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Mashups That Didn't Make the Cut: Dio and The Human League - Don't You Want the Rainbow in the Dark

🕑 Added 2023-05-01 12:46:50 +0000 UTC

Comments

Eric Schwenke

I think my biggest problem with this is that the Human League’s vocals just feel flat and lifeless compared to Dio’s.

Ellen Rogers

Love it

Daniel Brulotte

A great start there!! Like the other said, the only thing missing is more vocal interactions between or finding a cameo that can fit the bill. All the work you put in fitting the synth part (really satisfying to hear) worth it strengthening the harmony between the two songs. I'm sure time will give you the answer to what the missing part is. :)

Mr. Nobody

Thanks dude. This rocks!

Mr. Nobody

This Dio song is so ingrained in my 80s upbringing I can't look away. Need MOAR!!

Bill McClintock

I find it’s best to make as few changes as possible, so that means taking A LOT more time to find two songs that fit together naturally. When you make too many changes, you destroy the integrity of one or both songs.

Biff Wellington

It does sound good, but I agree with a lot of your issues about it. You had to make a lot of changes for everything to fit together. I like your mashups far better than DJ Cummerbund's, because he changes things way too drastically. When you're changing the actual lyrics like he does, you sort of take it out of the realm of mashups and into the realm of deepfakes.

Bill McClintock

Good insight. Chorus definitely just lays flat.

Dave Wilson

Like some others have already said I think the verse is fantastic and it just flows so well. The problem is that the chorus just doesn't have any lift to it, and I'm not sure how you're going to fix that. Some of the guest solos you use are just inspired but a guest solo in this still won't make the chorus pop. Maybe you could look at finding a third song with a vocal track that gives it a stronger chorus.

Tim Natale

This is awesome. I would consider where you have "Don't you want me baby" with "In the dark" trailing off of that. Combine more Dio vocals.

Bill McClintock

Very detailed feedback! Thanks!

CGRenders

It's a good mashup. I certainly get what you mean about it being a lot of slice and dice once you're out of the verse. Can't say whether you should finish it, but some synthy things that came to mind as I was listening were to bring the intro synth back over the second half of the verses, to continue the synth arpeggiations you've started over the choruses and modulate to F and G through the "you know I can't believe it..." parts, and to somehow work a big G chord in place of the arpeggiations at the "OOOH-OH-OH-OH" part, which I think would help that land.

Bill McClintock

I appreciate the feedback. I agree that adding a guitar solo could spice it up.

Bill McClintock

Thanks for the feedback. It's on the back burner for now but I may revisit it.

Bill McClintock

Thank you. I started working on another combo but may revisit that soon.

GumWad

To my untrained ear that sounded great. I totally understand dropping a project if it is no longer fun, but this has a lot of potential if you continue. Add a few Ronnie vocals and of course a guitar solo and you would make one of my favorites.

Hattrick

As I listened to it before hearing your thoughts, I also was like, yikes that is a lot of mangling on the rise. What makes saying cut this hard is the end of the chorus. Having the vocal finish out after the drum ride is brilliant. Also, just overall, this song feels like it could be a real blast live. I guess I'm in both camps. If we're honest, the videos oftentimes make a meh mash awesome.

elm0e

I like this. I agree about adding more Dio vocals, and I wondered about sneaking in a synth riff from the original.

Bill McClintock

Thanks, Ritchie. No hook - that's a great way to put it. I think that's what I was trying to say in the video. Great point about the fast and syncopated vocals in the pre-chorus as well.

Bill McClintock

Thanks. You can try www.karaoke-version.com. You can search their database of songs by key and/or tempo.

Bill McClintock

Thank you, I appreciate the feedback.

Bill McClintock

Thanks, Angus. That's what I was afraid of.

Bill McClintock

Thanks, Hólmgeir. Dio is great. Happy birthday!

Bill McClintock

Thank you for this, Matt. Glad to hear that it still feels like Dio even after all of the changes. I could try to do more call and response throughout.

Ritchie Lamond

I’m afraid I’m in the cut it camp too. I think the verse works really well but I just don’t know where it’s building to - there’s no real hook to this one that brings me back - I think the rushed vocals of the original pre-chorus really jar with the heavier music track, Human League get away with it because everything becomes very light and breezy as it falls into the singalong chorus - obviously that can’t happen with a Dio backing track!

Jason Heimann

Put me in the "cut it" camp. I think the Dio track only works with some absolutely screaming vocals, as the guitars & drums absolutely dominate the audio spectrum. Not a lot of room for anything else to fit over top besides Ronnie James.

Marcelo Duhá

Well, I think it should make the cut ASAP

Chaz Worm

The keys sounds very close. I need to find a site where it has keys and tempos of songs listed. I wanna put bluegrass lyrics over punk.

ideamachineim

It's totally GREAT Bill! The "bending" is beautifully done and should be a standard! No worries! Bravo!

Angus McMahan

I hear ya Bill - great verses......and then it's having to bend too much to fit the pre-chorus and chorus. Close, but just a bit too much manipulating.

Hólmgeir Helgi Hallgrímsson

Hey Bill. I have to agree with everything that Matt Rose said before me :D I really like this track specially the synth track in the pre chorus part and DIO shouting "YOU LIE" I love it when you do something with DIO, he is my all time favorite and his HOLY DIVER album turns 40 this month....and so will I :) Best wishes from Iceland Hólmgeir

Matt Rose

Hey Bill. I personally really like this. I get where you're coming from with the feeling that you're having to manipulate the Dio track 'too much' or that you're having to construct a matching melody 'too much'. At the same time, the Dio track is completely familiar with the drum beat, the guitar tone, and the overall riff. Even in the pre-chorus area that you had to completely manufacture, it absolute felt like 'Rainbow in the Dark'. I think back to the work you had to do with the Huey Lewis/Metallica matchup where you had to construct some bits here and there from elements. You've done the same on other tracks too, although maybe not to this degree. Bottom line, what you made here still felt like RitD, so I think you're not losing the integrity of the song. I think you should keep pursuing this one. If I had any more suggestions, it'd be to add more call/response into the vocals with some good Dio shouts.