Well, sounds like the weenies are starting to rattle the cages, so it's time to get going on SOTM #2.
First off, thanks to frankie for suggesting this idea, and for setting the bar so high (well, not really the second comment, since it may be hard for me to reach).
I selected 'Pal of Mine' by Blind Willie McTell mostly because I know many on here could hear things in the guitar playing that I can't, therefore, I'll sharpen my take on a song that I love to sing. Hope that doesn't sound too selfish of me. Additionally, it's always fascinating to learn the history of a song, and its antecedents, and how others perceive the actual performances. ... Also, I guess this is the last song BWM recorded, which makes it somewhat special right there.
It's also a reminder that what we call the country "blues" players actually cast a really wide net when it came to repertoire.
It appears that McTell recorded the song three times, twice in 1949, and once in 1956. But I'd guess that he'd been playing it for quite some time before he recorded it.
In the BWM Guitar Style - Queries and Tips, banjochris notes that on the '49 recording, McTell plays it in the 'C' position, with the actual key as 'F'. Curley Weaver is playing along on these two takes in 'F', which makes it a bit tricky to follow McTell's guitar lines.
Here's a youtube clip of the '49 version with Weaver
http://youtu.be/N4_I027OYT4?list=RDN4_I027OYT4
And here's Willie solo in '56 (note that in his intro he actually references the original WWI era version)
And here's my humble version that I'd posted in the Back Porch a few years back (linked at the bottom):
It appears that the origin of the song begins during WWI. Lieutenant Gitz Ingraham Rice, a Canadian officer who served in the First World War, is credited with composing Pal 'o Mine. Here's an excerpt from a web source:
It was in this way that, in addition to singing and playing the piano for the concert parties, Rice turned his hand to songwriting. Rice became known for hit songs such as "Dear Old Pal of Mine", in which a soldier laments his absence from his girlfriend. The first line states, "All my life is empty, since I went away"; and the refrain affirms the soldier's loneliness: "Oh, how I want you, dear old pal". Rice's song was popularized by the singer John McCormack, who adopted it as his signature tune? It is a typical popular song of the First World War era and was recorded variously as a ballad, a waltz and a foxtrot, as well as being released in sheet-music form. Rice was on active duty in Ypres, Belgium, when he composed the theme of this song.
And here's that version from youtube:
Original sheet music (linked below):
But the real source version for McTell's own pieces is undoubtedly this version, 'Call Me Back Pal 'O Mine', from 1922, sung by Charles Harrison on Victor, with the composer listed as Harold Dixon, and lyricist as Lawrence Perricone: (the link will take you to the LOC page)
http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/9023/
So, points to ponder:
1. What do you think are the connections between the 1918 version and the more McTell-like 1922 version, if any?
2. What are your collective thoughts on Willie's '49 version compared to his '56 version?
3. What are some tips or suggestions in the guitar parts when comparing Willie's to mine?
Thanks for reading this, and I'd surely welcome any weenie versions of this great song.
Tom
First off, thanks to frankie for suggesting this idea, and for setting the bar so high (well, not really the second comment, since it may be hard for me to reach).
I selected 'Pal of Mine' by Blind Willie McTell mostly because I know many on here could hear things in the guitar playing that I can't, therefore, I'll sharpen my take on a song that I love to sing. Hope that doesn't sound too selfish of me. Additionally, it's always fascinating to learn the history of a song, and its antecedents, and how others perceive the actual performances. ... Also, I guess this is the last song BWM recorded, which makes it somewhat special right there.
It's also a reminder that what we call the country "blues" players actually cast a really wide net when it came to repertoire.
It appears that McTell recorded the song three times, twice in 1949, and once in 1956. But I'd guess that he'd been playing it for quite some time before he recorded it.
In the BWM Guitar Style - Queries and Tips, banjochris notes that on the '49 recording, McTell plays it in the 'C' position, with the actual key as 'F'. Curley Weaver is playing along on these two takes in 'F', which makes it a bit tricky to follow McTell's guitar lines.
Here's a youtube clip of the '49 version with Weaver
http://youtu.be/N4_I027OYT4?list=RDN4_I027OYT4
And here's Willie solo in '56 (note that in his intro he actually references the original WWI era version)
And here's my humble version that I'd posted in the Back Porch a few years back (linked at the bottom):
It appears that the origin of the song begins during WWI. Lieutenant Gitz Ingraham Rice, a Canadian officer who served in the First World War, is credited with composing Pal 'o Mine. Here's an excerpt from a web source:
It was in this way that, in addition to singing and playing the piano for the concert parties, Rice turned his hand to songwriting. Rice became known for hit songs such as "Dear Old Pal of Mine", in which a soldier laments his absence from his girlfriend. The first line states, "All my life is empty, since I went away"; and the refrain affirms the soldier's loneliness: "Oh, how I want you, dear old pal". Rice's song was popularized by the singer John McCormack, who adopted it as his signature tune? It is a typical popular song of the First World War era and was recorded variously as a ballad, a waltz and a foxtrot, as well as being released in sheet-music form. Rice was on active duty in Ypres, Belgium, when he composed the theme of this song.
And here's that version from youtube:
Original sheet music (linked below):
But the real source version for McTell's own pieces is undoubtedly this version, 'Call Me Back Pal 'O Mine', from 1922, sung by Charles Harrison on Victor, with the composer listed as Harold Dixon, and lyricist as Lawrence Perricone: (the link will take you to the LOC page)
http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/9023/
So, points to ponder:
1. What do you think are the connections between the 1918 version and the more McTell-like 1922 version, if any?
2. What are your collective thoughts on Willie's '49 version compared to his '56 version?
3. What are some tips or suggestions in the guitar parts when comparing Willie's to mine?
Thanks for reading this, and I'd surely welcome any weenie versions of this great song.
Tom