Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?

Subject: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 22 May 19 - 11:30 AM

Can anyone suggest a song of less than about twenty minutes long that fits the same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant Massacree', please? So far I've found 'Pearl-handled Pocket Knife' by Homer and Jethro inter alia, and 'Come On Up To My Log Cabin' by (I think) Taj Mahal. It's a standard ragtime progression, so I'm sure there must be some goodies I haven't thought of yet.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 22 May 19 - 11:44 AM

Andy Razaf’s “If I Can’t Sell It I’ll Keep Sitting On It”
Phil Baxter’s “Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas”
Robert Johnson’s “Hot Tamales”

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I plead guilty to adding the links - not always to the artists specified. -Joe Offer-

Thread on 'If I Can't Sell It' (click)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 22 May 19 - 01:17 PM

A lot of Shel Silverstein's Beans Taste Fine.

Check out this version by The Brothers Four.


Jay

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: GUEST,Pseudonymous
Date: 23 May 19 - 04:18 AM

Not sure that Hot Tamales has the same chords all the way through: when I play it it has a diminished in it and an F for example. But maybe that's just the ukulele site version or me being still half awake?

But I had once upon a time come across an old blues with more or less the same chords, and thanks to this wonderful web site I was pointed in the direction of Blind Blakes' ragtime Skeedle Loo Doo Blues. Some 'riffs' within this are rather like some within Alice's Restaurant. There is quite a lot of Blind Blake on Spotify; wonderful stuff.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: GUEST,Pseudonymous
Date: 23 May 19 - 04:24 AM

Also Dry Bone Shuffle also by Blind Blake, rather like both Tamales and Alice. Quite a bit of Blind Blake I am so jealous of Blind Blakes' playing! He was influential on a lot of guitar players and you can see why.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 23 May 19 - 06:15 AM

Check out Blind Boy Fuller - he recorded dozens of songs using the cycle of fifths chord progression. Keep on Trucking, Piccolo Rag, etc.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: GUEST,Pseudonymous
Date: 23 May 19 - 06:15 AM

Ruth Brown's version of the song linked above. A delight worth sharing I hope. Not sure how Rusty would feel about emulating the lyrics and delivery but you never know:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPll4sQDssU

Sorry can't do 'blue clicky' things. Have tried and failed many times.

'Guaranteed to support any weight or size' !!!!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 23 May 19 - 03:26 PM

donovan's version of keep on trucking
Trix Ain't Walkin' No More ( Memphis Minnie and all the world and his dog did this one)
Take your fingers off it - do't you dare touch it!
Ralph McTell My baby keeps staying out all night long
And the Oobie Doo bit from I'm the the king of the jungle
the other bit is Aminor and E

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 23 May 19 - 04:01 PM

Wow, thanks, everyone! I look forward to exploring the suggestions above. Can't think how I didn't direct myself in the direction of Blind Blake before this.

Ain't the Mudcat a great place!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: GUEST,Pseudonymous
Date: 24 May 19 - 03:18 AM

Glad you enjoyed Blind Blake and agreed about Mudcat since that is where I was pointed to him as a ragtime player. Willie McTell is another, can't think offhand if he used the same chord sequence, not much I don't think: Little Della has hints of it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 24 May 19 - 01:02 PM

There are dozens of performers who’ve used this sequence, albeit possibly not as many of the 12 bar blues progression. Big Bill Broonzy, Barbecue Bob, Gary Davis also spring to mind as occasional exponents.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: GUEST,Pseudonymous
Date: 24 May 19 - 01:14 PM

Jerry, yes
For me the thing about Blind Blake was not just that the 'ragtime' approach was similar to Guthrie's, but also some of the riff/picking detail was so like that of Guthrie that I felt that Guthrie might have based his on Blake's.
But yes, you are right of course.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 24 May 19 - 03:19 PM

I’ve not listened that closely to Alice’s Restaurant, but I think most people regard Blake as the foremost exponent. Few others mastered his thumb rolling technique, usually used in the third line of verses (when playing C, C7, F, Ab7 in C major), which most of us tend to fudge.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 24 May 19 - 05:33 PM

that sounds more like sporting life blues or stealing sequence

keep on trucking/alice's resraurant is

C G A7 D7 G C
C G A7 D7 G
C C7
F (Ab or Fm or D7)
C G A7 D7 G C

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 25 May 19 - 07:27 AM

That’s virtually the same as I meant, but I would always go for E (instead of G) after the C starting lines 1, 3 and 4 - the circle of fifths. The Ab or Fm works best IMHO at the end of line 3 because either give you an Ab note for a descending bass line through the chords from C, Bb, A to Ab.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 27 May 19 - 09:43 AM

Sorry, I meant lines 1, 2 and 4 (C, E7, A7, D7, G7....) where the E7 gives you a g# note for the rising melody line, which the G doesn’t.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Same chords as 'Alice's Restaurant'?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 27 May 19 - 11:15 AM

don't worry I got it.
I can't remember but the E variation, I saw first Stefan Grossman play it.