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Author Topic:  Why I hate bands that cover "Folsom Prison"
Joe Alterio


From:
Irvington, Indiana
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 3:10 pm    
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....because they all seem to deliver the song with about as much authenticity as this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgd3UXgUuHc
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Joe Alterio


From:
Irvington, Indiana
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 3:11 pm    
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Note....I didn't mean YOUR band!
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Steve Hitsman


From:
Waterloo, IL
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 3:17 pm    
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The problem is that you thought he was singing "Folsom Prison"... he's actually singing "Fall Some Prison"... a different song entirely.
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Mike Perlowin


From:
Los Angeles CA
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 4:01 pm    
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Next time you gave a request for the song, play the tune, but sing the words to Pinball Wizard instead.

See if they notice.

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My web site
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Jim Phelps

 

From:
Mexico City, Mexico
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 4:15 pm    
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Granted it's not a soulful version....but look how young they are, think you or anyone their age would do it much better?
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Jon Moen


From:
Canada
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 5:18 pm    
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The sad thing is that 2 of them died in the last year.
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Joe Alterio


From:
Irvington, Indiana
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 5:43 pm    
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Jim....my point is I would have been smart enough not to even try. Who in their right mind can look at ANY of the Cowsills and think any of them could have "shot a man in Reno just to watch him die?"....ludicrous!

Mike....that is hilarious!
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Smiley Roberts

 

From:
Hendersonville,Tn. 37075
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 6:22 pm    
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Quote:
Who in their right mind can look at ANY of the Cowsills and think any of them could have "shot a man in Reno just to watch him die?"


I dunno Joe,that female bass player looks pretty "criminal-minded" to me! She looks like she'd sit down & split a beer w/ ya in a heartbeat. ("One beer,2 straws bartender,please.")

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  ~ ~

©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.



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Charles Davidson

 

From:
Phenix City Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 6:26 pm    
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Think I'll just stay out of this one.
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Bruce Meyer

 

From:
Thompson's Station, TN
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 7:33 pm    
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This is a good example of why many of us in that era decided to start a band. We watched these shows with our friends and said to ourselves "Heck, At least we can't do any worse than that! And they're on TV!"
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Jack Francis

 

From:
Queen Creek, Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 8:20 pm    
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COW-WHAT??
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Brett Anderson

 

From:
Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 8:44 pm    
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Mike P. My lead guitar player does the first verse to Pinball Wizard when we do this song. The band likes it but everybody else just drinks. Oh OK the band drinks too.
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Brett Anderson

 

From:
Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 8:46 pm    
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On Haggard's last "LIve at Billy Bob's" he does a neat version of this tune.
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Bobby Lee


From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 8:48 pm    
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Didn't Johnny Cash do it in F#?

That's a funny idea, Mike. The lyrics do fit the same melody:
quote:
Ever since I was a young boy
I've played the silver ball
From Soho down to Brighton
I must have played them all
But I ain't seen nothing like him
In any amusement hall
That deaf, dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball



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Williams D-12 E9, C6add9, Sierra Olympic S-12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop S-8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster D-8 (E13, C6 or A6)   My Blog
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Jerry Erickson

 

From:
Atlanta,IL 61723
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2006 9:56 pm    
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A band that I was in for 23 years used to do a Led Zep Whole Lotta Love/Folsom Prison Blues morph thing. It was quite popular. I think Zep's, Communication Breakdown was in there too.
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Tony Prior


From:
Charlotte NC
Post  Posted 16 Jun 2006 12:54 am    
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nice Guitars though !

t
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Jack Stoner


From:
Kansas City, MO
Post  Posted 16 Jun 2006 2:19 am    
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I work with Tommy Cash quite a bit and he does it in F. I even get to do a steel break on the song with Tommy.
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Martin Abend


From:
Berlin, Germany
Post  Posted 16 Jun 2006 2:47 am    
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They wear suits, so who cares about the music?
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 16 Jun 2006 3:42 am    
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I still like the "other" popular version, by Jim Nesbitt (I think)...

I hear a train 'a commin'
but I won't get upset.
Last week I heard an airplane,
but I ain't seen it yet...


LOL!

Personally, I always thought it was kinda hard to screw up a Johnny Cash song! Given their age (and the time period...which was embarrassing to just about everyone), I actually think the kids did a pretty good job!

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 23 June 2006 at 05:49 PM.]

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Jeff Agnew

 

From:
Dallas, TX
Post  Posted 16 Jun 2006 5:02 am    
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code:

#> del cowsills.vid
#> flush ../brain/mem
#> format /dev/brain/

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Ray Minich

 

From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
Post  Posted 16 Jun 2006 6:26 am    
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I always get the Cowsills and the Partridge Family confused. Which one had Angela Cartwright?
Two things... It was probably lipsynched anyway, and the camera dolly was certainly annoying.

[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 16 June 2006 at 09:50 AM.]

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Jerry Hayes


From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
Post  Posted 16 Jun 2006 7:48 am    
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I've played that song with probably hundreds of singers since it came out and I still play it (intro, rides, & ending) as close to how Luther Perkins did as possible. How can you improve on perfection? I just couldn't imagine any of those old Cash tunes with any other guitar work on them. Luther was as important to the success of those records as the vocals or the song itself.........JH in Va.

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Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!


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Mark Lind-Hanson


From:
Menlo Park, California, USA
Post  Posted 16 Jun 2006 7:49 am    
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Man, now they have just totally ruined my image of these kids as the clean cut wholesome expression of American Youth...
You're right, that bass player sure looks like she could stand "just to watch him die..."
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Ron Page

 

From:
Penn Yan, NY USA
Post  Posted 16 Jun 2006 8:19 am    
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I know of one band that can cover it. Check out Merle Haggard's CD called "Live At Billy Bob's Texas -- Old Country Singer". On there you'll find what is far and away the best rendition of that song that I have ever heard. Musicians will especially enjoy it because he leaves out a verse and just lets the band play it out-- Norm Hamlet steel, fiddle, sax...

I mean no disrespect for Johnny, and Merle sends the song out as a tribute to his late friend, but JC never featured the variety of instruments that Merle's latest cut does.

------------------
HagFan

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Gary Atkinson

 

From:
Arkansas, USA
Post  Posted 16 Jun 2006 9:37 am    
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Carl Perkins used to do his version of that song on his live shows with his style of guitar.He was really something to watch and very entertaining.
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