Peter Clarke - Firelord - Symphonic (a nod to Glyn)
With Glyn's brand spanking, new remix uploaded just recently, you may feel this is a strange remix/cover to upload at this time…?
My problem with Glyn's new Firelord remix (and don't get me wrong, it's a lovely, well crafted piece of work) …is that I love the old remix version so much… Even though the samples in the 2002 version sound unrealistic here in 2019, it has been up there, at the top of the 'all-time' charts for 17 years. The arrangement is really tasteful and personally, I've grown to love the nuances and different styles within it.. I've got an inkling that there are others out there who feel the same way…
So, here's a remix/cover of Glyn's 2002 version of Firelord…
Over 60 hours of listening, over & over again to pull apart the old remix arrangement, (which gave me a new respect for the amount of work that went into that 2002 version).
Just about another 100 hours putting together this version.
Hopefully, I've captured enough of the nuances and essence that it feels and sounds something like Glyn's 2002 Firelord… with higher quality samples and my own tweaks and tasty bits sprinkled in here and there, of course…
(..and to quote ryrynz, "a higher level of 'boom')…
27 tracks in the DAW to do this and a Sh*t load of fine tuning to mix & balance it…
Technique
Artistic skill
Nostalgia factor
Overall rating
On one hand, the technical achievements of this remix (… of a remix 😊 ) are undeniable. The instrumentation is as good as one can get without hiring a real orchestra in Prague (right, Chris? 😊 ). To me the absolute highlight of this arrangement are the new vocals/choirs that appear at 2:02 and towards the end - I wish they were featured more in this remix.
On the other hand, this is
justa refresh of a previously created arrangement, and thus, feels a bit redundant. Other than the different vocals, it doesn't add much to Glyn's 17 year old arrangement. One of the reasons I really like Glyn's 2019 arrangement is because it is NOT a rehash - he actually changed the arrangement in significant ways (IMHO, to its advantage), in addition to giving it an instrumental
update.
Don't get me wrong, Peter, the amount of work you put into this is phenomenal, and it really shows (thus my high marks). I know from myself how much one can learn by trying to deconstruct and then reconstruct somebody else's arrangement. But to be brutally honest, your remix is something I might not listen to much ever again, but I tend to listen to Glyn's on a regular basis, and I'm sure I will continue to do so until my ears turn blue. 😊
Technique
Artistic skill
Nostalgia factor
Overall rating