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Post by TheWallsScreamedPoetry on Nov 18, 2011 18:04:06 GMT
Summertime,
The livin' is easy.
Fish are jumpin'.
The cotton is high.
Your daddy's rich.
Your momma's good lookin'.
Hush little baby
Don't you cry.
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Post by TheWallsScreamedPoetry on Nov 19, 2011 15:45:48 GMT
The Doors started doing this in their early club days as an instrumental to allow Jim Morrison a break. Composed by George Gershwin in 1935 for his opera Porgy & Bess Summertime is supposedly the most covered song in Music History. It was styled as a waltz after John Coltrane's My Favorite Things John Coltrane - My Favorite ThingsThe Doors - Summertime (Instrumental) Live at the Matrix Club This version is an excellent way to visualise aurally how Ray worked with Lefty to provide both his own keyboard part and that of the bass player. A typically languid Krieger guitar thread runs throughout the performance and John Densmore provides his usual competent backbeat to the piece. It's a good example of tight The Doors had become and a fitting showcase for the talents of Ray Manzarek. At first it was simply the instrumental but in Doors final days Morrison augmented it with the lyrics. Sometimes on stage Jim would weave 'Summertime' into 'Light My Fire' and expand the song with 'St. James Infirmary Blues' which was based on an 18th century traditional English folk song called "The Unfortunate Rake". St James Hospital in London which is the St James of the song treated lepers in the 16th century. The most well known version of the instrumental is the 1967 Matrix tapes version. There are several versions of LMF with Summertime/St. James Infirmary Blues. It was a fascinating side to The Doors that they could tip their hat to opera, classical, jazz and blues. The Doors - Summertime/St. James Infirmary - Live in Boston 1970 I went down to St. James Infirmary. I saw my baby there. Stretched out on a marble table. So cold. So white. So pale.
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