Tag: The Beatles

THE OPENING CHORD TO THE BEATLES’ “A HARD DAY’S NIGHT”

WHILE OUR NEXT INTERVIEW IS COMING TO LIFE…

Hirth From Earth

While our next interview is coming to life and we’re waiting for the smoke to clear to get that hot interview up by Ed Huerta, I thought I’d put up a little post which is about a very cool chord that begins a song that has always been one of my favorites in its particular place in the history of music.

THE OPENING CHORD TO THE BEATLES’ “A HARD DAY’S NIGHT”

A Hard Day's Night

This audio file has been floating around the internet since before I put up my first Jackaboutguitars.com post back in January of 2012.  I was considering posting it at that time but never did.

Randy Bachman, known for his many accomplishments with The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was invited to Abbey Road Studios a few years back and offered the opportunity while visiting London , to hear any Beatles‘ song that he wanted from the master tapes by Giles Martin, the son of George Martin, who is known by many as the man who recorded The Beatles.

Being a guitar player, Randy Bachman was most curious about hearing that famous opening chord to The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night“.

The opening chord to The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” has always been a little bit of a mystery to most, but usually guitar players can get pretty close to something that sounds fairly right. There have been so many different interpretations as to what that famous chord really might be.

Another thing, I mean really, who hasn’t, when holding an electric 12 string in their hands, not tried playing that opening chord. That chord is where most of us first heard an electric 12 string guitar.

Rickenbacker_360-12

George Harrison’s Rickenbacker 360/12

 

Here’s a little video just for fun…it should bring back a few memories to most who are my age and more.

The audio recording is fun and any Beatles’ fan who is a player will take great joy in listening to Randy Bachman’s interpretation of what appears to be the pieces put together to make up that famous ringing chord.

As many times as I have heard it, it’s always a joy to hear it again and again as I really take pleasure in hearing that song period!

It always takes me back to the excitement of that time in the history of music and the beginnings of my guitar playing life.

The Beatles

Beatles

 

 

 

 

 

By the way, any of these YouTube postings concerning The Beatles are always subject to getting pulled by YouTube without notice at any time for whatever reason as I have learned in the past. I hope that you get a chance to enjoy this one before it gets “the yank”.     –   Jack

 

THE BEATLES: RARE PHOTOS FROM THEIR FIRST U.S. CONCERT

THE BEATLES: RARE PHOTOS FROM THEIR FIRST U.S. CONCERT

 

-1Kit                                                                                                             ©Mike Mitchell

Imagine being eighteen years old, riding along in your ’55 Chevy, and some of the coolest music that you have ever heard thus far in your life, begins blaring through your car radio speaker(s).

It may have been as early as December 17, 1963 when Washington D.C. DJ, Carroll James of WWDC, was the first U.S. DJ to play “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles on the air in America.

Mike Mitchell was that eighteen year old freelance photographer riding in that ’55 Chevy. When he heard that song, he knew these guys performing it were going to be BIG, and not just BIG, but life changing HUGE for many people. (They certainly had an effect on my brothers and I as three of us have played in bands for most of our lives and one went on to tour the U.S. and Europe. The fourth still strums his guitar…a result of The Beatles changing the face of popular music.)

For as many years as I have enjoyed anything & everything Beatles, (since February 1964 for me when The Fab Four made that first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show), the photographs that are the reason behind this story, somehow managed to elude me.

THE BEATLES AT THE WASHINGTON COLISEUM FEBRUARY 11, 1964

I had never seen any of these photos nor had heard of Mike Mitchell, the photographer who shot them, until just a few weeks ago. The photos themselves hadn’t even seen the light of day until some 47 years after the February 11th, 1964 Washington Coliseum Concert, sometime in 2011! I thought to myself, there’s quite a story here…at least for me and any other hardcore Beatles fans anyway.

the-beatles-#1969                                                                           ©Mike Mitchell

Continue reading THE BEATLES: RARE PHOTOS FROM THEIR FIRST U.S. CONCERT

AN INTERVIEW WITH RICK VITO (THE GENTLEMAN SUPERSTAR) BY ED HUERTA

 

Rick Vito

 

Jackaboutguitars is proud to present an interview with guitarist Rick Vito. Rick  has played guitar with plenty of people that we’ve all heard, although I for one, and maybe you, may have not known it was his guitar playing that we were listening to.

 

Rick currently plays guitar in Rick Vito and The Lucky Devils, The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band and also in The Island Rumours Band with Mick Fleetwood.

By the time this story goes live, Rick Vito & The Lucky Devils will have just finished up at the Harvest Blues Festival in Monaghan, Ireland and will be headed to Bavaria, Austria, all kinds of places in Germany, of which the only one I can pronounce is Hamburg, and also to Denmark over the period of the next three weeks.

(An update from Rick):

“Sadly, bad weather in Washington D.C. on Sept. 6 grounded flights in or out and no other airline or connecting city could be found to bring me and the band to Dublin for the Harvest Time Blues Festival. We had no other choice but to go home and leave the next morning for Munich and the rest of our Euro-tour. Our deepest apologies go out to all those who worked so hard to have us there. We truly hope we can make it up to you in the future.”

That says it all about just how gracious Rick is. Back to the story…

Rick, you certainly named this band as correctly as one could have ever dreamed.  These guys are certainly a bunch of Lucky Devils!  I could only dream of being in such a band…”Lynn (my wife), I’m going to work now.  Oh, by the way, it’s Europe for the next three weeks.”…and as the story goes – then he (I) woke up. Dream on Jackson!!!

Anyway, wishing Rick and The Lucky Devils a fantastic tour in Europe and hoping that you guys make it up to Portland, Oregon some day. (Rick, dinner is on me when you get up this way).

 


Rick Vito and The Lucky Devils…’I Do Believe’

 

The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band…’Fleetwood Boogie’

 

After this interview wrapped up, Rick was going to be heading out to Shreveport, Lousiana to the James Burton International Guitar Festival, to play some tunes with his friend, the GREAT James Burton, and help celebrate James’ 75th Birthday. Happy Belated Birthday James!

 

Rick was a member of Fleetwood Mac, has played with Bob Seger, and is known for his guitar work on ‘Like A Rock’.  He has also played on every Bob Seger album since 1986.

 

Rick with Fleetwood MacFleetwood Mac…Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Rick Vito, Christine McVie, John McVie, & Billy Burnette

 

 Fleetwood Mac…’I Loved Another Woman’ featuring Rick Vito

 

Rick Vito’s Bio

Here’s a little bit more info (from Rick’s Bio pulled with permission from Rick) to give you an idea of what Rick has been up to over the years and with whom:

“Rick also worked with such artists as LITTLE RICHARD, BOBBY WHITLOCK, JOHN PRINE, and DOBIE GRAY among many others.

Late in 1974 Rick received an invitation to join a new band being formed by British Blues pioneer, JOHN MAYALL, with whom Rick worked with subsequently on four albums.

“…a master of the instrument, at last getting the attention he deserves as bandleader/bluesman that is long overdue.” – JOHN MAYALL

 

In the following years, Rick was a member of ex-BYRD ROGER MCGUINN‘s group, THUNDERBYRD, and also a founding member of Los Angeles club favorites, the ANGEL CITY RHYTHM BAND. With the ACRB, Rick had a unique opportunity to back many of the Blues greats he had been influenced by. Performing regularly at the Topanga Canyon Corral club on Monday Blues nights, they regularly held court with ALBERT COLLINS, LOWELL FULSON, BIG JOE TURNER, and GEORGE ‘HARMONICA’ SMITH, among many others.

By 1980 Rick had recorded two albums worth of material and was starting to place more songs with other artists such as MCGUINN CLARK & HILLMAN, and DAVID SOUL. At the same time he began a long association with slide-guitar queen, BONNIE RAITT, appearing on her rocking LP, “GREEN LIGHT”, and as a member of her touring band. Rick spent most of 1982-83 working with LA- based singer/songwriter, JACKSON BROWNE. He appears on Jackson’s single’ “SOMEBODY’S BABY”, and on his albums, “LAWYERS IN LOVE”, and “LIVES IN THE BALANCE”.

In between solo recording and live shows in the LA area, Rick continued session dates with many artists including RITA COOLIDGE, MARIA MULDAUR, and DOLLY PARTON.

For more info on Rick’s great career, do check out his website Rick Vito .com  You can check out his music, artwork, CD’s, DVD’s as well as all kinds of cool photos, videos, and media about him.

 

Rick Vito and The Lucky Devils…’When The Big One Comes’

And now it’s time for the interview with Rick Vito by Jackaboutguitars’ one and only, “Prince of Primitive”, Ed Huerta.

The works of world renowned artist and writer  Ed Huerta, take up residence in the ‘ART “N” SOUL section of the Jackaboutguitars Blog.  AKA as ”The Prince of Primitive”, Ed Huerta was born in Los Angeles and currently resides in Long Beach, California.

A longtime musician, Ed has played in several L.A./O.C. bands, including Rockford, The Jack Brewer Band, The Lazy Cowgirls, The Final Tourguides, Moist and Meaty, Mind Over 4, The Silly Millions, Copper 7, & Eddie & The Trays.  He has also toured the U.S. and Europe as a drummer.

Continue reading AN INTERVIEW WITH RICK VITO (THE GENTLEMAN SUPERSTAR) BY ED HUERTA

THE BEATLES’ TROUBLESOME BUTCHER ALBUM COVER BY EDDIE DEEZEN

 

 

Beatles_0 copyWe’re still cooking along here in honor of this fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of the British Invasion.

Jackaboutguitars.com is once again quite pleased to present another Fantastic article from one of the BIGGEST BEATLES’ FANS on the planet – Facebook Pal, Actor, Voice Over Artist, and Writer, Mr. Eddie Deezen!

As time and space permit, Jackaboutguitars will continue to share some very cool articles on The Beatles during this fiftieth anniversary celebration year of The Beatles conquering America that Eddie has written for www.eddiedeezen.com – “The Official Eddie Deezen Website” and for neatorama.com where Eddie has done many way cool guest posts on The Beatles and a variety of other people and subjects.

Eddie_Deezen Eddie Deezen is a character actor who is best known for his acting roles in Grease, Grease 2, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Surf II: The End of The Trilogy, 1941, Zapped!, WarGames, Disney’s Midnight Madness, and Punky Brewster, to name a few, as well as the voice of characters Lenny The Know It All in The Polar Express, Mandark in Dexter’s Laboratory on The Cartoon Network, Ned in Kim Possible, and Snipes The Magpie in Rock-A-Doodle.

Besides all of his Hollywood credits from being a talented character and voice actor, Eddie Deezen is a HUGE BEATLES FAN! His Beatles knowledge is nothing short of amazing.

Be sure to check out more from Eddie at www.eddiedeezen.com, neatorama.com, and give him a like on Facebook.

Once again, Eddie, a BIG THANK YOU! – Jack
Here’s a Neatorama guest post from Eddie. Visit Eddie at his website.

Continue reading THE BEATLES’ TROUBLESOME BUTCHER ALBUM COVER BY EDDIE DEEZEN