atty1chgo
843 posts
Feb 19, 2014
4:45 AM
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groyster1
2533 posts
Feb 19, 2014
8:08 AM
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thanks so much for posting attychgo....never heard this version....blind owl&bob hite.....fantastic!!!!
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Slimharp
203 posts
Feb 19, 2014
9:24 AM
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I loved Bob Hite ( the Bear ) but he was not one tenth the harp player Al ( Blind Owl ) Wilson was. Check out " Hooker N Heat " where Al really stretches out.
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laurent2015
597 posts
Feb 19, 2014
9:44 AM
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I found this version with Al Wilson playing harp.
JL Hooker stated he was the best harp player ever:
But he was also a good guitarist and singer, probably the harp was not the goal, but one of the ways to express what he felt into his "hurt soul".
Last Edited by laurent2015 on Feb 19, 2014 10:31 AM
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groyster1
2535 posts
Feb 19, 2014
10:44 AM
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when blind owl passed it set canned heat back for sure...great bluesman was he
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DukeBerryman
161 posts
Feb 19, 2014
12:02 PM
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I had a sense memory watching the "On the Road Again" video - I remembered the smell of my old floor standing speakers when I really got them cooking. Phat bass on that song.
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The Iceman
1466 posts
Feb 19, 2014
12:14 PM
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Love Al's otherworldly voice...nothing else quite like it.
There is a great 2 CD best of Canned Heat from the Blind Owl days that has lotsa traditional blues tunes as well as their own songs.
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The Iceman
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Goldbrick
299 posts
Feb 19, 2014
12:25 PM
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Nice clip- Henry Vestine had just quit Canned Heat before Woodstock- he rejoined later on- so Harvey Mandel is playing lead
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Slimharp
204 posts
Feb 19, 2014
12:44 PM
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Funny story. Rod Piazza told me back in the late 60's he was doing a gig at a club in Hollywood on a Saturday afternoon. He said " I thought I was pretty hot. We took a break and some strange lookin dude asked if he could sit in on song or two in the next set. I said sure. So he walks up to the stage, pulls out an old beat up Marine Band out of his top shirt pocket and proceeds to kick my ass. I didnt even want to finish the set". It was Al Wilson.
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groyster1
2536 posts
Feb 19, 2014
5:51 PM
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@slimharp
love that...R.I.P blind owl....
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1847
1509 posts
Feb 19, 2014
7:29 PM
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Ok a couple of casual observations here.
First of all, that drummer rocks!
I can now see why they have carried on after all these years, my hat is off to you fito.
Is this the song with the altered tuning on the harmonica?
He appears to be using a stock marine band. You do not even notice…..
He is not hitting “the note”……
If you or I did that ….. well let’s not go there. We could surely get that note with “modern techniques”
But he went onstage with a stock harmonica…..
i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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Slimharp
207 posts
Feb 20, 2014
10:18 AM
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I think the only common diatonic harps around then were the MB,364, and the Old Standby. Yes there were Chinese junkers around.
Who knows, he may have opened them up and tweaked them. I do remember the MB's in the late 60's being pretty dam good. I bought a new MB from the early 70's and it is next to unplayable.
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Slimharp
208 posts
Feb 20, 2014
10:28 AM
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In 1969 I was at the Shrine Exposition Hall new years eve. Canned heat had just finished their set. About 15 min later I see Al Wilson walking around by himself, sorta lost lookin.I went over and asked him if he wanted to hang out and party with us. He did. He was very nice, unassuming, mellow, almost child like. After about 30 minutes Tony Delapara came over pissed off and said " cmon Al we have been lookin for ya". He got up sheepishly, thanked us and walked off behind Tony. LOL
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groyster1
2537 posts
Feb 20, 2014
10:38 AM
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blind owl is a legend....he suffered from depression...he accepted your invitation because he wanted acceptance....wish he were still here...great musician...he helped skip james in his comeback...a legend helping a legend....
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1847
1511 posts
Feb 20, 2014
10:46 AM
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Who knows, he may have opened them up and tweaked them.
isn't that the song with the altered 6 draw
sharpened a half step
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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Slimharp
209 posts
Feb 20, 2014
10:50 AM
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groyster1 - I think he would have stayed with us all night if he could. I think you are right, he wanted acceptance and wanted to party. He sure didnt want to hang out with the other musicians. I am fortunate to have had that experience. Yeah - I know his history. He was a bluseologist,genius. I must have seen Canned Heat at least 10 times.I cried when he died.
Last Edited by Slimharp on Feb 20, 2014 10:51 AM
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Slimharp
210 posts
Feb 20, 2014
10:54 AM
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Dont know. Could he be playing 3rd position ? Seems the song is in E.
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MP
3095 posts
Feb 20, 2014
11:17 AM
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Made a mistake thinking Owl always played that tune w/ the 6 draw tuned up a 1/2 step.
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Affordable Reed Replacement
Marks Harmonica Tune-up
Click user name MP for contact info
Last Edited by MP on Feb 20, 2014 11:18 AM
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tmf714
2425 posts
Feb 20, 2014
11:51 AM
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"Made a mistake thinking Owl always played that tune w/ the 6 draw tuned up a 1/2 step."
He did-from Pat Missin-in the above video,Hite is on harp-on all other versions its Blind Owl-
In the middle of a typically lyrical solo on Canned Heat's "On The Road Again", Al Wilson hits a G in the midrange of his A harmonica.
A standard diatonic in the key of A has a G#, but no G Pat Missinbuilt into it. It is not possible to bend the G# in this octave, so how did he do it?
Several suggestions have been put forward. Perhaps he played an overblow? That is possible as other players around that time were starting to discover overblows and the hole 6 overblow on an A harp would give you a G. However, the slide down from this note includes a very quick slur over the D (5 draw) and the B (4 draw). If he had to switch between an overblowing and drawing, there would be a slight hiccup in this phrase. Several people who knew Al Wilson said that he would sometimes weight the tip of the 7 draw reed to lower its pitch by a semitone, however if this were the case, then that slide down would include an F# (6 draw) and listening to it at slow speed indicates there is no discrete F# note present. Another explanation has been given that he added a valve to the outside of the 7 blow reed, enabling him to bend the 7 draw down to a G - this would also mean that a slide down from this note would include a discrete F#.
The explanation is that he retuned the 6 draw reed, raising it by a semitone to give him the G. This is consistent with the notes of the slide down from that note, as you can hear on this slowed down clip:
Wilson is playing the retuned 6 draw to give a G, which he then bends down to a rather flat F#, followed by the D (5 draw) and the B (4 draw). He used a similar tuning on other tunes, such as "TV Mama" and "Nine Below Zero".
So, one of the biggest pop hits to feature blues harp, is also one of the first recorded examples of a custom-tuned diatonic. If for some bizarre reason you don't have a copy of this tune, it is available on various albums.
This information was compiled from www.patmissin.com, the internet home of harmonica player, teacher, technician and historian Pat Missin, bringing you a whole heap of information about the harmonica and related musical instruments.
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Slimharp
211 posts
Feb 20, 2014
2:25 PM
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1847 - Wow, excellent. Thanks and thanks Pat Missan. Upon reading many articles about Al, he was way way WAY into the blues.
So how did he tune the 6 draw from a G# to a G, by filing toward the rivet end of the reed ?
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1847
1512 posts
Feb 20, 2014
3:49 PM
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hey slimharp are you going to "the station" jam tonight?
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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SuperBee
1692 posts
Feb 20, 2014
4:17 PM
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6 draw is F#, Slim, so he'd be raising it to G
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Slimharp
212 posts
Feb 20, 2014
4:19 PM
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OK thanks SuperBee.
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Slimharp
213 posts
Feb 20, 2014
4:22 PM
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1847 where is the Station Jam ? I probably wont as I am practicing for the Babe & Ricky's Reunion Jam this Sat. I would like to know more about the Station Jam and check it out later.
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Slimharp
214 posts
Feb 20, 2014
5:00 PM
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Is it over by the old Blue Dog ?
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1847
1513 posts
Feb 20, 2014
5:35 PM
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it's the pizza parlor next door
it's not looking like i can make it either
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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