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Topic: Another "Farewell Party" Story!!! |
Reggie Duncan
From:
Mississippi
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Posted 4 Mar 2002 7:59 pm |
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Lloyd gave me this story and permission to share it with you! Thanks, Lloyd!
Reggie,
One year in St. Louis, just when Gene Watson's version of "Farewell Party" was at it's hottest, everyone was breaking my arms and back with compliments; everyone, that is, except B. Emmons. Naturally I was interested in his comments so I said, "Buddy, what do think of "Farewell Party"?" He said, "Yeah, wasn't that a great solo Day played?" I was so shocked, I agreed, having never heard the Bush cut, and unaware of it's existence.
Upon returning to Nashville I found the Bush record, which had been cut 10 years before and was not surprised to hear a fine Day solo. In fact, I would say it's equal to the one I played on Watson's record, not something which I would say about any other really good solo I played in comparison to someone else cutting the same tune. Ironically, it was Gene's version that brought Day's version to the attention of most of us since it had long been forgotten or ignored by most players with the exception of Emmons! Obviously it didn't, nor would it have, influenced the way I approached the song, but it is wonderful that steel players know of it's existence and it certainly goes right along beside my solo.
And I'm aware that there are those who consider it better than mine, which is eminently fair and arouses no jealousy in me. But I think it's equally legitimate to say that I'm proud both of those records exist.
To this day I have no idea what Buddy thought of the Watson record, but I certainly learned a lesson that day in St.Louis, which was never try to elicit a unsolicited compliment from E.
Regards, Lloyd
WELL, BUDDY? THINK ITS TIME? We want to know!
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Ron Page
From:
Penn Yan, NY USA
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Posted 5 Mar 2002 6:08 pm
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Very interesting story. I was unaware of the Bush/Day version but sure love the Gene Watson version, which I get to hear this Friday night in Hamilton, OH.
As big a hit as that was for Gene, I don't recall ever hearing it on the radio. That leads me to believe that it might have been released in the 1980 or 1981 timeframe, when I was in college out in the "Boonies" of upstate NY; no good radio stations.
I enjoy AJ's remake of it on "Under the Influence", with Paul Franklin covering Lloyds turnaround.
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HagFan
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Tiny Olson
From:
Mohawk River Valley, Upstate NY
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Posted 5 Mar 2002 7:11 pm
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Lloyd,
I know I was impressed with your intro and solo as I got to hear it first hand in the studio. What a treat. I'd been working for Gene for about a month at that time. That was early in 1978 and the single was released about November of that same year if I recall correctly.
At the start of that session you also showed me another remedy for amp problems. After you had set up, your Session 400 was acting up and making unwanted noises. You looked at me and said, "Tiny, I'll show you a neat trick to fixing these amps when they do this." From speaking to you I expected a real secret tech. type of thing. When you picked the amp up about a foot off the floor and dropped it, well I was surprised to say the least. When you turned the amp back on it worked perfectly and was quiet. I've never forgotten that and never will.
In regards to the Bush/Day cut, we had been listening to that on the bus for several weeks and Gene had actually sprung it on the band one night at a club in Ohio about a week prior to that session. The song was most assuredly on his mind at that time. You folks cut Gene's version in the last ten minutes of the session, basically in one take. That was very cool.
Well Lloyd, you are one of the primary reasons that I took up the steel guitar in the first place. The sounds I heard from you and Mr. Emmons were too much for me... I had to try to play this instrument.
Thanks for all the ear-pleasing tones and notes over the years.
Tiny Olson |
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Bob Blair
From:
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Posted 5 Mar 2002 8:33 pm
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| Ron, Gene Watson's version would have been late '70's I think - I know I was playing it myself in clubs and really digging hearing a guy named Tom Keates (who was one of Canada's greatest players in my opinion)play it while I was still in Kingston, Ontario and I left there in May of '80. I think sometime in 79 is probably when it was a hit. |
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Marco Schouten
From:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Posted 5 Mar 2002 10:11 pm
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Tiny,
thanks for sharing that memory!
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Steelin' Greetings
Marco Schouten
Sho-Bud Pro III Custom
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