August KVR

[offthewall]

 
First .... sorry I haven't been around much this past few weeks, folks .... just too much 'real life' getting in the way  

So ... this month KVR theme is 5.
A song with any combination of 5 elements.
 

Round about 1964 there was a children’s television programme, back in the black and white days, which was aimed at the under 12’s and was a compilation of general home craft / comedy / music things. One of the biggest surprises was when they brought in the great Alexis Korner as a music presenter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_Korner
He would have a solo spot and an invited guest on each session. These often included aspiring musicians of the day (like Rolling Stones amongst others) and visiting American blues singers. The whole set up was quite bizarre and had a huge influence on me at that time.

I tried to get that ‘sound of the time’ in this recording.

5 instruments
5 verses
5 chorus
5 part harmony in chorus
5 chords used during the song
5 minutes long
5 in the title
5 day time limit to write and record it (honestly!)

Instruments are:
Drums ; Yamaha DD-50
Bass guitar ; Westfield precision d/I
Electric guitar ; Adam Black Hydra thru GreenMachine
Organ ; Roland keyboard thru Epthimia Organ VST
Harmonicas ; Hohner ‘Marine Band’ C & D d/I.

Straight 12 bar blues in G gives G/C/D then key change to A gives A/D/E making 5 chords in total.

5 O'Clock Club
Gonna tell a story that goes back in time
This boy was moving on from the nursery rhyme
He got an old guitar and some blue suede shoes
And started messing round with the rhythm and blues
Where did he hear that music 50 years ago?
Surprise, indeed, he got it from a TV show.

It was the 5 o’clock Club
Playing rhythm and blues
It was the 5 o’clock Club
Where I learned to enthuse
Alexis Korner
Yes, he was my muse.

To hear this sort of music, if I recollect
In a little kiddies programme was a mite suspect
The content of the show was aimed at under 12’s
With puppet shows and drawing games and painted shells
But when they had the music spot it made me stare
The father of the blues was sitting in the chair.

With his long side-burns and his gravel voice
Acoustic guitar and his guests of choice
Cyril Davies played the harp, Long John Baldry would sing
They just sat in the studio and did their own thing
If you ask me how I learned, ask me who I seen
I would have to say, Alexis Korner’s Blues Machine.

 
James

[Oren]

Talk about taking a theme in all possible directions!

Sounds schweet, too...

[elwoodblues1969]

James,

This is one bluesy tour de force...catchy,snappy,nifty and quite the novelty to listen to! 

This is one very solid entry for KVR...bravo!


-Thom

[Azell]

What performance! hats off Mr James 

[folderol]

Well, now I've got my own entry in I can listen to others... and this is the first
I think this is the 'tightest' performance I've ever heard from you James. Absolutely first class

 

[offthewall]

 
Thanks for comments, all.

But, Will .... do you remember the TV programme?

 
James

[folderol]

Only just!

[folderol]

Didn't he do well

Number 2 

[Oren]

Didn't he do well

Smooth move James!

[Moon]

Wauw ! 

James, I just listen to your song. Ok, this is a confesion: should have listened to this much sooner.

But, man, what a performance!!! Great, great, great, great !!! I'm amazed !!!

A very well deserved second place !

Moon

[offthewall]

 
Shucks ... ya'all gettin' me embarrassed 

But, you know .... this is all down to the old 'learning curve'.

I can say this here, among friends 

Truth.
When I started this project it really was because the theme sent me straight back to that little 'snapshot' time in my life where I, to this very day, recall something inspiring. 

That whole period, in my formative days, when I was influenced by musicians like Korner in particular, came flooding back to me and made me determined to do justice to his style.
I don't know if any of you 'older' guys remember Mr K. His influence was charismatic. He had a small coterie of musical disciples as the nucleus of his band, which gave him a platform for introducing all those young guys of the day to R&B style music, based firmly in the Mississippi delta and Chicago styles.

Anyway ... if you can grab some footage of him playing live you will notice a very distinctive guitar style. Hard to describe, but his right hand action was always peculiar. He never used a pick but had his own method of finger-picking which involved a strong thumb action combined with an 'up' sweep with two fingers. When it came to a solo spot it was usually done with a 'stabbing' thumb action.
Without realising, at that time, I must have tried to mimic this style ... I still use my own version of that to this day.
The strange thing is that I don't think I realised any of this stuff until I actually finished the song 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI428LUWoww
2nd half of this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYiFYfmfkY4&feature=related

Apologies for the long post        don't know what came over me 

 
James