About the 4th song on your list.... (long, sorry)...
| June 03, 2021 11:34AM |
Archie Bell & the Drells/Drells Tighten Up
Brings back a special memory of the time I met Freddy Fender. I was about 15, and played bass in my first band. I was traveling with an acoustic guitar, and was waiting for my ride in front of the Los Angeles bus depot. So as I waited, I decided to use my acoustic guitar to practice the bassline to one of the songs our group played.... Tighten Up. As you know, it's one of the coolest & more intense baselines ever..., and I don't know the best way to explain it, but to say, at the time, I played a rather 'dumbed down' (slower) version of it. Not way off, but certainly not what you hear on the recording. So I'm sitting there on my suitcase, up against the outside wall of the depot practicing as travelers of all kinds are walking by, when a voice suddenly says... "you know, you've got to tighten up on that bass a little".
I look up to see a kind of familiar face, but totally did not recognize who he was at first. I told him that I was aware my version wasn't correct, but was trying to learn to get it right by memory. He literally began pointing out where I was missing notes on my fret board, and as I tried, and missed... he said "try again... slower, Learn it first... THEN speed it up". I missed a few more times, and then (with a little more coaching) finally got it! It sounded and 'felt' so freakin cool! It wasn't until then that I took a closer look at him, and just knew..., he was Somebody. So, my dumb 15 year old a$$ said (more than asked)... "you're somebody, aren't you?" To which he held up an album he had been holding the whole time, and it was one of his... with his picture, and his name, and it finally clicked as I had seen the same album at my sisters house.
He looked much older in person, and it wasn't until then, that I noticed the limo & driver behind him. Waiting at the curb amongst the yellow cabs with the rear door open. Then I got excited, got up, and shook his hand, and blurted out something about how our band played Wasted Days & Wasted Nights LOL.
We talked a little more about the Tighten Up baseline, then I asked him if he wanted to play something on my guitar, but he said he couldn't, because he was under contract. After that, we said our goodbyes... he told me to keep on practicing as he got into his limo, and drove off.
When my sister and her husband finally picked me up, she (being a huge Freddy Fender fan) couldn't believe it, and reminded my 15 year old dumb a$$ that I forgot to ask him for his autograph
which I know he would have given me....
Oh well, I'm almost 60 now, and that 4th song on your list brought a lot back for me..... thanks!
Brings back a special memory of the time I met Freddy Fender. I was about 15, and played bass in my first band. I was traveling with an acoustic guitar, and was waiting for my ride in front of the Los Angeles bus depot. So as I waited, I decided to use my acoustic guitar to practice the bassline to one of the songs our group played.... Tighten Up. As you know, it's one of the coolest & more intense baselines ever..., and I don't know the best way to explain it, but to say, at the time, I played a rather 'dumbed down' (slower) version of it. Not way off, but certainly not what you hear on the recording. So I'm sitting there on my suitcase, up against the outside wall of the depot practicing as travelers of all kinds are walking by, when a voice suddenly says... "you know, you've got to tighten up on that bass a little".
I look up to see a kind of familiar face, but totally did not recognize who he was at first. I told him that I was aware my version wasn't correct, but was trying to learn to get it right by memory. He literally began pointing out where I was missing notes on my fret board, and as I tried, and missed... he said "try again... slower, Learn it first... THEN speed it up". I missed a few more times, and then (with a little more coaching) finally got it! It sounded and 'felt' so freakin cool! It wasn't until then that I took a closer look at him, and just knew..., he was Somebody. So, my dumb 15 year old a$$ said (more than asked)... "you're somebody, aren't you?" To which he held up an album he had been holding the whole time, and it was one of his... with his picture, and his name, and it finally clicked as I had seen the same album at my sisters house.
He looked much older in person, and it wasn't until then, that I noticed the limo & driver behind him. Waiting at the curb amongst the yellow cabs with the rear door open. Then I got excited, got up, and shook his hand, and blurted out something about how our band played Wasted Days & Wasted Nights LOL.
We talked a little more about the Tighten Up baseline, then I asked him if he wanted to play something on my guitar, but he said he couldn't, because he was under contract. After that, we said our goodbyes... he told me to keep on practicing as he got into his limo, and drove off.
When my sister and her husband finally picked me up, she (being a huge Freddy Fender fan) couldn't believe it, and reminded my 15 year old dumb a$$ that I forgot to ask him for his autograph
which I know he would have given me....Oh well, I'm almost 60 now, and that 4th song on your list brought a lot back for me..... thanks!
