Fret Filings - (Anne's Blog)

Thursday, August 28, 2008

"BABY RAN"
Topic: New Tab Postings

"Baby Ran" was the first 54-40 song I ever heard, and it continues to be among my favourites of theirs now. The song originally appeared on the band's 1986 self-titled album. I had that album on vinyl, but my vinyl collection has long since been retired. About a year ago I was putting together a variety playlist of songs by Canadian bands to burn onto a CD. So I went to an mp3 site in search of "Baby Ran". I had no problem finding it; it's on the band's greatest hits package Radio Love Songs: The Singles Collection (pictured). I was surprised, however, to discover that that CD had a re-recorded version of the song. I wanted the original. The site didn't have the album 54-40, though, so it seemed the original wasn't available.

I think it's mostly just a matter of familiarity. I had always known the other version, so I liked it better. But the two are really very similar (although guitar solo parts are different), and I like the re-done recording, too. For the tab I listed both albums at the top, but be aware that the version tabbed here is the one from Radio Love Songs. Regardless of which version, it's just one of those irresistably catchy power pop songs. I saw the band at The Diamond in Toronto when they were touring behind the 54-40 album, and it was a great show.

I had to look around a bit to find the re-recorded version (that the tab is based on) online. You can hear it here:

http://www.imeem.com/people/pECoAD//music/D6gwbuyd/5440_baby_ran/

The video features the original version of the song, and can be seen/heard here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbquA796WJQ

Posted by planet/zerofret at 2:13 AM EDT
Updated: Thursday, August 28, 2008 2:27 AM EDT
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post

Friday, August 22, 2008

BACK TO IT
Topic: General

Good news.

My Dad was released from the hospital a couple of days ago, after a twelve day stay there. (Details in previous post.) He'll now continue his recovery at home, taking it easy for awhile as he gets his strength and energy back, and finishes out anti-biotic prescriptions he's been given.

I'll be getting back to working on new content for the site. I don't think anything's been added all month. One riff entry, maybe. I started working on a tab last night, and I also have one that's finished, but still needs checking. (I don't have my tape deck at the moment, and I can't check that tab until I have it back, since that tab was done from a cassette.) After the past two weeks, I think I'll just decompress for a while, choosing a few songs myself to tab. Somewhere into September I'll get back to doing some of the requests.

Posted by planet/zerofret at 5:04 PM EDT
Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink | Share This Post

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

DELAY
Topic: General

Does it kind of seem like no one's minding the store right now? Not answering blog comments and such? That's because I haven't been around much recently. Last Friday, my Dad went into the hospital rather unexpectedly. So I've been visiting downtown at the hospital every day this week. The diagnosis turned out to be massive pneumonia in one lung (which really seemed to come out of nowehere). Fortunately, things have gotten much better over the last few days, although we're told the full recovery process will take some time.

The second day we went to visit, there was kind of an unexpected wrinkle. It turned out that anyone visiting a patient with a possibly infectious condition has to don a lot of hospital gear: a gown, a mask, and latex gloves. You can't go into the room without it, and you can't leave the room until you've removed it. Anything you take into the room that you want to take out again has to be bagged. It's all to prevent visitors from possibly bringing germs back out of that room and having them get spread. They explained that these precautionary measures are largely a result of the SARS crisis in Toronto some years back. It takes some getting used to having to have all that stuff on, though. We were very happy to find out yesterday when we arrived that the isolation status had been lifted. So not only was it a good indication of improvement in condition, but it also meant masks, gloves, etc. weren't necessary anymore.

So this is why not much has been posted on the site in August so far. And it'll probably be awhile yet before there is anything. I actually have a couple of things complete, but they haven't been checked over yet, so they won't get posted until I do. I'll still be making daily hospital visits, but seeing definite improvement and having hospital staff tell us they're quite happy with the improvement being shown makes it a bit less worrying. So I'll get some new content posted on the site once I have some more available time.

Posted by planet/zerofret at 5:05 PM EDT
Updated: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 5:11 PM EDT
Post Comment | View Comments (4) | Permalink | Share This Post

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND
Topic: Riff-In-A-Jiff

Bob Seger's "Mainstreet" features a simple, but very melodic and memorable guitar Intro. The song is from Seger's first Top 10 album Night Moves (1976), and it reached #24 on the pop charts. The melody also transfers well to other instruments. In Seger's live show, this Intro is often played to great effect on saxophone (sometimes tenor sax, sometimes soprano sax). The song recounts his days in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND - "Mainstreet" (B. Seger)

https://www.angelfire.com/planet/zerofret/annesblog/varriffs.txt

You can hear the song here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVxsd6yywX8

Posted by planet/zerofret at 2:29 AM EDT
Updated: Wednesday, August 6, 2008 2:48 AM EDT
Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink | Share This Post

Saturday, August 2, 2008

JULY 2008 REVIEW
Topic: Website

Most-viewed tabs for the month of July 2008 (w/ view numbers):

30 - Harlequin - Thinking Of You
18 - Girlschool - Race With the Devil (guitar)
12 - April Wine - Tonite
12 - Girlschool - Fox On the Run
11 - Harlequin - Innocence
10 - Honeymoon Suite - Burning In Love
9 - A Foot In Coldwater - (Make Me Do) Anything You Want
9 - Girlschool - Race With the Devil (bass)
8 - The Kings - Switchin' To Glide
8 - The Kings - This Beat Goes On
8 - Trooper - Raise A Little Hell
8 - Trooper - Two For the Show

Total tab views for July: 387

(By section: Canadian-247, Girlschool-75, Various-42, Chords-23)

Most-viewed tabs overall (stats date from Oct. 3/07 to July 31/08):

102 - Harlequin - Thinking Of You
68 - The Kings - This Beat Goes On
54 - The Kings - Switchin' To Glide
53 - Headpins - Don't It Make Ya Feel
52 - Honeymoon Suite - Burning In Love
51 - Girlschool - Race With the Devil (guitar)
51 - Honeymoon Suite - Stay In the Light
44 - Harlequin - Innocence
40 - A Foot In Coldwater - (Make Me Do) Anything You Want
40 - Kim Mitchell - Patio Lanterns

*Only tab views made by people (excluding my own views) are counted here. Webcrawler/bot views are excluded.

Posted by planet/zerofret at 1:35 AM EDT
Updated: Saturday, August 2, 2008 1:36 AM EDT
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

"I DID IT FOR LOVE"
Topic: New Tab Postings

"I Did It For Love" by Harlequin is the sixth tab entry on the site from the Winnipeg rockers. I was asked to do this one a couple of months ago. It's among my favourites of Harlequin's, but then I could say that about a lot of their songs. I've always wanted to tab this one, though.

The song is from the band's third album, One False Move (pictured below), which went gold in Canada. It's also on their Greatest Hits CD. They're a good live band, too. If you ever get a chance to see them, be sure to go.

Posted by planet/zerofret at 2:35 AM EDT
Updated: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 2:41 AM EDT
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post

Friday, July 25, 2008

TRIUMPH
Topic: Riff-In-A-Jiff

The 1979 album Just A Game is widely regarded as Triumph's breakthrough album. The band's first two albums gave them airplay at home in Canada with the singles "Blinding Light Show" and a cover of Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way". But Just A Game gave Triumph their first international success, with hits like "Hold On" and "Lay It On the Line". Songs such as the acoustic instrumental "Fantasy Serenade" and the jazzy "Suitcase Blues" also showcased Rik Emmett's considerable guitar playing skills. Tabbed here is the acoustic arpeggio Intro to "Hold On".

TRIUMPH - "Hold On" (R. Emmett)

https://www.angelfire.com/planet/zerofret/annesblog/canriffs.txt

You can hear the song on this page:

http://www.imeem.com/ohsusieq/music/sTald3uK/triumph_hold_on/

Posted by planet/zerofret at 2:04 AM EDT
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

"TONITE"
Topic: New Tab Postings

Posted today -- by request -- is a tab of "Tonite" by April Wine. The song is from the band's 1979 album Harder...Faster. It was considered their hardest rocking album up to that point, but "Tonite" shows both sides of April Wine. It's a melodic ballad wrapped around a full throttle rock out middle section. The song has been added to the video page. (No actual video, but someone posted the song at YouTube.)

The 16 bar guitar solo during that middle section isn't tabbed here. While it doesn't sound all that difficult, there was too much of it that I couldn't get, for various reasons. There's some kind of little timing hiccup right at the beginning that throws me off. There are some parts that are too fast to hear what's being played. And there are some parts that I can't hear clearly enough what's being played. Rather than put in a patchwork solo, I just left it out, and tabbed the rhythm guitar part for that part of the song. I don't like leaving parts out, but it seemed the best route to go this time. (Fortunately, I know this won't happen next time out because I already have the guitar solo for the next tab done.

) All other lead/solo parts are included in the tab.

Posted by planet/zerofret at 2:34 AM EDT
Post Comment | View Comments (5) | Permalink | Share This Post

Saturday, July 19, 2008

"NEVER BEEN TO SPAIN"
Topic: New Chords Postings

The newest Chord Chart entry on the site is Three Dog Night's "Never Been To Spain". A bit of tab is included in the transcription. The song -- from the 1971 album Harmony -- reached #5 on the pop charts. It was written by Hoyt Axton, who also wrote hits for other well-known acts, such as Steppenwolf's "The Pusher" and Ringo Starr's "The No-No Song". Perhaps his best known song is another made famous by Three Dog Night, "Joy To The World"...and the boys and girls and you and me and fishes.

"Never Been To Spain" has also been covered by a number of other artists.

Hear the Three Dog Night version here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lr0hV0CSzo

Posted by planet/zerofret at 2:03 AM EDT
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

A YEAR ON
Topic: Bands/Music

A new tab today, "Breakdown" by Girlschool, posted in honour of Kelly Johnson, who passed away a year ago today. Kelly, as some of you probably know, is my favourite guitarist, has been for several years. This song is one I've meant to do for a long time, since I've always really liked the guitar solo in it. It's understated, melodic, and features that great tone, vibrato, and natural playing style -- everything I've always loved about Kelly's guitar playing. The harmonized lead in the Outro is great, too.

I remember the first time I worked out this solo, years ago. There were a handful of songs on Demolition that I didn't know, because that record was never available here back in the vinyl days. I had most of the songs from that album because they appeared on Girlschool compilation albums, but I knew there were a few I didn't have. Then I happened to come into possession of a live tape of Girlschool performing at the 1981 Reading Festival. "Breakdown" was on that tape, and I loved it. So I first learned the solo from that particular live version. Later, when I got the CD of Demolition, it turned out the solo in that live version was very close to the one on the studio version. Not exactly the same, but almost.

Today, I'll be listening to all of my favourite Kelly songs..."Going Under", "Wildlife", "Breakdown", "Stay Wild", "Furniture Fire", "A Love Too Far". "You Got Me", "Mad Sister", "Hit And Run", "Chinese Whispers" (WCK). And also tracks in which I particularly like her guitar playing, like "Don't Call It Love", "Like It Like That", "Play Dirty", "High 'n' Dry", "Back To Start", "Deadline", "So Much Better Now" (WCK), "No Pain No Gain" (WCK), and more.

And I'll be remembering a wonderfully talented musician who had a huge impact on me.

Here's to you, Kelly.

Posted by planet/zerofret at 2:06 AM EDT
Updated: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 2:27 AM EDT
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post

Newer | Latest | Older

«	August 2008					»

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31