A Town Without Pity

[Mike Neer]

No, I'm not talking about New York. But I could be.

I hadn't thought of this tune in decades and yesterday it popped in my head and I sat down and made an arrangement of it today.
Gene Pitney recorded a great version of this tune with lyrics by Ned Washington and music by Dimitri Tiomkin for the movie of the same title.

I went for a more distressed kind of tone with the Sol Rickenbacher, using a little grit/saturation in hopes of portraying despair.

I always have a blast putting these tracks together. I used some loops from Johnny Vidacovich, the great New Orleans drummer, and the piano part I created in Real Tracks. The rest is me.

You don't have to purchase to listen, it's absolutely free.
https://mikeneer.bandcamp.com/track/a-town-without-pity

[Mike Harris]

Nice choice and great work, Mike.

[Doug Beaumier]

Cool, Mike. I really like the overdriven sound. Your phrasing and tone here remind me of Jeff Beck.

[Chuck S. Lettes]

Nice recording, Mike. I always liked that tune, and your arrangement brings out the noir atmosphere.
Chuck

[Joel Monson]

Great job, Mike. Love your just right vibrato and in your face tone, just right also !!

[Rick Bernauer]

Nice tone and played well, Mike. Always liked this song since I heard Ronnie Montrose play it back in the late '70s.

[Madeline Dietrich]

I love this, Mike! Really gorgeous playing. I like where you cut loose a little bit, around 2/3 way through the track.

[Jim Mckay]

Fantastic to say the least. Top shelf

[Jerry Gleason]

Nice, Mike. That's a song that really lends itself to steel guitar. I recorded a similar arrangement about a dozen years ago, based on the Gene Pitney recording. It's probably still up on Soundcloud. Your version has a little more grit, I think, which I like.

[Mike Neer]

Thanks for listening and thanks for your comments everyone.
I work really fast and intensely when I am learning a tune with the goal of arranging and recording.
I probably spend a day or two thinking about the tune and how I might approach it. I always feel like I can go many different directions with an arrangement, but ultimately I have to make a choice. In this case I had another idea that I liked more, but it would have been more difficult to make that happen quickly. This would be what I consider a demo.

The melody is the most important thing to think about, and the approach to playing the melody is something I really enjoy contemplating. The most simple little phrases and the way they are played makes all the difference in the world. Of course, using the right tone is another personal choice. Some people don’t care for any kind of overdrive and others can’t do without it. Believe it or not, there is very little gain on this track. It is my Roland JC amp mic’d and then run through a compressor and amp plugin that adds a little bit of edge. But this guitar sings no matter what I use.

I can remember the Ronnie Montrose version! When I was in my late teens, one of our local department stores with a killer record dept. was going out of business and they were selling 8-track tapes for like $.50. Every day I would come home with another 20 or so—some of my most influential music was purchased that week. The Montrose tape was one of them, among other all the Wes Montgomery, Dixie Dregs, UK, etc.

[Tony Oresteen]

Nice job Mike! It's a great song. Lilli Passero did a great version on The Voice a few years back. And I like Brian Setzer's version as well.

A classic for sure.

[Nelson Checkoway]

Beautiful job! I love the song and the sound and feel you bring to it. I’d love to hear you do a medley of this with the Perry Mason Theme sandwiched in the middle—both cut from the same orchestral cloth. Thanks Mike!!

[Andy Volk]

I didn’t know this song but wow, great playing and film noir vibes. I can hear some influence from your recent Hindustani guitar studies. Cool track, Mike!

[Mike Neer]

Appreciate it gents.

Andy, I think it’s important to recognize how beneficial the lessons were for me in helping to get closer to the expression I have been looking for.

I’ve decided to release this one as a single on all streaming platforms because I like the way it turned out. The steel performance was one take and is pretty raw. It all came together in a matter of hours and believe it or not, most of that time was spent putting the drum track together from loops of Johnny Vidacovich, one of my favorite drummers.

[Chris Templeton]

Mike, your sliding is superb. Long and totally accurate. In tune slides that bring out the BEST of the steel.

[Craig Stock]

Really nice Mike!

I agree with Doug that it's reminds me of Jeff Beck too, and they there's that Hawaiian twist in there.

Keep up the great work and interesting material!

[Steve Cunningham]

Very cool Mike, you definitely captured the vibe. I love the Yngwie lick at 1:51, and the sacred steel lick at 1:58…you’re speaking my language man!

[Larry Dering]

Mike,very cool stuff. I've always like this from Pitney. Brings back memories of my youth.

[Mike Neer]

I do appreciate all the nice comments. This is a great way for me to blow off steam in between other studies and projects, and like Larry said, the nostalgia factor is high. I’ve been doing that a lot lately.

Still, I trudge on with some other projects that are fairly ambitious and maybe just a labor of love. Time will tell.

[Miles Lang]

That sounds really great, Mike. I’ve been moving in that direction on our new project, savage steel noir!

[Bob Delle Cava]

Great work Mike! Great song!