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JEFF BECKTHE 6-STRING GENIUS TALKS GEAR, GIGS, AND MAKING RECORDS IN HIS CLASSIC 2000 COVER STORY

SCOTTY MOORE

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contentsJune 2014 Volume 4, Number 6from the vault08 Jeff Beck

GP traveled to London for an audience with the Guvnor. Beck dissects his album You Had It Coming, his gear, and his approach. Bonus! Guitar stars like Vai, Satriani, Luke, and others tell you what they think of Jeff Beck (from the December 2000 issue of Guitar Player).

20 Scotty Moore The rock n roll legend spins tales from his days

playing with the King (from the July 1997 issue of Guitar Player).

Gear32 New Gear From the June 2014 issues of Guitar Player.

oN the NewsstaNd34 GP June 2014 Table of Contents

lessoNs36 Hoodlum Hoodoo Lesson From the July 1997 issue of Guitar Player.

sessioNs46 The ever-popular TrueFire Lessons

traNscriptioNs48 Big Block Jeff Beck56 Thats All Right Elvis62 Burn It To The Ground Nickelback

Jeff Beck - page 8


classic interview

PHOTO: JOHN POPPLEWELL

I always ask, Will this box make me sound better than Cliff Gallup or Scotty Moore or Buddy Holly? If it does, Ill have it. If not, get stuffed! JEFF BECK

december 2000

GeniusP U R E


GUITARS MAGNIFICENT REBEL PUTS A

TWIST ON TECHNO

B Y M A T T B L A C K E T T

What is it about England? The

little island of gloomy weather

and questionable cuisine has

produced some of the greatest rock and roll of

all time. With all due respect to the great music

that is played all over the world, no other place

has the Beatles, the Stones, Zeppelin, Black

Sabbath, Queenthe list goes on. And one

thing is certain: No other place has Jeff Beck.

n In his 40-year career, Beck has done more

to push stylistic and technical boundaries than

any of his con temporaries, predecessors, or

followers. Whereas many of his compatriots

have been doing much the same thing for

ages, Beck has reinvented himself so many

times we scarcely notice anymore. He is also

so unerringly brilliant that its easy to take him

for granted.


Sadly, Beck does seem taken for granted in his homeland. Clapton and Page are household words, but its rare to find kids on the streets of London who are familiar with Beck. Yet, as I follow him through a pro recording studio, its obvious he is revered in that environment. There is a hushed respecteven aweas he walks through a room.

And Beck is literally brimming with music. Sitting in the studio cafe, he cant go more than a minute without drumming out some ridiculously funky rhythm on the table. With a guitar in his hands for a photo shoot, he plays non-stoppsychotic blues riffs, jazzy Les Paul-inspired lines, Albert Lee-style hot-rod country licks, and just about everything else. In true Beck fashion, he is still self-critical to a fault, stopping to fix what he perceives as mistakes even when playing unplugged for a photographer.

Although he is quick to joke and laugh, there is an understated power and authority about Beck. When he makes a pronounce-ment on music, you believe him. And while you can sometimes get the sense he might have given up the music business long ago, he seems more compelled to play guitar than ever.

Take the release of (working title) Dirty Tricks [Epic]. This is his second offering in less than two yearsan unheard-of turnaround time for him. Full of slamming techno grooves, angry tones, and unfath-omable beauty, Dirty Tricks is like nothing he has ever done, and exactly what youd expect from him. It contains plenty of his twisted, space-rock stylings, yet it also features some of his most breathtakingly emotional playing ever.

Dirty Tricks producer Andy Wright joined Beck on this interview, and the two spoke candidly about the making of the al-bum, the creative process, and the elegance of simplicity.

Were you consciously moving in a certain direction for this record?

Beck: Not really. I just absorb sounds that I find impressive, even if theyre on a record I loathe. The good bits lodge in my memory, and I think, Im going to have a melody like that, or Im going to use that drum sound, but Im sure as hell not going to use it like that.

Wright: There were certain styles that we didnt want to get intolike drum n bass. That style has gotten really overused and has turned into a fashion statement. We didnt want to make a fashion statement.

What did you want to do?Wright: We wanted great beats and great

guitar parts. I wanted the production to have a real clarity where each part would have its own meaning and not fight with a lot of extra riffs.

Beck: Controlled mayhem was what we were looking for.

How did you record Dirty Tricks?Wright: Heres the album [holds up a

hard drive]. 18GB! I used Digital Performer software and Pro Tools hardware. I recorded Jeff by running a Shure SM57 into a Urei 1176 [compressor], then into a Past module [a rep-

classic interview december 2000String thickness is everything, says Beck.The thinner the string,the less body your tone is going to have.Genius

P U R E

lication of a vintage Neve console channel], and, finally, into the Pro Tools converters. That was the setup.

Beck: I should probably lie and say I stacked 40 Marshalls to the ceiling, but I ac-tually kept it very simple: a Strat, a 100-watt Marshall JCM 2000, and my fingers.

Wright: As far as Im concerned, there

are a lot of people who overthink the re-cording process. Engineers and producers would come in while the tracks were playing back and theyd say, Man, thats a great guitar tone! How in the world did you get that? Theyd be disappointed when we told them it was a Strat, a Marshall, and an SM57.

How did you mix?Wright: I dont use tape until the very

end. When the tracks are absolutely finished Ill put them on tape and mix. Most of the tunes had only 12 or 14 tracks, and it all sounded fabulous and fat. And we would really drive the levelsit was commonplace for the needles to be buried in the red.

classic interviewdecember 2000

When I was in England in the 70s, Jeff was

recording the second Beck, Bogert, and Appice

album, not far from the Fender Soundhouse,

where I was working at the time. I wanted to put

a guitar together for him, because the Les Paul he played on

Truth had gotten ripped off. I had a 59 Tele with a rosewood

fingerboard. I took the rosewood board off, replaced it with a

maple fingerboard, and put Gibson frets on it. That made for

a pretty thick neckkind of like his old Les Paul. The pickups

were PAFs taken out of a black Gibson Flying V that had be-

longed to Lonnie Mack. The pickups were broken, so I rewound

them by hand. I called this guitar the Tele-Gib.

I gave it to Jeff and he ended up using it on Cause Weve

Ended as Lovers on Blow by Blow. He loved it. He could easily

do all the volume swells with it, and even use the tone control

like a wah-wah. In fact, he dedicated that song to Roy Buchan-

an, who also used those techniques. For me, it was a real thrill

to have this connection between my two heroes.

About a week later, Jeffs manager, Ralph Baker, came

over with a gunny sack with three Fender guitars in it: A 54

Strat, a 51 Tele, and the 54 Esquire that Jeff had played in

the Yardbirds. Ralph told me, Jeff said to take your pick and

just fix the other two. I was a huge fan of his tone with the

Yardbirds, so I grabbed the Esquire. Jeff gave me the guitar in

appreciation for the Tele-Gibwhich he still has. Right now,

the Esquire is on loan to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in

Cleveland. Ive been offered a lot of money for that guitar, but

I would never sell it. MB

SEYMOUR DUNCAN ON BECKS GUITAR SWAP

Beck works out on his Tele-Gib, which he played on Cause Weve Ended as Lovers.

The well-worn Esquire Beck used in the Yardbirds. Note the Strat-style body contour.

PHOTOS: COURTESY SEYMOUR DUNCAN ARCHIVES


Beck: Its true. I was astounded at the bad taste of the man [laughs].

Tell me about the first cut, Earthquake.Beck: Thats Jennifer Battens composi-

tion. I used my Strat through the Marshall. The intro is the bridge and middle pickups, and the main melody is the neck pickup.

Wright: We let that intro go on a bit. It builds the tension quite nicely.

Beck: Yeah, it gives a certain amount of dangerous horror to the listener.

How did you set the controls on your guitar?Beck: My Strats are wired with a tone

control for the bridge pickup. I roll the top

[treble] all the way off the bridge and middle pickups and get all my top end from the amp. I run my neck pickup a little brighter.

Did you record any of the guitars direct?Wright: No. I used various plug-ins after

the factto get the sweeping EQ on the intro to Earthquake, for examplebut we didnt

classic interview december 2000

Playing guitar is not a com-petition. There is no best

guitarist and no one is bet-ter than anyone else. That having been established, lets just say itJeff Beck is the best guitar player on the plan-et. But dont take my word for it. Here are the spontaneous quotes from several heavy-hitters on the subject of Beck.

JOE SATRIANI: Jeff Beck is magical. Hes a musical wonder in a class all his own. His sound is perhaps the most individual weve ever heard from an electric guitarist, and his approach to the instrument is always bold and exciting. I cant say enough about what a truly great guitarist he is. Where Were You? still gives me a musical heart at-tack every time I hear it!

STEVE LUKATHER: I had the honor of working with Jeff in the studio, and, without him realizing it, I got lessons from him every day. I got to sit next to him and hear him do take after takehe never played the same thing, but everything he played was brilliant. As far as Im concerned, Jeff is Gods guitar player. There isnt a soul alive who can touch him.

STEVE VAI: When I first heard Jeff Beck, I was 14 years old and tears of joy filled my Long Island bed-room. Jeff is one of those rare musicians who actually keeps getting better. His touch on the instrument is delicious. No one can squeeze the neck of a guitar and have such a com-mand over it as Jeff Beck.

MATT SCANNELL (VERTICAL HORIZON): To say that Jeff Beck is bril-liant is an understatement. Every single note he plays is memorable. I heard Cause Weve Ended as Lovers in high school and I couldnt believe ithis bends were so fluid, so perfect. He can play with reckless abandon, and be in utter command of the instrument at the same time. He is the ideal that other players strive towards.

PAT TRAVERS: The very first show I ever did in Eng-land we opened for this band Upp, which Jeff was produc-ing. He showed up at the gig and jammed with them. I guess he was still using a pick, because I was standing in the wings and he came over and borrowed mine. Its a good thing I didnt know he was in the audience, because I never could have played! Its amazing how many tones he can get with just a Strato-caster and his fingers. Hes perfectone of the originals.

SIR GEORGE MARTIN: Jeff is a king to me. He can do things with a guitar Ive never heard other people do. He just makes it sing. He uses the gui-tar like a voicehe actually does sing along with his guitar parts. He also does so much with the guitar controlssuch as playing with slight volume changes and making pickup selectionsand hes adjusting everything the whole time hes playing. He really flies by the seat of his pants!

JENNIFER BATTEN: Jeff plays with a depth thats unmatched and always rivet-ing. He doesnt play from egohes not out to impress anybodyhes just doing what he was born to do. He means what he plays, and has the power in an almost zen-like simplicity to abso-lutely knock you on your ass. I feel priviledged to be able to hear all the stuff he plays while hes just noodling around that the public never gets to hear.

MIKE STERN: John Scofield, Bill Frisell, and I grew up listening to Jeff Beck. His phrasing and articulation are part of contemporary jazz guitar. Theres also a lot more string bending going on in jazz now, and thats very much because of Jeff Beck. Hes a classic. MB

O D E S T O B E C K

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use any amp simulations.Lets move on to Roys Toy. This song has

a different sound to it.Beck: The first sound you hear is this

guy Roys roadster. We recorded it with a pair of Neumann mics. Great sound. As for the guitar, Ive got a wah pedal thats on halfwayjust where it started to get palat-able. I certainly didnt want to be pumping it 60s-style.

Youre not known for using many pedals.Beck: I know. I got worried when that

pedal arrived. I couldnt bear to plug it in. I had to have someone else do it for me! I

use that tone several times on the record, though.

How did that guitar part come about?Beck: I was doing a solo with some tap-

ping on the A string. Andy heard that section and liked it, so he stripped it out of context and used it for this song. That happened a lot on this recordI would play and Andy would use his digital scissors and snip out the great bits.

Wright: It would be unreasonable to say that Jeff played and I edited. We would go through the tracks together, looking for bits that inspired us both. The parts we settled on would be the tools for the construction of the tracks. It was a very collaborative process.

The melody is full of those whammy bar flutters. How do you do those?

Beck: I have the bar set up so that it floats even if I just hit a note hard, itll vibrate. If this melody was taken from a solo, I was probably doing it deliberately, hitting the bar with my knuckle. I dont recall. I didnt realize wed be doing a post-mortem on the album [laughs].

Whats the ring modulator in the solo?Beck: The ring modulator is one of my

all-time favorite nasty sounds. We used an old Maestrocomplete with all the cob-webs in it.

Its a very clean, consonant sound for a ring modulatorhow did you keep it from getting creepy?

Beck: I spent time tuning it. I knew what key I was in, and if you tune it properly and stay within certain parameters of the key, itll go with you.

Nadia has a strangely beautiful melody. It sounds like its in a major key on the way up and a minor key on the way down.

Beck: Yeah, it is.Wright: It was written by a contemporary

dance artist in England named Nitin Sawh-ney. It was originally tracked with an Indian woman singing the melody. Our challenge was to reinterpret it as a guitar piece.

Beck: I fell in love with the tune the first time I heard it. This womansinging such an incredible scale, accurately and in tunereally blew me away. And she was singing over these gluey, Western chordsGmaj7


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and Dmaj7. Those arent usually my kind of chords, but the combination made me think, I want to try that.

Was it tough to record?Beck: It was one of the most difficult

things Ive ever had to do. Everything I know technique-wise is on that track. Its a combi-nation of bottle neck, fingers, and whammy barits like balancing 16 plates on sticks! Those swoops you hear couldnt possibly be played with fingers and frets. Those were done with the bottleneck, which I wear on my middle finger. The little trills are done with fingers, and Im also doing volume swells on

the fly with my volume knob.Wright: We didnt double many parts on

the record, but we decided to double that melody at the endjust to bring it out a bit.

Of all the parts to double!Beck: Well, we didnt double any of the

rhythm riffs. Sometimes when you double-track, a part can become very processed and prettytoo slick. You lose that raw edge. Here, we just wanted to introduce a change, but we waited until the end of the tune. I had gotten to the point where I could play the melody pretty well by then.

On Blackbird, how do you get the super-high notes? Are you bouncing something on the strings?

Beck: I used a dinner fork, actually. Most of the normal-sounding notes are done with a bottle neck.

Did you work to make sure each part had its own sonic niche?

Wright: Well, not really. Some records where everything has its own space sound really tidy and boring to me. We didnt want that. On this record, there is all sorts of sonic destruction going onbut with clarity.

How did the drums figure into your plan?Wright: I did some of the programming,

but Aiden Love did most of it. I would take his beats and rearrange them like a jigsaw puzzle. There are no overtones on the drumsI didnt want them to get in the way of the guitars.

Beck: Aiden gave us some great beats that were wonderful launching pads for me to play riffs to. Very inspiring.

Are you happy with the record?Beck: I cook sometimes, and sometimes I

cant eat what I cook. I smell all of the ingre-dients instead of the finished meal. I have to leave it for a while before I can appreciate it for what it is. Its that way with recording for me. I cant judge it five minutes later.

Wright: I think its superb. It was a plea-sure to make. I relished all the challenges we met on this record, and Im looking forward to the next one.

Beck: Lying bastard!Have you ever recorded anything that ap-

proaches what you hear in your head?Beck: I normally cant bear to listen. I

hear all the mistakes. But I heard Goodbye


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Most of your fans can tell its you after only one or two notes. Who can you pick out in the space of a couple of notes?

Beck: Django. Within the first flourish I know its him. Albert Lee, too. I revel in his solos, and I know him right away. There are others: John McLaughlinbecause hes the fastest and cleanest in the WestJimi, and Earl Hooker. A lot of players just melt

together, though. They all have a similar color to them. Im not going to mention any names, but you know what I mean.

How much of your style depends on the whammy bar at this point?

Beck: Quite a lot of it. I can simulate voice sounds, Eastern things, Bulgarian tremolosall in mid-flight which I couldnt do any other way.

Could you do a gig on a Tele?Beck: Id have to rehearse, but I could

do it. I still love the bare-bones Tele. But why bother when this simple pivoting de-vice with three coiled springs can give me what I want?

Your intonation seems so perfect, whether youre bending notes or playing slide. How did you learn that?

Beck: There were some painful moments, let me tell you. Ive screwed up big time onstage. The more fluid I became, though, the more excited I got at the possibilty of reaching those notes. But it was a hairy, seat-of-the-pants experience. I guess I got good

at compensatingIm ready to jump off the wrong note very, very quickly. And Ill make something out of it no matter what.

Do you have perfect pitch?Beck: I think so. I mean, I might not be

able to whistle you an E, but you give me one note, and Ill give you all the rest.

Do you still get nervous before a gig?Beck: Oh yeah. Its a natural reaction to

doing the most exhilarating thing known other than jumping out of an airplane. Some big heads might not worry, but I think caring, sensitive people will feel a little apprehensive. You want to give the audience a good show. When I go onstage, the adrenaline rush is like coming close to death without actually being stabbed. Its like cheating death.

When are you happiest onstage?Beck: When theres a genuine wave of

good vibes from the audience. I always hope theyll go away loving it. I want them to be bathed in something they love. Thats why I do what I do. g

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CLASSIC INTERVIEWfrom the December 2000 issue

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classic interview

Scotty (with L5), Elvis and

pianist Shorty Long between takes

of Dont Be Cruel at RCAs New

York studios, July 2, 1956. The ses-

sion also yielded Hound Dog.

PHOTO: ALFRED WERTHEIMER


july 1997

ouve got to hear this, said the 14-year-old English girl,

dropping the needle on a spinning 78. It was the spring

of 1956, and all her friends at school were going crazy

over Elvis Presleys Heartbreak Hotelit was like

nothing theyd ever heard before. The girls younger

brother sat staring at the record player, transfixed as

she explained that the slapping, metallic sound he was

hearing was an electric guitar. n We didnt know the

guitar players name when we heard that song, recalls

Jeff Beck, the youngster in that room. They didnt list

the musicians in those days. But my sister kept drawing

my ear to different things, the solos and all that. If it

wasnt for that experience, theres no way I would ever

have thought about any of it. Id have been off playing

with my bow and arrow or something. Cliff Gallup had

a big impact on me too, of course, but the Elvis stuff

was the real start of it. That was the rocket ship taking

off for a whole bunch of us.

B Y R U S T Y R U S S E L L

S C O T T Y M O O R E S C O M E B A C K S P E C I A L


Beckand the worldwould know be-fore long that Elviss guitar player was Scotty Moore. And while Scotty would never reap his share of the reward, his need to create something different was a basic ingredient in the potent mixture that would be called rock and roll. Scotty, the late bassist Bill Black and, later, drummer D.J. Fontanathe Blue Moon Boysinspired countless scenarios like the one Beck describes, light-ing the fuse for one of pop cultures biggest explosions.

Over several months last year, an all-star roster of players caught in that blast came together to pay tribute to Moore and com-pany on the Sweetfish Records project All the Kings Men (a similarly titled documentary film is scheduled for release later this year). Scotty joined Keith Richards and members of The Band at Levon Helms Woodstock, New York, studio. Guests at sessions in Nashville, where Scotty and D.J. have lived since the early 60s, included Steve Earle, Joe Ely, the Mavericks, Tracy Nelson, Cheap Trick, Ronnie McDowell & The Jordanaires with Millie Kirkham, Joe Louis Walker, and a re-formed Bill Black Combo with guitar-ist Reggie Young and former Stray Cat Lee Rocker. In early December, Moore and Fon-tana traveled to Ron Woods Sandy Mount studio outside Dublin, Ireland, to record the albums final track with Wood, Beck and bassist Ian Jennings.

It feels really good to know these guys remember us, says Scotty, relaxing on a barstool in Woods private pub while Ron, Jeff and others watch a tape of Elvis and the boys in action. Makes you feel like what we did counts for something after all these years. This was never intended to be an Elvis tribute album. We told everyone to make sure to bring in some songs of their ownnew stuff. I dont have any idea what were gonna do over here, but Im sure well come up with something.

That spontaneous approach has served Scotty well since the hot July 1954 night in Memphis when he, Elvis and Black picked through a mixed bag of standards at Sam Phillips Sun Studios. On a break, Elvis began singing Thats Alright (Mama), a blues tune by Arthur Big Boy Crudup. Bill and Scotty joined in, Sam hit the red button, and rock and roll history was made.

Today Scotty is universally known as

Elviss guitar player, but the relationship started out quite differently. Scotty had invited the 19-year-old singer by his house the previous afternoon to see if he might be Sun Records material. I remember thinking, What in the hell kind of a name is thatElvis. He was real nice, though. Kinda shy, and he sang pretty good. He had good time, and I told Sam I thought the kid knew every song ever written. It was kind of like a pre-audition. I had a band, the Starlight Wranglers, and we had a steady gig on the weekends at a place called the Bon Air. I knew we had to have a radio show or a record out to book better-paying jobs, so wed done one record with Sam. I think it sold about 12 copies. Hed been telling me about this kid, and I wanted to see what he was all about.

When Sam set up the audition, which ended up becoming Elviss first Sun ses-sion, he said he just wanted to hear the voice with a little background in there for rhythm, so it was just me and Bill. With no drums it sounded so empty, and I was trying to fill things up a little. Thats why I went to that thumb-and-fingers style, trying to keep a heavier rhythm and just stabbing in fill notes. Id been listening to Merle Travis and Chet Atkins for a couple of years after I got out of the Navy in 52. I would try to figure out how in the hell they were doing all that. Anyway, thats what I was trying to do on all those early thingsjust fill it up. The second song we cut with Elvis was Blue

Moon of Kentucky, which Bill Monroe had already done, and I didnt want to play the same thing thatd already been played, but something that would still complement the song and the singer. Thats what people still have such a hard time doing, and thats re-ally all I ever had in mind.

Introduced to the guitar by his father and brothers, the Gadsden, Tennessee, native played mostly by himself from age eight until enlisting in the Navy at 18. After leaving the service, where his musical pursuits included jam sessions and a short-lived radio show, Scotty headed for Memphis and took a job cleaning and blocking hats in his brothers laundry business. Soon he began working local gigs and trying to pull licks off records by Tal Farlow, Django Reinhardt, Johnny Smith and Barney Kessel.

I wanted to play jazz, Scotty says. Thats about all I was listening to. But most of what we played in clubs or at dances, I guess youd call it a mixture of country and blues. We called it honk tonk music at the time. Just roadhouse stuff, feel-good music. You had to know plenty of country and pop and R&B songs so people could dance. For a while I didnt really have a band. Id go out and book a gig with a club owner, and the guy would just say, Show up Saturday night. I had no idea who I was going to get. I might end up with a steel player and a guy on trumpetI never knew. After a while I thought, Man, this aint gettin it! I gotta find some guys whore gonna stay together,

classic interview july 1997S C O T T Y M O O R E

Warming up backstage at the Music Theater in Richmond, Virginia, June 56.



classic interviewjuly 1997

cotty Moore helped lay rock and rolls foundation with

a few simple tools. On leaving the Navy in early 1952,

he purchased a new Fender Esquire, but hed switched

to a Gibson ES-295 by the time he met Elvis in 54.

I remember it sittin up there in the window at O.K.

Houck Music in Memphis, a big old gold thing that

looked like a new car in a showroom, he recalls. The 295, strung

with medium-gauge roundwounds, can be heard on Elviss first Sun

recordsThats Alright (Mama) and Blue Moon of Kentucky

and was used on all live dates as well. Its now part of a permanent

display at Jimmy Velvets Elvis Museum in Branson, Missouri.

While Scotty still has receipts for nearly every piece of gear hes

owned, hes uncertain about the model of his original amplifier. He

does recall that it was a small tweed Fender, most likely a Champ.

This was replaced in May 1955 with a 25-watt Echosonic model,

custom built in Nashville by Ray Butts. The Butts amp is covered in

dark brown Tolex and features a slant front and onboard tape-loop

echo. Butts later built two 50-watt slave units, each containing four

8 JBL speakers, which Scotty plugged into the preamp outs on the

back of the Echosonic for live gigs. This remained his only amp rig

until recently. In July 1955, just days before the final Sun session

that would yield Mystery Train, Scotty traded the ES model in for

a blond Gibson L5 CES. This guitar, S#A24672, was strung with

Gretsch medium-gauge flatwounds. It appears onscreen and on the

soundtracks of several Elvis movies.

Scotty traded his L5 for studio gear in 1957, when Gibson gave

him a new blond Super 400. As part of the endorsement deal, he

also received the nat-

ural-finish J-200 that

became Elviss main

ax. That guitar was

sent back to Gibson in

1960 with instructions

from Scotty for adding inlay to the top and Elviss name in mother-of-

pearl on the fingerboard. A comparison of serial numbers confirms

that Gibson in fact replaced the guitar rather than customizing the

original.

In 63 Scotty acquired the sunburst Super 400 seen on the 1968

Comeback TV special, but sold the instrument shortly after he

retired from playing. In 1988, Chet Atkins gave Scotty (who didnt

own a guitar at the time) a Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman,

which is his main guitar today and appears on All the Kings Men.

Ive gone to lighter strings, Scotty notes, because I dont have the

strength in my hands that I used to. DAddario takes a .010-.046 set

of half-rounds and grinds an .018 wound third down to .017 for me.

I never could get along with an unwound third. Scotty had a new

road case built for the Ray Butts amp in 1992 and took the historic

unit to Europe, where it was dropped by an airline. Now repaired

and working as good as new, it

stays at home while a new Fender

Dual Twin Professional has become

Scottys mainstay. RUSTY RUSSELL

R I G S T H A T R O C K E D T H E W O R L D

Scotty, with late-80s L5, in his home studio outside Nashville.

Far left: Scottys

50s Ray Butts amp

has an onboard tape-

loop echo. Left: Top

view of the Butts.

PHOTOS (THIS PAGE): RUSTY RUSSELL

work or no work. I used to be more inter-ested in the business side of things, setting everything up. Matter of fact, the week after we did the first session with Elvis, I became his manager, but that was mainly because all these people were trying to get to him, and that way he could say he already had somebody. I did that for most of the first year, I guess.

Moore provided the signature sound on all of the Kings hits, appeared in Elviss movies and soundtracks, and toured with the star. When Elvis went into the Army in 58, no provisions were made for keeping his band together, so Scotty hung up his archtop to concentrate on engineering and working behind the board. (He would eventually serve as production manager for Phillips in Nashville and Memphis.) Elvis restarted his movie and recording career after his discharge, but booked no live dates. For Scotty, this was a workable schedule, since he could fly to L.A. to cut soundtracks and keep any engineering bookings that didnt conflict. By 1965 he owned his own Nashville studio.

As suddenly as it all started, life as a big-time guitar player came to a screeching halt for Scotty after the 1968 Comeback Spe-cial, which was originally broadcast on TV as a Christmas show, Singer Presents Elvis. After the special, D.J. and I went out to El-viss house for dinner, and he called us into the back room. He said he wanted to tour Europe, and he wanted to book my studio for a couple weeks straight what we called a lock-outalthough he never said what for. Neither of those things ever happened, for whatever reason, and thats the last time I ever saw the man. I never talked to him on the phone again or anything. His manager, [Colonel Tom] Parker, never would let him tour Europe, which was a shame, because they loved Elvis over there. Anyway, I got real busy engineering in Nashville, and D.J. was busy playing sessions. Then the man-agement company called up and said Elvis wanted us to come play Vegas with him. They called the Jordanaires too, and the money they offered us was just ridiculous. For every week out there, they wanted to pay us about what we would have made in a day

back home. I mean, the Jordanaires had 40 sessions on the books. So we all got together and made a counteroffer, and thats when Elvis put his new band together with James [Burton] and those guys.

I just laid my guitar down, cold turkey. I didnt play for 24 yearsnot a note, except for just a few overdubs for some friends. Didnt even own a guitar for a long time. I sold my Super 400, everything except my amp. If somebody would ask me if I missed playing, Id say, Hell no! Im playing a whole band here with the console. Besides, I re-ally didnt want to deal with all the bullshit that had grown up around the other part of the business anymore, and I wanted to stay home. Id done all the traveling I wanted to do for a while.

Scotty was still retired from playing when Keith Richards invited him and D.J. to St. Louis for a Stones Steel Wheels concert in 89. Though he liked some of the bands songs, Scotty didnt consider himself a fan until that night. I timed them, and they played for two hours and 40 minutes without stopping. I dont think we ever played longer than an hour and 15 or so. I was impressed. Keith and I stayed up all night. I dont know how many hours I spent trying to show him how to play Mystery Train. We had a ball. That guys a party within himself.

Gradually, Scotty was coaxed out of re-tirement. He and D.J. played an Elvis tribute concert at the Pyramid in Memphis and started working with singer Ronnie McDow-ell, whose vocal impression of Elvis is close



Scotty during the All the

Kings Men sessions.

JIM H

ER

RIN

GT

ON

THATS ONE THING,

THANK GOD, THAT ELVIS AND

I AGREED ON. IF IT FEELS

GOOD, LEAVE IT! SOMETIMES

ITS THE LITTLE MISTAKES THAT

MAKE A RECORD SPECIAL.

Robben Ford is the master of many musicalstyles. But when it comes to his speakers,

theres only ever been one choice.

www.celestion.comFind out more

Many stylesOne voice

to the real thing. The group also features Fontana and the Jordanaires.

Known around Nashville for having two of the best ears in the business, Scotty oversaw each mix on All the Kings Men. But if hes a stickler in the control room, hes maintained his appreciation for a less-than-perfect track played with energy and emotion. Thats one thing, thank God, that Elvis and I agreed on. If it feels good, leave it! Sometimes its the little mistakes that make a record special. Like on [1956s] Too Much, man, if I ever played a jazz solo, that was it! Wed played through it a few times, and it was fine. And then we did a take where I just got completely losthad no idea where I was. But I kept playing, and I came out in the right place. Elvis goes over and leans into this big speaker on the floor to hear the playback, and here comes the solo. He turns around and gives me this shit-eating grin, and he says, Thats the



Before the King: Scotty with Doug Poindexter & The Starlite Wranglers from 1953-54:

(From left) Bill Black, Tommy Sealey, Poindexter, Millard Yow (steel),

Clyde Rush, Scotty Moore.

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classic interviewjuly 1997

The King holds court: Elvis and Scotty make a triumphant return to Memphis, Fourth of July, 1956.


ames Dickersons Thats Alright, ElvisThe Untold Story of Elviss First Guitarist and Manager, Scotty Moore [Schirmer] recounts Scottys saga from his parents courtship through last years ses-sions with Keith Richards and The Band. For the most part its the sad tale of how a scrappy sideman was ripped off by one

of rocks richest icons. The book begins with Moores hardscrabble Tennessee upbringing,

South Sea naval adventures, marital squabbles and musical breakthroughs. The pace quickens for a moment-by-moment account of his first meetings with Elvis and their breakthrough recording of Thats Alright, (Mama). Within a week of that session, Elvis had assigned Scotty complete man-agement of his professional affairs for a yearincluding booking and promotingin exchange for 10% of the take.

Enter Colonel Tom Parker, who quickly attempted to replace Scotty and bassist Bill Black with Hank Snows band. We knew from day one the Colonel didnt want us around, Moore says. By the summer of 55 Scotty and Bill had gone from being members of a trio sharing a 50/25/25 split to salaried sidemen earning $200 a week while working, $100 during down time. People were laughing at us, Moore says. Even the guys

selling souvenir books were making more money than we were.

From the $50,000 Elvis pulled in from the Ed Sullivan Show, Scotty reports that he pocketed $235. They received no record royalties, conces-sion income, free cars or big bonuses. They had to buy their own wardrobe for Jailhouse Rock. When Elvis went into the Army, they were let go. After playing on Elviss 1968 Comeback special, Moore settled into a career as a studio manager and technician and never saw him again. His total take for 14 years with Elvis: $30,123.72. The thing that got me, Scotty says, was the fact that Elvis didnt keep his word.

Dickersons lighter momentssession details and insights into Elviss loss of virginity, problematic hygiene and love of pranksare countered with sobering accounts of Scottys infidelity, drinking and fisticuffs. Its difficult to read such a joyless account of the man whose Heartbreak Hotel licks caused Keith Richards, among many, to say, All I wanted to do in the world was to be able to play and sound like that. JAS OBRECHT

T H E K I N G A N D I

one! I said, You asshole! You know Im lost in there! But it felt good. It had a hook, and thats the way we left it.

Held in Ron Woods converted sheep barn, the session for Unsung Heroes unfolded like many of the early Elvis dates. Scotty settled into a chair in the center of the main room, plugging his late-80s Gib-son Chet Atkins Country Gentleman into Boss delay and chorus pedals and a tweed Fender Twin. Beck, hearing him warming up, dashed from the control room and hur-riedly unpacked his guitar while Ron got him a vintage Vox AC30. Id planned to bring a large rig from London, Beck smiled, but decided that ran counter to the spirit of the meeting. Instead, he showed up with only a Strat Plus and 10-foot chord. As D.J., Ron and Jennings joined in, Beck picked the melody of Blue Moon of Kentucky.

For nearly an hour, politeness prevented everyone from suggesting any specific di-rection, and, as on the first Elvis session, the players bogged down after jamming on a few standards. A break was called, during which Scotty began to play around with a funky lick that caught Rons ear. Whats that? he asked.

I dunno, Scotty replied, just something I was fooling with a week or so ago.

Well, thats it! Keep that going! With that, Ron grabbed a 54 Strat and start-ed chunking rhythm and ad-libbing lyr-ics about meeting his two heroes. Beck suggested an occasional line between otherworldly bends and fills. Eventually, Unsung Heroes became a song. This is incredible, observed executive producer Dan Griffin. Its just the way they used to do things somebody gets an idea and they just go with it. The amazing thing to meand Jeff was saying this toois that Scotty and Bill came up with that original stuff completely out of the blue. They

didnt have any real precedent to go on, and thats the very last time that happened in rock and roll. Everyone who came along after that had those guys to listen to. You take Jeff Beckhe and the Yardbirds were a big part of the British Invasion, and hell tell you they were bouncing off what theyd heard from America. Then American bands bounced it back, and so on and so on. And the guy sitting right in there [points through the control room window to Scotty] started it all.

Later, over pints of Guinness, Scotty and his host listen to a working mix of Unsung Heroes. He and his contemporaries, Scotty says as Ron Woods eyes begin to mist, have done their part. You guys have to carry the torch nowyou and the younger guys. We did our thing. In the film, Keith Richards answers for his generation: Mr. Moore, Mr. Fontana, Mr. Black, the Hillbilly Catsthats the worlds greatest rock and roll band. Without them, there wouldnt be any others. Give thanks, give praises.


Clowning with Keith Richards at Levon Helms studio in upstate New York, 1996.

JIM HERRINGTON


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Spry at 65, Scotty has emerged from retirement with a new bookThats Alright, Elvis, published by Schirmerand a renewed passion for playing. Save for occasional bouts with arthritis in his thumbs, the man who in-vented the licks for Mystery Train, Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock, Heartbreak Hotel and Dont Be Cruel seems to have picked up right where he left off. Hes comfortable with his legacy, he says, and finds a special satisfaction in playing with those he inspired. People sometimes expect you to be bitter for one reason or another. Well, yeah, a lot of things happened along the way that werent right, but we got to be part of something pretty special, and were still getting to go out and play with a lot of great people. You cant complain about that. I feel lucky, to tell you the truth. g

classic interview july 1997

Presleys cousin, Junior Smith, leans on the piano while Elvis, Scotty, pianist Shorty

Long and Jordanaires Hoyt Hawkins and Gordon Stoker rehearse Dont Be Cruel.

PH

OT

O:

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S C O T T Y M O O R E

SCOTTY AND ELVIS ON THE MILTON BERLE SHOW.

CLASSIC INTERVIEWfrom the July 1997 issue

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Riffs

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BY MICHAEL ROSS

IN ORDER TO KEEP THE MOMENTUM going until his next studio project, Robben Fords record company recorded three nights of a European tour for a live record. But Ford was unhappy with the results, and instead decided to take the time to write some new songs, and go ahead and record his next studio album. Well, sort of. He also embraced the idea of a live album.

We just took the live-album concept into a controlled environment, and tried to replicate a show in the recording studio, says Ford. We even invited an audience to watch us perform.

The result is A Day in Nashville [Provogue]a quite literal title, as the nine tracks on the album were recorded during one ses-sion in Big Boy, the large room at Nash-villes Sound Kitchen Studio.

The band had been playing the two

covers [Cut You Loose and Poor Kelly Blues] and Different People live, explains Ford, and I sent the guys demos of the new songs and charts for the instrumen-tals. We did one day of rehearsal before the session. We couldnt spend more than an hour recording any one song, so we did, at most, three takes on each track.

One day of rehearsal for nine tracks when youre heading into a one-day ses-sion may seem overly optimistic or just nuts, but a serious injury to Ford prompted a few Plan B measures.

We had a two-week tour planned before recording, he says, and, on the second day of the tour, I woke up with a fractured wrist brought on by acute tendinitis. The tendon had pulled away, taking a little piece of bone with it. It was very hard for me.

Fords injury also necessitated some overdubs, so not everything you hear on A Day in Nashville was recorded in one day.

Two weeks later, Ford returned to Nash-villethis time to House of Blues Studio D (which had originally been built for Sam the Sham in the late 1960s as Sounds of Memphis, and was recently transported board by board from Memphis to Nash-ville)to redo guitar parts.

For his last studio outing, the relaxed Bring It Back Home, Ford played only a 1966 Epiphone Riviera, and exclusively on the neck pickup. For A Day In Nashville, the guitarist added his 1968 Les Paul with a humbucker replacing the original bridge mini-humbucker. He used bridge and neck pickups on both instruments to push his Dumble Overdrive Special, and occasion-ally boosted the signal with a Hermida Zen Drive.

I was definitely getting down a bit more on this one, says Ford, because it was conceived as a live performance, and the energy is different when I play live. g

Robben Ford Battles Adversity to (Kind of) Record an Album in One Day

GEORGE B. W

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gpr0614_wylde_ph4.indd 52 4/8/14 4:58 PM

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ing the Montreal Premiere semi-hollowbody. With its elegant, 14 5/8-wide

single-cutaway body, floating pickguard, and curvy f-holes, the guitar gives

o a sophisticated vibe that is enhanced by its beautiful sunburst finish. And

while you might think the Montreal Premiere is based on an ES-335 (Gibsons

iconic semi-hollowbody that uses laminated maple for its body construc-

tion), Godin chose laminated wild cherry wood for the body, which is paired

with a lightweight spruce center block thats contoured to touch the guitars

back in just a few areas. This not only leads to the guitar being incredibly light,

but it also creates an ability to resonate that gives the Godin much more true

archtop character than is typical for most semi-hollows.

The Montreal Premiere features a medium-depth, half-round mahog-

any neck that wears an unbound rosewood fretboard with simple dot

inlays. The fretwork is excellent and the intonation is tuneful in all posi-

tions. Topped o with a great factory setup, the playability was superb.

The Montreal Premiere is a very resonant guitar with an acoustic voice

that is dynamic and complex. For example, when I covered the f-holes

with my hand after strumming the strings, the guitars tone and volume

changed considerably. This cant be said of most thinline guitars, which

gpr0614_hollowbody_ph1.indd 96 4/7/14 2:29 PM

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lessons


july 1997

ILLUSTRATION: JOHN BACKDERF; PHOTOGRAPH: LUX INTERIOR

ince recording her first single

at Sun Studios in 1979, Cramps

vamp Poison Ivy has created

dozens of apocalyptic riffs on

records, coating singer Lux

Interiors depraved vocals with frantic

fuzz and maximum reverb and tremolo.

We invited the co-author of Bikini Girls

with Machine Guns to pull a handful of

favorites from her world-class collection of

mutant, guitar-intensive 45s. Transcription

and annotation (in italics) by Jesse Gress.B Y P O I S O N I V Y

Po

is

on

Iv

y s

pi

nn

in

g 4

5s

at

ho

me

.

POISON IVY UNEARTHS

A D O Z E N D E L I N Q U E N T

R O C K & R O L L R I F F S


This was a difficult task because of what I couldnt include without making the list too long. These are not so much the 12 best

selections as they are 12 representatives of a vast but not necessarily well-known line of swashbucklers. While some are only avail-able on the original 45s, much is available on reissues through Ace, Bear Family, Charly and other labels. Its well worth it to hunt them down. The order of songs is random and does

not indicate preferences. All of the songs are from the 50s and early 60s (the early 60s is musically an extension of the late 50s anyway), and all are on electric guitar.

If you cant dig these, youd better get anothe r shovel.

lessons july 1997H O O D L U M H O O D O O

TAB

TAB

44

3

3

3

3

( )

etc.

etc.

Gtr. 1

Gtr. 2 44 ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) let ring - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* Tune down 1/2 step

* Notated in E (actual pitch: E )

= ca. 112

E(I) G/A E G/A E G/A A(IV)

0 0

3 3 1 0

0 0

3

2 (2)

(0) (2) 0 0

2 2

0 2 (2)

0 2 (2)

0 2 (2)

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

( ) ( ) ( ) l.r. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

0 2 (2)

0 2 (2)

0 2 (2)

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

3 1 0 3 1 0

4 2 0 0 2

( ) ( ) l.r. - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

0 2 (2)

0 2 (2)

( )

0 2 (2)

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

l.r. - - - - - - - - - - -

0 2 2 0

0 0 5 3

0 0 2 2

( )

semi-dist.

semi-dist.

3 3 1

3

1

1 1

3 1

1 3

3

( ) 1 1 1 1 1 1

1

Ex. 1

TAB

44 1 1 1 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 E(V) D(IV) A(I)

5 5

5 5

5 5

5 5

5 5

7 5 5

5 5

5 5

5 5

5 5

5 5

5 5

7 7 7

7 7

7 5 5 5 5

5 5 5 5

5 5 5

5 5 5

5 5 5

5 5 5

5 5 5

* Tune down1/2 step Ex. 2c

TAB

44

D(IV)A(I)

* Tune down 1/2 step= ca. 152

* Notated in A (actual pitch: A )7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 0 0 0

5 0 7

0 0 7 7

0 7 0

7 0 7

0 0 0 0 5 5 7 7

0 0 0 0 5 5 7 7

0 0 5 7

0 0 7 7

0 7

3 1 1 3

clean

Ex. 2a Ex. 2b


1. Grace Tennessee & The American Spirits, Pow Wow, WLS label, 1961. Grace Tennessee and Her Guitar was a pseudonym for Mira Smith, a musician, studio engineer and songwriter who owned and operated the legendary Ram record label out of Shreveport, Louisiana, in the 50s and early 60s. She also accompanied several of the singers on her label, in addition to occasionally using James Burton, Roy Buchanan and Johnny Winter. She passed away in 1989.

Ive seen a photo of Mira playing a Les Paul goldtop in her studiothat might be what she plays on Pow Wow. Shes known to have experimented with multiple guitar tracks, so theres a good chance shes also playing the cool rhythm accompaniment. Most of the riffs are in a melodic vein that reflects the commercial mainstream idea of American Indian/Native American music that prevailed from the 50s through the 70s (remember the Hamms Beer theme?), but Mira occasionally slips into some weird R&B flourishes representative of her region.

The guitars are tuned down a half-step. Ex. 1 gives an idea of Miras two-guitar tussle. Guitar 1 plays exotic E Phrygian pull-offs (note the adjustment for the IV chord in the last bar), while Guitar 2 makes a wonderfully raucous rhythm noise.

2. Bob Taylor & The Counts, Thunder, Yucca. A rockin, rhythm-driven track. From all the hollering in the background, it sounds like they had a really good time. Nothing fancy, but its played very forcibly and relentlessly. A huge

influence on Bobby Fullers Thunder Reef. The guitar is tuned down a half-step in

this assemble it yourself 12-bar progression. The octave B7 riff in Ex. 2a covers the I chord (bars 1-4, 7, 8). The same riff is played on ad-jacent strings for Ex. 2bs IV chord (bars 5, 6). Repetitive double- and triple-stops complete bars 9-12.

3. The Strangers, Caterpillar Crawl,

Titan. Featuring Joel Hill on guitar, this one sounds as creepy as its title. Its played with a very sharp harsh, eventreble.

Try Ex. 3 for a taste. The two guitars are tuned down a half-step, with Guitar 2 provid-ing the bass line. The cool and slinky main line features double-stop bends. Three repeats lead to a gnarly two-bar break that also serves as an intro.

lessonsjuly 1997

TAB

TAB

Gtr. 1

Gtr. 2

* Tune down 1/2 step

* Notated in E minor (actual pitch: E minor)

= ca. 110

44

44 ( ) ( )

2

2

( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ( ) ) ( ) ) (

l.r. - - - - - - - - - -grad. B

2 3 1 1

1

E5 D5/E (E)N.C.

2 (2) (0)

0 0

3 2

(4) (4) 3 2 0 0

B R

3 (4) 0

0 3 3 (4) 0

B

0

p.m.

3

evenglisspalm mute - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

12 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2

0 0 2

0 0

(0) 3 3 3 5 5

1 1

3

( )

semi-dist.

semi-dist.

2 2

2 2 2 2

Ex. 3

Ch

ec

k o

ut

the

se

pla

tte

rs

: T

he

Cr

am

ps

va

mp

in o

ne

of

he

r r

ec

or

d r

oo

ms

at

ho

me

.

PH

OT

OG

RA

PH

: LU

X IN

TE

RIO

R

4. Dick Penner, Cindy Lou, Sun, 1957, with Don Gilliland on guitar. I want to marry this recordwhy isnt Don Gilliland FA-MOUS?! Stark, blurting shards of exotic, se-ductive blues-based riffs, mean and beautiful at the same time, like a panther. He had a style like nobody else. He must have taken human form for a day in order to grace us all with this phenomenal performance.

Don tuned down a whole-step, as evi-denced by the open F in Ex. 4as third bar. Lots of string snappingmmm, nice! Sounds like hes playing fingerstyle. Dig the grating b5 minor second dissonances in Ex. 4b, another excerpt from this solo.

5. Duane Eddy, Stalkin, Jamie, 1958. A stroll instrumental (the quintessential

cool breeze hoodlum dance), very haunting and creepy. Played with tremolo, spring reverb and maybe DeArmond pick-ups on a Gretsch 6120 crystal-line twang.

In Ex. 5, try transposing the four-bar intro to a IVm chord (Am). Flesh out the 12-bar fig-ure with a bar each of B and A (V and IV) chords and a two-bar re-statement of the main riff.


TAB

44 = ca. 118

Tune down whole step

3

1

p i p i p i let ring - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 4

3 1

1 1 3

1 3 3 3

3 1

1 snap - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 3 1

1 3

(G)N.C.

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 8

7 (8) (7) 5 5 5 8 3 5 5 5

0 7 5 5 7

B1/4B1/4

5 7 7 7

5 5 5

5 7

7 7 8

3

fingerstylesemi-clean

DAFCGD

Ex. 4a

TAB

44 (G)N.C.

1 1

3

8 8

5 5 8 8

5 5

8 8

5 5 8 8

5 5

p i p i let ring - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

8 8 5 5

8 8 5 5

7 5 7 7 5

3 3 1 1 1 1 3 3 1

0 3 5 5

0 0 3 5 5

0 5 0

5 0

5 0

5 0

5 0

5 0

5 7 5 7

Tune downwhole step

DAFCGD

Ex. 4b

TAB

= ca. 66 128

3 2 2 2 evengliss

cleanw/ tremolo

(Em)N.C.

7 0

0 0

0 0 2

2 2

2 7

Ex. 5


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6. Johnny Burnette Trio, Honey Hush, Coral, 1956. Ive always guessed Paul Burlison flatpicked the sixth string and fingerpicked the first, since the sixth is about three times as loud, and then bars across to play the riffs on both strings at the same time.

Tuned down a half-step, the riff in Ex. 6 is similar to Train Kept A-Rollin, with its two-octave spread on the first and sixth strings. The riff covers the E (I) chord. For A (IV), try replacing As with Gs.

7. Mickey & Sylvia, No Good Lover,Groove (RCA), 1956. Mickey Baker was a top New York session guitarist whose work included some definitive hot rockabilly guitar normally associated with Southern hillbil-liescheck out his work on Joe Clays RCA

recordings. The main riff is similar to Shakin All

Over by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates,

only played at hyper-speed.

The solo is s c o r c h i n g . H e r e a l l y had to fly to keep up with that crazy wash-

board play-er. In photos

from that pe-riod hes seen

with a Les Paul.

For Ex. 7, tune down a half-step. This 12-bar progression begins on IV (A). Flesh out the last four bars of the progression by replacing A with B7 (V) chord. The E riff also serves as the intro.

8. Lorrie and Larry Collins, WhistleBait, Columbia, 1958. Child protg of Joe Maphis, Larry played a custom Mosrite doubleneck similar to his mentors. His hopped-up solo starts with a fast Link Wray mandolin grind on the first half, then switches to a bangin and twangin sixth string while he gathers his breath for more screaming vocals. Guaranteed to leave you breathless.

In this first eight bars of his solo, Collins foreshadows Pete Townshend. To get the idea, tune down a half-step and play Ex. 8.

9. Ronnie Isle & The Blisters, Wicked,MGM promo. Exotic and wicked, just like the title, but also very rockin. Played with a lotta overdrive and a faint quiver (maybe vibrato, but not tremolo).

The quirky call-and-response four-bar intro figure jumps two octaves, as seen in Ex. 9.

10. The Imps, Uh Oh, Do-Ra-Me, 1960. The filthiest overdrive grunge Ive ever heard. I was actually able to duplicate this sound by cranking my little white Valco amp all the way up (it has a 10 speaker). A similar


TAB

= ca. 176

Tune down1/2 step


44

3 3 3 0 0 0

3 3 3 0 0 0

3 3 3 0 0

3 3 3 0 0

1

1

3 3 3 0 0 0 0

3 3 3 0 0 0 0

3 3 0 0 0

3 3 0 0 0

(E)N.C.

dist. m

Ex. 6

TAB

= ca. 126


Tune down 1/2 step

44 ( ) 2 1 1 4 0

0 0 2

(2)

0 0 2

4

0 0 2

0 0 2

0 0 2

2 4

( ) 0

0 0 2

(2)

0 0 2

4

0 0 2

0 0 2

0 0 2

2 4

3

3 2

0

0 3 3 0

0 2 2 2 0

0

0 3 3 0

0 2 2 2 0

(E)(I)A7(IV)

Double-time feel

clean

N.C.

Ex. 7


lessonsjuly 1997

TAB

44

2

2

3 1

1 3 3

2

3 3 ( ) 3 1 1 1 3 ( )

= ca. 126* Tune down 1 1/2 steps

locoC F C C B G

0

21 21 21 (19)

0

5 5

5 7 7 7 5 (8)

2 2

2 2

0

3 2 0

3 2 0 2

2 0

4 2

4 2

4 2

4 2

B R B

1

1

dist.

CGEBFC

w/ bar 2 2 3

Ex. 10

TAB

= ca. 178

Tune down1/2 step

* Notated in G (actual pitch: G )

44

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

3 3 4 5

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