ALBUM - "Sixty-Five Summers"

Sixty-Five Summers

“Sixty-Five Summers” is my musical journey through life, memory, and the passage of time. This album marks a milestone for me—65 years of experiences, love, loss, and the countless summers that have shaped who I am. Across 12 songs, I’ve woven together reflections, nostalgia, and celebrations, creating a tapestry of stories that are deeply personal yet universally relatable.

Some tracks are introspective, grappling with the complexities of aging and the bittersweet beauty of looking back. Others are love letters to my local street and suburb, the places that have grounded me and given me a sense of belonging. My hobbies, like photography, come alive in an upbeat number that captures the joy of seeing the world through a lens. And, of course, there are nods to my rebellious youth—those wannabe rock star days when life felt limitless and raw.

At the heart of this album is a song that means more to me than any other. “Halcyon Days” is built on a poem written by my late mother, who passed away in 2013. Using AI technology, I’ve been able to recreate her voice and sing this song as a duet with her. It’s a surreal and emotional experience, a way to keep her spirit alive and honour the love and wisdom she gave me. This track is my tribute to her, and to the enduring power of memory and connection.

The album closes with “Right Here, Right Now,” a song that embodies the spirit of renewal and possibility. It’s a declaration that age is just a number, and that the fire within us never truly fades. It’s a reminder to embrace the present, let go of the past, and step boldly into whatever lies ahead.

“Sixty-Five Summers” is my way of sharing the treasures of my life—the people, places, and moments that have defined me. It’s an invitation to reflect on your own journey, to celebrate the past, and to embrace the beauty of the present. This album is my heart, my story, and my gratitude for 65 summers of life.

So, if you don’t mind the croaky tones of an older bloke, thank you for listening.

(Backing vocals are created by AI conversions of my own voice)

2 Likes

Hi Ian,

Great collection of songs, well done!
Songs that stand out to me are ‘Labour of Love’, ‘Birkenhead’ and ‘Right Here, Right Now’, and of course ‘Halcyon Days’. Must’ve been quite special to recreate her voice!
I’m a little hesitant to use AI in my music, but I do use it in my visuals sometimes.

The production sounds good, and (believe it or not :wink:) your voice has improved over the years!

I enjoyed listening, my friend. Thanks for sharing! :grinning:

Cheers,
Wim

Hi Ian,

Really like the idea for the concept for the album. Gatman Street is my favourite, although I wasn’t sure on the first listen to that guitar sound for the intro.

Still not sold on the use of AI but you seem to have a pretty good handle on it.

Thanks for sharing and will come back and listen again.

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Hi Wim,

Thanks for checking this one out. I know it’s a big ask these days! So I do appreciate you taking the time and commenting. And yeah… I actually prefer my ‘old man’ voice more than my younger voice of 10-20 years ago! :sunglasses:

Regarding AI tools:

I get some are hesitant about using AI technologies, but the way I look at it is we’ve been using all manner of synthetic tools in our music productions for many years - VSTi’s, loops, sound libraries, plugins etc etc. AI just adds to the already large suite of things we’ve had at our disposal for a long time that simply help us get the job done. Just as we embraced MIDI, digital recording, and virtual instruments etc, I think AI-powered tools is just a natural progression, offering new possibilities while still remaining fundamentally dependent on human creativity and artistic judgment.
:slightly_smiling_face:

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Thanks for checking in, I appreciate it. I actually shared “Gatman St” with the actual street, the street I live on - needless to say it was a local hit! :grin:
I figured if the Beatles could write about “Penny Lane” I reckoned I could try do something similar!

With regard to AI tools - you can see my thoughts in my reply to Wim.

I agree, Ian. I see AI not as a threat, but as a tool, just like drum computers, synths, VST’s, etc.
But I’m not fond of the idea that people can create music with almost no creative input…

Yes, 100% AI song generation via a text prompt is a whole other debate! And one that is heating up it seems as I understand both Suno and Udio are currently facing a legal challenge from the major labels. Another issue is streaming platforms are now being over-saturated with this AI generated content and it’s apparently cutting significantly into genuine artist’s revenue share. (Not that I earn anything from the likes of Spotify of course!). And having said that, I also heard Deezer in response, have just recently developed a technology that can apparently detect this AI-generated content and subsequently remove it.

:sunglasses:

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