Cool song, no?
And therein lies a tale and an opportunity.
The short version: "Silent Treatment" was recorded in the Weasels 4-track basement studio in sylvan Teaneck, NJ, and originally saw the light of day on their extremely limited edition (three copies?) album Pop Go the Weasels in 1984. The song was written by my colleague Glenn Leeds (who contributes keyboards), and the remaining credits are Dave (Jai Guru Dave) Hawxwell on vocals and rhythm guitar, Allan Weissman on bass, and Mike "The Drummer" Sorrentino on drums (heh).
As you may have noticed, I did not contribute to the production (I was on hiatus from the band, for reasons too complicated and silly to get into here); nevertheless, the guys left a hole in the track -- an instrumental interlude beginning around the 2:16 minute mark and ending, before the return of the last verse/chorus, at approximately 2:40 -- for me to add one of my characteristically mediocre guitar solos. Which I never did.
That being the case, we have decided to do something about it after all these years.
To wit: THE WEASELS ADD A SOLO CONTEST!!!!!
That's right, kids -- you too can be a Weasel, at least if you have access (as I suspect many of you do) to a home recording facility. All you've got to do is take the track and dub a guitar solo of your own in the hole discussed above. It can be any style whatsoever -- imitate George Harrison, Tom Verlaine, that guy from Boston (the band), Chet Atkins, Nigel Tufnel, anybody; just mix it in with the track and send it (preferably in flac or wav. format) to my e-mail -- ssimels@gmail.com.
And then we'll all have a good laugh at your expense.😎
No, actually you'll be proclaimed an honorary Weasel, and we'll post your efforts here for the adoration of a waiting world.
We will also gift you with a copy of the Weasels fabulous 2016 greatest hits CD, the aptly titled Crimes Against Humanity.
And what could be more of a motivator than that? 😎😎
In all seriousness, I think this could be a lot of fun, and I'm willing to bet somebody out there has a really great solo in them.
I'll keep you posted on how this thing develops, for good or evil.
[h/t Steve Schwartz]
13 comments:
This is one of your greatest columns ever. I can’t wait to hear the results. After announcing the winner please post all of the entered performances.
You should declare the winner but include the ability to let us readers also vote. Yeah I know I’m over complicating this but this is so much fun. Run with it.
Captain Al
Depending on how many submissions there, I'm definitely gonna ask you guys to vote.
Just to set the record straight: Steve you ARE playing guitar on the song. That’s you on the quasi reggae/new wave electric rhythm track…..A lovely job!
I am sure you are correct, and thank you for the compliment, but I have absolutely no memory of having played on the song. 😎😎
FAKE NEWS!! There is only one guitar on that, and it is ME!
When I read Beatle stuff where they themselves can’t recall who played what on a track decades ago, I always wondered how that could be. Memories get addled, incidents get conflated. But this one, I feel pretty sure of. That’s my red Gibson 335.
Jai Guru Dave
Where can I hear the GH album. Bandcamp? Streaming? I can't find it.
Whoops....I am wrong! My face is sooooo red!
Not only do memories get addled but so do the musicians who play on the recordings.
Captain Al
It's definitely on CD Baby and Spotify. It's probably on some other outlets I can't remember. You can also find all the songs on YouTube.
That Weasels album is also on Apple Music.
Captain Al: I resemble that remark!
Jai Guru Dave
:-) :-) Getting multiple players to put a solo on the same track? Who do you think you are, Steely Dan??
Doug Wahlberg/ Bandcamp.
Song "What If" - intro guitar riff sounds like it could be a mid song solo.
Sorry to make you have to visit B/C.
I'm so old I need Spectrum to set up my new remote 😉 - rob
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