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    WB's 'Hey 19 Rap' of the Week

    1. Walter Becker Media Forum
    2. Rarities & Unreleased
    3. Red Guitar
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    Moderator: D-Mod
    Jul 7, 2020
      ·  Edited: Jul 10, 2020

    Red Guitar

    Matt is off working on his own thing for next time, which will come along with a newsletter. Meanwhile, I thought why not celebrate our nation’s proudest moment—that would be now, am I right? — with a story of the American dream—or one version of it anyway: Red Guitar.



    I'm not really sure when Walter wrote this. Early 90s for sure but what else is new? ( I’ll share some more recent vintage soon). It showed up on his song lists about then, but as I've learned, sometimes he had song titles on these lists before he had the songs.

    Obviously he never got very far with this---no bridge, no solo section, a big hairy 2 minutes, etc. But it has always been one of my real favorites and if you can't hear it already I'm not sure I could explain it. There’s the fantastic swinging syncopation over a great popping’ bass, the optimum Becker dissonant note in the riff , of course —

    — but what really gets me is the singing. So free, casual, even as the narrative voice tells a sad story with affection but no sentimentality. He's saying there was, after all, nothing to be done. And in his easy, swinging style, we hear he’s managed once again to write himself a ditty that he really enjoys singing. Clever gent.

    And because our experience of life is comprised largely of contrasts, comparisons, distinctions, and similarities — we are pattern-recognition animals, above all—sometimes I find myself thinking of this little tune as Becker's N Gang


    Would that be so wrong?


    Enjoy,

    D-Mod

    RED GUITAR (Walter Becker)

    Back in school we were no damn good

    Terrorizing the neighborhood

    The one cool thing we ever did

    Was Bad News Nicky And The Dead End Kids


    Hey now!


    C’mon Nicky, tell the people who we are

    Oh there you go, playing on that Red Guitar

    C’mon Nicky, some day you will be a star

    Oh don’tcha know — playing on that Red Guitar


    Reviews are good, fans are legion

    Tearing’ it up in the Tri-state region

    Goin’ station-to-station, coast-to-coast

    Now who do you think they like the most?


    The time roll on and it just don’t stop

    And it sure turns ugly at the top

    Ahhhh I got out while the gettin’s good

    You hung back..and did what you could


    C’mon On!


    Now they call me back to town

    To make this speech, lay you down

    The one true thing I got to say

    Was we had some times along the way


    C’mon Nicky, tell the people who we are

    Oh there you go, playing on that Red Guitar

    C’mon Nicky, some day you will be a star

    Oh don’tcha know — playing on that Red Guitar


    hourstuff
    Jul 7, 2020

    Yeah, I dig this. This is cool. Great bass, obviously, and I agree that the casual, effortless singing is one of the tunes highlights...and oddly enough, even at 2 minutes, it seems complete, although I'm happy to loop it several times in a row.

    Rogerio Naccache
    Jul 8, 2020

    Sounds like "She Was Good", what is great!

    Tony Favia
    Jul 8, 2020

    Agree with you @Moderator: D-Mod on the swinging! Really like the way his vocal plays against the vamp. And who doesn't like a red guitar? Thank you!

    hourstuff
    Jul 8, 2020

    Since they weren't included here, I took a stab at the lyrics. @Moderator: D-Mod @Matthew Kerns please correct me where I'm wrong.


    Red Guitar by Walter Becker


    Back in school we were no damn good

    terrorizing the neighborhood

    The one cool thing we ever did

    was Bad News Nikki and the Dead-End Kids


    Hey now, come on Nikki

    tell the people who we are

    Oh, there you go

    playin' on that red guitar


    Come on Nikki

    some day you'll be a star

    Ah, don't you know

    playin' on that red guitar


    Leads are good

    fans are legion

    Tearin' it up

    in the tri-state region


    Goin' station-to-station

    and coast-to-coast

    Now who do ya think

    they like the most


    And the time roll on

    and it just don't stop

    Then it sure turns-up

    at the top


    Ah, I got out

    while the gettin's good

    You hung-back

    and did what ya could


    Come on

    now they call me back to town

    To make this speech

    to lay you down


    What you think

    I got to say

    Is we had some times

    along the way


    Hey now, come on Nikki

    tell the people who we are

    Oh, there you go

    playin' on that red guitar


    Come on Nikki

    some day you'll be a star

    Ah, don't you know

    playin' on that red guitar


    Moderator: D-Mod
    Jul 9, 2020  ·  Edited: Nov 11, 2020

    Good effort! Just a few pebbles to clean up. FYI the "official" lyrics are on its YouTube page. My bad for not also posting them here, which I have now done, above.

    Moderator: D-Mod
    Jul 10, 2020

    I posted our "offish" lyrics above, where they always belonged. Cleaned up a couple of typos that were on the YouTube version too --- so this should do it

    hourstuff
    Jul 10, 2020

    Thanks! Feel free to delete mine.

    0
    Dan Belcher
    Jul 8, 2020

    The best way I can describe this song: it's just fun! It's got a familiar sounding chord progression, but then Walter throws in just enough difference to catch your attention. Bouncy and loose, I like it! Agree 1000% on the singing too. Then again, I might be biased because I like red guitars. Case in point, here's an old picture of my Strat.


    hourstuff
    Jul 8, 2020

    Beautiful Strat, Dan.

    Dan Belcher
    Jul 8, 2020

    Thanks. Too bad I'm not a very good player! It's an American Special I picked up used a few years ago, but I did upgrade this guitar since I took that picture so it's not really that anymore. I swapped out the neck and pickups with ones from an American Standard I picked up off Craigslist, so it has the wiring from the American Special where the neck and bridge pickups have tone control instead of neck and middle, but plays and sounds like an American Standard otherwise. And I was able to take the other guitar that I swapped the parts out from and resell it quickly for a decent price, so I basically managed to upgrade for almost free!

    Wendy Bailey
    Jul 10, 2020

    God, this is gorgeous- honestly, too much emotion involved to even try to assess what’s missing and how it might have grown. What a gift in these tired difficult days. Thank you.

    halC
    Jul 10, 2020

    I agree, I love the Red Guitar it's been going around my head all day and night and I can't stop listening, so catchy and laid-back. Thanks for posting !!

    Ghost of Hipness Past
    Jul 12, 2020  ·  Edited: Jul 12, 2020

    Fans are legion/Tri-state region = rhyme of the week

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