Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

In my ongoing quest to get musical posts up, here's another question! Your opinions are welcome and encouraged!


So here it is: What's your opinion on artists who write more songs than they can record, and then ditching those songs when they cut a new album?


I ask because I recently was listening to Mark Tremoniti talking about the solos he wrote for the new Alter Bridge album, and he talked about how he had written 17 solos, but the album was only going to have 13 or 14 songs, so he had written a few solos "for nothing". And that got me thinking...

I remember a band from long ago talking about how they had written 40+ songs for an album and they were going to take the "best 10" or so. And I was like, WTF? Why did you write 40 songs? Can't you tell what sounds good and what doesn't?

I'm not a big fan of the "Spaghetti" method of doing things (you know, throw a bunch of Spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks).


I don't like the idea of writing a song and investing time and energy into recording it for it to NOT end up an album. I mean, if I think the song is no good, I'm going to ditch it LONG before it gets recorded and solos get written.

But maybe I just have a different idea about the music I write. I don't like the idea of throwing something away. If it's good, then work it to finished form and put it on the CD. If it sucks, don't keep investing energy into it. Ya know?

good topic-

That method of writing many songs is really simple and elegant-

For instance, in the last 6 months, I floated 6 originals through this forum. Maybe 2 got a lot of kudos, and the rest were just 'okay'. Bottom line is that any given melody can sound GREAT to the person who wrote it, the band, the producer even... But until you float it, not just to peers, but to FANS, and gauge the response, you really don't know what is going to stick or not.

Even the Beatles wrote some dogs back in their day. As they matured, of course the song-writing got better, but no such thing as perfect.

Our goal in the originals band this year was to write 40-50 songs and record 12 professionally. ALL will be recorded as demos though and floated to the masses.

Oh - to add something to that-

I NEVER throw a song away, but much of what I write isn't along the lines of what the band does... so some of it I float to my other band, and a lot of it I just record at home and keep it close to my chest.

Funny thing is - a LOT of what I wrote back in the late 80's sounds *very* dated and cheesy today. I'd not want to be publically associated with much of it lol.. unless of course it was a hit then.. but it wasn't.. but still it's all close to my heart and I still listen back from time to time

A lot of 80's bands did that kind of stuff where they'd write a bunch of songs, but only use 10 or so. Britny Fox & Bullet Boys were 2 of them. Later on both bands released those previously "unreleased" songs and to be honest...I wish that they would have remained "unreleased". All that time put into songs that weren't worth crap, yet they still got recorded and mastered. Doesn't make any sense to me either.

Pretty much, I come up with a main riff, jam it with the band, and if something comes out of it that has a cool groove or something, then I'll keep it and work on the rest of the parts. If it feels really awkward the first or second time trying it, then I'll just shit-can it and move on.

Sometimes you write something and think it has potential, and then after recording it decide that it's a dog. Save it for the box set for after you're gone.

The original remark that he had written 17 solos but only used 13 or 14 seemed strange...usually the solo is the last thing to be written for a song. How could you know what the solo should be like if you don't have a song in mind? Very strange.

I have been very lax about keeping my songs in a library or collection. As a result, I've forgotten some very good tunes, & the ppl that have followed me over the years remind me of that constantly. I honestly have no recollection of some of them, though, other than the fact that I wrote them. I really need to get recording equipment & do my best to dredge up some of those songs, or rewrite them as best I can, though, cuz there were quite a few lil gems.

I'd say that I've forgotten more of my own material than I've kept!

jimmydanger wrote:Sometimes you write something and think it has potential, and then after recording it decide that it's a dog. Save it for the box set for after you're gone.

The original remark that he had written 17 solos but only used 13 or 14 seemed strange...usually the solo is the last thing to be written for a song. How could you know what the solo should be like if you don't have a song in mind? Very strange.

He wrote 17 solos for 17 songs that were finished.

Then learns that only 13 or 14 of the songs will be on the album. So thus a few of the solos are "wasted".

Well that makes a little more sense. Your original post just mentioned writing solos.

Like I said the throwaways will be on some box set in the future. Nothing is wasted in the music biz; look at all the crap they include in box sets these days.

I think if you are a songwriter try to capture them all. You may have a gem in there and not even know it. These days it really doesnt cost that much to record a song, so why not record and see how it is.

I think serious musicians should record everything they have written. If nothign else its good practice and makes the writting and recording process more comfortable and faster or slicker.

I go by the fluff method. I record something then listen 5-6 monthes later and most of my songs by that time are just that, FLUFF!

Another good subject.

Some folks in the music biz. really don't understand the music biz. I am talking people that have been in the biz for a long time and make their living from it. Sometimes when you are writing a song say for example you are a guitar player and you come up with the chord structure, and vocal melody. You don't and can never know how a song is really going to turn out untill you get into a studio with it. Most writers are not true composers and really can't write in a symphonic way. Sure they have found a formula that seems to work or better yet is a formula that the record company's are selling at that particular time. Once you get into a real studio with a producer and other musicians you just don't know whether or not that music is going to be marketable. I remember reading an interview featureing Pat Benatar she was commenting on how the last song the band thought would turn out to be a hit would have been Heartbreaker. Well bands with chick singers including the band I am in are still covering that song over 30 years after its release.

All these people can do is try to turn out as many hits as they can and let the spagetti fall where it may! In other words it takes more than one person to make a hit machine and some of us in the music biz don't want to admit it but that is what I have seen after over 30 years in the Buisiness!

I have to be in the song to even consider playing a solo.
Music should not be constructed like a leggos house.
No soul ...