Les Paul (1915 - ∞)

A few days ago, as I was checking TV before breakfast I saw a shocking line saying "American Guitar Virtuoso Les Paul Dies at 94". It was kind of inevitable, nearly no one lives 94 years but what shook me was something much more interesting.

I was sitting with my family by the poolside when I saw a friend of mine coming. We started to chat about music and stuff. He plays double bass for my former university's orchestra and has a little recording studio on his own. We went to his place, we played stuff with his bass and guitar (which was a Les Paul replica), we watched various videos on youtube, discussing which guitar player is better. We watched Joe Pass, Zakk Wylde and many others and finally it came to Les Paul, I showed him this video and we were both amazed by this incredible man. Then I went home to sleep, and learned that he died when I woke up.

Les Paul was not just a Jazz/Blues guitarist, he was the most talented inventor the music industry has ever seen. Most notably, he invented solid body electric guitar and multi-track recording. The techniques he used was way ahead of his time. He recorded many hit songs in the 50's with his ex-wife Mary Ford, and with other legendary musicians including Chet Atkins. Most importantly, he was the inspiration to almost everything we hear today. When he had that famous traffic accident, he asked the doctors to bring his guitar, and the docs fixed his broken elbow according to his picking position.

When he was 93 last year, he was still playing at Iridium Jazz Club in New York on mondays. He was one of the few artists I wanted to hear live. I knew my dream was kind of impossible. He lived a very good life and with things he left behind, he'll live in our hearts forever. 

Wingsband & The Fab Four

I woke up this morning with the melody of "Mrs. Vandebilt" by Wings' ringing inside my head and when that happens you don't have much choice, you have to listen that song. So I did, and then made some searches on YouTube if anyone has covered it. There was not much and (I don't know how) I soon found myself watching bass covers of another Wings song "Silly Love Songs". Wondered if there is a video of Wings performed it live and what I accidentally found was astonishing.

Video info section said Wingsband at The Grove, April 13, 2008. I was kind of confused because Wings broke up in 1981, former members tried to re-group but Paul McCartney refused. Just a few seconds later I realized the lefty guy who plays a Rickenbacker 4001 bass and sings was not Paul McCartney! He was a musician called Ardy Sarraf and what these guys has done was a perfect Wings tribute band. Ardy is not looking exactly like Paul but he has his 70's outfit, is a lefty, plays his bass and sings. You can't expect more. They even have a Linda! She backs vocals and plays the keyboard. I've also seen "Band on the Run" and "Jet", the performances were truly amazing.

Then I found out same guys also have a tribute band called "The Fab Four". I was excited as hell and quickly started to watch their videos. I came across some tribute bands before on YouTube, I also seen some Beatles tribute bands but they were nothing more than "OK". Most of them even tried to form a Beatles tribute band without a lefty Paul. Wingsband was very good, but The Fab Four was even better. These guys have a perfect attention-to-detail which doesn't only make them the best Beatles tribute band but also one of the best tribute bands ever. They have all the right instruments, the Höfner, the Gretsch, Epiphones, Rickenbackers, Gibsons, the Ludwig drums and Vox amplifiers. It's also same with Wingsband, they use the exact instruments Wings used in the 70's.

It's not only the attention-to-detail, these guys are proper musicians. They perform with out a single mistake. Rolo Sandoval (Ringo) doesn't miss a single beat. Both Ardy Sarraf (Paul) and Ron McNeil (John) can play keyboards, Michael Amador (George) throws perfect guitar solos. And it's not just that, just like the Beatles, all four guys sing. Each of them sing songs belonged to the Beatle they represent. I've spent all my morning listening to these guys with an empty stomach and a smile on my face. For me the most important thing is, they perform late Beatles songs. The Beatles stopped performing live in 1966 and most of their classics were released after they focus on their studio sessions. Paul McCartney performs some songs in his concerts but there isn't any live performances of these songs by the Beatles. They do not record, they only perform live in front of special audiences and they seem to be enjoying themselves. I think they know they can't compete with the giants, and the world really doesn't seem to be needing new Beatles.

I don't know how it feels to be in a Beatles concert, but neither does the rest of the world. The Beatles isn't around for 39 years now and their last succesfull concert was 43 years ago. These guys are trying to fill a huge gap, and I think they're doing it properly.

Paul with a Flute!

This is a photograph I found at YouTube. Shows how talented Paul McCartney is, he is playing a block flute while holding a cigarette.

Disclaimer: Kids, smoking is bad! Don't start smoking just because Paul McCartney did. Well who am I speaking to, kids nowadays don't even know who Paul McCartney is. All they know is Lady GaGa, Akon and that sort of shit.

This shot was taken during one of the first takes of "The Fool On the Hill". Paul probably wrote the flutes of this song, but the original record has proper flutes played by Richard Taylor and Jack Ellory.

This photo really made me smile because like every other kid in Turkey, I had my mandatory music education with this instrument. I don't know where it is now but mine was white. It reminded the old days when me and a friend (Levent) of mine played Metallica songs with block flutes.