I continue my adventures of trying to fix old portastudio recordings from the past – or the happy 90s to be a little more precise. This time I found an old blues, which I wanted to freshen up with new guitar overdubs and vocals. The original from the four-track cassette was mixed down to a stereo track recorded on DAT, and there we found, in addition to drums and bass, of course a couple of guitars; one that played a background theme and one that played lead. In addition to this, there were actually some strings, a piano, and some kind of keyboard pad.
I used Logic Pro’s Stem separation to split the stereo mix into six different basic tracks. Then I removed the guitar solo and vocals, and replaced them with new, slightly more grown-up versions. I also felt like adding a Hammond organ. There’s only one problem left: Which solo should I choose for the final mix? I could really use some help with that.
I have three fairly different versions. One is played on a Stratocaster that I screwed together myself from various parts. On the other two versions, the guitar that is being treated is a Thinline Telecaster from Fred Ash. Both pickups have been replaced with my own favorites, a neck pickup from Lollar Pickups and in the bridge I have placed an old Van Zandt, which I had lying around.
In its first version, the song Hjulen bara snurrar was a tribute to Peter Green and his The World Keep on Turning. This time I want to dedicate it especially to a couple of old friends who very sadly and suddenly left us. Per Jansson and Stefan Lundqvist, this blues is for you.
Please note: All three versions are also available, in slightly higher sound quality, here: https://soundcloud.com/manmade-music
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