Maple Dye, "Walk Away"
This power pop song was composed in the pre-Internet times. The composition has stayed steady from those arcane days, but it's interesting how, on the contrary, the production has changed a lot, and to high degree been defined by circumstances, in an example of adaptation, of resiliency.
Particularly I'm thinking of the part with the keyboard melody; at first, my idea was playing a very elaborate keyboard solo, starting from the initial theme and then building up in a "psychedelic" way, a la Ray Manzarek.
However, when the moment came I didn't have access to a proper keyboard, only the computer's, so I decided to do a very straightforward arrangement instead, and then filling up that section with other instruments.
Time goes by, a lot of life happens, and, alas, when I'm finally going to weave a few electric guitars for that section, I found that this time it is my guitar what betrays me.
Enter vocal harmonies. Maple Dye featuring The Mamas & The Papas. This part "opened like a fan" as I worked in it, due to the need of creating a progression by degrees from the previous simplicity, which required additional introductory uuhhs... So finally, counting buses and all, I ended up needing 8 tracks, probably the biggest vocal arrangement I've done so far in a song.
I'm happy with the result and with how all these transformations have been faithful to the "slightly naif yet energetic" spirit I intended. It's been a long time, but I think I probably composed it under the recent effects of The Yardbirds, or The Who's first album. Hope you like it...
