Garth Hudson's live six-minute organ intro to the Band's "Chest Fever"
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Born in 1937, "classically trained in piano, music theory, harmony and counterpoint" at the University of Western Ontario [so says Wikipedia], multi-instrumentalist Band member Garth Hudson would play a different organ intro to each live performance by the Band of their song "Chest Fever." The intro soon acquired its own name, "The Genetic Method." His inventive extemporizing on this piece was a compensating contrast to the Band's live fidelity toward their studio arrangements, a fidelity for which I had a strong weakness as a result of hearing countless rock bands too often try out inferior live arrangements. Hudson's transitions and juxtapositions had just the right balance of surprise and coherence. It's from a white-cover bootleg LP Live Band.
Locating MOG account...
Comments (13)
no doubt for the hard core Band fan only.
can anyone say deadman deadman?
This selection came from one of those white cover bootleg LPs from the early 1970's. It was the LP's highpoint for me because, as one could guess from what I said above, the rest was like the studio stuff except with poorer audio fidelity. This was the only cut on the only promising record I could find on the last open day of a used record store I happened upon by accident on a side street a few blocks from my apartment, a few years after it had opened. It surprised me how the store had eluded my antennae.
"It surprised me how the store had eluded my antennae."
could explain why it closed :-)
It would be interesting to hear what an expert in handbills and circulars could say about this.
I can say deadmandeadman, why do you ask? But yes, Garth Hudson is a truely unique keyboard artist. Long before the popularity of the synthesizer he was coaxing the most other-worldly tones from his trusted Lowery organ. And that's not even mention his absolutely sublime understated sexy sax solo on W.S. Walcott's Medicine Show on Rock of Ages
...This is sweet, by the way, I've never heard this version.
Does that make me hard core? Love Chest Fever. Haven't played this back yet and I've already recommended it. It's Garth Hudson, for chrissake. Thanks.
deadmandeadman, in a minute, I'll check out his absolutely sublime understated sexy sax solo.
This version....glad I introduced you two.
RobP, who knows whom it would grab, even among Band fans? It's definitely an oddity. It grabbed me, and it might grab you.
Spike, well, Mog only knows, I wrote my first response something like six minutes after your post and it took hours to appear. Still wasn't posted when I went back to play the music.
Stopped at a store window today that had an 8 x 10 framed photo of The Band, one of the album covers. I'd swerved to stand near it and a woman nearly walked into me.
All may walk into me as often as they like, I will check out The Band. Cheers.
At their first public performance anywhere, at Winterland in San Francisco, I half-noticed a man in a dark suit standing front onstage next to the Band during their set, and later read that he had been there keeping a very ill Robbie Robertson hypnotized enough to perform. The song I remember most vividly was "Don't Ya Tell Henry," first released in 1975's The Basement Tapes.
It's funny, how on the intro to Chest Fever, you can hear audience folks coughing..I'd love to hear an organ off between Garth and Bernie Worrell. Something similar to the Giants Of The Organ Come Together records Groove Holmes made with Jimmy McGriff.
a mutant intro species ... the idea is so Halloween i can't love it enough. was that the organ? it's practically holding a one-instrument concert. he really let the thing go where it possibly can. thanks for the fantastic listen, Spike. (:
Cody, great idea, though if this Bernie Worrell were to do an organ off with the Garth Hudson we heard above, he'd have to plan how to navigate Hudson's jagged changes. That could be exciting. There must be a fair amount of similar new sounds in classical or electronic music, were one to follow it. If it's as good as "Finger-Lickin' Good" from your album, it's definitely good.
The disc's label lists Holmes first, and is titled Two Giant Organs Come Together, instead of Giants of the Organ Come Together.
poebegone, I have to admit, "so Halloween" is way true, like your whole comment.