Monday, July 22, 2013

Backing Tracks of the Gods (An Occasional Series)

And this just in -- I'm no longer in DivShare Hell.

That being the case, please enjoy -- from 1967 -- the instrumental bed for The Yardbirds "Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor." From the Little Games Sessions CD compilation.


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Sounds like the Who without the vocals, no? In any case, pretty fricking fantastic.

In the meantime, feel free to sing along, won't you?

Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor,
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief,
Doctor, baker, fine shoe-maker,
Wise man, madman, taxman, please,
How can I know just what to be?
Please stop and give advice to me.
Tell me,
Tell me,
How many people do I help...

Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor,
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief,
Doctor, baker, fine shoe-maker,
Wise man, madman, taxman, please,
How can I know just what to be?
Please stop and give advice to me.
Tell me,
Tell me,
How many people do I help,
Just by sitting on the shelf,
Tell me,
Tell me,
I don't want a trade at all,
[It's for to?] living off the road.
Ooooh...

Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor,
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief,
Doctor, baker, fine shoe-maker,
Wise man, madman, taxman, please.
Who's gonna tell me what to do?
Then they will say that I am true.
Maybe,
Maybe,
Perhaps I'll come to a great success,
Or possible a dreadful mess.
Maybe,
Maybe,
[Having buys its?] fortune, fame,
Living's just a little game.
Woooo-aaah....

Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor,
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief,
Doctor, baker, fine shoe-maker,
Wise man, madman, taxman, please.
How can I know just what to be,
Please stop and give advice to me,
Tell me,
Tell me,
How many people do I help,
Just by sitting on a shelf,
Tell me,
Tell me,
I don't want a trade at all,
[It's for to?] living off the road,
Ooooh....

Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor,
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief,
Doctor, baker, fine shoe-maker,
Wise man, madman, taxman, please.

Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor....
Boy, they don't write 'em like that any more.




6 comments:

  1. And if you really want to hear Jeff Beck at his Yardbirds best, listen to his solo on another great (and largely) instrumental track, HOT HOUSE OF OMAGARASHID (where the track is misspelled at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDqK77XOKMg) from ROGER THE ENGINEER. At 01:43, it's a minute of pure joy.

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  2. Page was pretty darn good in the Yardbirds.

    Allan Rosenberg

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  3. This is one of those rare songs that, to our knowledge, Page didn't steal from somebody else.
    :-)

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  4. Brooklyn Girl7/22/2013 5:04 PM

    I second Mark's comment. The track starts out a little goofy, but then Beck comes scorching in and changes everything. Perfect.

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  5. "Tinker Tailor" has touches of Who meeting Bobby Fuller with a tip of the hat to the Creation. The acoustic underpinnings are very tasty. And the bowing.....aaaaaah yesssssss. I wonder how much say Page had in the production?

    This was the B-side of the first Yardbirds single to fail in my neck of the woods. But "Ha Ha Said the Clown" wasn't really the Yardbirds anyway.

    The follow up, "Ten Little Indians"/"Drinking Muddy Water" had them in the Top Ten in Berdoo again with both sides getting equal airplay.

    "Hot House..." is only redeemed by Beck. Definitely not a classic in my book.

    Page was the shit. And he became one hell of a producer, unlike Jeff Beck. Because of this, Led Zepp's late Sixties releases hold up far better than Beck's.

    Vickie Rock

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  6. Jimmy the P. certainly stole it from himself for the opening of The Song Remains the Same, but I suppose he's entitled.

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