Guest Michael Rife
GuestForum Replies Created
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Dear Lisa;
Thank you for the answer. You two are so kind and treat us so well. Based on the years I have been playing and listening to what you had to say, I am beginning to think that we will never learn it all when it comes to playing the guitar.
I have mentioned before that I have about 20-some covers I want to record here at home as a “retirement project” and that I also have written about the same number of original melodies/instrumentals on guitars that I will also record. So, I believe the way it is going to work is that I’ll play the guitar, drums, and mandolin on these songs and my wife will play the violin, viola, cello, and keyboard/piano. I’ll be on vocals and try to harmonize. So, I believe we have almost everything covered. If the music is any good, I’ll share it. But, if it is not so good, no one will hear about it. But, I think some of the songs will turn out OK.
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Also as a side benefit concerning Dylan and the Beatles………John went through a Dylan period which started during the Help! album and continued part way through Revolver. My favorite John songs are during that period of time.
Also, this is under the strange bedfellows category……Dylan and Johnny Cash were good friends and collaborators. At times I can understand it because they both went against the trends and at times I think how is it possible for those two to “click” as friends. Still there is a definite country influence in Nashville Skyline and Blonde on Blonde and Cash and his wife did cover It Ain’t Me, Babe. Mike
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Several……..my favorite album of his is Blonde on Blonde and my favorite song from the album is Stuck Inside of Mobile with those Memphis Blues Again. So quirky and so many great lines in the song. Another of my favorite songs of his is a later song which is Make You Feel My Love. Everybody and his brother/sister has covered that song which shows it is likely a good one. Also, has the lyrics are just so deep in feeling. Mike.
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Hi Howard;
I didn’t know that about ‘Unchained Melody’. I am so glad Hattfield won the flip because I cannot imagine the song done any other way. His high notes make the song and relays the feeling of being hopelessly in love. I’m not sure Medley would have made the song such a standard.
Mike
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Howard;
Yep, right there with you.
Mike
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Hi Tom;
It sounds like we are not too terribly far away…..but it sounds like it would be a 3 to 4 hour drive or more, though. I know what you mean about the drums back then. In the late ’60s/early ’70s I played drums exclusively. To transport the drums I had to make it fit in a Chevy Nova…..really cute sometimes. Mike
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Hi;
Personally I would like to see a video of Sweet Lorraine……it’s because she is a flawed character that would cause making a video intriguing. And by video I don’t mean a duo session video, I would like a story telling video. Could be challenging and dramatic. The only problem I could possibly see is would the story telling video live up to expectations. A possible problem with a song like Sweet Lorraine is that (if you are like me) our imagination of the characters and their actions during the song is firmly rooted in our minds. And since everyone is different, the imagination of the characters and actions would be different for each member. So, the video may not match what some have already imagined it to be and this mismatch may cause disappointment to some Club members. So, I think I just talked myself out of wanting the story-telling video……To quote Charlie Brown……Good Grief!!! Mike
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Hi Tom;
Your style sounds good to me, too. I just could not see wearing polyester…..also I though AMC did really make cars. My musical roots were the Beatles (of course), folk/folk-rock, and just a little country-rock. I could not wear a leisure suit and play music like that. I have been to Starbucks a couple of times but no more……and I have owned an SUV…SUVs are a little easier to have with kids, snow, and general mountain driving. Also, it makes it easier for me to load musical gear in there (my guitar(s) and gear bag and my wife’s violin/viola). Other than that it sounds like we would get along well. Where are you located?? I live in a suburb of Boston……thus, the need for an SUV. Mike.
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Well…..I go away for awhile and looky here. I cannot choose. They each bring something different and unique to the musical table. Lisa is quickly becoming an accomplished and talented lead guitarist. From what I hear she can hold her own against any of the guitarists of the present or the past. I relate more to Mona because she is a rhythm guitarist which I am too…….mostly. She is also a drummer and I started out playing the drums and then switched to guitar. So, it is more of a positional thing…..drums and rhythm guitar….that I relate more to Mona’s playing than to Lisa’s playing. In terms of singing either solo or in harmony it is a toss up….they can both sing very well. So….overall to me it is a tie again. Really can’t choose. Mike.
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Thank you Jacki!! I am on my first post-Covid road trip from Boston to NC……kind of a reverse James Taylor. It was strange going from state to state and seeing what the rules are in each state when it comes to Covid. But, I played nice and kept my mask on in public, stayed 6 feet away. The only time I broke that rule was when it came to old high school mates I had not seen in 50 years…..lotsa hugs there. Overall…..when it came to fireworks, I would say a bunch of people broke the law. But, we need to have some normalcy and things from the past to help us remember. Mike.
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Blackbird by Paul was also based on a Bach piece. From what I understand he just reversed the sequence of Bach’s piece to get Blackbird. Mike.
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Hi John;
This link shows the drums used by Ringo from 1963 forward…..definitely Black Pearl or Oyster Black Pearl. https://www.ringosbeatlekits.com/
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Hi Howard from the first nerd to respond. First, I could not touch what he is doing on the guitar. He is a lot better than I am. Second, there are two obvious songs missing from his list but I kinda understand why. Hotel California is missing but that is because Eagles do not allow their music to be recorded by others and posted on YouTube or most anywhere else, as I understand it. So, I am guessing the guy above left it out because he did not want to face the wrath of Henley. The second maybe obvious miss is Stairway to Heaven. But, there were already so many LZ riffs in the video, but to miss their most famous one might be questionable. I think I have an idea why it was left off. I am not sure it is like this globally but in many guitar stores in the US, i.e., Guitar Center, if someone comes in and hooks up a guitar to an amp and starts playing Stairway, the staff and other customers yell out, “Stop It!!!” It’s because most every guitar player knows at least the first few bars of Stairway. And the people in Guitar Center are sick of hearing it…..as are the customers. Not sure that is the real reason but could have been a factor. Also, in Guitar Stores the staff and other customers tend to yell out to stop someone from playing “Smoke on the Water”.
Also, concerning the 1970s there were some really strange fads going on then. I really liked all the videos you found from the 1970s….so, thank you for putting them up here. I tended to avoid the fads back then……..never had a leisure suit, a pet rock, never went to a disco…..always had on blue jeans and a t-shirt in summer and in the winter the shirt would have been a flannel shirt. Till next time. Mike.
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Hi Jung;
I just wanted to point out that Glen was a terribly underrated guitarist. Once in awhile you see his brilliance on videos. Before he gained his own fame he was a member of the LA Wrecking Crew playing guitar on several hits. The Wrecking Crew was a group of studio musicians who played the real music for several songs during the 1960s. Songs by the Beach Boys, the Association, and several others. And Glen was the lead guitarist of the Crew. Then he went on to join the Beach Boys and then there came By The Time I Get Phoenix… Mike.
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John;
Between FaceBook and here I have told this story probably a dozen or so times…..so here goes. When I was around 12 years old in 1965 (yes, I am old….), the only music store in town had a set of the Ludwig Black Pearl drum kit just like the one Ringo had on Ed Sullivan. I would go into the store and just look at it. Well, it was getting close to Christmas and I just went in and looked at it day after day. Usually on Christmas Day my brother and I would receive several small gifts of equal value. But on Christmas Day 1965 my parents told me I had only one gift and it was in another room. So, a little disappointed about only getting one gift (hey, I was only 12) I walked into the room and there was the Ludwig Black Pearl drum kit from the music store. I was speechless……I had not told my parents about it. But, I was told later that my dad went to the store not knowing what to get a 12 year old and the owner of the store told him of my trips into the store just staring at the drums. So, my musical stuff started with this drum kit. But, my parents, brother, and not a few neighbors likely regretted the day I got the kit and for years after that day. Mike.
