Re: [Harp-L] re: From me to you

[Joseph Leone <3N037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Oct 20, 2011, at 11:53 AM, Ken Deifik wrote:

> On Oct 20, 2011, at 9:25 AM, The Iceman wrote:
>> > Doesn't sound like Tate's sound on this recording to me......
> 
> Well, as I mentioned in the original post, Doug himself said he wasn't SURE.

Yup, I remember. 

>  He said this as though he'd thought about it quite deeply.  If it was possible that I was on a Beatles record, I would think about it occasionally for the rest of my life, too.

Yup, so would I. 
> 
> In the sweet by and by I used to occasionally get calls to sound like someone else, both for soundalike records and because the producer wanted a certain sound.

Yup, I know that tune. 
> 
> Lennon's harp sound would of course have been completely unknown to Doug at the time, but he did say that Lennon and McCartney were impressively specific in their instructions.  I don't doubt that John Lennon had played harp on many live performances of the song, and had developed that catchy melody.  It's not impossible that George Martin didn't like something about Lennon's playing - too sloppy by just a little, perhaps - and called Doug to see if he could do John's part just a little cleaner.  In fact, I doubt if there were any other reason Doug would have been called.  I don't think they wanted him to give it that wonderful Doug Tate sound.

Same thing I was thinking. 
> 
> I don't know if this is still the case, but in the 70's lots of the admired lead guitarists with rock bands did not play on their own records.  There were studio musicians who specialized in this sort of thing, who were pretty discreet about this.  They were simply better recording musicians - it's just not the same job as blowing people's minds on stage.

How true. 
> 
> I shall not name names, but a famous sax player who had a single big hit sometime back in a previous century toured the hit incessantly for years, essentially losing his studio chops.  After about three years a studio sax player was hired to play his parts on the recordings that his fans continued to buy.
> 
> Last bit.  The guys who played 20 sessions per week in Nashville generally lost their live chops.  The great drummer Buddy Harmon, who played on zillions of hits and was the first call guy for decades back in a certain previous century, booked a live club show once every month or two for this very reason.  He did not want to lose his live chops.

Only reason I agreed with Lawrence of Darien is that I have some of the (rare) examples of Doug's playing. I'm not saying it wasn't him. Just doesn't have his sound. That doesn't mean he couldn't have 'adjusted'. He was, after all, a genius. 

Justin Tyme
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