jedzep Posted May 19, 2014 Posted May 19, 2014 I'm sitting here watching a TV channel called AXS running an interview with the now sober Joe Walsh, who so woke up my musical evolution when I heard the first James Gang records. It's a little sad to see him explain the path to calming down as he caught himself just before falling off the cliff. It reminded me though, that there is a way to tone down songs we usually associate with driving electric riffs and convert them to acoustic versions, as I play an acoustic version of his Funk #49. I know...you can laugh. But sometimes it works to slow down a frantic song and finesse it into an acoustic version. I was dazzled many years ago by an NPR interview where Elvis Costello revealed and demonstrated to reporter Terry Gross that his early songs with The Attractions were worked out acoustically while sitting on the edge of his bed, and proceeded to play them live in a beautifully understated way, as they were talked about live over the air. After I caught my breath I began trying to find the touch that converts an electric song into an acoustic version. Do you all take hard edged rock songs and soften them to acoustic renditions? Which songs work best for you? Dave Grohl's 'Everlong' and 'There Goes My Hero' come to mind. I like to play ZZ Tops 'Nationwide' too. Good thing only Vito the dog has to endure this. If anyone can find links to those Elvis Costello interviews, please let us know. They're awesome. Poor Joe...his new stuff sounded trite, contrite and preachy. I'd just go back to drinking. 'It's better to burn out than to fade away'. Isn't it?
BluesKing777 Posted May 19, 2014 Posted May 19, 2014 All correct, JZ! I must get all the dog hair out of my car stereo, because as much as a blues acoustic lover I am, there is NOTHING better than driving along with "Nationwide' blasting out in ALL directions .... Then Manic Mechanic.... Sometimes wish I had a V8 Ford to go with it, but not at the pit stops. BluesKing777.
pippy Posted May 19, 2014 Posted May 19, 2014 Do you all take hard edged rock songs and soften them to acoustic renditions? Which songs work best for you?... Yes, quite often. The 'Unplugged' series is an excellent showcase of this very concept. Clapton's acoustic versions of "Nobody Knows You..." and "Layla" from his own 'Unplugged' album are prime examples of his acoustic version being better than his electric version IMHO. P.
rustystrings Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 Is this the Costello interview you're looking for? http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14418836
jedzep Posted May 20, 2014 Author Posted May 20, 2014 Yep...I think so, as the date sounds about right. I'll load it and listen later, as I'm mired in the dial-up tarpit. I had searched before but couldn't find it. Big thanks, Rusty!
milod Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 I think a lotta songs can be rebuilt, and have been over the years. Sometimes it's style and sometimes it's speed, and sometimes a bit of both. For example, I've a number of versions of the Bob Dylan "Endless Highway" or whatever you wanna call it. (Tomorrow is a long time?) Anyway, imagine a cowboy/country version, a Bluegrass version and a jazz version... In the olden days there were big band and all sorts of combo versions a-plenty for "Blue Moon." Then came the doo-wop version. I may be wrong when it comes to how somebody else's head works, but I find that it's easiest to sing the tune, then figure a guitar backup that "fits" how I'm singing it. Currently I have two pieces I'm working on that are rodeo songs I did thinking "folkie" and then realized they're better as "acoustic country" with almost a Tennessee Three sorta backing. I also think a lotta old Rolling Stones stuff can be rebuilt for acoustic guitar awfully easily. One of my favorite things to do is to figure arrangements for swing pieces that "work" on solo guitar - sometimes with a bit of change in rhythm and sometimes not so much. m
jedzep Posted May 20, 2014 Author Posted May 20, 2014 I like that method, Milod, as often you find yourself singing a tune while not near your guitar. Backfitting the instrumental is real useful...if you can remember how you were singing it.
milod Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 He11, I'm lucky to remember what I ate for supper last night. Hmmmm. Come to think of it, I was working late (1 a.m.) and skipped. Hmmmmm. <grin> Seriously, I something think of stuff I liked back in the '50s and how it was arranged, then work out something fingerstyle to make it go for me. Hmmmm. I s'pose we could do a contest for two-step arrangements of acoustic Johnny B Goode. <chortle> And I'm already hearing a bluegrass version in my head of "honkey tonk women." Good grief... sorry, I guess that's what getting old does to you. m
jedzep Posted May 20, 2014 Author Posted May 20, 2014 'Country Honk' is already leaning that way, a fiddller's version of 'HTW'. You're halfway there...maybe add a banjo and mandolin.
vacamartin Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 I'm sitting here watching a TV channel called AXS running an interview with the now sober Joe Walsh, who so woke up my musical evolution when I heard the first James Gang records. Poor Joe...his new stuff sounded trite, contrite and preachy. I'd just go back to drinking. 'It's better to burn out than to fade away'. Isn't it? I used to go see the James Gang at the "Grande Ballroom" in Detroit. From the haze that was the 60's I can remember how good they were...really good.(along with Grand Funk, Cream, etc...) I heard his new stuff and immediately felt that he could have done this 40 years ago...but it's GOOD! For his sake, I hope he doesn't burn out> finally got hooked on a relationship and not an abusive substance.
zombywoof Posted May 25, 2014 Posted May 25, 2014 We just started getting that AXS station as we switched cable providers. I love Joe Walsh who, as my Ohio born and raised wife proudly reminds me, attended Kent State University. A bit of rock & roll trivia for you. Walsh was not the first guitar player tapped for the James Gang. That was Glenn Schwartz. Schwartz, who apparently was AWOL from the army or something at the time, ended up not taking the gig and went on to put together Pacific Gas and Electric in 1967 which recorded one of my favorite LPs of all time, 1970s "Are You Ready."
duluthdan Posted May 25, 2014 Posted May 25, 2014 Hers one for your Believe it Or Not file. There used to be a nice guitar shop here in Aspen called Two Old Hippies, where I used to spend my lunch hour smudging up guitars. The shop was small, had a little stairway heading up to the high-end guitar section. There I was one day fumbling about on some Martin, when up the stairs comes Joe Walsh... Smiled looked at me and said "Hi", while the sweat started to run into my underwear, grabbed D42, noodled a bit, and hung it up, and left. Lots of artists come thru this town. Don't recognize most of the young ones, but you couldn't mistake that nose for anybody else.
zombywoof Posted May 25, 2014 Posted May 25, 2014 I always love those surprise run ins. But even Joe while breathing some much needed life into the Eagles could not get them to stray too far from their California Pop world.
Poopsidoo Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 I know we all have had different musical experiences that "formed us" musically. But I have to say.i saw the Eagles in prob 1970 at a small venue in Atlanta. They were awesome, in their old shirts and holey jeans, witth the banjo, and bluegrass sounding music. I followed them through "desperado", but although I liked the James gang, I always felt the addition of Walsh ruined my favorite band, and I have never forgiven him for it. That being said, I have trouble doing what you say as I hear these songs a certain way and find it hard imagining them "gentler" but you are right, there is a gold mine out there!
Doug the Old Geezer Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 My link Here is a U2 song converted to bluegrass by Dierks Bentley, the Punch Brothers and Del McCoury. I kind of enjoy it. An illustration of what you can do with a song converting it to acoustics.
BigKahune Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 . Depends . . . . there's some nice grassed up versions and . . . well . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03RPSDYXjmg .
mountainpicker Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 I always figured that a lot of rock and roll songs got written on an acoustic guitar so taking them back to the acoustic makes a lot of sense to me. Lately I've been listening to Ten Years After, A Space In Time, and the use of acoustic guitar on that album is something I never noticed much back in the day. But Joe Walsh, to me, is the consummate guitar player. He gave away guitars to other guys that became a signature sound on certain albums, he turns up as a session guy on so many songs, and his take on the music biz and the making of music in a band setting is just so right on. And I ain't just saying that because I'm originally an Ohio boy! I'm sittin here watching the Buckeyes take it to Alabama as I write this, which is just so sweet.
fretplay Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 I think a lotta songs can be rebuilt, and have been over the years. Sometimes it's style and sometimes it's speed, and sometimes a bit of both. For example, I've a number of versions of the Bob Dylan "Endless Highway" or whatever you wanna call it. (Tomorrow is a long time?) Anyway, imagine a cowboy/country version, a Bluegrass version and a jazz version... In the olden days there were big band and all sorts of combo versions a-plenty for "Blue Moon." Then came the doo-wop version. I may be wrong when it comes to how somebody else's head works, but I find that it's easiest to sing the tune, then figure a guitar backup that "fits" how I'm singing it. Currently I have two pieces I'm working on that are rodeo songs I did thinking "folkie" and then realized they're better as "acoustic country" with almost a Tennessee Three sorta backing. I also think a lotta old Rolling Stones stuff can be rebuilt for acoustic guitar awfully easily. One of my favorite things to do is to figure arrangements for swing pieces that "work" on solo guitar - sometimes with a bit of change in rhythm and sometimes not so much. m Milod you might like this site for chords on the old standards, especially for solo guitar.. I've used it for years. http://www.theguitarguy.com/home.htm
zombywoof Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Also a big Joe Walsh fan. If you really want a treat though give a listen to the guy he replaced in the James Gang - Glenn Schwartz (Joe got the gig because Schwartz recommended him). One of the best to rock out an acoustic for me remains Dave Lindley, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVHsIqx2TxE Another is Dave Edmunds. Some of you may be too young to recall but one of the great treats of 1980 was when Rockiple released their one and only studio LP and included an EP of Edmunds and Lowe doing Everly Brothers songs. Here is a great (albeit long) video of Edmunds & Lowe working out "Born Fighter." Some great acoustic rock. They get into it at about 4 minutes in. Point is a great player like Edmunds can rock on anything. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8LbhEq7B-8
Hall Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 "Milod you might like this site for chords on the old standards, especially for solo guitar.. I've used it for years." http://www.theguitarguy.com/home.htm * Hey fretplay, don't know about Milod, but I'm sure enjoying the songs and artists on the site you posted! Thanks!
Hall Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Dodd Jewelers - Covington, Ky ... Mr. Duncan, Lonnie Mack and Joe Walsh Guys 'n' Dolls - Cold Spring, Ky. ... Carl Edmondson & Driving Winds, Lonnie Mack, Billy Joe Royal, Gerri Diamond, Patti Morrisy (Two of Clubs)
zombywoof Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 I think ya'll forget there was a time when some pretty good freakin' rock was played on a Gibson L-4C or some other archtop with a pickup slapped on it.
milod Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Zombie... Actually I did exactly that in one mid 60s rock band I was in. m
4Hayden Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 Never be another Joe Walsh he'sone of the greats in is own time
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