I like Fundy's idea.

Here's my final update for probably 8 months or so...

I've added a new track to the album 'This Is War' which has the same feel as 'Pick up The Bones' by Alice Cooper, and I've put it on the end of the album, as I wanted the album to finish with a rock song (tracks 11 and 12 are ballads/worship songs)

01 – These Words (0:56) 1 Thessalonians 4 v 16 – 18 - really just an intro to track 2
02 – Rise (3:10) 1 Thessalonians 4 v 16 – 18
03 – This Dragon’s Rage (4:20) Revelation 12
04 – Black Tomb (3:17) Revelation 6
05 – A Dash Between Two Dates (3:56) Psalm 103 v 14 - 16
06 – Here Comes Death (3:16)  Hebrews 9 v 27
07 – Spitalfields (3:36) Psalm 82 v 3; James 1 v 27
08 – Wretched (Beyond the Brink) ( : ) 1 Timothy 2 v 3 - 4  (STILL TO BE RECORDED)
09 – Outcast ( : ) 1 Corinthians 1:20 - 21 (STILL TO BE RECORDED)
10 – I Am The Curse (3:26) Genesis 3
11 – The Shepherds On The Hill (3:05) Luke 2 v 8 - 16
12 – In the Darkness (4:19) John 3 v 16
13 – This Is War (5:12) John 16 v 33; 1 Peter 4 v 8 - 10