Jet Harris-bass or guitar

[Arpeggio]

To be fair, because of well - known problems, Jet's memory for some things during the period concerned wasn't always 100% accurate. Whenever he mentioned "Diamonds" to me, it was always in connection with the Jaguar. However, no less an authority than Colin Pryce - Jones, who knew Jet well and backed him for virtually 25 year, has - in recent years - concluded that "Diamonds" was actually recorded deploying the Fender VI played very high up the neck. I will attempt to verify this with Charles Blackwell in due course. Jet being indisposed for the actual session, then the likelihood was that it was played by Big Jim Sullivan (who taught Jet how to play the Fender VI as a lead instrument in 1962). Your comments are invited please!!!

Bests....Rob

[JimN]

To be fair, because of well - known problems, Jet's memory for some things during the period concerned wasn't always 100% accurate. Whenever he mentioned "Diamonds" to me, it was always in connection with the Jaguar. However, no less an authority than Colin Pryce - Jones, who knew Jet well and backed him for virtually 25 year, has - in recent years - concluded that "Diamonds" was actually recorded deploying the Fender VI played very high up the neck. I will attempt to verify this with Charles Blackwell in due course. Jet being indisposed for the actual session, then the likelihood was that it was played by Big Jim Sullivan (who taught Jet how to play the Fender VI as a lead instrument in 1962). Your comments are invited please!!!

Bests....Rob

No.

Jet said at the time (on TV promo appearances in the first half of 1963) that Diamonds was played on a guitar (he never claimed it was the Jaguar) "tuned down a tone".

He is unlikely to have said this if it had been played on a Bass VI.

Whoah... just noticed the bit about "Jet being indisposed for the actual session".

There has never, to my knowledge, been the slightest suggestion that Jet is not on the record of Diamonds, playing lead guitar in D minor. The outfit was under no pressure at the time and there was no reason for Jet to hand over lead guitar duties to anyone else. The tune of Diamonds was well within Jet's capabilities.

The revelation about "one of the band" playing lead guitar on Scarlett O'Hara was made by Jet himself as long ago as early 1968. This was in a News Of The World double-page spread in the wake of the then-recent news item about the instrumental members of Love Affair not being on the record of No 1 hit Everlasting Love. It was a bit of a surprise at the time, but on reflection, it made sense that whoever played on Scarlett O'Hara also played on The Tony Meehan Combo's Song Of Mexico (and even on I'm Telling You Now by Freddie and the Dreamers). All three sound like the same guitarist with the same guitar and even the same set of strings.

[Billyboygretsch]

Does anyone know the amps that Jet used for recording and live in the early days with Tony. Not much is said about them and not many pics include the amps

[Arpeggio]

Jim....I am simply not technically minded enough to fully explain all of the nuances / reasoning of Colin's researches / theories. You would need to speak to him yourself. Of course Jet could play "Diamonds". He could have also played "Scarlett O'Hara" / "Theme For A Fallen Idol" etc....but we know that he wasn't on the actual recordings. I will see what Charles Blackwell (who was Jet's MD) can recall.

Rob

[Derek Mowbray]

All I can recall is that Jet said in an article in one of the music papers of the time probably The New Musical Express saying "don`t call me a bass guitarist that`s in the past" he did say he was playing a regular guitar but it de tuned by one tone.I can`t see why he should have recorded Diamonds on a Gretch then use a Fender Jaguar on stage and TV. I wonder if the tape still exists of Jet and Tony playing Diamonds on Thank Your Lucky Stars in January 1963 the same edition as The Beatles played Please Please Me I think this would be the first time these songs we played on television I may be wrong as I rely purely on memory.

[Iain Purdon]

I wonder if the tape still exists of Jet and Tony playing Diamonds on Thank Your Lucky Stars in January 1963 the same edition as The Beatles played Please Please Me?

The earliest available footage of Thank Your Lucky Stars with the Beatles seems to be 15th December 1963. I'm certain that if their Jan 63 appearance with Please Please Me had survived it would all over YouTube. By that indirect logic, I doubt that Jet and Tony's Diamonds Jan 63 performance on TYLS is available either.

If it had survived, it would have been a mimed performance - TYLS always was - so it would have revealed nothing new about the Diamonds recording.

Jet did of course play on the March 7th, 1962 live recording of "Little 'B'".

Yes, it's Jet at the ABC Kingston. Maybe that's what he was recalling.

[JimN]

I can`t see why he should have recorded Diamonds on a Gretch then use a Fender Jaguar on stage and TV.

One obvious explanation would be that the Gretsch was borrowed for the session, partly because the Fender Jaguar, being not only a new guitar but a brand new model unknown in the UK in late 1962, was not delivered in time for the recording session. The session, incidentally, took place on 23rd November 1962 and the record was released just six weeks later (to the day) on 4th January 1963.

As far as I'm aware, the only source for the information that a Gretsch guitar was used to record Diamonds was Jet himself. It's not the sort of rumour that anyone would construct from scratch.

[JimN]

I wonder if the tape still exists of Jet and Tony playing Diamonds on Thank Your Lucky Stars in January 1963 the same edition as The Beatles played Please Please Me?

The earliest available footage of Thank Your Lucky Stars with the Beatles seems to be 15th December 1963. I'm certain that if their Jan 63 appearance with Please Please Me had survived it would all over YouTube. By that indirect logic, I doubt that Jet and Tony's Diamonds Jan 63 performance on TYLS is available either.

If it had survived, it would have been a mimed performance - TYLS always was - so it would have revealed nothing new about the Diamonds recording.

Jet did of course play on the March 7th, 1962 live recording of "Little 'B'".

Yes, it's Jet at the ABC Kingston. Maybe that's what he was recalling.

Little B was in use as part of the Shadows' live stage act for at least six months before it was released on the second LP. I heard it in April 1962 at the Liverpool Empire (with Licorice on bass by then).

[GoldenStreet]

Wasn't Jimmy Page supposed to have been around at the time of the Diamonds session, or maybe it was for Scarlett O'Hara? It is probably just more idle speculation!

Bill

[iefje]

Wasn't Jimmy Page supposed to have been around at the time of the Diamonds session, or maybe it was for Scarlett O'Hara? It is probably just more idle speculation!

Bill

I'm pretty certain that Jimmy Page played on "Diamonds", but on "Diamonds" only. It was his first or one of his first recording sessions as he was a session musician then. He played the acoustic 'second lead guitar' lead lines.