Paul Simon - Call me Al TAB

It looks like that tab is an octave higher than it should be.

 

...there was a Bakhiti Kumalo piece in Bass Player mag regarding that 'solo'. Supposedly, it's a 2-bar solo/ad lib SPLICED 'in reverse'...hence, the 4-bar solo we all hear on the record, or sumthin' like that.
If you want specifics, I'll dig that issue out.

BTW, the 'best' "You Can Call Me Al" solo I've heard was pulled of by Oteil Burbridge when he played in an '80s bar band here in Va. Beach...& no, he did it nothing like the record!

 

I heard the same story about the reverse tape.
If you listen close it sure does sound like it is a fact.

 

Yeah I remember that - I think that as you pointed out this is a great example of the utter futility of trying to play exactly like the record.

OK studying what others have done is useful but only if you can apply it to your own playing!

I'm sure that the vast majority of people would prefer to hear Oteil doing his thing, to someone who was trying and undoubtedly failing to duplicate exactly what was on the record!

 

There was a big discussion about this in a thread about a year ago. The thread was about your favorite bass solo, and I mentioned that I really liked Khumalo's solo, which began a discussion about how it was recorded, and then blah blah blah.....

 

I have a live video of the "Graceland" concert, in which he sticks a solo in "The Boy in the Bubble" which isn't present on the studio recording. I think that was the exact moment I wanted a fretless bass. I know this isn't really relevant to the thread, but I thougt it would be cool to say.

 

So does anyone have it?

 

try to find (buy) the sheet music for it somewhere, for one, youll learn something other than how to play the song from the sheet music, two, tabs on the net are more often than not wrong, and third, see #1

 

But even with the sheet music it's still impossible to play something that was chopped up, edited and played backwards on some parts!!

However, as most of us have already pointed out - why would you want to - work out your own solo!!

 

good point

 

I realise that ,at this point, this post is completley dead.
None the less....I feel I should point out that are 2 basses at work in that song.>
Bakithi- 4 string
Paul Simon- 6 string

 

regarding the splicing of the Solo....it is indeed true...but by gum he can do it live to... i have the video
and like a true show off, he does it twice in the song instead of once ala the recording......well i would to, its a cool solo/fill

*Si*

 

It's True, It's True, the recording was spliced, if you slow it down you can hear the notes are backwards. BUT It is possible to play the solo live. BK can do it and I have seen a couple people cover it and play the notes correctly, well I have actually seen 2 people do this. I still can't pull it off, but my new band is doing a Paul Simon Medly and they want to use that solo as a break point to mix songs.

 

that when paul simon employed Baghiti Kumalo, he was the only fretless player in south africa............................just a nugget of info there!

*Si*

 

Another confirmation... Yes, in the studio version the first part was spliced and played back in reverse. And I've seen Khumalo play both parts live (not "quite" as perfect as the original, but close enough for rock & roll).