My fourth son gave me a John Mayall with Eric Clapton CD which has been quite enjoyable. On the track "What'd I Say?" ("Gonna send ya back to Arkansas," that one.) there is unmistakably the bass line from the Beatles "Day Tripper." I don't know who stole it from whom, or whether it was a standard riff at the time that both happened to use. But there it was.
I don't think of the Beatles as a blues outfit. It's members started in skiffle bands, and once I considered it, I recognised that a lot of their earliest stuff was bluesy. Not that many songs were standard 12-bar blues, but it's clearly there once you look for it. From memory
Day Tripper
Get Back
Don't Let Me Down
Roll Over Beethoven
Paperback Writer
I Saw Her Standing There
Back In The USSR
Can't Buy Me Love
Tax Man
Come Together
Can anyone think of (or research) others?
Revolution, especially obvious in the slow version (Revolution 1 on the White Album).
ReplyDeleteNot to rain on your parade, but there are lots of ways to get a better handle on blues than Eric Clapton (the scouting report on him is weak voice, good technique but NO chops, has trouble with the low-and-inside off-speed stuff...). And for GODS SAKE MAN, put down those silly Beatles records or someone will mistake you for a, a..poofter.
ReplyDeleteI'll have a listen and see if you're right about the established bass line.
There are tons of music snobs, and I don't mean to be one. Enjoy whatever you'd like. Just try a little something off the menu now and then. JJ Cale, for example. Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, T-Bone Walker, Rod Piazza for other examples.
Revolution. The White Album. Lawrence Welk. Pat Boone. No soul. Sold a loooot of records, but no soul.
Read louder. I never said I was a Beatles fan. I was tasteless in entirely different ways.
ReplyDeleteAnd you can't outsnob me on roots music, simply because I'm an obnoxious person who can sound like he knows what he's talking about. Though I admit, I'd never heard of Rod Piazza. As to being off-menu, heh. (Previous post)
http://assistantvillageidiot.blogspot.com/2007/03/variety.html
Back in the U.S.S.R is really a parody of Chuck Berry's Back in the USA, with some Beach Boys sound thrown in for good measure. The Beach Boys (really Brian Wilson) and the Beatles had a friendly rivalry going on. Revolver inspired Wilson to create Pet Sounds. When the Beatle Boys heard that album they said, with respect "How can we possibly top that?" Well, Sgt. Pepper was a good run for the money.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, take Dan's advice on JJ Cale. Excellent stuff.