Stotzem's Paris Texas

[geoff]

I liked this Stotzem's Paris Texas version. Sounds almost like the original I think.

Don't know if you all know him already, but he wanted some talk around the net, in return for the tabs. Unfortunately these are the most complicated tabs I've ever seen! ;D



He plays a Suzuki spider. He thinks it's nothing special. What do you guys know about the Suzuki's? Are they so so? A friend of mine would like one and there is one for sale for 350 euros.

[blueshome]

"Sounds almost like the original I think"

Which sounds like.....................?

[slidenpickit]

The theme to Paris Texas?

[Deleted]

Dark Was The Night

[slidenpickit]

So the theme to Paris Texas by Ry Cooder is really called 'Dark was the Night?

[blueshome]

The theme from Paris,Texas is a piecemeal re-working (very effectively done) of "Dark Was the Night" by B.Willie Johnson, it's certainly not original.

[slidenpickit]

An atmospheric distillation of 'Dark was the Night' for the opening theme of Wim Wender's Paris, Texas.
Yes, one of the first slide tunes I learnt.

[honeyboy]

You can listen to the 1927 original here

Blind Willie Johnson plays 'Dark Was The Night'

[geoff]

Okay, okay. True, Paris Texas is a re-working of Dark was the Night.
I should have thought of that. I read the entire Blind Willie Johnson story.
They discovered his long lost grave by the way. Quite a nice story.

But, I must say this player here, plays the Paris Texas re-worked theme very well; almost the same as the version used in the movie.
And I was curious about the Suzuki brand ofcourse...

[slidenpickit]

Hey Geoff,
You'll be playing that tune before you know it.
Suzuki resonators are Ok and a good starter but like most things you get what you pay for. A thing to check for is if it has a neck stick and is a properly constructed resonator guitar, then if it sounds good to your friend then its worth 300.
regards
Chris W

[Michael Messer]

I don't think Ry Cooder's publishers and lawyers would agree that ...'It's certainly not original'.

Of course Ry Cooder's soundtrack is influenced by the Blind Willie Johnson version of a baptist hymn, but it does not actually contain the melody of Johnson's masterpiece. It does contain notes, runs of notes and the atmosphere of Johnson's recording, but not actually the melody. So it is ORIGINAL. It is as original as anything can be that is so influenced by a previous recording.

To say that Ry Cooder just copied & stole somebody else's music is putting down one of the great artists of our time and considering Ry has spent 40 years of his life bringing the roots of American music to the public's attention, I just don't think that his mind would work like that.

There are only two categories that music can fall into, it is either ORIGINAL or it is a COVER, and it is defintely not a cover.

In 1984 or whenever Paris Texas was first released, there wasn't a slide guitarist on the planet that didn't do a version of Ry Cooder's amazing soundtrack music.

Blind Willie Johnson's recording of 'Dark Was The Night Cold Was The Ground' is without doubt one of THE great recordings of all time.

Shine On
Michael.

[percythewonderant]

Representing human culture, to which ever alien groover 'drops a coin into the celestial jukebox, Blind Willie Johnson's 'Dark Was the Night' is one of the pieces of music incised on a golden record, which was launched away in space on the NASA voyager mission back in 1977.

It is still traveling into deep space. Now out in the outermost reaches of the helio sheath. The last few million miles of space that are affected by the solar winds.

- TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

[SoloBill]

Hi Geoff,
The guitar Stotzen is playing sounded OK in itself but to me it was too forward and bright for that tune. The Ry Cooder version is more melancholy/wistful to my ears.

Honeyboy, Thanks for the link to 'Dark was the night'.

[slidenpickit]

So Geoff,

You were right after all!

Ry Cooder was messing around in open D when he came up with a simple but effective sequence of notes which bore a similarity to an earlier tune. His Producer said "that sounds great we can blow this thing up like a souffle" and 'Paris Texas' was born.

I only wish I could get my point across in Dutch as well as you do in English.

Zorg goed voor jezelf en geniet van oude Scratchy!

[geoff]

Yeah what's original... Try playing open tuning or blues without using known licks or sentiments...
Haha, thanks Chris! I'm so enjoying myself. I leave home, hiding the Scratch under the sofa, hoping nobody will steal him. Then after work I rush home and grab it again. Man, this tricone monster sure howls and growls! I broke all of my nails and now I'm shaving of finger skin here. Lonesome Atlanta Blues from Bob Grant is what I try to play. First string has been mastered already; somehow I could make it howl without knocks and buzzes just like that. However, when I sing "I'm so lonesome" my wife tells me that's no wonder and I might get even more lonesome... How is that for blues. The alternating bass strings are the next thing to master, for I am a 100% guitar noob.