Rob Davies original songs

[Fullfrontalbuddha]

I enjoy Rob's playing as well as his lyrics, which I would agree are thoughtful and introspective. He comes up with pretty melodies and nice turns of phrase.

And to borrow from something I was reading about Mumford & Sons, I'd say that Rob would be gladly welcomed into the 'Society of Misty-eyed Men' any day of the week.

I just uploaded audio of a new one also, I was feelin' the Reggae thing last night I suppose.
(No, I don't mean I had done a bunch of bong hits, not that there's anything wrong with that)

[Preston Platform]

Here is an extended work in progress version of 'Whispers From An Empty Room' that Rob has recently completed in totally live demo form.
This was written for the band which Rob has recently got together. Will hope to have some live footage soon



She went away ,she had no obligation to stay
Her decision was made
She severed all ties along the way.

And when she makes her mind up then its made
I thought I knew her well enough to say


I dont care if you go
I dont care if you stay
You dont have to go slow
You dont have to delay
You entered my life
Took me by surprise , neglected my other ties
But now if you fly it wont come as a surprise
I have been prepared for a long, long, long time

She packed her bags
Quickly, I realised what I had
Appeared to lose , but swiftly move on became my tune

In truth ,I made no effort to protest
And ultimately I know her better than all the rest

I dont care if you go
I dont care if you stay
You dont have to go slow
You dont have to delay
You entered my life
Took me by surprise , neglected all my ties
But now if you fly it wont come as a surprise
I have been prepared for a long, long, long time

And now I am hearing whispers from an empty room
And now I am hearing whispers from an empty room
And now I am hearing whispers from an empty room

Can you hear the whispers ?

Robert Lloyd
All rights reserved copyright 2012



And here for comparison is Robs original short version
Whispers From An Empty Room
Robert Lloyd
All rights reserved copyright 2012




Lyrics
She went away
She had no obligation to stay
Her decision was made
She severed all ties along the way
But when she makes her mind up then its made


I thought I knew her well enough
to say
'Dont go away ,Youll regret it some day'
Dont escape or evade
I have got something to say
You entered my life
took me by suprise forgot all of my other ties
And If you fly I dont know how I will survive
Keeps me awake at night
And now I am hearing whispers from an empty room
And now I am hearing whispers from an empty room
And now I am hearing whispers from an empty room
And now I am hearing whispers

[Preston Platform]

Rob has tried to write a really catchy tune

Here is a work in progress demo of 'Trying to be nice'


Trying to be Nice

When I said that I dont need you no more,
Yes I meant it, I meant it and whats more I never did, I never really did
Now I dont want to sound too judgemental,
But I think that you were always too sentimental for me,
To cope with ,or handle at all.

And Ive told you once,
Ive told you twice,
Im trying to be, trying to be nice
Yes, Ive told you once,
Ive told you twice,
Im trying to be nice

Trying to be nice.

I recall when I cared what you wanted,
But its clear that our romance has now, now sadly halted and I can move my attention from you.
You can plead, insist that you are true, but the more that you beg the more I will resist you
And Im afraid thats the way that it is.

And Ive told you once,
Ive told you twice,
Im trying to be trying to be nice,
Yes, Ive told you once,
Ive told you twice,
Im trying to be nice.

Trying to be nice.

And do you remember when we said we are fallen flat
And at the time I said that there was no going back?
Although I crept back to your arms, This time its over, but try to be calm,
This time its over
This time its over

And Ive told you once
Ive told you twice
Im trying to be
Trying to be nice

[Preston Platform]

Home truths has just received a n excellent review on the highly regarded DPRP site

www.dprp.net/reviews/201208.php

Tracklist: Im Glad (1:16), Sailed Away (4:30), According To Plan (3:49), What Did You Notice (5:57), Melt The Ice (3:34), Storyteller (3:30), Where Did You Go (3:11), Youll See (4:03), And On Returning (4:16), Keep Your Receipt (3:47), The Delicate Persuasion (3:01), Come Home For Tea (5:37), (That Our Paths Dared To Meet) (1:32)

Robert Lloyd is a young musician who has a recording entitled Home Truths and he has kindly provided to DPRP a CDR copy of the album for review.

Lloyd, just twenty years of age at the time DPRP received the CDR in November 2011, has banged out over 60 original tunes since the age of sixteen. Hes gigged around the Lancaster and Stockport areas in his homeland of the UK and in addition has done some charity events and live radio broadcast appearances. And apparently hes going to Disney World, baby, after cleaning up the competition with several winning entries in the online monthly Mystonic songwriting competition.

So Lloyd has assembled in Home Truths a collection of thirteen mostly acoustic based tracks. On the album Lloyd handles guitars and vocals, music and lyric writing, and arrangements (all credited to his real name Robert Davies). His younger brother, seventeen-year old Alun Davies, plays bass and alongside his elder bro handles arrangements. Alun has been playing bass guitar since the age of thirteen and is an understudy of Bass Day UK organizer Stevie Williams.

The DIY feel of the CDRs packaging had me expecting something of demo quality, but I ended up being quite impressed with Lloyds craft. Its not prog in the pure sense, but nonetheless there are some catchy tracks here.

Alun lays down a carefree bass solo on According To Plan, which features a lot of tempo changes and some multi-tracked acoustic and electric guitar from Lloyd.

Song structure as well takes the form of cascading waterfalls of sound on What Did You Notice, which serves up a lot of Lloyds thick acoustic and electric guitar.

The tactic of multi-tracked acoustic and electric guitars to me is not always justified, and I feel for example that And On Returning, with its bouncy bass from Alun and playful rollick, is a tune strong enough without the electric guitar tracking.

There are a couple of other uncredited instruments on the album, namely keyboards and a drumming element, the former of which shows up analog style on the cleverly titled Keep Your Receipt.

Commonalities on Home Truths include The Beatles, Julian Cope, David Bowie and Love And Rockets. In addition, the singer-songwriter approach of the music fortified by a hooky muscle evokes The Sundays, with songs that are both tight and warm and would find themselves equally at home on an Ipod or in a coffeehouse.

The two brothers are quite talented musicians, and the music on Home Truths carries with it a weighty sense of composition and melody, along with the crisp vocal delivery from Lloyd.

The CDR came modestly packaged in a plastic envelope and a glossy folding card with a black and white photo of Lloyd on the front. Credits, track listing, web addresses, contact information and a black and white photo of both brothers adorn the back. The front cover photo is different from the one I saw when I looked at Home Truths on Amazon.

This album will most likely appeal to fans of accessible, singer-songwriter based music. If youre seeking Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence, this isnt it.

If you want to check this album out, you can download it from Amazon or Itunes. If youre a technological simpleton or otherwise not into downloading, spend a little bit more dough on Amazon and theyll burn a CDR of it for you.

An area of opportunity I see for Lloyd with future endeavors is to recruit a keyboard player and drummer. That said, this young man has a great career ahead of him. Bravo, Mr. Lloyd.

Conclusion: 6 out of 10

JIM CORCORAN

[TM]

Just listened to What Did You Notice and I must say nice job!

I think I might have mentioned that parts of this song remind me of 10cc's I'm Not In Love.

But it's nice to hear Rob with some "production" behind him- with the bass, and double tracking, etc. And I too agree with the reviewer that a full band behind him would be very nice.

Nice work!

[Preston Platform]

Thanks for listening again ......the 10 cc similarity was quite unintentional and when pointed out is something that Rob finds difficult to take and is somewhat embarassed by.

Hope you liked his latest originals as well ( trying to be nice ,whispers etc) even in their rough work in progress form

[TM]

Mar 6, 2012 13:33:05 GMT -5 Preston Platform said:

Thanks for listening again ......the 10 cc similarity was quite unintentional and when pointed out is something that Rob finds difficult to take and is somewhat embarassed by.

Hope you liked his latest originals as well ( trying to be nice ,whispers etc) even in their rough work in progress form

Oh my bad! Please let him know I meant it as a compliment. You can tell it wasn't intentional by the way the rest of the song goes.

I look forward to checking out his other work.

[Preston Platform]

In Dreams

A new work in progress tune by Rob

I like this one its a real personal one and features great vocals and
lyrics..hope you enjoy it in its draft form



Take a basket of goodnight kisses
Drop them off at the Eiffel Tower
Then youll know the full extent of your power
I will take a handful of farewell teardrops
Scatter them across Hampstead heath
Maybe then we will find something underneath

And I will show you
What a pleasure it has been
I have no regrets
And you are still
Dancing in my dreams
Let the wind wrap around your body
Through the cloth of your vintage scarf

Maybe then youll see how unique you are
Let the sun travel through your fingers
Or sit and read in your favourite chair
If you want a part of me can be there

Be there to tell you
What a pleasure it has been

I have no regrets
And you are still
Dancing in my dreams

I would like to tell you
What a pleasure it has been
I have no regrets
And you are still

I have no regrets
And you are still
I am proud to say
That you are still
Dancing in my dreams

[Preston Platform]

New tune from Rob hope you are able to give it a listen
Stay Keen


Dreary North West nights
Left us tired
Stripped our lives
Past desires

Could a different hand have been dealt
If we had sooner expressed how we felt ?

If we had stayed keen ,rejected routine
pictured the places we hadn't yet seen

If you had stayed keen
I would have stayed keen on you too

But how could we stay keen , reject the routine
when my mind was in tatters, your place was pristine ?

If you had stayed keen
I would have stayed keen on you too

How can one year feel
Like eternity ?
Soon it will be confined
To our history

Could we lessen the rate of decline ?
If I said that I am yours
Will you please be mine
If we had stayed keen ,rejected routine
pictured the places we hadn't yet seen
If you had stayed keen
I would have stayed keen on you too

But how could we stay keen, reject the routine
when my mind was in tatters, your place was pristine ?

If you had stayed keen
I would have stayed keen on you too

But now
Now
were through

But if we had stayed keen
What might have been ?

But if we had stayed keen
What might have been ?

But if we had stayed keen
What might have ... ?

What might have been ?

Copyright Robert Lloyd
2012
All rights reserved

[Preston Platform]

From the same Whispers practice session a live version of In dreams

Hope you enjoy Rob is proud of his vocals and lyrics on this one



Take a basket of goodbye kisses
Drop them off at the Eiffel Tower
Then youll know the full extent of your power
I will take a handful of farewell teardrops
Scatter them across Hampstead heath
Maybe then we will find something underneath

And I will show you
What a pleasure it has been
I have no regrets
And you are still
Dancing in my dreams
Let the wind wrap around your body
Through the cloth of your vintage scarf

Maybe then youll see how unique you are
Let the sun travel through your fingers
Or sit and read in your favourite chair
If you want a part of me can be there

Be there to tell you
What a pleasure it has been

I have no regrets
And you are still
Dancing in my dreams

I would like to tell you
What a pleasure it has been
I have no regrets
And you are still

I have no regrets
And you are still
I am proud to say
That you are still
Dancing in my dreams

[Preston Platform]

A totally live version of 'whispers from an empty room'



She went away ,she had no obligation to stay
Her decision was made
She severed all ties along the way.

And when she makes her mind up then its made
I thought I knew her well enough to say


I dont care if you go
I dont care if you stay
You dont have to go slow
You dont have to delay
You entered my life
Took me by surprise , neglected my other ties
But now if you fly it wont come as a surprise
I have been prepared for a long, long, long time

She packed her bags
Quickly, I realised what I had
Appeared to lose , but swiftly move on became my tune

In truth ,I made no effort to protest
And ultimately I know her better than all the rest

I dont care if you go
I dont care if you stay
You dont have to go slow
You dont have to delay
You entered my life
Took me by surprise , neglected all my ties
But now if you fly it wont come as a surprise
I have been prepared for a long, long, long time

And now I am hearing whispers from an empty room
And now I am hearing whispers from an empty room
And now I am hearing whispers from an empty room

Can you hear the whispers ?

Robert Lloyd
All rights reserved copyright 2012

[Nonfatman]

I've been busy and preoccupied with many things, but I have noted Rob's new videos on the Board, and look forward to listening and commenting when I can.

Jeff

[Preston Platform]

Thanks Jeff look forward to hearing your views on these latest tunes

A totally live and amended version of Trying To be Nice



Lyrics

When you said that you needed me no more,
If you meant it, then how can I be sure , that you ever did you ever really did
I won't try to pretend our potential,
Still remains when its clear I am too sentimental for you,
To cope with ,or handle at all.

And I've told you once,
I've told you twice,
I'm trying to be, trying to be nice
For the sake of our history
I've swallowed my pride
I'm trying to be nice

Trying to be nice.

I recall when you cared what I wanted,
But the wheels on our romance have, now sadly halted and I you move your attention from me.
Confrontation will not assist me and the more that I say the more you will dismiss me

And I'm afraid that's the way that it is.

And I've told you once,
I've told you twice,
For the sake of our history
I've swallowed my pride
I'm trying to be nice,
I'm trying to be nice.

Trying to be nice.

And do you remember when we said we are fallen flat
And at the time we vowed that there was no going back?
Although we found each others arms, This time it's over ,I will try to be calm,
This time it's over
This time it's over

And I've told you once
I've told you twice
I'm trying to be
Trying to be nice
For the sake of our history
I've swallowed my pride
I'm trying to be nice

For the sake of our history
I've swallowed my pride
I'm trying to be nice
All rights reserved Copyright Robert Lloyd Davies 2012

[Preston Platform]

Here is the last of Robs recently recorded live songs

This is an extended version of his melancholy tune
From Time To Time


Hope you enjoyed this mini live set of Robs tunes



From Time To Time ( Extended Version)

You’ve got me feeling like a fool
I ‘ve even simplified my tunes
My thoughts are occupied by you

And I have been lucky not to lose
My Mind
My Mind
My Mind
I used to sing from time to time
And even dance from time to time
but never now I am in your eyes

Since you emerged out of the gloom
Felt like I had broken all my rules
You are a riddle
And I am
without a clue

And I’ll be lucky not to lose
My Mind
My Mind
My Mind
I used to sing from time to time
I even danced from time to time
But never now I am in your eyes

But I was always certain that our love
Would fail
And there were many people who knew we would not
Prevail
And I am not the only one to recognise your worth
Darling, that is the worst
thing about loving you

La La La La la


All rights reserved
Copyright Robert Lloyd Davies 2012

[Fullfrontalbuddha]

Very cool, I was just listening to 'Trying to be Nice' a few minutes ago.

Excellent lyrics on that one as well, and I've heard some of it before in Rob's other tunes, but there were a few phrases in that one in particular, that had a similar quality to Ian's early vocal parts. Best of luck with the album Rob, I look forward to hearing the finished product.

I may update my screen name again too, for variety's sake, although I do like Baker St. Muse as an 'identity' for a Tull board.

[Preston Platform]

Thanks so much for taking the time to listen and comment on Robs tunes

I think I agree with your point about trying to be nice ..it has certain lyrical similarities to some of Ians work Rob is a big Tull fan and will be seeing his 13 th show with me during the TAAB tour

[Preston Platform]

My favourite tunes from this forthcoming release are In Dreams and From time To Time. It looks like Whats Right for You May well be dropped simply as it was written some six years ago and Rob feels its no longer relevant

[Preston Platform]

Rob has recorded a bunch of new tunes captured totally live on a cheap video camera. Here is the first of them......

The Spike



I have got something inside my brain
A little spike it flickers fades
It comes and goes without my say
I used to sit and hope that it would go away

And when you asked me what was wrong
Said I was fine and went along
I would grit my teeth and carry on
I was convinced that's what you would want
And I never wanted you to think that I was teetering on the brink
But I was
They call it the spike
It's there day and night
It's there day and night
Whatever you try
A part of your life
Sometimes without warning without prior plan
I found myself warming like oil in a pan
The temperature raising a prickling heat
A facade of contentment is quite the deceit
And when you took me by by the hand
It seemed to blunt the serpent's fangs
The calmness fuelled the flames beneath
Only a transient relief
And I never wanted it to seem that I was tumbling down a jagged ravine
But I was
They call it the spike
It's there day and night
Whatever you try
A part of your life
They call it the spike
It's there day and night

Whatever you try
A part of your life
Your life
Your life
It's a part of your life
Your life
Your life
It's a part of your life

words and music by Robert Lloyd
All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2012

[Preston Platform]

Another new tune from Rob captured totally live on a cheap video camera

Alpha Male



I may not be 6 foot tall
I may be rubbish at football
I may not be an engineer
But my love for you won't disappear, like his will
I am no alpha male
But when his macho act grows stale
I'll still be here
Now if you're not in tune with me
My talk may reek of jealousy
But really all I'm trying to say
Is you could do much better but you'll never listen anyway.
So here comes alpha male
But when his macho act grows stale
I'll still be here
I'll still be here
I'll still be right here
You better believe me when I say
There's only one thing he really thinks of anyway
Bravado is nice but are you really that secure?
Will you be able to stand when he moves on without a thought?
Cause alpha male don't think
About your feelings or such things
But he's consistent
He's confident and sure
And never insecure
And that's what you want
You love your alpha male
But soon his promises will fail
He'll disappear
I am no alpha male
But when his macho act grows stale
I'll still be here
I'll still be here
I'll still be RIGHT here.

words and music
by Robert Lloyd
all rights reserved
copyright 2012

[Preston Platform]

Another new tune




Four letter word

You will be forgiven for ignoring me when in a crowd
I will be forgiven for my frowns
We know each other better than they all know each other
And this is a source of sense to me right now
But your name is a four letter word
And every time I utter it I am left hurt
Your name has only one syllable
And every time I speak it I am left vulnerable

You will be forgiven for not recognising it was time
And I will be forgiven for my choice
We now haunt each other in a way that only we can know
A shadow cast upon me by your voice

Your name is a four letter word
And every time I utter it I am left hurt
Your name has only one syllable
And every time I speak it I am left vulnerable

My four letter word
Could I feel any worse now you're gone
My four letter word
I left you now I am cursed
I can't Move on
My four letter word
Could I feel any worse now you're gone
My four letter word
I left you now I am cursed
I can't move on

Words and Music by
Robert Lloyd
all rights reserved 2012

[Preston Platform]

Another of Robs latest tunes

The Fool



I am a fool
I might as well just make this bold announcement
At parties and at such gatherings I am an embarrassment
And when I speak I see them laugh at me
And when I crack a joke it causes agony
And when I raise a point they simply ignore me
But she sits with me

I am the kind of man who clings to times and past adventures
But sadly I can soon descend to quite banal conjecture
And when I start I see them roll their eyes
A hushed remark provides a very weak disguise
She tells me I should try to just relax some times
And she ever lies

She kept me on the ground
She really kept me sane
Reminded me to call my friends, not drift away
She brought me down to earth when I was miles away
I thought that she was here to stay

I'll have to find another her someday

Words and Music by
Robert Lloyd
all rights reserved 2012

[Nonfatman]

Jul 14, 2012 13:18:47 GMT -5 Preston Platform said:

Another of Robs latest tunes

The Fool



I am a fool
I might as well just make this bold announcement
At parties and at such gatherings I am an embarrassment
And when I speak I see them laugh at me
And when I crack a joke it causes agony
And when I raise a point they simply ignore me
But she sits with me

I am the kind of man who clings to times and past adventures
But sadly I can soon descend to quite banal conjecture
And when I start I see them roll their eyes
A hushed remark provides a very weak disguise
She tells me I should try to just relax some times
And she ever lies

She kept me on the ground
She really kept me sane
Reminded me to call my friends, not drift away
She brought me down to earth when I was miles away
I thought that she was here to stay

I'll have to find another her someday

Words and Music by
Robert Lloyd
all rights reserved 2012

I'm looking forward to sampling some of Rob's new tunes soon....I've been away from the Board too long!

Jeff

[Preston Platform]

look forward to hearing your views on these latest tunes

My favourite of these newer tunes is In Dreams closely followed by the Spike

Rob is currently working on a 6 min tune that is absolutely stunning should be able to share a demo of it in a week or so

[Preston Platform]

Great review of Robs Home Truths release has just been posted on UK site Musicians Together

musicianstogether.com/magazine/2012/07/25/home-truths-robert-lloyd/

“Home Truths” is the debut album from North-West England based Robert Lloyd. His brother Alun plays bass and also had a hand in arranging the tracks. Predominantly acoustic, this record features a collection of well-crafted and intelligent commentaries on the human condition, reminiscent of Morrissey or Jarvis Cocker.

Robert Lloyd is one of the most unique and interesting artists I have listened to in quite a while. The two key elements that make him stand out from the crowd are his song-writing and vocal delivery. Pick any track at random from this album and you’ll hear words and rhyming couplets that you just never thought you’d hear put together in a song. I won’t spoil it by giving you examples here – just listen. If you read them off the page you might think he had ‘swallowed a dictionary’ (as we used to say about people smarter than us when we were kids) or was being pretentious; but it is his style. It feels natural and just works. I love a bit of lyrically shallow rock n roll (Legs/Tush, “ZZ Top” anyone?) as much as the next guy – but a tune about how a couple’s expectations going into a relationship (influenced by unrealistic cultural mores) have made it unsatisfying – occasionally demands a few fancy multi-sylabbic words.

All these fancy words also necessitate a semi-spoken, almost conversational cadence – which Robert unapologetically delivers in his native, broad Lancastrian (a Northen English regional) accent. This is actually quite difficult to pull off – and is even avoided by many artists, who intentionally or otherwise, default to a generic North American accent. Robert’s accented delivery injects an element of honesty and integrity that works perfectly with the material.

Home Truths is a collection of songs that tackle romantic relationships. In such well-trodden ground it is refreshing that none of the tracks are predictable, trite or cliched. Rather, they look at getting together , staying together or breaking-up from some new and interesting angles. Because of Robert’s transparancy, never flinching from admitting his own weaknesses, the songs sometimes seem to come from a place of insecurity. But I don’t read them this way; instead I think that he looks at relationships in a more philosophical/detached way than most.

Musically, there are a host of detectable influences. I have already mentioned Morrissey and Jarvis Cocker, but there are also distinct shades of Lennon/McCartney and Noel Gallagher, amongst others. Perhaps predominantly a blend of folksy singer-songwriters and 90′s Britpop.

The only other review I have read of this album suggested that the tracks were too eclectic for one disc, perhaps requiring separate acoustic and electric records. I disagree. I think the songs work well together musically and thematically. In my opinion, the main weakness of ‘Home Truths’ is that Robert and Alun were unable to match their vision for the songs with the instrumentation/production they would need to fulfill that vision. There are songs that work well as stripped back acoustic numbers (‘Sailed Away’, ‘Where Did You Go?’) and others where the electric parts fit just right ( ‘What Did You Notice?’). However, you can feel the large, multi-layered, soundscapes imagined for some tracks (‘Melt The Ice’, ‘Keep Your Reciept’) which only a professional production could achieve. This isn’t an issue of ability, therefore, just a surplus of ambition! Hopefully, Robert’s musical career will provide him with the opportunities to create tracks as he imagines them in the future.

Overall, ‘Home Truths’ is highly recommended, particularly if you like your music intelligent, quirky and honest. Robert is definitely an artist to watch out for.


Hope that folks have taken the time to check out Robs post Home Truths tunes.
He is in the middle of recording songs for his 'Whispers' CD and iit will hopefully be released this year

[TM]

Congrats to Rob on that review!

If you remember Pat and I stated early on that Rob's songs would definitely benefit from a band effort and production.

While Rob is very talented in this stripped down fashion, I'd love to hear him backed by a band.

Best of luck!