From: edc@evolution.bchs.uh.edu (edward s. chen)
Subject: Re: George says Paul plays slide on "Drive My Car" (was Re: Elmore etc.)
Organization: Little to none, or maybe not......
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 03:41:13 GMT

In article <71561774020846@c00355-247dan.eos.ncsu.edu> jcsmith@eos.ncsu.edu (Jay C. Smith) writes:
>In article <1992Sep3.210058.19237@menudo.uh.edu> edc@evolution.bchs.uh.edu 
>(edward s. chen) writes:
>>Well, Mr. Harrison himself calls the playing on "Drive My Car" slide,
>>and he does indeed credit it to Paul during his first appearance on
>>"Rockline":
>>
>>"Well, here's one for all you Beatle barkers out there: The slide on
>>'Drive My Car' wasn't played by me (he proceeds to demonstrate with the
>>guitar the _Rockline_ folks provided), it was played by Paul!"
>
>George also says Paul played that slide bit in the Musician or Guitar Player
>(which one was it, Edward?  :-) ) interview from back in '87/'88.
>

Guitar Player, November 1988.

Q: What were the band politics in the instances where one of the other Beatles
would play lead guitar?  Didn't Paul play lead on "Taxman", for instance?

A: Well, with certain things like that, in those days, for me to be allowed to
do my one song on the album, it was like, "Great! I don't care who plays what.
This is my big chance."  So, in Paul's way of saying, "I'll help you out, I'll
play this bit." I wasn't going to argue with that.  There's a number of songs
that Paul played lead on, or John did, but people just think because it said
"lead guitar", that it's all me.  Paul played slide actually, on "Drive My Car"
- that wasn't me, but likewise, I played bass on some tunes, and we all did
various things.
 
>>[...]George didn't play slide much as a Beatle.
>
>In the same interview George also states that he never played slide
>before 1969, though he later seems to say that he had set up a guitar
>for slide much earlier, but I may be misunderstanding what he said.
>Maybe he was just referring to when he got the Strat (I think it was
>a Strat)--the one he gave a psychedelic paint job.
>

I think you are just misunderstanding the caption from the photo
of the psychidelic strat.  "John and I both bought identical early-60's
strats that were pale blue, and they were first used on 'Nowhere Man.'  Then,
later, when we all took certain substances, I decided to paint mine in day-glo
colors.  And that was then on 'I Am the Walrus', and 'All You Need is Love.'
Now, I've got it set up for slide."

The only other quote in the interview about a guitar being set up
specifically for slide is the following:

Q: What's your main guitar for slide?

A:  I'm so dumb really, It takes me years to figure things out.  But, through
Ry [Cooder] - I *really* like his slide - I realize that you jack the bridge
up a bit and you put thicker gague strings on it, so it doesn't clatter around.
So, I have my psychidelic Strat set up like that now.

>On a related note:  In Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" video, lead
>guitarist Mike Campbell can be seen playing that very George-like 
>solo on a guitar that looks just like George's old psychedelic one,
>and George is of course present.  Was that really George's guitar he 
>had borrowed?
>

Yes, that is indeed George's guitar.  Fitting, since George (and presumably
that guitar) actually played the solo on the song.  Remember, they took 
extreme liberties in the video.  (Ringo is *not* playing drums on the record,
yet there he is, banging away in the video)  Petty, Lynne, and George probably
preferred the Wilbury-ish line up for the video, so they brought Campbell
along (not really a Dylan clone, but close enough ;-), and had him pretend to
play that bit...

>>Back to posting on every detail of the Fab Four, in enough detail to make
>>most people sick ;-)
>
>I'm sorry I couldn't provide the exact name/issue of the magazine, along
>with the precise quotes....  ;-)

That's OK, I've done that for you. ;-)  Apologies if these weren't the
exact quote you were thinking of, but we can't all be perfect!

<ESC>
-- 
..You either kiss the future or the past goodbye...
                          -- Ringo Starr (written by O'Deherty / Velez)