The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt

[EJK]

My wife was listening to "It Takes Two" (Strictly Come Dancing) on BBC 1 last night and I overheard that one of the dancing couples are dancing to Wilson Pickett's Land of a Thousand Dances this evening.

I recall seeing The Shadows in Glasgow in either 1966/67 in a theatre (Alhambra?) where they were in a show for about a week and at that time they added in the Land of a Thousand Dances chorus to the middle of Flingel Bunt just after Brian Bennett's drum breaks with John Rostill leading this riff highlighting a great driving beat. I often wonder why that was dropped in favour of the slowing down of the melody in that middle section which has became the norm when it was played live in concert dor many years.

To me the slowing down of the tempo ruins the bluesy feel of the number. Perhaps the Wilson Pickett piece was John Rostill's idea as he really drove the band in that number with Bruce and Brian hammering it out also. Does anyone recall this version as it did not last long in their stage concerts?

[StuartD]

Hi

I certainly remember it and you have it spot on. It is on the live version on the Live in Japan Album. They stopped after John left.

[drakula63]

Naah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Naah, Nah, Nah, Naah, Nah, Nah, Nah... Etc...

I love that version!!!

[Mikey]

[quote="drakula63"]Naah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Naah, Nah, Nah, Naah, Nah, Nah, Nah... Etc...

quote] Pity he couldn't remember the words!

[donna plasky]

I don't think I have ever heard that version of Flingel Bunt but I'm sure I would love it. I wonder if it was coordinated with this version of Nivram. During the bass solo at about 2:30, Hank and Bruce chant something silly at John. I think I have seen them do it before, but this clip was one I could easily find. It's a bit blurry, but I enjoy seeing Hank and Bruce tapping their feet to the beat, etc.

Kind regards,
Donna

[cockroach]

That's what players do for fun when they are gigging endlessly and get bored witless playing the same numbers every night

[Uncle Fiesta]

That's what players do for fun when they are gigging endlessly and get bored witless playing the same numbers every night

You bet. I used to stick a bit of the solo from A Hard Day's Night into Flingel Bunt. And At The Hop used to get the solo from Can't Buy Me Love. The other members of the band did similar things too probably but I forget now.

Donna, in your video Hank and Bruce are saying one of the lines from Pop Goes The Weasel - although I can't actually hear which.

[George Geddes]

I think the Alhambra season was actually 1968. Though it may have been 1967... I had a summer vacation job in central Glasgow and bumped in to Bruce outside Central Station. He was carrying cases to a car after the last show and was not very communicative. Only afterwards did I realise the tensions in the band at that point.

When I played FB in a band round about then, I stuck in the riff from All day and all of the night...

I don't think they sang any words in Nivram, it was more like 'La de dah de diddle de dah' in response to John's bass quote from PGTW.

George

[cockroach]

Jet also played that little thing (PGTW etc) or something similar in Nivram on the live Kingston CD.

It was always a common musical joke thing amongst jazz players.

[JimN]

Jet also played that little thing (PGTW etc) or something similar in Nivram on the live Kingston CD.
It was always a common musical joke thing amongst jazz players.

That was a real surprise when I first heard the Kingston CD - until then I had assumed that the Pop Goes The Weasel insert was a later (Rostill) innovation.

Of course, on the studio recording, Jet also played a snatch from the Sailor's Hornpipe (alternatively known as the Popeye theme) at the end of the bass solo...