Harvey Mandel: Wade In The Water [1968]
from Cristo Redentor
I just found out about this classic jam. Loving the stereo-panned twin guitar attack that kicks in at the 2 minute mark. The strings keep reminding me of Jesus, etc. by Wilco, for whatever that's worth. If you listen to the beginning then jump all the way to the end, you'll notice the tempo has subtly accelerated: another blissful snapshot of A Time Before Pro Tools.
9 comments:
Good one, thx.
How's the version Byrd's "Cristo Redentor" on here?
Thahks, Emmett - i like the way it swells to inhabit the same kind of space as Beggars Banquet or the White Album. Sounds really familiar although i've never heard it.
I remember his picture on that album, he looked like he was about 14.
Played a 335, maybe just like Freddie's.
An early exemplar of the fat compressed sustain that got used later by people like Robin Trower.
Last I heard of him he had a band happening called Pure Food and Drug Act.
Hey everyone -- I actually don't know the Byrds' Cristo Redentor but Harvey's is pretty cool (& indescribable). Check out lost-in-tyme dot blogspot dot com and you just might find the whole record.
David -- I don't know my guitar gear that well but Harvey sure does get a fat, sustaining tone on this. Thanks for your recollections and insight. This is one record that really sounds better on vinyl b/c vinyl somehow offers more sustain in general (I could rant about this forever but I won't). I didn't have the time or the means to get this on vinyl & rip it, unfortunately...
Anyway, glad ya liked it, everybody.
Before signal processing and even before amps had pre/gain/master controls it was often a mystery to many players how other players got their sounds. There were all sorts of myths that people believed but basically the great thick distortion-sustain sounds were achieved by playing very loud.
People tried to duplicate at lower levels using all sorts of invented circuitry, but it was really about using equipment in ways it was never designed for.
With straight tube-amplification, as you turn up to 10 there is a point where the energy in the air
couples with the instrument and starts to drive it, you can feel it grab, (also with solid-state but tubes do it tastier).
At that point it becomes like surfing, or operating a dangerous power tool...you play that edge and work with it...volume too low and it lets go and it's just normal sound...volume too high and you can blow the amp or the speakers....a common occurrence.
One is using a phenomenon that people are usually trying to avoid.
It happens much easier with hollow-body guitars like Harvey's but as amps got bigger then the same thing could happen with a solid body on a large stage area.
Hendrix is a case in point. He did use analog processing of various kinds, but if you plug a guitar into a huge amp stack and then turn everything up to 10, things just start happening.
The skill is in modulating the howling beast...it takes a very light and selective touch...the amp does all the work.
I think he's talking about jazz trumpeter DONALD BYRD's version of "Cristo Redentor."
Ha! Well, I haven't heard Donald's version either...
Is there supposed to be an mp3? I want to hear this song.
Post a Comment