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Roger McGuinn plays "Turn, Turn, Turn"


Jeff Wexler

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As a NON-guitar player who only ever learned a few chords to play the occasional song at a beach bonfire, seeing someone this skilled up close is amazing.  I never actually listened to this song closely enough before to realize this was played by a single guitar.  And it is one of the songs I always listen to all of the way through when I pass it on the radio.  A real songwriting masterpiece.

Brian Setzer is also one of my favorite players who can play rhythm and lead at the same time.

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Many people do not realize that , the words to this song are taken almost verbatim , from the King James

version of the Bible ( Ecclesiastes 3, verses 1-8 ) . Closing with " a time for peace , I swear its not to late "

added by Pete Seeger.

That Rick is the finest looking guitar ever made.

Kevin Sorensen

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The Rickenbacker, I always thought it was Rickenbacher, has such an recognizable sound regardless of who plays it. Whether it was the Byrds, Beatles, Tom Petty, etc, once you know what makes that sound, you will always identify it as such. Rickenbacker and Fender are the two electric guitars that most influenced 60's rock sound and they both started out here in Orange County. Fender was in my town of Fullerton, and Rickenbacker was made in Santa Ana. I love the sound of both.... Philip, that sound was Rickenbacker and the L A sound from that era. As you well know, when one thinks of the 60's sound they think of San Francisco, Detroit, New York, London, but too many to name were recorded here in the southland in L A's great studios......  Robert, my guitar playing is less than average, but like you I dig the guys n gals that can make them come alive... Kevin, I do love the look of a 'Rick', sweet for sure, but like women, they are all good looking, some just look better than others.

CrewC

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  Anyone interested in live music recording, Richenbackers, and the Byrds, might want to check out mudcrutchmusic.com. Mudcrutch is Tom Pettys 1st band that half of the Heart Breakers came from. They got back together after 30 plus years and did a album recorded live in their 'Club House/ Warehouse' in the 'Valley'. Great music and vids... Tom was the bass player and one of the singers back then/now. He plays a great Rickenbacker bass and they do a out standing version of 'Lover of the Bayou' by the Byrds.... I dig the whole Album as we used to call endeavors such as these. There is much to be said for good players doing a song live in the same room at the same time. Indeed. Old school can be New School when real people play with real feeling. Or am I just high?

CrewC

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  There is no real substitution for real people playing real instruments , especially if they have the gift for it.

My favorite song on the new Mudcrutch " album " is  " Six days on the road " penned by Gramm Parsons , an early country-rock progenitor .

Kevin Sorensen

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Hey Kevin, "Six Days" is covered well by Mudcrutch, and Gramm Parsons when he was a Flying Burrito Bro did a great version as well, but the original was sung by Dave Dudley in 62 or 3. Not sure who wrote it, but it wasn't GP, though he is one of my favorites as well. My fav song on the album is "Topanga Cowgirl" with lyrics about magic hour and a shoot out on the sand. Also she comes at sunset every day. They don't write em like that anymore. Think I go listen to the song again, then some Gramm Parsons.

CrewC

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You will dig the original, thats why so many covered the song. I agree with your POV of the Mudcrutch album. 10 days, 14 songs recorded live... The energy and vibe are alive and upfront and center. Crystal River is the Byrds, Neil Young, and the Dead, filtered through Tom Petty and the HeartMudders. I will play it again as I chill and the sunsets on a much cooler So. Cal....

CrewC

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  • 5 years later...

Reviving an old post here, but still staying on (or near topic) . . .

I just recorded an interview with Roger McGuinn yesterday in a hotel room for a radio show. He played a few tunes on a Martin acoustic for us, which was incredibly cool.I'll post the files after the show airs, but it's a show called Mixed Bag hosted by Don McGee (formerly hosted by Pete Fornatele).

After running through various scenarios and consulting with a musician friend of mine, I came up with a plan to mic the guitar and the vocals independently, like in a performance or studio; however, I thought that in an intimate setting like a hotel room, that would be a bit formal and perhaps a bit restricting, so I hung a Schoeps MK41 over Roger's head, threw a lav on the host and Roger's wife who was included in the interview, and everything sounded great.

Hearing Roger McGuinn singing Dylan's My Back Pages first thing in the morning is a real treat to start the day.

Marc

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Great find Jim, and super quality too.

Crew, it was a great opportunity. Overall I was pretty happy with the mic placement, though at times Roger moved around a bit and he was less in the sweet spot, but I think there are few that will notice. THe MK41 gave a nice balance between his guitar and voice, though he woke with a bit of a cold so his range wasn't all there.

Once the show airs, I'll post a link to the show and if I get permission, I'll post the files on this thread.

Marc

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Stepping into the Wayback Machine for a moment, Six Days on the Road was cowritten by Earl Green and Carl Montgomery. I think Montgomery was a staff songwriter at Muscle Shoals, at least for a while.

 

Jim Gallup, thanks for posting the Byrds at Fillmore East clips. Great to see Clarence White playing especially since he died so young and so pointlessly just three years later, struck by a drunk driver while wrapping out of a club after a spur of the moment reunion of the band he and his brother Roland were in, the Colonels. A song Gram Parsons did write is In My Hour of Darkness as a memorial to Clarence.

Best regards,

Jim

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