From 1964, please enjoy The Beatles and their utterly sublime and guitar driven "I Feel Fine."
And from 1961, and its place on John Lennon's portable home jukebox, please enjoy the suspiciously similar six-string figure on bluesman Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step."
I should add that there's a certain irony in the fact that just as Lennon appropriated the earlier riff for his own purposes, Parker's record is a fairly transparent attempt to clone Ray Charles' "What I'd Say."
Ah, the folk process at work...
8 comments:
Man, is it good to hear that Lennon riff again, stolen/borrowed or not. When that first came out, it was killer. Still is.
This riff was also lifted for "All Night Long" by the Palace Guard. I know this because I've been soaking in the new Rhino LA 60's box, "Where The Action Is," which contains the aforementioned. While Lennon's appropriation of the Prker riff is approximate, this is outright theft.
You can hear a taste of the Palace Guard tunehere.
I dig that Beatles sleeve. I thought they used Vox amps exclusively live, but there's a Fender Super Reverb (Lennon) and Bassman (Harrison).
Actually, the Parker riff (not to bring up Led Zeppelin again) is close to the riff on Moby Dick.
and a great Ringo drum fill coming out of the solo. I've said it before and I'll say it again: compare the Beatles before and after Ringo and you'll know who put them on top.
Peter said...
and a great Ringo drum fill coming out of the solo. I've said it before and I'll say it again: compare the Beatles before and after Ringo and you'll know who put them on top.
McCartney would be the first to agree with you.
He's always had nothing but praise for the feel Ringo brought to the Beatles.
As that guy who wrote "Revolution in the Head" put it, Ringo is "the father modern pop/rock drumming."
I get the rhythmic similarity, but IMO John's riff is considerably more complicated melodically.
Right on Peter. As far as defending Ringo's drumming, I have reached the point where I just want to slap people upside the head when they belittle his work with The Beatles. They are just repeating the same old mantra which was never true to begin with. And then there are the real crazies who subscribe to the notion that Pete Best was the most talented Beatle. Beam them up, Scotty.
Mister Pleasant said...
I get the rhythmic similarity, but IMO John's riff is considerably more complicated melodically.
I was going to say the same thing. I'm pretty sure John himself noted that he based his riff on the Parker song, but it's a lot less "in the folk tradition" than a lot of what passes for original these days.
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