PT Blues
“PT Blues” is a simple, 12-bar blues jam.
Since I have retired, one of the ironies I’ve found is that most days I still don’t get done all that I was hoping to work on. There are a few areas where I try to work and make daily progress, including my overall fitness, martial arts, and of course — music. I handle the food preparation here at the Franklin Retirement Kennels and Gourmet Music Camp which can take time. I also want to make sure our wonderful German Shepherd gets plenty of attention, playtime and affection.
Today, with all the things that had to get done, this resulted in my not picking up a guitar for the first time until the late afternoon. So I decided to try making a quick recording that would basically be totally improvised. I threw together a drum track in EZ-Drummer and then went into ProTools to record a bass and a guitar part while making a video of the process.
The bass track took 4 takes and the guitar part 3. Here is the result:
I Will Follow Him
“I Will Follow Him” is best known as recorded by Little Peggy March in 1963, going all the way to #1 in numerous countries, including the United States. At the age of only fifteen, Peggy March remains the youngest female ever to chart a #1 hit.
The song, however, has had a very interesting history beyond the success of the Peggy March version.
It was first released as an instrumental in France, titled “Chariot”. The music was written by Franck Pourcel (using the pseudonym J.W. Stole) and Paul Mauriat (using the pseudonym Del Roma). Paul Mauriat is probably best remembered for the huge 1968 instrumental hit “Love is Blue”.
In 1962, Petula Clark released a French language version of the song, titled “Chariot” (lyrics by Jacques Plante), which reached No. 2 in France, and earned Clark a gold record.
In 1963, Percy Faith (remember Theme from a Summer Place, which went to #1 in 1961?) released an instrumental version, re-titled “I Will Follow You”, as the lead song on side 1 of his album titled Themes for Young Lovers.
The Peggy March version was adapted by Arthur Altman. The English lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel, the lyricist/songwriter whose credits include the English lyrics for “The Girl from Ipanema” and other foreign-language songs as well as the hits “Killing Me Softly”, “I’ve Got a Name”. He also wrote the lyrics for many TV show themes such as Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley.
Shapes of Things
“Shapes of Things” was released as a single by the Yardbirds in early 1966. It is considered groundbreaking in a few ways. In particular Jeff Beck’s feedback-enhanced, Eastern-sounding solo has many critics claiming this as the first “psychedelic” track.
My instrumental arrangement is based on the original.
Western Shadows
“Western Shadows” is an original composition in which I try to combine the feel of 60’s instrumental guitar rock with a somewhat more sophisticated musical and harmonic language than was typical for that genre. This one is similar to the style of the Shadows.
One World One Word
“One World One Word” is an original, instrumental smooth-jazz ballad. For many years, smooth jazz and fusion were the main styles in which I worked. If you visit my artist page at CD Baby, you can see some of the albums I released over the years. You might also try my artist page on Spotify.
For Your Love
“For Your Love” was written by Graham Gouldman, recorded by the Yardbirds and released in March 1965. It was their first top ten hit in both the UK and the US. The song was a departure from the group’s blues roots towards a commercial pop rock sound. Guitarist Eric Clapton disapproved of the change and it influenced him to leave the group.
Songwriter Graham Goldman penned a number of hits, including “Heart Full of Soul” for the Yardbirds, “Look Through Any Window” and “Bus Stop” for the Hollies, “Listen People” and “No Milk Today” for Herman’s Hermits.
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