Today's song is taken from Eric Burdon and the Animals 1968 album Love Is. It is a cover of the Traffic song Coloured Rain from their album of the previous year, Mr Fantasy. It was the song that Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi wanted to release as the band's second single rather than "Hole in My Shoe", which they hated.
For my money Burdon is overacting here and I miss Winwood's Hammond organ from the original. But what is chiefly of interest is the extraordinary guitar solo.
Its player later wrote that it was:
"one of the longest guitar solos ever recorded until this point ... a 'soaring hymn to ecstasy' style solo that is so long that I find it impossible to play in a full trance state and still come out at the right place."For this reason Zoot Money (who was playing keyboards for the Animals following the departure of Alan Price) had to count all 189 bars and signal to him when it was time to finish.
The guitarist also claimed that this solo earned him a "slightly legendary reputation".
And his name? Andy Summers, later to become famous as a member of The Police.
Check out Zoot and Mr Money in Dantalion's Chariot. Now there was a band.
ReplyDeleteI meant Zoot and Mr Somers of course.
ReplyDeleteMadman running Through the Fields. Now you are talking.
ReplyDeleteNot to take anything away from Mr. Summers, but this solo sounds uncannily like 1968-1969 era Frank Zappa.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great cover, always liked it immensely.