think we all need at least one really nice positive thing about the
entertainment business every single day of the year, including weekends.
Sometimes it may be something simple, like a video that showcases
something fun and sometimes it may be a movie poster that embraces the
aesthetic we all want Hollywood to aspire to. Sometimes it may be a
long-winded diatribe. Sometimes it’ll be from the staff and extended
family of CHUD.com. Maybe even you readers can get in on it. So, take
this to the bank. Every day, you will get a little bit of positivity
from one column a day here. Take it with you. Maybe it’ll help you
through a bad day or give folks some fun things to hunt down in their
busy celluloid digesting day.
10.9.10
By Steve Murphy (Author Page)
What I’m Thankful For:
The song ‘Raunchy’.
For starters, the guitar playing itself is considered to be one of the first examples of the string bending style that would be adopted by others shortly after the songs’ release, and used to great effect by players such as Duane Eddy and Eddie Cochran. Both Cochran and Eddy would use the sound throughout their careers – Eddy would even record his own version of Raunchy, while Cochran would use the technique
most notably in Summertime Blues.
It wasn’t so much the squealing saxaphone accompanying the guitar, or even the twangy guitar tone itself that would have such an effect on the world of rock and roll. Rather, it would be the day a 14 year-old George Harrison performed this tune to Lennon and McCartney on the top deck of a bus, guaranteeing him an invitation to join their group, The Quarrymen.
Before Harrison had the opportunity to perform this for Lennon, McCartney had learned the song almost a year earlier for his very first public performance as a musician. For weeks he had practiced the piece, only to have a severe case of stage fright overwhelm him on the night causing him to miss all the notes! Never a good thing, but it did manage to cause Lennon to break down in hysterical laughter!
When Harrison played it for them on that bus a year later, it was note-perfect.
Listening to the song now one has to marvel at the simplicity of it, as it’s basically a 5-note progression. But in ’57 it was groundbreaking, and the reverberations are still being felt today. Without Raunchy there may not have been Duane Eddy’s rockabilliy twang, Eddie Cochran’s soulful echo tone, or The Beatles as we know them, and that’s something too vast to even contemplate.
Requirements:
Well written, fun, and not self-promotional. Also, no pseudonyms or
fake names. Stand up and be proud of your opinions. MESSAGE BOARD SUBMISSION THREAD or EMAIL YOUR IDEA TO ME.