"Sticks and Stones"

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I recorded this in something of a rush this morning before going to Thanksgiving and didn't get to upload it until now.

I haven't really made any progress on this, so it's mostly just the guitar part (with chords where the solo should be).  I did learn that the opening and closing guitar part is doubled with organ, and I think the closing on organ is an octave higher than the opening, but - like I said - this was recorded in a bit of a rush, so I might have that wrong.

"Sticks and Stones"

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I just listened to Begin Here (with bonus tracks) because it's possible that it was released fifty years ago to-day.

Regardless of that, I found something interesting about "Sticks and Stones."  The version of Begin Here that I have includes an alternate take of "Sticks and Stones" as a bonus track, and - because I was working on transcribing the lyrics as I listened to it - I discovered that the alternate take has slightly different lyrics.  One of the verses is:

People talk about us breaking up
Scandalize my name
Sticks and stones may break my bones
But I'll never be the same

In the alternate take, this verse appears twice, but it's in the released version only once.  Where it occurs in the alternate take, it's replaced in the released version with:

People talk about us breaking up
Can't let us be
Sticks and stones may break my bones
But talk don’t bother me

So while both versions have only two verses, they're more evenly distributed in the alternate take.  The released version has the "scandalize" verse only once.

"You Make Me Feel Good"

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This is a thing I've been meaning to write about for at least a few months, if not a year or more.

In figuring out the opening riffs for "Sticks and Stones" and "You Make Me Feel Good," I found a few similarities.  I felt it would be better to write out the notation for them rather than try to describe them verbally.  (Actually, I figured out how to make notation in Cubase, which is infinitely better than my trying to do it manually.  Plus I could check the note values with MIDI.)  I've put different colored boxes around the parts that are similar.

Both songs are (mostly) in E major, but even the accidentals have some similarity.  There are the same two in the opening riffs (D natural and G natural), and both songs include a descending chromatic phrase (G to F# to F to E) at the very end ("Sticks and Stones" has it as major chords and has it at the beginning too - after the riff).

I haven't found anything that confirms that the Zombies performed "Sticks and Stones" early in their career, but since "You Make Me Feel Good" has a riff that's pretty clearly inspired by it and since "You Make Me Feel Good" is one of the first songs they recorded, I'm fairly certain that "Sticks and Stones" was in their repertoire before they were signed to Decca.

Begin Here Session

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Fifty years ago to-day (24 November 1964), the Zombies recorded "I'm Going Home," "Road Runner," and "Sticks and Stones" during the first session for the Begin Here album.

"Sticks and Stones"

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Again, since I mentioned "Sticks and Stones" a few days ago, I felt I should do a version.  Because I always play along the recording, I didn't realize how empty this sounds without drums.

This is just the riff and the chords; I don't know the solos yet.

The Decca Stereo Anthology

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I listened to The Decca Stereo Anthology last night.  I think it was only the second time I've listened to it since I got it a few months ago.  (I'm sort of ashamed I haven't listened to it more.)

In any case, it's a really great resource for trying to learn the parts because it's in stereo.  Things that are covered up by other parts when mixed in mono are easier to hear, especially if you listen to it in the dark, like I do frequently.

I learned "Road Runner" to a greater accuracy.  I'd known it was mostly a three-chord song with a riff in E, but I found I'd been missing a few notes.  I also finally figured out the part at the end (it's the same as a part in "Sticks and Stones," which I suppose makes sense because "Sticks and Stones" is also a three-chord song in E).

I also hadn't realized just how many songs Paul Atkinson uses his twelve-string for.  Or how good of a twelve-string player he is.

Most importantly for this project, listening to the album made me realize just how many songs I know (or know parts for) that have not made their appearance here yet.  So I'm hoping to rectify that.