Great Unsung Backing Work

Subject: B.S.: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: Peter T.
Date: 17 Aug 02 - 07:08 PM

Happened to be listening to "The best of The Girl Groups, Vol. 2", "Popsicles and Icicles" (some will remember this) by The Mermaids. (Hey, it is hot in Toronto). There is some truly incredible percussion work behind the singers which I never noticed before. I wonder who the percussionist was (probably will never know). It occurred to me that we have never talked much about great backing work and workers on records. The people who do this are known by the cognoscenti, but unless they really get well known, or get a really standout solo, by no one else. Rick Fielding met the guy who did the saxophone work on "Baker Street" which would be a real thrill to me (forget his name). Without Ray Phiri there would have been no Graceland. Where would Blonde on Blonde be without Charlie McCoy and the rest of the Nashville troupe? But even without these guys, there is some knockout anon work done all over the place. Anyone else have any examples that one could keep an ear out for?

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: BS: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 17 Aug 02 - 10:22 PM

Ed Trickett

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: catspaw49
Date: 17 Aug 02 - 11:47 PM

If you're talking Rafferty's Baker Street thing, I think it was Mel Collins.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: allanwill
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 10:53 AM

I'll never forget seeing a Linda Ronstadt concert on the tele way, way back - gotta be very early 70's - and being absolutely floored by the backing band. It wasn't until years later I found out that the band were fledgling "Eagles"

Allan

Subject: RE: BS: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 11:59 AM

A bit more than backing work maybe, but was there a credit for the guy who played the sax solo on "Still crazy after all these years"? I seem to remember looking and failing to find anything.

A phenomenal bit of uncredited playing that comes to mind is the horns (this time the orchestral variety - ie "French") in the Dallas theme tune. (Not the bit where they've got the melody!)

Subject: RE: BS: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 03:04 PM

Fionn.....I don't know where to find the credit if it's losted, but the sax player was Mike Becker who has done a lot of cut work with Branford Marsalis. Becker is a big influence on a lot of contemporary players; has a "flowing be-bop" style much like Parker on alto and his tenor work is second to none.....a bit unusual.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: fat B****rd
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 03:07 PM

The sax solo part on Baker Street was Raff Ravenscroft. I too am fascinated by the "unsung " heroes on hit records. As a prime example Earl Palmer played drums on "Something Else", "La Bamba", most of Sam Cookes biggies and a huge percentage of Little Richard's best stuff. he played on countless other big hits and is still active. Rock on, Earl>

Subject: RE: BS: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: Pene Azul
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 03:14 PM

That's Michael Brecker, Spaw. He and his brother, Randy (trumpet) played for Frank Zappa, and with several jazz bands, including their work as "The Brecker Brothers." He also played on Saturday Night Live, and with The Blues Brothers.

Jeff

Subject: RE: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 03:33 PM

Sorry Pene, I knew that.........the memory is the first.....uh, maybe second.....thing to go.....

Spaw

Subject: RE: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: Genie
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 03:34 PM

Well, I'd put Nina Gerber sort of in this category. By now she has her own following among folk music afficcionados--but I'd wager the general public would say "Nina who?" Although Kate Wolf wrote some great songs and had a haunting voice, on some album cuts it is Gerber's superb guitar backup that, I think, "makes" the song. I'd love to hear her in concert.

Also, I have an old Austin City Limits tape of Leonard Cohen (where he sings "Then We Take Berlin," "Take This Waltz," "Hallelujah!" etc.). The two women who sing vocals with him are superb, and the songs just wouldn't be what they are without that "back-up" (which is a word that doesn't do justice to the vocals they provide). I've been told that one or both of these women has gone on to a solo career, but I can't remember either of their names.

Genie

Subject: RE: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 03:34 PM

Wait a minute.....the memory IS bad.....Now I'm questioning both of us!!! What the hell, it's only an "R"....

Spaw

Subject: RE: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 03:39 PM

Pene...back to Zappa.......The Breckers were responsible for a lot of the triple tracking work that Zappa used.....Talk about great back-up stuff...Zappa's work was all backup with a tune thrown in just to have something to work with. Many times he had about as tight a group as i ever heard.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 04:02 PM

For many people, "backing" automatically connotes "bass", and, in folkish circles, "upright bass" in particular. Pick any handful of studio-musician-backed albums cut between the early 70's and late 90's and one or more will feature the bass work of either Roy E. "Junior" Huskey or his son, Roy Huskey Jr. (Don't let the names confuse you: "Junior" was the dad's nickname - Roy Jr. was the son.) Those guys played with practically everybody: John Hartford, Emmylou Harris, Norman Blake, and on both of Nitty-Gritty Dirt Band's "Circle" albums, just to name a few. Sadly, Junior Huskey died in '92, and Roy Jr. in '97.

Subject: RE: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: Tweed
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 05:45 PM

Fayssoux Starling, singing backup for EmmyLou and the Rolling Stones. What a gal, what a voice!

Subject: RE: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: Peter T.
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 05:52 PM

Did Michael Brecker do the sax work on "Late in the Evening" from the Simon and Garfunkel "Concert in Central Park"? That whole cut is still my definition of hot music. Another good band was the band behind Judy Collins' live version of "Bird On the Wire."

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: Justa Picker
Date: 18 Aug 02 - 09:03 PM

Lyle Lovett's "large band".
Amazing players, and tastey tastey arrangements.

Subject: RE: Great Unsung Backing Work
From: CraigS
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 09:25 PM

Nobody mentioned Mick Jagger's backing vocals on Carly Simon's You're so Vain. And if you're talking about uncredited, the worst examples are on some of Eric Clapton's records, where the lead guitar was actually played by either George Terry or Eric's cousin Albert Lee