Merle Travis - Reenlistment Blues

[lelong6strings]

I saw this movie may be 35 years ago in FRANCE. I never saw Merle playing before and it was a real shock!

[1968tomf]

Genial

[Rockman60]

@singinjohnny

The guitar in question is an old Bigsby, the guy that invented the straight one line headstock. (And later on the tremoly Bigsby unit, first found on Gibsons and Gretsch guitars.

[whitt702]

I thought this was a masterpiece. I have the 1953 version of the original song, which is much better than Travis did it on an album in later years.

[singinjohnny]

Great performance and song in a milestone movie for all concerned. The guitar Merle is playing has a Fender-style headstock. I tried to find out about the model seen here but haven't been successful thus far. I'm figuring that since Leo Fender was a friend of Merle's, this may be a custom-built acoustic guitar. Love the two scenes with him performing this. I could watch this movie over and over again. Thanks for posting...

[5107lois]

I heard a version on itunes where Merle Travis is singing it by himself, but it does not sound as good. It does not have the boys backing him up or the trumpet.

[RankAndFileGuy]

Damn where can I get the full song?

[Revumch]

Jorma Kaukonen does an excellent arrangement of this song on his "Land of Heroes" CD. Merle Travis was one of his earliest inspirations.

[whitt702]

The full song can be found on a CD called "The best of Merle Travis, Sweet Temptation". The song is full and goes through every day of the week, and he is picking that Martin D28 with the Bigsby neck. great sounding guitar!!!! You can get the record through Amazon and several places on the internet. Hope this makes your day!!!!!

[whitt702]

@RankAndFileGuy  The original (and the best) came out on a CD called "The Best of Merle Travis". You can get it through Amazon

[chikarasmuslandia]

yea =)

[justmusicandme]

COOL!

[bundy1973]

There is a longer version of this song in the movie - could someone please post it? They are outside of the bar singing and Clift is chiming in with his trumpet tip

[billga2007]

OK . Will do.

[Sila27]

Arthur ... looks like you got that wrong, since A Place in the Sun was made in 1951 and East of Eden in 1955 ... looks more like Dean was copying Clift. But the fact is that both learned to act at the famous Strassberg Actors Studio in New York.

[putsomething]

That's why he said "and in my ignorance..."

[Sila27]

Yep, you're right! Reading this a year later, I realize I misread that one.

[tracylb64]

love Monty. Such a spunk!

[ArthurJimbo]

ahh Montgomery Clift...a little while ago when I was still in my teens I first saw Jimmy Dean in east of eden and in my ignorance while watching Monty in a place in the sun thought...wow that guys copying Dean to a T...

[Gahanaholic]

Hahaha, yeah, Monty was the original....