Run Dont Walk

Run Don't Walk

Home-recorded guitar arrangements of some pop/rock favourites. Left click a title to listen.

Yer Boogie (A Smith) [4.14Mb playing time 2:50 mins]
Attributed to an American deep south musician called Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, though in truth, a simple 12-bar blues vehicle for play-what-u-like. In the UK, famously remembered as "Guitar Boogie Shuffle", the rock and roll guitar sound delivered by Bert Weedon in the late 'fifties that inspired thousands of baby-boom guitar wannabes like myself to learn to play.
Whiskey Train (E Cotten) [4.44Mb playing time 1:59 mins]
Written by the remarkable Elizabeth Cotten (b.1895 in North Carolina) at the tender age of 12. Apparently she was left-handed and played her brother's right-handed guitar 'upside down' (the guitar I imagine, not herself). In 1984, she won a Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording for "Elizabeth Cotten Live!", recorded when she was 89 years old.
"Freight Train" was a hit single in the UK in 1957 for the Glaswegian skiffle group 'Chas McDevitt featuring Nancy Whiskey'. Skiffle was a product of musicians' resourcefulness during the post-war austerity years, whereby household items like tea-chests with broom handles and string (for bass), and spoons and washboards (for percussion) were utilised - a feature which has cost me a fortune in technology attempting to recreate for this version.

Up The Pole (Jimmy Webb) [5.64Mb playing time 2:27 mins]
Why is it that American place and road names meld themselves into contemporary song so evocatively while English equivalents are excruciatingly duff? Drivin' up the A41 or bein' back home in Shrewsbury just doesn't cut it like Route 66 or Memphis Tennessee.
Anyway, don't go looking for telegraph poles in Kansas - Webb's inspiration for "Wichita Lineman" apparently came while driving through Washita County in Oklahoma but Glen Campbell claimed that 'Wichita sang better'. Whatever. One of the greatest pop songs ever.
Short Walk Back (S Curtis) [1.81Mb playing time 1:17 mins]
Many of The Everly Brothers' early hits were penned by the delightfully named Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, a wife-husband song-writing team, and some were composed by the 'boys' themselves. However, the music and lyrics of "Walk Right Back" were written by Sonny Curtis. Apparently, Curtis offered up his demo before he had finished the words for the second verse. This is why they sing only one verse, and then repeat it. Thankfully, this rendition only has the one verse.
Run Dont Walk (J Smith) [3.19Mb playing time 2:18 mins]
Written and performed by Johnny Smith in 1955, "Walk Dont Run" became a hit for Seattle based The Ventures 5 years later. Evidently the band's original drummer was given the choice of $25 or 1/4 of the money the record would make for playing on the session. He took the 25 bucks.
Ghost Writers (S Jones) [3.84Mb playing time 2:44 mins]
Written by Stan Jones in 1948, "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend", to give it its glorious full title, has been recorded by everyone including Peggy Lee, Bing Crosby, Frankie Laine, Duane Eddy, and the German heavy metal band Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, ...and now me, complete with nodding references to both Johnny Kidd and Apache (which The Shads recorded instead of Ghost Riders because of copyright issues).
The Gasman (M Williams) [4.61Mb playing time 3:16 mins]
Mason Williams was nothing if not an interesting creative talent. Besides writing and performing his enduring instrumental standard "Classical Gas", he was also a comedy writer, contributing to the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Saturday Night Live. He is also a poet and lyricist, and has published several books. In 1970, he appeared on a TV variety show with a special playable classical plexiglass guitar built for him by a prop designer at ABC. He filled the guitar with water, added a couple of goldfish, and then used it to perform "Classical Gas". Although it may sound like there are, there are no fish in my version.
100% Polyester (J Hayward) [4.21Mb playing time 2:59 mins]
OK. How many people at the time, not having seen it in print, thought it was called "Knights in White Satin"?
The Moody Blues recorded it with "The London Festival Orchestra" - an orchestra which never existed, it being simply a name the production team gave to the session musicians. Various album versions are threaded with poetry and orchestral additions, and the meaning of the song has been earnestly debated.
It was written by Justin Hayward who reportedly sold the rights to Lonnie Donegan for a small sum of money, making little from it himself.
Pipewrench (Spickard/Carman) [3.49Mb playing time 2:28 mins]
"Pipeline" was written in 1962 by Californian founder members of a so-called surfer-rock band called The Chantays. Covered by several respectable outfits including The Ventures and Hank Marvin. One-hit wonders for sure, but they still tour and make albums today.
Nice Wheels (J Torres) [2.56Mb playing time 1:49 mins]
"Wheels" was recorded in 1961 by Texas-based group The String-a-Longs, with Jimmy Torres on lead guitar. Also recorded by Joe Loss, as you'd expect from its tempo, as "Wheels Cha Cha". Another one-hit wonder.
G.B.H. (Harris, Marvin, Welch) [3.45Mb playing time 2:27 mins]
"F.B.I." was a 1961 hit for The Shadows. Hank pioneered the unique sound using the newly launched Fender 'Stratocaster' - surely one of the best instrument designs ever. Apparently, Cliff had it specially imported from America, he being one of the few people around who could afford such things and the high import tax that went with it at the time. Story has it that Bruce Welch 'borrowed' it at some point, and decided never to give it back, leading (not surprisingly) to a lasting rift between him and Hank.
Sultana Pudding (M Knopfler) [4.58Mb playing time 3:15 mins]
The first single for Dire Straits in the late seventies. Apparently, Knopfler got the inspiration for the lyrics on a rainy night in Ipswich when he ducked into a late night bar just as the band was announcing "Good night and thank you.. we are the Sultans of Swing".

Run Don't Walk Home-recorded guitar arrangements of some pop/rock favourites. Left click a title to listen.
Yer Boogie (A Smith) [4.14Mb playing time 2:50 mins] Attributed to an American deep south musician called Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, though in truth, a simple 12-bar blues vehicle for play-what-u-like. In the UK, famously remembered as "Guitar Boogie Shuffle", the rock and roll guitar sound delivered by Bert Weedon in the late 'fifties that inspired thousands of baby-boom guitar wannabes like myself to learn to play. Whiskey Train (E Cotten) [4.44Mb playing time 1:59 mins] Written by the remarkable Elizabeth Cotten (b.1895 in North Carolina) at the tender age of 12. Apparently she was left-handed and played her brother's right-handed guitar 'upside down' (the guitar I imagine, not herself). In 1984, she won a Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording for "Elizabeth Cotten Live!", recorded when she was 89 years old. "Freight Train" was a hit single in the UK in 1957 for the Glaswegian skiffle group 'Chas McDevitt featuring Nancy Whiskey'. Skiffle was a product of musicians' resourcefulness during the post-war austerity years, whereby household items like tea-chests with broom handles and string (for bass), and spoons and washboards (for percussion) were utilised - a feature which has cost me a fortune in technology attempting to recreate for this version. Up The Pole (Jimmy Webb) [5.64Mb playing time 2:27 mins] Why is it that American place and road names meld themselves into contemporary song so evocatively while English equivalents are excruciatingly duff? Drivin' up the A41 or bein' back home in Shrewsbury just doesn't cut it like Route 66 or Memphis Tennessee. Anyway, don't go looking for telegraph poles in Kansas - Webb's inspiration for "Wichita Lineman" apparently came while driving through Washita County in Oklahoma but Glen Campbell claimed that 'Wichita sang better'. Whatever. One of the greatest pop songs ever. Short Walk Back (S Curtis) [1.81Mb playing time 1:17 mins] Many of The Everly Brothers' early hits were penned by the delightfully named Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, a wife-husband song-writing team, and some were composed by the 'boys' themselves. However, the music and lyrics of "Walk Right Back" were written by Sonny Curtis. Apparently, Curtis offered up his demo before he had finished the words for the second verse. This is why they sing only one verse, and then repeat it. Thankfully, this rendition only has the one verse. Run Dont Walk (J Smith) [3.19Mb playing time 2:18 mins] Written and performed by Johnny Smith in 1955, "Walk Dont Run" became a hit for Seattle based The Ventures 5 years later. Evidently the band's original drummer was given the choice of $25 or 1/4 of the money the record would make for playing on the session. He took the 25 bucks. Ghost Writers (S Jones) [3.84Mb playing time 2:44 mins] Written by Stan Jones in 1948, "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend", to give it its glorious full title, has been recorded by everyone including Peggy Lee, Bing Crosby, Frankie Laine, Duane Eddy, and the German heavy metal band Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, ...and now me, complete with nodding references to both Johnny Kidd and Apache (which The Shads recorded instead of Ghost Riders because of copyright issues). The Gasman (M Williams) [4.61Mb playing time 3:16 mins] Mason Williams was nothing if not an interesting creative talent. Besides writing and performing his enduring instrumental standard "Classical Gas", he was also a comedy writer, contributing to the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Saturday Night Live. He is also a poet and lyricist, and has published several books. In 1970, he appeared on a TV variety show with a special playable classical plexiglass guitar built for him by a prop designer at ABC. He filled the guitar with water, added a couple of goldfish, and then used it to perform "Classical Gas". Although it may sound like there are, there are no fish in my version. 100% Polyester (J Hayward) [4.21Mb playing time 2:59 mins] OK. How many people at the time, not having seen it in print, thought it was called "Knights in White Satin"? The Moody Blues recorded it with "The London Festival Orchestra" - an orchestra which never existed, it being simply a name the production team gave to the session musicians. Various album versions are threaded with poetry and orchestral additions, and the meaning of the song has been earnestly debated. It was written by Justin Hayward who reportedly sold the rights to Lonnie Donegan for a small sum of money, making little from it himself. Pipewrench (Spickard/Carman) [3.49Mb playing time 2:28 mins] "Pipeline" was written in 1962 by Californian founder members of a so-called surfer-rock band called The Chantays. Covered by several respectable outfits including The Ventures and Hank Marvin. One-hit wonders for sure, but they still tour and make albums today. Nice Wheels (J Torres) [2.56Mb playing time 1:49 mins] "Wheels" was recorded in 1961 by Texas-based group The String-a-Longs, with Jimmy Torres on lead guitar. Also recorded by Joe Loss, as you'd expect from its tempo, as "Wheels Cha Cha". Another one-hit wonder. G.B.H. (Harris, Marvin, Welch) [3.45Mb playing time 2:27 mins] "F.B.I." was a 1961 hit for The Shadows. Hank pioneered the unique sound using the newly launched Fender 'Stratocaster' - surely one of the best instrument designs ever. Apparently, Cliff had it specially imported from America, he being one of the few people around who could afford such things and the high import tax that went with it at the time. Story has it that Bruce Welch 'borrowed' it at some point, and decided never to give it back, leading (not surprisingly) to a lasting rift between him and Hank. Sultana Pudding (M Knopfler) [4.58Mb playing time 3:15 mins] The first single for Dire Straits in the late seventies. Apparently, Knopfler got the inspiration for the lyrics on a rainy night in Ipswich when he ducked into a late night bar just as the band was announcing "Good night and thank you.. we are the Sultans of Swing".