This is another mix/version of the first song I put up here on Bandamp.
It predates the previous version in that there is no drum track and no studio trickery other than multitracking.
I am playing all instruments other than Lead guitar which is superbly played by my friend Eamon Troy.
It also contains a whole extra verse which , I feel, resolves the song lyrically. It may not be as "finished " a version as the previous but it has a certain "je ne sais quoi" and I almost prefer it!
Comments welcome.

SHAME

This is not the movies,baby
I’m not the hero,
No happy endings here
No smiling Bob DeNiro
The cavalry will never come
Riding o’er the hill,
Captain Kirk wont beam you up
When it comes to time to pay the bill.
Shame!

We waste our energy
On the absurd pretence
That everything will be okay
If we just feign indifference;
And here it is reality-
It’s cold and empty as it gets,
How we maintain this glib veneer
Is the measure of our happiness.
Shame!

Welcome to the twilight zone                         
The kingdom of the mobile phone                
where every dog has got it’s bone                   
And every kid is home alone                          
And every sordid tragedy
Is on the box for all to see
The greed, the wealth, the poverty
Crawling out of your T.V.
Shame!

I don’t want to be the one
Who has to burst your bubble,
After you have worked so hard
To isolate yourself from trouble;
Here is the reality-
As cold and empty as it gets,
The only thing that changes here
Is the price of beer and cigarettes.
Shame!

natural sounds are wonderful
voice is wonderful even the way you use the voice as an instrument. very dynamic and full of expression.
the lead guitar fits right in, cool playing, very professional, same to the mix and the decision to let the lead walk through the room (panning)
but sorry the very last tone (E0?) played by the piano destroys the complete mood and brings me back to real life.  Cut that out please and it is perfect to me
and almost 5 minutes are not boring because the song is very interesting
can you put up the lyrics by time?

Again great. Trying to decide if I prefer previous version or this one, leaning toward this one but will have to listen more to decide. You have a great voice and to me your range and emotion comes through better on this version. The guitar is absolutely incredible - adds so much to the song which I think is why I'm enjoying this version better. Given the mood of the song the wail of the guitar gives much more feel and build than the drums in the previous version. Very talented, very professional. Look forward to more.

Didn't hear the first version.

Love the overall sound and feel. Interested to know what your using for strings, it's something I'm searching for.
I particularly like the character in your vox. Did you post the lyrics?

I could see this going down well to a live audiance!!

Look forward to hearing more from you.

Denis

This version has (to me) a completely different "feel" (as compared to the original). The original had a haunting quality to it that I found arresting. This version is more polished, less "haunting". I have listened to this several times. My initial impression was that I preferred the original (I liked the dynamics of the original....the sparse, primal verse, the dramatic, cascading chorus), but now, I am warming to this current version. I agree that the additional verse helps to resolve the song. I'm afraid I found the "slash and burn" guitar a bit disruptive to the overall mood of the piece (the piece has a dramatic, yet refined quality to it...the guitar evokes an abrupt feeling of violence that I found a bit distracting. The guitar volume level may be a bit too high) but I'm not sure....I'll keep listening.(...most good work requires several "listens".).  I hope you keep both of them here so that I can continue to hear them both. This IS an impressive piece of work!

Very nicely done.  I love the lyrics, some production mix things I would do different but this is very nicely done.  I love the all the guitar work in this, but the outstanding part is the vocals. This reminds me of Pink Floyd in the early days for some reason.  Great job. gonna load it into the player , cause i like it that much.

you got some nice muse going on here. I like the strings falling in.
Well done!

Another great take...The whole thing just inundates me with awe...this is great in all levels...I'm totally Impressed by both versions.Nice guitar tone!!!!!
Your voice and lyrical projections reminds me of Zappa in the 2.00 mark...

Thanks to all for the comments.
Denis, the strings were done on a keyboard that was lying round at the time - I will try and discover exactly what machine it was and come back to you.
For those of you who wanted the lyrics,  I have put them up -