He released this song on one of his albums "DOUBLE TIME" much much slower..I think he must have been doing some sort amphetamine on this take .. or being Leon and bizarre as usual
purists say what you will, but this is a great rendition in its own right. if everyone covered any given artist note for note we wouldn't have had hundreds of years worth of innovation and we'd still be listening to what our great great grandparents did. i listen to leon redbone to hear leon redbone and the same goes for blind blake! both greats in my book...
At inspiration inexpert , With all the horn activity Blakes busy guitar wouldn't work . It would be way too much noodling , the listener wouldn't know what the Fuck to listen to ! Blake's version was a singer/guitar performance , that's why he had lots of space to let loose . Cheers !
The problem for me is that he's eliminated all of the beautiful, intricate ragtime guitar backup that Blind Blake played. What Redbone has here is a solid, quick chug, but Blake's backup was truly elegant and imaginative. The charm of the song was in that delightful, unbelievably original guitar part weaving in and out of those hilarious lyrics (which, yes, go by way too fast to be processed). This version may be bigger and brassier, but there was so much more thought put into the original.
@TheInspirationExpert Blind Blake's version didn't have the intricate horn parts so he could play those cool guitar runs . It would sound way too busy if Leon tried it here . It would sound messy and overplayed ! This interpertation is meant to be brassy ,and in fact the horn parts are just as imaginative as Blake's guitar runs . Leon's rythmic strumming offsets the weaving horn parts in a percussive meter like way like a hi-hat keeping time . Blakes runs would sound stupid in this version !
@crazytempest I totally agree that Blake's runs wouldn't have worked in this setting, but I disagree that the brass parts are just as good. It's easy to write (or improvise) brass parts around a melody, but to have a solo folk guitar playing counterpoint that fits perfectly around the lyrics without obscuring them, that's special. I understand Redbone was going for something different here, but for me, he's stripped the song of all its unique elements and produced something less meaningful.
Too fast? Hence the albums title "double time". For a clearer, and slower , version try the album "on the track", that song, and record, hooked me on Leon. Have fun and enjoy your music.
Leon Redbone is an "interpretative" musician/singer, as many musicians and singers are and have been. Leon's style is well within the genre of Dixieland jazz and Ragtime. He is a longtime follower of the Nick La Rocca, the original Jazz and Dixieland artist.
So, whomever did not understand nor like Leon's version is stuck in one groove.
It's not too fast for those players because their groove is waist deep. Of course if they were not spectacular players that would indeed be a train wreck. Luckily it's a heck of a LIVE piece of work and right on the money if you ask me. Of course if I wanted to hear Blind Blake I'd break out a box set. This is much more interesting by a long shot.
HEY, DOES ANY ONE KNOW WHAT MODEL THAT GUITAR IS? It looks like a Gibson L series but I've never seen one with that "Florentine cut away" It's one beautiful guitar.
@wc4dblues It's a CF-100. They came out in the early 1950s, the same era as the
J-185 and J-160E.
They made 2 versions, The CF-100 is acoustic and has a solid spruce top. The CF-100E has a laminated spruce top and pickup mounted at the end if the fretboard, just like the J-160E. Unlike the J-160E, which is ladder braced, both versions of the CF-100 have x-braces.
@wc4dblues It's a CF-100. They came out in the early 1950s, the same era as the
J-185 and J-160E.
They made 2 versions, the CF-100 is acoustic and has a solid spruce top. The CF-100E has a laminated spruce top and pickup mounted at the end if the fretboard, just like the J-160E. Unlike the J-160E, which is ladder braced, both versions of the CF-100 have x-braces.
Excellent--had never heard this version; thanks for posting. Have to correct your citation though--Double Time was originally released in 1977, not 1988 (seeing this inspired me to dig out my copy of the LP...). So when was this performance? The album that Johnny's holding up appears to be Red to Blue, which I think was released in 1985...
im a huge fan of the original blake version but this one is pretty cool. leon went a little more jazzy with it. i love that farty bass sound, is it a bass sax? dont know my woodwinds too well.
Wow, Leon Redbone is awesome. I love the old swinging jazzy style of the music, wished the sound quality was clearer though, but this is some good stuff here. This man has got a great voice too.
@johngoo343 // You are right, it's way too fast. I learned about Arthur Blake after hearing Redbone's version. I didn't think about comparing. I heard it as a brand new song and I liked it. I love Blake's version. Ry Cooder's too.
@silezukuk Yes, but that's what musicians have been doing for centuries, interpreting each others music. Hadyn did it to Mozart, Jelly Roll Morton did it to Scott Joplin, Jose Feliciano did it to Jim Morrison. And (although fictitiously) a perfect example is in the Tom Hanks movie "That Thing You Do" when the drummer spontaneously up tempos the title song and makes it a hit.
@johngoo343 i geuss I was a little harsh in my judgement, props to redbone for giving tribute on the main stage. It's still a bitch to play on guitar and Leon did do a good job
@johngoo343 i c what you mean but i think he just wanted to show off his speed and adapt it to his style which worked id say. but a lil slower wouldnt have hurt
@johngoo343 Well , you are either lacking in knowledge of southern blues and jazz culture . Or , your another tight assed northerner who thinks they understand the Delta . It's called " high steppin " . It's what makes the the joint jump . You can't learn the swamp sounds or feel the slow movement of the Mississippi . You have to live there . Go sit on the bank , near your campfire , cast your line in the dark deep and listen .
@DAVPK1 no, you miss the point if you want high stepping go listen to robert johnson play "they're red hot" this song by blind blake is played slower and it just sounds off when played faster. Anyone can finger pick fast, but slow it down and thats where the real men are
@johngoo343 Are you telling me you never heard a band pick up the tempo to get the house going . Come back in another 25 years and don't tel me what I know . Leon Redbone has more depth and soul than you could dream about . You telling him how to play isn't even a good joke . He's the real deal , New Orleans seasoned and grown . Have you ever seen him live , I did 1977. I don't think you even know what high steppin is , smartass .
This is a great upbeat New Orleans style version! Good stuff.
ohjtbehaaave 3 weeks ago
I find this surprisingly easy to masturbate too
sneakiestofskittle 1 month ago
He released this song on one of his albums "DOUBLE TIME" much much slower..I think he must have been doing some sort amphetamine on this take .. or being Leon and bizarre as usual
Sexiam4it 1 month ago
luv the sax...
Drumr56 1 month ago
is that a bass sax???????
74bobolink 1 month ago
Love the bass sax!
sjcramer35 3 months ago
purists say what you will, but this is a great rendition in its own right. if everyone covered any given artist note for note we wouldn't have had hundreds of years worth of innovation and we'd still be listening to what our great great grandparents did. i listen to leon redbone to hear leon redbone and the same goes for blind blake! both greats in my book...
mrslimcreeper 3 months ago
At inspiration inexpert , With all the horn activity Blakes busy guitar wouldn't work . It would be way too much noodling , the listener wouldn't know what the Fuck to listen to ! Blake's version was a singer/guitar performance , that's why he had lots of space to let loose . Cheers !
mingofilaz 3 months ago
Leon Redbone is Canadian ! I just found that out !
mingofilaz 3 months ago
thats absoluzt absolut very very good,... thats 100% very good
potatoepeter1 4 months ago
biggest sax i've ever seen !
jonhansen100 4 months ago
The problem for me is that he's eliminated all of the beautiful, intricate ragtime guitar backup that Blind Blake played. What Redbone has here is a solid, quick chug, but Blake's backup was truly elegant and imaginative. The charm of the song was in that delightful, unbelievably original guitar part weaving in and out of those hilarious lyrics (which, yes, go by way too fast to be processed). This version may be bigger and brassier, but there was so much more thought put into the original.
TheInspirationExpert 4 months ago
@TheInspirationExpert Blind Blake's version didn't have the intricate horn parts so he could play those cool guitar runs . It would sound way too busy if Leon tried it here . It would sound messy and overplayed ! This interpertation is meant to be brassy ,and in fact the horn parts are just as imaginative as Blake's guitar runs . Leon's rythmic strumming offsets the weaving horn parts in a percussive meter like way like a hi-hat keeping time . Blakes runs would sound stupid in this version !
crazytempest 3 months ago
@crazytempest I totally agree that Blake's runs wouldn't have worked in this setting, but I disagree that the brass parts are just as good. It's easy to write (or improvise) brass parts around a melody, but to have a solo folk guitar playing counterpoint that fits perfectly around the lyrics without obscuring them, that's special. I understand Redbone was going for something different here, but for me, he's stripped the song of all its unique elements and produced something less meaningful.
TheInspirationExpert 3 months ago
I think Leon Redbone could sing the phone book and it'd be chock full of soul & swing.
dmreeoogdaq 5 months ago
Probably the worst kept secret to Leon's fans but a lot of people thought Leon was Frank Zappa kind of like Andy Kaufman used to do Tony Clifton.
Some even thought Frank enjoyed being Leon so much that he faked his death to do it full time.
That and The Son's of Lee Marvin are the weirdest things I've heard of.
rrtodd95 5 months ago
Too fast? Hence the albums title "double time". For a clearer, and slower , version try the album "on the track", that song, and record, hooked me on Leon. Have fun and enjoy your music.
km80120 5 months ago in playlist leon redbone
Jesus Mark E smith Christ this is good
mookie2637 6 months ago
Leon Redbone is an "interpretative" musician/singer, as many musicians and singers are and have been. Leon's style is well within the genre of Dixieland jazz and Ragtime. He is a longtime follower of the Nick La Rocca, the original Jazz and Dixieland artist.
So, whomever did not understand nor like Leon's version is stuck in one groove.
Scanjoon 6 months ago
It's not too fast for those players because their groove is waist deep. Of course if they were not spectacular players that would indeed be a train wreck. Luckily it's a heck of a LIVE piece of work and right on the money if you ask me. Of course if I wanted to hear Blind Blake I'd break out a box set. This is much more interesting by a long shot.
LittleBrotherBlues 6 months ago
HEY, DOES ANY ONE KNOW WHAT MODEL THAT GUITAR IS? It looks like a Gibson L series but I've never seen one with that "Florentine cut away" It's one beautiful guitar.
wc4dblues 7 months ago
@wc4dblues It's a CF-100. They came out in the early 1950s, the same era as the
J-185 and J-160E.
They made 2 versions, The CF-100 is
acoustic and has a solid spruce top. The CF-100E has a laminated spruce top
and pickup mounted at the end if the fretboard, just like the J-160E. Unlike
the J-160E, which is ladder braced, both versions of the CF-100 have
x-braces.
tobywalker123 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@wc4dblues It's a CF-100. They came out in the early 1950s, the same era as the
J-185 and J-160E.
They made 2 versions, The CF-100 is acoustic and has a solid spruce top. The CF-100E has a laminated spruce top and pickup mounted at the end if the fretboard, just like the J-160E. Unlike the J-160E, which is ladder braced, both versions of the CF-100 have x-braces.
tobywalker123 7 months ago
@wc4dblues It's a CF-100. They came out in the early 1950s, the same era as the
J-185 and J-160E.
They made 2 versions, the CF-100 is acoustic and has a solid spruce top. The CF-100E has a laminated spruce top and pickup mounted at the end if the fretboard, just like the J-160E. Unlike the J-160E, which is ladder braced, both versions of the CF-100 have x-braces.
tobywalker123 7 months ago
@piercechrist Yea, but it's fun. I'm new to the computer world, and I'm in "HOG HEAVEN" all this wonderful music
think It's hands don THE best venue for music ever invented. (in my humble opinion) ( my oh,so humble opinion)
wc4dblues 7 months ago
Excellent--had never heard this version; thanks for posting. Have to correct your citation though--Double Time was originally released in 1977, not 1988 (seeing this inspired me to dig out my copy of the LP...). So when was this performance? The album that Johnny's holding up appears to be Red to Blue, which I think was released in 1985...
FiddlerSteve 8 months ago
It's not that fast on the Album. I must assume there were time constraints on The Tonight Show.
Texaskingfish 8 months ago
just as good as blake -just different thats all-both great
oldepersonne 9 months ago
just as good as blake -just different thats all
oldepersonne 9 months ago
What could be cooler than Leon with Big John keeping the beat?
jdhed1 11 months ago
This is very rare footage of New Orleans drumming legend "Big" John Thomassie. Awesome!! Thanks for posting.
thetornado 11 months ago
Leon we miss you down at Uncle Mikes ! good times old friend.
edwynstarr 1 year ago
Thats music.
potatoepeter1 1 year ago
Sounds fine. Hot tempo. Let the man play his style.
newporter42 1 year ago
@newporter42 Yes, let the man interpret. Love that big sax.
mzim144659 10 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Anyone know which particular kind and model of "bari sax" this guy is playing?
scalhotrod 1 year ago
Comment removed
scalhotrod 1 year ago
Comment removed
theoriginalbadbob 1 year ago
im a huge fan of the original blake version but this one is pretty cool. leon went a little more jazzy with it. i love that farty bass sound, is it a bass sax? dont know my woodwinds too well.
bostonteabagger71739 1 year ago
Wow, Leon Redbone is awesome. I love the old swinging jazzy style of the music, wished the sound quality was clearer though, but this is some good stuff here. This man has got a great voice too.
Torn80cj 1 year ago
The Carson imitation afterwards was supper. I have it somewhere in my attic.
horsedrag 1 year ago
C'est le même rythme que "Mungo Jerry"
Rickgolkhan 1 year ago
BIG JOHN THOMASSIE ON DRUMS!!! RIP BROTHER MAN!!
aphelia23 1 year ago
Glad to see this performance back up! There's my pal, Scott Black, playin' the cornet! Go Scotty!
victorcornet21 1 year ago 2
Cool!
SarahOstrin 1 year ago
if you ask me he really messed up blind blake's song here way too fast
johngoo343 1 year ago
@johngoo343 // You are right, it's way too fast. I learned about Arthur Blake after hearing Redbone's version. I didn't think about comparing. I heard it as a brand new song and I liked it. I love Blake's version. Ry Cooder's too.
silezukuk 1 year ago
@silezukuk Yes, but that's what musicians have been doing for centuries, interpreting each others music. Hadyn did it to Mozart, Jelly Roll Morton did it to Scott Joplin, Jose Feliciano did it to Jim Morrison. And (although fictitiously) a perfect example is in the Tom Hanks movie "That Thing You Do" when the drummer spontaneously up tempos the title song and makes it a hit.
scalhotrod 1 year ago 10
@scalhotrod I couldn't agree more! You are absolutely right.
silezukuk 1 year ago 2
@johngoo343 i geuss I was a little harsh in my judgement, props to redbone for giving tribute on the main stage. It's still a bitch to play on guitar and Leon did do a good job
johngoo343 1 year ago
@johngoo343
Its possible he only had three minutes to do the bit. Definitely a shame though.
Cl3moh 1 year ago
@johngoo343 i c what you mean but i think he just wanted to show off his speed and adapt it to his style which worked id say. but a lil slower wouldnt have hurt
ryugasakatou 8 months ago
@johngoo343 Well , you are either lacking in knowledge of southern blues and jazz culture . Or , your another tight assed northerner who thinks they understand the Delta . It's called " high steppin " . It's what makes the the joint jump . You can't learn the swamp sounds or feel the slow movement of the Mississippi . You have to live there . Go sit on the bank , near your campfire , cast your line in the dark deep and listen .
DAVPK1 7 months ago
@DAVPK1 no, you miss the point if you want high stepping go listen to robert johnson play "they're red hot" this song by blind blake is played slower and it just sounds off when played faster. Anyone can finger pick fast, but slow it down and thats where the real men are
johngoo343 7 months ago
@johngoo343 Are you telling me you never heard a band pick up the tempo to get the house going . Come back in another 25 years and don't tel me what I know . Leon Redbone has more depth and soul than you could dream about . You telling him how to play isn't even a good joke . He's the real deal , New Orleans seasoned and grown . Have you ever seen him live , I did 1977. I don't think you even know what high steppin is , smartass .
DAVPK1 7 months ago
@johngoo343 I believe that is why the album is called double time.
alroy43 6 months ago
It's different....Ic an forgive that just to hear the bass sax!
tubemagpie 3 days ago
@johngoo343 no one asked you!
crowleyman1000 2 days ago
I was looking for this video FOREVER... They deleted it a long time ago due to copyright issues. Thanks for putting it back on !
Kurdlov 1 year ago
This guy is GREAT!......Do you know if he ever recorded & released this song on one of his albums?
Harpenfarker 1 year ago 4
@Harpenfarker Great indeed! You can find the song on the album "Double Time". Look it up.
silezukuk 1 year ago
@Harpenfarker the original 1977 release was about half the pace ...a great quirky lp
dontbringmedown1900 1 month ago
great clip...but youtube will make you take it down if you dont remove what show it was broadcasted on
snorkelbda03 1 year ago
@snorkelbda03, thanks
silezukuk 1 year ago