Les Paul Creative Genius with a Midas Touch of Class
-
Artist:
-
Album:
-
Track:
So I watched the PBS series American Masters - Les Paul: Chasing the Sound with my jaw in my lap. I knew a few facts about Les Paul - that he was the inventor of the solid body electric guitar (even though people sometimes think it was Fender, Pauls hollow body was actually a 4x4 with false attachments that made it look like a hollow body). But I was suprised to find out that he was an innovator of multi-track recording and portable recording. Not only that but he has played with just about all of the most important musicians of the 20th century. To say his influence to music is major is to put it mildly. His style can hit on elements of Jazz (he was hugely influenced by Django Rheinhardt), country (Gene Autrey gave him his first big break), along with one of the most impressive ears for melody and tone that I have ever heard.
I have been enlightened to say the least. Years ago as a teen, I had been interested in hearing his music, and put on an album of he and Mary Ford, and was immediately turned off,perhaps the fact that it sounded "old timey" made me shut myself off from enjoying it. While watching the program I was blown away hearing Mary Ford's voice pour out of the T.V., so smooth you feel as if you listened to her voice too much. Together they are the perfect pairing of guitar virtuosity and vocal perfection, both bringing the best out of each other as musicians. A part of me fell in love with Mary ford the same way it did with Patsy Cline the first time I listened to her. Sorrow floating on the tip of beauty's wings.
I try not to throw the term genius around too much, because I honestly believe that A.) true genius are more often than not live tortured existence in which that genius comes from B.) There are a lot of people that are just plain good at what they do, and get way too much credit for it. While I think the Beatles were very very very good at what they do, individually I have been hard pressed to find any of them as genius, but together collective genius. Bob Dylan is at the very least a genius of song writing (even though I consider him genius, if debated on this topic, I would site him as genius here). You see my point, so with all that said and done, Les Paul is a genius. Yes, I too, can sometimes be a master of the obvious.
You may not come across too many people in your lifetime that seem to effortlessly accomplish things and change them in the process, but watching Chasing The Sound, I am convinced that Mr. Paul is the musical equivalent of King Midas (minus those nasty moral repercussions), and managed to shape and change every area (for the better) that he ventured into.
I have been enlightened to say the least. Years ago as a teen, I had been interested in hearing his music, and put on an album of he and Mary Ford, and was immediately turned off,perhaps the fact that it sounded "old timey" made me shut myself off from enjoying it. While watching the program I was blown away hearing Mary Ford's voice pour out of the T.V., so smooth you feel as if you listened to her voice too much. Together they are the perfect pairing of guitar virtuosity and vocal perfection, both bringing the best out of each other as musicians. A part of me fell in love with Mary ford the same way it did with Patsy Cline the first time I listened to her. Sorrow floating on the tip of beauty's wings.
I try not to throw the term genius around too much, because I honestly believe that A.) true genius are more often than not live tortured existence in which that genius comes from B.) There are a lot of people that are just plain good at what they do, and get way too much credit for it. While I think the Beatles were very very very good at what they do, individually I have been hard pressed to find any of them as genius, but together collective genius. Bob Dylan is at the very least a genius of song writing (even though I consider him genius, if debated on this topic, I would site him as genius here). You see my point, so with all that said and done, Les Paul is a genius. Yes, I too, can sometimes be a master of the obvious.
You may not come across too many people in your lifetime that seem to effortlessly accomplish things and change them in the process, but watching Chasing The Sound, I am convinced that Mr. Paul is the musical equivalent of King Midas (minus those nasty moral repercussions), and managed to shape and change every area (for the better) that he ventured into.
Comments (7)