Shadowing The Beatles

[Fenderman]

To best honest i was never a fan of Hank or The Shadows covers of Beatles songs, they just didn't 'do it' for me and seemed to lack something, having said that Hank's new recording of Michelle and Fool on the hill are excellent but i can do without Ticket to ride, Strawberry fields forever or A hard day's night.

[Uncle Fiesta]

Something else about it struck me. It emphasizes the 'flaw' in so many of these Youtube 'tribute' videos where you watch one man playing his version of a Shadows/Hank tune. The results are variable, with some being flawless; but there is no interaction between the player and the 'band' (backing track) How could there be?

How indeed could there be? Basically they're trying to interact with people they've never met, don't know, and who aren't even there in the room with them!

Perhaps this is why I seldom use others' backing tracks these days, preferring to stick to my own. I'm playing with myself in a way.

(Yes, I'm aware that last bit reads differently from how it sounded in my head when I was typing it.)

[cockroach]

Here's a vocal hit played as an instrumental- by the bloke who played on the original recording...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip-LzbWs6FQ

Hmm...it's OK, but it's just someone playing the melody of the original song, with the same arrangement, on a guitar. I'd far rather listen to the original which (IMO) has way more energy and 'punch' than this. I just don't see why you'd bother swapping a vocal line for an instrumental and not bother to rearrange it or do something interesting with it. It's like instrumental karaoke.

For goodness sake!

The bloke playing on that clip is Louie Shelton- he played on the original Jackson 5 recording.

Other well known solos etc he played are the guitar parts on The Monkees Last Train to Clarksville, and Lionel Ritichie's Hello...there are similar clips where he demonstrates how he created the solos etc...

'Tough crowd' on this website, as the Americans would say!

[Uncle Fiesta]

Dead right there, John, when it comes to guitar instrumentals I am a very tough crowd indeed!

I like only the best, and when I don't like something, I'm not afraid to say so, and say why.

[MartcasterJunior]

Not really a tough crowd; just a crowd who like what they like, and doing a straightforward cover of a well-known song over a backing track with the same arrangement as the original just doesn't float my boat. I'm not bothered if he's a famous session man. I've seen professionals who bore the pants off me (hello Eric Clapton), and amateurs who'd blow you away.

[Tab]

A straight forward cover will work on many a good song - 'Heaven Is A Place On Earth' is a good example. Other numbers as instrumentals need something extra.

[Tab]

I should add that Roger A's 'Georgie Girl' is another fine example.

[Uncle Fiesta]

They'd both have to be really good arrangements to keep me in the room.

Why can't people just forget about this awful stuff and play real instrumentals and be done with it?

[JimN]

Not really a tough crowd; just a crowd who like what they like, and doing a straightforward cover of a well-known song over a backing track with the same arrangement as the original just doesn't float my boat. I'm not bothered if he's a famous session man. I've seen professionals who bore the pants off me (hello Eric Clapton), and amateurs who'd blow you away.

A few years ago - 2011 - a small band of us (names all well-known here) ventured into London in the evening to see Richard Thompson's Meltdown concert at the Royal Festival Hall. The bill included Thompson himself, Martin Simpson, John Etheridge, Nokie Edwards (only the second time I'd ever seen him live), James Burton (the only time I've ever seen him live) and some bod called Dennis Coffey, who was apparently a session player at Motown. He has an effusive Wikipedia page, which proves that there is no accounting for taste.

Whilst the others (especially Burton and Edwards) all had plenty to say musically - and even if it was only another performance of Walk - Don't Run! in Nokie's case - Coffey effectively had nothing to contribute and seemed to be there just to make up the numbers and just because he had a link to some famous hit records and artists.

His turn at playing consisted of the backing band playing a single chord - yes - that monotonously - over a funky rhythm whilst he noodled aimlessly over it. This was no exposition of the Coltranesque stream of consciousness, Schoenberg twelve-tone-scale approach or Bird-like arpeggiated tri-tone substitutes. It was just predictable and basic pentatonic perfunction like any pub jam night player can produce. You may think I'm either kidding or exaggerating. I'm absolutely not.

Some of the (capacity) audience seemed to genuinely enjoy it. Others went along with it out of politeness and applauded. Some of us didn't feel that obligated.

[Iain Purdon]

Remind me never to perform in your presence again, Jim!