Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[Mr.OMuck]

That's an extraordinary version of Sweet Chariot. Never heard anything quite like it or of Levester "Big Lucky" Carter. Thanks for posting it JohnM.

[frankie]

Vestapol is nice for this, but I think cross-note is better.

Listening with fresh ears this morning, I think Chris had it right with vestapol...

[lindy]

I just posted a short film about Levester in the "Other Musical Interests on YouTube" thread.

A black American blues musician jamming with two elder Hungarian folk musicians. You gotta see it!

If you don't have the time to watch all 60 minutes, I suggest that you jump forward to the 38:30 mark and watch the next ten minutes.

Lindy

[frankie]

If you don't have the time to watch all 60 minutes, I suggest that you jump forward to the 38:30 mark and watch the next ten minutes.

I'll say...  nice fine, lindy!

looks like std tuning is the way to go! very interesting...

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It looks like all the responses are in on the most recent set of puzzlers, so I'll post the answers.

For Ralph Willis's "Mama Mama Blues":
   * Playing position was A in standard tuning as all who responded had it--well done!  The IV chord was an early giveaway, as banjo chris noted.

For Roosevelt Antrim's "Complaint To Make":
   * Playing position was G in standard tuning, as all who responded had it--well done again!  I really like this song and especially like the title, it has a real "cut to the chase" feel to it that I find very appealing.

For Levester "Big Lucky Carter's "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot":
   * Playing position was E in standard tuning as Old Man Ned had it--very well done!  As was noted by a number of responders, this is really beautiful playing with an original approach.  "Big Lucky" is playing thumb lead while maintaining a droning open first string throughout the course of his rendition.  He's working primarily out of an A position E chord up the neck 7-7-9-9-9-7, without ever actually fingering that chord, but free-handing out of that basic configuration.  He never frets a note on the sixth string between the seventh fret and the open string.  He's able to get beautiful extreme bends at the tenth and eleventh frets because the strings are so slack there, and the sound of such bends happening at a higher pitch than the open E string that is droning away is unusual and really beautiful.  You could figure out he was playing E position standard tuning because at various points in the course of his rendition, he hits the open fifth, fourth and third strings very quietly, most often around the 2 minute mark.

Please don't post videos that essentially provide the answers to puzzlers before people have had a chance to respond.  There's always time to post videos after puzzlers have been answered.  Thanks to all who responded, and I hope you enjoyed the tunes.

All best,
Johnm 

[Slack]

Very cool version, nice find Johnm.  It was recorded in 1994 in Memphis.  Would you refer to the technique as "pedal point" guitar?  A pedal point blues/spiritual... parts of the intro sound quite modern.

[Johnm]

Yup, John D., I would say "pedal point" is a good description of the approach the arrangement takes.  Hearing people drone away on an open sixth or fifth string is something we're pretty much accustomed to in this music, with John Lee Hooker, R. L. Burnside, Robert Belfour and others adopting such an approach quite often, but having the pedal on top as Levester Carter does on this track is really different, both in terms of execution and sound.  Kudos to him for coming up with such a beautiful way of playing the song.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I always like to try and transcribe the lyrics of the songs that are used for puzzlers and would really appreciate some help with the lyrics to Ralph Willis's "Mama Mama Blues", from the last set of puzzlers, at:  http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=10188.msg98905#msg98905 .  You can see I'm missing words from the taglines of the last two verses, and I'm having a dickens of a time hearing them.  I'd also appreciate correction/corroboration of what I heard for the last word of the tagline to the first verse of Roosevelt Antrim's "Complaint To Make".  Thanks for any help.
All best,
Johnm

[Old Man Ned]

In the Ralph Willis second to last verse I'm hearing "Well, I used to be that woman's regular, now I have to be her dog"

The last verse has got me scunnered, I'm just hearing something like 'mark and stablish' but I'm not making any sense of that!

Hope that helps.

[Johnm]

Thanks for the help, Old Man Ned!  "Regular" in that verse is definitely what Ralph Willis was singing, and I have made the change.  Thanks!
All best,
Johnm

[Slack]

I'm just hearing something like 'mark and stablish' but I'm not making any sense of that!

I'm hearing "the mark and the sadness" --- which makes no better sense...

[Johnm]

And I'm hearing
   "Well the mark and the family, must be carried on"
which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, either!
What was Ralph talking about?
All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

I hear "mark in the family must be carried on" -- close to what you heard, John. I remember hearing a usage similar to that (and I can't put my finger on what word it was -- it wasn't mark) and I seem to remember it meaning passing something down in the family. Not sure how that would apply here, exactly. Hopefully I'll remember what I'm talking about!
Chris

[Stuart]

I hear ..."The mark in the family"... (or something very close) too, John.

For the line right before it, "You know, the time ain't gotta be so long," I hear "gonna" for "gotta."

For "The mark in the family," the only thing I could find that hints at the meaning is to set a record or mark (as in sports with another family member keeping it in the family, like Chris says), or perhaps to make a mark as to record something. Perhaps he means continuing the family history or tradition of men leaving women who don't treat them right. That's my guess, anyway, given the context.

[Johnm]

Thanks for the help, Chris and Stuart, I'm going with "mark in the family".  Thanks, and I'll pick up "gonna" too, Stuart.
All best,
Johnm