Razor Blades and Impossible Solos

[jetgraphics]

Though it's not a "Bass" thang, there's an impossible guitar solo in "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" from "Johnny Winter And" (1970). Many a guitarist went berserk trying to master it.

While listening to an album with edited cuts from various hits, I heard a chopped down version of RRHK. The solo was reduced to a bar, and it hit me - the sound engineer's razor blade was the real source of the impossible guitar solo. It was a splice job, masterful, and totally convincing.

Which leads me to ask: can you name other impossible performances that were the result of clever editing?

The RAZOR BLADE HALL OF FAME:
1. "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" (Rick Derringer) (3:31)

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by jetgraphics

Which leads me to ask: can you name other impossible performances that were the result of clever editing?

This being TalkBass, the one that immediately comes to mind is Baghiti Kumalo's break in "You Can Call Me Al". Not that it's "impossible" per se, but I know a lot of bassists who were scratching their heads before they found out it was the result of some minor studio trickery.

[trb6pJM2]

Nevermind (dumb post)

[Spinal Tapper]

Originally Posted by Hoover

This being TalkBass, the one that immediately comes to mind is Baghiti Kumalo's break in "You Can Call Me Al". Not that it's "impossible" per se, but I know a lot of bassists who were scratching their heads before they found out it was the result of some minor studio trickery.

+1...it was recorded, then replayed backwards if I'm not mistaken...

[agreatheight]

The guitar solo from Collective Soul's "Gel" is maddening - the phrases are nearly impossible to string together live, it's likely a Pro-Tools slice and dice.

[gaunten]

my brother once told me, (this might be totally untrue, and I haven't seen any proof of it yet) that on one of frank zappa's albums it says "possible guitar parts: Frank Zappa, Impossible guitar parts: Steve vai"
now, this was due to the fact that zappa had written some solos that were more or less "physically impossible" to play, and steve came up with the idea to play them on a bass, half speed, and then just pitch up the speed, and hence get the right octave as well...

[MatticusMania]

could be true, some amazing stuff can be done with studio trickery. unless you've seen it live, theres no reason to consider music genuwine really.

[Joe Gress]

Originally Posted by gaunten

my brother once told me, (this might be totally untrue, and I haven't seen any proof of it yet) that on one of frank zappa's albums it says "possible guitar parts: Frank Zappa, Impossible guitar parts: Steve vai"

It's in the liner notes from "The Man From Utopia".

Under Steve Vai Impossible Guitar Parts (on strat and acoustic)

[Sean S]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

could be true, some amazing stuff can be done with studio trickery. unless you've seen it live, theres no reason to consider music genuwine really.

That's kind of a downer attitude...

[lambro]

Jet this is a really cool thread, especially relative to music recorded on tape, ie when it was really a chore, however the chaps with the most insight here will be some of the older studio pros you will find at the gearslutz high end forum

[Rickett Customs]

Originally Posted by Spinal Tapper

+1...it was recorded, then replayed backwards if I'm not mistaken...

IIRC, on VH1 I remember Paul Simon saying that that the reel was cut, then respliced backwards in that spot.
It also has 2 bass tracks (dubbed) throughout the whole song. Which was recorded on the same day as Kumalo's birthday.

[stflbn]

If I recall correctly many of Gary Richrath's solo's from Reo Speedwagon were sliced together via multiple takes. Then he'd have to learn to play them live similarly.

Can't recall where I read that though.

[Matt Till]

This doesn't count really, but Frank Zappa reminded me: The song "Rubber Shirt" has an interesting history:

Originally Posted by Sheik Yerbouti liner notes

The bass part is extracted from a four track master of a performance from Goteborg, Sweden 1974 which I had Patrick O'Hearn overdub on a medium tempo guitar solo track in 4/4. The notes chosen were more or less specified during the overdub session, and so it was not completely an improvised "bass solo." A year and a half later, the bass track was peeled off the Swedish master and transferred to one track of another studio 24 track master for a slow song in 11/4. The result of this experimental re-synchronization (the same technique was used on the Zoot Allures album in "Friendly Little Finger") is the piece you are listening to. All of the sensitive, interesting interplay between the bass and drums never actually happened... also note, the guitar solo section of the song "Yo' Mama" on side four was done the same way.